Magnum Dynalab MD-205 Signal Sleuth

[jdandy]

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The Magnum Dynalab MD205 Signal Sleuth finally arrived along with the ST-2 antenna. I fabricated a steel bracket to hold the ST-2 antenna and mounted it to the eave of my home, routed 40 feet of RG6 coaxial cable from the roof to the studio, and connected the new antenna to my McIntosh MR88 tuner for an audition. The Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna is an improvement over the Godard antenna I had been using. The ST-2 showed slightly stronger signal strength on a few stations, and found some new stations that my old antenna could not bring in. It should be noted that I live in a very rural area of north Florida, so I am not within good range of any radio broadcast towers. In addition, my home is in the middle of 17 acres of tall oak and pine trees that tower much higher than my two story home. Even with the ST-2 mounted at 28 feet above ground level the antenna is far from clearing the tree tops.

I installed the Magnum Dynalab MD-205 Signal Sleuth in the studio system rack. Its intended design is to amplify weak FM signals and allow the user a frequency adjustable narrow band amplification while deemphasizing the adjacent station frequencies on either side of the one being tuned. The MD-205 has two switches on the front panel, one for power, and one that puts the FM amplifier in or out of the antenna signal path. There are two knobs on the front panel, one adjusts the frequency to match the selected frequency of the tuner, and the other adjusts the FM amplifier gain or attenuation. Both knobs feel light when rotated, unlike the weighted tuning knob on McIntosh tuners. There are two blue LED's in the center of the front panel, one indicating power is on, the other indicating the amplifier is in the antenna signal path. Both LED's are way too bright. I will probably paint the LED's black and scratch a small dot in the center to reduce their intensity to a level that is more acceptable.

EDIT: My apoology. This review has been edited due to a flaw in my meathod of testing. Please read post #27 added to this thread July 24, 2013.

[Masterlu]

Dan... I am very pleased to hear that you are now happy. :yes:

I am very happy using mine in the Cape with my MR88. Initially (yesterday) I thought your location could have been the reason for the lack of performance you were experiencing.

As a precaution I contacted Magnum Dynalab this morning on your behalf. They would be more than pleased to offer a full refund. I guess we won't need to do that now.

As always, thanks for continually posting your candid; and unbiased remarks regarding your experiences.

These types of reviews on AA help make this Forum an invaluable asset :thumbsup:

[jdandy]

Ivan.......I appreciate you arranging an option to return the Magnum Dynalab MD-205. Fortunately for me, I discovered its real value this morning and realized I short changed myself yesterday performing the evaluation with a bit of an attitude. My mindset is better today. :)

[jwhite613]

Dan.... Glad to hear your results are positive. I too find false delivery dates a pet peeve of mine. Someone should have informed you that shipping was delayed and an apology from the dealer or Dynalab should have been forthcoming.

[jdandy]

Dan.... Glad to hear your results are positive. I too find false delivery dates a pet peeve of mine. Someone should have informed you that shipping was delayed and an apology from the dealer or Dynalab should have been forthcoming.

Jeff.......The best laid plans of mice and men. It's in the rearview mirror now. :thumbsup:

[jdandy]

I have been listening to this classical HD station from Gainesville all day. The MR88 on HD FM stations sounds truly spectacular. The MD-205 made it possible. The sound quality of the MR88 digital out to the MCD1100 DACs is excellent. I am very pleased with the results.

[Masterlu]

I have been listening to this classical HD station from Gainesville all day. The MR88 on HD FM stations sounds truly spectacular. The MD-205 made it possible. The sound quality of the MR88 digital out to the MCD1100 DACs is excellent. I am very pleased with the results.

:banana:

[jdandy]

Looking forward to some midnight jazz from WUFT FM/HD1 tonight. Still amazed at how good the MR88 sounds on HD radio. Thank goodness I gave the Signal Sleuth a second chance.

[Masterlu]

Dan... I agree with the lights being too bright. Try these:

The LIGHTDIMS Store (http://www.lightdims.com/store.htm)

[jdandy]

Ivan.......Thanks. I have seen those before, but it's too late. I already took a small artist brush and flat black paint, and painted the LED's, then used a pin to open a small hole in the center of the painted LED's. I now have micro blue dot LED's that are easy on the eyes and don't demand your attention. I have used this technique successfully several times on other objectionably bright LED's. It works just fine.

[Masterlu]

Ivan.......Thanks. I have seen those before, but it's too late. I already took a small artist brush and flat black paint, and painted the LED's, then used a pin to open a small hole in the center of the painted LED's. I now have micro blue dot LED's that are easy on the eyes and don't demand your attention. I have used this technique successfully several times on other objectionably bright LED's. It works just fine.

