Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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

Comments?

==

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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?

==

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

On Dec 26, 6:01Â*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. Also the R-20
seems to have a bit more capability not withstanding the smaller size.

If is a Walking Around Radio that you are looking for :
Then pick the Icom R20. The Eton E1 Radio is far from
a walking around Radio; plus it has no handle. ~ RHF

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

RHF wrote:

If is a Walking Around Radio that you are looking for :
Then pick the Icom R20. The Eton E1 Radio is far from
a walking around Radio; plus it has no handle. ~ RHF
.


It takes a Richter Scale six shock to make EITHER of them walk. Now,
carrying them is another matter entirely.

As for a 'handle', I would call my E1 'Grundy'..that's if I had one..





mike

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

On Dec 26, 6:01Â*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. 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. The E1 is
bursting with features.

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

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

On Dec 26, 10:59Â*pm, RHF wrote:
On Dec 26, 6:01Â*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. Also the R-20
seems to have a bit more capability not withstanding the smaller size.

If is a Walking Around Radio that you are looking for :
Then pick the Icom R20. Â*The Eton E1 Radio is far from
a walking around Radio; plus it has no handle. Â*~ RHF
Â*.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

For a "walking around" radio, a better choice for the HF bands would
be the Sangean ATS-606, Eton E100, or Degen 1105 (although there's no
SSB on any of these three)

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

"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. 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. The E1 is
bursting with features.

Are you looking for a radio to listen to broadcast stations only? 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?

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

On Dec 27, 9:25*pm, "sdgreen" wrote:


The question is which would be better?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On LW/MW/SW, the E1 will prove resoundingly superior. The R20's
marginal performance on these bands is not going to come even close.

As for the VHF/UHF coverage, well, with the exception of the FM BCB,
the R20 wins by default, since the E1 does not provide this coverage.

But is the R20 going to provide the capabilities you'll want in
monitoring the VHF/UHF bands? That's another question entirely. You
might take a look at some of the handheld scanners out there, like the
Bearcat BCD396T, that offer trunk-tracking and APCO-25 capabilities.

Simply put, wideband receivers like the R20 can look pretty impressive
on paper, but invariably they involve various compromises across the
board.

As far as reception below 30 MHz goes, the performance of the R20 is
not even up to what you'd expect from a $50 shortwave portable.

If you're wanting truly worthy performance and you're requiring MW
through UHF, then I'm afraid your best bet is to look toward getting
two radios, my friend.


junius

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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.

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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

Simple Wire "T" Antenna for Walking-A-Round with a Pocket Radio
 

On Dec 27, 9:04Â*am, junius wrote:
On Dec 26, 10:59Â*pm, RHF wrote:





On Dec 26, 6:01Â*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. Also the R-20
seems to have a bit more capability not withstanding the smaller size.

If is a Walking Around Radio that you are looking for :
Then pick the Icom R20. Â*The Eton E1 Radio is far from
a walking around Radio; plus it has no handle. Â*~ RHF
Â*.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

For a "walking around" radio, a better choice for the HF bands would
be the Sangean ATS-606, Eton E100, or Degen 1105 (although there's no
SSB on any of these three)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

-IF- You are going to be actually be walking-a-round with
a small 'portable' AM/FM Shortwave Radio in your Pocket.

Then most likely you are going to try walking-a-round with
the Whip Antenna Extended. This usually results in the
Whip Antenna getting Bent or Broken.

