The Digitech AR1945 portable radio (Click to enlarge)
SWLing Post reader, Phil, noticed the unidentified radio from this post as the Digitech Audio AR1945.
He comments:
This radio has been released in Australia via the Jaycar Electronics Stores as the Digitech Audio AR 1945. It has all the hallmarks of Redsun radios.
I bought one and overall the performance is very good on MW and SW, FM is ok and AIR band isn’t too bad. The big drawback is the SSB. It is dreadful, by far the worst SSB demodulation I have ever come across in a radio. This needs to be addressed and once done so, will be a good receiver.
Pity it doesn’t have Synchronous detection as, if you look at the display carefully, provision has been made for this feature. I wonder how it can be activated? I would appreciate any comments on a fix for the SSB
Phil, thanks so much for the mini review. Here’s a link to the AR1945 on Jaycar’s website: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AR1945
Has anyone found a mod to activate a potentially dormant sync detector or to improve SSB demodulation? Please comment.
I’ve posted various views of the Digitech AR1945 below, along with this full description from Jaycar’s website:
“Ideal for a novice ham radio licensor, keen fisherman or even just the outdoors type, this radio has everything you will ever need in a radio with the added function of single-sideband modulation (SSB). SSB is used to obtain current weather reports, so it is perfect to take to sea to avoid changing weather conditions. However with great FM and AM coverage and battery operation it is also perfect for camping, BBQs and thanks to its world/local time selection clock and alarm, it can even be used as an alarm clock! Additional features include auto tuning saving, 500 memories and keypad direct entry. This is certainly a radio of many uses! Power options are 6 x AA (not included) used with supplied 6 x D size battery adaptors, 6 x D batteries (not included) or the supplied 9V PSU. Supplied with a carry strap.”
• FM: 87.5-108.0MHz
• MW(AM): 522-1620kHz (9kHz); 530-1710kHz (10kHz)
• AIR: 118-137MHz
• SW: 1,711-29,999kHz
• LW: 144-450 kHz
Features:
• Large back lit LCD
• RF gain control
• Bass & treble controls
• Key lock
• IF output
• Line in and out
• Earphone socket
• Speaker 5W/4 ohms
• Local/DX antenna switch
• External antenna connection
• Internal full range speaker
• Mains or battery operated
• Dimensions: 310(W) x 195(H) x 100(D)mm
Of course, this radio is most likely available in other parts of the world under different brand names. Let us know if you’ve seen it.
Almost 2 years to the day my Digitech AR-1945 won’t switch on…on either 240V or battery power..Zip Nothing….anyone know if Jaycar gave a Warranty on this poor excuse for a “””World Band Radio””………………any ideas on what else I can do…I have pressed the reset button with paper clip…Zip Nothing….does anyone have one of these actually still working..$190 poorly spent….can they be fixed…?….thanks for any info..Larry.
1/12/21
Yeah pile of crap Mine has gone gooky full tilt display operation must be heat affected as sat on top back of gas heater no obvious warmth felt but doesn’t reset
Soaked front in Crc eventually drying improved marginally but still inoperable only runs partly
Are they still making ? $190 wasted
SupershopperNz /ROD
Instability on short wave finally cured by inserting 100 ohm resistor between drain of RF amplifier ‘IR7’ (2SK3557?) and the inductor load. This transistor follows a SMD low pass filter for 30 MHz, the start of which has anti-parallel protection diodes, and is only operative for short wave. Perhaps mine has higher gain than normal.
Hi
I bought World Band AM/FM/SW/LW/AIR PLL Synthesised Receiver with SSB
AR1945 for dad for fathers day so he can listen to greek radio stations but for some reason i am having problems trying to find them with this radio.
Dad has a small radio which he does listen to a greek radio stationon AM but with this radio i can not find any greek radio stations.
I was just wondering if you would know how to find greek radio stations on the World Band AM/FM/SW/LW/AIR PLL Synthesised Receiver with SSB AR1945 that i just bought for dad
or if you would know someone that might be able to help me and tell me what i am doing wrong.
Thanks and i hope to hear from you soon
Radio Greece or ERT I think can be heard on 9420KHz 31metres and also on 9935KHz when on air. 9935KHz always seems to be a better and stronger catch than 9420KHz. I’ve heard it in our mornings and afternoons after lunch normally. Hope that helps Jimmy.
all the best
Tim
My AR-1945 still working; still unstable on Short wave with internal rod aerial despite much screening. Stable with external aerial.
BFO seems to be via a short coaxial cable and small ceramic cap. (.01uf) soldered to pin 9 of the LA8432 chip, data for which is still not available. I put a 10K resistor in series, seems to improve things.
Seems to have dual FET mixer with small green toroid in front end.
Now have FRG-7 and soon a Drake R8; much easier to work on!
Just after leaving hospital this morning I dropped into my local Jaycar to buy a few power cable adaptors and what do I find ?
A new portable shortwave receiver with SSB!
https://www.jaycar.com.au/pocket-world-radio-with-ssb/p/AR1780
Looks interesting and resembles a larger AR-1733 with SSB. I quickly looked at the specifications on the box and it states that the SW band only goes up to 26.1MHz, so it misses out on the 10 & 11M bands. Odd as the website specifications clearly state full SW coverage (1.711-29.999MHz) for this receiver.
I did buy one straight away (of course – what was I thinking ?) and will test it later to see how it performs. The adjustable bandwidth setting and external antenna jack are rather useful additions. I’m eager to try SSB and see if it actually demodulates properly – unlike the AR1945!
Hello John L.,
I am glad to see your news ! The coverage of SW actually is 1711-29999kHz for this new SSB receiver. It has a different SSB solution from AR-1945 based on Silicon Lab DSP chips. So you can test it and SSB performs much better. Hopefully you enjoy it and give more detailed comments. Thanks
had two ar-1945 radios first one the ssb was good but radio lasted 3 months then just died , replaced it the ssb seemed ok for a couple of months then got very bad and is unuseable now
After 20 days, my AR 1945 radio
has stopped playing aloud. It is too low to listen even with new battaries. Besides, sound on earphone is weak too. Can you illustrate the cause and solution of it?
Atol shanti chakma, Bangladesh
HI, I have a AR1945 picked up second hand, I have a problem with the main power, there is a component missing. Its marked as Q2 and sits on the printed side of the board. If you have removed your radio can you please let me know the number on the component. Thanks
Hello,
The AR1945 worked for about two years & went blank. The power does not turn on but the clock works. Can any one help to resolve this problem.
There is one solution for this radio,in order to get very good ssb without audio degridations,you have to buy aportable ssb called tg37. http://goo.gl/3IyiIB
This unit worked for about 2 months and then crapped out – completely useless unit – too hard to tune and battery power was useless FM Ok ——-display interface separated from unit and I think had something to do with the unit becoming faulty..
NOT WORTH MY TIME>>>>>>>OR MONEY>>>
Hi Phil, found this discussion after researching problems I have had with the 1945. In brief, purchased boxing day. Worked well for a few hours and then kept cutting out with locked up screen. Removing from all power sources would reset it but it would happen again after a short time. Tried manually resetting it but no better. Returned it to Jaycar and exchanged it for another. The second worked really well for a month then developed same problems, irrespective of batteries or mains power. Same temporary solutions produced same temporary results. Returned it last week and exchanged it for another as I liked the radio. The third lasted less than 3o minutes before it went silent on all bands due to lack of a signal but screen stayed on. Reset and / or removal of power source would not get it working again and returned it for a refund. Jaycar staff were friendly and obliging but a bit clueless although all three different staff claimed they have sold many trouble free and couldn’t explain my yhree out of three duds, all of which they tested before accepting them back. Discovered your discussion between two and three which encouraged me to try again. Staff here told me that the 1946 is digital and therefore useless in Queensland and why they don’t stock them here but this may not be the case from discussion above. Can you elaborate and or suggest an alternative; perhaps DEGEN DE1103? Hope they don’t try to dump all the dud ones on the unsuspecting, price has come down a bit.
i am up to number 5, so pulled apart had water damage and dodgy repairs
Hi David,
Sounds like you’re not having much luck with your 1945, I have to say, touch wood, that mine seems to perform very well on all bands with only the SSB letting it down. I was hoping the BFO may have been a separate circuit which may have been easy to alter the amount of signal injection but it looks like it may be derived in the chip.
