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Drake r8b & Winradio 313i comparisons?
Ok..this is all in the imaginary 'Wish List' category..
An elderly aunt has died and left you a small sum of money(1). You need another radio, (I know, I know) just to round out things a bit. The Drake R8b has excellent specs, as does the Winradio 313i. You suspect that you'll be getting arthritis in the tuning hand in the next few years, so manual control of the set isn't that important. Function, sensitivity and dependability is EVERYTHING. Which of the two radios would provide a better fit for those requirements? With the 180 Mhz extension and the 10Mhz module, the Winradio would cost almost the same as a Drake. So, as the cost is the same, which is the best radio? I would have to give some thought as to waterproofing either setup, as it may see a lot of use in the back yard when I'm locked out of the house by one of those non-understanding types whose main purpose in life seems to be questioning the value of radios (1) In dxAce's case, his bail bondsman mike |
I know that computer-based radios have their advantages. But I like to have
a separate piece of hardware as my radio. If you have, say, an ICF2010 (or 2001D in my case), then you've probably had it quite some years. My point is, if I buy a "traditional" radio, then I don't necessarily see any "end-of-life" for it - I'll keep it until it doesn't work any more and can't be fixed. With a Winradio, I wonder for how many years will it correctly interface with my PC? In five years, will its interface be an "old" standard, rendering it a redundant device, even though there's nothing wrong with it? And what of the accompanying PC software? What happens when you finally trade in your PC (which you'd probably do more often than upgrading your radio)? Will the latest, greatest (i.e. this month's!) PC and OS still run your software and talk to your Winradio? Also, doesn't conjur up the same atmosphere of sitting in the shack, lights down low, struggling to see the keyboard and mouse (you've got arthritis remember, so maybe the vision is fading too!) to tune in that DX signal. Just my thoughts! Mark. "m II" wrote in message news:t06Xc.44065$S55.34787@clgrps12... Ok..this is all in the imaginary 'Wish List' category.. An elderly aunt has died and left you a small sum of money(1). You need another radio, (I know, I know) just to round out things a bit. The Drake R8b has excellent specs, as does the Winradio 313i. You suspect that you'll be getting arthritis in the tuning hand in the next few years, so manual control of the set isn't that important. Function, sensitivity and dependability is EVERYTHING. Which of the two radios would provide a better fit for those requirements? With the 180 Mhz extension and the 10Mhz module, the Winradio would cost almost the same as a Drake. So, as the cost is the same, which is the best radio? I would have to give some thought as to waterproofing either setup, as it may see a lot of use in the back yard when I'm locked out of the house by one of those non-understanding types whose main purpose in life seems to be questioning the value of radios (1) In dxAce's case, his bail bondsman mike |
On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 19:46:33 GMT, m II
wrote: Ok..this is all in the imaginary 'Wish List' category.. An elderly aunt has died and left you a small sum of money(1). You need another radio, (I know, I know) just to round out things a bit. The Drake R8b has excellent specs, as does the Winradio 313i. You suspect that you'll be getting arthritis in the tuning hand in the next few years, so manual control of the set isn't that important. Function, sensitivity and dependability is EVERYTHING. Which of the two radios would provide a better fit for those requirements? With the 180 Mhz extension and the 10Mhz module, the Winradio would cost almost the same as a Drake. So, as the cost is the same, which is the best radio? I would have to give some thought as to waterproofing either setup, as it may see a lot of use in the back yard when I'm locked out of the house by one of those non-understanding types whose main purpose in life seems to be questioning the value of radios (1) In dxAce's case, his bail bondsman mike You can purchase software along with the 313 that allows you to control and listen to it over the web. You can be in a hotel or coffee shop thousands of miles away and have your R8 equivalent with you. Something to consider. Regards DA |
Here's a *possible* solution: buy an AOR AR7030 Plus receiver from one
of the shops in England in conjunction with Richard Hillier at AOR UK (he can make recommendations to you based on your requirements and will contact the shop of your choice to have the radio specially made up and shipped to you). Then contact Jan Arkesteijn and download RxWings (you can e-mail him and get the latest version). You will then have a superlative receiver which can be used as a stand-alone radio, a radio controlled by a remote-control device, and a computer-controlled radio. Should computer standards change in a number of years, well, you'll still have the stand-alone radio. You can have your cake and eat it too! (The AR7030 is AT LEAST as good as the Drake; frankly, I think it's much more versatile and better.) By the way, Jan's computer control program RxWings is totally FREE! Joe P.S. You can tell your wife that this will be the VERY LAST short-wave radio you'll ever need to buy. If you're lucky, she MAY even believe you! m II wrote in message news:t06Xc.44065$S55.34787@clgrps12... Ok..this is all in the imaginary 'Wish List' category.. An elderly aunt has died and left you a small sum of money(1). You need another radio, (I know, I know) just to round out things a bit. The Drake R8b has excellent specs, as does the Winradio 313i. You suspect that you'll be getting arthritis in the tuning hand in the next few years, so manual control of the set isn't that important. Function, sensitivity and dependability is EVERYTHING. Which of the two radios would provide a better fit for those requirements? With the 180 Mhz extension and the 10Mhz module, the Winradio would cost almost the same as a Drake. So, as the cost is the same, which is the best radio? I would have to give some thought as to waterproofing either setup, as it may see a lot of use in the back yard when I'm locked out of the house by one of those non-understanding types whose main purpose in life seems to be questioning the value of radios (1) In dxAce's case, his bail bondsman mike |
