I think they're a great alternative to building a multiband receiver yourself. I'm an electronics engineer by training and was considering building an Si4732 radio myself from scratch, but buying an ATS-20+ ready built for a little over £20 worked out a lot cheaper when you factor in a nice aluminium case. I didn't like the firmware mine came with, so I downloaded someone else's firmware and installed that along with a few of my own custom modifications to the code and am now quite impressed with it. I've also upgraded mine with a much bigger LiPo and now get around 50 hours of runtime per charge making it a very useful emergency receiver. If you're a competent tinkerer and want something to play with, these can be a very interesting radio indeed. If you're not, have a good think about whether your money would be better spent on something else instead.
Your warnings are very relevant. Many consumers contact me assuming I have some association with the manufacturers of these receivers because I developed the Arduino library for the SI473X family. In reality, the purpose of my project (the library) was primarily educational. As a radio listener and amateur radio operator, I found it fascinating to develop homemade receivers with considerable performance using these DSPs. I never anticipated that my project would reach beyond the workbenches of electronics hobbyists. In the end, I fully agree with your warnings. These receivers can indeed disappoint consumers, especially if they lack the skills needed to pursue future improvements.
Thanks for your comment Ricardo. Whilst I have had some fun with these radios and the excellent upgrades to firmware you have been involved with it is my opinion they do have a lot of flaws that mean for most people something like a Tecsun, XHdata or Sangean would be far better.
Idont know what your on buddy, I currently own 4 different models, including the ats 200 and max decoder 2, been using them for several months, every night, and no problems to report, excellent little units. Dont fret over the lack of branding, treat them gently and they will last!
There is nothing wrong with the AST25 line of radios. I have the ATS25-Max Decoder II and it works very well especially decoding FT8 and then transferring the data to my computer and printing it. Or you code decode it to a Android Tablet.The other thing is the firmware is up-gradable via WIFI. Currently running 4.2 software. Also having a LNA and HIZ filter is great along with a BFO for LSB/USB. Being based on the ESP32 and Si4732 is actually kinda impressive. Based on Python for those that like to tinker.
@@KevinOReillyswl If you use a good antenna it is no different than a Pl-330/R-108/D-808. Define experimental? RF performance is very good. And the ones in your video was probably on old firmware, There is no comparison of the ATS25 to the newer radios. Like the one I stated. ATS25-Max Decoder II and the up coming ATS25 Pro+ Air. Why not review the Newer radios that are out with a good active loop antenna or a long wire. The difference is amazing.
@JeffStadt experimental in the sense that firmware can be upgraded but firmware upgrades cannot address the inherent performance shortcomings. I don't accept that the RF performance is good, in fact it's difficult to recall any receiver I have used where it was worse. As much as I have purchased a few of these receiver's I cannot justify spending the exorbitant price that the latest ATS 25 incarnations demand. In my opinion they are vastly overpriced.
6:15 @@charlesfeinstein7035I stand by my views there are so many better and cheaper receiver's. Incidentally my dad owned an old VW beetle many years ago, I am not sure what he thought of it as a driver's car but it certainly was no porsche😅
Unfortunately, there has been no major leap in terms of the chip used in these receivers -- the ATS120/200 etc suffer from AM/FM break in and overloading...
They certainly are not commercial radios, but are considered experimental radios. They are cheap enough to be able to listen to broadcasts and SSB. Not everyone can afford Icoms, Kenwoods or Yaesu or the expensive cheaper brands. Of course the biggest problem with these radios is that multiple factories are making them and some factories are putting out an inferior product where another factory puts out a decent product for the price. I do think they have given a good time to many, such as myself and also frustration to many, such as myself. You have many cool, high priced radios that you own, so why would these experimental radios thrill you when you can sit in front of a professional commercial radio with nice weighted tuning knobs and switches to flick up and down. I guess you would not be interested in an electric bike when you have a nice fancy car to drive, either.
