Sangean DT800 Revisit Time! Is it worth your Green?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- In this video we revisit the Sangean DT800 AM FM NOAA weather band portable radio to see if the issues it had were addressed or not. The prices continue to fall and they are getting to a point where people may want to choose this radio over a CC Pocket or the exsisting DT-400W....should you?
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From my original review:
"Features I like about this radio:
FM Reception is very good using the speaker and wire combo.
Weather Alert Mode.
Clear LCD display.
Tuning Steps are highly configurable.
Dual Filter Bandwidth options on FM and AM.
Adjustable LCD Side Light.
Limited but useful RDS.
NiMH battery support, with a smart charger built in.
AC adapter included.
AM reception is decent, though it may be very sensitive with local RFI.
Color Combo :)
Clock.
Alarm.
Sleep function.
Deep Bass Boost, always welcome.
Features that could be added or improved on:
My example is firmware 1.0 and has a few issues as noted in the video.
Fix FM reception using headphones. (could be a problem with a small batch of radios) ** Fixed: April 23rd, 2019. **
Improve AM filtering of spurious, and harmonic tones that seem apparent more on this radio vs the CCPocket and DT400."
My current observations of this radio leaves me giving a "maybe" buy recommendation. This radio may be for those only looking for FM with RDS and NOAA alerts. If your looking for the full package I still recommend the CC Pocket for its great AM reception and One Year warranty. If your a Sangean fan, the DT-400W is still the better option. The buzzing on the DT800s AM dial is pretty rough to listen to.
Thank you for watching.
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Thanks. For the recap review. I got the DT 400 because of the issues you found as well as others. I don’t understand why Sangean can’t get this right. The 90 day warranty is a joke and doesn’t insure confidence in a $60 plus dollar radio. I’m with you, get the cc pocket or the 400 and skip this one for now. Nice job Todderbert. 👏🏻👍 ❤️📻
I replaced the ferrite antenna with a homemade 3B1 ferrite and also added a copper foil shield to the front panel on my DT-800. The sensitivity on AM has increased and digital noise is almost inaudible.
I had an aging cc pocket and I replaced it with the sangean. My main use is at night with headphones to fall asleep. The big thing i like about the sangean is that the off timer is used by default. I set it to 1 hr in the menu, then the radio turns off 1 hr after turning it in. On the pocket, you have to set the off timer every time you turn on the radio, and you have to actually look at the display to pick the time. I wish pocket did it like sangean. Also, i think the fm stereo sound quality is better the sangean (through decent headphones, not the supplied ones.
Thanks, brutha. Ordered the CC based on your recommendation. 👍
Ok. Just received the Sangean DT-800 in black, so far so good.. no headphone 'aerial' issue, also the tuner toggle switch seems to be sturdy with no loose wobble. Everything else good. Sound is deep and a bit lacking in treble, but I don't mind this - I have enough radios that sound 'tinny' so this is a nice change. Headphone sound is great on FM esp with DBB on, AM headphone sound is a bit dull, but not annoying for me. No hiss on AM. By far the best reception on both FM and AM of all my radios here on the South East coast of England. I have a Sony XDR-P1DBP DAB Radio which is gorgeous (but of course the switch fails, which i fixed twice now due to crumbling components). But as far as FM/AM the Sangean has surpassed all my cheapo radio collection. So I'm happy for now.. we shall see if the tuner switch fails, or indeed the headphone jack (which I've heard can fail). Will update any news. Thanks again Todderbert!
Again, I love the physical/tactile design, and this is my first Sangean product, so I appreciate the difference in electronics/sensitivity when compared to a £10-20 radio from a supermarket. I love the size, and the fact that it's a bit heavy. I definitely feel this product is justified in the £75-85 price range.
Wow.. I'm even picking up really clear radio stations from France/Spain etc at this early time of an evening here on AM.. can't wait to see what I can pick up in the wee small hours!! Overjoyed.
