Sangean ATS-909X2 AM FM LW AIR Shortwave SSB Radio Review 

▶ The Sangean 909X2 at Amazon: amzn.to/3vJljwg ▶ The Tecsun PL-990 at Amazon: amzn.to/3tKHBLD ▶ The Tecsun PL-880 at Amazon: amzn.to/35Pfcfo (paid link) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you.

One of the best displays I've seen. Love the way it gradually changes brightness levels.

I bet the SSB signals in the Ham Bands would be much better using an external antenna. As a ham of 35 years plus... Antenna, Antenna, Antenna !! One could have the best radio on the planet but with no matched antenna you won't hear much on the ham bands.

Thanks for the honest, up front, review without the click bait. It also makes me realize that I need to learn how to use my Eton Elite better :).

Thanks for the great content! I just bought one of these, firmware ver. 78 I had the same problem as you, harmonics across medium wave. Even with a external antenna the tones are still there just quieter. The tones seem to cycle in the same repeating pattern as I tune across on 1khz steps. I am returning it for another. I really love the radio otherwise. Hope I can get one without this problem. Update for those interested. Got a 2nd one exactly same firmware and problems. At this point I have to wonder if they are all just this way.

I've been a DXer since 1985 with 12 radios in my collection. This is my favorite overall , with my Tecsun 501 a close second Using a 23 ft reel antenna outdoors it's hard to beat.

I have the ATS-909X and I have loved mine. If I recall, the old Radio Shack shortwave radios were actually rebranded Sangean. I do like the line out for recoding radio. I use that with my Sony digital recorder to play back radio shows that air when I am sleeping.

I just received my Sangean ATS 909X2 to replace my aging (23 years) Realistic DX398 (AKA Sangean ATS 909 original) and I am very pleased so far. I am aware of the problems that some have experienced but this one seems to be free of most of the problems. I checked the version and it says Version 078. There is no screen interference whether yo put your hand over the screen or not. ( I am not sure why people are doing that anyway ) There is a volume difference between AM and SSB but nothing too bad. There is still lots of volume on SSB. SSB frequency seems to be bang on and I don't have to fine tune like I always did on the old radio. Very nice. Selectivity and sensitivity seem to be very good on all bands. It has a very nice speaker and the tone is good. I don't mind that SSB only has 1 band width. This radio has the clearest SSB voice that I have ever heard. I am not sure where you get the manufacture date but I think it is quite recent because of the 078 version firmware. Just wanted to let you know that there are good ones out there. Cheers.

I agree with the other comments that the videos are enjoyable and helpful. Thanks!

Thanks for the detailed review todderbert.

Dang it Todderbert why do you always make me want to go out and get a new radio. Actually I’ve been looking for something new anyways. So thanks

Love your Vids!!❤️

Great review of a gorgeous, feature-packed radio. Unfortunately, since my main interest is listening to SSB, it will not be added to my collection. Thanks for clearly demonstrating its pros and cons.

If I buy a radio this expensive, I want everything on it to work. The spurious tones on MW & SW plus no bandwidth and quiet reception on SSB are reason enough for me to say "pass". Let's hope that improvements are made to fix the bugs, Otherwise, excellent review. Thanks Todderbert.

Looking forward to your next purchase of this radio to see if the bugs get worked out. I want one, so this is good exercise for my patience. Thanks for another great review, Todd.

Saludos desde Andorra. Todos tus videos son geniales , bravo !!

did not expect this video :O

I bought one a few months ago and sent it back also.

Hej Todderbert thanks for the review I had intended to buy this radio when it was released but also heard that many had problems with it at that time so it was very interesting to see your test of Sangean 909X2 and hear what you think. And no bandwith in SSB, I think it's very strange that the Sangean ATS 909X does not have that feature. And having a bandwith control can make a big difference when listening to shortwave so I find it very strange that it is missing in single side band. Otherwise I think Sangean 909X2 is a very nice radio with wonderful display but good looks are not everything a radio must be able to perform as well as you also now. So it will be interesting to see if you do a follow-up on this radio in a year and see if it is better then and if they have fixed the bugs that it still seems to have but, personally I'm skipping Sangean 909X2 right now take care Todderbert and have a very nice friday.

Thanks for the honesty. Did you ever re-purchase this...and give it another review?

great honest review.

Hey Todderbert can you do a best Radio flashlights that you have collected over the years like a top 10 list or something?

I have a RadioShack DX398 aka a ATS 909 since 1999. I have traveled to Europe, Middle East, South America. Japan and Singapore with this radio and it has not let me down. I use it allot and a few years ago the speaker went bad and I was able to get a replacement from Sangean America. That is one thing I like about Sangean they have a good local corporate service center here in the USA. FYI may radio in SSB dose the same as the 909X2, but is not as much when using the AC adaptor, I wonder if the 909X2 is similar. After 24 years looking for a upgrade and the 909X2 looks good thanks for an informative review.

