The Worlds Most ADVANCED Portable Shortwave Radio? The Sangean 909, as reviewed by: Gary Bourgois (birdwatcher@genie.com) Sitting on my desk right next to me is my brand new SANGEAN 909. I am totally amazed at the advances in this radio over every other portable I own, and it even does a lot of stuff that my $1000 Kenwood doesn't! Since my SONY ICF-2010 is non functional, I have no way to compare it as far as reception goes, but it seems to be a very hot little number. Gadgets and Gizmos abound and if you like to play radio, this is the one to get because it has the most bang for the buck right now. It is also a blast to use, and was a lot easier to program than I thought it would be. If you have ever programmed a VHF/UHF scanner, or a satellite receiver, you know what programming is all about. You have 306 memories, though 9 of them are wasted on the LW band (Unless you like beacons). SW gives you a whopping 261 memory channels, which is more than enough to satisfy any SW program listener. You can also store 18 stations on both AM and FM. I would like a few more on AM, but 18 is double what I had on the 808, and gives me the major stations I listen to (all talk stations). On AM and FM, you can store each individual stations call letters. AND the really cool thing is that while you are tuning manually, if you hit a station that is in memory, it's name pops up on the LCD screen! On SW you can program any frequency you want to. The name function on shortwave, however is only for page name. This is OK though. You could make page one the BBC for example, and program in 9 BBC frequencies. The 909 will then search til it finds the strongest of the 9 frequencies, a very handy feature. Thus I set my favorite DAYTIME and NIGHTTIME frequencies on separate pages, and when I hit BBC/DAY on the page memory selection, Badda Bing--Badda Boom, the strongest of the 9 channels comes in. No manual searching for the best signal, the radio does it for you. It has many frequencies and countries already programmed into it. Surprisingly, the USA pages have ALL the frequencies for WWCR, as well as WRNO and several for VOA, which saved me a lot of work. Same with BBC. it's in there when you get the radio, though they call the page "London". I have done extensive reprogramming though, re arranging pages, and deleting stations I don't listen to. Radio Australia, as well as DW are also in there, and many more. Right out of the box, you can use the memory function, but there are a lot of free memory channels. I made a memory page called SSB stuff because this is the first small portable I have ever had that has SSB. The SSB quality is actually a little better than the 2010 because the frequency steps are smaller (40khz instead of 100). Mind you, I am used to 10 cycle accuracy, which I have on the Kenwood, but the SSB is a lot more pleasing than on the 2010. Here is a small radio you can use on the beach for chasing UTES. There is a "Priority" button. You can make any station on any band your priority station. Obviously this would be your favorite and most listened to station. In my case I set it to It has local and world time, and you can set the city of the world to any of 29 (London is used for GMT). And there is a button for Daylight savings time so in the fall you just push that one button and don't have to reset the clock like you do with every other electronic gizmo you have. In fact the radio just MIGHT automatically set the time for you with (TAADAA!) RDS RDS is for Radio Data System. This is used to transmit station names, the exact time, and other information. I did not believe any RDS stations would exist up here, but while I was programming the FM band I tuned to a frequency I had not programmed in and POOF, the station name popped onto the screen. And the cute RDS icon blinked on. This is an unexpected bellwhistle for me. RDS on the 909 only works on FM. The carrying case is black soft leatherette, and is very nice. It does not have a carry strap, but you could easily have a leather shop add one for you. The case protects the radio from getting banged up taking it around. And take it around I did. It arrived this morning, and I stuck the radio and the manual into the carry case (both fit, which is handy) and took it to the laundromat and all over town while Elaine and I were doing errands. In my spare time, I programmed in station names and frequencies and just tuned around. The radio is larger and heavier than the 808, but smaller and lighter than the 2010. It weighs 30 ounces, and is 8 1/4 x 5.0 x 1 1/2. FM Reception is in stereo just like most modern multiband portables, and it sounds great. Being larger than the 808, it has a better sound quality, superior to the larger Sony 2010. It lacks AM SYNC DETECTION, which is its only failing, but you can live without it because of all the other way cool features. It has a feature called APS (Automatic Programming System, which will scan your local AM and FM bands and put all the stations it finds in memory. If you take the radio to another City, this could be a handy feature. You can lock stations into memory so the APS will not erase them. There are three separate timers plus a sleep timer. It does not have the program timers like the 2010, but I never used those much. It does have a recorder start stop, and record out. While you can't set a stop time (Each timer is a one hour shot), you can set start times, on three different frequencies, so you do have some programming capabilities, though it must be a daily schedule. There is an RF gain control, a handy feature in some instances. The tone control is just like the 2010, three positions: MUSIC/NEWS/FULL RANGE. Full Range has the best sound to my ears. It has a very deep bass and sparkling highs, amazing for such a small box. The radio does not have an excessively powerful audio amplifier, but it is more than adequate. FM reception is in stereo by headphones. it has AM WIDE and AM Narrow. SSB is automatically in Narrow, same as the 2010. The rotary tuning knob is "channelized" and has a small tactile detent every time it advances one digit. This knob is a bit "Stiff" to tune, but I didn't find that objectionable. The 909 does mute the audio while you are tuning like all the other Sangeans. It does not mute when tuning SSB except briefly when the KHZ display advances one Khz. So SSB tuning is almost seemless as it is a very brief mute in this mode. You must tune SSB in the slow mode, which activates the 40kHz steps. You want this radio. I got mine from AMERICAN FREEDOM NETWORK. It costs $299, plus $10 shipping, but they give you a free power supply. (Usually optional) You also get a really cute reel out antenna, which is much nicer than the antenna that comes with the 2010. If you are out in the woods, just zip it out and hook to a tree branch and you are all set to DX. American Freedom Network can be reached at: AFN POB 430 Johnstown, CO 80534 800 205 6245. My only connection with AFN is as a listener, and satisfied customer. I do know the station owner and some of the program hosts, it is a friendly bunch. These guys also have the WIND UP clockwork radio (never needs batteries) for only 100 bucks. They have a free magazine/Catalogue, and the Sangeans including the 909 are on the back cover. Write and ask for yours, it's only a postage stamp, or call the 800 Number and order the free magazine and save the stamp. The windup Radio (FREEPLAY Three Band radio) is only 100 dollars. I know people who paid about $300 for it. I must get one of those just for the novelty of it. If you decide to purchase from them (they are very good people), Talk to Don Weideman, and tell him you read Gary B's review. You will get the red carpet treatment. They are great folks over there. Now to save for that BAYGEN!