Category Archives: Reviews

Review: Eton/Grundig Executive vs. Tecsun PL-880

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chuck Rippel (K8HU) for the following guest post:

A Tale of Two Radios: Tecsun PL-880 vs Eton/Grundig Executive Satellit

By Chuck Rippel, K8HU

This proved to be a difficult comparison strictly when writing from the perspective of “which one is better.”

In my view, the two models compliment each other and both are worthy additions for any DX’er or listener. Each has its own set of useable and unique features. That said, 1970 is when I got my start in SWBC DX, either of these radios would have been among “the gold standards” at a time when Realistic DX-150s were $119.95 new, Hammarlund HQ-180s could be purchased new and Collins was still putting “winged emblems” on their amateur equipment.

There were few consumer grade receivers which had frequency accuracy until the introduction of the Allied SX-190 at the princely sum of $249 but when tuning the 49MB in the evening, one heard the entire band on one frequency due to overloading. Oh well, I digress….

The Executive Satellit will be the 3rd from the Eton Satellit family I purchased. The first two were initial releases of the standard, black version; and both suffered from build quality issues and had to be returned. Some months down the road, I noticed that my friend, Clint Gouveia on his “Oxford Shortwave,” YouTube channel was demonstrating great success with his own Eton Satellit and with that in mind, I made what would become the 3rd plunge with Clint’s appreciated encouragement.

My first operational impression of the Executive Satellit was that the overall build quality had been improved by an order of magnitude. The radio looks and feels good, responding well to control inputs although their placement on the PL-880 is superior to my way of thinking. On the Executive, I quickly found a feature different from the original Eton Satellit, the adjustable display backlight can be set to stay on indefinitely, even with the radio turned off and when the clamshell style leather case held in place by a number of magnets is folded over the front of the radio, the display is out of view and if left backlit, will result in a set of dead batteries over time.

While on the subject of the Eton’s display, it is a major selling feature. The yellow-orange characters convey all the information a user might need with excellent resolution and the display is overall, pleasant to look at. A welcome change from LCD type displays more commonly found in portables today including the Tecsun PL-880.

The Satellit uses 4 AA batteries (I recommend rechargeable, 2000ma Panasonic Eneloop batteries) while the Tecsun uses an included, single 16550 2000ma lithium ion battery. Both radios share the capability of being able to charge their internal batteries when connected to an included DC wall-wort power sources and additionally, in the case of the Tecsun, from a USB source. The Satellit uniquely allows the user to enter a charging time in minutes via the front panel keypad and the owners manual suggests charging times for batteries of various capacities. A nice feature.

Each manufacturer stresses memory capacity as a selling point. Is a radio sporting 3,000+ memories better than a model with “only” 700? I suggest such a feature is a viable selling point only if the user can remember what is stored in each memory location. Both models help the user organize memory usage by organizing them in “pages” or banks.

As an aside, I organize memory pages using a couple for local MW stations, and one for local FM. Pages 1-24 contain SWBC stations organized by time. Bank or page 1 contains SWBC stations that can be heard at 0100Z, page 2 at 0200Z and so on. A plus for the Eton, the user has the option of assigning an 8 character label to each page of seven memory channels which are accessible via a row of “F” keys, located just under the display.

What about reception; what’s “under the hood?” Both have variable bandwidth, SSB, an external antenna input and fine tuning options. Using only the stock, attached whip antenna I was able to pick up Radio Havana, Cuba on 15370.0 although the PL880 suffered from picking up its own electronic spurs, seemingly a Tecsun characteristic noted across several of their models. Both radios received the station adequately but I’ll give a slight edge to the Satellit due to its slightly better audio recovery. Uniquely, the Satellit offers sideband selectable, synchronous detection but the resulting audio is on the muddy side and that feature is less than stellar. On FM, both were able to provide stereo reception of a 250 watt translator on 96.5 mHz located approximately 10 miles away with excellent, nearly identical audio quality. In as much as audio quality is judged differently by each of us, I will refrain from favoriting one radio over another.

