Sony SRF-39FP Reception Report

Last night, I listened up and down the AM band with the Sony SRF-39FP radio I purchased on eBay and I was very impressed with what I heard. Besides all the usual suspects in the Northeast, the radio also heard all the flame throwers on the right side of the Mississippi: CHML, WLW, WSB, WHAS, WSCR, WJR, WGN, WLS, etc.

The radio is very sensitive even with its diminutive 1.75-inch ferrite antenna. It's selectivity was good, too, and it managed to keep the two nearest (2 and 4 miles away) AM transmitters in check.

Sony SRF-39FP

The mailman delivered the latest addition to my radio collection, a Sony SRF-39FP AM/FM Walkman. I purchased the radio on eBay for $20.

The New Yorker published an article about this radio describing it thusly, "The pocket analog radio, known by the bland model number SRF-39FP, is a Sony 'ultralight' model manufactured for prisons. Its clear housing is meant to prevent inmates from using it to smuggle contraband, and, at under thirty dollars, it is the most affordable Sony radio on the prison market."

The article added, "...the SRF-39FP is superior to virtually every other pocket analog radio, praising it for its large tuning thumbwheel, over-all sensitivity and audio quality, and, above all, its reputed indestructibility."

(You can read the entire The New Yorker article here.)

This afternoon, I tuned through the AM and FM bands and was impressed with the number of stations the Sony received. I will give it a workout tonight and I will let you know how the radio performs during nighttime conditions.

I own a lot of radios and this is the first one my wife described as "cool.

Eight New AM/MW Loggings

During the past month, I added 8 new loggings on the AM/MW band.

Best DX (December 23, 0500Z) was WHKY on 1290 kHz, transmitting 1 kW from Hickory, North Carolina, 607 miles to the southwest.

Trans-Atlantic LW stations have been very strong during the last 30 days. No new loggings, but in most cases recent reception has been better than when I originally logged these stations.

Equipment used: ELAD FDM-S2/FDM-SW2 SDR receiver, 80-meter inverted Vee antenna or Hy-Gain 18AVT/WB-A vertical antenna.

Year in Review

Here is my year in review compared with my all-time stats.

LW new 2017 loggings: 6
LW total all-time loggings: 119

LW best 2017 broadcast station DX: 3919 miles, Radio Algerienne, Tipaza, Algeria
LW best all-time broadcast station DX: 4598 miles, Antena Satelor, Brasov Bod, Romania

LW best 2017 navigational beacon DX: 1183 miles, YPH, Inukjuak, Quebec, Canada
LW best all-time navigational beacon DX: 1647 miles, DDP, San Juan, Puerto Rico

MW new 2017 loggings: 50
MW total all-time loggings: 492

MW best 2017 DX: 5489 miles, ERTU Quran Karem, Santah, Egypt
MW best all-time DX: 5489 miles, ERTU Quran Karem, Santah, Egypt

MW best 2017 domestic DX: 973 miles, WTAD, Quincy, Illinois, USA
MW best all-time domestic DX: 1666 miles, WJCC, Miami Springs, Florida, USA

FM new 2017 loggings: 3
FM total all-time loggings: 113

FM best 2017 DX: 315 miles, WCOT, Jamestown, New York, USA
FM best all-time DX: 744 miles, WLHR, Lavonia, Georgia, USA

The dearth of new FM loggings is not a surprise because I don't spend much time monitoring that band. However, the dearth of new LW loggings was an eye-opener because I spend a lot of time monitoring that band!

LW Opening

Sandy Lake Aeronautical Chart (Source: Skyvector.com)

Last night, as I was trying to stay warm in this drafty old house, I read an e-mail on the International Radio Club of America list saying that the long waves were open. So I fired up the ELAD FDM-S2/FDM-SW2, tuned to the LW segment of the radio spectrum and saw more signals on the waterfall display than I have ever seen before.

I managed to log five new navigational beacons all located in the Ontario province of Canada including one in Sandy Lake over 1200 miles away. Here is the complete tally from last night:

📶 YKX on 201 kHz transmitting 200 watts from Kirkland Lake, Ontario, 568 miles to the north-northwest

📶 YYW on 223 kHz transmitting 100 watts from Armstrong, Ontario, 975 miles to the northwest

📶 QN on 233 kHz transmitting 400 watts from Nakina, Ontario, 873 miles to the northwest

📶 ZSJ on 258 kHz transmitting 500 watts from Sandy Lake, Ontario, 1231 miles to the northwest

📶 YEL on 276 kHz transmitting 250 watts from Elliot Lake, Ontario, 583 miles to the northwest

Antenna used was my 80-meter inverted Vee.