Also known as: ATS-909X2, Sangean 909X2
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The Sangean ATS-909X2 is the one flagship portable that isn’t a Tecsun — and it wins categories the Tecsuns don’t enter: arguably class-leading FM with RDS, very good MW, a genuine VHF air band with squelch, a big crisp display, and the best ergonomics in the segment.1 Add SSB, 1674 memories, and 4×AA power with smart charging, and it’s a complete answer at around $289–350.
Key takeaways The top of the portable market, non-Tecsun division. Class-leading FM (RDS), very good MW, real airband with squelch, SSB, 1674 memories, superb controls. The old “deaf on the whip” complaint is largely fixed in the X2 per independent measurement. Heavier battery draw than Tecsuns; ~1 lb 13 oz. ~$289–350. License-free listening; $20 of wire out a window is still the best upgrade. Where it ranks: best shortwave radios.
Overview
Sangean’s flagship line has always been the “serious tool” alternative to Tecsun’s hobbyist charm, and the X2 is the most complete one yet. The display is the best in the class — big, informative, with 42 world time zones — the buttons and dual-speed tuning knob feel like lab equipment, and the 1674 memories are organized into three banks that make sense. FM performance is the sleeper headline: with RDS station data and sensitivity reviewers call arguably class-leading, it doubles as a first-rate FM DX machine. The air band is real, not a checkbox: it has squelch, which makes unattended airport-frequency monitoring actually pleasant — none of the Tecsun flagships cover air at all.2
The elephant in every 909-series review is whip sensitivity on shortwave. The older ATS-909X was widely called “deaf on the whip,” and the criticism still gets repeated reflexively. On the X2 it is largely resolved: N9EWO and RadioJayAllen both measure whip SW sensitivity competitive with other portables.3 The honest residue: like every portable, it rewards an external antenna (an ANT-60 reel ships with some SKUs — though one report notes degradation with the ANT-60 plugged in), and its battery draw is noticeably heavier than the Tecsuns’ single 18650 — budget for NiMH AAs and use the smart in-radio charging.
The category constants: listening is license-free everywhere in the US — no FCC anything, ever — airband included. And even at flagship prices, the antenna rule holds: $20 of wire out a window improves shortwave reception more than a $200 radio upgrade. The 2026 bands are honest-but-quieter — the big Western broadcasters have mostly gone, and what remains (state broadcasters, US private stations, pirates, time signals, ham SSB) rewards exactly the SSB capability and external antenna jack this radio has. Its class-leading FM/MW is a hedge the shrinking SW schedule can’t touch.
Bands, modes & features
- Coverage: LW, MW, SW, FM 64–108 MHz with RDS, VHF air band with squelch.
- SSB: USB/LSB with fine tuning steps; auto-bandwidth DSP. No sync.
- Memories: 1674 in 3 banks; 42 world time zones.
- Power: 4×AA with smart in-radio NiMH charging; heavier draw than the 18650 Tecsuns.
- Connections: external antenna jack (ANT-60 wire reel included on some SKUs).
- Size: the biggest of the roster — ~8 × 5.25 × 1.5 in, ~1 lb 13 oz with batteries. No Bluetooth, no recording.
GopherTrunk alternative
Shortwave is HF AM/SSB — not GopherTrunk’s trunking/digital domain, and GopherTrunk does not decode it. The computer-side way into the same spectrum is an HF-capable SDR (best HF SDR) or a ~$30 RTL-SDR in direct-sampling mode, which draws a waterfall of the whole band that no portable can. GopherTrunk stays in its VHF/UHF scanner lane — the same listen-first philosophy, free — and it’s worth noting the 909X2’s airband is the one place the two worlds brush: for serious VHF airband monitoring with logging, an SDR and scanner software is the deeper tool.
Who it’s for
- Buy the ATS-909X2 if you want flagship shortwave plus the best FM/RDS in a portable and a real squelched air band — the do-everything big radio. View on Amazon →
- Buy the Tecsun PL-990 instead for a shortwave-first flagship with triple conversion and better battery economics, or the XHDATA D-808 for SSB + airband at a quarter of the price.
- Skip it if airband and FM don’t matter — the PL-880 does the core shortwave job for ~$150. Full rankings: best shortwave radios.
Sources
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Sangean ATS-909X2 product page — coverage, air band with squelch, memory system, RDS, world clock, and AA charging. ↩
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Sangean ATS-909X2 review — RadioJayAllen — FM/MW performance assessment, ergonomics, and comparative standing among flagship portables. ↩
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Sangean ATS-909X2 review — N9EWO — whip-sensitivity measurements vs the 909X, battery-draw notes, and the ANT-60 observation. ↩
Frequently asked questions
Is the Sangean ATS-909X2 better than the Tecsun PL-990?
Different strengths. The 909X2 has arguably the best FM section in any portable, very good MW, RDS, a real air band with squelch, and superb ergonomics. The PL-990 answers with triple-conversion SW, better battery economics, and Bluetooth/microSD. For shortwave-first listeners we rank the PL-990 ahead; for FM/MW DX and airband, the Sangean.
Is the ATS-909X2 deaf on the whip antenna?
That reputation belongs to the older ATS-909X. Independent reviews (N9EWO, RadioJayAllen) judge the X2’s whip sensitivity on shortwave competitive with other portables — the debate is largely resolved, though the radio still rewards an external antenna, as every portable does.
Does the ATS-909X2 have SSB?
Yes — USB and LSB with fine tuning steps, good enough for ham nets and utility listening. There is no synchronous detector.
How long do batteries last in the ATS-909X2?
It runs on four AA cells with smart in-radio NiMH charging, and battery draw is noticeably heavier than the Tecsun flagships — plan on rechargeables or the mains adapter for serious use. It’s the biggest and heaviest radio in our portable roster at about 1 lb 13 oz with batteries.
Do I need a license to listen to shortwave or air band?
No. Listening is license-free everywhere in the US — no FCC anything, ever — and that covers the air band too. Only transmitting requires a license.