Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Rádio Clube do Pará 4885 kHz, Brazil

Hi there, another station that can often be quite difficult to hear well in Europe, particularly indoors, but one which the Sonys manage to copy ok. Although clearly struggling again with this weak signal, the Tecsun PL-310ET actually produces some audio, so job well done. Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 22:05 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

 

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Aparecida 6135.2 kHz, Brazil

Hi there, another station that's very difficult to hear well in Europe and another demonstration of the exemplary performance of the Sonys and although clearly struggling with this weak signal, an excellent effort by the modestly priced Tecsun PL-310ET which actually produces some audio. Amazing really. Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:39 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna.

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DXpedition antenna testing: the Bonito Boni whip and a 240 metre barbed wire fence

240 metre barbed wire fence versus Boni whip: Zambia NBC Radio 1, 5915 kHz..the whip wins again!

Hi there, another comparison of the Bonito Boni whip and barbed wire fence and again, the whip does the business. I had serious concerns initially because it's performance at home in the 'electrosmog' was (understandably) terrible, worse than I had imagined. However, out in the field, in a quiet environment as my good friend and fellow whip user Giuseppe points out, it's a brilliantly performing, ultra compact antenna. Perfect for DXpeditions. Here the signal from Lusaka is so much clearer and stronger with the Boni whip, on what I would consider a properly difficult signal to hear well! Recorded in Oxford UK using a Sony ICF-SW55 receiver on 14/01/17 at 17:19 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.

240 metre barbed wire fence vs Boni whip: Voice of Africa 9505 kHz, Sudan..the whip wins yet again!

Hi there, the Boni whip does it again, delivering a stronger signal than the barbed wire fence with this signal from Sudan. My £100 investment is starting to look like a good deal now! Recorded in Oxford UK using a Sony ICF-SW55 receiver on 14/01/17 at 16:44 hrs UTC. Thanks for watching.

240 metre barbed wire fence versus Boni whip : AIR National Channel 9380 kHz..the whip wins again!

Hi there, the whip trounces the barbed wire fence again, this time the target is the signal from All India Radio National Channel on 9380 kHz (TX Aligarh, 250 KW). Very nice to see the whip coming into it's own on a DXpedition! Recorded in Oxford UK on 14/01/17 at 16:39 hrs UTC using a Sony ICF-SW55 recevier. More videos in this series to come. Thanks for watching.

Bonito Boni whip versus 240 metre barbed wire fence: Voice of Indonesia 9525 kHz

Hi there, this is the first in a series of tests comparing the effectiveness of the 240 metre barbed wire fence as an antenna, to the very compact Bonito Boni whip. Whilst the fence delivers some very respectable DX with the Tecsun PL-310ET, in this reception video there is only one winner - the Boni whip. Great to finally demonstrate excellent performance of the whip on a DXpedition and for me personally, quite surprising as to how much stronger the signal from Indonesia was on the whip. Recorded in Oxford UK on 14/01/17 at 16:28 hrs UTC using a Sony ICF-SW55 recevier. More videos in this series to come. Thanks for watching.

Ready to start testing the Bonito Boni whip out in the field

Hi there, a short video to share my completed set up of the Boni whip out in the field. Sony ICF-SW55 clipped to the barbed wire fence. Reception videos to follow. Thanks for watching.

Setting up to compare the Bonito Boni whip performance to a 240 metre barbed wire fence

Hi there, I thought this would be an interesting experiment. Having established the effectiveness of the whip against the Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop and a 30 metre longwire in an urban environment, I turned my thoughts to how it would perform in a quiet location, up against one of my established ad-hoc antennas! A further test in the woods will follow, but for now, here is my DXing set up for comparing the whip to the barbed wire fence!. The results which are to follow, are quite surprising. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: R. Tupi/Super R. Deus e Amor, 11765 kHz,Brazil

According to online sources, this station broadcasts with a TX power of 10 kW, however, according to the WRTH 2017, the TX power is 20 kW, which I might be more inclined to believe. Either way, a nice catch on these portables. The performances of the Sonys are similar again, not sure which I prefer. The Tecsun struggles until the two narrowest filters are selected and then produces audio that fades in and out. Not bad at all for a sub £40 radio! Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:53 hrs UTC using an Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

 

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Aparecida 11855 kHz, Brazil

Hi there, my best reception of Radio Aparecida to-date on the ICF-SW77, although I didn't realise at the time! The ICF-SW55 also performs very well, particularly on the narrow audio bandwidth filter, however, the Tecsun (understandably) struggles with this weak signal, but I think brief audio is heard once the narrowest filter has been selected. Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:29 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Zanzibar BC ‎11735 kHz

Hi there, the next video in thsi series targets the signal from Zanzibar BC in the Indian Ocean. Once again, all three radios deal with this relatively strong signal well, with the Sonys sounding quite similar. The PL-310ET isn't far behind, but clearly the SNR is below that of it's more expensive counterparts. Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:25 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

My latest article on SWLing Post: Oxford Shortwave Log: Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET

Click the above image of the Sony ICF-SW77 or this text to access the article on SWLing.com

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Zambia NBC Radio 1 5915 kHz, excellent reception

Hi there, here is another comparison of these three great portables and I have to say, all three perform very well. For me, the best audio is very close between the ICF-SW55 and ICF-SW77....I can't make my mind up lol.The Tecsun also does really well - you wouldn't necessarily expect a sub £40 radio to have the necessary selectivity in this part of the crowded 49 metre broadcast band, but it manages to detect the signal and deliver pretty good audio. A+ again from Tecsun! Recorded in Oxford UK on 19/12/16 at 18:03 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Bandeirantes 11925 kHz, Sao Paolo

Hi there, so it gets even better with the Tecsun PL-310ET. I would never have imagined I could copy Radio Bandeirantes in Sao Paolo with such a modestly priced receiver, but there you go! Here the most relevant issue is which of the Sonys performs better and once again, they're quite evenly matched. It's been a lot of fun testing these three very nice portables, with several more reception videos to come. Recorded in the 'DX' woods in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:15 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Elad FDM DUO: a quick spin through a MW spectrum with more than 20 trans...

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Radio Fana 6110 kHz, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Hi there, another signal that the Tecsun managed to deliver discernible audio from. Again, the Sonys performed at a higher level, as might be expected, but again, the Tecsun is much closer in performance than might be reasonably expected! Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 20:03 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.

Radio Hargeysa

I was sent a link to this video about Radio Hargeysa this afternoon - really interesting to see their set-up, inside and out! 73!

Radio User magazine; a quick spin through the January 2017 edition

Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET: Rádio Nacional de Angola 4949.73 kHz

Hi there, this is a really pleasing recording, because a) the PL-310ET managed to pull in a discernible signal from Angola, which in itself is amazing and b) my best ever reception was obtained very temporarily on the ICF-SW55 before it was arguably surpassed a couple of minutes later by the ICF-SW77! Brilliant performance from all three radios and once again, the Tecsun punching above it's weight! Recorded in Oxford UK on 29/12/16 at 19:13 hrs UTC using a Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna. Thanks for watching.