(Photo: eBay)
An English labeled version of the Degen DE1129, which I recently reviewed, is now available from a Hong Kong Seller on eBay. It appears that pricing is $69 US with shipping.
Click here to search eBay for the Degen DE1129
Thanks to the Herculodge for the tip!
Degen DE1129 and box (Click to enlarge)
Yesterday, I received a sample Degen DE1129 from TecsunRadio.com, which is, to my knowledge, the only current distributor of this newest Degen. I paid extra for DHL shipping to get it quickly to my door, as I’ve been very curious how this new radio stacks up against similarly-priced portables on the market–especially in light of the number of emails I’ve gotten from readers asking about this particular radio.
The DE1129 promises a lot: AM/FM/Shortwave coverage and a fully functioning MP3 player/recorder.
I have only played with the DE1129 for a few hours, thus have only developed some initial impressions of the unit. (A full-fledged comparison review will be coming in the very near future–simply follow the tag DE1129).
My very first impression–? The DE1129 is just a wee little radio–much smaller than I had imagined. Indeed, though its box (pictured above) isn’t very large, it’s a cavernous container for such a minute radio. Size-wise, it’s certainly within the realm of the ultra-portable. Note its size in comparison with my Grundig G3 and Tecsun PL-380 in the photo below:
For those of you not familiar with the size of these two radios, we’re talking quite small–the Degen is just a little bigger than a pack of cards, easy to hold in one hand.
There is no mistaking the fact that this radio is DSP-based. When you turn this Degen on, it seems to boot up, like a computer–a process which takes about four seconds. It starts where you left off, i.e., at your last frequency, or in the MP3 player, if you were listening to an audio file, just before turning it off.
The Degen DE1129’s display is small, but contains a lot of information (Click to enlarge)
The display on the Degen is back-lit, although the buttons are not. The display, moreover, has an incredible amount of information for such a tiny screen. Fortunately, it is crisp enough to read easily.
You’ll note that all of the buttons are labeled in Chinese Mandarin–since I don’t know or read Mandarin, I found that this English translation of the front panel came in very handy.
I can’t comment on the performance thus far, as I can tell that the learning curve is going to be slightly steeper than usual. I have yet to determine how to change the steps, bandwidth, AGC control (if there is one), and recording volume level.
Changing between receiver modes is simple enough; volume and tuning, of course, are intuitive.
I have very little to base a review on yet, but I can say this: I love this Degen’s compact size, crisp display, and am impressed that its tiny built-in speaker actually has some bass response. This is the first shortwave radio I’ve reviewed that (like the Grundig G2 and Degen DE1128) has a slim rechargeable battery pack instead of accepting the typical AA batteries most portables use. No doubt, this is how they keep the size of the unit so small and its profile so slim. Is this a pro or con? Battery longevity will tell.
The back of the DE1129 (Click to enlarge)
Any negatives? Just superficial ones at this point. Most notably, I’m disappointed in the unfortunate combination of no back stand (see photo) and a fixed, non-rotatable, telescopic whip antenna. This means that when listening to shortwave with the whip fully extended, you pretty much have to hold the DE1129 in your hand. Even if you have a universal portable radio stand (like this one), you won’t be able to make the antenna vertical in relation to the ground–rather, it will be fixed with only the ability to move from left to right. This is, alas, poor product design, as a radio so slim has very little stability when standing with the antenna fully extended; even a slight breeze can potentially tip it over.
Also, the Degen DE1129, like the Tecsun PL-380 (and many other DSP-based radios), “chuffs” while tuning–meaning, it mutes between frequency changes. This is a pet peeve of mine, as I prefer a more uninterrupted analog-like fluidity while band scanning. I’ll experiment to learn whether there is a way to minimize this.
Again, look for a more complete review in the near future as I test this little radio against the (similarly priced) Grundig G3 and the (more affordable) Tecsun PL-380. Simply follow the tag DE1129 or subscribe to our email updates by clicking on the link in the right panel of our site.
Click to enlarge (Source: TecsunRadio.com)
A few weeks ago, I posted an image with English translations of some of the buttons on the Degen DE1129 front panel.
Alex, an SWLing Post reader, commented with the Russian equivalents for some of the buttons and corrections to the one posted at TecsunRadio.com (see photo). As he points out, even in the English translation the “voice+” and “voice-” buttons are actually the +/- of the volume control.
Now that I’ve had time to use the DE1129 myself, I believe the button labeled “mode” should actually be translated as “menu.”
Here are some Russian equivalents from Alex:
Thanks, Alex!
I just received confirmation from a representative at TecsunRadio.com that the Degen DE1129 will offer selectable 10kHz steps for the medium wave (AM) band in North/South America (ITU Region 2).
My contact had to verify this fact by actually trying out a radio and making the selection manually (see photo), as the written radio specifications were unclear.
Upon learning that its predecessor, the Degen DE1128, did not have 10 kHz stepping, it lost an audience in the Americas. I feared that the DE1129 would have the same limitations, but fortunately (for Degen) it is not. Of course, here in North and South America, we have the Grundig G2 Reporter–which is sold and supported here in the US as a DE1128 alternative. But this newest member of the Degen line is a welcome addition.
