On May 20, 1:04 am, John Kasupski wrote:
On 19 May 2007 16:43:56 -0700, Joe Analssandrini

wrote:
I do not own or use any scanning radios.However, I believe you are
incorrect when you state there are no HF scanners, but you'd have to
double-check me.

There are lots of radios into which you can program HF frequencies and
then have the radio scan through the memory channels. You're not going
to get one for chump change, though.

This is not to say you can't enjoy utility station monitoring without
a rig that scans a hundred or so memories, because I myself did it for
years, the hard way, by wearing out the numeric frequency entry keys
on a DX-394. Before that I tried it with a Sangean ATS-803A portable
and doggone near drove myself nuts until I got the DX-394 and
relegated the Sangean to SWBC listening use.

If you really want to monitor a relatively large group of frequencies
that's used for something in particular (Mystic Star, HF-GCS, COTHEN,
MARS, or whatever) and not miss anything, you're going beyond casual
listening and getting into some pretty serious utility monitoring. The
typical inexpensive portable HF receiver simply isn't going to cut it,
these radios are consumer-grade items designed with casual SWBC
listeners in mind. They're for people who just want to listen to the
news on the BBC or hear some German music on Deutsche Welle, and
listening to utility stations is a whole different ballgame. Even some
of the less expensive tabletop rigs aren't going to cut it. You really
are a lot better off with a serious radio to do serious UTE listening.

Some of the radios I know do this are the Yaesu VR-5000, Drake R-8B,
the Ten-Tec Argonaut V and RX-340, and the Icom R9500, R-75, even the
R-20 if you're after a portable for a specific reason.

Most HF ham transceivers also seem do this, including both of mine
(Kenwood TS-50S and TS-450SAT), and the Icom IC-706MKIIG and Yaesu
FT-990 rigs the club I belong to has.

John Kasupski, KC2HMZ, Contributing Editor
Popular Communications Magazine

Dear John,

Your reply is spot-on accurate. I had recommended to "RedPenguin," the
person who originated this thread, the Sangean ATS 909 as a relatively
inexpensive way to go but really I would (and did) recommend the ICOM
IC-R75, suitably filtered and with a proper antenna, as the least
costly means of monitoring utility transmissions.

Less costly radios, not designed for monitoring utilities, will cause
more frustration than pleasure in that regard, at least in my opinion.

Best,

Joe