Suitability of an IC-751 for short wave listening
 

Hi all

I would be interested to hear comments on the suitability or otherwise of
using an Icom IC-751 for short wave listening. I have this set and it has
good coverage. My only concern is that the audio seems a bit limited in
frequency range (ie not much in the way of high frequencies). Many years ago
I used to own a Realistic Dx-302 which had very good audio characteristics -
it was a pleasant receiver to listen to a short wave station on.

Are ham rigs like the IC-751 any good for short wave listening?

cheers peter

Like all ham sets, it has filters set for the ham bands and outside those on
RX it is worse. As a basic RX its OK, but you will find something like a
SONY 7600GR will probably be slightly better

73's
Richard SO5GB
"peter berrett" wrote in message
...

Hi all

I would be interested to hear comments on the suitability or otherwise of
using an Icom IC-751 for short wave listening. I have this set and it has
good coverage. My only concern is that the audio seems a bit limited in
frequency range (ie not much in the way of high frequencies). Many years
ago
I used to own a Realistic Dx-302 which had very good audio
characteristics -
it was a pleasant receiver to listen to a short wave station on.

Are ham rigs like the IC-751 any good for short wave listening?

cheers peter

Like all ham sets, it has filters set for the ham bands and outside those on
RX it is worse. As a basic RX its OK, but you will find something like a
SONY 7600GR will probably be slightly better

73's
Richard SO5GB

I don't think that applies to all ham rigs.

IC-751 specs: http://www.qsl.net/sm7vhs/radio/icom/ic751/specs.htm

The only filtering I've seen in ham rigs is for the AM BC band. The IF filters
may be a bit narrow for nice fidelity in AM mode, but just listen in USB or LSB
and you'll be fine. My Yaesu FT767gx is an awesome general coverage DX
machine.

jw
k9rzz

"Richard" wrote:

Like all ham sets, it has filters set for the ham bands and outside those on
RX it is worse. As a basic RX its OK, but you will find something like a
SONY 7600GR will probably be slightly better


I have real trouble imagining this to be true. You're comparing a
table-top transceiver with a purpose-built general coverage receiver
to a pocket portable. Now, ICOM's receivers have often not been
pleasant to listen to music on, but there are exceptions.

IMHO, don't buy that '7600GR just yet, unless you want a walkaround
portable.


73's
Richard SO5GB
"peter berrett" wrote in message
...

Hi all

I would be interested to hear comments on the suitability or otherwise of
using an Icom IC-751 for short wave listening. I have this set and it has
good coverage. My only concern is that the audio seems a bit limited in
frequency range (ie not much in the way of high frequencies). Many years
ago
I used to own a Realistic Dx-302 which had very good audio
characteristics -
it was a pleasant receiver to listen to a short wave station on.

Are ham rigs like the IC-751 any good for short wave listening?

cheers peter




--
Eric F. Richards,
"Nature abhors a vacuum tube." -- Myron Glass,
often attributed to J. R. Pierce, Bell Labs, c. 1940

"peter berrett" wrote in message
...
|
| Hi all
|
| I would be interested to hear comments on the suitability or otherwise of
| using an Icom IC-751 for short wave listening. I have this set and it has
| good coverage. My only concern is that the audio seems a bit limited in
| frequency range (ie not much in the way of high frequencies). Many years
ago
| I used to own a Realistic Dx-302 which had very good audio
characteristics -
| it was a pleasant receiver to listen to a short wave station on.
|
| Are ham rigs like the IC-751 any good for short wave listening?
|
| cheers peter

Our university amateur radio club had the '751 as their main HF rig, and
I spent hours and hours SWLing with the radio. It performed extremely
well, actually, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the rig for SWL use.

73,

Steve Lawrence
Burnsville, Minnesota


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Isn't the receiver section of the IC-751 the same as the IC-R70? The R70 far
outclasses a simple portable for SWLing & DXing the weaker stations, so I'd
think a 751 would be a comparable value. For listening to powerhouses like
R. Australia, BBC, and Radio Nederland the 751 is overkill, but for chasing
the tougher catches it would do well.

Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA USA


"Stephen M.H. Lawrence" wrote in message
nk.net...

"peter berrett" wrote in message
...

Our university amateur radio club had the '751 as their main HF rig, and
I spent hours and hours SWLing with the radio. It performed extremely
well, actually, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the rig for SWL use.

73,

Steve Lawrence
Burnsville, Minnesota

On 12/19/2004 07:01 PM, Stephen M.H. Lawrence wrote:
Sorry for the top post, but it just occurred to me that the '751, if it has
the
same receiver as the R70, might have the same battery / EPROM erasure
problem as the R70 and R71. I would recommend perusing http://www.eham.net
for more information.

73,

The receiver section is more like the Icom R71, a very good receiver
indeed, have had two during the years (none at the moment but is
thinking of a IC751.)

The IC751 has the same problem with the memory battery, so that should
be checked out before buying. There are alternatives around, using EPROM
that does not rely on a battery.

Lars

"Lars E. Pettersson" wrote:

The IC751 has the same problem with the memory battery, so that should
be checked out before buying.

Yes, well, at the top of the thread, he said he already had one.


There are alternatives around, using EPROM
that does not rely on a battery.


That vendor is Willco Electronics. Note that he has limited
quantities now because of the unavailability of the RAM chip he
designed the board with.

http://www.willcoele.com/

Lars

--
Eric F. Richards,
"Nature abhors a vacuum tube." -- Myron Glass,
often attributed to J. R. Pierce, Bell Labs, c. 1940

On 12/19/2004 07:36 PM, Eric F. Richards wrote:
That vendor is Willco Electronics. Note that he has limited
quantities now because of the unavailability of the RAM chip he
designed the board with.

http://www.willcoele.com/

Piexx also sells one:
http://www.piexx.com/cgi-bin/piexx.c...=8066406.22695

They, Piexx, also sells a UX-14 equivalent:
http://www.piexx.com/cgi-bin/piexx.c...=8066406.22695

I have not used these in my R71's so I do not know more about them.

Lars

I own an ICOM IC-751 as well as a the Sony ICF-SW7600GR.

I am consistently amazed of the 7600GR's performance compared to my 751.
Comparing the 7600GR using the Sony wind-up wire antenna attached to its
whip and a 751 using a large horizontal loop about 60 meters in
circumference,
the 7600GR consistently provides a better readable signal which to me
implies
that the Sony has a lower noise floor. The 7600GR is a hot receiver and is
my
choice of any true portable.

The 751 is getting long in tooth. The receiver is supposedly the same as the
R-71A.
The 751 also has loads of issues not the least of which are capacitors going
bad
and numerous other Icom repair bulletins.

I would stay clear of the 751 and indeed save my pennies for the 7600GR.
By the time you properly "fix" a 751 you could have owned two or three
7600GR's.

Of course there are other more reliable used ham gear that performs
better than the 7600GR.


Like all ham sets, it has filters set for the ham bands and outside
those on
RX it is worse. As a basic RX its OK, but you will find something like a
SONY 7600GR will probably be slightly better


I have real trouble imagining this to be true. You're comparing a
table-top transceiver with a purpose-built general coverage receiver
to a pocket portable.

IMHO, don't buy that '7600GR just yet, unless you want a walkaround
portable.