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Reviews For: Digitek AR-1780

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Digitek AR-1780
Reviews: 2MSRP: $110 USD
Description:
The Digitek AR-1780 DSP radio receives AM, LW, FM and SW continuously from 1.711 Khz to 29,999 Khz. The radio also has several DSP filter bandwidths. AM mode: 6, 4, 3, 2.5, 2, & 1.8 kHz and SSB mode: 4, 3, 2.2, 1.2, 1 & 0.5 kHz. It measures 150 (W) x 95( H) x 30 (D) and uses 4 AA batteries.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0025
KF2YD Rating: 2018-08-07
Great Travel Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
UPDATE To my 1st Digitek AR-1780 review

Order a 2nd Digitek AR-1780 and it works much better then the 1 st that a button that would stick..

Pros:

Has full band coverage AM, FM SW and also has SSB

Batteries last pretty long

Is a nice compact AM, FM, SW multi-band DSP radio that is great for camping, traveling or at you bedside.
Cons:

1) Air Band definitely has very poor sensitivity

Conclusion:

Is a nice compact AM, FM, SW multi-band DSP radio that is great for camping, traveling or at you bedside.



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Earlier 3-star review posted by KF2YD on 2018-03-07

I purchased the radio from MAD Electronic located in Australia. I paid $110 plus $35 for shipping to the US.. The Digitek AR-1780 radio has descent sensitivity and selectivity but it also has some things that I did not like about it.

1) Cheaply made buttons - One day it stopped working. I installed new batteries but it still would not work. I also tried resetting the radio and it still did not work. Eventually I found out that the " PAGE " button was pushed in. Tried to carefully pry it out but it would not pop out. I then opened up the radio and for some odd reason it the popped back out and is working fine now.

2) On SW ( shortwave ) you have to press the frequency button two times, once before entering the freq and again after you enter the frequency. The frequency button will most likely be the 1st button to wear out.

Conclusion: The radio works well but it has cheaply made buttons that have a tendency to get stuck.
MARTESQUE Rating: 2018-04-01
Glad I bought it Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I read a few reviews from Ham and SW enthusiasts who described this radio as a pleasant surprise in many categories. Digitech has never been a "go-to" brand, but this radio stood out. What I noticed from various video reviews was the audio from the internal speaker. I called Jaycar and ordered one.

I wrote a lengthy review over at SWL, but I'll share highlights here. Performance is very good across all bands. FM (featuring RDS) is very sensitive, not as selective as the CC Skywave. AM and SW(with multiple bandwidths and fine tuning) is excellent. SSB is not bad at all despite DSP soft muting. AIR (with squelch) is just fine off the whip.

Small annoyances, takes a sec or two powering up and switching between bands. Scan is pokey. Doesn't come with a pouch (huh?!). Light will come on in locked position. How well is it built? It feels solid and I've had no issues. (I baby my radios.) If I were a serious SSB enthusiast, I'd probably opt for the Skywave SSB (I have the original Skywave and love it) - you know C Crane is serious about their gear and the updates, tweaks and in-the-field testing by some of the web's prominent reviewers shows a commitment beyond most companies and manufacturers.

So why the 5? This radio, for its size, has some of the best audio I've heard in a long, long time. FM sounds beautiful and AM hasn't sounded this good since my Zenith Zenette of the sixties (with those bandwidths and a solid signal, maybe better). It's really that good and worth a serious look for the traveler that enjoys fidelity as much as armchair capture. (There is a plug for an external antenna for the serious DXer.)

There is also a Russian version, the XHDATA D-808, which seems more like a distant cousin. Depends on your taste.