On Dec 27, 9:25Â*pm, "sdgreen" wrote:
"Radioguy" wrote in message

...
On Dec 26, 6:01 pm, "sdgreen" wrote:





"Mike" wrote in message

...
Two very different types of radios. What do you intend to
predominantly listen to on your new radio?

Mike

On Dec 26, 6:56�pm, "sdgreen" wrote:

Thinking of purchasing a new portable SW reciever. The two of interest
is
the ICOM R20 or the Eton E1.

Comments?

==

Certainly MW & HF, but the VHF bands are of some interest.

Numerous radios will get MW and HF coverage. Â*If those are your needs
then consider something a lot less expensive like one of the Tecsun or
Degen radios.

Also the R-20
seems to have a bit more capability not withstanding the smaller size.

In which ways does the R-20 have a bit more capability. Â*The E1 is
bursting with features.

Are you looking for a radio to listen to broadcast stations only? Â*Or
somehting beyond that?

I tend to like roaming the bands from MW to VHF and beyond. I also do a lot
of travelling and likely the R-20 or the E1 coupled to the 'magic antenna'
would perform quite well.

The question is which would be better

Hands down my choice would be the Eton E1. But you have not really
defined what kinds of listening you will be doing. For many casual
listeners a far more modestly priced radio such as the Degen DE1103
will deliver more than enough radio stations. For VHF coverage a
scanner would be a much better option.

On Dec 26, 9:01�pm, "sdgreen" wrote:

Certainly MW & HF, but the VHF bands are of some interest. Also the R-20
seems to have a bit more capability not withstanding the smaller size.

If listening mainly to VHF/UHF and some of the larger shortwave
broadcasters is your goal, buy the R-20. If you really want explore
the world of High Frequency DX, buy the E1 and erect a good external
antenna.

RHF can steer you to some great info sources on how to properly make a
shortwave antenna -- he moderates a Yahoo group on that subject.

Just my opinion,

Mike

On Dec 26, 6:56*pm, "sdgreen" wrote:
Thinking of purchasing a new portable SW reciever. The two of interest is
the ICOM R20 or the Eton E1.

Comments?

==

The manner in which you've posed your question suggests that your
primary interest is shortwave reception. This being the case, the R20
probably isn't worthy of consideration. Shortwave reception on the
R20 is pretty marginal at best. AM bandwidth filter is about 12-15
kHz wide, which is pretty substandard for shortwave broadcast
listening in crowded bands. Sure, you can get clean copy on some of
the powerhouse stations. The R20 does permit SSB reception, and it is
possible to tune AM signals in SSB and thus benefit from the 3 kHz SSB
filter with which the R20 is equipped. But this is an imperfect
solution, as well. True, the R20 has a nice 10 Hz tuning resolution,
which is helpful for SSB reception. The R20's sensitivity, however,
is rather lacking on the HF bands, particularly when using the
supplied whip. Overall, there are many cheaper portables, such as the
Sony ICF-SW7600GR, that are far more capable for both AM and SSB
reception on the HF bands.

Admittedly, you can boost the R20's HF capabilities with one of
these: http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...tune/3506.html
But is it really worth it? Reception is still stunted overall by the
unit's overall limitations on the HF bands. And if you really try to
compensate with an external antenna, expect a lot of overloading. The
R20 is okay as a wideband handheld receiver, but don't expect HF
performance to in any way come close to that of the E1 or even
approach that of less expensive SW portables, such as the Kaito/Degen
1103 or even the 1101. Simply put, the R20 should not be considered
on the basis of its SW performance.

junius

junius wrote:

Admittedly, you can boost the R20's HF capabilities with one of
these: http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...tune/3506.html
But is it really worth it?

That thing looks like it would put a lot of stress on the weakest point
on a handheld i.e. the BNC. My AR8200MKIIIB needs no help receiving
down through medium wave, even with a modest antenna.

On Dec 28, 8:27*am, David wrote:
junius wrote:
Admittedly, you can boost the R20's HF capabilities with one of
these: *http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...tune/3506.html
But is it really worth it? *

That thing looks like it would put a lot of stress on the weakest point
on a handheld i.e. the BNC. *My AR8200MKIIIB needs no help receiving
down through medium wave, even with a modest antenna.

Indeed, if one isn't particularly careful, the Miracle unit could put
stress on the connector.

As for the AR8200MkIIIB, it would be a somewhat better choice for MW &
SW. And the Yupiteru MVT-9000 Mk II reportedly offers MW/SW
performance that's superior to that of the AOR. That said, if one's
main interest is in the under 30 MHz range, there are under $100
portables that will offer better performance than any of these
wideband handhelds. That's not to say that the widebands don't have
their function and appeal. One should simply be aware of what they're
getting before jumping for such a piece of gear...

junius

junius wrote:
On Dec 28, 8:27 am, David wrote:
junius wrote:
Admittedly, you can boost the R20's HF capabilities with one of
these: http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...tune/3506.html
But is it really worth it?
That thing looks like it would put a lot of stress on the weakest point
on a handheld i.e. the BNC. My AR8200MKIIIB needs no help receiving
down through medium wave, even with a modest antenna.

Indeed, if one isn't particularly careful, the Miracle unit could put
stress on the connector.

As for the AR8200MkIIIB, it would be a somewhat better choice for MW &
SW. And the Yupiteru MVT-9000 Mk II reportedly offers MW/SW
performance that's superior to that of the AOR. That said, if one's
main interest is in the under 30 MHz range, there are under $100
portables that will offer better performance than any of these
wideband handhelds. That's not to say that the widebands don't have
their function and appeal. One should simply be aware of what they're
getting before jumping for such a piece of gear...

junius

I consider the MW-HF capability to be handy in a dull moment. I make
all my money on UHF. I seriously considered the Yupiteru based on
specs, but got the AOR because of 3rd party support like this:

http://www.butel.nl/products/ar8200/8200soft.html

On Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:56:56 GMT, "sdgreen" wrote:

Thinking of purchasing a new portable SW reciever. The two of interest is
the ICOM R20 or the Eton E1.

Comments?

==
I have the Eton E1 and find it to be an excellect radio. It is however
a bit large as a trur portable (travel) radio. If you are looking for
a travel radio, I would recommend trying to find a Sony SW100, a truly
great radio in a very small package.