Just another note - my DT-800 appears to be built by Sangean Europe, made in the Netherlands.. not sure if this has any impact on build quality? Also my European model does not have the weather alert built in, as we don't have NOAA. This is specifically a different model to US versions.
@@eyadabusharar2457 The tuning toggle is a plastic rocker with two momentary switches under it. There has always been some slight loose movement from new which may have now become slightly softer feeling over 4 years (certainly not a rattle yet) but not had any failures in terms of functionality yet. If anything perhaps they've made the contact plate too thin and it may deform over time, but easily fixable with reinforcement if you can take things apart. It is an expensive radio, and it's sad to hear of failures from small design mistakes. There are far cheaper radios with much better in-built speakers available now, but this is a design classic (and has superior audio circuitry and reception on both fm and am). Hope this helps!
@@eyadabusharar2457 p.s. I have no hissing sound on strong reception either in-built speaker or headphones on my unit. It would have gone straight back for that price! With poor reception or a lot of ambient electronic noise there is some mild background hiss, but is not persistent at low volumes (unlike some other cheaper radios). Again, hope this helps! Kind regards.
Bought this little gem about two weeks ago. The radio is great on am/fm and good on the weather. speaker sounds good but could use a little more volume. Compared it with a couple of my other radios. Tuned into KGO SanFransisco a powerhouse station but around 570 miles from me. My Grundig G^ and Tecsun PL380 received nothing, while the Sangean DT800 received about an S3 but had far less hash. INterestingly my old Grundig FR200 analog could pick it up but at a much higher background noise and not quite as strong as the Sangean. Since I listen mostly to AM and use the NOAA feature this, is perfect for me. This a great radio and I enjoy it more than any radios I have got in the last few years.
What is the version of your DT-800?
The firmware version of DT-800 I have is VER P07.
The barcode behind the battery cover says it was manufactured in February 2021.
The problems or shortcomings of the DT-800 you reviewed may have been solved in the latest firmware version.
Thank you for your review.
Have to say thank you. Almost bought this as I already have the CC Pocket. Looks like the CC pocket is still the better choice.
Excellent review. You're always saving our money. Pete my friend: 👏👏👏
See, there are some radios that don't quite make Todderbert's cut.
The question is:
Is the noise coming from RFI, or is it circuit noise?
I know it's a pain, but for stuff like this you really need to get someplace that has no RFI ( such as a park, or out in the woods away from power lines, ect).
On the other hand, it's good to know what will handle RFI better.
I'm running into a rather odd problem myself: living about 150 feet away from a 1000W AM tower. Trying to find something that dosen't get swamped is not an easy task. Why so close to the tower?
Well..I live in a radio station. Never mind why I'd like to listen to other stations occasionally..lol
As much as you love radio, I'm kind of surprised that you're not in the business yourself...although it's not what it used to be.
I have a strong feeling it was local RFI in my area. The CC Pocket seemed to handle it better.
It’s cool cause I like RDS, I know it’s weird to have that as a reason ya know to like a radio.😀👍👍✌️ well 55 bucks to me might as well be 550.
530 AM is Cuba and Toronto, maybe the Cayman Islands soon. I also use it to track lightening and electrical noise. 1710 khz is used by a regional COVID-19 information for NYC and NJ area.
This was the video that talked me out of the 800 and got me to get the cc for a pocket radio... just too many issues, rds is nice and all but don’t really care too much about it, battery charger was the biggest draw but the CCrane having a built in fm antenna won me on the pocket, I must say I’m impressed so far with the sound.
SANGEAN DT-800C (Chinese version) has FM expanded band selectable: 64 - 108 MHz, 76 - 90 MHz, 87 - 108 MHz, and 76 - 108 MHz. Comes with AM expanded band selectable of 9 and 10 kHz stepping change.
Todderbert I like this radio cuz of the good quality and rds
Correction: the DT800 does have an internal antenna, it just has the option of improving reception with an external. If you open up the DT800 there is a small loop of insulated wire adjacent to the battery compartment. Also fwiw the c crane pocket sounds very tinny and harsh compared to the sangean this of course depends on your hearing so ymmv.
