AOR AR3000AB
 

I'm reading about this receiver at Universal-Radio. My first question
is, whats the difference between a wide band receiver from a shortwave
receiver? Does a wide band receiver offers more bands including CW?

I notice that Universal-Radio is not carrying much of Drake and JRC
shortwave radio like they use to. I can not seem to find any sites that
sells them.

I do not care for portables. I like desk top or base radios.

If I decide to purchase the Satellit 800 Millennium, I may want to find
another shortwave (or wide band receiver) that will have features that
the Satellite 800 Millennium may not have. This way I could cover more.

I like to stack up on radios. I believe they should all be squared off.
With all buttons and headphone hole in the front. I do not have a lot
of tolerance for odd shapes although the shape of the AOR AR3000AB does
not look too bad.

SR 73!

SR wrote:
I'm reading about this receiver at Universal-Radio. My first question
is, whats the difference between a wide band receiver from a shortwave
receiver? Does a wide band receiver offers more bands including CW?



A wideband covers more RF real estate than an SW receiver. SW is, by
definition in the radio world limited to HF, 30Mhz and below. Down to
about the top of the AM band. A wideband receiver will cover frequencies
up through VHF, and often above. Usually continuously. Widebands will
offer multiple modes of reception, including AM, FM and often both CW
and SSB.

So, you can definitely apply a single receiver for many more purposes
using a wideband than a receiver limited to SW, but there are
compromises in performance.

The IF's in a wideband have to be pretty wide to accomodate some of
the services found on VHF. VHF channels can be wider than the SW
broadcast bands, so filtration in the IF has to work a lot harder to
produce adequate selectivity for SW listening where the widest broadcast
channel is less than 10khz wide. Most widebands don't do that well on HF
and below for that reason. Those that do are considerably more expensive
than a dedicated SW receiver.

Still, there are some decent widebands for the casual HF user.
Someone for whom SW is not a primary consideration.




I notice that Universal-Radio is not carrying much of Drake and JRC
shortwave radio like they use to. I can not seem to find any sites that
sells them.


Drake appears to be exiting the shortwave market. As have a number of
receiver manufacturers. JRC, likewise, has limited offerings in HF only
radios. For a solid performance oriented HF radio, you'd likely have to
move to R-75, by Icom, AR-7030+ by AOR, or products by Ten-Tec, Yeasu,
Palstar, which often receive high praise. Or one of the newer, and less
well known rigs, like Elad.

Or you could go to the Used market for some of the classics.


I do not care for portables. I like desk top or base radios.


I'm with you there. As are many here. Although I do have a number of
portables.

If I decide to purchase the Satellit 800 Millennium, I may want to find
another shortwave (or wide band receiver) that will have features that
the Satellite 800 Millennium may not have. This way I could cover more.


Satellit 800 has been a topic of hot discussion here, triggering
imperatives across the bandwidth. My own recommendation is to avoid that
one. Much has been said about QC on this rig. Then, again, some users
swear by them. You can usually buy much more radio for the money, if
performance is what you seek. If you like large radios, with big sound,
capable of housing a family of 12, you might like Sat 800.



I like to stack up on radios. I believe they should all be squared off.
With all buttons and headphone hole in the front.



Then you'd definitely like the Drakes.



I do not have a lot
of tolerance for odd shapes although the shape of the AOR AR3000AB does
not look too bad.


It's not a bad performing radio, either. Just not something that I'd
use for HF, at night, on a crowded band.





SR 73!

Hi Peter: I might get the Satellit 800 Millennium soon. I know it is
not a top receiver. But, I am sure it will go down in shortwave history.

It's a lot of radio for that price and it is very attractive. I hope
that Grundig comes to realize that people love big radios in the old
fashion style, but with modern features.

In fact I have the Sony ICF 2010, but I do not like the shape of it that
much and the LSB/USB does not work well.

Part of my rig set up, I like to operate a number of radios in a certain
sequence. The radios have to fit all together on my table.

Do you have the ICOM R-75? That might be my next radio!

If I get the Satellit 800 Millennium, I'll let you know, maybe we could
listen to a SW station at the same time and compare signals. I am in
Queens New York. What state are you in?

(Sroll up and read my other post: Tivoli Audio Model 2)

SR, 73!

D Peter Maus wrote:

SR wrote:

I'm reading about this receiver at Universal-Radio. My first question
is, whats the difference between a wide band receiver from a shortwave
receiver? Does a wide band receiver offers more bands including CW?




