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opinion on radios for new listeners
There's always a lot of talk about what radio is better or best or which
radio should I buy. I have a hard time giving advice on the subject because there are just too damn many variables and allot of new hobbyist get the idea that if they shell out big $ and buy the latest state of the art radio that all their troubles will be over and they can finally collect that elusive QSL. Hey don't get me wrong, I'm all for buying the most radio you can but lets face it most peoples reception problems have little to do with the radio and there are plenty of good radios to choose from and the differences of one good radio compared to the other is hard to define unless you got some experience and a good ant/grd etc... The reason I'm saying all this has to do with these comparisons like the R-75 with Kiwa mods compared to the R-8B etc... Yea the R-8B has the edge but not by such a margin that a new listener should rule out the R-75 or other good rigs. Yes I know you seasoned vets are going " Brian we know all this but what's your point?" My point is there are a lot of new SW listeners lurking around here and I want them to know that there are a lot of good results being obtained with a lot of older gear and good antennas. I've been DXing for a long time and all I use is an old R-5000 with a very good ant system and a few audio mods and I'll run with the best of them. Moral is- Buy as much radio as you can afford but $s don't garentee results, that takes experimenting , research and work to get the weak ones. -- 73 and good DXing. Brian ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A lot of radios and 100' of rusty wire! Zumbrota, Southern MN Brian's Radio Universe http://webpages.charter.net/brianhill/ EMAIL- (Hide the $100 to reply!) |
Brian, over the past thirty years, I have used : an old tubed RCA, a
Realistic dx-160, a Sony 2210, a Sony 7600gr, and my Kenwood ts-50 to listen to shortwave dx. I agree that if you enjoy the hobby, then buy "all the radio that you can afford", but even the best rig is useless without a decent antenna. If a listener does not have access to a place where he can string up some wire, then a small portable with whip antenna will be all the radio needed. 73, de VO1JA, Harry "Brian Hill" wrote in message ... There's always a lot of talk about what radio is better or best or which radio should I buy. I have a hard time giving advice on the subject because there are just too damn many variables and allot of new hobbyist get the idea that if they shell out big $ and buy the latest state of the art radio that all their troubles will be over and they can finally collect that elusive QSL. Hey don't get me wrong, I'm all for buying the most radio you can but lets face it most peoples reception problems have little to do with the radio and there are plenty of good radios to choose from and the differences of one good radio compared to the other is hard to define unless you got some experience and a good ant/grd etc... The reason I'm saying all this has to do with these comparisons like the R-75 with Kiwa mods compared to the R-8B etc... Yea the R-8B has the edge but not by such a margin that a new listener should rule out the R-75 or other good rigs. Yes I know you seasoned vets are going " Brian we know all this but what's your point?" My point is there are a lot of new SW listeners lurking around here and I want them to know that there are a lot of good results being obtained with a lot of older gear and good antennas. I've been DXing for a long time and all I use is an old R-5000 with a very good ant system and a few audio mods and I'll run with the best of them. Moral is- Buy as much radio as you can afford but $s don't garentee results, that takes experimenting , research and work to get the weak ones. -- 73 and good DXing. Brian ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A lot of radios and 100' of rusty wire! Zumbrota, Southern MN Brian's Radio Universe http://webpages.charter.net/brianhill/ EMAIL- (Hide the $100 to reply!) |
Brian Hill wrote:
There's always a lot of talk about what radio is better or best or which radio should I buy. I have a hard time giving advice on the subject because there are just too damn many variables and allot of new hobbyist get the idea that if they shell out big $ and buy the latest state of the art radio that all their troubles will be over and they can finally collect that elusive QSL. Hey don't get me wrong, I'm all for buying the most radio you can but lets face it most peoples reception problems have little to do with the radio and there are plenty of good radios to choose from and the differences of one good radio compared to the other is hard to define unless you got some experience and a good ant/grd etc... The reason I'm saying all this has to do with these comparisons like the R-75 with Kiwa mods compared to the R-8B etc... Yea the R-8B has the edge but not by such a margin that a new listener should rule out the R-75 or other good rigs. Yes I know you seasoned vets are going " Brian we know all this but what's your point?" My point is there are a lot of new SW listeners lurking around here and I want them to know that there are a lot of good results being obtained with a lot of older gear and good antennas. I've been DXing for a long time and all I use is an old R-5000 with a very good ant system and a few audio mods and I'll run with the best of them. Moral is- Buy as much radio as you can afford but $s don't garentee results, that takes experimenting , research and work to get the weak ones. Good advice. Also don't be afraid to by used modern radios. A used modern digital radio should perform as well as a new one. It's a great way to get 'more radio for the money'. -- Brian Denley http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html |
Brian Hill wrote:
Moral is- Buy as much radio as you can afford but $s don't garentee results, that takes experimenting , research and work to get the weak ones. Years ago I had a single conversion Radio Shack shortwave all bander. It was ok until I put a wire on the antenna terminal. Like magic, I got a lot of the local am radio stations repeating over the dial. I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Some have said that the more conversion stages you go through, the more noise you get, but I haven't played around with enough different sets to be able to form a valid opinion on that. mike |
"m II" wrote in message news:W31Md.195891$KO5.176949@clgrps13... Brian Hill wrote: I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Are there any triple conversion receivers still on the market? -- mike0219116 |
mike0219116 wrote: "m II" wrote in message news:W31Md.195891$KO5.176949@clgrps13... Brian Hill wrote: I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Are there any triple conversion receivers still on the market? A very, very quick check reveals that the NRD-545 is triple conversion. You might wish to review the current offerings at: http://www.rffun.com/catalog/index2.html dxAce Michigan USA -- mike0219116 |
The Icom R75 is triple conversion.
