Curmudgeon wrote:

On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 18:29:21 -0400, dxAce wrote:



Sean Chercover wrote:

I'm new here. Do members of this newsgroup prefer that newcomers de-lurk
with an introduction, or do you prefer that I de-lurk by jumping right in
and posting, willy-nilly?

Welcome, we'll try and help you if we can.

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8, R8B and a Arvin portable
BC895XLT, PRO-2045
70' and 200' wires

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm





Ah yes Poodle Boy aka Steve Lare welcomes you one day and the next day he will be revealing your real name and address and calling you a liar and a
fabricator. Try your best to ignore this fool. He's nothing but trouble.

Ignore fools like Curmudgeon who hide behind fake names!

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8, R8B and a Arvin portable
BC895XLT, PRO-2045
70' and 200' wires

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

"Diverd4777" wrote...

- What kind of receiver you got?
What do ytou listen to..
& so forth..


I've got a Grundig Yacht Boy 400. I got it in 1994, to replace an analogue
Grundig (can't remember the model name). I had no complaints with the
Grundigs when I lived in South Carolina, or in New Orleans. But I'm now in
downtown Toronto, which is not a great place to pick up radio signals. And
the 400 just doesn't seem to perform as well as it used to and the antenna
is coming loose and it seems like time to find a new radio. I'm now looking
to move to a Sony SW77 (if I can find a good used one at the right price) or
perhaps a 7600GR (if I can't get the SW77).

I listen mostly to mainstream stuff...BBC, Radio Australia, Radio Prague,
Radio Taiwan, VOA, etc. Radio Havana is amusing, in small doses. I can't
seem to get any Caribbean signals (other than Radio Havana) here in Toronto,
but I've just started back at the hobby after a few years off. I'm starting
to experiment with various SSB stuff, and it is fun, but a bit frustrating
so far.

I also listen to WGN 720 on the AM dial...but I can't get it well at all,
because it is drowned out by a nearby local station. To remedy this, I
bought a CC Radio from C.Crane. It proved to be disappointing. The radio
has a nice tone, but it does not separate signals well at all. My wife
bought me their Justice antenna, and that helps some, but I'm still not
thrilled with the results.

Anyway. I figure I need a radio with synchronous detection. So I've been
looking at reviews of the Sony 7600GR and the SW77. I've heard folks say
the 7600GR has bad sound. Since I often listen with my wife, I'm not going
to be using headphones most of the time.

Anybody with advice, please feel free.

Thanks,
Sean

"Groom Lake" wrote...

I don't know what type situation you have with that Chicago station, but
I've had fairly good luck with my sw-77 and the RS (15-1853) loop
antenna on medium wave stuff. I was able to separate 10kc interference
with a combination of sync detector and orientation of loop to the
internal ferrite bar.
In my case the interference was a nearby (less than 10 miles) heavily
over modulated mariachi station on 800 and the target was KGO 810
(almost 500 miles). The 800 station is now leased to ESPN and the audio
is better controlled, so it's not as bad as a couple years ago.

Thanks for the feedback. I was wondering about the SW77's AM performance.
Sounds better than anything I've got. I'll look for a cheap used SW77. If
that doesn't pan out, I'm leaning toward the SW7600GR.

Best,
Sean

In article k.net,
"Sean Chercover" wrote:

"Diverd4777" wrote...

- What kind of receiver you got?
What do ytou listen to..
& so forth..


I've got a Grundig Yacht Boy 400. I got it in 1994, to replace an analogue
Grundig (can't remember the model name). I had no complaints with the
Grundigs when I lived in South Carolina, or in New Orleans. But I'm now in
downtown Toronto, which is not a great place to pick up radio signals. And
the 400 just doesn't seem to perform as well as it used to and the antenna
is coming loose and it seems like time to find a new radio. I'm now looking
to move to a Sony SW77 (if I can find a good used one at the right price) or
perhaps a 7600GR (if I can't get the SW77).

You are further north where signals are weaker than southern US. Some of
the daytime signals you listened to are going to be weaker but night
time should still be as good.

The Sony 7600GR is not going to be the huge step up you probably want.
The synchronous detection will help but it does not work well on weak
signals. It does have a USB / LSB switch but you still need to tune a
clarifier knob.

I listen mostly to mainstream stuff...BBC, Radio Australia, Radio Prague,
Radio Taiwan, VOA, etc. Radio Havana is amusing, in small doses. I can't
seem to get any Caribbean signals (other than Radio Havana) here in Toronto,
but I've just started back at the hobby after a few years off. I'm starting
to experiment with various SSB stuff, and it is fun, but a bit frustrating
so far.

I'm a program listener too. You should be able to get radio netherlands
from the Antilles @ 19:00 UTC, Sat and Sun on 17725 (listed) but they
seem to be on 17735 or 15315. They are also on 17660 at that time but I
don't know where that transmitter is located.

I also listen to WGN 720 on the AM dial...but I can't get it well at all,
because it is drowned out by a nearby local station. To remedy this, I
bought a CC Radio from C.Crane. It proved to be disappointing. The radio
has a nice tone, but it does not separate signals well at all. My wife
bought me their Justice antenna, and that helps some, but I'm still not
thrilled with the results.

I don't know much about that antenna but have you tried a tuned loop
like the Select - a - Tenna. They have good nulls. This may not be the
best advice, others in the group DX BCB may have better suggestions.

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/mwant/4316.html

Anyway. I figure I need a radio with synchronous detection. So I've been
looking at reviews of the Sony 7600GR and the SW77. I've heard folks say
the 7600GR has bad sound. Since I often listen with my wife, I'm not going
to be using headphones most of the time.

