Roadie wrote:
On Sep 26, 6:30 am, "Unrevealed Source"
wrote:
Not everyone sees it that way. The DX-150A was an improvement over the 150,
but then cost-cutting and marketing kicked in

Every one of those radios were low-end entry level models that would
do passable job of catching signals if you could put up with drift,
inaccurate dial, modest selectivity, image signals and somewhat harsh
audio.

There isn't a radio around that is not subject to heavy marketing, so
I don't see your point.

as they began to use ICs,

So what. Welcome to the world of modern electronics. Should we
critizize the many top-end shortwave receivers of today because they
use IC's as well? Can you imagine the forest of soldered in discreete
components if we didn't use IC's? And can you imagine the cost?





This series of radios was, indeed, entry level. Some would say they
were below that. At the time, they were relatively inexpensive,
reasonably well made, and when you turned them on, they made a sound.
For a lot of hobbyists, that was enough. And for them, this series of
radios was a benchmark of performance. Truth is, for most people who
bought these radios, they were the most radio they'd ever owned. And
pinnacles of serious listening hardware.

Just as some models are, today.

Then there were the hot rodders, who could modify them enough to make
them sing and dance with some of the mid level Hallicrafters.

For those of us who grew up on S-40's, the RS DX series was a nice
step laterally. Better cosmetics. Smaller footprint. Often more
features. And this alone was enough to think of them as a step-up.

But for those raised on HQ's and their like, these were nice rigs to
give beginners with the hopes that they would spark an interest in the
hobby, and an interest in better radios.

Which, they did.

The DX series were those radios that everyone remembers, and everyone
has an opinion of. And most everyone left behind fairly early on. They
served their purpose by putting reliable, working radios in the hands of
beginners at a price point.

To those who went on and left them behind, the debate over the rise
and decline of the line is almost surreal.