Hi all,

After lots of looking around, VR-500 seems to have almost everything I'm
looking for. It is small, uses regular AA battery, covers most frequency &
mode etc.

Few questions to those who own VR-500:
1. Can I switch mode in every frequency? Eg. I'm tuning 463 Mhz and I want to
switch to AM mode rather than the standard FM mode.
2. What is your impression with speaker volume? I've heard it sounds "tinny."
3. Finally, I have a choice of purchasing this unit from US or UK. What are
the pros and cons besides cost? Eg. better quality product etc.

TIA.

On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 02:20:41 +0000, MullinJJ wrote:


1. Can I switch mode in every frequency? Eg. I'm tuning 463 Mhz and I want to
switch to AM mode rather than the standard FM mode.

Yes, the VR-500 is quite flexible in this regard.

2. What is your impression with speaker volume? I've heard it sounds "tinny."

It is anemic (weak). I like my VR-500 in most respects, *except* for the
speaker audio and limited dynamic range of the front end on shortwave.

3. Finally, I have a choice of purchasing this unit from US or UK. What are
the pros and cons besides cost? Eg. better quality product etc.

The UK version will probably provide you with full frequency coverage.
The USA version omits the cell phone bands and other slivers
of spectrum:

620.9 to 629.3
784.6 to 797.195
807.1 to 819.695
824.0 to 849.0
869.0 to 894.0 MHz


If you live in the USA and your UK version VR-500 needs Yaesu
service, you probably have to ship it back to the UK for repair.

You are welcome to use tk500, the free, open source software
I developed for the VR-500. Check it out at http://parnass.com
--
================================================== =======================
Bob Parnass, AJ9S GNU/Linux User http://parnass.com

MullinJJ wrote:
(snip)
: Few questions to those who own VR-500:
(snip)
: 2. What is your impression with speaker volume? I've heard it sounds
"tinny."

Well...it *is* a small speaker. You're not going to get much bass out of
something that small. But the biggest "problem" is it is not very loud.
Hey, it's only running on 3v and there is a lot of electronics to run
(compared to your average AM/FM radio) and did I say it was SMALL .. so
don't expect much "audio" wise.

But I think it's a great little radio and would not get rid of mine.

Richard in Boston, MA, USA

Amen. I sold mine a few months ago, and have regretted it ever since.
"Richard G Amirault" wrote in message
...
MullinJJ wrote:
(snip)
: Few questions to those who own VR-500:
(snip)
: 2. What is your impression with speaker volume? I've heard it sounds
"tinny."

Well...it *is* a small speaker. You're not going to get much bass out of
something that small. But the biggest "problem" is it is not very loud.
Hey, it's only running on 3v and there is a lot of electronics to run
(compared to your average AM/FM radio) and did I say it was SMALL .. so
don't expect much "audio" wise.

But I think it's a great little radio and would not get rid of mine.

Richard in Boston, MA, USA

Ok, these 'slivers' of spectrum you say that are omitted, WHY???? Other
than Cell Phone Freq. Does it affect price T-H-A-T much if those OTHER
'slivers' are omitted?? I don't get it, Why doesn't ONE company, just
one, offer a DECENT scanner that has everything but cell. Is the '500
the closest thing to that KIND of scanner?

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:37:52 -0500, Vic Martinez wrote:

Ok, these 'slivers' of spectrum you say that are omitted, WHY???? Other
than Cell Phone Freq. Does it affect price T-H-A-T much if those OTHER
'slivers' are omitted?? I don't get it, Why doesn't ONE company, just
one, offer a DECENT scanner that has everything but cell. Is the '500
the closest thing to that KIND of scanner?

Slivers of spectrum are omitted in some USA-version
receivers so they comply with the FCC's regulations about
rejecting cellular phone signals.

If they didn't comply, it would be illegal to market
them in the USA.

If you took the full coverage European
versions of the same radios and tested them in these
band segments, you would probably find that they are not
selective enough in these ranges to reject the cell phone
signals adequately. Rather than making the radios
more selective (and increasing the price), the
manufacturers have "copped out" and chopped some
frequency coverage in the USA version.

Examples are the USA versions of the Yaesu VR-500 and VR-120,
and the ICOM IC-R5 and IC-R20. The USA version Alinco
DJ-X10T and DJ-X2000T omit band segments which would
otherwise permit reception of cellular phone images.

Some of the more expensive tabletop receivers are more
selective and cover more frequencies.

--
================================================== =======================
Bob Parnass, AJ9S GNU/Linux User http://parnass.com