The ability to receive, decode and display RDS data is a plus for the Satellit. An aside, there is a well known MW-DX’pert who also chases FM DX. What does he use for a radio and antenna? How about a Sony 2010 and Tecsun PL-310? He puts each radio on an open frequency and waits for E-skip. No special, hi tech FM tuner or multi-element FM antennas. Point being, either of these radios have high performance FM tuners and are capable of delivering FM DX when there is E-Skip or Tropo-Ducting which speaks highly for both.

As an Ultra-light DX’er since its inception, MW reception is important. Here again, performance between the two is was nearly identical although with their small ferrite internal MW antennas, don’t compete with say… a GE Super Radio II. Both the Eton and Tecsun benefit from an external, tuned, close- coupled MW antenna such as a Crate Loop. Unfortunately, the external antenna input on both is not operable on MW.

Video: Comparison of Satellit and PL-880

Click here to view on YouTube.

Clearly, there is no “best” here, either choice is a good one; having both is perhaps the best option. The performance of the Satellit and PL880 excel well beyond their price and make convenient traveling companions. A third of the size and half the price of what many consider “THE” benchmark portable multiband receiver, the Sony ICF-2010 or in Europe, the ICF-2001, both the Pl-880 and Satellit offer increased portability and compete closely with the Sony on performance and features.

Video: How to use Satellit synchronous detector

Click here to view on YouTube.

These attributes combine to deliver a sometimes rare commodity: VALUE ! I would challenge anyone to identify a current manufacturer, consumer grade receiver that offers the performance, features and audio quality of either these two receivers for under $250. All kudos aside, neither of these fine receivers will deliver the kind of gold plated performance delivered by a WinRadio, Drake R8B or Perseus, etc.

Many thanks, Charles, for sharing your thoughts on these fine portables!

FYI: I just checked and the Eton Executive Satellit is still $156.92 shipped via Amazon.

The Tecsun PL-880 is $159.95 (plus shipping) via Universal Radio, $159.99 via Anon-Co on eBay and $169.98 via Amazon,

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The Panasonic RF-B65: the legendary portable with a cult following amongst DXers

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Hi there, back in 1990 I was given a Panasonic RF-B40 for my birthday (I think it was my birthday…1990 was a long time ago!). I found that radio to be very sensitive on shortwave, more so perhaps than my Sangean ATS-803A, but ultimately it didn’t really add much value to any serious DXing because it would only tune on shortwave in 5 kHz steps. This rather course tuning arrangement was very limiting in terms of tuning out adjacent noise and copying tropical band – and other signals that weren’t quite on-frequency etc. Frustrated, I lent my RF-B40 to my brother a few years ago and serves me right; following a house move, he managed to lose it! Quite a shame really because almost three decades later, I would have been very interested to put the RF-B40 through it’s paces on a DXpedition or two. You really don’t see them in action very often at all these days.

Above: the Panasonic RF-B40 (not mine – unfortunately) and the RF-B60, mid-DXpedition!

At that time, which was around the beginning of the 1990s, I read a review somewhere and it became clear that the better receiver was quite obviously the RF-B65. Upon it’s introduction into the market, the RF-B65 was immediately recognised as an excellent receiver, however, in the intervening years it’s reputation has continued to grow to the point today where it enjoys legendary status amongst DXers and bit of a cult following. There’s a lot of information on the RF-B65 to be found on the internet, so I won’t go into huge detail, but the obvious question is: what makes thsi receiver so special? Well, it’s a quite compact PPL double conversion receiver, covering 153 kHz to 29,999 kHz AM and 87.5 to 108 MHz, FM. It has a keypad for direct frequency input, although you have to press either the ‘FREQ’ or ‘METER’ buttons prior to punching in the numbers to define whether you wish to access a particular frequency, or band. I actually find that slightly annoying, but you easily learn to live with such trivial matters when using a radio of this quality and performance.

Furthermore, there’s an electronic signal strength meter, a DX/local attenuation switch, external antenna jack, SSB reception mode, 1 kHz tuning steps on shortwave (unlike it’s little brother the RF-B40) and fine tuning. The single bandwidth filter is 6 kHz wide and thus limits selectivity a little, although the SSB option and fine tune helps offset that somewhat. It would have been nice to have a couple more filtering options, particularly narrower for serious DXing in crowded bands, to combat adjacent channel QRM. Build quality is generally excellent as you would have expected from a high-end Panasonic portable and with a very compact form-factor – roughly the size of a paperback book and weighing in at just 1.4 Ibs, it is eminently more portable than a Sony ICF-SW77 or the iconic ICF-2001D/2010.

