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Old 30th Sep 2017, 12:07 am   #41
Andrew2
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

I've just measured the current draw of mine and it's 20 mA on both AM and FM with the volume down and averaging about 45 mA when 'loud enough'.
The local oscillator runs about 470 KHz above the signal frequency and seems to tune smoothly with no increments. There seems to be an AFC function even on AM. Inside, it has the 'big chip little chip' format mentioned earlier. I can see no sign of any kind of hardware IF filtering unless it's on the other side of the board. The telescopic aerial lost its top section fairly soon after purchase!
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 9:37 am   #42
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

I've been looking at that datasheet for the AKC6959 and I'm not sure it's right for this radio (or at least the one I've got). My Rad108 uses a conventional polyvaricon cap for tuning duties and seems to have a normal local osc running 470 KHz high.
I can't see any kind of tuning on that datasheet!
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 12:49 pm   #43
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Hi.

I found a list of various AKC695X ICs on this forum http://theradioboard.com/rb/viewtopi...=5558&start=30
The list is in a post about 2/5 way down the page.

Regards
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 2:03 pm   #44
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Got one this morning, works well with reasonable audio for the size. The AM AFC is a bit odd. I will dismantle it soon and post pictures.
 
Old 30th Sep 2017, 2:37 pm   #45
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

As promised, the pictures...

Outside.
Reasonable 'speaker.
Tuning dial.
Back of PCB.
Florescent pointer for band indication, drive cord and pointer.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 2:47 pm   #46
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Final two...

Florry pointer in different position.
PCB front and ferrite rod. Note the rather good pot used for tuning.

Well that was fun, a quite well executed design, I have seen and used worse for twice the price. I am not going to bother putting it together again, a couple of hours entertainment (funny people engineers) for eight quid, worth getting for dismantling and inspecting alone.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 3:54 pm   #47
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Ah, interesting! My RD108 is different, it has bog-standard polyvaricon tuning. Sadly the markings on the chip have been scrubbed off. I reckon mine may be entirely analogue.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 4:35 pm   #48
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Interesting, does it have the AM AFC too?
 
Old 30th Sep 2017, 5:02 pm   #49
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Yes it does, Merlin. The AM IF selectivity is provided by one of those awful cheap yellow plastic things with three legs. No wonder it's so w-i-d-e.
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Old 1st Oct 2017, 1:32 am   #50
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

I bought one of these on Friday, as did one of my sons.

Not a great deal to be heard on SW, but that's probably due to bad conditions. FM is very respectable, and the audio and sensitivity are good. MW and LW seem to be on a par with other things of this size I have.

Two things, though; Connecting a wire to the antenna seems to swamp out the radio, and also, the sound from the speaker reduces quite a bit everytime I move the tuning knob - and this is annoying.

Is the sound reduction normal when tuning this on SW?
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Old 2nd Oct 2017, 7:00 pm   #51
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

I bought one on Saturday. FM is good but MW & LW tricky to tune in to. It doesn't help that my flat seems to have a Faraday cage effect in some places.
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Old 2nd Oct 2017, 11:22 pm   #52
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Here's my follow up... its going back to Tesco for a refund, I didn't expect much for the money, but got less than I bargained for.

The real issue is the way the tuning works, or doesn't, it's not analogue, but it isn't digital either, tuning one way you will get a different result to tuning back, particularly on SW, just can't live with it, the only good thing is its size.

I've been using a Phillips 466 as a portable / bedside radio for over two years now, it's in no danger of getting replaced by the Tesco jobbie.

T
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Old 4th Oct 2017, 2:49 pm   #53
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Well I never thought that a cheap radio from a supermarket would create so much dialogue , but for my part I'm very happy with mine and its almost on a par with my much more expensive Tescun model,
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Old 4th Oct 2017, 3:50 pm   #54
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

I really enjoyed taking mine apart, odd to think that Tesco is one of the last places selling a real radio.
 
Old 4th Oct 2017, 5:38 pm   #55
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Quote:
Originally Posted by electronicskip View Post
Well I never thought that a cheap radio from a supermarket would create so much dialogue


It's got some way to go yet before it catches the ALDI record player thread earlier this year. Maybe an £8 radio doesn't merit as much steam as a £60 record player.


https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=134816
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Old 5th Oct 2017, 4:11 pm   #56
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Hi.

I received mine today and I'm generally pleased with it considering it's price.

FM is pretty good and MW is actually OK as is LW. There's not a huge amount on the SW bands but I haven't really checked this thoroughly and at different times of the day/night. The main criticism, as others have pointed out is the tuning. It's like trying to tune with AFC in operation all the time. It gives the impression of the tuning system having backlash though it appears to tune to the station perfectly. It doesn't however, take too long to adapt to this unorthodox method of tuning.

The sound quality is better than expected from the small speaker. Battery life has not yet been assessed.

It would be good if it's hackable for carrying out mods but being a DSP type tuner that would seem unlikely.

Overall I would say that I'm happy with the radio and give it 4/5.

Regards
Symon.
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Old 6th Oct 2017, 4:03 pm   #57
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philips210 View Post
It would be good if it's hackable for carrying out mods but being a DSP type tuner that would seem unlikely..
Looking at the datasheet linked from
kellys_eye's post, (thanks)

As is, its FM band is 87.0 to 108.0 MHz, but it is 'hackable' by resistor selection to cover alternative frequency bands, be it Japanese FM frequencies, or analogue VHF TV audio (though now extinct in most of the world)
One of the possible band selections is 70MHz to 93MHz which would take in the amateur 4 meter band, though the audio of amateur FM voice transmissions there would be low (due to they being NBFM).

See page 11 of the PDF of what bands are possible (M = MHz)

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Old 6th Oct 2017, 5:12 pm   #58
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

There really isn't much around on Short Wave these days. In Northern Europe, what there is seems to mainly be from China, offering news and Chinese language lessons to various countries in their native languages.
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Old 6th Oct 2017, 8:00 pm   #59
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

The various SW religious stations are worth a listen: far more entertaining than any "comedy" offered on the BBC!

At least these days we don't have our broadcast-band SW listening messed-up with the once-ubiquitous background funereal fanfare of Radio Tirana.
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Old 7th Oct 2017, 6:53 am   #60
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Default Re: Multiband shortwave radio from Tesco.

Quote:
Originally Posted by emeritus View Post
There really isn't much around on Short Wave these days.
Yes, I have now bought one of these and found nothing on the first two bands. I found one English and one foreign station on the third. I haven't had opportunity to continue with the other bands yet.
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