The Sony SRF-18
In reference to our post about the Sony SRF-39FP and SRF-59, SWLing Post reader, Peter, writes:
The Sony SRF-S84
As usual a very interesting post.
I sold most of my collection of receivers some years ago but I’m still interested in AM DXing and especially ultralight DXing (thats why I have three SRF59).
May I draw your attention to other receivers as well?
The famous CXA1129N chip has been built into the SRF-S84 and into the SRF-18 as well. I use the SRF-S84 during sports. As the ferrite rod is even smaller than in the SRF-59 AM reception is a little bit less sensible but FM shines with mega sound.
The SRF-18 is my favorite travel radio!! It runs endlessly on two AA-cells, has built in stereo speakers, audio-in and audio-out, a rather large dial which is easy to use and due to a larger ferrite rod it is very very sensitive on medium wave.
Best regards from Germany
Peter Oden
Thank you, Peter! Perhaps the SRF-18 can take the place of the SRF-59 as an affordable MW ultralight that is still in production. The Amazon price for the SRF-18 is $32 US–quite affordable. While I don’t need another ultralight, that price makes it very tempting.
The SRF-S84 reminds me of a super compact radio I used to sneak into my fifth grade class. I would listen to the radio during class by concealing the receiver in an interior jacket pocket and snaking the earphone cord through my sleeve. I would then rest my head on my left hand where the earphone was conveniently located. Somehow I never managed to get caught.
While I’m sure my education suffered a little that year, it still makes for good memories!
Can be modified:
After reading got a srf18 myself. Great medium wave receiver. Get it
Looks like the SRF-18 has a 6.0 cm (2.36″)Ferrite.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuraken/9517020342
I’m sorry to say that the medium wave band is nearly void of information for me these days: Deutschlandfunk is the last German-speaking station there. As English is my only foreign language I cannot use it on medium wave: In the UK a few local stations seem to be left but I hardly hear them here in southern Germany.
The most interesting observation: some stations use the free channels by widening their audio frequency range. I found a Spanish station that modulates up to 10 kHz! This is nearly FM quality. See the picture at the bottom of http://www.dl4no.de/thema/derlangs.htm .
To listen with such bandwidths you need to use a SDR…