Ultimately, the RF-B65 continues to enjoy an excellent reputation today, nearly 30 years after it was introduced because it is a wonderfully sensitive receiver and arguably the best-ever performing shortwave portable in the paperback book size category – often touted as ‘travel portables’. I managed to acquire an example in as-new condition from eBay, although mind you, I paid through the nose for it lol – that cult following ensures prices remain very robust! I have tested my example against the equally legendary Sony ICF-2001D, still considered by many to be the benchmark for shortwave portables, and in my experience the Panasonic is right up there with it. There’s virtually no difference whatsoever in sensitivity. Where the Panasonic comes a little unstuck is the lack of bandwidth filtering and SYNC, leading to lower selectivity. However, clever use of SSB and fine tuning does provide quite good compensation for these shortcomings. Overall though, given it’s size, sensitivity, build quality and audio, as a complete package, in my opinion, the RF-B65 is equal to the ICF-2001D, and this is why today, it remains so highly sought after.

Below are embedded reception videos and text links to the Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel, with various DX catches on the RF-B65. Some of these are considered quite rare in Europe, for example EXPPM Radio Educación’s 1 kW signal from Mexico City, the now defunct ABC Northern Territories on 120 metres and Radio Bandeirantes from Sao Paolo, Brazil, amongst others. Please note; right at the bottom of this post is a link to some very recent comparisons with the brilliant Eton Satellit – one of the very best portables currently on the market today. The vintage Panasonic holds its own, despite 30 years of supposed technical innovation in electronics. Thanks for reading/watching/listening and I wish you all great DX.

Click here to view on Oxford Shortwave Log

Click here to view some comparison videos of the RF-B65 and Eton Satellit

Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.

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Troy reports on the Sony ICF-EX5MK2 analog receiver

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, for sharing the following report of his Sony ICF-EX5MK2 analog receiver:

A report on the Sony ICF-EX5MK2

by Troy Riedel

The consensus, ultimate, all-time AM DX radio is the Panasonic RF-2200. I do not nor have I ever owned this radio [yet!]. As such, I do not have that radio as a baseline and I cannot approach my review with that reference radio in mind. I own 10 or 11 portable Shortwave radios. Until now when I would AM DX, I would generally reach for my Grundig Yacht Boy 400 (~5.9” internal ferrite bar antenna). In my experience, the YB400’s Sensitivity is [overall] better than my Sony 7600GR, the Eton E5, and the Grundig G3 (just a few of the SW receivers that I own).

In this Sony review I also mention Tenergy batteries. I have no stake or financial interest in either Sony or Tenergy. I’m just a guy who enjoys SWLing as a secondary hobby – and let’s call AM DXing a tertiary hobby.

Part I: Description & Overall Impressions Prior to Use

History:

The Sony ICF-EX5MK2 is what I would call a legendary AM DX Radio. The radio is manufactured in Japan. It replaced the highly rated Sony ICF-55W (discontinued early-1980s and can command high prices on eBay). The EX5 was originally introduced in 1985 and it has been in continuous production since that year.

I’m not a radio expert, but I am not aware of any other AM receiver that has gone mostly unchanged for 32-years. The EX5MK2 has quite a loyal following among AM DXers. Its following and longevity is what I feel makes this receiver legendary.

The EX5 is smaller, but resembles the iconic Sony ICF-2010 shortwave radio. I do not own the ICF-2010, but it is my understanding that the EX5 shared similar internal circuitry with the 2010 until Sony ran out of component parts in the early 2000s (later versions of the EX5 and the EX5MK2 thus have more differences, under the hood, as compared to the ICF-2010).

The current version of this receiver being sold NEW is a “version II” that carries the model designation EX5MK2. The EX5MK2 was introduced in June 2009. So what are the differences between the EX5 and EX5MK2?

