I WANT MY F-R-G! -

*** THE YAESU MUSEN FRG-7 COMMUNICATION RECEIVER REVIEW ***

I finally dropped the big bank roll. The biggest in fact I had ever
dropped. Prior to this moment the most expensive SW unit in my
possession cost $69.95. Over time I parlayed that radio (a radio
shack boat anchor) into a Grundig YB-400 (via trade, I only ended up
spending an additional 15 or 20 bucks) Most of my other radios
consisted of shoddy analog portables made in some Chinese sweat shop.
But I'm not complaining. They were all FUN to varying degrees, and I
learned things. I learned most importantly that I loved this hobby,
even if I could all contribute the paltriest sums of time and money to
it.

But now comes the big investment. I can't spend thousands, or even
hundreds. I can spend exactly $150 MAX. I ask questions and see what
is out there, and I end up with an FRG-7. The best my money could
buy. (Sold to me by John McColman, who I think I still owe $5. Sorry
John – What was the paypal account again?) He was a great guy.
Anyway the radio was in great shape, and packaged very nicely for the
journey to my home.

With unbridled anticipation I tear into the box and pull out my new
receiver. Awwww, a thing of beauty. It's slightly smaller than my
DX-160. But it has the SW looks of a primitive DX-300. In a word,
NICE. Of course minus the digital readout. This is all analog baby….
This for me is not a problem. I love analog sets. Don't get me
wrong, I wouldn't turn my nose up at a good table top with a digital
readout, and an analog tuning knob….but those days shall probably
never come….TOO MUCH GREEN FOR ME.

Anyway, I feel I got a good deal. The $150 was with shipping
included….which probably ran in the ball park of 20 bucks…**it's
heavy** And EBAY has these beauties running upwards of 2 C notes. So
I have no complaints. Life is good.

I plug it in – The faceplate fills with the warm glow of an old
radio….then the glow is gone. The light behind the main tuning dial -
went dead. Judah's not happy. Hmmmm. I suppose it's not a big
deal, but since this is to become my pride and joy I'd like to able to
read the signal strength and main tuning gauge with the lights
out….which is how I do most of my listening. (Radio was meant to be
listened to in the dark, kind of like watching a movie is always
better in the dark.) So now I'm bummed. I grab my screwdriver and
get to work opening the lil sucker. Ignorant of all but the most
basic electronic concepts I'm leery of messing with anything….but I
figure I might as well take a look. And I do, and I figure out how to
remove the main tuning dial, and there hidden away are the little
bulbs. Tiny little suckers. So I snip them off and I head to RADIO
SHACK, and hour, and two hot solder burns later, the radio is back
together and the new bulbs are bright as can be.

Now to take a listen…. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Sweet. Very Sweet. Even
sweeter than my previous pride and joy….my YB-400. The sound is clear
and un-muffled, yet warm and rich.

Even weak signals are easily audible. It just sounds good. I'm
picking up stuff all over the place. Stuff overpowered with static on
my YB-400, comes poking through on the FRG-7. This radio is head and
shoulders over any of my previous radios. (DX-300, YB-400, DX-160,
etc…)

In the under $200.00 category it is a sweet ride. And when you
consider it's some 30+ years old…in its day it must have been the
BOMB! (That means very good for anyone over 40.

So let's break it all down for the homies in the cheap seats….

SENSITIVITY – VERY GOOD TO EXCELLENT Taking into account my previous
radios, this baby is tops in sensitivity. Is it as sensitive as a
DRAKE or LOWE – send me one and I'll tell you. But I won't be holding
my breath….that being said, in relation to my previous radios. This
baby is king. If your on a budget and want a real performer.
**especially if your located in a poor reception area** bag this
puppy. Trust me when I say if your patient you can do some serious
DXing on this lil fella. It was born to snoop out signal!

SELECTIVITY – GOOD TO VERY GOOD– For an analog unit. The fine tuning
button is really a plus here. There are times, when fine tuning is
the difference between weak signal and no signal…especially when it is
stuck in amidst high powered audio traffic. Is it as good my YB-400?
Frankly…NO. I don't know all the digital PLL – this and that – yada –
yada- which makes it so….But I can tell by my ears, the YB-400 filters
out adjacent signals much better. Modern technology has definitely
improved this element of SW listening. The Yacht Boy can grab a
signal and with a narrow filter setting, drop out almost all other
noise. The FRG-7 has filters too, but they just aren't up to snuff by
comparison. But it is still very good for the technology of its day.
Again realize this is 30 years old. If you look at it from that
perspective, it's pretty amazing how good a job it does.

QUALITY – EXCELLENT - The build quality is excellent….nothing flimsy
here. All solidly built. It might even survive a short drop onto a
carpeted floor. (Although I wouldn't try this at home).
It is a rock. Even the plastic parts feel very solid. However the
majority of the external housing is all metal. And pretty heavy metal
at that.

AUDIO – VERY GOOD TO EXCELLENT- Out of the radios I have had this is
by far the best. Even better than the YB-400. At least to my ears.
I would love to find out what kind of speaker they used for this baby.
(Although I am sure it is more than just the speaker attributing to
such good sound) If you like a pleasing sound emanating from your
radio the FRG-7 delivers in spades.

STABILITY – GOOD TO VERY GOOD – Once this baby warms up it is nice and
stable. But I have to deduct points for the fact that it still takes
30 minutes to get there. I know it is an anomaly of the time when it
was made…but it is still frustrating having to wait till it is in its
sweet spot. I usually avoid this by turning it on well in advance of
my listening time. But once it is warm – it locks on to signals very
nicely. SSB/CW (Ham stuff for newbie's) is easy to tune as well….and
once you get it all locked in very little adjustments need to be made,
if any. You can listen to hams or broadcast, with out twiddling a
knob once you get it all honed in. As a side note – the tuning is
very accurate for an analog set. I compared it with my digital
YB-400, and the gauge is always right on the mark. Plus the
frequencies are very easy to read. You will always know just where
you are. You can actually find specific programs at specific times
with this radio. Rather difficult with the DX-160.

You may have noticed I didn't make much mention of the difference in
tuning shortwave broadcast stations and HAM related stuff. It's
because both are quite easy to receive, and a joy to listen to with
this guy. Of course SW broadcasts will sound better….duh. But Ham
stuff comes in load and clear and is very easy to tune in…

Did I also mention you can run it off batteries? Nice feature. If
the lights go out, you never lose a beat. It will switch to batteries
automatically. So while you wife is cursing the TV because she is
missing ‘FRIENDS' your still knee deep in BBC.

DISADVANTAGES – Still kind of pricy for a radio 30 years old. But it
seems worth the price, and it shows that it can hold its value if you
invest in one. Not as easy to get to everything inside as say the
DX-160, but still not a nightmare to work on. The Preselector tuning
style is not great – but was best of its day. The tuning is much
easier to master than say the DX-160.

ADVANTAGES – Sensitive! Great sound! Fun for knob twisting junkies
like me. I could go on….but its all in the review.

OVERALL – A great buy for someone in the under $200 market. If you
find a good one, don't let the age of this unit throw you off. It is
the best analog radio I have ever used. And, if you have one sitting
under a pile of old radio parts, take it out, dust it off, and start
playing with it again. You may have forgotten just how nice these old
sets are. Challenge yourself by doing some DXing the old fashioned
way…without all the bells and whistles of the modern era. You'll feel
like a kid again. And in the end – THAT IS what it's all about!