Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who notes:
The Eton Satellit [Black Case] is on closeout from Radio World Canada on eBay right now for slightly less than $115 + Free Shipping.
Thank you, Troy. That is an excellent deal for an excellent portable! If you’ve been considering the Eton Satellit, you should grab this deal–I’ve never seen the price lower. The seller has 100% positive feedback and a deep history.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who notes that Herrington has advertised a three day sale on Grundig portables.
Evidently, these prices include free shipping–not a bad deal!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who notes that CountyComm has announced a 48 hour sale on the GP5-SSB (read our review here).
The price is currently $71.99 US plus shipping.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Cap Tux, who writes:
The Zastone ZT-D9000 radio has actually been out for a while and is a Dual Band Mobile (Triband with option), nothing fancy there and bears a striking resemblance to the Icom IC-2820H (clone?). Options include GPS, Bluetooth, 220Mhz and LW (The latter is really weird!).
What caught my eye is the 2.3-30 MHz Shortwave coverage, a quick search on YouTube turns up a video showing Shortwave working!
Yes, probably as wide as a barn door with no filtering except the 12kHz default but an extremely useful feature if you did need a dual band mobile in your jeep/car.
Two other noteworthy features are a dedicated RX BNC antenna socket and a built in FM Transmitter so you can listen to it on the FM Radio in your car/jeep, very cool. A bit like a pimped IC-2820H. Also has all the bells and whistles a Dual Bander should have,
This is the OEM site:
http://zastonetech.com/2-7-mobile-transceiver/291931This site has the spec:
http://radioaficion.com/cms/zastone-d9000/YouTube video showing Shortwave in use:
Click here to view on YouTube.
Some Specs:
A/B Band RX:
136-174MHz
200-260MHz (OPTION)
400-470MHz
470-520MHzB Band RX:
153-279kHz (AM) (OPTION)
0.5MHz-1.8MHz (AM)
2.3-30MHz (AM)
64-108MHz (WFM)
113-137MHz (Airband – AM)TX:
136MHz-174MHz
222-225MHz (Type USA 200-260MHz) (OPTION)
400-520MHzChannel Steps: 1.5, 6, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100kHz
Frequency Stability: +-2.5ppm
Repeater Shift: +-600kHz(144MHz), +-5MHz (430MHz)
Emission Type: F1D, F2D, F3E
Antenna Impedance: 50 ohms
Supply Voltage: Nominal: 13.8VDC, Neg Gnd, Operating: 12-24V Neg Gnd
Operating Temp: -40F to +-1400F(-20C to +-60C)
RF power Output: UHF: 40W/25W/5W VHF:50W/25W/5W
Case Size: (WxHxD) 6″ x 2.3″ x 1.3″ (Panel w/o knobs and connectors)
6″x6″x 1.8″ (Rear chassis w/o connectors)
Weight: 3.7 lbsTransmitter:
RF Power Output: UHF: 40W/25W/5W, VHF: 50W/25W/5W
Modulation Type: Variable Reactance F1 D, F2D, F3E
Maximum Deviation: +- 5KHz
Spurious Emission: at least 60 dB below
Microphone Impedance: 2 k ohmsReceiver:
Sensitivity Radio Band:
B Band:
5uV TYP for 10db SN (153-279 KHz, AM)
5UV TYP for 10 db SN (0.5-1.7 MHz, AM)
2uV TYP for 10db SN (203-30 MHz, AM)
2Uv TYP for 12db SINAD (64-108 MHz, WFM)
0.8 uV TYP for 10 db SN 9113-134 MHz, AM)A&B Band:
0.2 uV for 12db SINAD (136-174 MHz, FM)
0.2 uV TYP for 12db SINAD (200-260 MHz, FM)
0.2 uV for 12 db SINAD (400-470 MHz, FM)
0.2 uV TYP for 12 db SINAD (470-520 MHz, FM)
Squelch Sensitivity: 0.16 uV (144/430 MHz Band)
Selectivity: NFM, AM 12 KHz/30KHz(-6dB/-60dB)AF Output:
6W@4 ohm for 10% THD (@13.8V) EXP SP
3W@ 8 ohm for 10% THD (@13.8V) Normal EXP SP/CH
AF Output Impedance: 4-16 ohm
3 SpeakersIncluded in Purchase:
– Radio
– Microphone
– Power Cables
– Remote Install Kit
– Software CD
– Programming Cable
– All Mounting Hardware
– 1 Year WarrantyOptions:
– Bluetooth
– GPS
– Barometric altimeter and thermometer
– 220MHz
– LW Band
Very interesting, Cap! Thank you for sharing. Honestly, I have a very difficult time keeping up with the radio equipment being produced and sold out of China.