There’s never any circuits available for any of the Chinese radios which would allow you to determine the pin on the chip to start. Might be a a bit of trial and error to locate. It would be great if it can be solved!
Unfortunately you are right regarding the shortwave stations, there is a plethora of Chinese outlets but there are still Africans, South Americans and a number of other stations that offer an English service. I enjoy RNZI, Radio Rumania, AIR in English and there’s still the BBC World Service, VOA and even CRI offers some good programming in English. Also DX’ing some of the obscure stations is a lot of fun.
Good luck with it, I hope you can solve the SSB on the radio. Look forward to future comments.
Cheers and good DX…… Phil
AR1945 purchased from Jaycar January 2016 lasted a few seconds before audio disappeared; display remained.
Replacement worked, but is unstable on SW, an oscillation blanking out reception. Mostly cured by grounding the front grille and loudspeaker; an external earth also helps.
The am/fm chip is a TA8132. Yet to investigate BFO injection with an oscilloscope: to which pin and what amplitude?
Absence of tuned AM RF stage means cheaper to produce; reception probably could be improved on SW by using external tuned stage (mosfet; fixed inductors, varicap diode). This could be a tuned aerial amplifier & whip antenna.
Internal circuitry largely inaccessible under tin screens using SMD components. At least the TA8132 pins are accessible!
Can tune to local ethnic radio on 1640 KHz with 10 KHz steps including 1 KHz steps, unlike the usual 9 KHz steps which limit coverage to 1611 KHz.
What happened to all the European stations on SW? Seems all Chinese now.
Was thinking of buying an ar1945 from jaycar nz. All 3 DigiTech UHF cb Mobiles I bought developed faults. After reading the ar1945 reviews I have to say….like the Dragons…..I’M OUT !
Hi Avo,
That is very interesting about the AR-1946. I’m inclined to think that either there is inadequate shielding around the DSP chip and display as is quite often the case with the Chinese radios or you may have been unlucky to get one with faulty shortwave. If it is the former, you can get someone with good skills in metalwork to fabricate shields and solder to the “earth” rail and that should cure the hash. Many have done that to thier radios with excellent results. Cost cutting by the manufacturer is the only reason for not having adequate shielding.
AM sounds a worry, I like AM DX’ing so that may be a deal breaker with the radio. Having said that, a larger ferrite rod could be substituted or an external antenna might be the go provided there’s no tendancy to overload. You would only perservere if you liked the radio a lot otherwise it’s not worth the trouble. I’ll go to our local Jaycar outlet and see if there is any in stock. Sounds like I’ll have to insist on a trial run with it first before any purchase is made.
I’m getting close to delving into the AR-1945 more closely, maybe over the Xmas break. It will depend if the oscillator for SSB is derived in one of the chips or is a seperate unit. If the former, it will be impossible to tweek as the chip’s firmware would have to be sorted, if the latter, there’s a chance that the BFO signal could be adjusted to not overload the AGC circuit causing muting and distortion. At a radio club meeting on the weekend, it was determined that the incoming RF signal isn’t being attenuated by the BFO and is looking like it is a problem with the AGC being totally swamped. Hopefully it may be solvable! Otherwise, the performance of the AR-1945 is exemplary.
I cant say as much about the DEGEN DE27 though, basically it just a toy. It’s an analogue radio with a frequency counter, selectivity is attrocious and sensitivity is marginal at best. The best you can say about this radio is that its cheap and sounds ok. If you took it to say the beach and lost it, well it’s not the end of the world. My advice is to stay clear of it and maybe the DEGEN DE29 might be a better proposition.
I keep coming back to the DEGEN DE1103 though, I think for the money that this is perhaps one of the best small portable radios available, Great AM considering it’s size, superb SW, SSB and has 2 bandwidths. FM is pretty good too, almost neck and neck with the PL390. Be aware though that the 1103 has been re released with DSP upgrades. I can’t comment on which is better but some have said the earlier versions are the way to go.
Have fun with it all and good DX……. Phil
AR 1946 is now out. Had one for a day but ended returning it as SW was full of garbage. Fully DSP based according to the box. I do have to say that FM performance is superb. Sensitivity and selectivity is better than any previous radio I have used and RDS is very usable even on weak signals. 10 kHz steps with a very smooth non muting dial make it a pure DX machine in my books for FM. Digital is ok but kept cutting out even with good signal strengths. AM modes have 7 bandwidths that work very well. MW is a bit dull but no images. If only SW was good I would recommend it as a good all rounder but at $219 for just a great FM tuner I think it expensive.
Saying all this, the unit feels good quality wise and in my opinion is a better attempt than the 1945. I think a revision can sort out SW and if so, I am definitely repurchasing….
As the manual is very basic, Is there a way to save frequency’s in memory , im getting tired of punching in freq’s all the time and would love to scroll thru my best ones..
Also is there a way to keep the screen light on full time ..
I experienced a similar problem to Rodger. My AR1945 has died after just 2 yrs; at first the keypad lights would flash randomly (without touching anything) but no problem with reception. Lights would flash even with the radio switched off! The batteries flattened very quickly because of this, so I plugged in the AC adapter, listened to AM broadcast for a few mins then a crackle/hash started to creep in (on a strong station). Now it’s cactus. I’ll follow Phil’s advice and see if an electrolytic has exploded – even if I can fix it I’m done with this set.
Regarding SSB, I got the best results tuning 1kHz steps to the station, then to 0.1kHz for fine-tuning, but this is fiddly and still very average. I can sometimes pick up VMC on 8176kHz during the day. Also, I only ever used batteries listening to SW & LW – when using the AC adapter too much mains noise creeps in and completely degrades the signal. Taking this further, you can get better reception in the park with only the telescopic antenna (I’m in an apartment & run a random wire out the window).
I tried leaving the AR1945 in AM mode whilst tuned to a SSB signal, then used another receiver (old Captain 55) as a local oscillator. It was was fiddly but resolved the SSB much better! I get similar performance doing this with another cheap AM-only set listening to hams on 40m. This is because it’s oscillating at/near the received freq, eg 8176 rather than the intermediate freq 455 kHz. You can move the ‘oscillator’ away depending on how weak/strong the received signal is so it doesn’t get swamped. I’ve also ordered some 455kHz ceramic resonators to see if I can build a very small BFO with minimal components; my aim is to install in the small cheap set for lightweight DXing.
Today I have bought an AR1748 from Jaycar at the current special price of $139 (including 6 x D cell converters for AA plus a 9V external power supply. I’m hoping this will give me clues to track down a power supply fault in an AR1747, a 6 volt version with AA and AAA compartments and a 9V internal transformer. There’s also several rainbow leads and plugs, always doubtful. Tone and RF gain controls are now under the tuning. The Jaycar user guide is very poor. And course there’s no circuit or even a layout diagram for either model. So expect Jaycar to offer the AR1945 when current stocks are sold.
I am curious about outboard ssb units Myself. Thank you for the interesting thread.
