Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions about the 909. I spent
the night with my new mistress scouring the bands and playing around.
Here are my thoughts and observations:

I attached the wire antenna and ran it outside my window clipping it
onto a small tree limb. Indeed, the signal strength indicated by the
meter showed a considerable increase - probably about 25-30% of the
range. Unfortunately it also amplifies the noise but I still found it
to be quite beneficial on stations that were reasonably reachable. I
still firmly believe the whip is quite capable and in good conditions
will be satisfactory.

I used my ac adapter for awhile until I began to notice a distinct power
hum on many sw stations which was loud enough to actually diminish the
voice legibility. On a whim, I unplugged the adapter from the radio and
it disappeared. My first thoughts were "bad/cheap adapter" but now I
wonder. The house I am in has a ton of dimmer switches and is about 60
yrs old to boot. I suspect it may not be as much the adapter as what
the adapter is plugged into. I will experiment when I get back to
Austin tonight in my own house which is much newer. Oddly though, the
hum was not noticeable on *all* stations which seems a little
contradictory to the notion of power hum from the adapter. And there is
no hint of it on MW/LW bands. I need to brush up on my radio theory to
try and understand why this would be the case.

At first I found the need to press the Freq button prior to entering a
frequency annoying but now it is second nature. I have found a few
discrepancies in the manual concerning the sequence of button presses
required for certain operations but none are particularly bothersome.
It still *works* and quite well I may add. Since I am new to this hobby
I am still trying to find my way around the bands and often I come
across interesting stuff. I have also found there to be a tremendous
amount of religious based programs but I expect that in this neck of the
woods (Waco, Plano, etc). Now I know many folks hate these shows as
many are quite fundamentalist but I actually find them quite
interesting. Not because of what the content means to me but more
because it shows the vast diversity of opinions and lifestyles out
there. One show I found was particularly noteworthy hosted by some
fellow who is referred to as "prophet". He seems to run some sort of
communal society that is extremely hardcore fundamentalist. Anyway, I
am babbling....

I bought "Passport to World Band Radio" yesterday and find it to be
quite enjoyable to read. LOTS of info on programming, when to listen,
what is on, etc. I also like the photos included from around the world.
It makes this whole SW world seem a little smaller when I see the
faces of the ones heard on my radio. I believe I will also by the other
best recommended title which escapes me at the moment. You all know the
one.

My next step with respect to hardware is whether I would want to have
the mods described at radiolabs.com implemented on my 909. Does anyone
have an opinio on whether I might find them useful at this stage? I
would have to buy another radio to keep me busy while the 909 is in
transit and I don't think my wife would be too happy. But if the mods
are worth it, I am willing to sacrifice a little household happiness
(and some nooky) for the cause.

Overall I am inlove with my 909. Granted it is really the first sw
radio I have ever really played with but I am having a ball. I dug up
an old Sony worldband I bought while I was plodding around Kuwait in
'91. It is analog and has no external antenna plug but it performed
remarkably well compared to the 909 and YB400PE I had previously. I
think I will play with it a bit. It is a Sony CFMsomething with
LW/MW/SW and SSB. Also has a tape recorder. I can't believe I have had
it all this time and never realized it's worth. Wow! I already have a
small collection! :-)

Well, enough from the newbie. Cheers to all!

Best,
-Al