Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Robert Richmond, who writes:
An ATS-25 receiver has appeared on eBay and similar sites. It appears to be a touchscreen and user interface update to the previous ATS-20 model. I suppose it remains to be seen if there are any improvements to the underlying electronic design and construction quality.
Click here to view on eBay (partner link)
At $130+ I am not sure if I am inclined to find out, but perhaps someone out there might be interested. Given the design shortcuts and potential build quality concerns of the current ATS-20, I would suggest considering the ATS-25 a possible “kit radio” as well until if or when proven otherwise.
Best Regards,
Robert Richmond
Thank you for the tip, Robert!
I would certainly welcome a guest review of the new ATS-25. If you’ve purchased this radio and would enjoy reviewing it here on the SWLing Post, please contact me!
Yet another SOC cheap radio…
Too expensive for what it is.
Stay way.
ats 20, receiver ,mine black boxed in days, unlucky i dont know, would not charge from the off , buggy firmware i suspect you may well get more of the same with the 25 version
took an xh data outdoors today with a sangean reel and 17 meters was alive into uk with stations in newfoundland canada really strong and clear with easy reception here in manchester in daylight plus loads of activity from broadcast stations
get out get away from the noise an you will reap the results ,portable means portable
It appears this ATS-25 is available in two versions … one with an actual tuning knob and another with touch screen tuning (no knob) … does any know how to differentiate between the two when placing an order ?
Why would someone buy this unknown dodgy kit radio over a Tecsun PL-880 ?
The display looks pretty but those cheap touchscreens are rubbish and I suspect the software is too.
High on bling, likely the same buggy radio underneath.
Buy a BELKA if you want performance
Looks interesting but way too expensive for me after my experience of the Original “ATS20” with its substandard components. At this price point the Belka DX would be a far better option.
I’m very keen to see what is around the corner for these receivers. I believe sooner or later a lot of the bugs will be squashed, in which case I would be more than happy to make the purchase.
You can keep tabs on the SI473x enthusiast community at FB. Recent discussions have been on improving EMI/RFI shielding, and at least one developer apparently has some type of AM sync now working.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/532613604253401/
Ricardo (PU2CLR) handles much of the open firmware development.
https://github.com/pu2clr/SI4735
Many people will be deceived once again, thinking that this radio will do a miracle. The Si4732 is a popular radio chip and software is a mess, you can’t expect much from it. Buy Belka or Malachite soon and you will be happy!
I agree, you cannot go wrong with a Belka-DX. The UI is excellent, and the performance to size ratio is awesome.
KZ4TN
I want to take a rest from cell phone touch screens. I like tactile switch buttons better, even if the buttons have a software label on the screen that changes the function of the button with different modes. Ill pass on this one.
I picked up an ATS-20 back when it was like $56 shipped, which I felt was decent enough for a project radio. Mine works okay enough for casual use after basic mods and firmware updates. Spending over twice that much is a little different situation, though, at least for me.
That said, I do like the much larger touchscreen display. AFAIK, one of the issues with the ATS-20 and similar is an OLED display presenting possible EFI/RFI issues.
The YouTube version with the touch VFO encoder is neat, too. The cheap encoder in the ATS-20 design is a common failure point.
strange version just came on YT 2 days ago
It looks cool but probably still suffers from poor quality audio and distortion on SSB.