The original EX5 had analog TV Bands. Since Japan (like the USA) migrated to digital TV, the “version II” or EX5MK2 eliminated the TV Band and replaced it with limited shortwave. The shortwave on the current model has 6 crystal-controlled frequencies for the Japanese domestic service of radio Nikkei. As such, unless you live in Japan … or are in an area that might be able to coincidentally receive another SW station on one of those 6 crystal oscillator frequencies, you won’t be able to receive shortwave transmissions on this receiver (radio Nikkei 1: 3.925 MHz, 6.055 MHz, 9.595 MHz; radio Nikkei 2: 3.945 MHz, 6.115 MHz, 9.760 MHz). To be perfectly clear, all six frequencies are accessed via a switch setting to a 1, 2 or 3. There is no SW tuning, thus no other shortwave frequencies other than the six that are programmed into this radio can be accessed! Do not purchase this radio if you desire a shortwave radio!

Additionally, the EX5 & EX5MK2 both have SYNCHRONOUS DETECTION. However it is my understanding that the EX5MK2 has updated or improved this feature (I do not own the former thus I cannot say for sure).

Before Purchase Research:

In my research before purchasing the unit, I relied on an EX5 review by Gary De Bock as well as a review by “RadioJayAllen”.

Before a purchase I will typically download and read a receiver’s user manual. However since this is a radio manufactured for and sold on the Japanese market, the radio’s documentation is only published in Japanese. But this didn’t stop me!

Because my Japanese is not at a level to translate, I relied heavily on online language translation and I painstakingly translated the entire manual in MS Word and then converted it to a PDF (click here to download as a PDF).

Frankly, I found nothing earth-shattering in the manual. The EX5MK2 is an analog receiver with bare-bones features (other than the SYNC – more later). Unless you are unfamiliar with using SYNC and/or you do not know what it means to separate the USB or the LSB of a carrier signal, there is really no need for the manual.

Until recent times, this receiver was only available from Japanese sellers on their retail web sites, and via Japanese sellers on eBay & Amazon. However, Amazon now stocks the EX5MK2 in their US Warehouses and offers free, 2-day Prime Shipping. Amazon Prime is where I purchased my receiver. If one is interested in this receiver, my advice is to shop. I have never seen a receiver in which prices varied so wildly – and I do mean wildly – from approximately $119 to $249 USD! That’s crazy.

Reading reviews on Amazon were also very helpful in my purchasing decision. But I recommend you read individual reviews and not rely solely on the numerical overview. Why? You can tell by the review if the reviewer has knowledge of radios … there are several reviews of people complaining that the “shortwave feature is useless” – and yes, that’s correct (outside of Japan) but one should not buy the EX5MK2 as a general coverage shortwave receiver as it has AM DXing DNA in its core!

Specifications:

The radio is packaged inside a fairly non-descript cardboard box with no accessories other than an old-school carry strap for the radio and a complimentary set of four Sony C/R14 [disposable] batteries. Once these Sony batteries are expended, I will switch to Tenergy Centura “C” Low Self Discharge (LSD) NiMH Rechargeable Batteries. I am an occasional AM DXer and the Tenergy Low Self Discharge batteries keep 85% of their charge after one-year. I keep Tenergy LSD AAs in my infrequently used shortwave radios and I always know they will have a charge no matter how long they sit idle. Tenergy Centura LSDs are very reasonably priced, too.

The radio is 10” long/wide (10 3/8” to include the tuning knob on the right-side of the cabinet), 5 9/16” tall, and 2 ¼” deep. With batteries installed, it weighs slightly less than 2.5 lbs.

The optional AC Adapter is the Sony AC-D4L. The adapter, new, is only available in Japan and possibly via a pricey purchase through eBay. There are many listings on eBay and Amazon, of Chinese-made “For Sony AC-D4L” adapters but these are not the recommended Sony-made adapter. The Sony AC-D4L is highly rated and said to be a quiet adapter that does not produce RFI that could be introduced into the radio I do not know how well the aftermarket Chinese adapters function. Also, the EX5MK2 requires a negative center tip. For those of you that own a Sony ICF-7600GR, that radio requires a positive center tip. The AC Adapters for those two radios are – unfortunately – not interchangeable! I note this because at least one vendor that I encountered tried to tell me otherwise (he tried to sell me a positive tip 7600GR adapter and said it was the same adapter used for the EX5MK2 – not so).

Note: During the Field Test I found this receiver to be extremely RFI sensitive. I would only operate this receiver on batteries – but if I had to use an AC Adapter, I would only trust the recommended Sony-branded AC.