@KevinOReillyswl True, there are a lot of good radios out there like the Tecsun and XHDATA, but if you do get a good ATS from a good manufacturer it can be a lot of fun at a reasonable price. Thanks for the videos you present of all your radios, it is fun seeing them and hearing about them and wishing I had them. 😁
@@KevinOReillyswl but a Tecsun Will not decode ft4, psk, jt9, ft8(Which it does fine I haven't tried the other modes yet), sstv, jt65, rtty, cw, the new ATS25 max-Decoder // made by Jstvro With The latest firmware update Which it does automatically when you first switch on ,for about £80 And comes with a handbook believe it or not
It took you buying 5 of them to come to the conclusion you shouldn't buy one? I'm just putting that out there first off. I have the 25 decoder 2 max turbo 16v giha version (yeah I got it then it was superseeded by a newer version within weeks, now thats a gripe) But it's a great little radio, like any radio put a half decent antenna on it and you'll get decent results, I've done some SSTV stuff with it and some FT8 with hits from australia, africa, the americas, literally around the globe! for the money it's a great radio. As for the questionable multiple manufacturers, the software is the key part and the hardware is licenced out, if they build a poor version they won't sell many........build a good version people will buy that one. I will say it requires you to work it out as you go along and asumes you know everything (no one dose) but thats it's charm, you learn a lot exploring whats possible with them. Hook them to a pc/tablet or phone with an audio cable and suddenly even the original 20's can do alot :)
Yes I bought 5 of them!! Good point again! People are interested in these radios. All of the videos I have done covering these have been poular. Doesn't make them good radios though. In my experience if you put a decent antenna on these radios, they will overload!
@@KevinOReillyswl Wasn't an attack on you, I get it, you don't like them, I and many others do like them, just thought it was funny you bought 5 of them despite not liking them, again not a dig, it just made me chuckle a bit. 73
I have an ATS 25 and I think some functions don't work like they should. I find the most annoying thing is having to use the touch screen and the main knob for every function.
The radios you present seem to be production line made receivers that come originally from the amateur radio homebrew community. So what sticker do you want to put on them? I recently bought an antenna tuner from china with n7ddc's code in the microprocessor. As long as it is open source there is nothing wrong with it. But they seem to have made the display stay dark so that you don't see the opening screen with n7ddc's call sign.
@@KevinOReillyswl probably there are a couple of chinese manufacturers producing the same product. There is no guarantee that the source is always the same.
I only have one of these, the ATS-25 AMP and I'm pretty happy with it overall for the price I paid for it (about 80 euros). It corrects most of the shortcomings you point out on the ATS-25, it's quite a decent performer on SW when connected to an external antenna (MLA30+ active loop) which is how I use it for. No FM nor MW. Its performance on SW rivals my TEF6686-based "silver sardine can" receiver and some of my best hand held receivers like my Qodosen SR-286. It has tons of nice features: SSB support to begin with, but also FT8 decoding, the real-time band condition indicator etc. Yes, it does have flaws and quality control issues: the LCD backlight on mine tends to flicker after some time, I presume when the battery voltage starts dropping a bit. The encoder is imprecise, the touchscreen isn't the most sensitive either. I also strongly dislike the idea of a closed source, key-protected firmware. Finding updates is very difficult. Mine was delivered with a beta version that has some significant bugs, like crashing if I move the encoder too soon after power up. It seems that the only place to get updates is from a Russian forum, which hints at the firmware at least coming from over there. The required activation key makes me nervous about applying any update anyway...
Depends on what you do with these. I do neither FM nor MW and on SW when connected to a proper outdoors antenna the ATS-25 does really good. Not a whole lot of difference with my SR-286 in the same conditions and it has SSB, something the Qodosen sadly lacks.
@@KevinOReillyswl Certainly not as easy as on my Tecsun PL-660 or even my Xhdata D-808, but less fiddly than on my Tecsun PL-330 for sure. I haven't noticed it as being that difficult to tune.
Agreed, at £20 the ATS-20+ is okay the rest are a bit lack lustre... i fitted a secon antenna connector on mine so one for fm and a second with an internal bias feed for hf..
Not when my Lowe HF-150 is still going strong, with LCD backlight mod installed. Is my go to for portable, non SDR listening. Had a look at the ATS20+ as a low cost unit to leave in the car, but why when the performance is sub par? Great video Kevin! Thanks for showing the differences and highlighting the drawbacks.
Devil's Advocate: Cheap isn't bad, so long as you know what you're getting. I would DEFINITELY recommend a SDR $160 receiver to a noob. Why?... 1. Because it's essentially renting a much higher value unit at a lower cost point and learning about the hobby before you make the huge financial investment. 2. A good antenna fixes the vast majority of radio issues, and learning how to tweak reception for YOUR ear fixes the rest.
I tend to agree with your summary, I've been using the ATS-20+ and it's quirky but works well, even on SSB. I wouldn't buy any of the other ATS models The 20+ I received has v3.0.4 firmware & has a sharp A in the ATS logo on the front panel, not the arched A, on the back panel there's an embossed/raised radiowave design too. I read this is the model to buy. For the £20 I paid I'm quite happy with it as a bit of fun. Good video, thanks.
Yes, it’s the best option for a basic user - cost- and power-efficient. Plus, the firmware can be upgraded with improved implementations that fix all the most annoying issues (e.g. enabling smaller step on SSB, minimal muting while tuning, etc.)
