[IRCA] Best portable and Ultralight Radios for Domestic DXing?

[Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hmmâ

Excellent points. Perhaps we should consider that in our rankings of ultralight portables, and rank them according to the intended targets, TA/TP or domestic. 

Iâd argue that there is no such thing as a âclear channelâ these daysâbut domestic DXâers certainly want the sharpest and deepest null they can get. And once that null is achieved, there needs to be enough gain left to dig out the weaker stations underneath. In my experience, this is where ultralights typically have trouble. 

I have several ULRâs that can produce outstanding nulls on strong signals, but the weaker stations underneath are inaudible. Headphones are a must for most serious efforts at domestic DXing. 

The ULR have one other major advantage over larger radios. Much like guns, âthe one you have with you is better than the best one in the closet.â ULRâs provide the ability to carry a higher performance radio with you than an ordinary pocket radioâthat alone can result in catches that you might miss. Especially if you use that portability to get you out into really quiet areas with little RF interference. 

I wonder if we could start a discussion thread on this topic. (I just did by changing the subject line) 

What are the best portables youâve used for domestic AM (medium wave) DXing? Please list both portable (meaning battery powered, any size) and ultralight (must fit in a pocket). 





73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
121 Mayfair Park
Maylene, AL 
EM63nf

Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA. 

Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. 


> On Mar 12, 2016, at 11:09 PM, d1028gary@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> Hi Les, 
>   
> <<<   Impressive catches! 
> Have you tried the 3â FSL Tecsun PL-380 for domestic DXing? Iâm curious about what kind of catches you might get from a quiet spot with this amazing antenna and radio combination.    >>> 
>   
> Thanks for your comment! 
>   
> To be honest, Les, I really haven't done enough domestic DXing to be very familiar with the opportunities and challenges on each frequency. As you know, domestic DXing and transoceanic DXing require different approaches and equipment for success. The domestic DXer is pretty much satisfied with excellent sensitivity and nulling capability, but the transoceanic DXer is definitely out of luck without superior DSP selectivity as well. The "Science Fiction PL-380" portable is somewhat of a breakthrough in providing all three capabilities at a good level in hand-held form. The highly sensitive old classic portables like the Panasonic RF-2200 and Sony ICF-S5W (as well as the new portables from Sangean and others) have excellent sensitivity on clear frequencies, but without razor-sharp DSP selectivity they really can't compete for transoceanic DX in crowded RF environments. I'm sure that the modified Tecsun could do quite well in domestic DXing as well, but as is typical with a $40 pocket radio it does have some rough edges like internally-generated heterodynes on some frequencies. Not every domestic DXer would be satisfied with such limitations, especially when they really don't need the sharp DSP selectivity that sets the modified Tecsun apart from the crown in portable transoceanic DXing. 
>   
> 73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA) 
>   
>   
>   
>     
>   
>    
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> 
> From: "Les Rayburn" <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
> To: "IRCA Radio List - irca@hard-core-dx_com" <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
> Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2016 8:35:51 PM 
> Subject: Re: [IRCA] 3" FSL Tecsun PL-380 TP-DX for 3-12 
> 
> Impressive catches! 
> 
> Have you tried the 3â FSL Tecsun PL-380 for domestic DXing? Iâm curious about what kind of catches you might get from a quiet spot with this amazing antenna and radio combination. 
> 
> 
> 73, 
> 
> Les Rayburn, N1LF 
> 121 Mayfair Park 
> Maylene, AL 
> EM63nf 
> 
> Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA. 
> 
> Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. 
> 
> 
>> On Mar 12, 2016, at 10:29 PM, d1028gary@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote: 
>> 
>> The prediction was for disturbed propagation this morning but apparently the Japanese and Korean big guns were never notified. From 1300 to 1400 almost all of the regular NHK and Korean powerhouses put out some serious power, sounding potent even on a handheld modified pocket radio. 594, 693, 747, 774, 828, 972 and 1566 took turns building up to very good audio, with 693 and 1566 managing their best signals ever on the "Science Fiction PL-380." It was definitely a big gun show (with the second tier Asians mostly missing in action), but with this little radio chasing the big gun TP's can be pretty exciting. 
>>   
>> At my 1250 start time 594-JOAK and 1566-HLAZ were setting the pace, both with fair to good signals in the rainy, predawn darkness in the back yard. Shortly after 1300 the English lessons on 693-JOAB pounded in at unprecedented strength, resulting in its best signal ever on the modified PL-380. 594, 747 and 774 were also very potent from 1310-1340, along with some good peaks on 972-HLCA. Although 1566-HLAZ's Japanese service had been around at a very good level for most of the session it went on a monster run just before the switch to Chinese, hitting S9+ levels during some Christian hymns around 1340. As such, although there was some slight 1560 splatter its MP3 from this morning was the strongest signal it had ever managed on the 3" FSL Tecsun PL-380 model. 
>>   
>> The steady rain made the session interesting at times, but the modified PL-380 proved that it could keep ticking when thoroughly drenched. Overall it was a very fun session, especially after the unfavorable solar predictions. Although second-tier Asians were few and far between (there were ghostly signals on 738 and 1035), using a small, handheld portable to chase TP-DX definitely puts the thrill back into tracking down the big guns. 
>>   
>> 693  JOAB   Tokyo, Japan   NHK2 English lesson lady at very good level at 1307; its best signal ever on this model 
>> https://app.box.com/s/elr8ebu1ofsqb115wt1e5kknihd5w9rq   
>>   
>> 1566  HLAZ  Jeju, S. Korea   S9 level Christian hymn through minor splatter at 1339; its best signal ever on this model 
>> https://app.box.com/s/3p093tb582c01uf75d56qq46hzr3nqyk   
>>   
>> 73 and Good DX, 
>> Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA) 
>> Stand-alone 3" FSL Tecsun PL-380 Ultralight (full construction article posted at 
>> http://www.mediafire.com/download/w0gcek56f6aq7kr/3_Inch_FSL_Tecsun_PL.doc   ) 
>>   
>>       
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