Thursday 4 February 2016

Tatung TMR7602 World Band Receiver 150-29999 kHz

Many years ago I had a Matsui MR4099. This was a Sangean ATS-803 (A) clone and retailed for £99.00 (around 120 euros). 


I do not know what happened to it, but I think it broke or I dropped it, or similar. I had always enjoyed using the radio and I found this Tatung (another Sangean ATS-803 clone) on a well-known auction site for £40.00. It is in good condition and is working perfectly.




Just as I remember the radio, the dial on the side is pretty hopeless; it does little except jumble up the frequencies. I find the up / down buttons on the front panel much more accurate, or of course, you can dial in the frequency using the number keys.


On the front there are also buttons for FM, AM, LW, MW and SW. The short wave button allows scanning up and down the shortwave bands, ie. 49, 41, 31 metres bands etc. 


There is a narrow / wide bandwidth filter, which is maybe a bit too narrow, but it does allow for accurate tuning. 


There is also a BFO switch for listening to SSB (or CW) and this works surprisingly well, allowing SSB to be clarified nicely.




On the rear is an antenna switch - internal / external and a 3.5 mm jack socket to allow connection of an external antenna.

The AM section is reasonably sensitive and works well on the shortwave broadcast bands. I can listen to the 48 and 43 metre free radio frequencies with good reception of strong stations indoors. 


FM is sensitive, allowing me to receive middle distance FM stations locally with the rather long telescopic antenna.




The bonus for me, and the reason that I like this radio, is that I can set the antenna switch to external and connect the Tecsun AN-200 loop antenna, allowing reception of MW stations above 1602 kHz. I am able to receive free stations from NL, using this combination.


On the side there is also a DIN socket (remember those?) for recording, a headphone socket, (which allows FM stereo to be heard) and a socket for a 9v DC adapter, which was included in the price. The only thing missing was a shoulder strap (no big deal!)

All in all a good radio, and a useful addition to my collection of shortwave radios! Now for an ATS-909.....

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