Thanks for the recommendation, Joe. I have a few questions:

There is another small shortwave radio that is often overlooked when
listeners are making recommendations to others such as yourself. This
is the Sony ICF-SW35. It is a dual-conversion MW/SW/FM radio. PASSPORT
TO WORLD BAND RADIO has never been enamored of this set primarily due
to the fact that it has no keypad.

What is a keypad?

But, with fifty memories

I don't need any memories, but most radios have them. I get I will
enjoy using these, so I can remember stations I listened to.

, and build-
quality "like a tank" (even though it is made in China), this radio
will perform very well indeed. There are "work-arounds" to minimize
the impact of the lack of a keypad and the radio is quite sensitive
off its whip. (Its MW performance is also very good and its FM
performance is at least what you'd expect, maybe better.) Its image
rejection happens to be first-class. There is no SSB.

What is the advantage having a SSB?

The set is
extremely easy to use, yet quite sophisticated. Best of all, its price
is "right" - if you search around a bit on the web, you will probably
find it for less than $80.00, sometimes a good deal less. I think this
is quite a bargain for a radio of this quality and longevity.

I'll check this radio out.

---- Entfred

I own two of them. They are both over five years old. I keep them in
the glove compartments[!] of our cars - winter and summer (with the
batteries out, of course). When I put the batteries in, the radios
always "fire up" perfectly and the only thing one must reset is the
clock. All the memories are retained even without batteries being
installed. Neither has ever even "hiccuped."

I hope you'll consider this one. I think you would be pleased.

Best,

Joe- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

www.devilfinder.com Shortwave Radio Single Side Band

I own some Shortwave radios.One of them has Single Side Band.One time a
guy in Alabama was talking to some other guys (on Single Side Band, it
must have been a dull night for them) about how to fry ham and eggs.I
don't listen much to Single Side Band.
cuhulin

Dear Entfred:

You wrote -

Thanks for the recommendation, Joe. I have a few questions:

What is a keypad?

A keypad is a group of numbers on the radio similar to the keypad on
your telephone. This is used to directly enter the frequency desired
if you know the frequency to which you wish to listen. Your Grundig
Mini 300PE, being an analog-tuned radio, does not have one but MOST
digitally-tuned shortwave radios DO have one. The Sony ICF-SW35 is an
exception and there are several other shortwave radios (some quite
expensive) that do not have a keypad. Frankly, it is better to have
one but it is not an insurmountable problem to do without. In my
opinion, this is really the only "negative" regarding this Sony radio
but, at its price and considering its performance and quality, it is
completely acceptable, at least to me.

What is the advantage having a SSB?

Single Sideband (SSB) is a form of transmission by which one of the
radio wave's sideband and its carrier wave is "stripped off" the
signal. This leaves only one sideband that is actually transmitted. An
SSB-equipped radio then "reconstitutes" the signal so that the
listener can hear it. This has a great advantage in that far less
power is required to achieve equivalent distance to a standard AM
signal. It has a MAJOR disadvantage in that it is fairly difficult to
tune. This is why this transmission method had only "caught on" with
amateur (Ham) radio operators. There are very few SSB broadcast
signals (the armed forces radio-television service being the notable
exception). I do not know if your current radio can tune any of the
amateur bands; if it can, you will hear signals that sound highly
distorted (they have been compared to "Donald Duck") and which cannot
be understood at all. If your radio were to be equipped with SSB, you
would be able to switch it in and listen to the signals.

It is a complication in operation and most people do not need or even
want it. If you later decided that you wanted to listen to Ham
transmissions, you would need a more complicated (and expensive)
radio. The Degen radios that have been mentioned here DO feature SSB
reception as do some other radios in the price range in which you are
interested but in ALL cases these radios just do not have the build
quality (or apparent longevity) of the Sony model. (Others reading
this will disagree with me but the Degen radios, such as the '1103,
have not been on the market long enough to know just how long they
will give problem-free service. The Sony shortwave radios have
excellent track records.)

I hope the above has been helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to
ask any further questions you may have.

Best,

Joe

Joe and everybody,

Thanks so much for explaining the options I have and some of
the fundamentals. I have some more
questions and comments:

What do you think about Grundig 550?