Great! :thumbsup:

[VT Skier]

Dan,

I'm sure you already thought of this but I had some roofing guys mount my ST-2 and then run the cable down to the living room, but when the electrician came to check everything over he had to split the cable in order to ground it in case of lightning strikes. He didn't want any jolts running down the antenna line into the house.

Jon

[jdandy]

VT Skier.......The base plate for the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 has been grounded to earth. The ST-2 is only one of six antennas I have up. They are all grounded. Thanks for thinking about me.

[VT Skier]

I figured you knew what you were doing, unlike me. But if I hadn't said anything, and then you posted about some lightning strike having caused a fire, I would have felt terrible.

6 antennas must be some kind of record. Let's see, FM, AM, DirecTV (or Dish), XM, Shortwave, ..., what's left? Something for the NSA signal? CIA? Aliens?

[Masterlu]

I figured you knew what you were doing, unlike me. But if I hadn't said anything, and then you posted about some lightning strike having caused a fire, I would have felt terrible.

6 antennas must be some kind of record. Let's see, FM, AM, DirecTV (or Dish), XM, Shortwave, ..., what's left? Something for the NSA signal? CIA? Aliens?

You forgot AA Blue Light Specials! :laughin:

[jdandy]

6 antennas must be some kind of record. Let's see, FM, AM, DirecTV (or Dish), XM, Shortwave, ..., what's left? Something for the NSA signal? CIA? Aliens?

VT Skier.......You were darn close.

VHF/UHF worldband radio
Shortwave radio
FM radio (2)
XM
DirecTV

[The Sandman]

Funny how you take things for granted. I've been using the MD205 Signal Sleuth for close to 20 years with my Etude Tuner. I don't really consider it a separate component anymore. Yeah, it brings in distant stations but it also attenuates signals that are too strong and/or too close.

Now you went and reminded me to consider sending in my Etude for an upgrade.

[Maks]

I'm really considering picking one of these up to help me pick up some of the weaker 88-92 band stations I listen to. I'm *just* on the cusp of being able to pick up the HD signal from a low powered jazz/blues station in the burbs, but often times it's just floating between HD and regular FM. I would hope the Sleuth would help me improve my signal. Hmmmm.....

[Masterlu]

I'm really considering picking one of these up to help me pick up some of the weaker 88-92 band stations I listen to. I'm *just* on the cusp of being able to pick up the HD signal from a low powered jazz/blues station in the burbs, but often times it's just floating between HD and regular FM. I would hope the Sleuth would help me improve my signal. Hmmmm.....

The MD-205 makes the difference in not being able to enjoy the weaker stations, to making them favorite stations. ;)

[radio times]

As a fellow radio devotee I'm really pleased for you Dan.

[jdandy]

As a fellow radio devotee I'm really pleased for you Dan.

radio times.......Thank you. I have been a radio aficionado since I built my first crystal radio when I was 10 years old, using the wire mesh screen on my bedroom window as my AM antenna and listened on cheap metal and ceramic headphones. That was over 50 years ago. In my mind I can still see that little radio assembled on a small wood board. I have had the radio bug for a long time.

[jimtranr]

I have been a radio aficionado since I built my first crystal radio when I was 10 years old, using the wire mesh screen on my bedroom window as my AM antenna and listened on cheap metal and ceramic headphones. That was over 50 years ago. In my mind I can still see that little radio assembled on a small wood board. I have had the radio bug for a long time.

Well, Dan, that brings back memories, as I, too, put my first crystal radio together from a kit at about the same age--and, yep, listened with cheap headphones--except in my case that was more than 60 years ago. My antenna was a long length of copper wire I was able to affix to our back fence.

Very interested in your review of the Signal Sleuth. Enough so that it's going on my want list.

[jdandy]

Well, Dan, that brings back memories, as I, too, put my first crystal radio together from a kit at about the same age--and, yep, listened with cheap headphones--except in my case that was more than 60 years ago. My antenna was a long length of copper wire I was able to affix to our back fence.

Very interested in your review of the Signal Sleuth. Enough so that it's going on my want list.

Jim......You win. :D

I see you have the McIntosh MR77 tuner. It is a well respected FM tuner with high sensitivity. McIntosh sold over 5000 of them between 1970 to 1978. I also have a MR74 that I enjoy very much.

I don't know how many stations broadcast in the Corvallis area, but I feel certain the Magnum Dynalab MD-205 will help to improve the quality of your listening experience.

[jimtranr]

I see you have the McIntosh MR77 tuner. It is a well respected FM tuner with high sensitivity. McIntosh sold over 5000 of them between 1970 to 1978. I also have a MR74 that I enjoy very much.