Hi Hanna,
Thanks for the heads up on a possible way of receiving SSB for the AR-1945. Those outboard SSB units sound very interesting and it would be good if you can post the website on this forum. From the point of view of having to get something like it for the AR-1945, it adds significant cost to an already expensive radio when in fact, the manufacturers and Jaycar should sort them out in the first place. Sadly, that looks like it will never happen.
One wonders what the AR-1946 will be like! No sign of it on the shelves yet.
Cheers….. Phil
hi,i purchased one of these before and returned to jaycar due to the so called ssb
they should never mention it in their literetures and make a big deal of it.it is a big circuit design fault,there is one solution for this radio,in order to get very good ssb without audio degridations,you have to buy aportable ssb called tg37 ,and by adding the if out of the jaycar radio to the if in of this module you can receive ssb very well,i have bought this module for $60 and can be used with other chinese radios by adding this to the radio you will be actually bypassing the bad ssb of the radio and using this beautiful and very effective unit.if any one interested i can provide the seller’ website.
thank you i can be contacted on 0409592976
regards. hanna.
Hi Avo,
Yes the Sangean uses standard boards in their radios, if you take the lid off the PRD-13, you’ll see where the additional circuitry is added for the CCradio 2E to demodulate the Weather and 2m Ham band. It wouldn’t be commercially viable to have different boards for different markets. It amuses me to sometimes read comments from the US stating the various radios are exclusive to whomever and are designed and made in the US! It just doesn’t enter into their vocabulary that the radios are made in China. Some of the design aspects and specifications may well come from the US and other target markets but in the main the radios come from the big Chinese manufacturers.
Unfortunately, we don’t get DAB+ out this way, but I use an OXX to listen to Internet radio. We don’t have RDS on our FM stations either but I can receive Sydney FM using a Sony coupled to a J-Pole antenna and I can resolve RDS from the Sydney stations. Not bad for over 200 kms!
I’ll be heading off on DX’pedition next month and I’ll take the PRD-13 with the aim of receiving the US MW. I’m taking a Commradio CR-1 and an Icom R71 which will be coupled to a range of amplified PK Loops, a few EWE’s and a terminated Beverage. Looking forward to it.
Enjoy the radios!
Cheers….. Phil
Hi Phil,
Got the PRD13 last year on a Dick Smith one day hot sale. At $55 plus $10 delivery it was too good a deal to miss. Mind you, I very rarely use it as my main unit is a Pure Sensia 200d with the local airport stream generally locked in. My PRD has P02 as well and the interesting thing is the LCD panel has the CC2E segments on it like SQUELCH, VHF and WX (shown during a unit reset). AM and FM performance is very very good, far better than the Pure which is plagued by internal RF hash which is a shame as its quite sensitive and selective for a non DSP SOC. Still, I like the Pure’s RDS and DAB reception is not too bad not to mention the ease of the touchscreen.
A.
Hi Avo,
It will be interesting to see if the AD1946 is released in July as stated by Jaycar or if it will be held up again to a later date. Hopefully the radio isn’t proving to be problematic. It holds promise.
I took the chance of picking up a Digitor PRD-13 from the 24 hr sale by Dick Smith and I was keen to see the firmware version. It is indeed the P02 which allows the radio to default to the frequency display instead of the clock which is annoying on the Sangean PRD-3. The PRD-3 has the earlier P01 firmware.
Performance wise, the radios, as you’d expect, are virtually identical but I’ve noticed that the narrow filter setting on the PRD-3 appears to be narrower than the PRD-13. As the radios use DSP architecture, I suspect the 13 has slightly different filter parameters built into the DSP. It may be using a different chip which the later model CCRadio 2E has been mentioned uses. Audio appears to be identical. As it was so cheap, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. Worthwhile keeping your eye on the sales site to see when it comes on sale again. A great radio!
I’ve been playing with a National Panasonic R-1400 and a Sanyo Transcontinental. Both have large ferrite rod antennas and both are excellent MW performers but being analogue, tuning requires more patience.
As a side note, the R-1400 is the Oceanic version of the RF-1400. Identical in looks but the R-1400 has 3 SW bands and MW whereas the RF-1400 has 2 SW bands, MW and FM. Being circa 1965, Australasia didn’t have FM.
Hi Phil,
Yes, the AR1946 is something I am interested in looking at however my concern is that it was first listed in the then just released 2014 Jaycar catalogue (November 2013) as a new for 2014 model. For a product to take so long to make it to retail generally makes me suspicious that there are issues that are proving troublesome to resolve. Perhaps you are right in that it is being thoroughly tested at the design phase.
Regards,
Avo.
How true Larry,
It would’ve been good if Redsun, the manufacturer of the radio, released a “fix” so Jaycar could’ve helped purchasers of the radio either fix it themselves if they have the technical competence or send their radios to Jaycar for it to be fixed. Problem solved! Happy customers! But no, that costs money so better assume a “brush it under the carpet” attitude or perhaps Redsun don’t know how to fix it! They’ve taken a “near enough good enough” attitude.
I see Jaycar is releasing the AR 1946 shortly. It’s shown in the latest catalogue and I hear is due to hit the shelves in July. I wonder how they will perform? It’s an expensive radio so one hopes that Jaycar have done extensive Beta testing on them before they are released to the general public. That will avoid any disappointment if any faulty units are found to be common. I’m happy as a DX’er to thoroughly test the 1946 for Jaycar but I don’t think that’s their policy.
Cheers….. Phil
G’Day Wayne,
It is a pity that such a potentially good radio is marred with issues as you described and I encounter. It’s all about marketing now, an item is built to a cost (usually the cheapest which means greater profit), get them out the door attitude and replace defective units if and when such a situation rises. What doesn’t help is that there isn’t many people actually interested in the item they are selling. I bet if you speak to most people who handle the item (this could refer to virtually any electronic devise on the market today) from the importer to the sales staff, they don’t have a clue or care about the item. Just buy it! In this case a shortwave receiver. Ask people about shortwave and you mostly end up with a blank disinterested stare!
For a cheap radio with SSB and handles a passive loop well, try a Sangean 505, they go ok.
You are absolutely right re sales staff generally being ignorant about items they are selling…they are usually all “””so busy””” that they don’t bother to ask questions on customers behalf of anyone Jaycar that may actually know something about it..when I bought my 1945 the sales assistants knowledge extended to “appearantly it does all that stuff on the box”…after 42 years in marketing I learnt one important thing which I used to pass on to my Staff…’the customer may not always be right ..but the customer always remains the customer’…..if the Chinese manufacturer was dinkum about upgrading this 1945 in terms of the obvious disappointing feedback sales staff have been receiving now for a considerable period re this radio..then they have had ample time to do so….its very nearly a decent radio…shame…if folk continue to buy it why would they change anything…so long as there remains enough new chums in the system who continue to purchase this ‘type’ of radio for the first time.. to every Grey Nomad/Traveller in Oz who has the money and no knowledge this seems an ideal set up…retiring Grey Nomads with ‘Super’ are the largest potential buyer demographic today…look at the latest metal/gold detectors today they are small/folding/compact fit in the RV and virtually one button gets you away without all the boring stuff like reading a manual…the professionals are not enthused as they ‘know’ all the ins and outs from using previous detectors and want upgrades….same as you blokes know what to expect from a decent radio..don’t hold your breath waiting..
In April of this year 2015, I went ahead and bought the Digitech AR 1945 with SSB, at Jaycar, They let me try it just outside the shop.
I picked up a Ham operator on SW, then I switched to SSB and the volume dropped to almost nothing, so I had to turn the volume and RF-gain to Max. I could’nt tune the Ham in properly, they may have dropped out, anyway I switched back to AM mode and the radio nearly blew me away with the volume on Max.
