Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bruce (VE3EAR), who writes:
Hello Thomas, about a month ago, I bought a portable SDR receiver after reading a few positive reviews about it online. It’s a BAJEI, which I purchased from Amazon [SWLing Post affiliate link] and shipped from China. It arrived on my doorstep just ten days after placing the order. It cost me CND $114, which included shipping and taxes.
There is a bit of a learning curve to its operation, but I soon figured it out and the “one knob” control became very easy to use! It covers a range from 100 kHz. up to 149 mHz. continuous in AM, CW, FM, and SSB modes. For a radio measuring just 6 x 3 x 1 inches, it packs a lot of features for its size. The colour display is 4.5 inches diagonal.
The antenna connection is a top mounted SMA female, while the two controls (on-off switch & knob) are on the right hand end, along with a USB-C jack for charging the internal Li-on battery, and a USB-A jack for powering an external 5 volt device. A 1/8 in/3.5 mm stereo jack for headphones is on the left hand end.
A small oval speaker to the left of the display sounds good for its size. The black case is ruggedly built from aluminum. A collapsable whip antenna and charging cord are included with the radio. I use a pig-tail SMA male to BNC female adaptor to connect external antennas, reducing any strain on the antenna jack.
I am very happy with the set and give it a thumbs-up for anyone who is looking for a portable SDR. When I’m using it in my radio shack, I connect it to a broad-band “Super Loop” antenna, which pulls in the AM broadcast and Shortwave stations very nicely. I’m intending to take it for a listening test at an electrically quiet location in my SUV, using an 8 foot whip antenna.
73, Bruce, VE3EAR