Simple Wire "T" Antenna for Walking-A-Round with a
Pocket Radio : {Winter Weather Out-Doors Antenna}
* Four Feet (4') of Stranded Speaker Wire with an Alligator
Clip attached {Soldered} to both Wires at one end.
* Tie an Overhand Knot in the Speaker Wire about 12 Inches
from the Alligator Clip.
* At the End of the Speaker Wire away from the Alligator Clip
'separate' the two Speaker Wires down to the Knot.
* Threat the two Single Speaker Wires into the Arms of a
Jacket or Coat. Then put-on the Jacket.
* Put the Pocket Radio in your Shirt Pocket
* Attach the Alligator Clip to the Pocket Radio's Whip Antenna
{Keep the Whip Antenna Collapsed}

Turn-On and Tune-In the Pocket Radio and Enjoy your
Radio Listening and Radio Moblility - iane ~ RHF {pomkia}

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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

Simple Wire "T" Antenna for Walking-A-Round with a Pocket Radio
 

RHF wrote:

-IF- You are going to be actually be walking-a-round with
a small 'portable' AM/FM Shortwave Radio in your Pocket.

Then most likely you are going to try walking-a-round with
the Whip Antenna Extended. This usually results in the
Whip Antenna getting Bent or Broken.

Simple Wire "T" Antenna for Walking-A-Round with a
Pocket Radio : {Winter Weather Out-Doors Antenna}
* Four Feet (4') of Stranded Speaker Wire with an Alligator
Clip attached {Soldered} to both Wires at one end.
* Tie an Overhand Knot in the Speaker Wire about 12 Inches
from the Alligator Clip.
* At the End of the Speaker Wire away from the Alligator Clip
'separate' the two Speaker Wires down to the Knot.
* Threat the two Single Speaker Wires into the Arms of a
Jacket or Coat. Then put-on the Jacket.
* Put the Pocket Radio in your Shirt Pocket
* Attach the Alligator Clip to the Pocket Radio's Whip Antenna
{Keep the Whip Antenna Collapsed}

Turn-On and Tune-In the Pocket Radio and Enjoy your
Radio Listening and Radio Moblility - iane ~ RHF {pomkia}
.
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antennas Group = http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
GoTo = http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
The SWL Antenna Discussion Group = http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna HELP = http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna NEWS = http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna INFO = http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
* * * All Are Welcome : Including ELMERS and 'Want-to-be-Elmers'
plus plain old "Mister-Know-It-Alls"; and even those Newbees with
"I Know This Is A Really Dumb Question - But _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "
.
Shortwave Radio Listener QSL Reports News & Info Group
http://groups.google.com/group/short...er-qsl-reports
Read & Post Your Shortwave Listener (SWL) Reception Reports
SWL-QSL-REPORTS = http://tinyurl.com/3awlyr
.
The Shortwave Listener's Blessing :
SWL BLESSING = http://tinyurl.com/s2bjm
May You Never Tire of Listening to the Radio and Always
have Strong Signals and Noise Free Reception ~ RHF {ibid}
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...a/message/9233
.
Tous Sont Bienvenus ! - - - Groupe par Radio
d'auditeur d'onde courte pour des Antennes de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
Alle Sind Willkommen ! - - - Shortwave Radiozuhörer
Gruppe für SWL Antennen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
Tutti Sono Benvenuti ! - - - Gruppo Radiofonico
dell'ascoltatore di onda corta per le Antenne di SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
Todos São Bem-vindos ! - - - Grupo de Rádio
do ouvinte do Shortwave para Antenas de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
¡Todos Son Agradables! - - - Grupo de Radio del oyente
de la onda corta para las Antenas de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
= = = = Plain Old American-English Translation = = = =
All are Welcome - - - To Join the Shortwave Listeners
(SWL) Antenna Group on YAHOO !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
|
|
|
/ \
.......!.......

RHF,

What a novel idea. How do you find the time to think this stuff up?

Simple Wire "T" Antenna for Walking-A-Round with a Pocket Radio
 

On Dec 29, 7:03*pm, latitude61 wrote:
RHF wrote:
-IF- You are going to be actually be walking-a-round with
a small 'portable' AM/FM Shortwave Radio in your Pocket.

Then most likely you are going to try walking-a-round with
the Whip Antenna Extended. *This usually results in the
Whip Antenna getting Bent or Broken.

