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Old 10-03-2016, 09:49 PM
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musichal musichal is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Norman, OK
Posts: 34
Well, I sat down with my Crane CCRadio-EP (EP) and the new eton Satellit (Sat) to do what was meant to be an in-depth head-to-head AM dxing competition with stations listed and results with and without the Kaito AN-100 Tuned (Loop). I discovered a couple things which caused me to discontinue the fight.

The bad news: I fell a few days ago, and am sore, but one little item I haven't reported is that I fell again yesterday. On concrete this time. I'm black and blue and sore all over, and don't have the stamina to sit for long in a none-reclining chair because the toes I broke swell too much. LOL. How the mighty have fallen... literally. (I once was mighty.)

The better news: As my testing progressed it became very apparent that the Sat is just simply more sensitive than the EP, even without the loop. With the loop, the Sat could pull stations into intelligibility that were not so without it. Stations that the EP couldn't hear at all. And the EP is no slouch.

So if I were going to listen to a ballgame on my New Orleans station that I receive so well here, I might use the EP for it's better tone. Unless it started drifting, as it sometimes does (mostly not, though), then I'd grab the Sat. But let me tell the real truth. I'd grab the Sat anyway, because it's easier to grab, being smaller and lighter, and then not have to worry about drifting in the first place.

The Sat without the loop is very good, but with the loop I can hear way more stations than the EP. So, I have some work cut out for me identifying them now, but I did catch just a few seconds of Nashville WSM 650 (tentative) tonight which I've not been able to do at all with any of my radios. One of these nights when everything falls into alignment I may be able to confirm that catch.

With Chicago 780 tonight, the Sat heard it with a SS of 3-5 with steady intelligibility and a little noise. Adding the loop brought the SS up to 7-9, with even less noise. Either way it was entirely listenable but obviously better with the loop.

I experienced similar results with Des Moines and Omaha. Denver was a bit weaker but still intelligible, and again improved (though a little less dramatically) with the loop. This is all in a brick home with Wifi, more wall-warts than I can count, a 52" plasma TV (okay, I turned that off), multiple cordless phones and ceiling fans (which were on).

The loop was not connected, just capacitive induction at work.

By the way, the loop rarely helps the EP. Apparently something about that twin coil ferrite bar antenna provides all the signal the EP can use. Without going external, I mean.

So now I need to fix up a wire, and see how that works for both units.

Not sending the Sat back. I really didn't expect it to compete with the EP, but it seems to best it so far. When I heal up some (cracked a rib, too) then maybe I'll hang in better for some more head-to-head.

By the way, I also did a little brief FM Stereo headphone listening with the Sat before sundown, and it sounded good, very clean. Can't get that clean with my tuners using dipoles and rabbit ears, but have something in the works for that, too.

Both radios had fresh batteries for the test, by the way.

The EP is now our kitchen radio, while the Sat is MY toy, and I'm very surprised to admit that I love this little gal already. Poor EP, I still love you, too.

EDIT: I should also mention that since I don't get out of the house much, I am an armchair DXer. How these radios would compare in a more secluded quieter environment I wish I knew. I no longer drive, so I can't just run out of town in search of a likely spot. I'd like to do so, but arranging that isn't easy. The Sat does seem to handle the noisy home environment well.
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Crane CCRadioEP - Sangean PR-D5 - Eton Satellit - Tivoli PAL

Last edited by musichal; 10-04-2016 at 09:45 AM.
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