Interesting.
The problem is that new radios always seem to have problems. Seems they often rush them into production. Then deal with all the shortcomings when people start sending them back.
( XHData D-808 is a prime example.)
Both C.Crane, And Sangean have the reputation of being the best quality radios made. They shouldn’t be doing that.
When C.Crane brought out their Skywave-SSB,
They spent months letting people review them, before they went into production.
So , I will wait before I get one of these.
( I did just order the D-808from Amazon.
There is a 3-6 week wait for delivery. So I’m hoping these will be the “upgraded” version - as they have been talking about).
📻🙂
Interesting.
I finally broke down and got a CCPocket. Mine generates a bit too much internal noise to really do any serious DXing.😐
Still a great high quality radio.
📻🙂
Also thought you might want to know the ones shipping now are showing a firmware version 03 so I’m guessing some things are being worked on
Definitely-I just bought one and it indicates firmware 07! Would love to know what the changes are.
@@Antwort2und40 Companies that don't have a firmware change-log on their website are so annoying.
@@galacticboy2009 Agree that change logs should be posted. Still love the radio, tho...!
@@Antwort2und40 definitely would like to know to.
@@hdofu I never found out, either. Still a great radio, though!
I will probably get a CC pocket after hearing you say it has great AM reception. I had considered getting the very expensive CC enhanced AM/FM/HAM band radio for its superior AM reception from them but reviews weren`t good on it. The buttons seem to malfunction within a year or so. I`m moving to a location where I can string out a very long wire antenna and I can turn any decent small radio into a super AM radio with a long wire and homemade booster coil. That`s why I wouldn`t spend the money on their ferrite antenna thing they sell...although I`d still like to have one because I`m very interested in things like that...but I can make something myself far superior with space for the antenna setup. I saw one of the CC ferrite booster things for $79 dollars on Ebay. I wish I knew how to build one. That would be a fun project. I wonder why they cost so much?
During the day in my area the only AM stations I can get are very weak and it`s religious stuff so this is a great area to test AM radios and any sort of signal boosters and antennas for them. I won`t be able to test long antennas until I get moved in down the hill though. I love AM radio and doing things like that. If I had the money I would have bought the CC ferrite booster to try in this area off of Ebay but I just don`t have the money right now. I`m pretty sure that one of the homemade AM loop antennas will do the same thing though. All you need is the plans, the coil form, magnet wire and a 365pf air variable tuning capacitor. That`s my next project.
Tom Jones
Have you ever tried one of the Passive Loop antennas? I have one from Tecsun, works fantastic for most radios ( though, I have found 3 radios that there was no difference).
Very nice radio. Would like to buy one. Thanks for the demonstration.
Over the years you have used the CCrane Pocket to test other radio's DX reception ( GE Superradio for example). With this benchmark use I bought a CC Pocket a few months ago and could not be more satisfied. I think it is the best pocket radio out there. However I recommend buying it from Amazon for two reasons. First with prime two days and you have it. From CCrane in California it can take up to two weeks ( east coast delivery) to arrive. Second, the extra warranty available from Amazon. A few people have complained of buttons going out after a couple years ( seems they were early production models). However Crane stands by their products but two years + might stretch their generosity. .Thanks for this review. I was on the fence between the Sangean and the Pocket and think I made the right choice.
Thomas Niner, I agree with you completely! If Todderbert uses it as a reference so many times, it must be a great radio. And it is! I love this little radio.
Rei now carries it for 59.99
I hope you will do another DT800 follow up with new firmware. I have and love the CC Pocket but am very interested in this Sangean.
