Date
1 - 15 of 15
New Tecsun ICR-110 Digital Recorder & Audio Player
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The new Tecsun ICR-110 features an AM-FM radio along with a digital audio player and recorder, all for around US$40. If you are considering a purchase of this model for the digital recorder, audio player and Bluetooth speaker capabilities, fine. But if you are looking for a decent AM-FM radio in the package, you should definitely look elsewhere-- this model has the worst AM reception that I've seen in over a decade. The cut rate DSP chip does allow direct frequency selection, but AM sensitivity and selectivity are dreadful.
To test out this model I ordered two ICR-110 radios from Anon-Co in Hong Kong, which came with an 11 page English manual and an included 8GB micro SD card (for US$49.99 plus $7.50 shipping each) at the following listing TECSUN ICR-110 (gray) AM/FM radio **ENGLISH VERSION** + 8GB microSD card 6920487531108 | eBay Not to blame the highly rated Anon-Co, but quality control at the Tecsun factory seems awful. Both new units arrived with their digital displays badly scratched up (see photos). There is an 80mm loopstick which should provide decent AM reception when used with any Silicon Labs 473x DSP chip, but the Tecsun designers had other priorities. The "KT0913" cut rate DSP chip provides direct frequency selection, but unless your AM target station is a blasting local (or semi-local) you will likely get nothing but noise. In an AM-DX matchup with any other recent Ultralight radio this model doesn't even get out of the gate. My strong impression is that Tecsun only included this mediocre AM-FM reception as a selling point for the model's digital recorder and playback functions, but unless you only wish to record your local AM or FM blasters without any thought of DX station reception you should definitely pass this model by. The badly scratched up digital displays are another matter-- almost as if a disgruntled employee wanted to express his displeasure by pulling out a wire brush. Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA) |
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Paul Blundell
Wow, that sounds like a terrible radio. Those screens are very badly damaged, almost like it was done on purpose... Paul The new Tecsun ICR-110 features an AM-FM radio along with a digital audio player and recorder, all for around US$40. If you are considering a purchase of this model for the digital recorder, audio player and Bluetooth speaker capabilities, fine. But if you are looking for a decent AM-FM radio in the package, you should definitely look elsewhere-- this model has the worst AM reception that I've seen in over a decade. The cut rate DSP chip does allow direct frequency selection, but AM sensitivity and selectivity are dreadful. |
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hamrad45
OMG. Not like Tecsun. Looks like it might have been returns units that some intentionally damaged. Great report. I assume ANAN will give you replacements or refunds.
Tom |
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surveyor6180@...
Thanks for posting this Gary.
Harold |
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radiojayallen
Sorry to hear this... and those screens...I've never seen anything like that on a new ardio...and TWO of them. Even used radios are seldom this damaged... Wow!
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On Sat, Apr 1, 2023 at 06:25 AM, radiojayallen wrote:
Sorry to hear this... and those screens...I've never seen anything like that on a new ardio...and TWO of them. Even used radios are seldom this damaged... Wow!Jay and All, Thanks for your comments on the new ICR-110 report, and digital screen damage. The damage to the screen on both radios is really bizarre-- I can't imagine Anon-Co selling models like these if they were aware of their condition. This kind of damage seems intentional, since I've never seen anything like this, let alone in "new" radios. As for my hope of getting a decent AM-FM radio included in a $50 package with a digital recorder, audio player and Bluetooth speaker, it was probably unrealistic to begin with. I've learned my lesson-- so that you guys don't have to! 73 and Good DX, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA) |
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Marc Coevoet
Op 1/04/2023 om 23:25 schreef Gary DeBock via groups.io:
On Sat, Apr 1, 2023 at 06:25 AM, radiojayallen wrote:These radios have been sold before? Guarantee? Send them back! Marc -- The "Penguin" has arrived - and he's not going away - ever. For former Apple users: Xubuntu.org (menu's up left) For former Windows users: Lubuntu.org (menu's down left) |
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On Sat, Apr 1, 2023 at 02:32 PM, Marc Coevoet wrote:
These radios have been sold before?Yes, Marc, they will be sent back. Both Tecsun and Anon-co have good reputations, and this kind of problem must be is very rare. Gary |
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Max Italy
The problem is not the KT0913 but it's settings that make the difference between one radio and another using the same ic. Probably they wanted to filter the noise for a good recording, with the reasult of increasing the threshold and getting only noise free signals. For the same reason old and new D-808 models have different performance although using the same Si4735 ic and the same antenna. |
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Liam Wells
In all my years, I have never seen a new radio arrive that badly damaged, but to get two of them... That is either REALLY bad luck or the QC has gone out the window. I wonder if other buyers have also had the same issues?
From: main@UltralightDX.groups.io <main@UltralightDX.groups.io> on behalf of Max Italy via groups.io <max2013@...>
Sent: 02 April 2023 20:52 To: main@UltralightDX.groups.io <main@UltralightDX.groups.io> Subject: Re: [UltralightDX] New Tecsun ICR-110 Digital Recorder & Audio Player The problem is not the KT0913 but it's settings that make the difference between one radio and another using the same ic. Probably they wanted to filter the noise for a good recording, with the reasult of increasing the threshold and getting only noise free signals. For the same reason old and new D-808 models have different performance although using the same Si4735 ic and the same antenna. |
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Mark Roberts
Wow. I don't think it's a new model: I bought one in 2020 from Amazon. I think it had just come on the North American market at the time. I wonder if you got a different version of the model. It didn't seem to perform like a DSP-based radio to me. I did a write-up at the time here: http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/radios/tecsun-icr-110.html - I also went into some depth regarding its limitations as a recording device, specifically frequency response that seems to have been deliberately capped. I didn't take the radio apart. On Sun, Apr 2, 2023 at 5:00 PM Liam Wells <vk3xgw@...> wrote:
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Rik
I had one of the even earlier models with Chinese markings. I bought it to record remote DX sessions but kept forgetting which buttons did what. It did not impress me as especially good or bad at hearing stations on AM. It did have very nice audio compared to radios that size and smaller at that time. I think the ferrite was longer than any ULR then too. -Rik
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Rik
I came across this VERY positive review of the ICR-110 from South Africa. He logged some very distant MW stations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwxdvA2O9bg&t=1005s I suspect he has far different MW band conditions than we have in the USA. |
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Paul Blundell
That is a good review, I had not seen your site before. I have added it to my blog. Paul On Thu, Apr 6, 2023 at 4:07 AM Mark Roberts <markrobt@...> wrote:
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Paul |
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I used to have an older version of the ICR110 with no DRM. This model started around 2010 or before with very good specifications with more sensitivity and selectivity than PL 880 and good reception on the MW
Finally to note its sound is slightly treblier than the Q3 if using high quality headphones. It is (Q3) a model i still use for recording on shortwaves.ICR110 is also good as a loud mp3 player with great playback audio MY report as reposted from sites google . Pictures were lost https://zachs-radiopage.blogspot.com/2021/01/tecsun-icr110-mp3-player-recorder.html |
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