Bacchus wrote in message ...
Jay Heyl wrote:

From what I've heard of reception in Europe, an external antenna may
well be a detriment to good reception of the BBC on a portable.

Why do you say that, Jay? I'm no radio engineer, so any information on
tuning is greatly appreciated!

I've never been to Europe so this is just from what I've read, but the
close proximity of many of the broadcasters combined with the high
power transmisions is said to make overload a serious issue. Adding
more antenna is only going to make the overload situation even worse.
Of course, it all depends on what you're trying to listen to. If
you're in Vienna trying to hear Brazil or Japan, that extra antenna is
likely to be necessary. If you're trying to hear DW or BBC, signal
attenuation is likely to be a larger concern.

While I can certainly see the merits of the Tecsun R-919, and I'd
probably buy one anyway at that price, it does't appear to be available
in Europe.

I believe they're only available in Asia right now. I didn't realize
you were already in Europe. Buying from ebay and having it shipped
from Hong Kong is likely to be a problem when you're travelling.

-- Jay