Category Archives: New Products

The Tecsun S-8800: A new receiver in the works

SWLing Post contributor, OWL, writes:

It seems that Tecsun has a new large portable in line.

Someone posted a photo of a new Tecsun product catalogue which shows a new model S8800.

The Tecsun BCL-3000 for comparison.

Apparently it uses the housing of BCL3000 [see above] and is multiple conversion (so a PL880 inside?), DSP based with separate LSB/USB and 10Hz minimum tuning step, and comes with a remote control (for direct frequency input?). Two 18650 batteries are used.

Photo source: http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/ via OWL. Click to enlarge.

Photo source: http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/ via OWL. Click to enlarge.

[Here’s a] link to the post in Tecsun’s web forum:

http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/0002.asp?open=730351

Many thanks for sharing this find, OWL! This is a very curious development from Tecsun.

I can imagine why Tecsun is re-using the BCL-3000 (a.k.a. Grundig S350DL) body–not only is it roomy inside, but it’s proven to be a popular large portable form factor over the years. Of course, since this is an existing chassis design, design/development costs will be minimal. If Tecsun is including a remote, I’m sure OWL is correct: it’ll aid with direct frequency entry. The S-8800 will be the first portable shortwave radio with remote control I’ve seen in many years.

If audio is anything like its predecessors, I would expect rich fidelity from the built-in speaker. In terms of performance, though? This is a completely different receiver than the single-conversion BCL-3000, so only time will tell.

WRTH 2016 coming soon

Not all Degen DE1103 eBay listings are the new DSP vesion

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Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Eric Weatherall, who writes:

I’ve been interested by news of the updated DSP version of the Degen DE1103.

I just saw an eBay auction for a used DE1103 which listed “DSP” in the title. But I looked at a photo of the product and it showed the labeling of the original product. If you look at the bottom left of the unit, the older radios have two lines of product description printed in black, and the newer radios have one line.

Based on photos I found online, here is the old product’s description (which applies to both the Degen and Kaito versions)

“PLL FM STEREO/SW MW LW DUAL CONVERSION SYNTHESIZED WORLD RECEIVER”

And here is the new product’s description.

“FM STEREO/SW MW LW DIGITAL WORLD RECEIVER”

I thought this would be useful for anyone wishing to buy the new DSP version of this radio where a photo of the actual unit is shown.

Eric has a good point–many times on eBay, sellers simply copy descriptions from previous or existing listings. You my find a used DE1103 listed as a unit with DSP. It’s best to confirm the version with the seller before purchasing. To my knowledge, only the 2015 version of the Degen DE1103 has DSP.

Tudor confirms: a new version of the Degen DE1103

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After publishing our previous post about a potentially redesigned Degen DE1103 with DSP, SWLing Post reader, Tudor, comments:

Yes, the DE1103 looks like it’s been redesigned. You can see it dissected here:
http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/0002.asp?open=724665

Photo source: http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/ via Tudor. Click to enlarge.

And, if I’m not mistaken, the SiLabs DSP chip can be seen in this picture:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5417175/2015102316185240911.jpg

Photo source: http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/ via Tudor. Click to enlarge.

Wow–thanks so much for confirming this, Tudor! This is obviously a redesigned Degen DE1103. I also noticed “NEW-DE1103-MAIN-1.2” silk-screened on the board:

Photo source: http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/ via Tudor. Click to enlarge.

The Hong Kong-based eBay vendor Bigbargainonline is selling the new Degen DE1103 for $79.00 US shipped. I’ve purchased from them several times before and was pleased with the experience.

There are other vendors selling the new Degen DE1103 as well (click here to search eBay) but make sure you’re purchasing the 2015 version of the Degen DE1103 since you can still find the cosmetically-identical legacy DE1103 new in box.

Tudor, thanks again for sharing a link to the discussion on tecsun.com.cn–while I can’t read Chinese (and the Google translation leaves something to be desired!) the photos certainly tell the story.

A DSP version of the Degen DE1103?

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[Click here to read our update to this post.]

SWLing Post reader, Dan, recently sent me this link to the Degen DE1103 on AliBexxpress: http://m.aliexpress.com/item/32521065066.html

The vendor notes a “USA DSP chip” in this unit.

The Degen DE1103 has been around for many years; a testament to its popularity. I’m pretty sure it never had DSP receiver components, though.

I told Dan that this was most likely an error of the Aliexpress web marketing person.

Today, Dan sent me another link, this time to an eBay listing with the title:

“DEGEN DE1103 DSP FM/LW/SW/MW Stereo Dual Conversion Digital World Band Radio”

I took a close look at the photos and noticed that “DSP” is featured on one of the front panel stickers.

Could it be that the DE1103 has been re-designed with a DSP chip? Can anyone confirm?

Avion DRM Receiver now shipping via Amazon India

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The Avion portable DRM receiver is now available on Amazon India (click here to view). It’s being sold for 14,999.00 INR (roughly $230 US).

At time of posting, The Avion DRM receiver only has one review by someone who has (obviously) never used the radio. They give one star then state: “price is very high. so i hate this product.”

While I dismiss reviews like this, I must believe that this price is, indeed, high for most Indian consumers; especially when compared with alternate forms of media consumption (smart phones, analog radio, FTA satellite TV, etc.). It would be high for me, too.

I hope, at least, that the Avion performs well. I have no plans to review the Avion DRM receiver at this point simply because it’s challenging for me to find and decode DRM here in North America with my SDRs hooked up to large external antennas. Don’t get me wrong–occasionally, I do get amazing copy–but it’s typically when conditions are favorable. Listeners in Europe, Asia, and Oceana would have better results, no doubt.

Has anyone seen an objective review of the Avion DRM receiver? Please comment.

Click here to view the new Avion DRM receiver on Amazon.in.

C.Crane fixes CC Skywave overloading

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Many thanks to SWLing Post readers, Mark and Alan, who were both recently notified by C.Crane that the CC Skywave has been updated.

Mike purchased the CC Skywave early this year after reading our review. He was disappointed to find out, though, that a local radio station (in his urban location) overloaded the Skywave’s front end, causing imaging and other problems.

Mike, along with other Skywave owners, notified C.Crane about the issue and returned their units.

C.Crane passed along this feedback to their engineers, who have updated the CC Skywave accordingly. C.Crane believes the latest production run will be immune to this sort of overloading. [Kudos to C.Crane for listening to customer feedback.]

I contacted C.Crane yesterday–they recommend ordering directly from their website to insure your unit is coming from the latest production run. It’s possible that some of their distributors could still have some of the older units in inventory for the next few weeks. At least, to be certain, you should check with the distributor directly.

To be clear, I’ve never noted the overloading issue on my Skywave, but I live in a rural area with no blowtorch stations nearby. If you live near an AM broadcaster, and are considering the CC Skywave, you should certainly purchase the updated unit.

Click here to view/purchase the CC Skywave on C.Crane’s website.

Again, many thanks to Mike and Alan for the tip!