SWLing Post reader, Mike, writes:
Keith Perron’s review of the new Sangean ATS-405 appeared in the last show of Media Network Plus. There is an archive of the show on the PCJ website for you to listen:
http://www.pcjmedia.com/medianetworkplus
The review’s at the beginning of the episode and Keith had multiple complaints about performance, build quality and the radio’s overall engineering. I don’t remember him having anything positive to say about it. Sad because I had hoped this new Sangean would be better.
Thanks for the link, Mike. For what it’s worth Jay Allen was actually mostly impressed with the ATS-405.
I’ll receive an ATS-405 later this week; and I’m very interested to see how it compares to other portables like the Tecsun PL-310ET, CC Skywave, and Tecsun PL-660. I’ll certainly report on what I find.
Here’s the audio from the Media Network Plus review:
So Keith is the takeaway here that you REALLY don’t like this radio?
Daniel,
Put it this way. Today I spent the morning at Sangean and used the antennas they have at their office an showed them them poor reception compared to a Tecsun PL600.
They said they will address the issue with it’s poor performance next week and asked me to go back and give them a hand.
They admitted they were shocked to hear how well the Tecsun performed.
Thomas just an update on the SG721L. The version of the radio people might know is the SG622. Same radio minus the LW band.
The SG721L now is available at the following. Hong Kong International Airport, Changi Airport (Singapore), Mustafa Plaza (Singapore) and in the countries I mentioned. The only market in Europe where they send this radio is Russia. Also to Papua New Guinea and a couple of countries the ROC has diplomatic relations with.
They also informed me that in May a Taiwan aid aid agency sent 300 of these radios to Nepal.
This radio also has a very small production run compared to other Sangean models. The one I bought a couple of weeks ago was produced in 2014. By the end of this year they will be producing 100 or so more.
Had never seen the Sangean SG721L; is it a decent performer for its low price? Any place in North America to get it? I can’t see it on eBay either. Thanks!
Production of Sangean SG721L ceased 11 years ago. It was indended for the European market.
The SG721L is still in production, but only for China and a couple of other markets. Which include Taiwan where its marketed as a low cost portable MV radio, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Burma.
Thanks for the information. But what are they thinking when they sell the LW version in Asia and the non-LW version in Europe?
Actually it seems it’s sold in Europe as Roberts R9962.
I need a travel radio with proper LW support (that excludes PL-380 and probably PL-660) but Sangean PT 80 (Grundig Yacht Boy 80) will have to do for now even if it’s a bit big.
On Taobao SG721L cost 255 yuan or over, I doubt they will sell many units in China…
If your looking for a portable SW receiver.
Tecsun PL600
Tecsun PL660
Tecsun PL880
Sangean ATS909X
Small portable
Sangean SG721L
Tecsun PL380
I’m still shocked that Sangean, which over the past few years has been redesigning there products and changing their look would come out with something so ugly at this. No design sense whatsoever. It would be like if one day Apple came along and introduced a new phone that looking like Motorola.