Then why do the several dozen hams/swls at eham.net give it a 4.1 out
of 5???? Are they all doing a Lewinski on Bob Crane??

No! Your beef is that it doesn't work well with the whip. Sangean
PURPOSELY did not put a preamp circuit in with the ship as other units,
BECAUSE they didn't want overload problems like the other units! I have
a Sony 7600. It has overload problems with an external antenna.
But....it is the best receiver when running off the whip because of the
amplification.

The whip on the 909 is nothing more than a decoration. Put an antenna
on the 909 and you've got a GREAT portable DX machine....

73, Bill - WA8MEA
TinyTenna Computer Services
TinyTenna, Michigan, USA
(Just east of the cereal capital of the world: TinyTennas of Battle
Creek.....)