The EX5MK2’s analog slide tuning dial is linear, or rather the frequencies are evenly spaced across the dial (a nice feature that makes tuning a bit easier; admittedly I’ve become spoiled by digital tuning and I had to re-develop some patience with analog tuning). An additional, unique feature of this radio is the size of the analog slide dial window. It covers approximately 60% of the radio! The dial is filled with the precise locations of 48 domestic Japanese AM stations (in Japanese characters, of course). Obviously this won’t help anyone outside of Japan (but remember, this is a Japanese radio for the Japanese market thus I’m sure this feature is appreciated in Japan).

The EX5MK2 does not have a lighted dial. That is quite disappointing. The only lighted feature on the receiver is a red LED on the very top of the slide dial that illuminates on strong signals – but not all signals. At this price point, I feel a non-illuminated dial is a huge omission.

I have not opened-up the cabinet of my EX5MK2, but my research indicates this receiver has a 180mm (7.1”) internal ferrite bar antenna (there are photos on multiple Japanese language blogs where owners have opened the case and show the internal ferrite bar antenna next to a tape measure or ruler – you can find these sites via a Google Image search). The FM/limited shortwave whip antenna is 36 ¾”.

Since this is a Japanese market radio, it has FM Coverage from 76 – 108 MHz and AM/MW Coverage from 530 – 1600 kHz. My sample of the EX5MK2 has coverage up to 1650 kHz to the very top end of the tuning slide beyond “1600”. For those who need extended AM beyond 1600, this may not be the receiver for you.

As mentioned earlier, the most important feature of this radio is SYNCHRONOUS DETECTION with SSB that not only SYNCS or “locks on” to a signal, but also has two additional switch settings that allow one to separate the carrier signal in either the Upper Sideband/USB or Lower Sideband/LSB. This means there are three settings: NORMAL SYNC where the signal locks on to the entire signal, as well as a second LSB and a third USB setting that allows you to isolate a Sideband and listen to only the lower or upper parts of the carrier signal. This should help the receiver’s SELECTIVITY – hopefully I’ll find out when I Field Test this unit.

Summary of Part I: Initial Impressions

First, a little disclaimer: I am not a radio expert – not a “radiohead”. I am not an amateur radio operator. I know what I like and I know what works for me.

The radio appears to be well made. It has girth and weight like some receivers I’ve owned in yesteryear – it just feels like one is holding quality. The receiver is analog, not digital, and the tuning is tight and smooth (no slack in the tuning knob like some lesser quality analog receivers and turning the tuning knob results in a proportional movement in the tuning dial). The linear dial – which I found to be extremely accurate on my sample – makes tuning to a precise frequency a bit easier than I had expected. Despite this, I still found myself longing for a digital readout and I frequently used a digital receiver to verify a frequency if I didn’t hear a station I.D. after a reasonable amount of time.

At this price point, it is disappointing there is no illumination of the dial. But I have to remind myself that this receiver is essentially a 1985 model with minimal changes over the past 32-years.

But the big question remains: how does it perform and is it worth its price? Reported excellent AM DX performance – enhanced through the SYNC DETECTION WITH SSB feature – is the reason I chose this model. Was it a wise purchase? I’ll field test it in Part II to answer those questions.

Part II: Field Testing

Field Test Conditions:

Power: Battery, with no external antenna (only the internal ferrite bar antenna) though I did try enhancement through inductive coupling via a Terk Advantage and a Tecsun AN-200 – two very similar AM Loop antennas.

Audio:

I measured the speaker to be 3 ¼” in diameter. Too bad the analog slide tuning dial takes up 60% of the front of the radio because the cabinet size could support much larger speakers (“speakers” plural instead of singular) to produce much better sound. With AM DXing, I’m not interested in high fidelity. However, I found the audio to be good enough to fill the room with a pleasing sound.

There is a TONE switch. I suspect this is really a bandwidth setting as the translated owner’s manual states to leave it on “High” unless there is adjacent station interference (then toggle the switch to “Low”). To me the switch appears to be a wide(r) versus narrow(er) bandwidth – wider for fuller sound and narrower to help eliminate adjacent channel interference. It seems to function as intended.

