Tag Archives: Dan Robinson

Video: Antonio’s Kenwood R-2000 Modifications

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following:

Antonio Fernandez, who is in Spain, posted this on the Extreme page. Very interesting R-2000 mods:

Major modifications are adjustable RF GAIN (using the former TONE control), BFO Pitch control (former AM Squelch, FM Squelch is retained) and DSP Audio filtering for SSB and CW. Internal DSP module is SOTABEAMS Laserbeam Filter Module. The former DIMMER and NB push switches are used for switching on (bypassing) the DSP module and bandwidth (CW, SSB) selection.

Click here to view on YouTube.

Those are brilliant modifications on a classic receiver! Thank you for sharing, Dan!

Check out more videos from Antonio Fernandez on his YouTube channel.

Fenu posts a Malahit-DSP & Afedri LAN-IQ “Head to Head” comparison

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following video from Fernando Duarte, comparing the Malahit-DSP and the new Afedri LAN-IQ:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Check out the Afedri LAN-IQ SDR: a new stand-alone touch screen SDR

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LAN-IQ SDR rev1.0 (Source: Alfredi SDR-Net)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following video from Fernando Duarte highlighting the new Alfredi LAN-IQ SDR:

I can’t wait to check out Fenu’s full review of the LAN-IQ when it is posted on his excellent website. The screen seems to be very responsive and layout well thought through.

The Afedri website notes the following features and specifications:

30 kHz to 1700.00MHz continuous frequency range
Direct sampling
DDC – Digital Down-Conversion
12- bit 76.8 MSPS A/D conversion
Stand Alone mode (AM, CW, SSB, NFM, WFM stereo, BPSK, QPSK demodulators)
Up to 2.2MHz recording and processing bandwidth
Waterfall display functions, when used with appropriate software
Recording and playback, when used with appropriate software
Sensitivity – MDS -136 dBm at 500Hz bandwidth (0.03MHz-35MHz)
Sensitivity – MDS -143.5 dBm at 500Hz bandwidth (50MHz-435Mhz)
USB 2.0 (Full Speed) interface
LAN interface for remote access
Compatible with: Linrad, Winrad, HDSDR, Studio1, SDR Console (SDR-radio), CuteSDR, SdrDX, Quisk, PowerSDR_mrx
Powered from USB or external power supply 7-10VDC
Dimensions 120mm deep x 78mm wide x 27mm high
Unit cost – $339

The LAN-IQ can be connected to a PC via USB or Ethernet (at a 2400 kHz sample rate).

The Afedri website also has a few videos of the LAN-IQ in operation:

As you might have noted, the encoder knob seen in Fenu’s video is not standard but can be added at an additional cost and extended lead time. If I were to order the LAN-IQ, I would want the encoder knob as well.

Also, note that due to Covid-19 affecting the supply chain, Afedri SDR informs me that LAN-IQ availability will be adversely affected. If you would like to order a LAN-IQ, contact Afedri SDR via their website.

Click here to check out the LAN-IQ and all specs at Afedri SDR-Net.

Tecsun PL-990: How to distinguish pilot run and final export versions

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The Tecsun PL-990

As I suspected, it appears the Tecsun PL-990 batch that showed up recently on AliExpress for $399 each are the preliminary pilot run units that Tecsun offered in China last year. The final export version of the PL-990 is not ready for production yet and has been severely delayed by Covid-19 quarantines.

Anna at Anon-Co reports that Tecsun factories have been closed since mid-January 2020 and have only recently recommenced production, “but at a very slow pace.”

Since there will eventually be two different versions of the Tecsun PL-990 in the wild–the pilot run for China, and the finalized export version–I thought I’d share a trick Anna has described to tell the difference between the two.

Anna notes:

One way to easily see this is from the labels for the buttons above the keypad, these should be

[ TIME ], [ TIMER A ], and [ TIMER B ] (see picture below)

Tecsun PL-990 Final Export Version:

Tecsun PL-990 Final Export Version

Pilot Tecsun PL-990 (preliminary China domestic version):

Preliminary Pilot Tecsun PL-990 distributed in China — image from AliExpress.

