DEGEN DE1103 Manuel d'utilisateur télécharger pdf (Page 3)

72 MONITORING TIMES October 2009

forgot to mention it in my initial review:

• The memory function remembers the

mode – AM or SSB – of that memory/

frequency. There is a ham channel I

sometimes listen to at night, where

they broadcast in SSB, and it has been

a snap to go into memory mode and

tune up and down with the jog dial

through my entered memory frequen-

cies from FM, into MW, and on into SW,

without having to manually go in and

out of SSB mode.

This is a gigantic advantage for bedside

operating-by-feel listening. I can’t

imagine now having to punch in and

out of SSB mode. Plus, the 1103’s

SSB is stable, so rarely do I have to

ﬁne tune that SSB signal that’s in my

memory (once it’s been initially tuned

in). I would ﬁnd it hard to do without

this function, now.

• The radio has fallen off the nightstand and

landed hard several times with no serious

permanent damage. Sometimes the ﬁne tun-

ing gets knocked askew, so I have to retune

my stored SSB frequency, but that’s all.

• Sensitivity and selectivity have been good

across all the bands, with the narrow IF usu-

ally doing the trick when I need to separate

closely-spaced SW signals.

• It’s been freeing to get away from button-only

tuning to the tuning/jog dial on the 1103.

Using the tuning dial in memory mode is very

handy and the way to go for regular bedside

listening, unless you’re exploring for new

signals.

• The built-in battery charger has been great,

eliminating the hassle of regularly removing

and inserting batteries.

❖

Wear

Though it’s survived the falls and knocks

well, there are a few little signs of wear on the

1103 to note:

• Number one is the headphone jack has become

a little temperamental – sometimes I have to

rotate and ﬁddle with the mini-plug in order to

get a full connection.

• The slider switches have become, at times,

scratchy.

• The paint has worn off the oft-used BAND- and

BAND+ buttons.

The telescopic antenna suffered a little damage,

but was my fault, being bent in a fall. Any other

slight dings have also been from knocks and

falls.

The only other wear notes to add are the

demise of the Degen earphones, which had the

best sound of any mini-phones I’d ever used;

and the snarling and damage to the included

wire antenna, which was prone to

injury because it had no facility for

winding or storage.

❖ Performance

I’ve never seen another short-

wave radio where it performs

almost equally well, whether with

the extended whip or on an indoor

wire. Just about everything that’s

audible with the wire is as good or

almost as good with the whip.

One thing I learned when

struggling with a shortwave signal

that was being crushed by noise

or interference of some kind, was

that it pays to try all the power,

antenna, and sensitivity options and combina-

tions possible. I was trying to listen to one of

the Central or Eastern European stations which

was being clobbered with noise, when I started

to experiment with DC versus AC power, the

wire antenna versus the whip extended to vari-

ous lengths, and the settings of the LOCAL/DX

switch.

Though there is a considerable drop in RF

when switching to DC/battery power, I found

that this lowering of sensitivity also decreased

the noise or interference. Further, while running

on DC, unhooking the wire and receiving over

a partially extended whip, the European signal,

though weaker, was now set in a background of

quiet, and was just listenable. (The AC power

supply does cause buzz on AM and 90 and 75

meters shortwave, but is not usually a problem

in the higher shortwave spectrum.)

Other combinations – running on AC with

the switch set to LOCAL, both with and with-

out the wire antenna; running on DC with the

switch set to DX, but with the wire, etc. – all

produced varying effects, and usually an im-

provement over my standard mode of running

via AC with the switch set to DX and using the

wire antenna.

The general effect of all these methods was

a lessening of sensitivity, but a more listenable,

though sometimes weaker signal, with noise or

interference decreased or eliminated.

Here in the Northwest, I believe I’ve

caught all of the Central and Eastern European

international shortwave stations with the 1103.

When conditions are decent, Egypt and Argen-

tina have been listenable. Greece on 9420 or

7475 kHz is pretty reliable. Gabon on 15475

and Jordan on 11690 are regular. Also

Morocco and Tunisia are semi-regular.

Turkey (from Turkey, not relayed)

and Galei Zahal in Israel are occasional

catches. Good old Rai/Italy on 11800

used to be daily (a frustrating loss,

there). I would sometimes get Libya, and

once caught a clandestine in Moldova.

The Voice of Nigeria and Channel Africa

are pretty routine catches. All of this

with a portable, randomly-strung indoor

wire, or with the whip.

I’m sure, in a quiet area with less lo-

cal noise and with an outdoor antenna,

many more tropical and other more

challenging stations could be had with

the 1103. I regularly hear hams in SSB in

Spanish, probably in Central or South America.

I also hear hams in SSB speaking in Chinese

or a related language, though whether they are

transmitting from ships at sea, or the Far East,

I can’t say. Several Australian hams have come

in over SSB, too.

❖ Should You or Shouldn’t

You?

For the price (about $100 delivered from

Grove), getting a dual-conversion, full-cover-

age LW/MW/SW/SSB radio (plus extended

FM) that tunes in 1 kHz increments via a tuning

knob, with excellent sensitivity and selectivity

for any portable, despite some of the ergonomic

challenges, is a good deal.

You can always pay less by ordering the

radio from Hong Kong/China through eBay –

but be forewarned by my experience of paying

for shipping three times over in order to get a

correctly working unit.

I’ve mostly overcome the ergonomic

issues. When using the radio in the light, or

during the daylight, there’s no problem with

direct-entering frequencies, etc. A blind radio

enthusiast might want to think twice, since the

dial face will be useless for them, combined

with the lack of a traditional keypad layout.

There is a slight ridge on the “5” button to help

you get your bearings by touch, but the buttons

are tiny and the ridge even tinier. Plus, once

you’ve found it, you have to count your way

out either side of the 5 button.

At least 1 and 0, at either end, are easy to

find.

Despite being a portable, with a

size of about 6.5 x 4 x 1 inches, you

can truly DX with this radio. I think,

being able to do that for around $100

– possibly more or less – makes it a

good deal. Other comparable units

start at about $150 – some with easier

ergonomics, but some without the

coveted tuning knob (which is a huge

ergonomic plus!).

So, if the 1103’s peculiarities

don’t bother you, it looks as though

it’s the best deal available right now

in a dual-conversion portable world

band radio.

I think, if it looks right for you,

yes, you should.

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