You got the original manufacturer of the radio and a bunch of other factories started producing clones of inferior quality that are still using the 1.5 firmware, that also have a chuffing sound and will not be recognized by a PC. Glad you enjoy yours.
One reason not to buy an ATS-20+ unless you get it really cheap is that a lot of them came with bad USB ports on the Arduino board and you can't update the firmware unless you replace the Arduino.
But if your comparingh therm against a receiver that costs hundreds of pounds of course they are going to be crap. but lets be honist not every ham can afford 100s of pounds to splash out on the latest yaesu or icom. these things are a god send to new hams who just want to listen to hf.
I am comparing them to bargain basement radios like the Tecsun PL330. Some of the more expensive ATS 25 versions are not far off the price of the Belka DX or Qodosen DX 286 both of which are world's ahead of the ATS radios.
@@KevinOReillyswl Actually not really, I have one and it overloads with a good antenna. Place a MW band stop filter on either the ATS25 or PL-300 and problem solved.
@@charlesfeinstein7035 I think they have some sort of upconverter circuit in there as the SI 4732 chip doesn't cover those frequencies take a look at the specification for the chip and you will see.
Who cares about paying money to brand names? If Icom keeps playing arrogant and refuses to show specs until I hand over my money then let the competition flourish. What we need is radio quietness and quick ability to blank out undesired signals.
@@KevinOReillyswl I use Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu and various Chinese brands on my ham radio station. I would say: Kenwood for the best transmitters on HF, Yaesu for best value for money and size, Icom for being pedantic and have it all. On next home I consider the Elecraft K4.
I like Icom personally it's well built gear. I love my Icom R70 receiver and.the IC 706 and 7000 transceivers. Not so much the IC 718. Kenwoods always had a name for great tx audio.
Kevin , thanks for your ATS receiver review. I currently have an ATS 120 and find its performance a mixed bag. I find the RDS to be one of the best of all the receivers that I have. However, no included manual and the English Translations on the software….need work. When I got it the RDS would never turn on and had to manually engaged by pushing the “FM” button on the 2nd screen but it would quit as soon as the RDS started showing. Finally, I went into the set-up screen and the 1st button “Push FM for RDS” was defaulted on… deselecting it cured the RDS problem. Your ATS 60 might have that problem. I know there is a Russian firmware update (need to pay) that solves allot of those problems, wish they would come up with firmware on my Raddy R919 too. 73! Have a great day!
@ Kevin I only have the QoDosen SR-286 and it miss allot of weaker RDS signals my ATS- 120 doesn’t, I don’t know if that varies from radio sample after sample as the issues of quality control from China radio manufacturing process. Well I glad you are happy with your QoDosen DX-286 . 73!
Not a shade on my Realistic DX160 🤣🤣. One positive...pretty cheap? Thanks for sharing your rather extensive collection of these....dare I say you have caught the "acquisition bug"....I have the straight key variant of this disease!! 🤣🤣 73 de VK2AOE
I have a Sony ICF-2010 I really like. I considered getting one of those ATS radios, to have a little radio I could carry around conveniently, but was....kinda SUSPICIOUS. I ended up getting an old Sony ICF-2002, for less than what those Chinese wonderadios are going for. Except for its rather broad selectivity, it does a great job on SSB, and I'm happy with it.
@@KevinOReillyswl And far more expensive. But Sony put out some very good receivers with advanced design. It is sad Sony and Panasonic gave up on producing SW radio receivers.
ATS-20 for 20 money units and Goshante firmware is ok as an absolute minimum SW receiver. But even a PL-320 is much better choice at a slightly higher price.
@@ominkan3129 My mistake, Tecsun PL-330. It is a better device overall, however it still has that annoying silencing between steps while tuning. The same issue is almost gone on ATS-20 with Goshante firmware.
@batica81 oh yes the Tecsun PL 330 is nice but the muting is very distracting. The Goshante FW has made the ATS 20, 20+ much nicer to tune the bands. Plus the signal strength meter and scanning is a big plus. I think there is good and bad in every radio, but you have to judge how much enjoyment one receives in using them.
Your ATS25 is very old. For $50 pus the import tax, you get an up to date one with Airband, 2M and Bluetooth. Yes its deaf when I use a magloop when travelling but fixed with a LNA.