FM:

The EX5MK2 is not renowned as an FM receiver. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It very easily pulled-in my favorite station about 40-45 miles away. During bandscanning across the dial, the receiver proved itself a decent if not worthy FM radio – not a DX machine, but of a quality where I wouldn’t feel I needed to reach for another receiver that possesses high fidelity audio. For general usage, I was pleased.

AM:

To me, AM performance is the meat and potatoes … AM is the reason this receiver is so popular with a huge following. Unfortunately, mine did not measure up.

To reiterate, I’m not a reviewer. I am not loaned complimentary radios to review. And as a retiree, I am not able to buy multiple samples. I can only evaluate the sample I received and thus I can only assume I have received a representative sample.

I quickly discovered the Sony EX5MK2 is the most RFI sensitive receiver I have ever encountered!

My Listening Post is a sitting room off the 2nd floor master bedroom. It extends outward from the main profile of my house with our breakfast nook underneath. This room has served me well for shortwave listening and AM DXing (AM DXing via several of my shortwave receivers).

However, the EX5MK2 proved to be quite fickle in this location. I was never able to completely eliminate the RFI issue I encountered with this radio. Even a FitBit in its charger created RFI so bad that the only thing heard between booming AM stations was a high-pitched RFI squeal. And this charger is plugged-in for perpetuity and has never cause any hint of an issue with any other radio (while sitting at my Listening Post, I routinely recharge my FitBit while listening to my radios – plural – and until now I had never, ever encountered any such RFI issue with my FitBit on any of my other SW radios). Frankly, I was dumbfounded to discover this.

I can only speak for my sample, but prospective buyers should keep RFI sensitivity in mind. Since I have never read any other report of RFI problems, maybe my unit is not properly shielded? Since I’m not a technically savvy “radiohead”, opening up the receiver to look inside would do me no good to evaluate its shielding.

Sensitivity:

I can see why people like the EX5MK2’s sensitivity (or the ability to receive distant AM broadcasts). During its first daytime test, I immediately and easily captured a signal from WWJZ 640AM in Mount Holly, NJ (Metro Philly). That station is approximately 300-miles to my northeast. It operates at 50,000 watts, however it’s not the easiest 50,000 watt station to receive from my location.

But complications from RFI interfered with my Field Testing.

After reasonably eliminating nearby RFI to include unplugging my FitBit, AM bandscanning revealed a horrible RFI hum (more like a shout and not a hum) – the worst of which is below approximately 850 kHz. It seemed the only stations that I was able to receive within this RFI Zone was the WWJZ 50,000 watt station and a couple of local stations. The true “DX Test” type of stations seemed to be buried in the RFI with zero chance of anything being audible. This was quite disappointing to say the least.

I continued with daytime as well as nighttime bandscanning over multiple days, however I found myself frustrated with interference issues. Yes, I easily received WSB AM750 in Atlanta at night (565 miles to my southwest), but again it seemed only the big boomers were receivable below 850 kHz and even some of the more local stations disappeared.

Comparing the EX5MK2 to my Yacht Boy 400 … yes, the YB400 received the same stations the EX5MK2 did, but the EX5MK2 definitely received them louder and more clearly (possibly attributed to the superior SYNC DETECTION of the EX5MK2). But most importantly to me the same interference issues that the EX5MK2 displayed did not plague the YB400.

I must admit, at this point frustration & disappointment out-weighed my planned Field Testing and I lost my desire to continue with rigorous testing.

Some people reading this might be disappointed and may be thinking, “why didn’t you take this outside, or into the countryside away from possible RFI sources?” to finish the testing. That’s not how I use my radios. Nearly all of my listening is from my house. Yes, I may have been able to isolate and better diagnose the interference problems I encountered by going outside my house. But I had already made the decision that this radio was going back to Amazon. In the end, my 1994 Yacht Boy 400 better met my needs than the EX5MK2.

Note:

The SYNC DETECTION feature on the EX5MK2 appeared to justify its hype. Unfortunately due to my RFI issue, I never truly put the USB/LSB feature to a test. Yes, isolating the USB/LSB did help to separate several distant stations on the upper two-thirds of the AM band, but in my opinion a true SELECTIVITY test would be to separate and receive a distant, weak station from the adjacent channel interference of a much stronger station. I never encountered this opportunity, but I must also admit that I essentially abandoned the Field Testing once I decided to return my EX5MK2.

