Recommendations for a high-performance SW receiver.
 

I have a Grundig Satellit 800 coming my way, and some of my fellow ham radio
friends are trying to convince me that I've made some kind of mistake.

The AOR 7030 is darnedably expensive, but I did have a question as to
performance characteristics and enhancements. Is there a shortwave radio
superior to the AOR 7030? Just for curiositie's sake, is there such a radio
that IS more superior, if money were no object? Or is there one superior in
quality that is actually less expensive?

Is there perhaps a website that has a fairly independent review of these
radios, and makes comparisons?

Any help greatly appreciated.

(I do know of radio netherlands, and universal radio.)

73, WW6DJM

Daniel

In article ,
"Daniel J. Morlan" wrote:

I have a Grundig Satellit 800 coming my way, and some of my fellow
ham radio friends are trying to convince me that I've made some kind
of mistake.

The AOR 7030 is darnedably expensive, but I did have a question as to
performance characteristics and enhancements. Is there a shortwave
radio superior to the AOR 7030? Just for curiositie's sake, is there
such a radio that IS more superior, if money were no object? Or is
there one superior in quality that is actually less expensive?

Is there perhaps a website that has a fairly independent review of
these radios, and makes comparisons?

Any help greatly appreciated.

(I do know of radio netherlands, and universal radio.)

You can't go wrong with a Drake R8B. I own a Ten-Tec RX340, Drake R8B
and an AOR7030+. If I had to sell two I would keep the Drake.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Watkins-Johnson Radios.Dogpile em. www.dogpile.com Watkins-Johnson
Radios

I wish I was rich enough that I could buy one or luck up and find me a
rich old widow woman that would buy one for me.On second though,better
not.
cuhulin

I agree, I've never owned the AOR
but purchased A Drake R8B last year. I've been a listener since 1958
(yikes !) and have
owned numerous receivers over the years. I was in
the Signal Corp in
1964-66 and
was a Comm. Center Specialist and we used Collins Equipment which wa
wonderful but in my opionion not in the same league as the Drake. I'd
try to find a good used one before they get scooped up
by collectore.

Charlie
Essex, Maryland
Drake R6B w/Sound Sweet S[eaker
RF System EMF Antenna System
Sony ICF-2010

Do a www.epinions.com search for them.
cuhulin

I think you will be satisfied with the 800. I think your friends just
want you to spend more money!

Frank

"Daniel J. Morlan" wrote:

I have a Grundig Satellit 800 coming my way, and some of my fellow ham radio
friends are trying to convince me that I've made some kind of mistake.

The AOR 7030 is darnedably expensive, but I did have a question as to
performance characteristics and enhancements. Is there a shortwave radio
superior to the AOR 7030? Just for curiositie's sake, is there such a radio
that IS more superior, if money were no object? Or is there one superior in
quality that is actually less expensive?

The '7030 is a fine radio, but like anything else, it has its
weaknesses. I *can* say, without any qualifications, that on any
measure the '7030 is in another class than the Sat 800.

Other better radios than the '7030? For ease-of-use, the R8B. For
best bang/buck, the R75 (now discontinued, but probably limited
availability). For sensitivity, the R8500 (also discontinued). For
build quality... none. For filter options, the RX-340, '320,
WR-G303i, WR G313i. For "bulletproof" front end, the R8500, RX-340.
For "James Bond intrigue quality" (if you're into that), RX-340,
WJ-8711/HF-1000. For classic tube quality approaching modern PLL,
R-390, R-392.

In other words, it all depends on what you are looking for. As a
program-listening radio, the Sat 800 is not bad, *provided* you got
one that doesn't have 1001 defects in it. That's kinda a crap shoot.
I'd go with the Lowe HF-150 (*not* the SMC versions -- this radio is
also discontinued) or the '7030.

I had an SMC HF-150, which wasn't very good, but wasn't too terribly
bad, either. I also have R8500s, an R-392, a G-303i, and a RX-340.
The latter two are fine program-listening radios for tougher
conditions and the '8500 is great under better conditions (in AM) or
pretty decent in fair/poor conditions (SSB/ECSS).


Is there perhaps a website that has a fairly independent review of these
radios, and makes comparisons?

Website? This is mostly ham gear but a few high-end receivers, too:

http://www.sherweng.com/table.html

Book? Passport to World Band Radio:

http://www.passband.com

Hope this helps.

Any help greatly appreciated.

(I do know of radio netherlands, and universal radio.)