I am sick and tired of Jaycar not returning all these radios and either get updated version of this radio or do something, I dont think they care a less !!!!
I want a SW radio with SSB, but I want to do MW dxing with it with external MW loop or long wire, it has the connections on the back of radio but the SSB is rubbish.
Maybe I will get a Sony 7600Gr or a Tecsun pl-880 which you can force a MW antenna to it.
Hi Rodger, I hope you can get it sorted. Sound to me that either the processor has failed for some reason of an electro capacitor/s have become leaky in the power supply area of the radio. Once voltage drops due to leakage in the cap, it will cause the processor to do all manner of weird things and the display to play up. So if you don’t have any success with Jaycar, you could open the back and check some voltages around the supply. Look for obvious signs of bulging capacitors or leaking electrolyte. If you see, remove and replace taking note of the polarity. Some Chinese capacitors are very “dodgy”!
I picked up a Sangean PR-D3 which is the same as the Digitor PR-D13 marketed by Dick Smiths and the CCradio 2E. What a superb radio, great AM performance. I pit it against the Sangean PR-D5, the Panasonic DR22, the Sony EX5 Mk2 and the GE Superadio 1 and 2 and it does a great job. Only problem is the radio defaults to a clock display instead of the station frequency. Otherwise I could recommend it wholeheartedly.
All fun in the hobby.
Cheers…… Phil
Hi Phil, thank you for your reply.
I’ve tried a fresh set of batteries and a few more resets … and left the radio battery-less for a week.
Same result; scrambled LCD and the red power button does not work at all. (i.e. the radio will not turn on).
Before the trouble started I noticed considerable sideband drift and had to continuously use “fine” tuning to maintain audio intelligence.
My Harris RF590 … never drifts … and doesn’t require a warm up.
Unfortunately my FRG7 drifts during sideband reception and requires moderate adjustments during one hour ‘VK’ eavesdropping on 40 meters.
I may send an email to Jaycar customer support and seek advice.
The radio is only 13 months old … and still looks new.
Incidentally, the radio performed well on VHF air-band, (when it was working).
And I could hear all of the Ginini air-band VHF, Majura VHF and Canberra Airport ADC and SMC without any problems. { All freqs are listed in the ERSA – If anyone is interested}.
The NDB beacon reception on Long wave, (LW) was fairly disappointing though.
But I was comparing the AR 1945 with the Harris RF590, (probably an unfair test eh?).
Certainly, the FM radio part sounded rich and clear and was quite pleasant to my ears.
Not really DAB quality though … but of course that’s rationally expected – naturally.
Digital radio from my TV set top box thru my pioneer amp sounds glorious … simply fantastic!! (Makes AM and FM radio sound truly noisy … hehe).
Anyway, I’ll see what I can sort out with this cantankerous AR1945 within the next few weeks.
And I’ll keep ya posted.
Cheers,
Rodger
Hi all again,
Just for interest sake, the best MW performer I have is the Sangean PR-D5. A couple of weeks ago, using it with it’s inbuilt ferrite rod antenna and sitting it on a lazy susan in my back yard during the day 1:30pm local time, I was able to receive 65 MW stations. Quite an achievement. I took the opportunity while my neighbours were away which meant their plasma TV’s were off. It’s then a toss up between my Panasonic DR22’s (RF2200’s) and my GE Superadios, 1 and 2. The AR 1945 and AR 1747 are next in line for MW performance. Using a passive loop from PK Loops in Melbourne boosts the signals even more altho the PR-D5 doesn’t benefit that much from it. Connecting my communications receivers to amplified loops and a G5RV dipole antenna will eke out the most difficult MWDX but for a portable radio, you cant go past the PR-D5. All fun in the hobby!
Hi all,
Am interested in hearing if anyone has delved into the AR 1945 to see what makes the SSB tick? Are buyers of the later versions experiencing the same issues? I have asked Jaycar if they have come up with a “fix” for it but at this stage haven’t had a response. I’m still finding my radio great on MW and SW and for a portable, is a great radio.
Roger, I’d approach Jaycar and see how you go, I’ve found their customer service very good. Try fresh batteries and do a reset again, it may work otherwise, it sounds like the microprocessor has issues and yes, radios should last much longer than 12 months!
On another but related issue, I’m restoring an AR1747 and have found that there is a miss match of about 2khz between the wide filter and narrow filter settings when either filter is engaged. Anyone know how to fix this problem? These are a superb MW performer so it will be worthwhile to sort it out.
I see Jaycar has released the AR1946, it is a MW, FM, SW and DAB radio which looks promising. It is expensive. Anyone seen or bought one of these radios yet? My local Jaycar outlet is reluctant to stock one yet due to the price and the likelihood of it sitting on the shelf for quite some time. It looks good and sound promising.
Bought the AR1945 the other day and is a useful portable unit with pleasant audio. Tried it alongside my ICOM 751 and ICOM 703 and it did a comparable job on 40 metres LSB. Also pulls in most Melbourne stations here in Ballarat. I have had a lot of receivers starting with AR7, AR8, FRG7, Lafayette, etc.
Ian VK3AHB
G’day,
My 1 year old AR1945 died this morning.
Well… not exactly died… but is non-responsive.
The strange behaviours started a few months ago; regular lockups requiring a RESET.
The RESET no longer works and produces scrambled LCD characters.
I am somewhat disappointed because it is a ‘youngish’ radio, (purchased March 2014 – i.e 1 year ago … still have the store receipt).
My late 70s Yaesu “frog” keeps working just fine, (except it lacks digital display – pity).
Nonetheless, I expect similar longevity from ‘modern’ radios.
Do you agree?
Does anyone else have the same problem with their AR1945 radio?
Any advice very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Rodger.
Comparing AM.FM Sensitiviry on my Radios
Antennas :
Internal AM Antenna /
Telescopiic Antenna / Alcad FM-102 External
Antenna at 10 Meters Above Ground / 40 Meter
Long Wire at 8 Meters Above Ground
– all radios same location during daylight
Sangean – ATS-818ACS – AM ext. ant. jack
AM
Internal Antenna – ATS stored 5 stations – 3 strong
/ 2 average
Long Wire – (BNC to 3.5mm adapter) – ATS stored
25 stations – 15 strong / 10 average
FM
– telescopic antenna – ATS stored 8 stations-
all good signals
External FM antenna (BNC to 3.5mm) AM jack –
ATS stored -17 stations -11 strong / 6 average
External FM antenna to whip clip – no improvement
Grundig – FR200 crank emergency
AM –
Internal antenna – 6 stations – 3 strong / 3 average
Long wire to whip clip – no change
FM –
Whip antenna – 14 stations – 9 strong / 5 average
External FM antenna to whip clip – no change
Digitech – AR-1945
AM –
Internal antenna – ATS stored 3 stations – 1 strong
/ 2 average
Long Wire – to long wire lever socket and antenna
clip tried – no improvement on internal antenna
FM –
– telescopic antenna – ATS stored 20 stations –
17 strong /3 average
External FM antenna – (BNC to F adapter)
no improvement on whip antenna
Tecsun – PL-660 –
AM –
ATS stored 10 stations – 3 strong / 7 average
Long Wire – FM/SW socket and antenna
clip tried – no improvement on internal antenna
FM –
Telescopic antenna – ATS stored 28 stations –
9 strong / 19 average
External FM antenna (BNC to 3.5mm adapter)-
ATS stored 31 stations – 25 strong / 6 average
Tecsun – S2000 – AM ant. jack on turning bar
AM –
Internal antenna – ATS stored 3 stations – all strong
signals
Long Wire (BNC to 3.5mm adapter) – ATS stored
25 stations – 21 strong / 4 average
FM –
Telescopic antenna – ATS stored 9 stations –
all strong signals
External FM antenna to BNC – ATS stored 33 stations – 30 strong / 3 average
Sangean – WR-2 series one
AM –
Internal antenna – ATS stored 5 stations – 3 strong /
2 average
Long Wire not tried
FM –
internal antenna – scan found 8 stations – all strong
No whip antenna
External FM antenna (F to BNC adapter) – scan found
37 stations – 33 strong / 4 average
Tecsun – PL880 (8820)
AM –
Internal antenna – ATS stored 11 stations – 3 strong /
8 average
Long Wire – FM/SW socket and antenna
clip tried – no improvement on internal antenna
FM-
Telescopic antenna – ATS stored 26 stations –
22 strong / 4 average
External FM antenna (BNC to 3.5mm) ATS stored 57
stations – 49 strong / 8 average
Hi John,
Very difficult to get any figures from Sangean in reference to their radio specs suffice to say the ATS-818 was considered to be a reasonably good performer. To compare it with the AR1945 would be difficult, I have owned an 818 in the past and from my recollections, I’d say the AR1945 would certainly be more sensitive. Overall, as mentioned, the radio performs very well provided SSB isn’t a requirement! It’s a shame really as if Jaycar had the SSB issues sorted, you couldn’t go past an AR1945.