I agree they are so over priced better buying from xiegu great performance and price plus transmit on all the models my ATS25 went deaf lasted less than a year found it to be a very useless receiver they suck you in with the screens that look good but the performance is terrible great channel
I can see the direction your coming from regarding the Chinese radios, the only part i give credit to is recardo, his work in programming these arduino chips is amazing, infact brilliant, the problem is in the hardware design, i said that about 3 years ago after inspection of a friends ats 20.. they do work maybe not the best quality on the reception side of things, and for obvious reasons, they are a novelty thats all, you pay your money you take your chance! I collected a few of these over the past couple of years for almost next to nothing, why! I use the cases and some of the parts for CW QRP LOW POWER TRANSCEIVERS ! Doesn't take much re- work if you know how to do it.. 73s
I’ve always been suspicious of these radios. I could never understand all the fuss with all the you tube videos. I’ll stick to my tecsun, xh data and qodoshen radios
Thanks for your videos and sharing! I never bought any of these and I think you are right. I have XHDATA, Sihuadon, Belka and might try to buy a Qodosen DX286 later, still not decided, as I don't really do MW or FM DXing, just a casual Radio listener yet an avid ham.
All the reasons that are giving are irrelevant, they are amateur radio projectors and the one who buys them knows that they are, if he wanted one, at a higher price and of quality, he bought it and that's it.
I have the 125decoder and using a pull up antenna on the back, it mainly performs satisfactorily on FM broadcast. The radio is rarely used. I may be better satisfied once it's connected to an outside antenna. But AM broadcast is very poor even on local stations. Thank you for sharing the product review. Key to user satisfaction is upgrading the software.
Sorry but your statement not correct ! Software upgrade is not the way to improve this radios performance, the hardware is were the problem lies, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work that out...
Good points. 👍🏻 + #3 This may be considered a subjective impression, but all of them provide different definitions of a UX disaster. A type of radio that pretends to be desktop, yet requires you to hold it with one hand while using controls with the other (or using a fixed stand); critical controls are located on the back panel, necessitating that you either flip it over or try to find the power switch by touch - this says it all. At their core, as tuners, they are all the same. Yes, there is a fan base of promoters and purchasers who like to think they have invested in a good product and will cling to that idea (with all the bells and whistles present, such as memory/channel names and dozens of questionable options like a retro scale in the ATS-25x, which are always visible on a cluttered display and must be accessed with a stylus, by the way!), which may make them feel satisfied. As a basic user who needs quick and convenient control over essential DSP radio functionalities (such as disabling soft mute and AGC), I use a handheld SI4732* receiver worth ~£11, which operates solely by an encoder and doesn't even have a proper cabinet; yet, it’s the most convenient basic receiver I’ve encountered. When it comes to the SI473x implementations, simpler and cheaper is better, IMHO.
A would not recommend them for beginners. But to be honest with better antenna the 25 is pretty good. And has better sound btw than my Data 808 (which I like:-)
I think they're a great alternative to building a multiband receiver yourself. I'm an electronics engineer by training and was considering building an Si4732 radio myself from scratch, but buying an ATS-20+ ready built for a little over £20 worked out a lot cheaper when you factor in a nice aluminium case. I didn't like the firmware mine came with, so I downloaded someone else's firmware and installed that along with a few of my own custom modifications to the code and am now quite impressed with it. I've also upgraded mine with a much bigger LiPo and now get around 50 hours of runtime per charge making it a very useful emergency receiver.
If you're a competent tinkerer and want something to play with, these can be a very interesting radio indeed. If you're not, have a good think about whether your money would be better spent on something else instead.
Agree, if you want to tinker then the ATS radios have some appeal.
Your warnings are very relevant. Many consumers contact me assuming I have some association with the manufacturers of these receivers because I developed the Arduino library for the SI473X family. In reality, the purpose of my project (the library) was primarily educational. As a radio listener and amateur radio operator, I found it fascinating to develop homemade receivers with considerable performance using these DSPs. I never anticipated that my project would reach beyond the workbenches of electronics hobbyists. In the end, I fully agree with your warnings. These receivers can indeed disappoint consumers, especially if they lack the skills needed to pursue future improvements.
Thanks for your comment Ricardo. Whilst I have had some fun with these radios and the excellent upgrades to firmware you have been involved with it is my opinion they do have a lot of flaws that mean for most people something like a Tecsun, XHdata or Sangean would be far better.
I've got an ats-20+, and to tell you the truth, for the money it is not bad. I've spent more for worse!
I spent money on at least one radio that was worse than te ATS20. The ATS 60!!
Idont know what your on buddy, I currently own 4 different models, including the ats 200 and max decoder 2, been using them for several months, every night, and no problems to report, excellent little units. Dont fret over the lack of branding, treat them gently and they will last!
Not on anything!!! I have been into shortwave radio for over 40 years, had countless receivers and these are not good.
