RedPenguin schrieb:

I live in Pennsylvania, USA.

I just recently learned about shortwave. I believe it would be
something very good to get into.

I am not 100% sure on what to get in a receiver.

I want a portable kind so I can travel with it.

There are a number of portables that might be considered:
Sony ICF-SW7600GR (best for SSB in its class, speaker audio modest, may
need some more antenna when used on batteries, AM sensitivity good but
bandwidth tight, FM subpar, telescopic antenna somewhat weak point while
otherwise mechanics are fairly solid and QC and durability seem good)
Etón E5 = Grundig G5 (nice rx, quite sensitive, decent for SSB, decent
speaker audio, FM pretty good, tuning wheel is a plus, occasional QC
issues)
Kaito KA1103 (same basic rx as E5, but different user interface,
ergonomics usually considered not so great)
Sangean ATS-909 (good, fairly flexible rx, tuning wheel, battery hog,
tends to require external antenna or mod for good sensitivity, FM pretty
good, more suitable for home use)
Grundig YB400PE/G4000 (a generally decent rx with good image rejection,
SSB bad, good speaker audio, good AMBCB sensitivity, good FM rx, runs
off 6 AA cells, occasional QC issues or high phase noise)
Sangean PT-80 (seems to be a generally decent performer with good
speaker audio but with poor SSB, has tuning wheel)

Insufficient 2nd IF image rejection (of little more than 40 dB) is not
uncommon, e.g. in 7600GR, E5/1103 (YB400 has ~60 dB). This results in
weak ghost signals 900/910 kHz lower, which is likely to bother those
who want to listen to 60 meters or the 20 meter ham band (it's not much
of an issue for the casual broadcast listener).

Yet smaller models include:
Sangean ATS-606A (a classic, AM-only, but with 1 kHz steps, apparently a
bit of a battery hog but generally liked by owners)
KA1102 (probably the least expensive set with SSB, decent performer,
possibly sensitive to AM breakthrough, occasional QC issues)

Other accessories that may be needed/useful:
* Some good rechargeables (e.g. Sanyo or Panasonic, maybe some Eneloops
or equivalent cells), and one of the few chargers that doesn't wreck
them overly fast by overcharging.
* Some kind of portable loop antenna to achieve better signal and less
man-made noise (e.g. KA33)
* Some headphones (e.g. Koss PortaPro or KSC-75, or Sennheiser PX100 -
nothing keeps you from using more fancy ones of course, but I find an
old Sennheiser HD420SL is entirely sufficient for MW/SW)
* The usual literature (PWBR, WRTH)

Stephan
--
Home: http://stephan.win31.de/
So if it receives like a handbag, does it sound good at least?