Joe Analssandrini wrote:

Dear John,

Your receiver setup is positively first-class, regardless of the
unhelpful remark of "Starman." To reply to him, I do not own a
"professional" receiver but, of course, have friends who do (including
one who owns a Ten-tec RX-340 with the Sherwood SE-3 MK III accessory,
among other receivers). It must be realized that we live in a
"real-world" where ultra sensitivity and ultra selectivity in the
receiver are not the only criteria by which one should buy.
"Listenability" and relative ease of use are important too. It's no
good trying to listen to a program through a receiver which has poor
sound quality. It's also no good, at least in my opinion, to have to
work several components just to listen to a signal when there are
radios (such as the AOR AR5000A+3 and the AR7030 Plus, not even to
mention the Drake R8B) which will also receive the signals with far
less effort and (sometimes) far better sound.

Again, your setup sounds really great. An AR7030 Plus would be a fine
addition to your radio shack.

As everyone who should know does know, the antenna is the single most
important component of any radio receiving setup. It has been stated
often that a person with a fair radio and a great antenna can often
out-DX a person with a great receiver and a mediocre (or poorly set
up) antenna.

Frankly, to "Starman" and others who post unhelpful or "caustic"
remarks on this group, I wish you would at least reconsider what you
write before you write it. John ("Big Boy Now") has asked a legitimate
question and I have tried to answer him (and others to whom I've
responded) with helpful suggestions to the best of my ability.
Naturally, I'm not always correct. Others may (and do) disagree with
my opinions. But they are at least given with good intent. Disparaging
or caustic remarks are of no real help to anyone, again in my opinion.

All the best,

Joe

I simply asked if you had ever used a professional grade receiver. It's
not uncommon for people on this group to make comparisons with receivers
they have never used. That's why I was wondering how much experience you
actually had with professional receivers.


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Dear Starman,

I have listened to my friend's Ten-tec RX-340. I have never "played
with" a Watkins-Johnson. There are precious few so-called
"professional" receivers which are truly suitable for short wave
listeners. As you know, many of these receivers are optimized for a
particular function which may not necessarily be compatible with the
requirements of the SWL. Certainly the ability to adjust almost every
parameter, while desirable for many, may prove overwhelming to the
general SWL and, in general, is not always necessary. (Check out the
Grundig Satellit 800, a very easy receiver to use, which, when used
with a suitable antenna, performs almost as well as anything on the
market.)

For the discerning short wave listener, I feel (my opinion) that,
overall, there is no radio superior to the AR7030 Plus. Two advantages
over, for example, the Drake R8B (a superb receiver, let me note), are
1) the capability of being almost totally computer-controlled (and for
free!), and 2) the ability for the user to make internal adjustments
while the receiver is powered.(This will prove extremely important
when/if necessary to adjust the sync circuit to the
climate/temperature of the ultimate user; I have done this. It's quite
easy.) As far as I know, no other receiver offers these advantages.
Coupled to the ability to customize the receiver to the requirements
of the particular owner, and noting its exceptional performance and
sound quality, the receiver becomes almost irresistable if one can
afford it.

Let us also note that this thread was really about active antennas. As
I have stated many times here and on other groups, in my opinion, for
portable radios (not including the Sat800) the Sony AN-LP1 is a very
good performer. A better performer for portables and tabletops is the
AOR WL500 Window Loop Antenna, though it is less convenient for travel
than the AN-LP1 (which is what I take with me, as well as a Sangean
ANT-60). The very best active antenna, in my experience, is the
Wellbrook ALA 330S. (Yes I own all the active antennas mentioned
above; I have also tried and discarded a fair number of other active
antennas with which I was dissatisfied.)

Thank you for your clarification of your post and my apologies if I
misunderstood and offended you. I try to always make mention in my
posts if I have no experience with a particular product. I have read a
number of your posts previously and find them interesting and very
well informed.

Best,

Joe

starman wrote in message ...

I simply asked if you had ever used a professional grade receiver. It's
not uncommon for people on this group to make comparisons with receivers
they have never used. That's why I was wondering how much experience you
actually had with professional receivers.