Just got it in the male and rly took a while to figure it out even with the guide booklet but finna did n i love it tbh
Thank you Todderbert for your excellent and detailed reviews. You have influenced and inspired my radio related purchasing decisions! (Despite yo recommendation, I ended up just now ordering the DT-800; because I love the design; because I've been researching it for a month; and because we can't get the CC Pocket easily here in the UK). 50/50 chance of happiness? BTW, I wish we had a NOAA type service here in the UK, we might just need it in the future.. I'll let the comments know if my DT-800 fails.. Thanks again for your video help. I LOVE AMERICA! (Been to New York, Las Vegas, and and Atlanta, many years ago. Amazing people, amazing memories.
How's it going
@@user-or1ce7ez5w Still working like brand new 3 years on.. Superb battery life on rechargeables. Kind regards! 🙂
@@TheHexCube thanks sir! Very helpful
@@TheHexCube I'm from the Uk and want a decent radio for when I hike. Mainly listen to Radio 2 and Talksport, would this be suitable? Don't like buying rubbish, just want to buy once.
@@johnw2758 This is certainly a high quality radio, one of my most treasured pocket sets. I would however question it's suitability for hiking - it's quite heavy for its size (seems to have metal internal frame?), has no DAB, it's not waterproof, and the speaker is really for indoor listening. Perhaps more research is needed for your purposes, though I've yet to find the 'do-all' perfect radio. Good luck and best wishes!
What did you use to record this? I get static interference on my am radio when my phone is plugged in and charging from about 3-4 feet away.
Greetings from Turkey, I have this radio, but it turns off automatically after a certain period of time. How can I cancel the automatic shutdown please can you help me?
how does the radio hold up over time? and is the bilt in charging any good?
Deixa eu ver se entendi. O rádio apenas funciona com os fones de ouvidos inseridos ?
I own one, too, and to me this is just not a well-implemented radio - a rarity for Sangean. Reception on AM is not very good and the FM is average. I also have compared it to the CC Pocket, which is several notches better. The Sangean PR-D19 offers killer reception and great audio thru its speaker. Unless the smaller size is crucial I would point anyone who wants a good radio toward that Sangean model, which far outperforms any pocket-sized radio.
Thank you once again, Mr. Ironman, Sir.
You are welcome Mr. Cyberghost74, Sir. :)
I like the mellow audio of the DT800, and it seems decent enough on MW for casual nighttime DX listening, but I'm wondering, were the earlier DT models actually better MWDXers? I do like the 800's form factor. The iffy jog switch is scaring me away somewhat.
I would wait on this one, I like the 200X and 400W on the MW band during the day and evening. I believe they are slightly better.
thanks
Just wondering, would a headphone jack splitter work with this? so you could install an actual FM antenna AND a set of headphones at the same time?
Might, just that the headphone wire would be part of the antenna, may unbalance any external antenna you would use.
I ordered one and had it for a little over a week and the tuning switch was already coming loose, so I returned it. It may have kept working, but I just felt like I couldn’t depend on it. I love my other Sangean radios, but this one seems to have some issues with mechanics.
Handles FM stations at .2 MHz or 200 khz separation very well. My reception in DC area is about 80 miles. As to hissing on AM, slightly noticable. Oh, WMBI on 90.1 FM is 100 kw, easy catch without earphone antenna plugged in. One minor FM issue on many Sangean radio is a slight null or whistle at about 101 MHz. And with many of these radios, internal hum is minor on AM. I got use to this being an AM listener.
0.2 MHz steps are also option for Japanese FM band for DT-800. 76.1 - 107.9 MHz..
64 - 108 MHz in 50 kHz steps.
Hi could you tell me which Sangean pocket radio with a speaker has the best FM reception and is the best overall ?
DT800, DT400 or DT200?(or any other Sangean model ?)
Thanks !
probably the DT-800. though the other two are close to the 800 performance wise.
One post below notes this model has firmware #3. Does anyone have experience with this version?
I just got the yellow version of this radio today, and it seems to work good but I noticed something kind of weird. When doing auto scan, it almost always stops on 95.7, and does show a few signal strength lines. There is a 95.7 that I can get in my area when hooked up to an antenna, but when no antenna is hooked up or the signal isn't available, the static heard on 95.7 is quite different from the static heard on other unused frequencies. I also have a Sangean PR-D4W, and the same thing happens on 95.9. What do you think could cause that?
