"MnMikew" wrote in message
...

"Lucky" wrote in message
...

It's actually worth the $500 even without the XM additions. This radio
imo
will sell very well once Passport and others review it. Plus, you can
actually use the radio as a portable but I think it's just too good for
that. But if you're camping out or doing an all day hike, you just can't
take anything better with you imo even the Lowe HF-150. The 150 has it's
small size going for it but it's not enough once you use this one.

So what are the dimensions of this beast anyways? I usually take a DX-392
on
camping/hunting trips which is pretty big. So, for 500 bucks would this be
a
better buy than say a R75?




Hi

No, it's not a better buy then the R75 for $500 but it really depends what
you want to do with the radio.

If you're a big BCB and program listener, the E1 is much better for that.
You also have WFM plus bass and treble. So the R75 would probably not be so
that much use to that kind of listener.

Now, if you're more hardcore and want to DX and use SSB more then BCB then
the R75 is the much better buy. Yes, the SSB on the E1 is great, but with
the R75's DSP, twin PBT and easy computer control, the R75 wins for $500.

But for some users the R75 would be a pretty bad radio they wouldn't like it
at all. "Too much to learn, AM doesn't sound very good at all and "what, no
FM?"

But the E1 radio is more fun to use for sure. It's the kind of radio you
want to play and tinker around with. With the big dot matrix display, the
radio looks more like a
futuristic listening device then a radio. But, there is so much more to it
then your used to portable radio.

I think they made this radio's learning curve and features rich for DX'ers
and SW hard users, but it made it simple enough for most average users to
operate. I have to admit also the FM is a nice feature to have after doing
SWL all day or night. Plus a girlfriend or wife can use it. This is a good
rig to scale into if you're just starting out too.

And who knows. Maybe one day XM will be free if sponsored by some big
corporation who will buy blocks of hours of programming at a time. This
could happen. Like they might have "free unscramble hour or day" where all
you need is the XM hardware to pick it up.

Never say never.

Lucky