The Sony unit that lots of people like appears to have a smallish
speaker. I just read about a KA2100 model that looks interesting.

Kaito PLL Synthesized Dual Conversion AM/FM Shortwave Radio, KA2100
at http://www.amazon.com/Kaito-Synthesi.../dp/B000HOJN3O

The KA2100 appears to have SSB.

As far as any unit I buy,
the keypad sounds very convenient, but can live without, as I have
always lived without one.

No immediate plans to get into Ham Radio. I can't remember if you
have to do morse code or not, still. I know somebody who did Ham
when they were a kid and learned code and was eventually able
to get a very good rig and talk to people around the world.

What would really be cool is to find a reasonably priced desk top
SW receiver that was built into a stereo receiver. I have an ancient
receiver that is almost dead (Sansui 771) and it would be cool to buy
a new stereo receiver with shortwave reception, but have not seen
anything like that :-)

Entfred



What is the advantage having a SSB?

Single Sideband (SSB) is a form of transmission by which one of the
radio wave's sideband and its carrier wave is "stripped off" the
signal. This leaves only one sideband that is actually transmitted. An
SSB-equipped radio then "reconstitutes" the signal so that the
listener can hear it. This has a great advantage in that far less
power is required to achieve equivalent distance to a standard AM
signal. It has a MAJOR disadvantage in that it is fairly difficult to
tune. This is why this transmission method had only "caught on" with
amateur (Ham) radio operators. There are very few SSB broadcast
signals (the armed forces radio-television service being the notable
exception). I do not know if your current radio can tune any of the
amateur bands; if it can, you will hear signals that sound highly
distorted (they have been compared to "Donald Duck") and which cannot
be understood at all. If your radio were to be equipped with SSB, you
would be able to switch it in and listen to the signals.

It is a complication in operation and most people do not need or even
want it. If you later decided that you wanted to listen to Ham
transmissions, you would need a more complicated (and expensive)
radio. The Degen radios that have been mentioned here DO feature SSB
reception as do some other radios in the price range in which you are
interested but in ALL cases these radios just do not have the build
quality (or apparent longevity) of the Sony model. (Others reading
this will disagree with me but the Degen radios, such as the '1103,
have not been on the market long enough to know just how long they
will give problem-free service. The Sony shortwave radios have
excellent track records.)

I hope the above has been helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to
ask any further questions you may have.

Best,

Joe

Grundig radios nowadays are made in China, I think.The quality just
isn't there (in my opinion) anymore.I own a 1957 (according to a date in
one of the owners/operator booklets laying on the Phonograph of the
radio) made in Germany AM/FM/Shortwave/Phonograph wooden cabinet floor
model radio, which I believe was made by Telefunken.I also own a 1950s
(I can't find a date in the owners manual, actually, the owners manual
is a folded paper in a paper envelope/pocket that is on the inside of
the rear panel of the radio) or it might be a 1960s, Telefunken Opus 7
AM/FM/Shortwave wooden cabinet table model radio.
cuhulin

On Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:50:14 -0700, FedUp wrote:

Joe and everybody,

Thanks so much for explaining the options I have and some of
the fundamentals. I have some more
questions and comments:

What do you think about Grundig 550?

The Grundig 550 was Grundig's answer to Sony's ICF SW55/77. The ease
of use, and ergonomics are a horror story on the 550. I had mine for
about 6 months and very happily sold it to some other sucker.


The 550 also eats batteries for breakfast. The KA2100 does NOT
support SSB, there is no product detector or BFO.

For the money ICF-7600GR is hard to beat.

On Oct 18, 4:33 pm, matt weber wrote:


The Grundig 550 was Grundig's answer to Sony's ICF SW55/77. The ease
of use, and ergonomics are a horror story on the 550.


The YB550 was Grundig's answer to the Sony ICF-SW77?? Never heard
that one before. Sure you're thinking of the right radio there?
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...able/0550.html

The YB550 arrived on the market when? late 2003 earliest?

Grundig's Satellit 700 was clearly more of an answer to the Sony ICF-
SW77 (in terms of performance, size, price and point of arrival on the
market).

Regards,

Junius

Dear Entfred,
:
Joe and everybody,

Thanks so much for explaining the options I have and some of
the fundamentals. I have some more
questions and comments:

What do you think about Grundig 550?