Maybe a computer or wifi. I know my computer can produce some FM interference when running intensive GPU tasks.
@@todderbert actually, I just realized something else. Also when tuned to 95.7, when I press the "Page" button, I get a static sound. And it only happens with that station. No others. Do you think the unit could be defective? I don't see what could cause this, as I have never heard of this issue before.
Just wondering, why wasn’t there anything between 99.9 and 102.3?
There would be if I was not in a sub level basement.
Please, Todd, its time to test the Belite Radiant aircraft Pocket radio. Lets move up the big boys and see if this radio is worth the $100 premium. I have been looking at this radio and have yet to see a video review of it. What intrigues me the most about this radio is the aircraft band, as my job puts me near airports ( large and small ) occasionally, and I'd like to listen in on outgoing and incoming craft while at work. The CC skywave is cool, but just to big to fit in the "pocket".
The Sangean has bass boost, but is the sound really bassy? I want to buy one to listen to music on FM while traveling on the bus
I adds a nice fullness to the low end without distortion. Of course it only works on the headphone jack.
Good review, I want to like this little unit for my bug out bag, but honestly its crap with too many inconsistencies. Going back to Amazon.
I am thinking of getting one of these to listen to AM/FM at work but cant have weather/emergency alarms going off in my pocket. Can I turn those feautures off?
Yes. You have to manually activate the Alert feature.
@@todderbert Thank you, can you recommend a am/fm radio that also plays music files off of internal memory or SD card?
@@todderbert to add, a pocket sized radio with those features...
Thanks for great info...
Dr Toddlebert,
I have the 200 and 400 Sangean models. I never bothered with the 800 series. I don’t know if the 800 series offers reception over the 200 & 400 series. The reception on the 200 & 400 is excellent in my humble opinion. I do have the CC Pocket . What say you doc ? Thanks. It may be interference in your house or nearby power lines or both causing the hum for what that is worth. It appears that the plants that are native to IL are radio friendly. In So. FL a 1000
watt station might go 10 to 20 miles. On open ocean it might get you up to a 100 miles.
Ill stick with the DT-200X, and DT-400W models. I returned all of my DT-800s.
Thank you so much for your input.
When this video came out I bought this radio. Weeks or months later it stopped working completely 🥲 Unlike the ICF-P26 sony (there's also a video about that one in this channel) which I bought the same year and still works today very well 🤩 I also have another radio even older from Sony that still works as well (even after many many battery leaks ahah) its the ICF-SW22, I think
Love your channel. I love radios also. I have the 400wx. In your opinion, You would not invest in this newer model?? Im in the fence and might get the cc pocket for a back up. Also, im looking for a really good radio. I had the eton fr-1000 but lost it when i sold my truck. Any premium radios you recommend? I like sangean and eton but open to all. Thanks.
I would stick with the 400. As far as a high end emergency radio, Kaito pretty much has that market.
@@todderbert thanks, how about portable/ table radio? I dont have a computer or tv, so radio is my thing.
C. Crane is similar and more user friendly. I like the 400 better. I think the sensitivity is better. Maybe it is my imagination. No benefit for me to use the 800 model, and like you I had issues with mine and trashed it.
I've loved Sangean products but, this thing is a dud! I bought one and although it would work, I couldn't get it to go in to setup mode. So, I returned it for a second unit. This one ran perfectly for two days then stopped. I replaced the batteries. Tried running it by charging the internal battery. Nothing. It wasn't dropped or abused. It was sitting on the couch next to me when it stopped. So I returned that one too and got my money back. I bought a CCPocket online for my daily listening and it's a gem!
I agree, the DT-800 was not for me as well, I returned mine and stuck with the DT-400W and CC Pocket.
So, they simply rely on customers for their QC? It is so bad, I will not deal with SANGEAN!
Yes, with this particular radio.
