I have the Willco Electronics 1024 memory board and it's really a great
product. Instead of the usual 32 memories, when the board is installed not
only do you get over 1,000 memories [great for utility listening] you get
the no-fault battery upgrade.

By the way, there are some 71-A's without the PBT; you gotta look for it.
I have the one without. I don't miss it much. I'm planning on getting a
DSP-9 unit for the rig eventually.

I've heard great things about Dave Hershberger's [W9GR] above unit...even
way back in 1993!

Alain

Jerry wrote:

I've always been interested in SW radio as a listener and have decided
to get more serious about it to see just how strong my interest really
is. As a start, I want to get a good used radio, and it seems like the
Kenwood R5000 or the ICOM R71A are very popular. It looks to me
like the ICOM has more features, such as CW, RTTY, and a superior
notch filter. This makes me believe it is aimed at the more serious
user. Two web sites that review receivers rate the R71A slightly
higher than the R5000. So, I would expect R71A's to be in higher
demand, but it seem to be the opposite. R5000's seem to sell at
higher prices and I see R71A owners wanting to trade for R5000's.
What am I missing? Which would be a better radio for a beginner?
I will probably start out with DX and broadcast, but may want to
grow into other areas. Thanks for any advice.

Jer