It's a single-conversion radio. Forget it! (Just "Google" single-
conversion vs. dual-conversion for more information.)

The Sony unit that lots of people like appears to have a smallish
speaker. I just read about a KA2100 model that looks interesting.
Kaito PLL Synthesized Dual Conversion AM/FM Shortwave Radio, KA2100
athttp://www.amazon.com/Kaito-Synthesized-Conversion-Shortwave-KA2100/d..

You might be satisfied with the Kaito (Redsun) KA-2100 but note that
it costs more than the Sony ICF-SW35 and is more complicated to
operate. Build quality is also "iffy."
.

The KA2100 appears to have SSB.

An external module must be purchased separately and attached to the
radio in order to listen to SSB transmissions, This module appears to
be available only from eBay sellers in China. This makes a complicated
tuning procedure even MORE complicated, not even to mention the
expense.


As far as any unit I buy,
the keypad sounds very convenient, but can live without, as I have
always lived without one.

No immediate plans to get into Ham Radio. I can't remember if you
have to do morse code or not, still. I know somebody who did Ham
when they were a kid and learned code and was eventually able
to get a very good rig and talk to people around the world.

You do NOT need to know Morse Code in order to receive an amateur
license though it is extremely helpful to know it.

What would really be cool is to find a reasonably priced desk top
SW receiver that was built into a stereo receiver. I have an ancient
receiver that is almost dead (Sansui 771) and it would be cool to buy
a new stereo receiver with shortwave reception, but have not seen
anything like that :-)

Forget it.

By the way, you had mentioned that "you do not need memories."
Actually you will find that, when you have them, you will use them (to
a greater or lesser extent). Also, with the Sony ICF-SW35, the use of
its memories is part of the "work-around" to its lack of a keypad that
I mentioned.

From your original post, I deduced that you were interested in a small
portable shortwave portable that worked better than your Mini 300PE
yet was inexpensive and simple to operate. The Sony ICF-SW35 fills
that bill on all counts. Other radios in its price range may appear to
offer as much or even more in features but remember - each new feature
means more complication in use. And most other low-cost portable
shortwave receivers just do not have Sony's build quality.

Some here have recommended the Sony ICF-SW7600GR. This happens to be
my absolute favorite portable shortwave receiver but I did not
recommend it to you because it is much more expensive than the ICF-
SW35, it needs an external antenna for best performance, and it is
much more complicated in use, more so than your post leads me to
believe you want. If I'm wrong in this assessment, then check out the
ICF-SW7600GR on Amazon, Universal Radio, AES, or another site. You can
also read reviews on eHam. It is, far and away, the best compact
portable shortwave radio ever made (my opinion, of course). But I do
not believe it is what you really want, at least from what you said
and the questions you've asked. Such a radio would be, I'm afraid,
VERY intimidating to you such that you would either pack it away or,
worse, sell it. It could cause you to lose interest in the hobby (much
as giving a raw teenager an Indy race car might stifle their interest
in driving! They would not know what to do with it!)

Stay with something relatively simple and inexpensive (though
sophisticated) such as the Sony ICF-SW35 and learn to operate it to
full advantage. Then, as you become more enamored of the shortwave
hobby, you will be able to upgrade, if desired, and you won't be
fooled by manufacturers' or dealers' "hype" (for example, by even
CONSIDERING a single-conversion Grundig YB 550PE, a mediocre at best
performer).

I hope you understand that I am not showing you any disrespect
whatsoever. I am trying to give you advice based on my own almost
fifty years as a radio hobbyist and based on what you yourself asked.
Others here, of course, will have their own opinions and may (probably
will) disagree with me.

But if you do buy a Sony ICF-SW35, I believe you will be very pleased.

Best of luck,

Joe

You do NOT need to know Morse Code in order to receive an amateur
license though it is extremely helpful to know it.

As I remember, so you can transmit and receive messages in all kinds
of conditions where voice is
not clear? I know this is another subject in itself....


By the way, you had mentioned that "you do not need memories."
Actually you will find that, when you have them, you will use them (to
a greater or lesser extent). Also, with the Sony ICF-SW35, the use of
its memories is part of the "work-around" to its lack of a keypad that
I mentioned.