Some very interesting points Mark. I upgraded my PC many times and, you're
right, things that worked no longer work. Yet my old Icom 745 (near 20 years old) transceiver works just fine. I purchased new radios since then, but the old Icom keeps on cranking and competes with all of them. I am considering one of the WinRadio items, but you shed interesting light on it. Thanks. Al KA5JGV San Antonio, Tx. "Mark" wrote in message news:1093474503.331387@ftpsrv1... I know that computer-based radios have their advantages. But I like to have a separate piece of hardware as my radio. With a Winradio, I wonder for how many years will it correctly interface with my PC? In five years, will its interface be an "old" standard, rendering it a redundant device, even though there's nothing wrong with it? And what of the accompanying PC software? What happens when you finally trade in your PC (which you'd probably do more often than upgrading your radio)? Will the latest, greatest (i.e. this month's!) PC and OS still run your software and talk to your Winradio? Mark. |
Joe Analssandrini wrote:
Here's a *possible* solution: buy an AOR AR7030 Plus receiver from one of the shops in England in conjunction with Richard Hillier at AOR UK (he can make recommendations to you based on your requirements and will contact the shop of your choice to have the radio specially made up and shipped to you). Then contact Jan Arkesteijn and download RxWings (you can e-mail him and get the latest version). You will then have a superlative receiver which can be used as a stand-alone radio, a radio controlled by a remote-control device, and a computer-controlled radio. Should computer standards change in a number of years, well, you'll still have the stand-alone radio. You can have your cake and eat it too! (The AR7030 is AT LEAST as good as the Drake; frankly, I think it's much more versatile and better.) By the way, Jan's computer control program RxWings is totally FREE! Joe P.S. You can tell your wife that this will be the VERY LAST short-wave radio you'll ever need to buy. If you're lucky, she MAY even believe you! The 7030+ is a nice radio, but it's also likely to be several hundred dollars higher than an R8b when equipped with a noise blanker and a couple of high end filters. On the winradio - my greatest concern is the internal ones. There are a fair number of people using classic radios that were state of the art 30-50 years ago, and they still work well. But odds are 30 years from now you won't want to be using the same computer, and newer ones aren't likely to be using PCI cards. But odds are, no matter what happens with the design of internal cards on a PC, there will be some way of hooking up an RS232 port, so if you have an external winradio, you'll probably still be able to control it. Software should be less of a problem - I'm pretty sure you can still get emulator software to allow your windoze PC to run 25 year old CP/M software. |
"Mark S. Holden" wrote: Joe Analssandrini wrote: Here's a *possible* solution: buy an AOR AR7030 Plus receiver from one of the shops in England in conjunction with Richard Hillier at AOR UK (he can make recommendations to you based on your requirements and will contact the shop of your choice to have the radio specially made up and shipped to you). Then contact Jan Arkesteijn and download RxWings (you can e-mail him and get the latest version). You will then have a superlative receiver which can be used as a stand-alone radio, a radio controlled by a remote-control device, and a computer-controlled radio. Should computer standards change in a number of years, well, you'll still have the stand-alone radio. You can have your cake and eat it too! (The AR7030 is AT LEAST as good as the Drake; frankly, I think it's much more versatile and better.) By the way, Jan's computer control program RxWings is totally FREE! Joe P.S. You can tell your wife that this will be the VERY LAST short-wave radio you'll ever need to buy. If you're lucky, she MAY even believe you! The 7030+ is a nice radio, but it's also likely to be several hundred dollars higher than an R8b when equipped with a noise blanker and a couple of high end filters. On the winradio - my greatest concern is the internal ones. There are a fair number of people using classic radios that were state of the art 30-50 years ago, and they still work well. But odds are 30 years from now you won't want to be using the same computer, and newer ones aren't likely to be using PCI cards. But odds are, no matter what happens with the design of internal cards on a PC, there will be some way of hooking up an RS232 port, so if you have an external winradio, you'll probably still be able to control it. Software should be less of a problem - I'm pretty sure you can still get emulator software to allow your windoze PC to run 25 year old CP/M software. Isn't the 7030+ discontinued? Universal shows it to be so. dxAce |
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dxAce wrote:
snip Isn't the 7030+ discontinued? Universal shows it to be so. dxAce The radio hasn't been discontinued, but they've stopped importing them to the USA. |