And you’re right: what a surprise to find HF coverage on a dual-band mobile radio and especially longwave coverage! Like you, I wouldn’t anticipate stellar performance. The price is certainly “bargain basement” at $210 US shipped.
SWLing Post readers: Has anyone purchased and tested the ZT-D9000? Please comment!
My personal pick is the Tivoli Model One which goes on sale at 3:15 PM EDT today.
Today is Amazon’s “Prime Day” summer sale.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you might follow some of the deals that are being posted. This morning, I spent a little time picking out my favorites from all upcoming deals; ones that might interest SWLing Post readers.
I did not see a single shortwave portable in the upcoming deals, but there are other radios. Note that Prime Day pricing is only available while the deal is active or unless it sells out. Until an upcoming deals is officially posted, the sales price cannot be viewed, you’ll simply need to note the product url and return when it’s activated.
I’ve posted links to upcoming deals and current (pre-sale) pricing. I’ve also noted when these items go on sale today. I saw nothing that I personally plan to jump on. If I didn’t already have a Tivoli Model One, I would follow it closely.
This unit is currently priced at $62.89 US.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 11:00 EDT today.
UPDATE: Prime Day sale price is $44.95.
Click here to go to this product page.
This unit is currently priced at $62.89 US.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 11:00 EDT today.
UPDATE: Prime Day sale price is $44.95.
Click here to go to this product page.
This unit is currently priced at $99.00 US.
In my opinion, this is the Tivoli Model One is the deal to watch. I’ve owned the Tivoli Model One–it has excellent audio fidelity, smooth analog tuning, excellent FM and AM reception and overall brilliant build quality. It’s worth every bit of $99, so if Amazon discounts it further, it’ll certainly be a good deal.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 3:15 PM EDT today.
Click here to go to this product page.
This unit is currently priced at $23.99 US. I have no clue if this AM/FM portable has any good performance characteristics. I encourage you to read the reviews prior to purchasing.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 4:35 PM EDT today.
Click here to go to this product page.
This unit is currently priced at $39.99 US. Again, I have no idea if this is a quality recorder or not, but it receives a four star review from Amazon customers (take those with a grain of salt as well). Still, it has line-in recording and could be an inexpensive way to record radio in the field. It appears the line-in jack is the standard 1/8″ variety.
The Prime Day sale will discount this price further starting at 8:00 PM EDT today.
Click here to go to this product page.
Feel free to post other relevant deals in the comments section of this post. Again, these prices are only available during the sale window and while supplies last.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who writes:
Anon-Co is offering a Tecsun PL-606 Clone for $31.99 shipped. It’s badged as a: “Ritmix RPR-7020”. I’ve never heard of that badging/brand, maybe you have?
Kaito (via Amazon) currently prices the PL-606 at $41.80, Amazon’s price is $46.50.
Click here to view special on Anon-Co’s website.
Thank you for the tip, Troy! That is a great price for the PL-606 and Anon-Co is a retailer I certainly trust. I’ve never heard of the Ritmix name either.
The SDRplay RSP software defined radio
(Source: SDRplay Press Release via Jon Hudson)
SDRplay are pleased to announce a price reduction for their entry-level SDR receiver, the RSP1 to $99.95 USD making it the most competitive mid-range SDR to include reception down to low frequencies without the need for an upconverter.
The RSP1 provides general coverage receiver and panadapter capability from 10 kHz to 2 GHz. As well as providing SDRuno SDR software, support for popular 3rd party packages like HDSDR, SDR-Console and Cubic SDR is provided. Recent availability of an SD Card image makes for easy set up on a Raspberry Pi.