Love mine, and I have a lot of radios from flex 6400m to , well everything,

There are two versions or three version number 70 and 73 there's an issue in firmware in 70 version SSB low sound and 73 version very high to know what is your version press Enter button while device switch off.

The sideband issue is really unforgivable at this point (this is the 2nd major reboot of the 909 line) at the price point ($250) they charge for this radio as the pl 880 has an excellent single sideband and can usually be fetched off eBay for half the price. I remember being blown away that the DX-398 (Radio Shack's Clone of the ATS-909) had RDS back when I was teen, but these days RDS on a lot of radios, there needed to be improvements on Shortwave with SSB which they were even outclassed by others back at the time (The Grundig Yacht Boy 400 for instance) These days you need it to tune into the pirates and hams. The airband is nice and all, but if you need that you can the pl660 which is also a solid performer on SSB and has a good sync detection function as well.

Hi! -------- I used to have a 909, it was o.k., but there were some things I didn't like about it - Years ago, I had a Sony 2010 , Nice radio, but overpriced - I currently have 3 Tecsun Radios, 2 with SSB , They work very well, One, I keep in plastic freezer bag, with some Dessicant, Wrapped in aluminum foil, in case of EMP, OR X- FLARE - I also have Solar charger- Battery back- up , just in case- It works for Phone. Radio, tablet, & Laptop - Anyway, Love your vids !

I took my X2 out camping away from the city (Phoenix, AZ) and had some better luck with SSB, though SSB was somewhat quieter like yours. Mine does not have the MW tones like yours and has the same firmware version. I'm wondering if you just got a bad one?

Thanks, I really like all your videos. One question... which do you think is better... The Sangean 909X2 or the 909X?

Does this receiver manage 8.33kHz airband increments ?

Para SSB qual listagem seria a sua recomendação ?

Hello sorry to say but I did not receive a really good one. However I don't have the sub low volume problem on sub. Thanks for a great review. Best regards. Ron. Z.

They want like 300 bucks or more for this radio on eBay thats why I like my Eton elite

On watching this demo.when on 14.000 it would have been a good idea to just leave it on SSB instead of switching back to AM because Hams use 14.000 and they are on USB.Also my ATS 909x has never had a volume problem when switching from AM to SSB on HF.Volume remains the same always.Also SSB is very crisp and clear on all HF bands.Useing the Tuneing Steps to fine tune brings in any SSB station with no problems at all.Only problem I have compared with my other radios arround the same size,is that the telescopic antenna has too much filtering,very poor on SW receiption,so having to use the supplied reel type outside antenna or any other fixed long line really brings the radio to life on a par with my Tecsun 660.Otherwise it is one of my best portable receivers.I reconmend this radio as long as you buy a good one.Mine is the white case.Not the black one.I think there were improvements made with the white case models.

Hello. Thank you. Do you think that all these radio models have this manufacturing defect or only some?

Q: I have this same radio, and the battery runs out fast! How do I keep the battery from draining fast - even though I don't leave it running for long -? Is there a specific setting for the settings

I'd say there will be a firmware update that will take care of SSB filtering.

I'm looking for the best receiving radio for SW MW and Air Band. If you could only own one radio, which new or used radio would be your choice? I'm currently considering this Sangean ATS-909X2 or an old Sony ICF-2010 off eBay. Thanks!

I have the first 909x.....it is good 👍...I think the new one is not the same Radio.... mine can get VHF Marine on 16mhz perfect...

Nice review.. Thanks. But no more short wave radio purchases for me without a waterfall and spectrum display.

Any with analog shortwave jind

Nice radio,　I am trying to buy one but no one has one for sale. Even Sangean in HQ in Taiwan do not have stock...what does that tell you????????

no weather band? D:

Can you use an external antenna on MW?

Has the low volume issue on sb been fixed?

Jog wheel looks wonky when turning. Sangean could have done a better job with that control.

How does It work on the AC adtper power supply......poor quality adapters do a humming noise on the set....