Bruce Jensen |
"m II" wrote in message news:W31Md.195891$KO5.176949@clgrps13... Brian Hill wrote: Moral is- Buy as much radio as you can afford but $s don't garentee results, that takes experimenting , research and work to get the weak ones. Years ago I had a single conversion Radio Shack shortwave all bander. It was ok until I put a wire on the antenna terminal. Like magic, I got a lot of the local am radio stations repeating over the dial. I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Some have said that the more conversion stages you go through, the more noise you get, but I haven't played around with enough different sets to be able to form a valid opinion on that. mike There are double conv sets that do as well as the triple. Its a matter of design but yes at least a double conversion type circuit is the norm or starting point of serious modern superhet design. The Icom R-71s are quadruple conversion and were/are a favorite for utility dxers like myself. Sometimes three or four IFs are problematic with intermod I've heard but I've never had any bad experiences. B.H. |
"dxAce" wrote in message ... mike0219116 wrote: "m II" wrote in message news:W31Md.195891$KO5.176949@clgrps13... Brian Hill wrote: I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Are there any triple conversion receivers still on the market? A very, very quick check reveals that the NRD-545 is triple conversion. You might wish to review the current offerings at: http://www.rffun.com/catalog/index2.html dxAce Michigan USA -- mike0219116 Have you tried the 545 Steve? My buddy has one. It's a neat rig. I'm just not sure about the price tag? B.H. |
Brian Hill wrote: "dxAce" wrote in message ... mike0219116 wrote: "m II" wrote in message news:W31Md.195891$KO5.176949@clgrps13... Brian Hill wrote: I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Are there any triple conversion receivers still on the market? A very, very quick check reveals that the NRD-545 is triple conversion. You might wish to review the current offerings at: http://www.rffun.com/catalog/index2.html dxAce Michigan USA -- mike0219116 Have you tried the 545 Steve? My buddy has one. It's a neat rig. I'm just not sure about the price tag? I had a 515 briefly, but I was never a fan of Japan Radio. I didn't like the audio. YMMV dxAce Michigan USA |
Double conversion, triple conversion, quadruple conversion, sets that
sell for $50.00, sets that sell for 10,000.00! Antennas 3 inches long, 100 feet long, 3 inches high, or 3 miles high! For a beginner, none of it really matters. What DOES matter? EXPERIENCE. That is all. There is no substitute for time and experience and there is no "short-cut," either. And that applies to ANYTHING worth doing! If a beginner is truly interested in the hobby, he or she should just do a little research, perhaps on this group, or, better, in PASSPORT and WRTH, and make a reasonable choice in radios and antennas. It isn't too hard. Most of them out there are pretty good. I, as does everyone else here, have my opinions, but, in the end, for a beginner, it just doesn't matter, within reason. Then, as he/she becomes EXPERIENCED with the radio they have, REGARDLESS of what it is, and with short wave listening in general, why any future equipment "upgrades" will take care of themselves. Just my thoughts. Best, Joe |
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BDK wrote:
Yeah, but my feelings are that buying an elcheapo portable, or even a fairly decent one, is a mistake. They don't work very well, don't hold up all that great for the most part, and lose their value pretty rapidly. There are tons of arrox. $300 used R71A's, Kenwood R5000's and others that are good enough to keep for a while, and can be sold for basically what you pay for them anytime. I have a R71A that I bought for a really cheap price. It had a problem in the PS section that seemed to confound several techs at a couple of places that tried to fix it. It was a very easy fix (an hour total time) and I will get 2-3 times what I paid when I sell it one of these days..if I do sell it.. A friend wanted to try SW a while back, and he bought a very nice NRD- 525 off Ebay for about 400 bucks. After a year or so, he wanted out, and made 20 bucks profit when he put it on Ebay. Get paid to listen, not a bad deal.. BDK Yeah, I tried to tell that to Judah. He must have spent somewhere between $500 and $1000 on cheap doorstop-radios. Think what perusal of a hamfest or two would have done with well-spent $200. Not to mention to the wealth of knowledge he'd pick up there. -- Eric F. Richards "Nature abhors a vacuum tube." -- Myron Glass, often attributed to J. R. Pierce, Bell Labs, c. 1940 |
