Tag Archives: Bonito

Bonito adds new products

The Bonito MegaLoop ML200

I’ve just heard from German manufacturer, Bonito, who has added several new products to their product line:

MegaLoop ML200: The MegaLoop is a 5 meter active stainless steel loop antenna that can be used outdoors. The MegaLoop ML200 ships with a Dual Power power supply (including the ability to power via USB).

Bonito notes that the Megaloop ML200 is currently available for a special price of 279,00€ (incl. 19% VAT) at HamradioShop.net.

The MegActiv 305

MegActiv 305: The MegActiv 305 is a compact antenna designed for low-noise reception between 9 kHz and 300 MHz. It has a radiating element of 18cm and can be powered with 5-15 VDC (max.120mA) or with the supplied Dual Power unit CPI 1000DP via USB.

The MegActiv 305 will be available for purchase end of April for an introductory offer of 174,99€ (incl. 19% VAT).

Fenu at fenu-radio.ch will review a sample of the MegActiv 305 in the near future.

OVP1000 Over Voltage Protector: The OVP1000 is an in-line over voltage protector for your receiver. It’s designed to dissipate current pulses caused by nearby thunderstorms. The OVP 1000 protects against high power surges in three ways:

The OVP1000

A gas discharge tube with 60V firing voltage, max. pulse leakage current 1kA (8/20µs)
An ultra-fast ESD diode (30KV; max. pulse power 350W (8/20µs)
Blocking DC voltages (up to max. 100V) at the input and output.

The OVP1000 is available now for 59,00€ at Hamradioshop.net.

For full details about these new products, please visit Bonito’s blog.

And many thanks to Bonito who is a proud sponsor of the SWLing Post!

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Bonito’s new shortwave products

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This year at the Dayton Hamvention, I stopped by the Bonito booth in Hara arena. I noticed a number of new products Bonito has introduced specifically for the SWL/DXer market.

Bonito has kindly forwarded pages from their brochure (see below–click to enlarge), though all of the products can also be found on Bonito’s website and at Universal Radio.

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Looking forward to the 2014 Dayton Hamvention and FDIM

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Each year, I attend the Dayton Hamvention and much of the QRP conference, Four Days in May. This year, I’ll be working our Ears To Our World table again, along with other volunteers, at booth 411 in the Ball Arena (BA411). Please stop by and introduce yourself!

What I love about the Hamvention (besides the massive outdoor flea market) is that it is a one-stop-shop for innovations appearing in our radio world.

Here are a few of the companies I’ll be following at the Hamvention this year:

Ten-Tec

Ten-Tec announced yesterday that it will merge with Alpha Amplifiers under the flag of RF Concepts. I plan to stop by Ten-Tec’s booth Friday and learn more about the merger. Personally, I believe the merger with Alpha Amplifiers is a good move. Both of these companies are known for great customer service and quality US-based design and manufacturing.

I know Ten-Tec is introducing a new open-source product to their line, the Patriot, because I’ve been beta testing one (check QRPer.com for details later this week).

Icom

Icom will showcase their new ID-5100 D-star, dual band, mobile with built-in GPS. While I’m more of an HF guy, this radio does intrigue me. You see, for almost one year now, I’ve been very pleased with my Icom ID-51A, dual-band, D-Star handie talkie (HT).

I find D-Star to be a very flexible digital mode and I’m amazed with how many interesting mom-and-pop companies have produced products for the D-Star mode. I’m surprised neither Yaesu nor Kenwood has adopted the D-Star standard (it’s not proprietary to Icom–indeed, read about the CS7000 below).

The new ID-5100 is a mobile version of my ID-51a. What I love about this radio is that it can store repeater frequencies and dynamically load them based on your geographic location. Perhaps my largest gripe with mobile VHF/UHF rigs is their inability to adapt to the repeater “landscape” when you travel. The ID-5100 may change this and push other manufacturers in the same direction.

Connect Systems

In less than a year, Connect Systems has become a household name among ham radio enthusiasts who love VHF/UHF and digital modes.

This Connect Systems is developing an HT–the CS7000–which will be the first non-Icom radio to have the D-Star digital mode. Whatsmore, in addition to D-Star, the CS7000 will also pack DMR.

I don’t think Connect Systems will have a working prototype at the Hamvention (I could be wrong), but there is a possibility that they will be taking early orders.

Elad

I’ve been intrigued by the Elad line of Software Defined Recievers. This year, they will attend the Dayton Hamvention. I look forward to checking out the new FDM-DUO tabletop SDR. I plan to review some of the Elad product line in the near future.

Palstar

Last year, Palstar showcased a prototype QRP transceiver with touch screen interface. To my knowledge, this would be Palstar’s first transceiver (though they’re well known for antenna tuners and their shortwave radio receiver, the R30A).

Last year, I was told that the new Palstar transceiver would be available this year and would retail between $1,600 – 2,000 US (a rather steep price for a transceiver with 20 watts output). One of the transceiver’s designers assured me that the receiver would “be worth the price.”

Bonito

I’ll stop by Bonito’s booth to check out their new AntennaJet ASM300. I’m curious how it works and what the Hamvention price will be.

Though pricing is a little steep, I might bring one home as I often would like to share one antenna with two receivers simultaneously.

Elecraft

The only new product I know of from Elecraft is the PX3 Panadapter for their Kx3 transceiver. Reviews of the larger P3 Panadapter for the Elecraft K3 are excellent, so I imagine this will be a great product. I hope to check out the PX3 at the Elecraft booth–I believe they’ll have a prototype on display.

