Joe Analssandrini wrote:
Hello.

That is correct. There is no doubt that in many ways the Sony
ICF-SW77
was a better radio overall than the '7600. It featured better
sensitivity, more memories, a tuning knob, etc.

But I never owned one, and never considered buying one, due to the
many
shortcomings ("chugging" while tuning, heavy battery consumption,
mediocre dynamic range, plus a few others) described in PASSPORT TO
WORLD BAND RADIO. These performance "lapses" are important to me;
they
may be less important to others. (For example, I have one radio - a
Radio Shack DX-400 - that "chugs" when tuning; I'll NEVER have
another!)

All the comparisons are moot, however, in my opinion, because the
choice boils down to buying "used" or "new." I'll ALWAYS recommend
buying "new."

Best,

Joe


There definitely is something to be said for buying new, and I don't
think he'd be disappointed at all with a 7600GR. There was a fellow not
long ago on the SW77 group over on Yahoo who got stuck with a defective
SW77 via Ebay. Definitely something to consider....

Hello.

I should like to also add that I do not believe that, for most owners
of portable radios, SSB is THE priority. I believe that most people who
own these radios use them to tune in the major broadcasters to hear
news with a different "slant," commentaries, occasional "exotic"
musical shows, and occasional DXing.

That said, BOTH radios have synchronous selectable sideband circuitry
which is extremely important in making world band transmissions
pleasant to hear. It may be the most important advance in short wave
receivers in the last twenty or so years.

I could, of course, be wrong in my assessment of what is desired, but,
if what I say is correct in Alfard's case, then definitely a NEW
ICF-SW7600GR is the way to go, in my opinion.

Best,

Joe

P.S. There have indeed been many "horror" stories told by people who
have bought "used" radios. I know that many more people have been
satisfied, but the question always remains: why did the original owner
"get rid" of the unit?

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I feel more confident now going with ICF-SW7600GR and AN-LP1. (come to
think about it, i've already had a relatively bad radio purchasing
experience on eBay). Hopefully I'll have good news to report when the
units arrive.

my best

alfard

Hello Steve,

You are correct that the '7600GR's speaker leaves a bit to be desired,
though I personally do not find extended listening to be fatiguing.

A "cheap" way for improving the sound is to buy a Radio Shack stereo
cord (Cat. No. 42-2483 which is 6-feet in length; they also sell longer
cords, if desired) to run from the line output jack on the radio to
your stereo system's AUX jack. This affords excellent sound.

Your comment on headphones: 100% agreed. It almost goes without saying
that a good pair of headphones is an absolute "must" for ANY short wave
radio.

Best,

Joe