73, WW6DJM

Daniel


--
Eric F. Richards

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

Daniel J. Morlan schrieb:

I have a Grundig Satellit 800 coming my way, and some of my fellow ham radio
friends are trying to convince me that I've made some kind of mistake.

Oh, it's not that bad (its internals are based on the Drake SW8). It's
just rather big and bulky and used to have its share of QC issues (maybe
buying refurb'd from Universal is still better today, haven't kept track
of that).

The AOR 7030 is darnedably expensive, but I did have a question as to
performance characteristics and enhancements. Is there a shortwave radio
superior to the AOR 7030? Just for curiositie's sake, is there such a radio
that IS more superior, if money were no object?

Oh yes, there is. It might set you back by a couple 10000 bucks though.
(I'm thinking of equipment like a DASA E1800A.) A R&S EK895 (maybe
EB200) or WJ HF-1000 (still not cheap) would probably also do,
particularly when we're talking about digital modes and real tough DX.

Or is there one superior in
quality that is actually less expensive?

Good q. Its main competitor in the US is likely to be the Drake R8B,
which uses a fairly different concept (triple IF with low 3rd IF to
employ high-quality LC filters, of which the thing has quite a complete
set stock). An NRD-545 is a good bit dearer still, but features IF-level
DSP.
The strong points of the '7030 are its strong-signal handling (it's not
hyper-sensitive in return), the good audio and synch detector and the
flexibility in terms of filters. (Phase noise is very low, too.)
Additionally its fairly small size makes it attractive for DXpedition
use. As for minuses, its operation, while quite well thought out within
its limits, is nothing for you if you prefer "one button, one function"
layouts à la JRC. You see, the best receiver can only be the best
receiver *for YOU*; it certainly doesn't hurt to try a few before
buying.

BTW, as a ham you might also be interested in various transceivers.

Is there perhaps a website that has a fairly independent review of these
radios, and makes comparisons?

In terms of strong signal handling and phase noise, this might be
helpful:
http://www.sherweng.com/table.html

Stephan

PS: What about your antenna situation? I had to find out the hard way
that the best receiver is of limited use without a good antenna.
Actually a good antenna and listening experience tend to be more
important in catching good DX than the receiver itself. (Primitive
example: A $150 portable can beat a $1000 tabletop hands down in AMBCB
reception just because of its easily rotatable built-in ferrit rod when
the tabletop uses a fixed and possibly even rather omnidirectional wire
antenna which as an E-field antenna would also catch more local noise.
Add a tunable AM loop to the game, and things start looking entirely
different.)
--
Home: http://stephan.win31.de/
PC#6: i440BX, 2xP3-500E, 704 MiB, 18+80 GB, R9k AGP 64 MiB, 110W

Daniel J. Morlan wrote:
I have a Grundig Satellit 800 coming my way, and some of my fellow ham radio
friends are trying to convince me that I've made some kind of mistake.

The AOR 7030 is darnedably expensive, but I did have a question as to
performance characteristics and enhancements. Is there a shortwave radio
superior to the AOR 7030? Just for curiositie's sake, is there such a radio
that IS more superior, if money were no object? Or is there one superior in
quality that is actually less expensive?

Is there perhaps a website that has a fairly independent review of these
radios, and makes comparisons?

Any help greatly appreciated.

(I do know of radio netherlands, and universal radio.)

73, WW6DJM

Daniel



When you get to the range of the 7030+ or the Drake R8b or the JRC NRD
545d, it's mostly a case of personal preference.

I owned one of the original Drake R8's and I liked it better than an out
of the box 7030+. Add some great filters and the 7030+ has an edge.

While some swear by the JRC's I've seen way too many comments about the
audio quality being poor. That's a big issue for me.

The only radio I've had that I like better than the 7030+ is a Harris
RF-550. It's an older military radio with nothing to speak of in the
way of convenience features, but it's got the nicest build quality I've
ever seen, and if there's a signal to be found, the Harris seems to make
it enjoyable to listen to. They generally sell for considerably less
than a new 7030+.

Other respected military radios include models by Watkins Johnson and
Racal. Personally, I like the older digital WJ's better than the newer
ones. I had a Racal 6790/gm and while it was a good radio, it just
didn't seem to have an advantage over anything else I was using.

On tube era radios, the Collins designed R-390 and R-388 are quite good.

He/she/it might be satisfied with that oversized pocket satellit radio.
cuhulin