@@KevinOReillyswl Maybe the ones you show in your video! And I have had countless radios as well and the Decoder II work well sorry
There is nothing wrong with the AST25 line of radios. I have the ATS25-Max Decoder II and it works very well especially decoding FT8 and then transferring the data to my computer and printing it. Or you code decode it to a Android Tablet.The other thing is the firmware is up-gradable via WIFI. Currently running 4.2 software. Also having a LNA and HIZ filter is great along with a BFO for LSB/USB. Being based on the ESP32 and Si4732 is actually kinda impressive. Based on Python for those that like to tinker.
It's fine as an experimental receiver but it doesn't matter how many additional gadgets you put on the radio if it's basic RF performance is poor.
@@KevinOReillyswl If you use a good antenna it is no different than a Pl-330/R-108/D-808. Define experimental? RF performance is very good. And the ones in your video was probably on old firmware, There is no comparison of the ATS25 to the newer radios. Like the one I stated. ATS25-Max Decoder II and the up coming ATS25 Pro+ Air. Why not review the Newer radios that are out with a good active loop antenna or a long wire. The difference is amazing.
Totally agree, Jeff. I made similar points. Like testing an old VW Beetle and declaring that all German cars including Porsches drive poorly.
@JeffStadt experimental in the sense that firmware can be upgraded but firmware upgrades cannot address the inherent performance shortcomings. I don't accept that the RF performance is good, in fact it's difficult to recall any receiver I have used where it was worse. As much as I have purchased a few of these receiver's I cannot justify spending the exorbitant price that the latest ATS 25 incarnations demand. In my opinion they are vastly overpriced.
6:15 @@charlesfeinstein7035I stand by my views there are so many better and cheaper receiver's. Incidentally my dad owned an old VW beetle many years ago, I am not sure what he thought of it as a driver's car but it certainly was no porsche😅
Unfortunately, there has been no major leap in terms of the chip used in these receivers -- the ATS120/200 etc suffer from AM/FM break in and overloading...
They certainly are not commercial radios, but are considered experimental radios. They are cheap enough to be able to listen to broadcasts and SSB.
Not everyone can afford Icoms, Kenwoods or Yaesu or the expensive cheaper brands. Of course the biggest problem with these radios is that multiple factories are making them and some factories are putting out an inferior product where another factory puts out a decent product for the price. I do think they have given a good time to many, such as myself and also frustration to many, such as myself.
You have many cool, high priced radios that you own, so why would these experimental radios thrill you when you can sit in front of a professional commercial radio with nice weighted tuning knobs and switches to flick up and down. I guess you would not be interested in an electric bike when you have a nice fancy car to drive, either.
All good points but if cost is an issue a basic Tecsun radio will provide better performance for not much more coat.
@KevinOReillyswl True, there are a lot of good radios out there like the Tecsun and XHDATA, but if you do get a good ATS from a good manufacturer it can be a lot of fun at a reasonable price. Thanks for the videos you present of all your radios, it is fun seeing them and hearing about them and wishing I had them. 😁
@@KevinOReillyswl but a Tecsun Will not decode ft4, psk, jt9, ft8(Which it does fine I haven't tried the other modes yet), sstv, jt65, rtty, cw, the new ATS25 max-Decoder // made by Jstvro With The latest firmware update Which it does automatically when you first switch on ,for about £80 And comes with a handbook believe it or not
@@londo776A cheap RTL dongle and free software on a Windows PC would decode all of that too.
It took you buying 5 of them to come to the conclusion you shouldn't buy one? I'm just putting that out there first off. I have the 25 decoder 2 max turbo 16v giha version (yeah I got it then it was superseeded by a newer version within weeks, now thats a gripe) But it's a great little radio, like any radio put a half decent antenna on it and you'll get decent results, I've done some SSTV stuff with it and some FT8 with hits from australia, africa, the americas, literally around the globe! for the money it's a great radio. As for the questionable multiple manufacturers, the software is the key part and the hardware is licenced out, if they build a poor version they won't sell many........build a good version people will buy that one. I will say it requires you to work it out as you go along and asumes you know everything (no one dose) but thats it's charm, you learn a lot exploring whats possible with them. Hook them to a pc/tablet or phone with an audio cable and suddenly even the original 20's can do alot :)
Yes I bought 5 of them!! Good point again! People are interested in these radios. All of the videos I have done covering these have been poular. Doesn't make them good radios though. In my experience if you put a decent antenna on these radios, they will overload!
@@KevinOReillyswl Wasn't an attack on you, I get it, you don't like them, I and many others do like them, just thought it was funny you bought 5 of them despite not liking them, again not a dig, it just made me chuckle a bit. 73
No offence taken, you made a good point! :)
Nice honest review
Thank you 🙂
@KevinOReillyswl it was time that someone put in the spotlight the flaws of these gadgets. Chins churns millions of these to thr west.