Also, and I don’t know why, inductive coupling with a Tecsun AN-200 enhanced the EX5MK2’s AM reception but the Terk Advantage didn’t yield the same results. They are similar antennas and why the AN-200 was exponentially superior to the Terk Advantage is not something I can answer.

Summary:

Given its reputation, I am sure the EX5MK2 is a good, if not great, receiver. But my sample, for whatever reason, did not measure up.

And please, if you soon see an “open box” EX5MK2 listed on Amazon – it quite possibly will be the one I returned! My recommendation is to pass on that one and purchase a new, sealed box unit.

Many thanks, Troy, for sharing your detailed review/report of the Sony EX5MK2. Thank you, especially, for taking the time to translate the EX5MK2 manual.

As Troy mentions, perhaps he simply received a lemon unit–one that had quality control issues such as possible shielding and/or grounding problems.

I can tell you as a reviewer that there are few things as frustrating as throwing yourself into a highly-anticipated review only to be disappointed by your particular unit’s performance. It’s like buying a new car only to find out it rattles as you drive–!

I am very curious if anyone else has purchased the EX5MK2 from Amazon recently and experienced similar issues? Or, have you found that this analog receiver lives up to its stellar reputation? Please comment!

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Yet another favorable review of the Grundig Executive Satellit

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Troy, Ron and Steve, who note that Jay Allen has just posted a review of the Grundig Executive Satellit on his website.

The upshot? Jay found the performance identical to the previous (non-Executive) version of the Satellit which is to say that it has excellent AM performance and built-in audio.

In February, Clint Gouveia wrote up a review of the Satellit based on three weeks of DXing in the field. He found it to be an exceptional performer on the shortwave bands and stated:

“Ultimately, I have to strongly recommend this portable to anyone interested in DXing and in particular those that embark on DXpeditions.”

He embedded a number of videos from the field in his review (click here to view).

And, of course, our buddy Tom Stiles also reviewed the Executive Satellit on his YouTube Channel.

The original Eton Satellit

Like Clint, I own the original non-Executive version of the Satellit–since performance is identical, I’m not going to “upgrade” to the Executive version (though I do really like the executive case).

After Clint’s review in February, I stated taking the Satellit with me on travels more often and have been most pleased with its performance. While it took me a while to get used to its amber display at night, I must say it is a fantastic performer, has superb built-in audio and is overall a wonderful full-featured radio travel companion.

I often forget to mention the Satellit when readers ask for portable radio recommendations–perhaps this is because the Tecsun PL-880 simply overshadowed it in my mind. Not anymore.

Executive on sale

As we mentioned yesterday, the Executive Satellit also happens to be on sale at Amazon right now for $156.92 shipped. Click here to view on Amazon.com.

Eton Satellit vs. Tecsun PL-880

Speaking of the Tecun PL-880, SWLing Post contributor Charles Rippel recently ordered the Executive Satellit–he plans to compare it with the Tecsun PL-880 and share his findings with us. Stay tuned!

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Edward reviews this unmarked thrift store radio find

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Edward Ganshirt, who writes:

I spotted this “keychain” radio [pictured above] at a Savers thrift shop. Savers is a chain of thrift stores in the Northeast that is an outlet for Goodwill and possibly others. What caught my eye is (in addition to price) an 11 band radio: AM, FM and 4.75 to 21.85 Mhz in 9 short-wave bands. It has no brand markings (or FCC id) and of course made in China. I purchased it for less than a latte at Starbucks and brought it home.

It uses 2 AA penlight batteries and has a 14″ telescoping antenna. Turning it on demonstrates its low performance.

It has ample sensitivity on FM but difficult to tune clearly. AM band is better. Shortwave is a different story.

At night I get several shortwave stations, difficult to tune in. Connecting an external antenna demonstrated its weakness. I picked up the entire AM band and every other station below 30 MHz no matter what setting the tuning knob was set to, with varying signal strength , depending what short-wave band setting selected. I live less than 4 miles from a powerhouse radio station on 680 KHz that bleeds through the IF filter. Deconstructing the radio reveals its design shortcomings

It contains 2 chips: A CSC2822 stereo audio 8 pin dip and a 16 pin CSC2003P “jungle” chip. Comparing app notes to the receiver reveals short cuts in the design. Just absolute minimalist component count–only one 455KHz IF filter.

