On Nov 25, 1:01 pm, wrote:

"A lot of my co DXer's are now using SDR-IQ's and achieving amazing results, whilst the top rated AOR 7030 lads don't seem to be getting much in the way of spectacular catches lately."

Dear John,

It seems that you really have a "thing" against the AOR AR7030 'Plus'
receiver. Frankly, I don't know why. You have very limited experience
with it and that was more than ten years ago. Did that so color your
impressions that you cannot accept the fact that virtually all of the
"negatives" written at that time (and even today repeated in some
publications) have been totally overcome or have become commonplace?
(I also note that you do not quote the IP3 for the RF Space SDR-IQ
model.)

I think that it is a shame that relatively few SWLs have purchased
this receiver solely because of those negative comments regarding its
operating scheme, and that of menu-driven products in general. Menu-
driven products were relatively uncommon in 1996, but they are quite
common, and are used by an increasing number of people (think DVD
players, GPS units, and cell-phones), today. People reading these
comments were/are frightened away from this receiver and continue to
be frightened today. For a number of years I myself, having read these
comments by professional testers and some early users, was scared away
from purchasing this radio.

But those AR7030 'Plus' specifications (all of them, not just one)
kept coming back to haunt me. I finally "bit the bullet" in 2004 and
bought a unit which was customized for me by the factory. The only
regret I have is that I didn't buy this radio sooner! Those
"negatives" regarding the operation of the receiver are just not true
nor even applicable today. And it should be noted that, should an
owner desire, full and effective (and easy!) computer control, which
did not exist in 1996, or even 2000, of this radio can now be achieved
and for FREE!

You will never see me achieving "spectacular catches" with it,
however. I am a program listener. I listen to a relatively few
stations that have news, opinions, and other similar political and
economic commentaries that concern me. I personally have little
interest nowadays in trying to hear "exotic" signals.

But this radio does allow me to hear the programs to which I listen to
absolute best advantage. I can tell you that I can definitely hear
things on this radio that I can hear on no other receiver I own. For
example, I own a Grundig Satellit 800, which is a pretty good
receiver. as well as the AR7030 'Plus." It is "fed" by one of my two
Wellbrook ALA 330S Active Loop Antennas, both of which are mounted in
my attic approximately twenty feet away from each other. Both are also
mounted on identical Radio Shack rotators. There is a great deal of
difference in the quantity and quality (more important to me) of
signals receivable on those radios. Frankly, the AR7030 'Plus' runs
rings around the Satellit 800 both in terms of the signals I can hear
and the sound quality of those signals. (It should, after all, as it
cost about five times as much!) The sound quality of a radio broadcast
is better via the AR7030 'Plus' than any other radio I have ever
heard, and that goes back to the console radio days. (This doesn't
even mention my portable SW receivers. Note that it is my opinion that
all of these types of receivers have a place in one's armamentarium.)

I wonder what John Bryant might have achieved had he had an ICOM
IC-756 Pro III instead of the Eton E1 on Easter Island. Or an AOR
AR7030 'Plus.' Or a Redsun RP-2100. Or even a GE Superadio III, all
assuming the same antenna system. Would he have heard more signals?
Would what he heard have sounded better? We'll never know for sure
but, based on the specifications of the radios mentioned, we can
guess. (Not that any of it matters one way or another - his results,
as achieved with his Eton E1, were indeed spectacular!)

I don't know how many true DXers have bought the AR7030 'Plus' but I'd
be willing to bet quite a number have been scared away as I was. I'd
also bet that any "top" DXer using this radio would achieve results at
least equal to, and maybe better than, what he/she can achieve with
most other radios, including your ICOM.

Your point that a good DXer, even with somewhat inferior (for want of
a better term) equipment can easily outperform someone who isn't quite
as experienced, even if the latter is using the latest and most
expensive radio and the best antenna is, of course, quite correct and
has been known for as long as I have been a SWL..

But you really can't ignore those specifications (all of them). Given
otherwise identical conditions, a radio with better specs, in the
hands of someone qualified, will indeed outperform a radio with
inferior specifications. Specs aren't the whole thing, but they are
one of the most important things in choosing a receiver.

I must mention that, in your previous terminology, I am not defending
the AOR AR7030 'Plus" "to the death." It is one of the "top" receivers
in that rarefied level of other "top" receivers. Each of them has
certain relative strengths and certain relative weaknesses. There has
never been, and there probably never will be, a "perfect" radio. All
one can do when choosing a receiver (assuming he/she can only purchase
one or two "top" receivers) is to determine, from the specifications
and reviews, which will satisfy him/her based on his/her own listening
habits, needs, and desires.

But I really wish you would stop "knocking" this receiver, or any
other receiver for that matter, unless there is a definite and well-
known weakness in the design, performance, or construction quality of
that particular radio of which a prospective purchaser should.be made
aware. Pejorative comments such as the one quoted above, which
actually do not enhance the premise of your otherwise interesting
posting, are not helpful to someone seeking information on tabletop SW
receivers, in my opinion.

It is well-known that you are a top DXer and, frankly, I feel that if
you had an AR7030 'Plus' instead of your ICOM IC-756 Pro III, your
results would be identical.

And, again in my opinion, there are a number of really good ("top")
receivers and the AOR AR7030 'Plus' is one of them.

Best,

Joe