"bcdlr" wrote in message
oups.com...

I know I'm not ready to build my own receiver, unless I went the micro
R2 route (I'm going to build one some day).

You are never ready to build your own until you bite the bullet and do it

But that still doesn't solve my need for a ham band(s) receiver - to
use as a receiver and as a necessary piece of test equipment.

If you want to use the receiver as a piece of test equipment (and a decent
receiver can be a really great piece of test equipment) then you want a
modern, synthesized, solid-state receiver.

I know that the Drake 2b is good. But how easy (and cheap) is it to get
one? Are most "wore" out?

The 2B was a great rig in its time, but that was back in another century.
Almost anything recent, even real junk, will be better, and a lot less
hassle. Sorry to the guys who wax nostalgic about the old hollow state
gear, but get something hollow state if you like to be constantly
maintaining it, if you like drifty, unstable, etc. Compared to other stuff
AT THE TIME, the Drake was great. But any modern rice box will run circles
around it. And rigs from that time are now getting old enough that they will
soon need a major overhaul. I you aren't ready to build an R2 then you
certainly aren't ready to care for a geriatric radio.

What are some receivers to look for (don't say the Collins - I don't
have enough money)?

What do you want to do? If you are going to operate a lot of SSB, then a
Collins mechanical filter is almost a requirement, although some of the more
recent DSPs might be better they are a slightly different form of operation
so I suspect it is a lot personal. If you intend to operate CW, PSK mostly,
then the requirements are different.

If you want to use it as test gear, then you want 1) synthesized, 2) DC to
daylight -- almost any modern rice box will fit this bill. If you want to
use it on 75 meter phone, then you need brick wall filters or a very good
DSP (or both). Most modern rigs are triple conversion, with a first IFin
the 60 MHz region, second around 10, and third typically 455 kHz. If the
receiver you pick isn't VERY recent, look for a rig with the filters in the
455 kHz IF, rather than the 10, and get the filters if you plan to operate
on busy phone bands. Interestingly, CW is a lot less demanding, and the
other digital modes even less so. The digital modes do require a lot of
stability, but on modern rigs that is pretty much a given.

Because of competition, I think you will find a better deal in a transceiver
than a receiver. Decent receivers are kind of a specialty item so they tend
to be very expensive. Indeed, it seems like you have very low end stuff and
very high end stuff, and not a lot in between. The kind of receiver you can
buy new for a few hundred bucks isn't going to be useable on the ham bands.
On the other hand, if you only want to know whether your homebrew oscillator
is on the right planet, then a cheap, synthesized SWL radio will do the
trick.

Used prices are really uneven. Some things you can do real well on (browse
through the completed auctions on eBay to get a feel for prices), and others
people seem to insist on getting new prices for old gear. If you do go with
used, it may be the best thing to do is to pick something and get on eBay.
The trouble with eBay is that there are enough people that are clueless that
things often sell for well more than they are worth. But on the other hand,
if you don't let yourself get sucked in, and you are patient, you can often
do pretty well. Just be sure you know what you are willing to pay and don't
go beyond that, and that you look forward to spending a month or two getting
what you want. But real bargains are pretty rare anymore.

A few years ago I would have suggested a hamfest. But most of the hamfests
have gotten a lot like eBay. There will be a wide selection at Dayton, but
most will be either real junk or overpriced. I guess that is a difference;
you don't see a huge amount of old junk on eBay, probably because of the
cost and hassle of listing it. You see plenty at hamfests, though.

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