Fortunately, it has a ferrite loopstick antenna. (That explains why it works on AM. There is less IF bleed-through on AM).

Using a signal generator, on shortwave reveals non existent image rejection, beat notes on harmonics of the local oscillator (yes it is a superheterodyne).

This is a radio to take to the beach. If the tide grabs it and washes it into the ocean or a sea gull snatches it, you would not be disappointed.

In my opinion it was a bit steeply priced. You don’t win them all but I will still go to Savers in the future for other buys as they present themselves.

Thank you for your report, Edward. I think what is highlighted here are the shortcomings of inexpensive–truly “cheap”–radios. They have only the most basic components, regardless if they resemble a quality radio aesthetically. Edward listed the hallmarks of a cheap analog receivers: overloading, stiff inaccurate tuning controls, mediocre sensitivity/selectivity, poor audio, and poor shielding.

Thanks for pulling this one apart and taking a look inside, Edward.

Taking it to the beach, Ed? Let us know if it floats or–better yet–if a seagull decides to grab it–! Who knows, they may tune through the FM and find one of their favorite 1980s songs:

(Sorry, couldn’t help the reference–it is Friday after all.)

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The Bonito Boni whip: proving to be excellent portable antenna for DXing

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Hi there, if you’re a subscriber to the Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel, you will be aware that I have been using a Wellbrook ALA1530 H field antenna, for 15 months or so, with (at times) excellent results. A while back I was on the lookout for a second antenna, however at more than £250, I couldn’t justify purchasing a second Wellbrook. Ultimately I splashed out on the Bonito Boni whip E-field wideband active antenna (20 kHz to 300 MHz) and with a very compact form-factor suitable for DXpeditions/portable operation in general, the Boni whip definitely ticked all the boxes. Furthermore, with reasonable second and third order intercept points of +55 and +32.5 dBm respectively, the Boni whip, on paper at least, looked like a pretty good buy at around £100.

Initial testing at home confirmed, perhaps not surprisingly that the Boni whip could not match the SNR provided by the Wellbrook ALA1530 in a noisy, urban environment. However, less predictably, the Boni whip has proven to be a truly excellent antenna away from the ubiquitous blanket of ‘electrosmog’ at my QTH. Furthermore, it really is so compact, I simply leave it in the car in a small flight case, with a portable and connectors etc. for ad-hoc listening sessions. Since returning from my most recent trip to Brazil, I have had a chance to review my most recent catches with the Boni whip, some of which are realy pleasing and most definitely underline the excellent performance of this diminutive antenna. In particular, signals from Radio RB2 on 11935 kHz and Radio Aparecida on 11855 kHz, both low power Brazilian stations, are testament to how sensitive the Boni whip is in an electrically quiet environment. Check out also the quality of longwave signals from Poland and the Czech Republic – simply amazing for such a physically short antenna. Finally, there’s a personal first from Lusaka, Zambia, Voice of Hope Africa on 13680 kHz. All the more rewarding that this was actually copied in my work office!

I hope you found this article interesting. There are embedded reception videos below and text links for all, which will take you directly to the relevant video on the Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel. Thank you for reading/watching/listening and I wish you all excellent DX!

Click here to watch on YouTube

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Daytime DX: Gary compares Terk Advantage with homebrew FSL Loop

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares the following:

Daytime DX Shootout– a new-design 4.7 inch FSL antenna ($62 construction cost) goes up against the Terk Advantage AM commercial loop ($58 on eBay) in the daytime DX reception of 650-CISL (10 kW at 160 miles, in Vancouver, B.C.).

The first 20 seconds are on the Terk Advantage, and the final 24 seconds are on the new 4.7 inch FSL (using 27 of the commonly available 62mm Russian surplus ferrite bars).

Signal strength is roughly equal, but the FSL’s lower noise advantage gives it the edge.

Click here to download MP3.

Thank you for sharing this comparison, Gary. You’re right: the FSL provides lower noise and a more stable signal to boot. Still, I’m impressed the Terk was able to compete! In terms of commercially-produced loops, the Terk Advantage is certainly a good one.

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