RadioBanter - View Single Post - Looks like a good deal for a beginner portable.

November 23rd 04, 06:34 AM

On 23 Nov 2004 04:20:09 GMT, (GrtPmpkin32) wrote:

Would this be a good beginner's radio for me to purchase?

DN,
If you do travel a lot, I don't see how, at the price point, you could really
go wrong, unless you end up getting sent a quality-control dud. Barring that, I
see nothing wrong with it. You get fairly wide SW coverage, SSB, and the entire
clock/alarm thing for your travels. FM should sound fine with headphones, as
most of the recent mini-receivers have been getting pretty good at sound from
phones.
But if you can get a few hams in SSB or decent int'l broadcasters while on the
road, how can you go wrong for $40?
I say go for it.
As for being a good beginner's radio, well, it's a little different than the
travel issue. I'd rather buy something I can grow into, and spend more at
first, than end up with a radio that doesn't do any one thing well enough to
keep me from being frustrated. You can drive a tractor down the highway, but
it'll take you longer to get where you're going, and you likely won't do it
again.
But if travel and portablility is the issue, God, for $40, do it!
Linus

I largely agree with Linus with the exception being this radio does
not have SSB capability. If you've got $40 to dump this wouldn't be
bad, as a second radio. Though I am not personally familiar with most
of the current crop of Chinese imports I understand that some of them
aren't too bad as starter radios so you might wish to do a search on
DEGEN and TECSUN. WIth those you could probably get something that
fits both needs (travel and introduction to the hobby) in the $50 -
$100 price range. If you can swing $175 then you should look at the
Sony 7600GR; while still not at the "desktop" level I have found it
(actually the precessor 7600G which I use) to have good selectivity
(ability to discern between closely spaced stations), ability to
handle a decent outdoor antenna without overloading, handles SSB so
you can listen in to aeronautical/Coast Guard/military communications
and having used mine on travel the size isn't too bad (a bit larger
than a paperback book) and it has decent battery life.

Good luck with your decision,
Howard