j.d. schrieb:

Anyone have an opinion on the "Super" 909 located at
http://www.radiolabs.com/products/re...s/super909.php
?

A number of people do not seem so happy with their modified 909s.
Particularly battery life (yet worse than stock?!) and SSB tuning appear
to be issues (still reading in the DX398 Yahoo! group what exactly the
problems are, suggest you do the same). Also, it doesn't surprise me
that the blue LEDs are rather dim using rechargeables - they need a
higher supply voltage and are not very efficient either (partly because
the human eye is not as sensitive to blue light; orange or green usually
works best). On the other hand, if you're using the thing mainly for
listening to AM stations with mains power supply and an external
antenna, it's supposed to work rather well, with better sound than
stock.

Stephan
--
Meine Andere Seite: http://stephan.win31.de/
PC#6: i440BX, 2xP3-500E, 512 MiB, 18+80 GB, R9k AGP 64 MiB, 110W
This is a SCSI-inside, Legacy-plus, TCPA-free computer

My vote goes to the Sony 7600GR.

If your thinking of spending over $300 then start looking at used table top
receivers and Ham gear which will out perform any portable.

I originally bought my Sangean ATS-909W from a ThieCom in Germany (the
'W' meaning it covers 76-108FM instead of the usual 88-108) and got it
upgraded by RadioLabs while visiting the States. I've never used the
Sony 7600GR nor the other portables mentioned, so can't comment there
but I've found my mod'd 909 to be quite a bit better than it was
unmodified. The sound is certainly a LOT better and the sensitivity
seems to be quite a bit better too but again, since I don't have any
other shortwave receivers to compare it too, I can't say if it's
better or worse overall. As pointed out in previous posts, there is a
fair cost difference between a Sony 7600GR and the overall cost of a
mod'd 909.

(If you're wondering then why I ended up going for the 909 + mod, some
of the reasons were the addition of RDS and the signal strength
indicator. Most European FM stations use RDS, so it's handy for
quickly identifying them.)

...Francis

True. . .If you are thinking of all things remaining as they are.
However, Should you be forced into a situation where you require a good
portable the Super 909, with the solar charger would be far superior to
any table top that had to be left at home. :-)

Tian Li wrote:
My vote goes to the Sony 7600GR.

If your thinking of spending over $300 then start looking at used table top
receivers and Ham gear which will out perform any portable.

"Al Patrick" wrote in message
...
True. . .If you are thinking of all things remaining as they are. However,
Should you be forced into a situation where you require a good portable
the Super 909, with the solar charger would be far superior to any table
top that had to be left at home. :-)

I would recommend checking out the new Degen 1103, new for around $65
shipped.

DeWayne


Tian Li wrote:
My vote goes to the Sony 7600GR.

If your thinking of spending over $300 then start looking at used table
top
receivers and Ham gear which will out perform any portable.

I would recommend checking out the new Degen 1103, new for around $65
shipped.

DeWayne

Mmmm, maybe. Its a grey market radio, quality control I heard is iffy and
warranty service is send it back to Hong Kong and forget about SWL for 4
months.

The 1103 would be excellent as a knock around portable if you need something
which may get damaged or stolen during extensive travels. But I would not
recommend it as a starter or as a person's sole radio. Resale would be
practically nil whereas the 7600GR is in demand (for good reason) and would
be relatively easier to resell if a first time SW listener lost interest or
won the lottery.

all IMO.

"j.d." wrote:

Anyone have an opinion on the "Super" 909 located at
http://www.radiolabs.com/products/re...s/super909.php
?

I am considering taking up shortwave radio. I have a while before I'll
have the money, I am just looking for information. Thanks-

By most accounts the 'Super 909' performs better than the stock one.
However it's rather pricey and therefore a matter of opinion on whether
you get your moneys worth. If you're handy with electronics or know
someone that is, a stock 909 can be modified for much less than the cost
of the Super model.


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups
---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

"starman" wrote in message
...
"j.d." wrote:

Anyone have an opinion on the "Super" 909 located at
http://www.radiolabs.com/products/re...s/super909.php
?

I am considering taking up shortwave radio. I have a while before I'll
have the money, I am just looking for information. Thanks-

By most accounts the 'Super 909' performs better than the stock one.
However it's rather pricey and therefore a matter of opinion on whether
you get your moneys worth. If you're handy with electronics or know
someone that is, a stock 909 can be modified for much less than the cost
of the Super model.

Here is a list of some mods:

http://members.verizon.net/~vze20h45...9mods.html#top

j.d. wrote in message . ..
Anyone have an opinion on the "Super" 909 located at
http://www.radiolabs.com/products/re...s/super909.php
?

I am considering taking up shortwave radio. I have a while before I'll
have the money, I am just looking for information. Thanks-

I can tell you, price notwithstanding, that the Super 909/DX-398 is a
significant improvement over stock. I had a DX-398 that I got from RD
on closeout for $100, so I felt that it might be worthwhile - and it
was! The sound is cleaner and easier on the ears, the sensitivity off
the whip is improved, the RF Gain now works very well on AM and FM,
and the modified controls feel better. The blue display is quite
nice. I'm not sure why folks do not like the SSB tuning - mine works
great and sounds fine, either on hams, utes or ECSS - maybe they don't
like the increased power drain? I use it with a power supply anyway
most of the time, so it is no big deal.

Having said all of this - I think I agree with the posters who
recommend using the money toward a good used rig. $300 buys a lot of
good used radio.

Bruce Jensen

"bpnjensen" wrote in message
om...
j.d. wrote in message
. ..
Anyone have an opinion on the "Super" 909 located at
http://www.radiolabs.com/products/re...s/super909.php
?

I am considering taking up shortwave radio. I have a while before
I'll
have the money, I am just looking for information. Thanks-

I can tell you, price notwithstanding, that the Super 909/DX-398 is
a
significant improvement over stock. I had a DX-398 that I got from
RD
on closeout for $100, so I felt that it might be worthwhile - and it
was! The sound is cleaner and easier on the ears, the sensitivity
off
the whip is improved, the RF Gain now works very well on AM and FM,
and the modified controls feel better. The blue display is quite
nice. I'm not sure why folks do not like the SSB tuning - mine
works
great and sounds fine, either on hams, utes or ECSS - maybe they
don't
like the increased power drain? I use it with a power supply anyway
most of the time, so it is no big deal.

Having said all of this - I think I agree with the posters who
recommend using the money toward a good used rig. $300 buys a lot
of
good used radio.


I'm thinking about having this done as well, and my primary
consideration would be improving the radio's sensitivity since I
already use an external speaker. Is there an -overall- improvement in
sensitivity (which I would think would be the case) for those who use
an external loop, or is it primarily noticeable when using the whip?

My take on the value equation is that it may be worth it if you
already have the radio anyway, but that $330 for the moded radio gets
you into pretty rich territory where you're not that far from a new
Sat 800, new Icom R75, or something decent used.