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#6
September 21st 09, 05:50 PM
posted to rec.radio.shortwave
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First radio
On Sep 21, 9:08*am, "D. Peter Maus"
wrote: JimK wrote: *Hello, I'm interested in trying shortwave listening. I have narrowed *my choices to the Kaito 1103, and Sony SW7600GR. *I would very much appreciate any opinions on which you prefer, and *why. *Also, is lack of wide/narrow switch on the Sony a problem? *Thanks. * * Welcome to the hobby. SW listening is a shade of its former self, but there's still plenty to snag. Lots to enjoy. * * Radios....about any passable radio you buy will be a decent start. It will not be the last one you buy. But what it will do is get you active, so you can refine your interests, and then select a radio that meets the needs of those interests. You'll also begin experimenting with methods of improving reception: eliminating noise sources, possibly experimenting with external antennae. * * Any decent radio can get you into the hobby, and help you learn the craft of radio. * * Sony: 7600 is a popular radio. Not without reason. I personally don't recommend Sony because of their service practices. If something goes wrong, you can jump through many hoops, waste many months (in one case I waited two years for a VCR to come back from the Sony Service Center, with some great stories as to why it was taking so damned long) waiting for a piece to be repaired, only to be told after it all, that it was unrepairable, and that they'd be glad to sell you a new product and give you pro rated credit for your old one. Great sounding. In practice you end up spending about 150% more for a working radio than you thought you would. * * So, I don't recommend any Sony product on that basis. * * But if you're determined to go that way, then go with your eyes open. * * Wide/Narrow: This is probably a non-issue. There are a number of ways that manufacturers execute selectable bandwidth. They can actually switch in additional or alternate filters, which would be the better way, or they can simply switch in or out additional capacitance to roll off the upper end of the response curves. GRE built radios for 'The Shack' (...what the F*CK are these people thinking) would simply switch in some extra capacitance to roll off the audio when you selected 'Narrow.' To switch in additional or alternate filters costs money. And requires more stable, and a finer, alignment...adding considerably to the cost of the radio. * * And if the filters are selected correctly, especially on the portable, narrower bandwidth is usually unnecessary, unless you're in a crowded band pulling one CW operator out of many. * * If the radio you select doesn't have a Wide/Narrow selector, you probably won't miss it. * * Features overall... The Sony has synchronous detection. A nice feature. Very erratically executed across manufacturers. Sony usually does it pretty well. Now, there are some radio hobbycraft practitioners, and reviewers as well, who will tell you NEVER buy a radio without a sync detector. Ignore them. These people are dilletantes masquerading as high performance SWL'ers. The truth is that sync is a nice feature. But not a necessity. And a good operator with the radio of his choice can pull a decent listen out of his signal of interest without it. Nice feature. Not a necessity. And most sync detectors have enough quirks that you can do better with ECSS than you can with sync. So look for a radio that can detect single sideband (SSB.) * *Tuning resolution should be pretty fine. For program listening, you can get away with nearly a kilohertz. For ham/utilities, you'll need something finer. 100Hz is passable, 50Hz is better. 10Hz is good. But you'll need what's called a 'clarifier.' Many radios have them. Many don't. A clarifier will enable you to zero in on a signal in SSB, or ECSS for the best listening. Without it, you may get a low level beat that can be really irritating. * *Build quality should be good. You're going to beat this thing up if you drag it with you where you go. And you'll want to take it out of the city or town where you live for the lower noise figures possible out in the woods. Lower noise means better hearing of low level signals. Some decent DX is possible in the woods, without any modifications or additional antenna. * *The Sony offers a pretty decent product for the money in these areas. Audio can be kind of harsh, though. And you will be listening for long stretches. * *The Kaito is a basic radio. Offering few of the advanced features but it has more pleasant audio, and about the same sensitivity and build as the Sony. * *My personal choice would be the Kaito. Because it's not a Sony. Your mileage may vary. * *Recommendation: Go to a brick and mortar store and try each. Side by side, if you can. Then find the best price and order your selection on line. FWIW, good post Peter. |
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