Many thanks to Jeff McMahon, from the Herculodge, who shares an update to his Sangean PR-D4W review.
The good news is that Jeff continues to be impressed with the PR-D4W and ranks it above the venerable C.Crane CCRadio-2E in almost every category. At $64.50 on Amazon, the PR-D4W is a much better value.
Follow this link to his review:
AM Auto Tracking from Sangean product sheet:
“Sangeans PR-D4W is equipped with AM Auto Tracking that will
automatically optimize the sensitivity of the station you’re tuned to and
helps pull in distant stations. ”
How it works, they don’t say.
In the moments after the radio lands on a chosen frequency, there is a pause which may be followed by audible changes in frequency response which suggest the DSP is adjusting the bandwidth according to what it sees on the adjacent channels. More and more Sangean radios which use a hybrid filtering arrangement like this, seem to be adopting such a strategy. The HDR-14 is the latest example.
This Eton radio is the U.S. domestic veorisn of the Chinese Tecsun PL-550 all-band pocket sized radio. The Chinese veorisn is legended in the native language and utilitarian in appearance and less expensive. The Eton is, well, in English with slight curves. I have used and tested other Tecsun produced radios, including the PL-200 (Eton 10) and the Grundig eTraveller VII. This radio, like the other Tecsun models, has excellent frequency discrimination, as well as the ability to directly enter the frequency desired (if you know it), or scan through the AM, FM and many shortwave bands, find the stations you like and store their frequencies. Closely allied, for example, FM stations within 200 kHz (only the strongest will be heard on most commercial FM receivers) of each other, can be picked up with clarity, positioning the manuverable whip antenna. Very, very few radios, excepting expensive car radios, can boast such performance in the Unites States. Now on the market are other comparable radios, all made by Tecsun in China using the very same sophisicated reception circuitry regelated previously to expensive shortwave receivers. This model has other features as well: two preset wake-up times for programs from preselected stations, scanning of all bands for stations and an antenna trimmer which permits optimizing reception on weakly received broadcasts, some 500 station memories and special reception selectivity for shortwave stations whose frequencies are almost overlapping. For the price, this radio is simply an excellent value, but people wishing to receive shortwave broadcasts are warned: shortwave reception from this radio, and every other shortwave radio for that matter, of stations other than the powerful broadcasters, benefits enormously from the use of an external long wire antenna. Tecsun does provide a retractable wire antenna with the radio. Alas, as with almost all radios this size, there is no single side band (SSB) reception, an enhancement that, defying digital technology, actually requires listener intervention to optimize and has great potential, but has, for the present at least, been consigned to the province of the technical listener more interested in ascertaining distant reception than actual broadcast information. The Dalai Lama for all his 5,000 watts SSB from Tibet can not be heard on this radio. China Radio shortwave, at 150,000 watts conventiona AM shortwave, with Canadian relay stations, does just fine. Australian radio, at the same power, Radio Havana, Radio Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Netherlands, Sweden, India, Israel, etc., at lesser power, and some with and most without relay stations, are also heard clearly on the Eastern seaboard during their times of broadcast usually in the early evening EST.
I was interested in purchasing this radio, but it looks like it’s not possible for europeans !
This PR-D4W is not available from Sangean EU (confirmed by Sangean Sales DPT), and Amazon do not ship it outside the USA 🙁
Does anyone know if it’s available from an asian dealer ? (such as anon-co, bigbargainonline)
Nothing found so far …
Best regards,
Patrick
One would think at that price range it would include the shortwave band.
I certainly wish it did!
It’s raison d’être is set and forget local broadcast radio listening. Not interactive, like we need for a quality SW experience. Now, it has something called “AM auto tracking” and Jeff confirms high performance AM reception. That plus good sound is worth $65 to me.
You’re kidding, right?