I have an ATS 25 and I think some functions don't work like they should. I find the most annoying thing is having to use the touch screen and the main knob for every function.
The radios you present seem to be production line made receivers that come originally from the amateur radio homebrew community. So what sticker do you want to put on them? I recently bought an antenna tuner from china with n7ddc's code in the microprocessor. As long as it is open source there is nothing wrong with it. But they seem to have made the display stay dark so that you don't see the opening screen with n7ddc's call sign.
I don't think it is in anyway unreasonable to expect the name of the manufacturer on the device.
@@KevinOReillyswl probably there are a couple of chinese manufacturers producing the same product. There is no guarantee that the source is always the same.
They are still nice looking radios...I have ATS-252X and I like it
That's an interesting comment as many have stated the design is ugly. In terms of aesthetic appeal I am neutral on these😅
I only have one of these, the ATS-25 AMP and I'm pretty happy with it overall for the price I paid for it (about 80 euros). It corrects most of the shortcomings you point out on the ATS-25, it's quite a decent performer on SW when connected to an external antenna (MLA30+ active loop) which is how I use it for. No FM nor MW. Its performance on SW rivals my TEF6686-based "silver sardine can" receiver and some of my best hand held receivers like my Qodosen SR-286. It has tons of nice features: SSB support to begin with, but also FT8 decoding, the real-time band condition indicator etc.
Yes, it does have flaws and quality control issues: the LCD backlight on mine tends to flicker after some time, I presume when the battery voltage starts dropping a bit. The encoder is imprecise, the touchscreen isn't the most sensitive either. I also strongly dislike the idea of a closed source, key-protected firmware. Finding updates is very difficult. Mine was delivered with a beta version that has some significant bugs, like crashing if I move the encoder too soon after power up. It seems that the only place to get updates is from a Russian forum, which hints at the firmware at least coming from over there. The required activation key makes me nervous about applying any update anyway...
Glad you are enjoying your radio but comparing the Qodosen to the ATS radios I have is like comparing a bicycle to a Formula 1 Racing Car.
Depends on what you do with these. I do neither FM nor MW and on SW when connected to a proper outdoors antenna the ATS-25 does really good. Not a whole lot of difference with my SR-286 in the same conditions and it has SSB, something the Qodosen sadly lacks.
@F4LDT-Alain the implementation of SSB on these ATS radios is not the best, very fiddly to tune.
@@KevinOReillyswl Certainly not as easy as on my Tecsun PL-660 or even my Xhdata D-808, but less fiddly than on my Tecsun PL-330 for sure. I haven't noticed it as being that difficult to tune.
Agreed, at £20 the ATS-20+ is okay the rest are a bit lack lustre... i fitted a secon antenna connector on mine so one for fm and a second with an internal bias feed for hf..
Not when my Lowe HF-150 is still going strong, with LCD backlight mod installed.
Is my go to for portable, non SDR listening.
Had a look at the ATS20+ as a low cost unit to leave in the car, but why when the performance is sub par?
Great video Kevin! Thanks for showing the differences and highlighting the drawbacks.
I find the.HF 150 really good on MW.
@@KevinOReillyswl Agreed!
Devil's Advocate: Cheap isn't bad, so long as you know what you're getting. I would DEFINITELY recommend a SDR $160 receiver to a noob. Why?...
1. Because it's essentially renting a much higher value unit at a lower cost point and learning about the hobby before you make the huge financial investment.
2. A good antenna fixes the vast majority of radio issues, and learning how to tweak reception for YOUR ear fixes the rest.
I tend to agree with your summary, I've been using the ATS-20+ and it's quirky but works well, even on SSB.
I wouldn't buy any of the other ATS models
The 20+ I received has v3.0.4 firmware & has a sharp A in the ATS logo on the front panel, not the arched A, on the back panel there's an embossed/raised radiowave design too.
I read this is the model to buy.
For the £20 I paid I'm quite happy with it as a bit of fun.
Good video, thanks.
Yes, it’s the best option for a basic user - cost- and power-efficient. Plus, the firmware can be upgraded with improved implementations that fix all the most annoying issues (e.g. enabling smaller step on SSB, minimal muting while tuning, etc.)
You got the original manufacturer of the radio and a bunch of other factories started producing clones of inferior quality that are still using the 1.5 firmware, that also have a chuffing sound and will not be recognized by a PC. Glad you enjoy yours.
Personally I don't think its the best option for any user.
