In article ,
"Rikk" wrote:

Hello everone I am sorry to ask a question such as this, but I am
totally lost on what radio to buy. I am new to SW, but want a radio
that will enable me to listen to the usual broadcast bands on SW as
well as ssb transmissions for ham and utility stations. which of the
many available would you people recommend please thanks Rikk PS, at
the moment I have a tecsun pl230.

Asking on topic questions is encouraged.

Feel free to ask more of them. No question is dumb.

Check out the handy dandy portable feature comparison chart at the
Universal web site. It compares 17 radios of 4 different brands. Your
SSB requirement cuts the 17 down to 11.

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/chartp.html

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Rikk" wrote:

Hello everone I am sorry to ask a question such as this, but I am
totally lost on what radio to buy. [...]

Asking on topic questions is encouraged.

Feel free to ask more of them. No question is dumb.

So true. :-)

The best choices in a receiver for you will be determined by your budget...
so, how much can you spend? If you don't have kilobucks to spend on a
receiver, worry not, for you still have many choices available to you, even
in the $100 or less range. Nowadays, you can get a portable shortwave
receiver that will perform very well indeed for under $100.

Obviously, you will get "more" radio for more money; but if you are like me
and don't have the boundless budget for a top-of-the-line receiver right
now, here are my personal suggestions, which are based on personal
experience-- I've either owned or used these receivers enough to know how
they perform.

- In the under $75.00 class (new price): Degen DE-1103, DE-1102 (or the
KA-1103 and KA-1102, the same radios with different badging). These
receivers are both a great bargain in the performance/price ratio. Both have
SSB too. If you don't want SSB, the KA-1101 is an excellent little receiver
for under $50.

- In the under $150 class: Sony ICF-SW 7600GR is probably the best in its
class. The Grundig YB-400 (a/k/a the G400A) is pretty good, too.

But I would choose the Sony over the Grundig, all else being equal. I would
go so far as to say that if you have $150 to spend, get the Sony ICF-SW
7600GR, with no hesitation.

- In the around $500 class: The Icom R75. Especially if you get the one with
the Kiwa mods. I've used the transceiver version extensively (the IC-718)
and the receiver portion of this rig is, as far as I know, the same as the
R75. I pulled in many, many stations using a homemade dipole on that rig. It
was an excellent receiver as well as a transmitter-- in fact, I used it more
for receiving than for transmitting.

- Used radios: You can sometimes find some very worthy bargains here, if you
know what to look for. If you can find a Sony ICF-2010 in great used
condition, go for it. It's one of the best SW portables ever made. I've also
had a Sangean ATS-803A which, if you can find a very good used example in
the $75.00 range, is well worth the money, IMO.

Happy listening, and hope you find a good radio to suit your needs. Continue
to ask questions here, because there is knowledgable help to be had for the
asking.

Jackie

The Grundig YB-400 (a/k/a the G400)A) is pretty good, too.

DOH-- make that the *G4000A.*

Jackie

Rikk, I'm in the same situation. Could you tell me what you decided to
buy? I was looking at the Eton E-1 but there's been a recall to fix
something. I'm still looking at the Eton but maybe the used Grundig 800
might do.
I'm "newer than you" in SW but I have the same needs as in your 1/27
message. Thanks.

On 29 Jan 2006 06:31:18 -0800, "Patrick" wrote:

Rikk, I'm in the same situation. Could you tell me what you decided to
buy? I was looking at the Eton E-1 but there's been a recall to fix
something. I'm still looking at the Eton but maybe the used Grundig 800
might do.
I'm "newer than you" in SW but I have the same needs as in your 1/27
message. Thanks.

The past few days, there have been some nice Sony 2010s on eBay in the
$255 to $330 range; that's a bit cheaper than the Eton dealies.

bob
k5wg

Bob Miller wrote:

On 29 Jan 2006 06:31:18 -0800, "Patrick" wrote:

Rikk, I'm in the same situation. Could you tell me what you decided to
buy? I was looking at the Eton E-1 but there's been a recall to fix
something. I'm still looking at the Eton but maybe the used Grundig 800
might do.
I'm "newer than you" in SW but I have the same needs as in your 1/27
message. Thanks.

The past few days, there have been some nice Sony 2010s on eBay in the
$255 to $330 range; that's a bit cheaper than the Eton dealies.

bob
k5wg

Only problem with the 2010 is a lack of tunable SSB. Fine if you're just
listening to broadcasts, not fine if you're listening to hams. Of
course, I didn't see the original message, but I wanted to point that
out for anybody considering a 2010.