Make a patch cord from the radio to a stereo to overcome the small
speaker in the portable case.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

"Telamon" wrote...
"Sean Chercover" wrote:

I've got a Grundig Yacht Boy 400. I got it in 1994, to replace an
analogue
Grundig (can't remember the model name). I had no complaints with the
Grundigs when I lived in South Carolina, or in New Orleans. But I'm now
in
downtown Toronto, which is not a great place to pick up radio signals.
And
the 400 just doesn't seem to perform as well as it used to and the
antenna
is coming loose and it seems like time to find a new radio. I'm now
looking
to move to a Sony SW77 (if I can find a good used one at the right
price) or
perhaps a 7600GR (if I can't get the SW77).

You are further north where signals are weaker than southern US. Some of
the daytime signals you listened to are going to be weaker but night
time should still be as good.

*** Yeah, reception here sure ain't what it was down south. But I think my
radio is also starting to die. Performance has definitely deteriorated in
the last year.


The Sony 7600GR is not going to be the huge step up you probably want.
The synchronous detection will help but it does not work well on weak
signals. It does have a USB / LSB switch but you still need to tune a
clarifier knob.

*** Thank you. That is exactly my concern. I don't want to shell out for
the 7600GR and then find myself wishing I'd taken the leap to an SW77. I
assume that the synchronous detection will offer somewhat better results
than I get with the YB400. But there are drawbacks...the inferior speaker,
the missing band display and LCD singal strength meter, the missing clock
display when the radio is on. These things will probably bug me.

I'm a program listener too. You should be able to get radio netherlands
from the Antilles @ 19:00 UTC, Sat and Sun on 17725 (listed) but they
seem to be on 17735 or 15315. They are also on 17660 at that time but I
don't know where that transmitter is located.

*** Thanks very much for that...I'll listen for them.

My wife
bought me their Justice antenna, and that helps some, but I'm still not
thrilled with the results.

I don't know much about that antenna but have you tried a tuned loop
like the Select - a - Tenna. They have good nulls. This may not be the
best advice, others in the group DX BCB may have better suggestions.

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/mwant/4316.html

*** Actually, I wanted a Select-a-Tenna, but the Justice was a gift from my
wife, so what the hell. It does help, but it isn't the magic bullet that
the C.Crane catalog hypes it as. I was also looking at the Kiwa Loop, but
it ain't cheap, and I'm not sure how to separate they hype from the reality.

I've heard folks say
the 7600GR has bad sound. Since I often listen with my wife, I'm not
going
to be using headphones most of the time.

Make a patch cord from the radio to a stereo to overcome the small
speaker in the portable case.

*** I was thinking about that. The 7600GR has audio out, so that could help
a lot. But the best reception I get is when I'm away from Toronto, so I
want to be able to listen for extended periods through the internal speaker,
as well. Maybe it isn't as bad as some folks say. But I do like the sound
of my Grundig. I'll have to test-drive the 7600GR at the store and see if I
can tell how much the inferior sound will bother me.

Thanks again for your feedback. Much appreciated.

Best,
Sean

"Groom Lake" wrote...
Sean Chercover wrote:

Thank you. That is exactly my concern. I don't want to shell out for
the 7600GR and then find myself wishing I'd taken the leap to an SW77.

An oft remembered bit of advice from my grandfather -
"always get the best you can afford, and you'll never be disappointed"

*** Your grandfather was no dummy. I can afford an SW77 used, but not new.
So, I can buy a used model and hope that it hasn't been abused, or I can be
patient and save up for a new one. But patience is not one of my strongest
virtues. I am also on the lookout for a used SW2010. We'll see what I
find.

Under certain challenging conditions, a synchronous detector will make
the difference between hearing or not, but it doesn't improve an already
good copied signal, and might even detract a bit, that's why it's on/off
switchable.

*** I don't imagine that it is a magic bullet. But it will probably help
with some of my problems. Here in Toronto, the airwaves are very crowded
and I get a lot of spillover.

If you want room filling audio from a local station, stay with the
Grundig boom boxes, otherwise the audio is as good as your headphones.

*** I don't use headphones most of the time. My wife is originally from
Britain, and she likes to listen along with me, especially to the BBC.

Thanks for the tips,
Sean

Groom Lake wrote:

In k.net
posted on Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:02:16 GMT, Sean Chercover wrote:

*** I don't use headphones most of the time. My wife is originally from
Britain, and she likes to listen along with me, especially to the BBC.

The beeb can be compared to local much of the time, due to their wide
variety of freq and antenna arrangements. Drop a line to Bush house for
their latest schedule.

One might also check the skeds located he

http://www.eibi.de.vu/

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8, R8B and a Arvin portable
BC895XLT, PRO-2045
70' and 200' wires

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

Thanks, guys.

-Sean


"dxAce" wrote in message
...


Groom Lake wrote:

In k.net
posted on Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:02:16 GMT, Sean Chercover wrote:

*** I don't use headphones most of the time. My wife is originally
from
Britain, and she likes to listen along with me, especially to the BBC.

The beeb can be compared to local much of the time, due to their wide
variety of freq and antenna arrangements. Drop a line to Bush house for
their latest schedule.

One might also check the skeds located he

http://www.eibi.de.vu/

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8, R8B and a Arvin portable
BC895XLT, PRO-2045
70' and 200' wires

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

"Stephen M.H. Lawrence" wrote...
Duck the tinfoil - hat crowd and grab some good Virginia...you'll need it
in
this
newsgroup!

Hey, Stephen! Nice to see you here.

Best,
Sean