The best of both worlds for me was analog tuning (happened to be an
HQ-180) with an external frequency counter for digital readout. That
enabled rapid scanning of the SW spectrum without having to search in 1
MHz segments, or have the tuning speed go so fast that everything would
go "pip...pip...pip...etc". And I could go back and find anything! Only
thing it lacked were memories. Frequency stability wasn't what today's
solid-state digital radios are, but it was quite acceptable. No digital
radio I'm aware of could match that for browsing thru the bands and
"stoping on a dime" with a precise frequency reading when hearing
something of interest.

/Carl - W5SU

Pierre L wrote:

I have two very good digital tuning shortwave radios, one with synchronous
sideband, but I find myself choosing to play with and listen to the little
analog tuning portable I have most of the time. I like to be able to scan
the bands by hand with the dial and to see where I am. When I let the
digital do this automatically, it just doesn't seem the same. I just don't
derive the same pleasure from the digital tuning, and I have no plans to
ever be a part of digital radio.

Anyone else feel like that? Maybe it's because my first shortwave was in the
1960's.

Pierre