I see what you mean - you don't have to struggle tuning it - you go to
the memory and click and you
have the exact freq. you used before.


From your original post, I deduced that you were interested in a small

portable shortwave portable that worked better than your Mini 300PE
yet was inexpensive and simple to operate. The Sony ICF-SW35 fills
that bill on all counts. Other radios in its price range may appear to
offer as much or even more in features but remember - each new feature
means more complication in use.

I want to stay simple.

And most other low-cost portable
shortwave receivers just do not have Sony's build quality.

All the Sony products (TVs, Stereo Receivers, computers)I have used
in the past have been 1st class.


Some here have recommended the Sony ICF-SW7600GR. This happens to be
my absolute favorite portable shortwave receiver but I did not
recommend it to you because it is much more expensive than the ICF-
SW35, it needs an external antenna for best performance

That is something I have to think about. I do like the simplicity of
this little unit I got at Radio Shack.
Just turn it on, extend the antennae and select the band. If the ICF-
SW35 works sort of similar, that
might be the best thing for me, instead of having to learn all this
arcane stuff. If I really get into SW, then
I can eventually go for something much more complicated, with more
features, and more capabilities.

, and it is
much more complicated in use, more so than your post leads me to
believe you want. If I'm wrong in this assessment, then check out the
ICF-SW7600GR on Amazon, Universal Radio, AES, or another site. You can
also read reviews on eHam. It is, far and away, the best compact
portable shortwave radio ever made (my opinion, of course). But I do
not believe it is what you really want, at least from what you said
and the questions you've asked. Such a radio would be, I'm afraid,
VERY intimidating to you such that you would either pack it away or,
worse, sell it.

I think you are right.

It could cause you to lose interest in the hobby (much
as giving a raw teenager an Indy race car might stifle their interest
in driving! They would not know what to do with it!)

Stay with something relatively simple and inexpensive (though
sophisticated) such as the Sony ICF-SW35 and learn to operate it to
full advantage.

I'll check the ICF-SW35 out. Saw it for $89.95 on Amazon. Not
expensive considering what it does.

Then, as you become more enamored of the shortwave
hobby, you will be able to upgrade, if desired, and you won't be
fooled by manufacturers' or dealers' "hype" (for example, by even
CONSIDERING a single-conversion Grundig YB 550PE, a mediocre at best
performer).

Yeah - a lot of hype - most which I don't even understand what they
are saying, at this point.


I hope you understand that I am not showing you any disrespect
whatsoever. I am trying to give you advice based on my own almost
fifty years as a radio hobbyist and based on what you yourself asked.
Others here, of course, will have their own opinions and may (probably
will) disagree with me.


No - thanks for explaining the tradeoffs.
I think everyone will have a different opinion and there is not really
a "bad" choice. It is what I will
be happy with in the short term and long term.

But if you do buy a Sony ICF-SW35, I believe you will be very pleased.


Thanks, Joe.

-- Entfred

Best of luck,

Joe

In January of this year, I bought a new Toshiba 27 inch screen flat
screen CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) tv set from Cowboy Maloney's Electric City
store.HUMPH! a few days later it developed a smudge on the bottom of the
screen.I phoned Cowboy Maloney's, they said, Bring it back.I did and I
looked at some tv sets on display in their store.I bought a new Sony (I
paid around $38.00 difference in price on the Sony, more money)
www.cowboymaloney.com Trinitron Wega 27 inch screen flat screen tv
set.When I got home with it and hooked it up to my DirecTV set top box,
I was amazed at how much better the tv channels look on my Sony tv
set.It even cleans up the old, old, old movies I like to watch on tv and
makes them look fresh and new.

And skinny twin sister (she is not my sister) started on that new wooden
fence at her house next door to me in early Feburary of this year.I told
her and those other divorced women over their that fence won't be
fineshed in three months and here it is almost the third week of October
and they haven't hit another lick on that fence yet.Vanessa is moving
back in over there.I stepped over there half an hour ago.She and skinny
twin sister are putting her bed together.

You can make a home made transmitter and Morse Code Key that will fit in
your shirt pocket and send Morse Code around the World.
cuhulin