The last Drake radio I have ever wanted is the R7a, not much of an
R8/A/B fan at all. Dunno...I think the best drake rcvr of all is probably the drake R-4245. They also made a TR-4310 transceiver. They were mainly for commercial, and ships. But I don't see em around much. I think the 4245 was $5-6k when it was sold back in the 80's, but not sure offhand...been awhile... I've never tried an R7 or TR7...Nor the R8. I have a 2C/2CQ, and a R4. My R4 is one of the first built in late 65. "#0058". The later R4B is real good. Maybe the best overall 4 line rcvr in some ways...I have a T4XB transmitter. The 4C line is kinda quirky in certain ways...Good I guess, but a lot different than the previous R4/R4a/R4b's. The most solid state of the 4 line for sure, and different filters. Dang...I'm thinking about breaking out my R4 and turning it on... Haven't used it in a good while, and it's well suited for low band use, which is whats mainly happening lately. Just hope no new caps crap out...Every time I fire up those old radios, a different dried up cap fizzles out...Before long, they will all be changed out...:/ MK |
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"It's possible to achieve the same effect with an R7/A and the RV75
remote VFO." May be why hams didn't buy many... Kinda like my TS-830...I use the VFO-230 on it to make it rock stable.. The internal VFO in all the hybrid kenwoods have some temp drift. The VFO-230 makes my 830 think it's got the VFO of a 930...:) No drift. MK |
"m II" wrote in message news:W31Md.195891$KO5.176949@clgrps13... Brian Hill wrote: Moral is- Buy as much radio as you can afford but $s don't garentee results, that takes experimenting , research and work to get the weak ones. Years ago I had a single conversion Radio Shack shortwave all bander. It was ok until I put a wire on the antenna terminal. Like magic, I got a lot of the local am radio stations repeating over the dial. I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Like the DX 300? Some have said that the more conversion stages you go through, the more noise you get, but I haven't played around with enough different sets to be able to form a valid opinion on that. As you just stated, you have no idea what you are talking about so why are you trying to give advice? mike |
mike0219116 wrote:
"m II" wrote in message news:W31Md.195891$KO5.176949@clgrps13... Brian Hill wrote: I'd say getting a double conversion set should be the very minimum requirement. If money and choice allow, get a triple conversion. Are there any triple conversion receivers still on the market? -- mike0219116 The Uniden-2021/Radio Shack DX-400 was the only triple conversion *portable* receiver ever made, AFAIK. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
wrote:
The last Drake radio I have ever wanted is the R7a, not much of an R8/A/B fan at all. Dunno...I think the best drake rcvr of all is probably the drake R-4245. The 4245 would be a real gem with the Sherwood SE-3 sync' detector added to it. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
"starman" wrote in message The Uniden-2021/Radio Shack DX-400 was the only triple conversion *portable* receiver ever made, AFAIK. I think the Barlow Wadley XCR-30 is too. B.H. |
wrote:
I don't know of any ham fests around here. Besides I have obtained a wealth of knowledge from many of the guys right on this newsgroup. Try he http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html ....usually at any given hamfest, there are people from the next one handing out flyers for it and its location. For $100, I bought an R-392 (Plus Lambda power supply) and a FRG-7 at a fest. There often are receivers there at bargain prices. Because of money concerns I recently had to pass up a mint-condition HRO for $100. (I cried. A lot.) That one sold within the first 5 minutes of the fest. -- Eric F. Richards "Nature abhors a vacuum tube." -- Myron Glass, often attributed to J. R. Pierce, Bell Labs, c. 1940 |
FO&A,
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