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#1
September 25th 03, 11:26 PM
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#2
September 26th 03, 02:02 AM
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His comment was a little weird, but what he may have meant was that the
audio in the VR-500 is not great because of the small speaker (small package means small speaker). If you use headphones, the point is moot. It also sounds like he's being overly discriminating with the term "receiver". Receiver is a general term for any equipment that receives and demodulates radio signals. All of the radios you are talking about are also receivers--the Grundigs, Sangeans, Sonys, etc. The VRs are considered "communications receivers" because of the wide range they cover and, in the case of the VR-500, more flexible step sizes, higher frequency resolution for fine tuning, more memories and the capability for all analog receive modes (AM/NAM/FM/WFM/SSB/CW). They may be overkill for just SW listening (especially the VR-500)--they are intended more for hams and scanner types. SW receivers tend to be geared toward broadcast reception only, but even some of the SW receivers offer SSB mode, which can be used for listening to hams and utility services (in that case, they are being used more like "communications receivers"). The frequency step sizes tend to be limited to 5 kHz/1 kHz for SW broadcast, 9/10 kHz for AM broadcast and 50 or 100 kHz for FM broadcast. Higher end SW receivers start to approach the functionality of communications receivers, and the line between them becomes blurred. "Enthusiasts" tend to prefer receivers with more flexibility, whereas "listeners" only require broadcast reception capability and prefer simpler operation (these definitions are strictly mine...not everyone would agree). Incidentally, the VR-120 does not have SSB capability. - Doug "Rambler" wrote in message om... (Tom Welch) wrote in message . com... OK, I went by this establishment today to look at the VRs. I explained what I was looking for and the sales person pushed me towards a Grundig eTraveler. I told him that you all had suggested the Yaesus and he said "Those are no good for shortwave, they are receivers." I asked him to explain the difference and he said "You want a radio that you can listen to. Those receivers are for enthusiasts." Can you explain the difference here to me? I realize that the receivers cover a much broader spectrum than the world band radios do. But is the sound quality really crappy? Will I need to go back to school to learn to use it? Is a receiver not just a shortwave, scanner, and nautical radio all rolled into one? A VR-120D sounds interesting...weather band, shortwave,sideband, new frequencies to learn about in the future... But it seems like a line has been drawn between these radios and normal shortwaves that people rarely cross. What gives? Rambler |
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#4
September 26th 03, 07:44 PM
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#5
September 26th 03, 03:05 AM
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Rambler wrote: (Tom Welch) wrote in message . com... I would suggest you buy a Grundig Mini World 100 PE pocket radio The Grundig was on my short list, but I am leaning away and towards a digital that would be about the same size. BTW, Brookstone carries the radio also for $30. Another alternative, is the Yaesu VR-120D. Ham Radio Outlet had this radio for $120 last time I looked, a lot cheaper than the Yaesu VR-500. OK, I went by this establishment today to look at the VRs. I explained what I was looking for and the sales person pushed me towards a Grundig eTraveler. I told him that you all had suggested the Yaesus and he said "Those are no good for shortwave, they are receivers." I asked him to explain the difference and he said "You want a radio that you can listen to. Those receivers are for enthusiasts." Can you explain the difference here to me? I realize that the receivers cover a much broader spectrum than the world band radios do. But is the sound quality really crappy? Will I need to go back to school to learn to use it? Is a receiver not just a shortwave, scanner, and nautical radio all rolled into one? A VR-120D sounds interesting...weather band, shortwave,sideband, new frequencies to learn about in the future... But it seems like a line has been drawn between these radios and normal shortwaves that people rarely cross. What gives? Rambler I think "what gives" is the salesman had instructions from his boss on what they need to push because of the profit margin, and maybe the Yaesu ain't it. That is no reflection on how good a radio it may be. Shortwave ain't Dolby Surround high fidelity by any means. Assuming good reception and decoding of the signal, a receiver can give you some definite advantages for listening, but as far as audio quality, shortwave is, well, "shortwave". His comment that the Yaesu was "no good for listening" because it is a receiver is nonsense. At best, he figured you'd play with the SW bands for 20 minutes the first day, and listen to FM from that time forward. At worst - and I still think this is it - he was trying to steer you toward something with a better profit margin, or perhaps the store was overstocked with, and wants to clear out. His comment about "no good for listening" is nonsensical, and also implys he thinks you are a moron - which you obviously aren't, you've done your homework well. Bottom line: Buy what YOU really want. And unless you can't beat the price, don't buy it there. Tony ----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
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#6
September 26th 03, 05:10 PM
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Rambler schrieb:
Another alternative, is the Yaesu VR-120D. Ham Radio Outlet had this radio for $120 last time I looked, a lot cheaper than the Yaesu VR-500. OK, I went by this establishment today to look at the VRs. I explained what I was looking for and the sales person pushed me towards a Grundig eTraveler. I told him that you all had suggested the Yaesus and he said "Those are no good for shortwave, they are receivers." I asked him to explain the difference and he said "You want a radio that you can listen to. Those receivers are for enthusiasts." Can you explain the difference here to me? Very simple. Scanners just don't feel at home on shortwave. These things are built for higher frequencies with high sensitivity and the respective modes (narrow/wide FM, AM). On shortwave, usual scanners are either rather deaf or overloaded very easily, or both. (If you want to see a rather inexpensive rig (hi) that combines both worlds, look at the Icom IC-R8500 or AOR AR5000.) If you aren't entirely spoiled by digital stuff, get a decent dual conversion analog set like a Sony ICF-SW22 or its predecessor ICF-SW20. These measure just 11.5 x 7.3 x 2.8 cm^3 and weigh ~210 grams. No 22 meters though. Other mini radios? The ATS-606A you mentioned is quite decent AFAIK. No idea 'bout the Grundig, not sold here. The Sony ICF-SW30 is quite usable reception wise, but the operation... Stephan -- Home: http://stephan.win31.de/ | Webm.: http://www.i24.com/ PC#6: i440LX, 2xCel300A, 448 MB, 18 GB, ATI AGP 32 MB, 110W This is a SCSI-inside, Legacy-plus, TCPA-free computer  Reply to newsgroup only. | See home page for working e-mail address. |
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