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) Regions Map
The ELAD FDM-S1 Software Defined Receiver
SWLing reader Frank Holden (VK3JFH/VP8DNM) contacted me by email to share his experience with the ELAD FDM-S1–of particular interest because we have yet to see many reviews of this particular software defined receiver. Although the FDM-S1 was announced with some modest fanfare, its actual release and availability skipped over many of us. Not over Frank, however: he purchased an FDM-S1 and had it shipped to his home in Australia, where he apparently put it through its paces.
Frank’s overview of the ELAD FDM-S1 is quite good, and he has kindly given us permission to post his observations here:
I have had an ELAD FDM-S1 now for over a month, having purchased it directly from the manufacturers, and while I don’t feel qualified to write a review you may be interested in my opinion of it.
In my shack at present I have an Icom R-1500, Icom 718, Tecsun 390, Tecsun 660, Grundig G6, Sangean ATS 909, Drake SW 8, Kenwood R5000, a Funcube Dongle and an Alinco DJ-X11. In the way of antennas I have a couple of dipoles, a G5RV , and a 10 metre vertical for TX together with an AOR DC to Daylight, a Diamond discone , a GWhip longwire and a simple 7 metre long untuned vertical on a squid pole for RX.
I was going to buy my ELAD pre-release from WoodBoxRadio but language difficulties and confusion over getting it VAT-free put paid to that. I take full responsibility for the confusion……
In the end I bought one direct from ELAD sdr for 362.81 Euros VAT-free, which price included 10 Euros postage to Australia. It arrived within a week… would that everything that I bought from overseas was as cost effective and fast.
Out of the box it was simple enough to set up with just a USB connection to the computer. I have it connected to a Dell Netbook and this had to be upgraded to XP Service Pack 3 together with some .Net software, the purpose of which remains something of a mystery. I imagine with a newer computer it would operate straight out of the box. It came with a DVD which had both the .net software on it plus an early version of the operating software. I immediately upgraded this software to v3.07 which is what I am currently using.
I believe that originally the frequency range stopped at 30 MHz… however, it can now receive up to 452 MHz if this is selected in the advanced menu. As I write this I am monitoring aviation traffic on 132.200. Likewise the original viewable spectrum was quite restricted, but in the latest version 1.2 MHz can be viewed in the waterfall.
Tuning is straightforward… either by direct keyboard entry or by clicking on the waterfall…. there are also three ‘sliders’ at the bottom of the screen which permit ‘mouse tuning’ by either metre band, MHz, or kHz. Mode selection and quite a bit of other stuff (did I mention that this is not a technical review?) are on a drop down menu at the right hand side of the screen. DRM is included amongst the modes and I listen to RNZI DRM most evenings.
I haven’t used any of the recording options on this radio yet. What I have been doing is either simple SWLing where the ability to monitor an entire Metre band is excellent, especially when combined with the info on the WRTV frequency guide DVD. I also use it at other times of the day in what I suppose you could call ‘Ham’ mode where it can be left watching the 20 metre, 40 metre or other ham band and I can see when a band has opened… far simpler than scanning around…
So all in all, I am very satisfied and would recommend this SDR to anyone.
My #2 radio these days is my Tecsun 390 with its ETM… another bit of brilliant kit.
Frank also sent some helpful photos of his screen, and added:
I am currently running v.3.07 beta… the last shot is the latest ‘polished’ version 3.01.
As you can see in that shot, you can now get three screens, including an AF and an IF screen. That version also comes with a separate program that lets you work with recorded files more easily.
He even included some photos of recording:
Thanks for your most interesting observations, Frank. If there are any others out there who have experience with the Elad FDM-S1, feel free to comment below or simply contact me.
For those of us here in the US, to my knowledge there still is no FCC approval of this device. I have contacted Elad with this question; they’re on annual holiday leave just now.
Follow our other Elad FDM-S1 posts with the tag: Elad FDM-S1
Click to enlarge
Erin, with TecsinRadio.com, sent me this graphic with English translations for the Degen DE1129’s front panel (which is silk-screened in Chinese).
This could come in handy for future DE1129 owners less familiar with Chinese.
I’ve also added this image in our Shortwave Radio Index.
(Photo source: TecsunRadio.com)
TecsunRadio.com has posted the new Degen DE1129 shortwave radio on their website. Though they have not yet posted pricing, it appears pre-orders are being taken.
The DE1129 looks like a decedent of the Degen DE1128 that has not exactly been a market success in North America. The DE1128 lacks medium wave (AM) 10kHz steps (spacing) that allows it to be useful in the North America AM broadcast market. It also lacks English as a selectible language on the display. (The Grundig G2 Reporter, however, does have the features and is, in essence, the North American version of the DE1128).
The published features/specs of the new DE1129 do not reveal if AM spacing or English language will be an issue in the DE1129. I will try to contact the manufacturer. Until then, I would keep this in mind if pre-ordering. UPDATE: The DE1129 does have 10kHz spacing.
UPDATE: Vimal points out pricing is $102 US/each with shipping.
Thanks for the tip from the excellent Herculodge blog!
Features (per retailer)