Hello Guys,

 

     With a sudden rare chance to get away to Grayland, WA  for an early morning of DXing on the ocean beach, I couldn't wait to try out the three top performers from the Summertime Shootout--  the DT-400W, a modified E100, and the tiny SRF-S84.  I was especially interested in seeing how the DT-400W would compete against the previous "sensitivity king," the SRF-T615.

 

     The SRF-T615 is an excellent, compact Ultralight, although very pricey compared to the DT-400W (about $120 including shipping compared to about $55).  So how did these two perform in an actual DXpedition environment?  Well, the two were similar on the low frequencies, and both could receive JOAK-594, JOIB-747 and JOUB-774 without too much trouble.  HLCA-972 was slightly stronger on the DT-400W, but not by much.  But on the receptions of HLAZ-1566 and VOA Thailand-1575, the DT-400W was really superior, making crystal-clear mp3's of both stations (that the SRF-T615 had at a pretty weak level).  The stock DT-400W was able to produce an mp3 of an ID from VOA-1575 (7,200 miles) that sounded like a local, and I'll try to upload the recording to the ultralightdx file section soon.  The Sangean managed to receive 7 DX "countries" in one early morning (Canada, USA, Mexico, Hawaii (KPUA-670), Japan, S. Korea, and Thailand).

 

     My modified E100 has been logging weak TP's since June 29, but it has very fanatical sensitivity and selectivity improvements, so it's not fair to compare it to a stock Ultralight.  During this trip to Grayland, it received North Korea-657, China-1593 and a presumed Taiwan-738, which would be its 22nd TP catch.  Developed here in Washington state together with John Bryant and Guy Atkins, this extremely effective E100 will be the subject of some upcoming technical DIY articles, so that everybody can have one of these "secret DX weapons."

 

     The tiny analog Sony SRF-S84 was also a blast to use, managing to log its first TP with a reception of JOUB-774. When properly aligned (for free, by me), this ridiculously small Ultralight has performance that can make even a paltry propagation morning seem like an absolute blast.

 

     If any of you feel like AM-DXing is not as much fun as it was before,  just take a few top-rated Ultralights to an ocean beach... and you'll be shocked and thrilled along with the rest of us.

 

     73,  Gary