I’ve just purchases a National Panasonic RF-562D, a fun radio but you need the patience of Job to tune it! Panasonic were definitely amiss not to include a fine tuning control. Very sensitive, reasonable audio but very touchy to tune.
Hope the comments help.
I have had a Samsung ATS818 CS [ Radio Shack DX392] for many years and wondered if anyone out there had a comparison to make with the latest AR 1945. The only difference I can see is that the AR 1945 has “air band”. In all other respects there appears to be no difference except the Sangean has a built in cassette tape recorder and certainly has no problen with SSB. I cannot get any info on sig/noise / sensitivity etc.
Comments please.
J.W.
Hi all,concerning the very poor performance of the SSB section of this 1945 model,I have emailed the Jaycar Electronics Customer Representative Dpt at Silverwater DC NSW.Ive explained all,as with our reveiws and mine as posted above.The radio however did perform well on all bands even the UHF Air Band I received very well,but this would indeed depend on location from an AirPort.The MW for AM stations was very good pulling in stations many miles away,esspeicaly at night.FM was very good as well pulling in distant stations depending on how the telescopic antenna was adjusted.SW performed well too,both with its own antenna and via the SW antenna socket with no over loading.Only problem left is of course the SSB,Single Side Band. Jaycar advertise this AR 1945 Digitec portable receiver as ideal for boaties and alike to be able to keep a watch on “Weather” reports etc.Well the only weather reports it will receive would be on a local radio station or the UHF Air Band Air port weather reports,because the HF SSB weather reports to shipping and Air Craft over the Pacific simply are not audioable at all.However,with all the fine tuning steps,turning the RF gain up fully and volume up fully,you can acturly hear something,knowing that you are acturly tuned to an offical SSB station,otherwise you would never find it on this radio.So what with it having so many features and storeing memories etc,its a real shame that the only huge and important let down is the SSB section/mode.This radio would be ideal as a long distant radio for “outback” Australia and NZ,on my many camping tours away in the distant countryside,and being able to hear most of my favourite stations and all of my favourite SSB military,Air Force,Shipping and other utility stations all on Single Side Band would have indeed been a huge bonus.This radio being fully portable and having the choice between AA or size D batteries,not many radios have that.So I wait now to see what action Jaycar are going to take,either a “Recall”,sent back to manufacturer,a newer updated and modified version or nothing at all.Has anyone anything to add to this…,.
Good stuff James,
I really think Jaycar or the importers have a duty to sort this radio out. It’s advertised as being able to receive SSB when if fact that while it’s true that with the volume flat out and a lot of tuning you can resolve SSB of sorts, the quality and standard is well below what it should be capable of. In all other respects, the radio is fine and a good performer. Please keep us informed of any outcomes.
Cheers….. Phil.
Hi to all SW DXers and SSB dxers.Yes this is James again.With my two comments above concerning the lack of a quaility SSB section in the AR 1945 ,I did go ahead and buy one,only to be very disapointed with the SSB,so I returned it to Jaycar for a full refund.Of course they are only there to sell these radios,they know nothing about them,just like super market check out operaters.So of course they hope that all buyers are dummys and buy them anyway for FM and just plain old SW listening.
But the SSB mode in any SW radio gives it the iceing on the cake,it makes it a true coms receiver in everyway.Esspeicaly if the radio already has good SW receiption.So anyway,I went and bought myself the Tecsun PL660 radio,and found that the SSB is true to form,very clear and no loss at all to audio volume or RF gain.Only problem with mine,as Ive noted on the Tecsun PL 660 reveiws is a internal “Birdie” or Harmonic sound that creeps up and down the tuned bands.But once frequencies are set into memories,you dont get this.So the PL660 is a keeper.Getting back to the 1945,it too has a very simular lay out to the PL660,with its Air Band and wide and narrow band filtering etc.Yes you can on the 1945 tune down to very small steps to try and clearifiy SSB once tuned to an offical frequency,but alass,it still just doesnt “cut the mustard”.Once set to SSB mode upper or lower,yes you loose all audio,needing to turn volume and RF gain right up to just hear anything,and still you just can not define the speach.I’ll say though that it is there,and needs to be amplified to make it readable.So the manufacture’s have made a huge mistake in the production of this receiver , stateing that it is very good for boaties and Ham radio operaters alike for weather info etc.As one reveiwer stated his is very good on SSB after adding a long antenna.Well I tried all of that,and even though the incoming signal was much stronger,the SSB audio was still very low and almost not readable at all.
Well there is one thing that I want to try if I do go ahead and buy one again,because lets face it,they are fulled with features such as the choice of either size D or AA batteries,now thats a bonus!!.But I have an old Analoge radio that I dont use now and it has the SSB BFO circuit seperate from the main board.Im thinking about pulling it out and trying to fit it into a 1945 radio.It has a tuning knob very much like a Volume control knob with a switch turning it off and on,so I expect makeing a hole somewhere on the 1945 to have it so as I can tune it.But firstly to buy the radio again,then solder it onto the right place on the circuit board,I know two wires go to positive and negitive to power it up,then one goes near to the SW antenna terminal.So it would be interesting trying that.I did put a small transistor radio next to the 1945 when I had it,and I was able to turn the dail on that,and it clearified SSB no problem with full audio.So Im sure we can find ways of getting arround this unfortunite problem on what looks to be a very fine radio.Thanks for reading.I look forward to any replies.
I have lost my instruction manual for the AR-1945. Flimsy though it may be, I am not an expert, and need all the help I can get. Would anyone be kind enough to scan and email me a copy of their manual? [email protected]. Thanks
Hi Avo,
I only run, as with most of my portable radios, on internal batteries. The only radios I have connected to AC power are my communications receivers. The transformer will probably handle the 240VAC ok but with most of the underrated Chinese transformers, my advice is to never leave any item running unattended as there is always the chance of them overheating, breaking down and catching fire.
The new Eton/ Grundig Satellit which looks like it still hasn’t been released yet, is a rehash of the Grundig G3/ Degen 1106. The G3’s had a notorious problem with unreliability and QC issues however some of the later series seem ok. I’m lucky with mine, it seems ok, so far!
You are correct in assuming that Tecsun built the Satellit 800, unfortunately the S-2000/ Satellit 750 didn’t have the features of the 800.