Simple Wire "T" Antenna for Walking-A-Round with a
Pocket Radio : {Winter Weather Out-Doors Antenna}
* Four Feet (4') of Stranded Speaker Wire with an Alligator
Clip attached {Soldered} to both Wires at one end.
* Tie an Overhand Knot in the Speaker Wire about 12 Inches
from the Alligator Clip.
* At the End of the Speaker Wire away from the Alligator Clip
'separate' the two Speaker Wires down to the Knot.
* Threat the two Single Speaker Wires into the Arms of a
Jacket or Coat. *Then put-on the Jacket.
* Put the Pocket Radio in your Shirt Pocket
* Attach the Alligator Clip to the Pocket Radio's Whip Antenna
{Keep the Whip Antenna Collapsed}

Turn-On and Tune-In the Pocket Radio and Enjoy your
Radio Listening and Radio Moblility - iane ~ RHF {pomkia}
*.
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antennas Group =http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
GoTo =http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
The SWL Antenna Discussion Group =http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna HELP =http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna NEWS =http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna INFO =http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
* * * All Are Welcome : Including ELMERS and 'Want-to-be-Elmers'
plus plain old "Mister-Know-It-Alls"; and even those Newbees with
"I Know This Is A Really Dumb Question - But _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "
*.
Shortwave Radio Listener QSL Reports News & Info Group
http://groups.google.com/group/short...er-qsl-reports
Read & Post Your Shortwave Listener (SWL) Reception Reports
SWL-QSL-REPORTS =http://tinyurl.com/3awlyr
*.
The Shortwave Listener's Blessing :
SWL BLESSING =http://tinyurl.com/s2bjm
May You Never Tire of Listening to the Radio and Always
have Strong Signals and Noise Free Reception ~ RHF {ibid}
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...a/message/9233
*.
Tous Sont Bienvenus ! - - - Groupe par Radio
d'auditeur d'onde courte pour des Antennes de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
*.
Alle Sind Willkommen ! - - - Shortwave Radiozuhörer
Gruppe für SWL Antennen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
*.
Tutti Sono Benvenuti ! - - - Gruppo Radiofonico
dell'ascoltatore di onda corta per le Antenne di SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
*.
Todos São Bem-vindos ! - - - Grupo de Rádio
do ouvinte do Shortwave para Antenas de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
*.
¡Todos Son Agradables! - - - Grupo de Radio del oyente
de la onda corta para las Antenas de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
*.
= = = = Plain Old American-English Translation = = = =
All are Welcome - - - To Join the Shortwave Listeners
(SWL) Antenna Group on YAHOO !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
*.
*|
*|
*|
/ \
.......!.......

- RHF,
-
- What a novel idea.
- How do you find the time to think this stuff up?

Latitude 61,

You ever had the 'extended' Whip Antenna of a Pocket
Radio that was in your shirt-pocket - Poke you in the Face ?

Between your Body-Capacitance (#1) and about 6-Feet of
Speaker Wire (#2) for and Antenna the simple Wire "T"
Antenna does a lot better job of picking up Radio Signals
then 12"~16" Whip Antenna of most Pocket-Radios.

Better for Radio Listening* while Hiking, when you are
wearing Long Pants and a Long-Sleeve Shirt is a Wire
"T" Antenna that goes down one pant-leg and out one
shirt-sleeve.
* An Earphone / EarBud for 'quiet' Radio Listening is optional.

A Metal Pack-Pack Frame can be a good Hiking Antenna.

Those little Arm Radios with EarBuds work better when
you are Jogging / Running.

The Sangean AM & FM Pocket-Radio Model DT200VX
has very good AM & FM Radio Reception for it's size,
plus it has a built-in Speaker and works with EarBuds too.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...alty/4117.html
http://www.ccrane.com/radios/pocket-...ket-radio.aspx
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...alty/2605.html

FWIW - The Grundig Mini World 100 PE Analog Pocket-Radio
also offers the Shortwave Bands besides AM & FM Radio.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...able/4040.html


the things you learn by just walking around. ~ RHF / Lat 38

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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.

Icom R-20 or Eton E!?
 

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.