Thanx for this info - just what I was looking for! Anyone else?

"rick" wrote in message
oups.com...
Lisa Simpson wrote:
I just bought a Kaito model KA1101, and am considering getting an Icom
R75;
would you good folks kindly shower me with your reviews and/or opinions
of
both please?

I do not know anything about the Kaito model KA1101 except what others
have to say.

I have an Icom R-75 and it is my primary SWL radio. I also have a
TenTec Rx-320D, a Sangean ATS-803A, and a Sony ICF-SW07. The Ten-Tec
is very good, but you must have a PC to use it. I have an Icom T90A,
but that is a different thing altogether.

My favorite antenna is an Eavesdropper from Antenna Supermarket. It is
setup as an inverted "V" pointed east/west on my roof with its top
at 40 feet in the air and its ends at about 24 feet up off the ground.
My second antenna is an Alpha-Delta DX-SWL set up as a Sloper pointed
north/south. It is a very nice hunk of wire. Lastly is a 180foot long
wire strung north/south from my 3rd floor attic to a tree about 160
feet away with about 20 feed hanging down as an inverted "L". For
reception only the wire does not need a tuner. All three work well
and switching between them usually does not help improve reception.
It does improve directionality and that's why they are all set up.

I have an MFJ-1024 which I would not recommend to anyone for anything
as it is no better than a 20 foot length of wire and much noisier. I
have a bunch of active loops, such as the Sony AN-LP1, but they are not
as good as the long wire or the "V" or the Sloper. They are very
good for travel, and that is when I use them.

I live on the central coast in California up in the hills and am
situated right against a mountain with a clear view west and south.
Everything else is blocked by 200 feet to 800 feet of mountain. In
general, reception is quite poor for everything other than South
America or the Far East. Austrialia, Japan, and China come in well, as
do the hams up and down the coast. Europe is a very hard find.

The R-75 needs a bit of a learning curve to get used to in terms of
tuning and filter setup. But once you have all that under control it
is very nice. Heck, it is very nice right out of the box with no
accessories and may be all you need. There are some websites
discussing the set up and use of this radio. If you want to hook it up
to a computer there are a number of free programs which will allow you
to tune and log and have a ton of fun!

I say go for the R-75. Get ALL the filters, and you will be impressed.
Get them now when you get the radio and before it is too late. Even if
you think you will not use them now, you may find later that you want
them. You may want to learn code and listen in, who knows? The radio
may be around as used for a long time. But if they discontinue it, you
may have a hard time finding the accessories such as filters. You may
not want them now, but if you find you want them later and they are not
available you will be out of luck. I do not have the Kiwa Electronics
mods, but I am told they are worth getting. I have no opinion on that.


I use the radio for SWL, PSK-31, RTTY, most digital modes, and for
listening in on hams and utility stations. It is hooked right into the
PC so I can record and log as much as I like. One thing though, It
took me a long time to convince myself that the R-75 was any better
than the ATS-803. Both are great for SWL, but the usefulness of the
Icom for things other than SW becomes apparent with experience. You
will need a good antenna to get the best out of this radio.