I’ve been writing reviews of some of the Tecsun/ Grundig radios for the ARDXC newsletter, I can recommend becoming a member of the club.
Further with the AR1945, it seems that there are no plans to redesign the SSB capabilities of the radio, Jaycar have probably bought a pallet of radios from Redsun in China and until all have been sold, I suspect there will be no upgrades, there is just not the market. I’m sorry Barbara, I don’t bother with the memory functions with my AR1945, I just directly input the frequencies as required. I hope you sort it out tho.
Have you looked 4 posts up?
Hi,
I have a Digitech ssb AR-1945. The owner’s manual if very brief and hard to follow. I cannot find any information on how to use the Memory Presets.
Can anyone help?
thanks
Hi Avo,
Yes I have the Tecsun S-2000, actually it is a great radio, audio is very good and I’ve found the sensitivity on most bands excellent. The rotatable ferrite rod antenna is a bit flimsy and scrapes the top of the cabinet slightly but apart from that works well. I can recommend the radio.
I was hoping by this stage there may have been a “fix” to the SSB issues in the AR 1945. It appears Dan has one that he is satisfied with the SSB performance. We need a tech guru to delve into this radio and come up with a well documented fix to sort it out then it will be a great receiver.
I’ve found the Tecsun PL390 to be my portable receiver of choice lately, no SSB but in most other ways a great radio. My main DX receiver is the superb Commradio CR-1 SDR. What a beauty! Coupled to a series of amplified loops from PK Loops, one of the best “combo’s” of any listening post I’ve ever used, and there’s been many.I keep my fingers crossed for a solution to be forthcoming for the AR 1945.
Thanks Phil for your feedback on the Tecsun. I too have a PL-390 and love it but since I got the DAB, this has been relegated to the bathroom due to it’s exceptional reception qualities. One more question about the S-2000 if I may, do you connect your S-2000 directly into the GPO via the internal transformer? I am a little concerned about the rating being only 220V……
Incidentally, the Hornsby Jaycar store has three AR1945s still in stock and the price is listed as $149 – although there is no notification of a sale on these. I really think they are trying to clear it out. Additionally, they have a hoard of new stock AR1748s at standard price.
I really don’t need another radio but I want one! The only thing that I am holding out on the S-2000 for is the new Satellit. I really like the inclusion of RDS – although the lack of selectable FM filters puts me off a tad.
On a slightly different note, does anyone know if Tecsun actually built the Satellit 800 for Grundig? If you go to the Tecsun website, they list their premium all singing unit as the HAM-2000, looking remarkably like the 800……
Well, decided to walk into my local Jaycar again yesterday and see if anything has changed with the AR1945 box…… Futile thought.
Mind you, if you look at page 250 (I think but I don’t have the catalogue handy at the moment) in the 2014 Jaycar catalogue – there is a “New for 2014” all band with DAB+ listed as AR1946. Looks very interesting and it states that RDS is a feature (although it only mentions this in the context of DAB+, I am hoping it is for FM as well). No SSB but LW/MW/SW/FM/DAB+ provides an awful lot to listen to. Now the caveat. Estimated shipment date was listed as April 1 (what a fool I was to believe this!). Yesterday I was told end of September – if it ever arrives!
So, Phil I – am I correct in that you have an S-2000 from gleaning some of your other posts? AV Comm in Sydney had a new shipment in Dec 2013 (actual build date is not known) and I am just wanting a decent largish radio (my Internet radio is great, but very boring). Is it a worthwhile unit to use even with the internal antennas? I mean the analogue signal meter alone is whetting my appetite….
Shame about the AR1945. No response from Jacky/Jackie…..
A.
Hi have had my radio for afew days now and am very pleased with it,as a private pilot love the air band,not often found in this type of radio. Worst point is the skimpy owners manual,can any one tell me how to preset and recall frequencies,as I canot follow the miniscule info in manual. Any help gratefully appreciated. Peter
From memory, tune into station, choose the desired “page” with the dedicated page button, press and hold for a few moments 1-9 button to memorize. To recall, choose the right page, then press briefly 1-9 button to recall. That’s my recollection of the procedure. Hope this helps.
I brought my ar-1945 in Oct & it works well for me. I find SSB works fine by setting step to 1khz steps and tuning until the voice is legible. Can hear HAMS on 40m band from all over the country with just the whip antenna. Excellent battery life too. Still running fine on the same set of batteries I installed in Oct.
I have recently sent an email to the Australian distributor commenting on the SSB issues and whether they had any plans to fix the issue or release an updated model… Here is what they said:
“Hi Eugene,
Thank you for your feedback; we have forwarded your e-mail to our Purchasing Dept.
Currently we don’t have any updates regarding upgraded version of this particular model.
New products will appear on the Jaycar Flyers/Website.
Kind Regards,
Sandeep Purushan
Customer Service Representative
Techbrands by Electus Distribution
320 Victoria Rd Rydalmere NSW 2116
Telephone: 1300 738 555 Fax: 1300 738 500
Email: [email protected] www.techbrands.com”
Everybody feel free to interpret what all this really means…
Hi there.I live in Auckland NewZealand.Im a Ham Radio operator.I own the sony SW55 and old National Panasonic DR49 for receiving SSB signals.Im a long standing commited SSB DXer.
Im wanting to buy the AR1945,because I have a motorhome,go into the hills & out back camping.I want something that can stand up to the elements of nature,rather than takeing the Sony SW55.So I do need a fully portable come receiver,with dedicated SSB.But unfortunitly,even though I havent bought it yet,and I do have a local JayCar shop that stocks them,Im very disapointed to read the reveiws about the SSB circuitry being only it seems a novety,to what looks like a very good SW portable receiver.So what Im asking is when are the manufactures going to greatly improve SSB clearity,by useing a SSB detector circuit,rather than just the BFO,and are Jaycar going to return all their shipment of these AR1945 models for this purpose.Im not concerned with the lack of the sync detector,its the SSB receiption that completes any true SW receiver.Its no use building a good SW receiver,then adding a cheap quality SSB section as a novety,because the only people that should be interested in buying this model would be ones like ourselves as written in the reveiws.NZ has very limited supply of true SW receivers.Dick Smith use to sell them,but not any more.All we have over here is Jaycar,and it took them a long time to even get the stock they have now of SSB receivers.So it goes against them since they are trying to sell a receiver that acturly does not preform how it should,yet their write up on it says the SSB receiption is good for boaties to get the weather etc.
So please have this receiver sorted,so that future buyers do not waste their hard earned money,only to find it does not work on SSB.Thank you.
Went to my local Jaycar store today,to check this model out.But because of the store lights,concrete building,I couldnt even pick up local broadcast stations.I asked did they have an outside antenna for customers to check these receivers.The answer was no.They told me that they couldnt understand why these receivers werent selling.Stock had been sitting on the shelves and not moving.I told them that only hobbiests or people who listen to DX SW/SSB would be interested if they knew they were in stock,they arent a everyday radio to other people.They wouldnt let me take it outside the building to try it.
So with all their hobbiests stock of other gadgets in the store,here are the Digitech 1945 portable receivers,everdently great on FM,broadcast and SW,but very much lacking in good SSB response.Im hopeing the manufacturers are reading our reveiws,because if they want the right people to buy these receivers,they will have to have all the first shipment returned from Jaycar Aus/NZ and do the mods,then resupply Jaycar with a decent receiver,otherwise they just wont sell to the people in the know.Other than that,I did try all the knobs and buttons.The tuning steps,air band,solid feel of the tuning,bass and treble knobs, frequency entering all worked well.It takes larger batteries and feels solid and would probably be good to take into the hills for camping trips etc.So please have this small fault fixed,then I expect there will be a flood of interested buyers at Jaycar.!!
