Redsun RP2100

I had this world receiver, the "Redsun RP2100", sent from China. Originally, this radio was built for the Chinese market, but now a version is also produced for the rest of the world and comes with English labeling, which, however, is not totally free of mistakes.  The receiver is offered in Europe under the name "Elta 3569". The RP 2100 is a world receiver, mainly for the listeners of broadcast stations.  It has FM from 87 MHz - 108 MHz, medium wave and shortwave 1'711 kHz - 30'000 kHz, divided into SW1, SW2 and SW3. There are ten memories for each of these segments, at total of 50 memories.  To be frank, I have never seen such a strange memory organization.  But the RP2100 has one special   feature, which at present is unique for a portable, cheap world receiver. It has got an IF-jack.  So you can connect the radio to a DRM, SSB-decoder, which is presently not available, however.  So far, this feature has not come with radios in this prize range.  It costs a mere 100.00 $ incl. shipping.  By the way, the RP2100 has also an alarm function, separate controls for bass and treble, 2 selectable band widths for medium wave and shortwave and RF-Gain. Everything else can be seen on the large display.  There is also a jack for an external antenna, but you need a TV-plug.  There is another unique feature: You can operate the RP2100 with two types of batteries.  The constructional quality is good and robust, it's better than the one of the Sony ICF-SW77, whose case makes a creaking noise.  The telescopic antenna is also of good quality, I will not comment on the antenna of the SW77. L

How is reception? Good to very good, indeed.  As far as sensitivity is concerned, it is not on the same level as the SW77, there is a little more noise.   Large signal immunity is nothing to write home about, either, in other words:  it is not especially good. I was under the impression that the upper frequency range was used as a sort of dump.  Starting at ca. 25 MHz and using the telescopic antenna, there were lots of image frequencies and signal mixes. Interestingly, this did almost not occur in the 41m and 49m bands.  But there are positive points as well:  The RP 2100 has super audio quality, whereas the audio of the SW77 is somewhat dull and muffled. The audio reminded me of the times when you listened to medium wave stations with a tube radio. That is how the RP2100 almost sounds.  A really full and great audio!  It is a lot fun to scan the medium wave frequencies   because there are almost no tuning noises. In comparison, the SW77 gets on your nerves in this respect. If you select a narrower bandwidth, noise is reduced, but the audio does not become dull.

FM works very well, also, even in stereo with headphones or line-out.  The RP2100 is a little more selective and sounds better.

If you just want to listen to the radio without having to spend a large amount of money, the RP2100 is a good choice.

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