A wideband covers more RF real estate than an SW receiver. SW is, by
definition in the radio world limited to HF, 30Mhz and below. Down to
about the top of the AM band. A wideband receiver will cover frequencies
up through VHF, and often above. Usually continuously. Widebands will
offer multiple modes of reception, including AM, FM and often both CW
and SSB.

So, you can definitely apply a single receiver for many more purposes
using a wideband than a receiver limited to SW, but there are
compromises in performance.

The IF's in a wideband have to be pretty wide to accomodate some of
the services found on VHF. VHF channels can be wider than the SW
broadcast bands, so filtration in the IF has to work a lot harder to
produce adequate selectivity for SW listening where the widest broadcast
channel is less than 10khz wide. Most widebands don't do that well on HF
and below for that reason. Those that do are considerably more expensive
than a dedicated SW receiver.

Still, there are some decent widebands for the casual HF user. Someone
for whom SW is not a primary consideration.




I notice that Universal-Radio is not carrying much of Drake and JRC
shortwave radio like they use to. I can not seem to find any sites
that sells them.



Drake appears to be exiting the shortwave market. As have a number of
receiver manufacturers. JRC, likewise, has limited offerings in HF only
radios. For a solid performance oriented HF radio, you'd likely have to
move to R-75, by Icom, AR-7030+ by AOR, or products by Ten-Tec, Yeasu,
Palstar, which often receive high praise. Or one of the newer, and less
well known rigs, like Elad.

Or you could go to the Used market for some of the classics.


I do not care for portables. I like desk top or base radios.



I'm with you there. As are many here. Although I do have a number of
portables.


If I decide to purchase the Satellit 800 Millennium, I may want to
find another shortwave (or wide band receiver) that will have features
that the Satellite 800 Millennium may not have. This way I could cover
more.



Satellit 800 has been a topic of hot discussion here, triggering
imperatives across the bandwidth. My own recommendation is to avoid that
one. Much has been said about QC on this rig. Then, again, some users
swear by them. You can usually buy much more radio for the money, if
performance is what you seek. If you like large radios, with big sound,
capable of housing a family of 12, you might like Sat 800.



I like to stack up on radios. I believe they should all be squared
off. With all buttons and headphone hole in the front.




Then you'd definitely like the Drakes.



I do not have a lot

of tolerance for odd shapes although the shape of the AOR AR3000AB
does not look too bad.



It's not a bad performing radio, either. Just not something that I'd
use for HF, at night, on a crowded band.





SR 73!

I was wondering if anyone has had any good luck buying radios or radio
gear/equipment at state or fed govt auctions? I haven't been to any
local state or fed govt auctions before,I was thinking about checking
one out once in a while.
cuhulin

D Peter Maus wrote:

[...]

The IF's in a wideband have to be pretty wide to accomodate some of
the services found on VHF. VHF channels can be wider than the SW
broadcast bands, so filtration in the IF has to work a lot harder to
produce adequate selectivity for SW listening where the widest broadcast
channel is less than 10khz wide. Most widebands don't do that well on HF
and below for that reason. Those that do are considerably more expensive
than a dedicated SW receiver.


As a wideband user, I'd like to comment on this...

I can't speak for the AOR since I don't have one, but I do have the
late, great IC-R8500 from Icom, and its 10.7 IF out -- the first one
shared by the whole range of the receiver -- exhibits vastly different
behavior depending on which side of 30 MHz you are on.

Below 30 MHz, it is quite narrow, as in less than 20 kHz. Above 30
MHz, it is 6 MHz wide.

AOR's behavior might be different, but it is true that any wideband
receiver will deal with issues not directly related to shortwave, and
therefore MAY be not the best choice.


--
Eric F. Richards

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

Peter,

What Hallicrafters models do you have?

D Peter Maus wrote:

Also have SW-2, HF-150, BC-794 (Hammarlund Super Pro SP-200 variant),
FRG-7, and a room full of Hallicrafters, Panasonics, Grundigs, Motorolas
and General Electrics.

----== 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 =----

I realize you didn't ask me,but since y'all are talking Hallicrafters
radios,I thought I would throw my two cents worth in.I own a very nice
good working Hallicrafters S-38EB radio I bought for $4.00 (four
dollars) about eight years ago at the Goodwill store that used to be on
Palmyra Street in down town Jackson.It isn't for sale or trade,it's a
keeper just like all of my radios are.
cuhulin

I was wondering if their was device that I could connect to a radio
while listening to the airwaves that will give me a video display on the
receiving signal. Is their a such thing?

