{"id":3902,"date":"2012-07-17T09:16:52","date_gmt":"2012-07-17T13:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=3902"},"modified":"2012-07-26T07:22:10","modified_gmt":"2012-07-26T11:22:10","slug":"a-review-of-the-bonito-1102s-radiojet-24-bit-if-receiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/07\/a-review-of-the-bonito-1102s-radiojet-24-bit-if-receiver\/","title":{"rendered":"A Review of the Bonito 1102S RadioJet 24 bit IF Receiver"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Bonito’s Dennis Walter at the Bonito booth in Hara Arena at the 2012 Dayton Hamvention<\/p><\/div>\n

At the Dayton Hamvention this year, I met Dennis Walter, who is with Bonito<\/a>, German manufacturer of the 1102S RadioJet. Dennis was kind enough to loan us a radio for review on SWLing.com. I have been evaluating the Bonito 1102S RadioJet over the course of eight weeks and have formed some impressions about its performance. And while I haven’t made any A\/B comparisons yet with either the Microtelecom Perseus<\/a> or the WinRadio Excalibur<\/a>–both on my review table at the moment–I have taken the time to get to know this lean, high-performance IF receiver.<\/p>\n

First impressions<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The\u00a0RadioJet box (left) is about the size of the highly portable Tecsun PL-380 (right)<\/p><\/div>\n

When I first held the RadioJet, I was amazed at how small and sturdy the unit is. It’s built quite well; I expect you would have difficulty putting a dent in its aluminium body. It has a very small footprint on the desktop and fits very easily in my suitcase. Specifically, the RadioJet box is about the size of the highly portable Tecsun PL-380<\/a>\u2014in fact, the PL-380 is slightly wider than the RadioJet.<\/p>\n

And though I knew about this feature in advance, what really stands out is its lack of dependence upon a power cable or a DC-in jack on the back of the unit. \u00a0Indeed, the only two connections are a USB port and a female BNC connector for the antenna. The RadioJet derives its power directly from the USB cable.\u00a0This is a major plus, providing additional freedom, as there’s no need for an external power supply or \u201cwall-wart\u201d type DC adapter. With the radio and USB cord, you’re ready for radio on-the-go\u2014as I was on my recent DXpedition family vacation, when I reviewed the RadioJet.<\/p>\n

Plug and play<\/strong><\/p>\n

Installing the RadioJet is very simple. You simply plug the receiver into your computer via the supplied USB cable, then install the RadioJet software via the supplied installation disc. As far as I know, the RadioJet software only works with Windows PCs. I tested the RadioJet with my Toshiba Satellite 64 bit Intel core i3 laptop computer.<\/p>\n

I had no difficulty getting the RadioJet running. \u00a0Indeed, it worked after the first software install. In my experience, it was true plug-and-play.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Is the RadioJet an SDR?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be clear, the RadioJet is technically not<\/em> an SDR, it is an IF receiver, more like the Ten-Tec RX-320D. I\u2019ve certainly been guilty of calling it an SDR in the past as it\u2019s easily to lump it in the same category. Within this review, I do compare RadioJet features with SDRs currently on the market since it is software (PC) controlled, has many of the same features as an SDR and directly competes with them.<\/p>\n

Software and Usability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unquestionably, the Bonito 1102S RadioJet\u2019s software offers the most flexibility of any Software Defined Radio (SDR) or IF receiver I\u2019ve ever reviewed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A screen capture from my Toshiba Satellite Windows 7 laptop (click on image to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

Having used several SDRs and IF receivers–including the Microtelecom Perseus, Ten-Tec RX-320D, RFspace IQ and WinRadio Excalibur\u2014I can state that the basic functions of the RadioJet are comparatively easy to locate. \u00a0The graphic user interface (GUI), however, could appear somewhat complicated, particularly if you are new to software based receivers. \u00a0 While I like options and the ability to customize a user interface to best match my preferences, having a GUI that is both highly-adaptive and full-featured can be a double-edged sword until you become accustomed to it.<\/p>\n

On one hand, you can customize the RadioJet GUI more completely than any other SDR I\u2019ve ever used: \u00a0you can change the window size, layout, spectrum display, and color palette; you can also load pre-designed screens to help with signal measurement, IF control, and AF control.\u00a0 Indeed, the RadioJet\u2019s designers have also included a unique \u201cScanner and Signal Utilities\u201d screen for working with utility reception.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, there is a learning curve in both customizing the GUI and familiarizing yourself with the radio\u2019s controls. This is why I wish the RadioJet had a proper owner’s manual. Early in my experience with the unit, while making setting modifications during a broadcast, I found I could lose my place within the control settings or accidently alter a setting that would result in degraded reception (such as the WAV volume, AGC, DSP or attenuator).\u00a0 I thought that the RadioJet was malfunctioning, only to discover that I had a setting adjusted incorrectly.\u00a0 Note that Bonito\u2019s online support, however, has been very responsive in helping me when this happens.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The RadioJet GUI is the most flexible and adaptable of any software radio I’ve used<\/p><\/div>\n

