Quick verdict
The ATS-909X2 is Sangean’s flagship world band portable, with wide band coverage, a large display and plenty of connections. It is for serious listeners who want a classic full-size shortwave radio.
The Sangean ATS-909X2 is a large portable radio built for shortwave listening, with AM, FM, longwave and air band on top. It is meant for hobbyists and travelers who want to hear international broadcasts, utility stations and aircraft, not just local stations.
What you get
You get AM, FM with RDS, shortwave, longwave and air band, plus single sideband for amateur and utility listening. Sangean lists memory for up to 1674 stations. A patented 5 level automatic bandwidth control picks the filter based on signal quality, and you can also set it by hand. Tuning is by a rotary wheel, and pressing Enter speeds it up. The 3 inch speaker puts out 1.4 watts on AC power. It runs on four AA batteries or the included adapter, and it can charge rechargeable cells. The backlit LCD shows a clock with dual time, alarm, snooze, sleep and a gentle wake mode. Ports include aux in, line out, earphones and an external shortwave antenna jack. A pouch, earphones and a wire antenna come in the box.
What I like
Reviewers often describe it as an enthusiast radio with a satisfying front panel, a clear display and good audio. The 3 inch speaker makes long listening sessions pleasant. I like the generous connections, especially the external antenna jack and line out for recording. The automatic bandwidth control is a real help when stations crowd together.
Things to know
It is big and pricey for a portable. Owners point out that SSB has only one filter width, which some find too wide. Air band tuning steps are 5 and 25 kHz. Some early buyers reported quality issues with first production units, so buy from a seller with easy returns.
Bottom line
Buy the ATS-909X2 if shortwave is a real hobby for you and you want a full-featured portable. For a smaller, more affordable shortwave radio, look at the Sangean ATS-405.
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