I have a fascination with these little wideband radios, too. Of the Icom
R10, Yaesu VR500, and AOR 8200 MkII, the Yaesu seems the most sensitive
since I can receive strong stations on the factory supplied rubber duck
(remarkably, even in a car on occasion) while the Icom seems less able. For
no particular reason I haven't tried HF with the AOR. I wouldn't call the
Icom or Yaesu particularly selective on HF, but that's a very casual
observation. Usually I travel with a small Sony or Rad Shack SW radio and
carry one of the others for VHF/UHF, if that tells you anything.

The AOR is particularly non-intuitive to operate - for me there's a high
"Read The Freakin' Manual" factor. The Icom and Yaesu are easier to come
back to after a period of non use. Audio is good enough from all 3, favoring
the AOR and Yaesu. Displays and key lighting also good. Can't beat the
size/weight of the Yaesu - I carry it most often. Really like that it only
takes 2 AA cells and still has good battery life. I have avoided those
smallest rigs with no keypads, though I have read good things about the Icom
R5 in that category.

AOR has two VFOs presented in a very usuable way. Easy to view and toggle.
Never attempted SSB reception on any of them. Really like the Sony 7600 for
that in a compact package. Excellent reviews on scanners and wide band
radios found on www.strongsignals.net - if you aren't familiar with Rich
Wells' site it's a great resource.

Radio shopping is fun - good luck!

"starman" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about getting a VHF/UHF pocket scanner which also has some
HF coverage. I realize these models don't have really good HF reception
but I think it would be nice to have that feature just for fun. I'd
appreciate hearing from any of you that own one or know something about
the various brands/models.

Thanks


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