Transworld radios
 

Has anyone used any of the Transworld sets? I have used the original
PRC-1099 and found the receive quality seemed rather poor, but I am told
the newer PRC-1099A has a much better quality receiver.

Compared, with, say a GRC-106, how does the PRC-1099A really stack up?
Compared with a KWM-2?

I really would like a radio with the functionality of the PRC-1099, but I'd
like it to actually work well, which the original PRC-1099 did not seem to do.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I have a TW-100 and it sounds pretty nice. Its a cadillac compared to a
GRC-106.

73

K4MLB

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Has anyone used any of the Transworld sets? I have used the original
PRC-1099 and found the receive quality seemed rather poor, but I am told
the newer PRC-1099A has a much better quality receiver.

Compared, with, say a GRC-106, how does the PRC-1099A really stack up?
Compared with a KWM-2?

I really would like a radio with the functionality of the PRC-1099, but I'd
like it to actually work well, which the original PRC-1099 did not seem to do.
--scott

I have a TW 100 and it is a very well made and well engineered HF xcvr. Rcvr
seems as good as any I have used and better than some. Have played it side by
side with a JRC marine xcvr and rcvr performance was indistinguishable, both
very good. Ergonomics are a bit clumsy, have to refer to the manual to do a
channel scan etc, but it does a great job once you get it figured out. Internal
shielding must be seen to be believed, milled out module boxes with ckt bds
inside and mini hardline coax connecting them are the norm. No flimsy sheet
metal cans in this rig. Must have cost a fortune to mfr. Front panel is kind of
geeky, cheap looking keypad and knobs, doesnt look military. They go for
$300-$600 on eBay. Some have built in SELCAL. Some have USB only. MANY
different front panel layouts for the same model TW 100... mostly just
relocating certain knobs. TW 100s have some settings that require a combination
of rotary and toggle switch activations. Not especially user friendly, but a
fine rig. 110-220 VAC internal PS is nice.

George wrote:
I have a TW-100 and it sounds pretty nice. Its a cadillac compared to a
GRC-106.

The lack of a real tuning knob seems disturbing. How is it just for scanning
the band? The PRC-1099 at least has the up/down toggle, which is crude but
usable.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

BOEING377 wrote:

I have a TW 100 and it is a very well made and well engineered HF xcvr. Rcvr
seems as good as any I have used and better than some. Have played it side by
side with a JRC marine xcvr and rcvr performance was indistinguishable, both
very good. Ergonomics are a bit clumsy, have to refer to the manual to do a
channel scan etc, but it does a great job once you get it figured out. Internal
shielding must be seen to be believed, milled out module boxes with ckt bds
inside and mini hardline coax connecting them are the norm. No flimsy sheet
metal cans in this rig. Must have cost a fortune to mfr. Front panel is kind of
geeky, cheap looking keypad and knobs, doesnt look military. They go for
$300-$600 on eBay. Some have built in SELCAL. Some have USB only. MANY
different front panel layouts for the same model TW 100... mostly just
relocating certain knobs. TW 100s have some settings that require a combination
of rotary and toggle switch activations. Not especially user friendly, but a
fine rig. 110-220 VAC internal PS is nice.

The Department of State used these things as replacements for the old
Collins KWM-2A. Non-technical types can be instructed to turn it on and
leave it on a particular channel or to place it in Transcall. Despite
what looks like meticulous engineering and the overkill on shielding,
the rig is a dog if placed in an environment where a high power
transmitter is being used. The receiver front end folds up and the
Transworld becomes really deaf, even if the nearby high power
transmitter is on a frequency many MHz removed from the one to which the
Transworld is tuned. As the transceiver is designed for a
point-to-point operation on specific frequencies, it is a bugger to use
when scanning a band of frequencies.

Dave Heil K8MN