where to buy

@@vlatkogacesa Ali express or bangood.

A re-enactment of the two-hour unboxing will be staged as a live feed any day now, just as soon as the script is approved.

I purchased from Banggood on-line.

The retro scale is only available for VHF FM broadcast band and is well explained in the manual, including how to populate it with an auto-scan. However, if you are listening to an FM broadcast station in the usual band (~88 - 108 MHz), you can toggle between retro scale, spectrum, and encoder spectrum (RDS etc.) by touching the lower half of the screen. Good luck with RDS data though; I've never managed to get it to display.

@@MirlitronOne I see.only fm. Thanks

I have the first generation Malahit DSP1 clone. I'm disappointed that the Malahiteam devs programmed the software to display the retro dial scale only for FM band and not the HF shortwave band. However Bernard Binns who develops the Harduino firmware for the inexpensive ATS-25 and ATS-120 DSP receivers managed to incorporate the retro frequency display for LW, MW and FM bands. Looking forward to buying the Malahit DSP2, but since this hardware and software is still new, I'll wait until the end of the year to see if the DSP2 drops in price and for any further enhancements to the ver 2.3 software.

Sorry, no idea - I've never been near a DSP-1. (I still quite like my FRG 7700, but no longer use it that often.)

I have no idea, as I do not possess a DSP1. I'm sure the information is available on-line.

Yes - read the instruction manual which describes this clearly.

Good question. I have an RSP1a but it is operated under very different circumstances from the Malahit, albeit at the same location. Local noise is moderate here on most bands. I have no reason to believe that the Malahit is anything but better than the RSP1a and it has more control over the individual gain stages which helps (when you understand them). The Malahit requires quite careful optimization of the RF gain, and the noise reduction system is outstanding. SNR is always difficult to compare between different receivers.

@@echelfordars8854 Thanks for your detailed answer! Being new to these radios, what do you mean with "careful optimization of RF gain"? Is this something you need to do once or be aware of all the time (when switching bands)?

@@cornelisvanderbent8569 For optimum reception, it is something that you should check regularly. To make a radio signal audible, you can amplify it at either the RF stage or at the audio stages. In general (and it's a significant generalization), amplifying the RF by a certain amount introduces more noise than amplifying by a similar amount at AF. Some radio amateurs operate their rigs by turning the audio volume up to almost maximum and then adjusting the RF gain for comfortable listening, thus minimizing the noise. However, the real situation is more subtle as there are different forms of distortion that can occur during the detection process. Some distortion is not usually a serious problem in (say) amateur transmissions, but for other purposes (including very weak signals) can affect readability. Also, there is the question of the operation of the automatic gain control circuitry (AGC) that tries to counteract fading. The Malahit has at least three RF gain settings; right at the front end (aerial) and at each of two IF stages (sometimes only one is used). These latter two are fixed for most purposes, but the Malahit allows you to access them if you wish to do so (most of the time you won't, but the option is there). I don't know if the RSP1a allows similar twiddling. Careful tweaking of the RF gain (or input attenuator, similar) can significantly improve the signal to noise ratio of a particular signal on a particular band (at a particular location and time of day!). I hope this helps.

@@echelfordars8854 Yes, this helps a lot. I've worked closely with analog electronics designers and have an (digital) electronics/CS background, so I immediately understand what you're talking about (except the jargon IF, but I'll look that up). Thank you again!

@@cornelisvanderbent8569 IF = Intermediate Frequency. In superheterodyne ("superhet") receivers, the incoming signal is frequency-shifted to a fixed frequency (the IF), and then detected by a circuit that is optimized (in sensitivity and filtering) to that fixed frequency. This provides the best performance in terms of both sensitivity and selectivity.

Sorry, no idea - I know nothing about the ATS120.

Far superior in my opinion I've only had this for a few hours and I am blown away with it, far better even than my recently purchased sdrplay RSP1a using my wellbrook loop inside my flat. I've been hearing many signals on 80 meters which I usually cannot hear because they are usually drowned out by noise. I purchased this from Bangood I ordered it on the 28th of January they were out of stock until the 4th of February it was dispatched on the 5th of Feb and arrived at lunchtime today the 13th, so don't be wary of ordering anything from them they haven't let me down so far. I hope this helps you 👍🇬🇧

That the encoder takes several clicks to change value I see as a feature, not a bug. It may be slow but saves overshooting the set point you're aiming for. I've never found it to be a nuisance.

Yes.

Update: It has an undocumented menu option marked "BT Connect". I haven't managed to do anything with it (but haven't tried that hard).

Further update: I am now led to believe that it requires additional hardware in the form of a generic Bluetooth PCB that can be fitted internally.

All I can say is that I tried to order mine from two different AliExpress vendors and both times failed. I did get immediate refunds. I gave up and got mine from Banggood. I have not been tempted to buy anything else from AliExpress because they failed me twice. Others may have had a more positive experience.

@@echelfordars8854 Thank you for your honest reply. Much appreciated

Ah, but your life is richer...

I don't know why the RDS is so poor; I've never got it to work fully, but then I didn't buy the radio to listen to FM broadcasts. I've got the clock adjusted now so that it stays accurate to one second for weeks on end. The ATS25 has its own limitations, frequency range being the most obvious.

If it helps, when I bought the radio, I genuinely thought it was a Far Eastern product and not Russian. Otherwise, I might agree with you. Thank you for your comment. There are lots of other reviews now where you must post this same message in order to sleep tonight.

I'm from Russia and I love you both. Trump - is not all America, like Putin- is not all Russia. Best wishes.

@@AlexeyDXman Well said sir, and thank you.