RadioBanter - View Single Post

December 30th 04, 01:45 AM

wrote:
I have seen this receiver on ebay go for many hundreds of dollars,
however I can see nothing special about it compared to many of the
other receivers available.
can anyone explain this irrational human behavior to me ???

I used to own one. Nice radio. Very compact, and with Collins
filters installed, not a bad performer. At the time of it's
release, it was over $800 new, had a decent set of features,
useable, but not tuneable memories, and a working sync detector.

Styling is neo-classic. In fact, AOR called it The New Classic.

It isn't a stunning performer. Good, but not great. Prone to
overload under high signal conditions, which makes it less than an
optimum choice for European DXers, but in the US, where signal
levels are low, overload is rarely an issue. Pad is -20 or nothing,
accessible from the back panel. Noise floor isn't great, but it
isn't bad. Selectivity is good. Audio is decent. Actually a pleasant
sound, and I used it for both deep signal DXing and program
listening with an external speaker. Internal speaker is good, but
compared to, say, a Drake, kind of lame.

AR-3030 has a great operational feel. Solid. The main tuning
encoder is damped, and the machined aluminum knob has a substantial
quality about it. But controls are quite small, and if you have big
fingers, it could be a challenge to push one button at a time.

Every function is available on a switch from the front panel.
Panel layout is very clean.

The desk footprint is quite small, so in cramped listening
environments there is a good deal to recommend it.

Build quality is quite good. But there were shorcuts taken. Input
is on BNC connector. It is not uncommon for this to come loose with
time.

Battery life is adequate, but not great. Performance on batteries
is comparable to the AC supply.

Reasonable prices for AR-3030 are between $450 AND $600 for
exceptional examples, and most examples seem to be well cared for.

This is not a John Thorpe receiver, like AR-7030 and variants,
but it is an AOR. And it was not made in very large numbers. So,
going prices can be higher than usual for a receiver of it's
vintage, especially among users who know what it is, and whose
listening conditions are a good fit.