Hi Jacky,
My brother living in Australia brought this receiver & gifted it to me. Here in Bangalore I am not able to receive any stations on the HAM band with a outdoor antenna. The FM reception is good. I could do some Dxing & receive some distant FM stations ( Stations as far as 350 KM away ). I am dissapointed with the SSB reception. I hope Digitech is working on a solution to this problem.
Hi, we all know that….
so, precise question : when does the RedsunRP-3100 really come out ?
early 2014, midd 2014 or end of 2014 ? or…not at all…
Years of talking about it, we want facts now….
Bertrand
Hi all,
Seems like there certainly are mixed feelings about this radio. I still hold that it was manufactured by Redsun in China. I must be lucky with mine as it’s a good performer apart from the SSB non functionality! I’m surprised no radio technicians have delved into the circuitry to solve the SSB, I have a feeling there’s too much signal injection blocking the AGC but am not qualified to test. I was hoping someone would check it out. I too bought the Tecsun PL880 and I agree with the comments about the Eton Satellit (made by Degen). I feel if the SSB issue can be sorted, the AR1945 will be quite a good radio. As for the S version, I haven’t come across anything written about it.
AR-1945 Box states: Distributed by TechBrands by Electus Distribution Pty Ltd. 320 Rydalmere NSW 2116 PH:1300738555…Fax1300738500. Made in China, by Jacky and in small squinty print ‘S’ stands for Sucker!……For a World Band PLL Synthesised Receiver with SSB…it has a passable quality FM reception…..IMO.
… and the address of Electus happens to be the warehouse site for Jaycar.
I am more critical of the FM reception Larry. The worst FM receiver I have used was in the Icom ICR-20 handheld scanner. The capture ratio was bad and the IF filter assumably very wide. A broadcast transmitter 11 kms away on 101.7 MHz was still being received over a semi-local 42 kms distant 101.3 MHz. Even my 20 buck special is able to distinguish between the 2. Switching to NFM proved that the signal was there (and quite well received too – sensitivity wise) but the selectivity was shocking. Whilst this receiver is not as bad, it does seem to have a tardy rolloff. Sensitivity seems fine though.
Anyway, my local Jaycar has runout (or sent back) their units of 1945s. Awaiting to see if they get any new stock and what the model number states.
Unfortunately Jaycar staff didn’t much know about the unit at all let alone any upgrade Larry and this is no reflection on the sales staff rather the retail buyers in head office. My local Jaycar has a keen radio enthusiast as a salesman and he got all the information about the radio from these forums just like us….. I must say that it is sad that a distributor peddles a potentially good product with no regard for support either to the client or their sales staff. Nobody knows any details about this radio and head office was not interested in finding out. Seriously, this radio is dead in the water. Even if an update did eventuate the damage (PR wise as a client) is done. At least Jaycar was happy for me to return the unit for a full refund!
I reckon you are correct with the second shipment suring up supplies ahead of Christmas. If there were any upgrades, they were incidental or merely production run variations. I went yesterday to the local and they had two 1945 units left. They are not really interested in ordering any more as it is a “very slow mover”. There was certainly no 1945S units in store nor on the Jaycar website – does such a unit exist?
As for Jacky, I was questionable when consecutive e-mails were signed with different names (Jacky or Jackie). Most people I know spell their name the same. Every time. Evvvvery time. The fact that there has been no response hails louder than promises….. As a well adjusted good boy orthodox atheist, I will refrain from commenting on your final comments…. 🙂
Hi all,
There definitely was 2 shipments of this unit as I queried via an email to Jaycar head office. The second shipment arrived on Oct 3 2013.
Additionally I am quite sure that Electus is Jaycar’s parent company. They are the wholesale branch and Jaycar is the retail. I only think this because the Jaycar head office/warehouse in Rydalmere has both Jaycar and Electus Distributions signage.
As for Jacky/Jackie…. Hmmmm.
Anyways, I was going to bite the bullet and get a PL880 instead but am mighty intrigued by the new Eton Satellit. Damn it looks nice. Gotta say that a nice design can do it for me as much as the performance (in my car’s case significantly more than the performance….).
Avo.
Thanks for that update Avo. Were Jaycar able to confirm the second shipment was an upgrade, if we accept Jacky’s “musings”….if they were an upgrade are they marked accordingly?….I bought mine in December 2013 from Jaycar and it is not an upgrade if there ever was one…..I suggest the second shipment was simply additional stock Jaycar, or their distributor/importer, purchased at the ‘right price’ so they could offer at the supposed discount price prior to Xmas…a model I suggest which is going nowhere in sales without an upgrade…to be fair the tone/clarity on FM radio is superb…but a lot of money to pay for a reasonable FM receiver…willing to bet they will be below $100 before long to quit them…I think Jacky is still head down and bum up working on the real totally new, next upgrade model…….or otherwise engaged on China’s new second child policy..!..lol….
Purchased mine from Jaycar on-line store on 18th Dec ’13, delivered 3 days later. Considering time of year I thought that was very good service. Opened box next day and had decided by Mon 23rd to return it, for all the reasons outlined by EugeneV, particularly the very annoying need for button pushing. On Tuesday 24th I took mine to local (Maroochdore, Qld) Jaycar store and explained situation but upon seeing the invoice and noting I had bought it from their on-line store the manager said she could not help me as the tech store was nothing to do with them; they are completely separate. Phoned Jaycar in Sydney and in spite of the time of year was very pleased with the customer service assistance I received. Sorry if I’m rambling a bit here but I found the on-line store very convenient. However if you need to return something purchased from it your local Jaycar store may not accept it.
Also, I have reason to believe that Jaycar do not import direct but instead buy from Electus Distribributors, who are the importers, based in Rydalmere, NSW. If this is correct maybe we should be directing some enquiries there.
I took a photo of the serial/model numbers sticker and mine did’nt have an ’S’
Perhaps the answer is in his silence.
It appears that the Jaycar receiver AR 1945 has now been designated AR 1945 S. Can anyone out there please confirm if this a modified version? I have given questions to the local Jaycar store who stated that they would pass this to Jaycar but as yet no information is forthcoming. There seems to be a complete lack of communication which does not auger well for the future of the AR 1945. I was informed that the reduction in price of $30.00 was only for the Christmas period, but I suspect it was to clear the decks of the first models. Will someone please try and clarify the situation once and for all.
I bought mine in December 2013 from Jaycar….no’ S’ designation on mine and they only had 2 for sale..should be ‘BS’ designation IMO..mine has the same weak points already highlighted….where are you Jacky?….you little spin doctor you….
I decided to get one of these and check, as most info was positive. I am about 80% satisfied, but only after much playing around. I am not an expert in this field, but decided to hang a long wire to check results, as it was no good on ssb with the existing int and ext antennas. The result was much better (using 8176 marine weather), and I was able to tune in to an understandable voice. The sound was much reduced, even with full volume full gain. Tried connecting the wire to the antenna, and was improved on sw but no good on ssb. I purchased this set mainly for sw and ssb, as we intend to travel around Aust next year, so shall try different combinations. Would be great if ssb was better, with less interference noise which makes it unreadable.
Kindly advise if the AR 1945 has been modified regarding the SSB function?. If so how can one tell the difference in the Jaycar store? Has the manual been updated? Is there any indication that a particular model has been modified / updated?
This information is required BEFORE purchase please.