Anna adds:

I highly recommend [no one] buy these pilot versions, because the software on those devices is also not developed.

There still isn’t a final version or any price indication available yet, but it will definitely not be US$399.99.

So in case it’s not clear: don’t purchase a PL-990 until you can confirm you’re receiving a final export version which has the TIME, TIMER A, and TIMER B labels.

Again, at time of posting, the final PL-990 export version is not yet in production.

When the final export PL-990 is available, I will announce it here on the SWLing Post with links to authorized retailers like Anon-Co.

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Tecsun PL-990 (pilot run) now on AliExpress

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who notes that the Tecsun PL-990 has now appeared on AliExpress.com.

The price is a steep $399 US shipped via DHL with an estimated delivery of late March. They claim to have about 900 units available.

You can check out the PL-990 on the AliExpress website, but it might require registration even via this direct link.

Frankly, I would wait until the PL-990 is available at Anon-Co since they’re an authorized Tecsun distributor, have proven customer service, and will likely have a more competitive price. I would also question if the AliExpress units are the new export version we’ve been waiting for, or simply the units that were available within China last year. The AliExpress page gives us no clear indication of the production version at time of posting.

UPDATE: Turns out, these are the pilot Chinese versions of the PL-990. I can’t recommend purchasing one–especially at this price.

I hope this might indicate that the PL-990 is close to release. Covid-19 has certainly stopped much production and development in China. Thanks again for the tip, Dan!

Dan notes two eBay finds: one good buy and one too high!

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who recently discovered two note-worthy items on eBay.

The first is a WinRadio Excelsior SDR.

Dan notes:

A seller on eBay is offering the WR-G39DDCi. Just picked one up on a Buy It Now for $200.

He still has some up without Buy It Now but the price is creeping up. Heck of a deal considering the price new….

Click here to view this listing on eBay.

That’s simply amazing you found an Excelsior for $200! WOW! Perhaps this eBay seller will post more WR-G39DDCi units with a BuyItNow price? I’d be willing to bet these may have all come from a commercial or government auction.

The second item Dan shares is a Sony CRF-230 with original box.

Dan notes:

This guy is trying to get too high a price, but these 230s are rarely seen with the original box. There are many 230s on eBay and prices are usually in the several 100s of dollar range. Anyone considering this one should insist on seeing a video of the receiver powered on and working. The seller’s starting price level is at lest 2 to 3 times what a SONY CRF-330K would be in LNIB condition.

Click here to view on eBay.

A rare bird indeed, but as you point out, Dan, the BuyItNow price is astronomically high.

Note the seller does have a Make An Offer option, too. I suspect that’s what they’ll end up accepting if they ever wish to sell this unit.

Thanks again for sharing your eBay finds, Dan!

The Malahit-DSP: A potential Holy Grail portable SDR?

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(Image via Fenu Duarte)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who provides this update to his article on the Belka DSP receiver. Dan writes:

One of the other DSP radios shown being demonstrated on YouTube is this one by Georgy Yatsuk, presumably from somewhere in Russia. In his comments posted on January 14th, Fernando Duarte who runs the FENU site says:

“This little gem makes a name for itself. Everyone wants it. But it is still difficult to get. Georgy Yatsuk (RX9CIM) developed this small portable SDR with two of his colleagues. What this little guy offers is simply phenomenal! -Frequency range: 50KHz-2GHz -All important types of operation -160KHz wide waterfall & spectrum display zoomable -Noise reduction adjustable -Noiseblanker adjustable -Equalizer for adjusting the timbre – Controllable via PC -Control via CAT -etc, etc … Because the firmware is still in full development, certain functions will definitely be added. A test and a detailed presentation will be available on my website in the near future. Stay tuned !!”

https://fenuradio.blogspot.com/2020/01/malachit-dsp-der-edelstein-aus-russland.html

As of this moment there is no additional information as to whether this seemingly excellent receiver will ever become available and in what numbers.

Many thanks for this update, Dan! We published a post about the Malahit-DSP in November on a tip from H. Garcia (PU3HAG). I have put in an inquiry to purchase one to evaluate here on the SWLing Post as well. This does look like a fascinating portable SDR!