"Mark S. Holden" wrote in message
...
Margaret von Busenhalter-Butt wrote:


Hi Mark!

How does the Harris 550 perform on MW BCB? Is it better than a Drake
R8/8A/8B ?

Thanks,

Margaret


I'm not really interested in MW Dx, so I'm not the best person to answer
this question.

There is some attenuation on the MW frequencies - If you'd like I can look
up how much and what frequency it starts at when I get home.

Otherwise, the AFC and coherent AGC work on MW.

Coherent AGC takes the AGC reading through a 500hz filter regardless of
what filter you're listening through.

It also has 126 or 130db of dynamic range. (Haven't read the manual in a
couple years.)

I almost always listen in sideband mode because the AFC and Coherent AGC
don't work in other modes. Coherent AGC won't work without AFC.

For RTTY decoding, I got better results with the AFC turned off.

One of the things I like about the Harris is the filters are kind of
wide - but they have a good shape factor, so audio quality is good, but
selectivity has never been a problem. On AM & CW you can choose between
500, 6khz and if you enjoy listening to
hets in the background, 16khz. On Sideband it's always 3.2khz.

The 550 comes equipped for ISB reception too. (Both sidebands with one
coming through the internal speaker, and the other on terminals on the
rear.)

Let me know if you'd like me to check specs for MW attenuation or dynamic
range.

Regards,

Mark

That would be very kind of you, Mark. I'm just thrilled by your desription
of its audio quality. Exactly what I want. I wonder if someone could remove
the MW attenuation.

Thanks,

Margaret