I don't know how many stations broadcast in the Corvallis area, but I feel certain the Magnum Dynalab MD-205 will help to improve the quality of your listening experience.

Actually, there are three Mc MR's: a 77 in the main system, one in the bedroom system, and a 74 in the home office system.

I get a 24/7 listener-supported classical station and a community college station (lots of jazz) from Eugene (~40 miles away) and a 24/7 listener-supported jazz station from Gresham (~70, courtesy of a rotored Winegard yagi in the main system). I'd see the MD-205 as particularly useful for the latter, as well as for stations in the Portland area, almost the same distance away.

[AM123]

I do not mean to bash Dan but I have wanted to post this for while. After buying a MEN220 based on his rave review, he sold it, I bought mine too and I sold mine as well as it made things veiled.

I purchased the MR88 (just as Dan did) and due to this review of the Magnum Dynalab MD-205 used with his MR88, I too purchased the MD-205 to use with my MR88.

The bright blue light on the front, I called and had Magnum Dynalab put in a dimmer blue light which helped considerably.

Just like Dan I got it home and he said he was underwhelmed with its performance. I too had the same issue. It did nothing except allow me to tune into stations and untune in stations like a second dial. Although the thing that baffles me is that he says he was able to get it to work and that it improved reception on the MR88.

I met with the President of Magnum Dynalab and I said, "Hi Larry I just purchased the MD-205". He said, "Oh yeah, what tuner are you using". I told him it was the MR88 and he said it will not work with the MR88 at all. I told him about the reviews written here and he said, "under no circumstances will it affect the signal at all" He said that the MR88 pulls in stations digitally and the MR88 cannot benefit from the MD-205 at all. He then went into a reason why which was beyond my scope.

I also have a MR78 (which I am selling) and a MR2072 (which I am selling) and the MD-205 works great with those units. The benefits are instant.

I just want to point out for anyone with an MR88 thinking of buying a MD-205 based on the comments in this thread. Don't bother and save your money. You can call Larry at Magnum Dynalab and he can give you a better description of why it won't work.

:)

[The Sandman]

I do not mean to bash Dan but I have wanted to post this for while. After buying a MEN220 based on his rave review, he sold it, I bought mine too and I sold mine as well as it made things veiled.

I purchased the MR88 (just as Dan did) and due to this review of the Magnum Dynalab MD-205 used with his MR88, I too purchased the MD-205 to use with my MR88.

The bright blue light on the front, I called and had Magnum Dynalab put in a dimmer blue light which helped considerably.

Just like Dan I got it home and he said he was underwhelmed with its performance. I too had the same issue. It did nothing except allow me to tune into stations and untune in stations like a second dial. Although the thing that baffles me is that he says he was able to get it to work and that it improved reception on the MR88.

I met with the President of Magnum Dynalab and I said, "Hi Larry I just purchased the MD-205". He said, "Oh yeah, what tuner are you using". I told him it was the MR88 and he said it will not work with the MR88 at all. I told him about the reviews written here and he said, "under no circumstances will it affect the signal at all" He said that the MR88 pulls in stations digitally and the MR88 cannot benefit from the MD-205 at all. He then went into a reason why which was beyond my scope.

I also have a MR78 (which I am selling) and a MR2072 (which I am selling) and the MD-205 works great with those units. The benefits are instant.

I just want to point out for anyone with an MR88 thinking of buying a MD-205 based on the comments in this thread. Don't bother and save your money. You can call Larry at Magnum Dynalab and he can give you a better description of why it won't work.

:)

Interpreting reviews can be a very tricky business indeed. :puzzled-21:

[jdandy]

Well gang, I imagine it happens to all of us from time to time. It is time for me to eat some crow. I have spent the afternoon testing the Magnum Dynalab MD 205 Signal Sleuth with my MR88 tuner and have discovered a major flaw in my testing procedure. I read the MD 205 owner's manual again this afternoon and there it was in black and white, "The Sleuth’s POWER switch must be on at all times when you are using your FM tuner and the Sleuth is installed in your FM tuner’s line. If it is not turned on, the signal will not reach your tuner." I missed this on my original read of the manual. All of my testing was done by turning the MD 205 on and off. I had assumed the antenna signal passed through the MD 205 when turned off, but that was incorrect. I actually did receive several stations with the MD 205 turned off so my assumption was supported by that result.

I went through my testing procedure again this afternoon using the switch on the face of the MD 205 that amplifies or bypasses the amplifier while leaving the MD 205 energized. Sure enough, I got entirely different results. In fact, it made absolutely no difference to my MR88's signal strength or the sound quality from the tuner whether the MD 205's amplifier was in the signal path or bypassed. That was true for every station I was able to tune on my MR88. Then I took the MD 205 Signal Sleuth out of the antenna path, connecting the cable from the ST-2 antenna directly to the MR88. All of the stations I was previously able to tune were all still present with the same signal strengths.