"Mark S. Holden" wrote: dxAce wrote: snip Isn't the 7030+ discontinued? Universal shows it to be so. dxAce The radio hasn't been discontinued, but they've stopped importing them to the USA. I wonder what the reasoning for that was? Universal still carries other AOR products, at least according to their catalog. dxAce |
dxAce wrote:
"Mark S. Holden" wrote: dxAce wrote: snip Isn't the 7030+ discontinued? Universal shows it to be so. dxAce The radio hasn't been discontinued, but they've stopped importing them to the USA. I wonder what the reasoning for that was? Universal still carries other AOR products, at least according to their catalog. dxAce I'm guessing they weren't selling many of them. I love the 7030+ I set up as a "portable", but if I was buying new and paying retail, it would cost about $2300 for the radio with the options and milspec filters before I added the stuff that made it a "portable". Without the filters, I didn't like the 7030 as much as my original R8. What made it worthwhile is the 7030+ is a little smaller, and it draws considerably less power. My guess is most people who are willing to spend more than the price of the Drake will go for something with a dsp IF, or they'll buy something like a used military radio - for $2k you can buy a used Harris 590. |
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Frank wrote:
If your going to be thrown into the "doghouse" frequently I'd get a battery powered rig, a good sleeping bag and some flea powder. Good points. A 75 watt solar panel would just fit on one side of the little roof. mike |
"Mark S. Holden" wrote: dxAce wrote: "Mark S. Holden" wrote: dxAce wrote: snip Isn't the 7030+ discontinued? Universal shows it to be so. dxAce The radio hasn't been discontinued, but they've stopped importing them to the USA. I wonder what the reasoning for that was? Universal still carries other AOR products, at least according to their catalog. dxAce I'm guessing they weren't selling many of them. Here is what I pulled off Passport's site: Last AOR AR7030 Sold in North America AOR’s AR7030 tabletop receiver offers outstanding performance, and for that reason gets high marks in PASSPORT REPORTS. However, its complex tree-logic operation has made it unpopular within North America. The only American dealer distributing the ‘7030 in 2004 (see below) now reports that its last new unit has been sold, and no more will be stocked. The receiver continues to be available worldwide from AOR and AOR dealers within the United Kingdom, where it is manufactured. Universal Radio reports that the AOR AR7030 series of tabletop receivers, reviewed on pages 140-142 of PASSPORT 2004, is being dropped by AOR USA. Universal, the '7030's only direct dealer in North America, indicates they will make a final order shortly. After those receivers have been sold, the only way Americans will be able to obtain the '7030 is to order it from the United Kingdom, where it is manufactured, or from dealers in Europe. This is the latest manifestation of a years-long shift in the world band receiver market from pricey tabletop models to relatively affordable portables. dxAce |
dxAce wrote:
"Mark S. Holden" wrote: dxAce wrote: "Mark S. Holden" wrote: dxAce wrote: snip Isn't the 7030+ discontinued? Universal shows it to be so. dxAce The radio hasn't been discontinued, but they've stopped importing them to the USA. I wonder what the reasoning for that was? Universal still carries other AOR products, at least according to their catalog. dxAce I'm guessing they weren't selling many of them. Here is what I pulled off Passport's site: Last AOR AR7030 Sold in North America AOR’s AR7030 tabletop receiver offers outstanding performance, and for that reason gets high marks in PASSPORT REPORTS. However, its complex tree-logic operation has made it unpopular within North America. The only American dealer distributing the ‘7030 in 2004 (see below) now reports that its last new unit has been sold, and no more will be stocked. The receiver continues to be available worldwide from AOR and AOR dealers within the United Kingdom, where it is manufactured. Universal Radio reports that the AOR AR7030 series of tabletop receivers, reviewed on pages 140-142 of PASSPORT 2004, is being dropped by AOR USA. Universal, the '7030's only direct dealer in North America, indicates they will make a final order shortly. After those receivers have been sold, the only way Americans will be able to obtain the '7030 is to order it from the United Kingdom, where it is manufactured, or from dealers in Europe. This is the latest manifestation of a years-long shift in the world band receiver market from pricey tabletop models to relatively affordable portables. dxAce Lots of people have crabbed about the nested menu system, but I'd think anyone who had some experience with using computers would find it simple. The remote makes it even easier, though I usually leave it home. I had a cordless phone that was tougher to figure out. |
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It's wasn't Universal's decision. AOR just isn't selling in the US
anymore via AOR USA. If you want to buy a 7030+, and there are many excellent reasons to do so, you'll have to buy it from AOR UK. Steve dxAce wrote in message ... "Mark S. Holden" wrote: dxAce wrote: snip Isn't the 7030+ discontinued? Universal shows it to be so. dxAce The radio hasn't been discontinued, but they've stopped importing them to the USA. I wonder what the reasoning for that was? Universal still carries other AOR products, at least according to their catalog. dxAce |
Steve wrote: It's wasn't Universal's decision. AOR just isn't selling in the US anymore via AOR USA. If you want to buy a 7030+, and there are many excellent reasons to do so, you'll have to buy it from AOR UK. Yep, we already figured that out days ago. dxAce |
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