Sangean ATS-405 | The SWLing Post

This week, both Jay Allen and Chris Freitas have reviewed the Tecsun PL-680. If you’re considering purchasing a PL-680, you should check out both reviews and also our PL-680 review and radio comparison from February.

Jay has also reviewed the Sangean ATS-405 on his website and Keith Perron tells me he will include a review of the ATS-405 on today’s episode of Media Network Plus. Keith has informed me he was very disappointed with the ATS-405, but Jay’s review is mostly positive, focusing on its great AM (medium wave) performance and new tuning/muting functions.

This is certainly the week for reviews!

On that note, Universal Radio is kindly sending me a loaner Sangean ATS-405 for review. I hope to compare it with some other benchmark portables in the next few weeks. Follow the tag ATS-405 for updates.

Click on the following links to check pricing for both the PL-680 and ATS-405:

Tecsun PL-680

Sangean ATS-405

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[UPDATE: Click here for a full review of the Sangean ATS-405]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Hyde, who reports that Sangean has a new travel radio on the market: the Sangean ATS-405.

Aaron writes:

“While looking around the internet today, I came across a new DSP shortwave radio called the Sangean ATS 405. The 405 looks a lot like its 404 predecessor except that it includes 3 bandwidths, 148 memories, a squelch control and comes along with some other interesting features.”

The ATS-405 came as very much a (welcome) surprise to me as Sangean hasn’t introduced a new shortwave radio in years. This radio is obviously based on a DSP chip and has three selectable bandwidths–I hope its AGC circuit is well suited for weak DX. I am a little disappointed the ATS-405 doesn’t have a tuning wheel. Still, I hope this will be a winner.

The ATS-405 owner’s manual (download here) lists the following features:

Full shortwave 14 meter bands
Five tuning methods-direct frequency access, auto scan, manual tuning, memory recall and rotary tuning
ATS (Auto Tuning System)-auto scan and preset stations
Shortwave meter band selection
148 station presets
2 alarm timers by buzzer and radio
Real time clock
Adjustable sleep timer
Tone control (Music/Normal/News)
1 kHz fine tuning
Squelch function adjusts the receiving threshold and eliminate weak transmissions
Easy to read LCD display with backlight
Eco-friendly recharging function with LED indicator
Stereo/mono switch