Degen Introduces DE205 Pocket Portable

"When Only The Cheapest Will Do"

What does $9.50 buy? With many world band radios, it won't even cover a good
AC adaptor. But with the new Degen DE205, manufactured and sold in China, it
lands you an entire radio with digital frequency readout. This pocket
portable uses two "AA" batteries with minimal battery consumption, and there
's even a hinge to keep the battery cover from getting lost.

Still, ten bucks has limits. The '205 comes with no batteries, no carrying
pouch, no earbuds and no AC adaptor (although jacks are provided for
earphones and wall wart). And while it features digital frequency readout,
it is analog-tuned. So there are no presets or keypad-tuning is via a
smoothly operating thumbwheel, and that's that.

Earmarks of thriftiness go even further. The readout doesn't display
kilohertz; so, say, 5995 kHz shows as either 5.99 or 6.00 MHz. There's only
one bandwidth and single conversion, plus you have to jiggle an archaic
"SW1/SW2" bandswitch. But all this is equally true of several models costing
more.

The '205 offers a couple of goodies not normally found on el cheapo radios:
an illuminated display, for starters, and coverage of the Japanese FM band
as well as part of the old Warsaw Pact FM band. It includes a clock which
doubles as a clock radio, and there's a stick-in elevation tab affixed to
the carrying strap so the radio can be tilted to a comfortable operating
angle; not the best arrangement, but it works. However, the clock shows only
in 12-hour format and even then only when the radio is off. Too, the
pushbutton illumination is so dim that you can't read the display until your
eyes get used to the dark; even then, you have to squint. Otherwise, the LCD
has good contrast when viewed head-on or from below.

World band coverage is 5450-10200 kHz ("SW1") and 11350-18180 kHz ("SW2"),
which is much more generous and useful than what's printed on the radio's
case: 5.95-9.95 and 11.65-17.90 MHz. Omitted are the 120, 90, 75, 60, 15, 13
and 11 meter world band segments. However, among these only 13 meters is
important to most listeners, and even then only during certain daytime
hours.
Mediumwave AM coverage is 525-1620 kHz, which orphans the 1625-1705 kHz
portion of the X-band used in many parts of the world. However, 70-109 MHz
FM coverage is about as good as it gets on any radio at any price, even if
it is peculiar: Not only are the usual 87-108 MHz band and the Japanese
76-90 MHz FM band covered, but also the upper portion of the 66-74 MHz
"Warsaw Pact" FM band. What's puzzling is why the lower four Megahertz of
that band have been left out.

Even in China, where prices are rock bottom, once you get much below $40
there are significant compromises in world band performance. The '205 is no
exception, but it holds its own against models costing significantly more.
Speaker audio, unsurprisingly, lacks even a vestige of proper bass
reproduction, so it is something of a squawk box unless you use earpieces.
Still, for the size of the radio and speaker it is quite decent-plenty of
punch, too.

Within the shortwave spectrum, where world band stations reside, unlike with
some other cheap models there is no frequency drift when the radio is held.
But the frequency readout tends to be at least one kilohertz high, image
rejection is poor and selectivity (adjacent-channel rejection) is no better.

World band sensitivity, although passable, is mediocre. However, if you clip
ten feet or three meters of wire to the set's telescopic antenna,
weak-signal reception improves noticeably, with little added overloading in
much of the world. That's because dynamic range is pretty decent for a radio
like this, although overloading tends to become commonplace if that wire
gets much longer. Indeed, in high-signal locations such as Europe the wire
needs to kept shorter.

Mediumwave AM sensitivity is only fair, while reception of distant stations
is further limited by digital "buzz" from the LCD. Also, selectivity is
mediocre and image-type spurious signals intrude. On our unit, when stations
are tuned by ear the center frequency reads 2 kHz higher than it should.

FM fares little better, being only in mono and with mediocre capture ratio,
fair sensitivity and a tendency to overload when there are nearby FM
transmitters.

If you choose to purchase an AC adaptor, you'll find that the output voltage
requirement is unusual: 5V DC (center-pin negative). Never fear, a 4.5V DC
adaptor works fine.
The telescopic antenna swivels and rotates, and is of better build quality
than is usually seen on low-cost models. However, it exits somewhat
unhandily from the radio's left side, so like some politicians it can't tilt
to the right. When roosting fully inside the radio it picks up digital
"buzz" on shortwave from the LCD, but this is largely moot as the antenna
needs to be extended for world band stations to be picked up. When it's
extended, little if any buzz is audible unless you touch the antenna.

Not only is that telescopic antenna of superior quality for something so
cheap, the entire radio appears to be constructed to a higher standard. It
is too early to predict how well it will hold up over time, but on the
surface it appears to have better build quality than any of the other
"cheaps" we've laid hands on in recent years.

Degen's new DE205 is no barnburner, and the lack of a 24-hour clock format
makes keeping track of World Time (UTC) a chore. But it is the cheapest
world band radio PASSPORT has tested that incorporates digital frequency
readout, and it performs and is constructed better than its price suggests.
It should be great as a stocking-stuffer, for casual use on trips, and as
giveaways by government agencies or NGOs.

So, what's the catch? Unless you're in China or willing to try finding a
Chinese vendor on eBay, it's not yet available. If Kaito eventually includes
it in its North American line, it would doubtless be sold for noticeably
more as the Kaito KA205.

http://www.passband.com/pages/receivernews.htm

In article ,
Mike Terry wrote:
Degen Introduces DE205 Pocket Portable

While I'm sure your intentions were good, IBS probably does not appreciate
your reproducing copyrighted material. It would have better to just post
the URL (as I did this morning when I called attention to the DE105 review.

http://www.passband.com/pages/receivernews.htm

In article , (Mike S.)
writes:


While I'm sure your intentions were good, IBS probably does not appreciate
your reproducing copyrighted material. It would have better to just post
the URL (as I did this morning when I called attention to the DE105 review.

http://www.passband.com/pages/receivernews.htm


- Not even 10:30 & I'm in trouble already...

& Your probably right

In article ,
Diverd4777 wrote:
In article , (Mike S.)
writes:


While I'm sure your intentions were good, IBS probably does not appreciate
your reproducing copyrighted material. It would have better to just post
the URL (as I did this morning when I called attention to the DE105 review.

http://www.passband.com/pages/receivernews.htm


- Not even 10:30 & I'm in trouble already...

& Your probably right


I wasn't trying to get anyone in trouble or play netcop. Imagine, though,
if someone from IBS sees their stuff posted on newsgroups, and decides it
isn't worth putting their updates out on a public web server for fear of
being ripped off.

(Mike S.) wrote in message ...
In article ,
Mike Terry wrote:
Degen Introduces DE205 Pocket Portable

While I'm sure your intentions were good, IBS probably does not appreciate
your reproducing copyrighted material. It would have better to just post
the URL (as I did this morning when I called attention to the DE105 review.

http://www.passband.com/pages/receivernews.htm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To Mike S. - you are an anal retentive moron. Their is nothing wrong
with the posting of a review, especially since he didn't claim it to
be his own. Even more so considering he included the link directly to
the source at the end. Get a life, you obviously have way too much
free time on your hands.
To Mike T. - Thanks for taking the time to bring this radio to the
groups attention and for posting the review.
Melvin