Great review. Thank you. As an owner of this radio I’ll throw in a few comments that might help someone else decide if it’s for them. I also own the original 909, not the 909X, and one thing I like better about the 909 is the buttons. There is some travel to them and they just feel higher quality than the “clicky” ones on the 909X2 and I assume also on the 909X. Medium wave reception is also better on the 909 than it is on the X2; you don’t have the extra noise on this band that’s presumably introduced by the display or some other aspect of the circuitry. Shortwave reception on the X2 is actually slightly better when it’s plugged in with the AC adapter; perhaps it functions as an additional antenna or as a ground. Medium wave is noisier when it’s plugged in. FM is stellar either way. The way I think of this radio is this: it’s a little like buying a luxury car. It looks nice, it’s got some bells and whistles, but just as a Toyota Corolla will take you the same place as a Lexus, the 909X2 doesn’t actually bring in any signals that you can’t get with a radio that costs a fraction of the price. Placed next to my Tecsun PL-380, on shortwave the quality of reception is virtually indistinguishable (other than SSB, of course, which the PL-380 lacks). One other thing about the whole 909 series that frustrates me personally is the organization of memory positions into pages. On shortwave you’re going to have many, many presets because of the sheer number of frequencies in use. Each page will contain just nine of these presets, necessitating three extra button presses to move from each page to the next. Also, it’s annoying that the seek-tuning feature will stop at the end of the first meter band that it comes to and continue scanning that meter band only. This is especially unfortunate because this feature is actually very good on this radio in that it catches pretty much every listenable signal, as opposed to many other auto-tuning features on other radios that miss a lot of listenable signals. There is a fair amount of shortwave broadcasting now between the established meter bands. Why not let the user choose whether to have the seek - tuning stop at each meter band or just keep scanning the direction you choose until you stop it or until it gets all the way to the top of the radio’s coverage? (On the $50 Tecsun PL-380 I can just push the ETS button and it will scan the whole shortwave band from top to bottom and populate temporary presets with every listenable signal it finds. I wind up using that radio to find things to listen to, and then store them into presets on the 909X2 - and then hope that later I can remember what page they’re on.) Many of these things are nitpicks for sure, but this is an expensive radio and to me it should not lack a feature a much less costly radio has.

Yes real shame the SSB performance is abysmal. I guess a firmware update could add filters and up the max volume or not ?

Beautiful radio to be sure. I had one for 2 days. SSB audio is 1/2 that of AM which is very strange and not exactly normal. Then, I was listening to Radio Romania using the built-in whip and the 909X2 overloaded while the auto-bandwidth "searched." Sent it back, the version 1 is the one to have, IMHO.

So the Air band doesn't have 8.33kHz steps ?

It’s often difficult to review such fine radios like this. There’s so many interests to please and so many boxes to tick. I have this very model and I have to say that the overall quality is exceptional. It really does tick the boxes on build, performance and ability. Remember that this is not a dedicated HAM radio. It’s a high end radio that will receive HAM bands (to more or less a degree) and a lot of the results are based on local interference and skip conditions. The airband on this radio is phenomenal. So much so that it beats my Uniden Bearcat 125 with ease! You can tag, store and scan the same way too. For me, the ext.ant sockets inability to be used on FM and Air is just shocking. So many air antennas would make this an awesome base station for air enthusiasts. They could have included the marine band too. All I can add is, if you want a high end radio for pleasurable listening and high quality build you won’t go far wrong. If you want an SSB performer you may do better with a dedicated HAM receiver. Happy to take questions people. Laurie

Not really fair to say the SSB is no good when you are depending on a HAM broadcaster to get a signal. I have the 909x and I can get plenty of HAMS , yes it has the same reduced volume, but there is plenty of volume if the signal is good and I have picked up HAMS from Alaska and California and Colorado none of which are my home state. I have also picked up AM stations from over 2,000 miles away with just the internal antenna. I was thinking of buying the 909x2 because it does have a lot more features, but the "birdies" you mentioned would be a deal breaker.

Kind. Analog and shortwave radio

It’s a nice radio but ssb is low volume only downfall. I have a classic radio you might want to check out it’s the eton e10 a underrated radio but had good sound selectively and the only down fall is no ssb but this radio can pull stations in

You must have some good radio stations where you live.

I would’ve bought two of these if they had weather band. But they don’t!! 😩

Over all Sangean products are very decent, but, not stellar. Every now again they deviate and make something special. I think Sangean is the only HD mfr. of radios,not sure. Same with Eton, and CC Crane. I remember as a kid growing up at the Jersey shore, when my parents got my sister a Sony. That thing was so sensitive and selective I wish I could get my hands on one today. Back then, fifty years ago Japanese and Chinese products were considered inferior. Sony changed that with that radio. Sorry I can’t remember the model number but sometime in the 1960’s. I love Japan and Japanese people. Same with the Chinese. I am 74 and radio been my hobby. You are as bad as me when it comes to broadcasting. I really don’t know how long radio will be a viable medium. Hopefully it will last for your life time and mine. I which Bob Crane would make an HD model with characteristic of the Long range ccradio desktop model.

Yay!! First Comment!!

Is iron man a radio ham?

Here in NewZealand we would be paying more than twise what you paid for it.

Better to buy the tecsun H-501x if youre going to buy a radio in that price range or the pl-990x :)

Not a big fan of the metallic paint. I'll wait for the white version.

I just bought this for an emergency raido. Why do most people by this raido seems quite expensive to just listen to music

SW: 22:54 - 28:20

15 minutes in and not switched on yet.

Radio is unchanged (except for cosmetics) since 1990. It is the Radio Shack DX-390. It is a great radio. I’ve had mine since Desert Storm. It is both sad and unfortunate that the industry has just re-branded and changed the cosmetics of the same radio for more than 30 years with zero innovation or technical improvements.

_Guys, this Sangean is super good for FM. Everything else is nothing._

i have one and i have been dis appointed in it not good am reception on a m during the day time. fm was not all that good sorry about the thumbs down.

NO AIRCRAFT BAND I GUESS