Path: utzoo!utgpu!ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca!CUVMA!SWL-L Date: Fri, 12 Jan 90 11:52:47 EST Reply-To: "William K. McFadden" Sender: Short Wave Listener's List Comments: Warning -- original Sender: tag was From: "William K. McFadden" Subject: Re: Sangean ATS-803a: clarifications requested X-To: swl-l@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: UofToronto LAN redistribution Message-ID: <90Jan13.125836est.57399@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> Newsgroups: bitnet.swl-l Distribution: ut Approved: devnull@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu In article <1990Jan7.195831.14375@NCoast.ORG> allbery@ncoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) writes: >(1) I have heard from some reports that the Sangean has dual-conversion. > Other sources (including what my parents were told...) indicated that it > was single-conversion. Which is it? Double conversion on AM (150-29999 KHz), single conversion on FM. Both of your sources were right; they were just talking about different functions. >(2) Does it have digital tuning? This one is less clear, as the descriptions > I've received include features that I would expect to be easier to get > with digital tuning (frequency memories, in particular)... but I'm told > that it's analog tuning. [I'm not talking about keyboard entry of > frequencies, I'm talking about the display.] It has frequency synthesized PLL tuning in 1 KHz increments for AM, 50 KHz for FM. There are five tuning methods: direct keyboard entry, tuning knob (variable rate depending on speed of turning), up/down buttons, scanning (rate depends on band), and memory recall (9 memories). There is an LCD digital display of the frequency. The radio has analog tuning in the sense that there is an analog front end, local oscillator, analog mixer, and analog detector. It has digital tuning in the sense that the local oscillator's frequency is digitally controlled. Subject to interpretation, both sources are again correct. However, the consensus would say the ATS-803A has digital tuning. But, as more and more functions in receivers are done digitally, more confusion will result when someone says they have a "digital" radio. Just look at the audio industry to see how the word digital has been abused to the point of meaninglessness. -- Bill McFadden Tektronix, Inc. P.O. Box 500 MS 58-639 Beaverton, OR 97077 UUCP: bill@videovax.Tek.com, {hplabs,uw-beaver,decvax}!tektronix!videovax!bill GTE: (503) 627-6920 "The biggest difference between developing a missle component and a toy is the 'cost constraint.'" -- John Anderson, Engineer, TI