On Nov 26, 12:00 pm, Joe Analssandrini
wrote:
On Nov 26, 1:30 pm, wrote:





To reply to some of these posts:
to Joe A., I think the old adage "methinks the maiden doth protest too
much" applies to you and your defence of the 7030+. I have said before
it is a great radio, but not everyone's cup of tea. ...
... but here is where the SDR-IQ is a big plus, because you can monitor 190
Khz of spectrum just before and after the TOH top of hour and thus get
more positive ID's, hence that is why DXer's are getting such good
results from their SDR-IQ because of the ability to get multiple
catches at the same time. Something you can't do on an ordinary radio.

to m...sushi, I agree totally with you about the 7030's menu system. I
can't even operate the menu on my cellphone let alone the DVD's, so my
wife does that. I like one button one knob RX's with a very large
display like the Drake R8B/NRD545/756Pro3 to mention just a few.

to my pal Guy - thanks for that input. I must admit putting in the
original post with a bit of tongue in cheek, as I am a lover of top
end RX's with the more bells and whistles the better and the bigger
and better screen. If I ever win the Lotto I will upgrade to an Icom
IC 7700 = huge and superb. No computer radio's for me in my dotage!

I do believe like you that in some very tight situations the really
very top end RX's do deliver the goods that radio's with lesser specs
can't do, but the thrust of my post was really, does it actually
matter in the wholeness of who gets what with what RX and the actual
quantum of results achieved??? I don't think so.

Dear John,

"I see, said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw." NOW I
understand where you're coming from, John. Obviously if you cannot
operated menu-driven products, the AOR AR7030 'Plus' would definitely
NOT be for you. That explains, in part, your review of it.

I had to learn how to operate this receiver which was much different
from anything that I had used previously. But I have to say, as a
retired old geezer, I just didn't have that much, if any, trouble
learning how to operate it. I hate to say this, John, but I'm afraid
that, more and more, menu-driven products will become the norm and
that is solely due to cost. We're all going to have to learn to use
them. Switching electronically is much less expensive for the
manufacturers to produce than switching mechanically. That is why the
AR 7030 'Plus' can offer performance equal to or superior than much
more costly receivers with mechanical controls at a far lower price
and is one of the reasons that it has had such a long production life.
(And I too love radios with lots of buttons and knobs. They surely do
impress your relatives, friends, and neighbors! These people always
exclaim, upon being shown one of these radios, "Wow. You really know
how to work this?" But really, in fact, I'm much more interested in
performance than "show.")

Your comment about being able, with SDRs, to "monitor" many
frequencies at the same time is well-taken and something about which I
had not thought previously. For a dedicated DXer this would be a boon
BUT the manufacturers have got to 1) get the performance of these SDR
radios up to the level of current shortwave receivers and 2) "future-
proof" them so that when Microsoft or Apple introduce new operating
systems, these radios will continue to operate. This latter problem is
one to which I have given a great deal of thought and is the reason
why, at least at the present time, I am not considering purchase of
one. And I'm not just talking about a change from Windows XP to
Windows Vista. What will Microsoft produce ten or fifteen years from
now? Will today's SDRs still function with your computer of the future
or will you have just an expensive paperweight? Yes, I know you can
hold on to an older computer, but, when that goes, what do you have?
For me, at least, this is something to seriously consider.

If I won the lottery, I would buy a Watkins-Johnson WJ-8711A with all
its factory options plus a Sherwood SE-3 MK IV as described in
PASSPORT TO WORLD BAND RADIO. (I would also buy another house
somewhere, preferably near the ocean, on a very large property so I
could put up a Beverage antenna or two. I'd have my resident employees
maintain these antennas for me.) But, you know what? I would ALSO buy
two more AR7030 'Plus' receivers - one, configured the same as my
current one, to replace my Grundig Satellit 800 and one, configured
with the internal NiCd battery option, for travel, replacing my Sony
ICF-SW7600GRs.

Ah, dreams ...

All the best to you John,

Joe- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


My Answer to the My Tired/Weak Old Eyes and
My Big Old Fingers is the Grundig Satellit
800 Millennium Radio for every day Shortwave
Radio Program Listening (SWL).

The Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium Radio has
Big Widely Space Number Buttoms; a good size
Tuning Knob that feels right; and a Large LCD
Display with Numbers I can read without my Eye
Glasses. Plus the Wonderful Sound that comes
out of it is Pleasing to my worn-out Old Ears too.

Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium Radio
Icom IC-R75 Receiver with Kiwa Mods
Kenwood R-5000 Receiver
Eton E1 Radio

~ RHF