{"id":4415,"date":"2012-09-18T20:10:49","date_gmt":"2012-09-19T00:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=4415"},"modified":"2012-09-18T20:57:08","modified_gmt":"2012-09-19T00:57:08","slug":"a-review-of-the-degen-de1129-portable-shortwave-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/09\/a-review-of-the-degen-de1129-portable-shortwave-radio\/","title":{"rendered":"A review of the Degen DE1129 portable shortwave radio"},"content":{"rendered":"
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My Degen DE1129 as tested (Click to enlarge)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Degen DE1129 is the latest compact, full-featured, DSP-based, AM\/FM shortwave radio from Chinese manufacturer, Degen. \u00a0It’s available from TecsunRadio.com<\/a>\u00a0at $100 US, shipped.\u00a0I received my sample radio last week, and published my initial impressions<\/a>of the unit. Since then, I’ve had time to put this tiny radio through its paces and learn the functions of the various buttons labeled in Chinese, which I don’t read. In the following review, we’ll study the positive characteristics–and the drawbacks–of this little radio.<\/p>\n

Getting started: \u00a0the unit<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll begin by discussing some of the positive attributes of this radio. First, it should be noted that the DE1129 I have reviewed is one of the first to be produced, and as such, it currently has 18 buttons screen-printed in Chinese. Last week, Degen announced that they will be producing an English version, and (importantly) adding a number pad for keying in frequencies directly (see photo above). I have confirmed this via the manufacturer’s retailer. It will require\u00a0squeezing\u00a0a lot of buttons into a very small area, but I imagine this alteration will be easy enough, and probably remain functional even for those with larger fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Degen has confirmed that they intend to produce a DE1129 with a number pad and English print in the future (Click to enlarge, Photo: Degen)<\/p><\/div>\n

On the topic of buttons, those on the DE1129 are easy to push and have a very tactile response–very much like those on the Tecsun PL-380<\/a> and PL-390<\/a>. I don’t expect these buttons are likely to be compressed accidentally if the radio is in your pocket, but just in case, there is a number lock button (with a key icon) that will further protect the radio.<\/p>\n

The body of the radio is made of a hard, smooth plastic–without a rubberized coating–and seems durable enough. The speaker is not exactly flush-mounted. Instead, it protrudes from the rest of the body by about 1\/4 \u00a0inch. At first, I thought this quite odd, but I’m fairly sure this was in order to\u00a0accommodate\u00a0a larger speaker than it otherwise would have had.<\/p>\n

For more on the DE1129 unit itself, be sure to read my initial impressions<\/a>, which go into greater detail.<\/p>\n

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This little speaker packs a punch!<\/p><\/div>\n

Audio<\/strong><\/p>\n

The audio from the built-in speaker is impressive–in fact, this is possibly the best feature of this little radio. \u00a0Just the other day, I was able to listen to an NPR FM station, with the volume turned up, as I cooked a meal; typically, I wouldn’t be able to hear a radio this small while doing other things–the output would be tinny with too much emphasis on the treble end of the audio, and the sound lost in all but a quiet room. However, the DE1129 speaker offers just enough bass to keep the audio (especially on FM, or from a quality digital audio file) comparatively rich and full. In essence, it sounds like a larger radio. Though the speaker lacks a bit of mid-range, the overall experience of listening to AM is quite pleasant, while FM is exceptional.<\/p>\n

Digital Audio Player\/Recorder<\/h2>\n
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The “Music” mode will allow you to play pre-recorded MP3 files<\/p><\/div>\n

With several of their latest DSP radios, Degen has added digital audio recording and playback features. \u00a0The DE1129 is no exception, and offers the following capabilities:<\/p>\n