Fortunately, Bonito is fully aware that many listeners could be overwhelmed by the various options the RadioJet offers, and have designed the GUI so that if you minimize the window (as you would any Microsoft Windows \u201cwindow\u201d), only the basic receiver options will display.<\/p>\n

The only major drawback I\u2019ve observed with the RadioJet, as fellow reviewer Fenu mentions in his\u00a0comprehensive review<\/a>, is that its software still has a few trouble spots to be ironed out.\u00a0 This is not surprising, considering that is very new to the market. To be clear, software is a very<\/em> important part of an SDR or IF receiver\u2019s usability: after all, its interface is software defined<\/em>. An SDR or IF receiver without the software is merely a small paperweight–but with it, becomes highly functional radio with a performance that can be enhanced with upgrades over time.<\/p>\n

The success of the RadioJet over time will be directly tied to the responsiveness of Bonito<\/em> to customer feedback. Like Fenu, my experience with Bonito is quite encouraging in this regard\u2014Bonito has even provided remote desktop help sessions for individuals, and I can personally vouch that I\u2019ve benefitted from this support. Bonito also closely attends to discussions on the RadioJet Yahoo Group, indicating that the company is listening to their customers. Bonito has been updating the software regularly\u2014in fact, they’ve just added a noise blanker to the software which, I hear, effectively deals with electrical pulse noises like those produced by electric fences.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Tuning around<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though not required, if you don\u2019t already have a mouse with a scrolling wheel, you will want one to tune and adjust the RadioJet. Band-scanning is pretty straightforward and there are a variety of methods to adjust the frequency:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Hover your mouse over the tuning knob and click to rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise<\/li>\n
  • Hover over the digital frequency display and use the mouse scroll wheel to adjust each digit of the frequency up or down<\/li>\n
  • If the display is expanded, there is also a number pad where you can click on each number to adjust<\/li>\n
  • In the current revision of the software–much like with the Perseus–you cannot directly key in the frequency with the number pad of your computer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    With the scroll wheel of the mouse, you can easily adjust most settings and filter controls of the RadioJet. It acts, in a sense and in most cases, as a proxy for a tangible knob you would have on a traditional radio. I imagine there are other (perhaps even better) peripherals that would work, too.<\/p>\n

    I do find the controls a bit frustrating to manipulate if you do not have at least a mouse with a scrolling wheel. I did not bring a mouse on my recent DXpedition and later regretted the decision. The track pad on my Toshiba laptop does not offer the accuracy and scrolling features needed to fluidly operate the RadioJet GUI.<\/p>\n

    Recording<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>

    The RadioJet audio recording and playback panel<\/p><\/div>\n

    Unlike a lot of SDRs on the market, the RadioJet does not have the ability to record large chunks of HF spectrum. For example, the WinRadio Excalibur and Microtelecom Perseus can record 2,000 kHz of spectrum; the RadioJet, however, is limited to 24 kHz. I asked Dennis at Bonito about this and he said that when designing the RadioJet the designers focused on the performance of the received signal and the radio’s overall efficiency rather than upon having a wide IQ output.<\/p>\n

    Bonito is catering to the discriminating DXer who is seeking the highest quality signal upon receiving, even among weak signals, but who is less interested in spectrum recording. Personally, I like to record and archive spectrum, but I do appreciate this focus upon delivering the best possible received signal, even with a very modest computer. Indeed, unlike most other SDRs on the market, the Bonito 1102S RadioJet reportedly works well on Netbooks with Atom processors. I can say that my Intel Core i3 laptop runs the RadioJet beautifully. I do plan to try the RadioJet on my netbook soon, as well.<\/p>\n

    RX and DX modes<\/strong><\/p>\n

    One unique and highly-promoted feature of the Bonito 1102S RadioJet are the RX and DX \u201cChannels\u201d or operating modes.\u00a0 On the Bonito site, they show an example of a very weak signal showing up on the spectrum display, almost totally hidden in the band noise. When the user switches to the \u201cDX Channel,\u201d however, the noise floor drops and the received signal pops out, and becomes armchair listening.<\/p>\n

    Here is the video<\/a>:<\/p>\n