@KevinOReillyswl Kevin just imagine with all the comments this is generating, you will be able to afford one of those new shiny Yaesu transceivers. 👍
Here's hoping!!
One reason not to buy an ATS-20+ unless you get it really cheap is that a lot of them came with bad USB ports on the Arduino board and you can't update the firmware unless you replace the Arduino.
But if your comparingh therm against a receiver that costs hundreds of pounds of course they are going to be crap. but lets be honist not every ham can afford 100s of pounds to splash out on the latest yaesu or icom. these things are a god send to new hams who just want to listen to hf.
Tecsun PL330 is better value as a low priced radio.
I am comparing them to bargain basement radios like the Tecsun PL330. Some of the more expensive ATS 25 versions are not far off the price of the Belka DX or Qodosen DX 286 both of which are world's ahead of the ATS radios.
@@KevinOReillyswl Actually not really, I have one and it overloads with a good antenna. Place a MW band stop filter on either the ATS25 or PL-300 and problem solved.
@@KevinOReillyswl The DX-286 does not do SSB
@JeffStadt that's true of course but it its an excellent AM and FM radio.
Why no airband ?
Si 4732 chip won't cover those frequencies
Nonsense. The new ATS-25 Pro+ covers Airband.
@@charlesfeinstein7035 I think they have some sort of upconverter circuit in there as the SI 4732 chip doesn't cover those frequencies take a look at the specification for the chip and you will see.
You buy five and give five reasons not to buy them. Makes sense.
Perfect sense!
They would make great paper weights!
@bryanpuckett3023 no they are too light!
Who cares about paying money to brand names? If Icom keeps playing arrogant and refuses to show specs until I hand over my money then let the competition flourish. What we need is radio quietness and quick ability to blank out undesired signals.
These radios are nothing like Icoms!
@@KevinOReillyswl I use Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu and various Chinese brands on my ham radio station. I would say: Kenwood for the best transmitters on HF, Yaesu for best value for money and size, Icom for being pedantic and have it all. On next home I consider the Elecraft K4.
I like Icom personally it's well built gear. I love my Icom R70 receiver and.the IC 706 and 7000 transceivers. Not so much the IC 718. Kenwoods always had a name for great tx audio.
Well, better than npthing!
True
Kevin , thanks for your ATS receiver review. I currently have an ATS 120 and find its performance a mixed bag. I find the RDS to be one of the best of all the receivers that I have. However, no included manual and the English Translations on the software….need work.
When I got it the RDS would never turn on and had to manually engaged by pushing the “FM” button on the 2nd screen but it would quit as soon as the RDS started showing. Finally, I went into the set-up screen and the 1st button “Push FM for RDS” was defaulted on… deselecting it cured the RDS problem. Your ATS 60 might have that problem.
I know there is a Russian firmware update (need to pay) that solves allot of those problems, wish they would come up with firmware on my Raddy R919 too.
73! Have a great day!
I think the ATS 20+ RDS function worked reasonably well but the Qodosen DX/SR 286 is far better on FM than any of the ATS radios.
@@KevinOReillyswl It should it is a different chip that was meant for cars. And now your starting to see them in these small radios
@ Kevin I only have the QoDosen SR-286 and it miss allot of weaker RDS signals my ATS- 120 doesn’t, I don’t know if that varies from radio sample after sample as the issues of quality control from China radio manufacturing process.
Well I glad you are happy with your QoDosen DX-286 .
73!
Not a shade on my Realistic DX160 🤣🤣. One positive...pretty cheap? Thanks for sharing your rather extensive collection of these....dare I say you have caught the "acquisition bug"....I have the straight key variant of this disease!! 🤣🤣 73 de VK2AOE
I am trying to give up aquiring receivers....but its tough!!
I have a Sony ICF-2010 I really like. I considered getting one of those ATS radios, to have a little radio I could carry around conveniently, but was....kinda SUSPICIOUS. I ended up getting an old Sony ICF-2002, for less than what those Chinese wonderadios are going for. Except for its rather broad selectivity, it does a great job on SSB, and I'm happy with it.
@@Pootycat8359 Sony is far superior to these ATS radios
@@KevinOReillyswl And far more expensive. But Sony put out some very good receivers with advanced design. It is sad Sony and Panasonic gave up on producing SW radio receivers.
Eleven minutes to say, "You get what you pay for." If you don't like them, why did you buy so many?
To review them.
Great form factor, especially the 25. But Chinese chabuduo construction.
ATS-20 for 20 money units and Goshante firmware is ok as an absolute minimum SW receiver. But even a PL-320 is much better choice at a slightly higher price.
@@batica81 PL 320 Tecsun? With no SSB?