SR 73!

D Peter Maus wrote:
Eric F. Richards wrote:

D Peter Maus wrote:

[...]

The IF's in a wideband have to be pretty wide to accomodate some of
the services found on VHF. VHF channels can be wider than the SW
broadcast bands, so filtration in the IF has to work a lot harder to
produce adequate selectivity for SW listening where the widest
broadcast channel is less than 10khz wide. Most widebands don't do
that well on HF and below for that reason. Those that do are
considerably more expensive than a dedicated SW receiver.



As a wideband user, I'd like to comment on this...

I can't speak for the AOR since I don't have one, but I do have the
late, great IC-R8500 from Icom, and its 10.7 IF out -- the first one
shared by the whole range of the receiver -- exhibits vastly different
behavior depending on which side of 30 MHz you are on.

Below 30 MHz, it is quite narrow, as in less than 20 kHz. Above 30
MHz, it is 6 MHz wide.

AOR's behavior might be different, but it is true that any wideband
receiver will deal with issues not directly related to shortwave, and
therefore MAY be not the best choice.




You're correct. There are a handful of wideband receivers which
actually have HF adequate IF strips. Usually by dedicating separate
strips to frequencies above and below 30MHz. R-8500 is one of them.
R-9000 is another. And AOR makes a couple, both desktops, both
expensive, one mountainously so.

Of the widebands I've played with, AR-3000 (in two incarnations)
being among them, I've only been impressed with AR-8600, IC-R8500 and
IC-R-9000 below 30Mhz when compared to a dedicated HF receiver.

The rest were simply too wide for decent HF work.




I was not impressed.

My Yaesu FRG-9600 has a video board in it that does just that....



"SR" wrote in message
...
I was wondering if their was device that I could connect to a radio
while listening to the airwaves that will give me a video display on the
receiving signal. Is their a such thing?

SR 73!

D Peter Maus wrote:
Eric F. Richards wrote:

D Peter Maus wrote:

[...]

The IF's in a wideband have to be pretty wide to accomodate some of
the services found on VHF. VHF channels can be wider than the SW
broadcast bands, so filtration in the IF has to work a lot harder to
produce adequate selectivity for SW listening where the widest
broadcast channel is less than 10khz wide. Most widebands don't do
that well on HF and below for that reason. Those that do are
considerably more expensive than a dedicated SW receiver.



As a wideband user, I'd like to comment on this...

I can't speak for the AOR since I don't have one, but I do have the
late, great IC-R8500 from Icom, and its 10.7 IF out -- the first one
shared by the whole range of the receiver -- exhibits vastly different
behavior depending on which side of 30 MHz you are on.

Below 30 MHz, it is quite narrow, as in less than 20 kHz. Above 30
MHz, it is 6 MHz wide.

AOR's behavior might be different, but it is true that any wideband
receiver will deal with issues not directly related to shortwave, and
therefore MAY be not the best choice.




You're correct. There are a handful of wideband receivers which
actually have HF adequate IF strips. Usually by dedicating separate
strips to frequencies above and below 30MHz. R-8500 is one of them.
R-9000 is another. And AOR makes a couple, both desktops, both
expensive, one mountainously so.

Of the widebands I've played with, AR-3000 (in two incarnations)
being among them, I've only been impressed with AR-8600, IC-R8500 and
IC-R-9000 below 30Mhz when compared to a dedicated HF receiver.

The rest were simply too wide for decent HF work.




I was not impressed.

SR wrote:

I was wondering if their was device that I could connect to a radio
while listening to the airwaves that will give me a video display on the
receiving signal. Is their a such thing?

SR 73!


I presume you mean to display a frequency vs. signal strength graph...
the answer is yes -- they are called panoramic adaptors or
panadaptors. A more general device would be a spectrum analyzer, used
as a panadaptor.

You can expect to pay about $1500 for a new one, and at least one is
being made today. I bought one for about $100 and was only marginally
satisfied. I bought a spectrum analyzer for $300 that does a much
better job.