Thank you. NOTE COMMENT FROM “LARRY H”
This radio was new for 2013 as I understand it. The store I got mine from told me that they only had one shipment of these(I got them to check their computer). So, chances are it was still an original shipment, provided Jacky Zhang from above even legit. The store had quite a few of these radios, so I don’t see them ordering any more in a hurry, improved or not…On a side note, my little Grundig G3 is a lot more sensitive on the airband then AR1945, and Grundig 750 is noticeably more sensitive then G3 still…
I’be had this radio for a couple of days, but decided to return it to Jaycar. While the sound reproduction quality is superb, it has a number of annoying quirks.Reception on shortwave is very average at best, and even less inspiring on other bands. Overloads easily with anything more then built in whip aerial. Mirror stations on LW and Air band. Tuning knob is way to stiff to operate comfortably and wobbles as you rotate it from the applied pressure. Most annoying though is that sometimes one has to press the buttons several times before it responds…Cheap overall feel… On the positive side-as already mentioned, audio quality is stellar, dual clock, and all the buttons are backlit. All in all-an uninspiring radio. Noticed yesterday Jaycar has a special on it-$149 down from $179. Even so, I wouldn’t bother…
G’day Jackie, now 8th December and no reply to Avo’s 20th November posting. I also am in Australia with Jaycar store close by and I will buy your AR1945 if you can confirm that there has indeed been an upgrade re SSB and as a buyer how we can identify your “”2nd shipment”” stock…or is it just marketing spin by you and nothing has really been done to upgrade?Many are interested in your reply. Thanks.
Hi Jacky,
I am in Australia and have a Jaycar store down the street from where I live. They can not tell me how to distinguish between the 1st shipment and the 2nd shipment in either packaging or codes.
Is there an easy way to tell if a unit is the 2nd shipment?
Regards,
Avo.
Hi Richard,
Actually we already made some improvements since 1st shipment, so the improvement of 2nd shipment already done by our factory,not the user.So you can buy now.
Kind regards
Jackie
Jacki
I have one of these AR 1945 digitech radios. problem is it will not switch on (pushing red knob) I got it going last time I used it with a push on the reset button. Tried it again but no show. Any ideas what the problem could be . Given to me at Xmas 2013
Regards
Ron Mills
Hi Jackie,
Am very interested in the comments that the SSB mode has been fixed for the next shipment of the radios. Would it be possible to detail the “fix” so those people with the earlier version could upgrade their receivers so to be able to listen to SSB mode properly?
Cheers….. Phil
p.s. testing of this radio against the Sangean PR-D5, the Sony ICF-EX5 Mk2 and a National Panasonic DR22 show this radio almost comparable in MW performance, an excellent result!
Hi Jacky. The 1945 is a very interesting receiver, with LW and the Air band it seems the newest and more compleat portable receiver on the market today, with the Redsun RP 2100 ending his story and the 3100 never seen on the market. If the problems with SSB and a Sync Detector get a solution, I think a lot of enthusiasts want buy 1945. Maybe are scheduled agent here in Europe and USA too?
Best regards Andrea
Hi Andrea,
Thank you for your interesting AR1945, the current version is only with SSB, no sync detector function,just reserve a sign in the LCD display for upgrade version in the future.
Actually,we had made some improvements on SSB performance from 2nd shipment as a runing change. But we will see how to make it better….
We devoted to design and manufacture good radio with more features for worldwide radio enthusiasts.
If any good suggestions or comments,we all appreciate to share them with you.
B .rgds
Jacky
Hi Jackie, thank you for your reply. SSB issues solved, why Sync Detector in the future and not today?
The two suggestions that I can put in this discussion are 1) take care of QC standards 2) Schedule agents in Europe (and USA).
Cheers Andrea
Hi Jacky,
Thanks for your comments and I hope you can sort out the SSB problem as when it is fixed, the AR 1945 will be an excellent, hard to beat, portable radio. Please post your solution here so owners can fix their radios.
Cheers….. Phil
Hi Phil,
Thank you for your reply. We had made some improvements on SSB for 2nd batch shipment,but our engineer will investigate how to make it more and more better for a couple of weeks.
B .rgds
Jacky
Jacky.
It is now mid November, I very much want to purchase the AR 1945 radio from Jaycar here in Au. The modification being discussed in the forum, will that be a factory mod or something the user can do. If factory mod, any idea when the upgraded AR 1945 will be available.
Hi Phil Ireland,
It’s great to see your detailed comments on AR1945,which was designed and made by us.
I will pass your comments to our engineer to review how to improve SSB performance. In addition,We’d reserved a sync detector in the display of AR1945,which means there will be an upgrade version with sync detector on AR1945 some day. If it is available,it still will be sold via Jaycar in Australia,which is one of sole agent with our radios in Australia and New Zealand.
I want to explain that, we are not a copy,a subsidiary of whatever Tecsun or Redsun, just was made by us definitely.
I’d like to keep in touch all radio lovers or users of our radio from worldwide and we will pay attention to your comments,then we will delve into what problems happened and sort it out.
Please send email to [email protected] if any comments or good suggestions on fixing. We all appreciate it so much.
Kind regards
Jacky
Hi Jacky,
Thanks for your comments and I hope you can sort out the SSB problem as when it is fixed, the AR 1945 will be an excellent, hard to beat, portable radio. Please post your solution here so owners can fix their radios.
Cheers….. Phil
would be nice if I could tune air wave bands to saved settings. comes with already tuned stations that you can’t change. took it back to where we bought it, and they couldn’t do it either! Please help as manual instructions do not work. Thanks
I’ve had quite an opportunity to test more of this radio, this time pitting it against two National Panasonic DR22’s (RF2200’s). I tested both MW and SW at various times of the day and evening and I have to say the AR 1945 matched and sometimes surpassed the performance of the Panasonics. Again, I was using the telescopic antennas for SW and the built in ferrite rods for MW. The same is said comparing with my Sony 5900W. None of my Tecsun radios except the Tecsun S2000 (Grundig Satellit 750) come close to matching the performance of this radio. Overall, I’m very pleased with it.
The circuit boards in the Digitech radios are stenciled Redsun which I tend to agree with Keith, is probably a subsidiary of Tecsun. I’m not familiar with which company would be the parent company as there are so many “badge engineered” versions released worldwide. I’m still hoping some tech guru will get their hands on this radio to see if they can sort out SSB and if there is a synch detector. I’m enjoying this radio very much, super sensitive and actually is more fun tuning around the bands than a communication receiver. Its definitely an improvement on the AR 1748 and AR 1747.
Hi Thomas,
Great to see you have set up a page devoted to this radio. I hope a reader will delve into the SSB problem and offer a solution. My feelings are that it could be the BFO injecting too much signal swamping the AGC causing blocking, overload and considerable distortion. I note that with the SSB activated, the sensitivity noticeably drops and you have to turn the volume up considerably to hear anything. I have tested the radio side my side with a Sangean PRD5 on MW and if anything the AR 1945 is more sensitive but that increase in sensitivity is somewhat negated by a corresponding rise in noise. On SW, I pitted the AR 1945 with a Tecsun PL 660 with the AR 1945 totally blowing the Tecsun out of the water in performance. SW was magnificent for a portable radio, great sensitivity and selectivity. I should add that I was using only the telescopic antennas on both. The only advantage the Tecsun showed on some signals was when the synchronous detector was employed. It goes with my earlier wishes that hopefully a way will be found to activate a potential detector in the AR 1945. Am I happy I bought it? Well yes but until the SSB problem is sorted out, the radio is very expensive for what it is. Once all the bugs are sorted, this radio will be a “cracker” and worthy of any collection.
Cheers….. Phil
This radio is almost the same at the Grundig S450DXL sold in the US by Radio Shack and distributed by Eton. This radio is made by a subsidiary of Tecsun. You can find this radio in Beijing and Shanghai sold under the Panda brand.