I contacted Larry Zurowski of Magnum Dynalab and he told me that most digital tuners have an AGC (automatic gain control) circuit in the antenna input stage and this circuit usually negates the benefits that the MD 205 delivers to analog tuners. I wasn't aware that digital tuners have an AGC circuit in the antenna input stage so hence my confusion.

Member AM123's posts with respect to what Larry told him are accurate. I stand corrected and a bit embarrassed. Had I been using the MD 205 properly during my original auditioning I would have made this same discovery. By turning off the Signal Sleuth instead of using the amplifier bypass switch to compare the tuners signal strength, my entire test was flawed as were the results and my review. In fact, from what I have discovered today the Magnum Dynalab MD 205 makes no improvement in the MR88 tuner's ability to pull in stations any better than it does on its own. I have removed the MD 205 from the studiio system and will give it a try on my MR85 tuner in the living room system.

I apologize for my error in testing and for those who may have purchased the MD 205 to use with their MR88 based on my review. Consequently, I am deleting my Magnum Dynalab review so that it will not misdirect others, but I will leave this post as testimony to my mistake.



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[Maks]

Dan, good to know! I had been on the fence about acquiring the MD-205 to use with my MR88 and figured AM123 was correct based on his discussion. However, it might be a worthy addition when I build another system around my trusty MR74. I look forward to seeing how much it helps with your MR85.

[McIantosh]

I purchased an MD 205 a number of years back to try and help pick-up some distant stations of interest. At the time, I had both an externally mounted Magnum Dynalab ST-2 half wave omnidirectional antenna plus a VHF/FM multiple element yagi. Regardless of which antenna I was using, the MD 205 offered negligible improvement in signal strength or ability to capture distant stations over that of my McIntosh MR7084 solo.

At first I chalked this up to a defective MD 205. Magnum Dynalab graciously replaced the unit thinking the same but the replacement unit behaved identically. In the end, I took this as testament to the quality and abilities of McIntosh tuners given Magnum gear is generally acknowledged to be no slouch when it comes to FM reception.

[Weirdcuba]

Dan / did you ever try the md205 with your mr85? I spent another night with the ft101a last night and it was just great. I'm wondering whether the 205 will give it yet another boost or whether to just break down and get the 107t or 108t (for ~10x the price). I don't really care for the looks of the 109 as much as the 107 or 108.

[jdandy]

Dan / did you ever try the md205 with your mr85? I spent another night with the ft101a last night and it was just great. I'm wondering whether the 205 will give it yet another boost or whether to just break down and get the 107t or 108t (for ~10x the price). I don't really care for the looks of the 109 as much as the 107 or 108.

Weirdcuba.......Yes I did try the Magnum Dynalab MD-205 Signal Sleuth with the McIntosh MR85 tuner. It is still installed in my living room system connected to the MR85 and doing a good job. It is being fed from a Fanfare FM2 antenna mounted on the peak if my roof at about 28 feet above ground. The MD-205 does improve the reception of my MR85. There are several stations that I receive marginally that the MD-205 improves to a clean signal.

I also tried the MD-205 with my McIntosh MR74 tuner with good results. Surprisingly, it worked well connected to my Godar FM-1A FM indoor antenna installed in the studio. Although the MD-205 worked better connected to the Fanfare base loaded FM2 antenna outdoors, it still improved the reception of the MR74 tuner.

The Magnum Dynalab MD-205 does a decent job of improving reception of distance station's signal but it isn't a magician. It cannot just produce signals out of thin air that are so weak they fall below the threshold of useful signal strength. There is improvement in a number of stations I listen to while using the MD-205 and that's good enough for me to continue using it. I have even considered a second MD-205 for my vintage system so the MR74 has one connected to it full time. I like the Signal Sleuth.

[Weirdcuba]

Thanks Dan. Trying to decide between the sleuth or just doing what I know I want to do, which is get the 108T.

[jdandy]

Weirdcuba.......Oh yeah, I'd like a MD108T tuner myself. Who knows, perhaps the MD-205 Signal Sleuth would be an asset to the MD108T.

[aclearspot]

Dan
Did you mean Godar ?
"an improvement over the Godard antenna"

[jdandy]

Dan
Did you mean Godar ?
"an improvement over the Godard antenna"

Tim.......I was speaking of the Godar FM1A antenna.

GODAR MODEL FM1A STEREO-HD RADIO ANTENNA (http://www.godarusa.com/id67.html)


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