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Thought on my Super ATS-909
I recently bought a barely used Super ATS-909 after having owned a stock
version for about a little over a year. Initially I was hesitant to get one based on some negative reviews about the highly modified radio but curiosity overcame me and besides, I actually love the stock version especially when connected to a moderately long wire. The radio is rich in features and really just a pleasure to use. The Super 909 is hands down better! In case no one knows the details, it has been modified to remove the mute while tuning, the detent is removed from the tuning knob, the speaker is replaced, the LEDs are replaced with blue ones, an external AM antenna jack is added and selectivity/sensitivity are drastically improved. Tuning it is a pleasure. The knob turns easily enough that my finger does not tire or feel irritated. The RF gain knob has a significantly greater effect compared to the original version does. Turning the gain down all the way will silence all but the absolutely strongest local AM sources. The display looks pretty cool in my opinion. Bright blue. Sound is noticeably improved with the new speaker and seems to take higher volumes much more easily. It seems to be a little less forgiving on batteries now but I don't care since I have mine on a 6V DC supply via the adapter anyway. One of the improvements this radio got over the original version was in sensitivity. Trust me when I say, it is a HUGE difference. This radio easily matches and mostly exceeds my DE1102/DE1103/7600GR off the whip. The original version of the 909 was all but deaf off the whip. Add a 40-60 ft random wire to the Super 909 and I had to turn down the RF gain to keep it from overloading. I have heard many stations since I started using this radio than I ever did on the original version. It is very gratifying. I ordered a AN-LP1 and am finding it performs extremely well with this radio. I am retiring my random wire since the AN-LP1 seems to do at least as well for me. I often don't even turn on the LP1's controller but just use the loop. The Super 909 has very good selectivity in my opinion. The only negatives I have encountered is 1) strong adjacent stations force me to detune a little to separate them from each other but it is still doable and 2) SSB reception is a sight more difficult to achieve now. I knew this going into the purchase but in the short time I have been a listener I have grown to decide I find the ramblings of most HAMs to be, let's just say, less than interesting. So no loss for me. Broadcast listening is a treat now and I can hear much more out there than before. I think this is a very nice portable radio and as long as skeptics keep the fact that it is a portable in mind, it is hard to beat this thing in comparisons to comparable models. I got a great deal on mine ($200) but you can get them for $300-350 on line in a few places. I love mine and will never get rid of it. I will be probably sell my stock version though. Thanks for listening and feel free to ask if you have questions about these comments or the radio itself. Cheers all. -Al A. |
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