SDRs

For the past three years, the market for software defined radios has been growing rapidly. I’ll be on the lookout for anything new–especially improvements on current 3rd generation SDRs.

Did I miss something?

Please comment if there’s something you’d like me to check out at the Hamvention–I’ll try to include it!

Again, if you’re attending the Hamvention, please stop by and introduce yourself at our booth: 411 in the Ball Arena (BA411).

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Bonito introduces the AntennaJet AAS300 active antenna splitter

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The Bonito AS300 AntennaJet

This year, at the Friedrichshafen Hamfest, Bonito introduced the AntennaJet AAS300–an active antenna splitter that will allow three receivers to use one antenna with very little loss. Dennis Walter, with Bonito, recently contacted me with info:

The AAS300 is a 3 way active antenna splitter with excellent specifications (like isolation of 70dB!) between the outputs.

No extra power supply is necessary, because it’s USB powered– no switching, no buttons. The physical size is exactly like the Bonito RadioJet IF Receiver.

It was one of the most popular devices at the Friedrichshafen show and we already have many preorders.

The device is fully made here in Germany.

We are starting now to resell it.

The Price for end costumers is: 210,-€ / 278 US$ as an introductory offer and will be 230,-€ / 299,-US$ regular (next year)

Thanks, Dennis!

If you would like to read more about the new AntennaJet AAS300, click here for specs on Bonito’s site.

This is certainly a device I will consider purchasing. I tend to use one large multi-band delta loop for all of my receivers. I often record broadcasts on one receiver and wish that I could band-scan with the same antenna on another receiver. The AAS300 would make for a simple solution.

Dennis tells me that the AAS300 will be available through North American retailers and global distributors that currently carry the Bonito RadioJet.

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Dennis shares some photos from the 2013 Hamvention

The 2013 Dayton Hamvention

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WinRadio’s booth in the East Hall.

Whew! Back from the 2013 Dayton Hamvention. You may have noticed the lack of posts over the past week–this is just a hint of how incredibly busy I’ve been following this annual event. Every year that I go to the Dayton Hamvention, I come back exhausted…yet somehow energized about the lasting power and utility of radio.

As I’ve mentioned, one of the main reasons I go to the Hamvention is to build awareness about my non-profit, Ears To Our World (ETOW). The Hamvention donates an inside exhibitor table (worth $550+!) to ETOW each year, and our volunteers (myself among them) man it all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Hamvention. My voice was nearly gone by Sunday; I’d estimate we spoke with several hundred people. But the great news is, we received a record number of donations this year–and on behalf of ETOW, I just want to say, Thank you! to all who support our mission of providing self-powered world band radios to classrooms and communities throughout the developing world.

I spotted this Hallicrafters Super Skyrider in the flea market. She would look quite good in my radio room!

At the Hamvention, I also get a chance to network with friends, meet fellow radio amateurs/shortwave radio listeners, and check out both vintage radios in the outdoor flea market, and new radio innovations inside. One of the great things about representing ETOW is hearing the stories of others who share our belief that shortwave radio has a place on this planet. It’s very encouraging and cathartic.

Moreover, I’m fortunate that once more this year several SWLing Post readers sought out our booth: it was terrific meeting each and every one of you! This blog provides me with a sense of radio community that lasts throughout the year; I hope it does the same for you.

My Regency MR-10 Monitoradio. (click to enlarge)

Typically, when I go to Dayton, I bring back a few purchases. This year, I did not find a bargain like my BC-348-Q from 2012, but I did come back with much-needed supplies in the form of connectors, adapters, cables, and one $6 Regency MR-10 Monitoradio (see photo).

I was thoroughly impressed by the number of innovations I saw at Dayton this year, especially the Software Defined Radios (SDRs) that are new to the market.

CommRadio’s president, Don Moore, working with a customer at the Universal Radio booth.

One SDR that received a lot of attention, according to Fred Osterman at Universal Radio, was the CommRadio CR-1; it is an SDR in stand-alone tabletop-receiver form (see current sale). Universal sold all of the units they brought to the Hamvention in very short order. We mentioned the CR-1 in an earlier post, and received mixed reactions: many readers noted that it was very robust, but didn’t have the feature set to make it particularly marketable at the price point. This doesn’t seem to have mattered.

Fortunately, at the Hamvention, I met with Don Moore, president and founder of CommRadio, who most kindly gave me a loaner radio for review. He’s well aware that my review will be frank, and I’m grateful to have this little receiver in my possession. I have only had it on the air for perhaps an hour so far. Just long enough to tell that it plays well, has a tidy footprint, is built like a tank and…well, that it’s frankly cute. I will pit it against my WinRadio Excalibur, Alinco DX-R8T, and Elecraft KX3, and include audio samples in a forthcoming review. Stay tuned!

WinRadio also had a booth in the East Hall that seemed to have a constant stream of visitors. I found Dennis Walter with Bonito in Hara Arena showing off the RadioJet receiver we reviewed last year. I also saw many other shortwave receiver manufacturers and retailers including C.Crane, Palstar, TAPR, Ten-Tec and Alinco. Indeed, Alinco hinted that an updated version of the tabletop DX-R8T is on the way, the DX-R9(T). It will have the same form factor of the DX-R8T, but the receiver will be built around Collins mechanical filters, which will be much easier to replace than the current ones in the DX-R8T. I’ll post an announcement when the DX-R9 is in production.

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