You can read about my experiences in this thread, using Google news,
starting with this article:

Message-ID:




--
Eric F. Richards

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

There are inexpensive (and some not so inexpensive) AM/FM stereo radios
available in stores that sell radios that have a sort of built in video
display.But I think those are different from what you are talking
about.I dont own such a radio as that.
cuhulin

Hi Eric: I am not talking about a signal streghth or SWR meter as most
radio will have. It more like a scope or radar giving pattern
information on the reciving attena. I was wondering if there was a
device that could tell you from which dirrection and pattern the signal
comming from and how.

In the Now Your talking Book, their is a diagram of attenas patterns. I
thought their must be some kind of a device for giving this information.

I've seen too many WW2 movies. LOL!

SR, 73!

Now,

Eric F. Richards wrote:
SR wrote:


I was wondering if their was device that I could connect to a radio
while listening to the airwaves that will give me a video display on the
receiving signal. Is their a such thing?

SR 73!



I presume you mean to display a frequency vs. signal strength graph...
the answer is yes -- they are called panoramic adaptors or
panadaptors. A more general device would be a spectrum analyzer, used
as a panadaptor.

You can expect to pay about $1500 for a new one, and at least one is
being made today. I bought one for about $100 and was only marginally
satisfied. I bought a spectrum analyzer for $300 that does a much
better job.

You can read about my experiences in this thread, using Google news,
starting with this article:

Message-ID:

"Eric F. Richards" wrote:

I presume you mean to display a frequency vs. signal strength graph...
the answer is yes -- they are called panoramic adaptors or
panadaptors. A more general device would be a spectrum analyzer, used
as a panadaptor.

You can expect to pay about $1500 for a new one, and at least one is
being made today. I bought one for about $100 and was only marginally
satisfied. I bought a spectrum analyzer for $300 that does a much
better job.


There are used Microdyne Spectrum displays floating around E-bay and
other surplus sources but you do not want them for a HF receiver. They
are made for real broadband applications in microwave Telemetry
systems. You would have to do a major redesign on the RF and IF
circuits to convert one to work with a HF radio and the CRT cost well
over $1000, if you can even buy one now that L3-Com dropped the
Microdyne products that supported their spectrum display. They go
cheap, but they are no bargain unless all you want is the CRT and HV
power supply. They require a couple amps on each of the 15 volt power
supplies, and are made to fit in the older receivers as a plug-in, or in
a rack mount accessories tray. They are not intended to be operated
outside of an approved cabinet because the HV power supply is exposed on
the Chassis, and it can kill.


--
Link to my "Computers for disabled Veterans" project website deleted
after threats were telephoned to my church.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

SR wrote:

Hi Eric: I am not talking about a signal streghth or SWR meter as most
radio will have. It more like a scope or radar giving pattern
information on the reciving attena. I was wondering if there was a
device that could tell you from which dirrection and pattern the signal
comming from and how.

No -- that sort of plot can be generated by a sophisticated antenna
system along with an equally sophisticated radio, but to do it
"automagically" would be a little more difficult.

Now, someone could write software to electrically or physically turn a
very directional antenna and generate a signal strength vs. direction
polar plot -- in fact, something similar to that is done on antenna
measuring ranges, but it is non-trivial and you couldn't listen very
well while it did the plot.

No, what I was referring to was a Strength vs. Frequency plot, along
the lines of the two graphs you see in this image:

http://www.dim.com/~efricha/wrdisplay.png



In the Now Your talking Book, their is a diagram of attenas patterns. I
thought their must be some kind of a device for giving this information.

I've seen too many WW2 movies. LOL!

SR, 73!

Now,

Eric F. Richards wrote:
SR wrote:


I was wondering if their was device that I could connect to a radio
while listening to the airwaves that will give me a video display on the
receiving signal. Is their a such thing?

SR 73!



I presume you mean to display a frequency vs. signal strength graph...
the answer is yes -- they are called panoramic adaptors or
panadaptors. A more general device would be a spectrum analyzer, used
as a panadaptor.

You can expect to pay about $1500 for a new one, and at least one is
being made today. I bought one for about $100 and was only marginally
satisfied. I bought a spectrum analyzer for $300 that does a much
better job.

You can read about my experiences in this thread, using Google news,
starting with this article:

Message-ID:





--
Eric F. Richards

"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most
experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in;
we're computer professionals. We cause accidents."
- Nathaniel S. Borenstein

SR wrote:
Is this what you guys are talking about?

http://cgi.ebay.com/HEATHKIT-HO-10-M...cmd ZViewItem


THAT's the Bell & Howell Educ. program scope I built decades ago

The color TV was pretty good !
Yodar