Can you recommend an alternative? Basic pocket aa am/fm radio with long battery life?
Not quite as pocket friendly but workable is the Sony ICF-P26. It boasts 100+ hour run times on 2AA batteries.
@@todderbert Thanks!
Carlos Tuazon
I love my Tecsun R-233.
Basic, and NON-DSP)
The Tecsun R-218 is similar. I also have the Sony icf-P-26. A fine radio, as is the Kaito KA-230.
But my favorite is the R-233.
I think there are reviews on all of these.
I think Todderbert has done all of these?
📻🙂
@@todderbert but what would you recommend as the best affordable pocket radio that is rechargeable?
Just got this DT 800 much better radio than my C Crane Pocket.
DT800 has multiple FM REGIONS AND AM TUNING STEPPING SWITCH. 76 - 108 MHz in 200 kHz odd channels ? Yes. and also 9 kHz and 10 kHz tuning step for AM and 1 kHz step option for AM. Russian OIRT FM EXPANDED BAND INCLUDED (64 - 108 MHz).
The main reason people buy these two is for the weather. Isn’t the CCrane Pocket lacking Alert?
CC Pocket has Weather Alert.
@@todderbert I mean the ability to alert you during FM radio?
@@justind4448 no, when on alert, it conserves batteries by turning the main radio off.
Sorry I forgot to ask. What do you think is the absolute best AM Radio? I was also looking at the Countycomm GP5. I’m really looking for the best overall and of course best reception. In a pocket or small size radio. Thank you!!
For a pocket radio, I would pick the CC Pocket, for a small sized radio a CC Skywave, XHData D-808 or Digitech AR1780.
The CountyComm is cool, but the speaker is very tinny.
todderbert I appreciate your response! Thank you brother!
Is the RDS available only with headphones?
It will work on Speaker mode with a pair of headphones or the wire provided.
@@todderbert Thank you!
My RDS works on FM without anything in headphones jack.
Interesting that C. Crane has Sangean make their radios if I am not mistaken.
Most of them, I think RedSun may make some for them still.
_Sangean was not up to the SW and AM band. They are only good for FM frequency._
It’s a weather alert radio... why don’t you show these features?
Because this was a follow up video to this one: th-cam.com/video/N1ZmK0W9NFs/w-d-xo.html
In my humble opinion it is not worth the green. The DT 400 works for moi. I don’t think the selectivity/sensitivity are as good either on the 800. Maybe my imagination. This is the only Sangean product I had problems with. Everything else is very good. Only thing better then Sangean was Sony back in the 60’s.
Had two of these and they both malfunctioned through the headphone jack, so never again.
Thanks for the feedback Eric. Quality is questionable on this unit. Bugs me because I own many of their radios with no issues.
the Sangean DT 200 and DT400 are great radios
The headphone jack on mine got flaky also. Just outside the warranty period - it's basically useless for headphone listentinng. I went back to my aging CC Pocket, I'll probably get another pocket when this one bites the dust.
I think i wouldnt buy that sangean, the audio is missing highs, sounds a bit muffled.
SÓ GOSTARIA DE SABER SE POSSO MEMORIZAR AS EMISSORAS MANUALMENTE.
Did you saw my bandscan video from Tijuana? I will log the stations to my logbook.
I am working on a project. A scanner hard wired for the local emergency frequencies. A gift for my nephew, and grand nephew. Something that they can tinker with as a Father/Son project.....
Using a mobile scanner? Skywarn, PD and FD frequencies would be nice along with a weather alert mode. I'm lucky that quite a few first responders still use analog in my area.
@@todderbert it's more of a home brew receiver. My main issue is the switching makes a gawdawful howl. I'm thinking I may have to use digital switching.......
Kalo di indonesia gk ada yg jual gk usah di tampilkan promonya boss...!
PRice
400 is better in design and bass boost works with 400 speaker
They must have changed something because Bass Boost does not work on my DT400's or DT200X's speaker.
_Pocket has a better AM band._