@@ominkan3129 My mistake, Tecsun PL-330. It is a better device overall, however it still has that annoying silencing between steps while tuning. The same issue is almost gone on ATS-20 with Goshante firmware.
@batica81 oh yes the Tecsun PL 330 is nice but the muting is very distracting. The Goshante FW has made the ATS 20, 20+ much nicer to tune the bands. Plus the signal strength meter and scanning is a big plus. I think there is good and bad in every radio, but you have to judge how much enjoyment one receives in using them.
Your ATS25 is very old. For $50 pus the import tax, you get an up to date one with Airband, 2M and Bluetooth. Yes its deaf when I use a magloop when travelling but fixed with a LNA.
I haven't seen the newer ATS 25 versions at such a low price not available in.the UK anyway.
I agree they are so over priced better buying from xiegu great performance and price plus transmit on all the models my ATS25 went deaf lasted less than a year found it to be a very useless receiver they suck you in with the screens that look good but the performance is terrible great channel
I can see the direction your coming from regarding the Chinese radios, the only part i give credit to is recardo, his work in programming these arduino chips is amazing, infact brilliant, the problem is in the hardware design, i said that about 3 years ago after inspection of a friends ats 20.. they do work maybe not the best quality on the reception side of things, and for obvious reasons, they are a novelty thats all, you pay your money you take your chance! I collected a few of these over the past couple of years for almost next to nothing, why! I use the cases and some of the parts for CW QRP LOW POWER TRANSCEIVERS ! Doesn't take much re- work if you know how to do it.. 73s
Buy cheap, buy twice. So buy something good the first time.
well you could always donate one to me a new begginner. cheers thanks for the heads up.
You just explained the problem with most things coming out of China.
Problem is most electronics come from there these days.
The best one makes one for himself 🤷🏻♂️
I’ve always been suspicious of these radios. I could never understand all the fuss with all the you tube videos. I’ll stick to my tecsun, xh data and qodoshen radios
Good move
A great service to the SWL community
Thanks for your videos and sharing! I never bought any of these and I think you are right.
I have XHDATA, Sihuadon, Belka and might try to buy a Qodosen DX286 later, still not decided, as I don't really do MW or FM DXing, just a casual Radio listener yet an avid ham.
BELKA is a superb receiver
Thanks for the heads-up!
No worries!
Thank you very much.
That saved me from wasting my money.
You are welcome!
And I wonder....why do they have the ARRL logo on one of them? It's probably trademarked. ARRL ought to sue!
I think the RSGB also use that logo?
@@KevinOReillyswl I checked, and it's similar. However, it has a capacitor instead of an inductor.
All the reasons that are giving are irrelevant, they are amateur radio projectors and the one who buys them knows that they are, if he wanted one, at a higher price and of quality, he bought it and that's it.
They are not projectors! In any case I think you are mistaken. Many newcomers buy these radios and end up disappointed.
I have the 125decoder and using a pull up antenna on the back, it mainly performs satisfactorily on FM broadcast. The radio is rarely used. I may be better satisfied once it's connected to an outside antenna. But AM broadcast is very poor even on local stations. Thank you for sharing the product review.
Key to user satisfaction is upgrading the software.
Sorry but your statement not correct ! Software upgrade is not the way to improve this radios performance, the hardware is were the problem lies, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work that out...
Max decoder 2 is good. Put a good antenna on it. SMH
Too expensive
They're probably assembled from substandard components in a "sweat shop" in some Shanghai back ally.
Good points. 👍🏻 + #3 This may be considered a subjective impression, but all of them provide different definitions of a UX disaster. A type of radio that pretends to be desktop, yet requires you to hold it with one hand while using controls with the other (or using a fixed stand); critical controls are located on the back panel, necessitating that you either flip it over or try to find the power switch by touch - this says it all. At their core, as tuners, they are all the same. Yes, there is a fan base of promoters and purchasers who like to think they have invested in a good product and will cling to that idea (with all the bells and whistles present, such as memory/channel names and dozens of questionable options like a retro scale in the ATS-25x, which are always visible on a cluttered display and must be accessed with a stylus, by the way!), which may make them feel satisfied. As a basic user who needs quick and convenient control over essential DSP radio functionalities (such as disabling soft mute and AGC), I use a handheld SI4732* receiver worth ~£11, which operates solely by an encoder and doesn't even have a proper cabinet; yet, it’s the most convenient basic receiver I’ve encountered. When it comes to the SI473x implementations, simpler and cheaper is better, IMHO.
A would not recommend them for beginners. But to be honest with better antenna the 25 is pretty good. And has better sound btw than my Data 808 (which I like:-)