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Reviews For: Sangean ATS 808 Multiband Radio.

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Sangean ATS 808 Multiband Radio.
Reviews: 8MSRP: US $135 AUS $159
Description:
Continuous Coverage Shortwave Radio.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.sangean.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0084.5
WB6TNB Rating: 2011-02-06
Could be better could be worse Time Owned: more than 12 months.
About four years ago an amateur radio friend offered me one free that had never been out of the box. Free is always the right price so I accepted his generous offer. It was manufactured from 1993 to 1998 so it could have been quite old. On the way home I got some batteries and used it some that evening.

It's a decent performer that I'm glad was free. Like all Sangeans it goes through batteries quickly so rechargeables are recommended. I have a friend who's interested in getting started in shortwave. I think I'll offer it to him.
MKANG Rating: 2011-01-13
Very Good Value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is my third Sangean shortwave radio after ATS-818 ACS and ATS-909. Compact full band coverage with LW/MW/FM.
Use mostly for international broadcast listening. Good reception with the whip antenna outdoor giving good sound. Also come with antenna socket and DC power inlet for indoor use.
Tuning by rotary knob is smooth with colour LCD display for time, frequency readout, band and 7 segment signal strength indicator.
Glad to acquire a new unit of old model (808 with only 45 memory presets) made in Taiwan dated 1993 for under $100.
Modern classic design & outstanding value as compared to many made now...


KB2NAT Rating: 2008-07-11
A good radio, but not great Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had the Realistic version (DX380) of this for 10+ years and it's finally showing its age: broken DC input, etc. It really shines on FM with great sensitivity and does reasonably well on AM and SW, though it's sensitivity is certainly lower than that of, say, the Kaito 1102. It was a nice unit when new, but SSB would have been nice. I now use the FM section to feed into a speaker system in the shack; in this, it performs superbly. In short, a good solid unit, but newer, cheaper units are now very competitive.
SLIDERULEX Rating: 2006-03-02
Good, but not Great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this radio on ebay for $60.00. I am happy with its performance, but I wouldn't rate it a 5. It picks up AM/FM well enough, and does a respectable job with SW too.

What I really like about it is its nice tuning dial. It is easy to band scan, though slowly, using the tuning dial. Going too fast chuffs and you do not hear stations you're passing, so you have to go slower than I would like, but hey, for $60.00 I can't complain. Also, it has a nice memory system that is easy to use. It does not have SSB though. I wish it did. It is fairly sensitive off the whip antenna, but not as sensitive as the Degen/Kaito 1103 which is an AWESOME radio.

Overall, I would say it's worth $60.00, but not $100.00. I am glad I have it.
WL7KV Rating: 2005-03-18
Good performer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This was my first shortwave receiver, I bought it 13 years ago! It still works great with some minor wear. The antenna won't stay upright due to wear, and the tuning knob now tunes erratically. The buttons still respond well, so I just tune with them. I'll replace the antenna myself eventually.
I've taken this radio with me on all my travels abroad, and am happy with its performance. It's time to pack it away and give it to my son as his first radio in a few years.
KE6YOC Rating: 2002-08-29
Good deal Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have used this radio for several years and it is a good performer. I take it on trips and pulls in AM well and sounds good on FM. Found on a close out sale for a reasonable price with a case and adapter. It replaced a sony 2001 that was just too big and hard to handle. Lacks a display light.
DX4NZ Rating: 2001-07-24
Excellent small portable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have just purchased the Sangean ATS808A about 2 months ago from Dick Smiths here in N.Z. for NZ$179.00(that's US$73.00!). Dick Smiths are deleting them from their product lineup and replacing them with Sangean's ATS505.
I have had a ATS 803A (quit it, disappointing) and a ATS606 which I still own.(good compact portable) I also had a Yaesu FRG7000 which I replaced with a Sony ICF2001D.
Having owned a ATS803A and found it rather deaf with its internal whip,(also needed an aerial tuner when plugging in an ext.antenna, otherwise caused all sorts of grief) I was a little apprehensive about the ATS808A. I like the convenience of a portable and having to plug in an external antenna seems to me to negate the purpose of a portable, a table top rx is a better choice if you are going to rely on an ext. aerial. I need not have worried, what a great little radio the ATS808A is!
It is sensitive enough here in N.Z. with its internal whip. The display is excellent, clock and frequency all visible and has a signal meter, not just a LED. The memories are useful as is the timer. It also has a smooth tuning knob(can't get used to slew buttons). The two bandwidth filters are also useful and uncommon on a set at this price point. It does not have SSB but I have a better receiver for this and I purchased this radio solely for broadcast band reception.
It is simple to use and the controls are logical. You don't need to spend hours studying the manual before you turn it on.
The narrow filter could be a little bit tighter but in all it does help with interference, the ability to reduce the tuning steps to 1kHz also helps tune away from interference.
The clock does not keep good time and the first sample I had would not always turn on or off. I believe Sangean has shifted production to China and some early samples had teething problems.
All in all, if you want a good performing portable in this part of the world then this has to be a good choice, especially at the current price!
SW4DX Rating: 2001-06-06
One of Sangeans Best. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had a Sangean ATS 808 for over two years
I use it alongside six other Portable Recievers
that I have inc three other Sangean Models,909,505,202,and three Sony Radios, Models
ICF2001,ICF SW7600G,ICF SW35.
I like the ATS808 most of all, I take it with me
when I go camping as well as many local Mini
DXpeditions,I usually throw a 30ft wire up a tree
this works well with this radio.
I find it the easiest of all to use, all the controls have a positive feel about them, the
narrow bandwidth seems to cut out most unwanted
rubbish without de-grading the audio to much.
It has a good clear frequency readout but I
wish it had a Display Light, also there is no SSB.
The rotary Tuning Knob is first class, very smooth to turn. All in all I believe this is the best offering from Sangean since the ATS 803a, unfortunatly it has been discontinued in Australia, I paid $249 for mine, the last few over here are selling for $159, an absolute steal.
They are now made in China but I do hope that Sangean continue to make this radio,it runs rings round my old Yeasu FRG 7700 but not as much fun to use.

Dave Humphreys SW DXer
Brisbane Australia.