Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

Greetings...

Hate to be all on-topic and such here, given how this newsgroup
usually goes, but, whattheheck...

I've decided that I want shortwave in my car. Last time I looked -- a
few months ago -- there weren't any adequate in-dash receivers
currently made, but I'm willing to do the messy-cable approach and
have an external radio available.

Now, the question: Would a tabletop or a portable be more effective?
The car has a multiband (HF/V/UHF) HAM antenna on it (no HF rig in the
car -- long story!) so I have an antenna that is nominally possible to
use with a tabletop, and it is outside, far from the electronic noise
of the engine and computers.

OTOH, at first blush a portable would seem obvious for this
application, except that it is inside the metal car body, along with
the electronic noise from the computers.

Any (intelligent, relevent) thoughts?

Thanks!

--
Eric F. Richards

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

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

bush can't speak for his bisexual self.That's why they have speech
writers and they read them speeches from them tv screen prompters
thingys that we never see them reading from.bush couldn't even debate a
nine year old Cuban boy.Heck,my little doggy,she is much smarter than
all the politicians in the World.
cuhulin

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

The problem with using a portable is you can't see the radio controls.
The form factor is wrong. [Knobs all over the place, rather than the
controls on the faceplate.] There are a few DC to daylight scanners
that do have shortwave. Another idea is to get a ham radio that has
continuous coverage. The advantage to using the ham radio is you can
get decent filters for sideband use, something the DC to daylight
radios often lack.

http://www.aoruk.com/ar8600.htm
or something like this (yaesu has a similar model)

BTW, that Bush statement on human-animal hybrids was code-word speaking
to his bible thumper base.

Eric F. Richards wrote:
Greetings...

Hate to be all on-topic and such here, given how this newsgroup
usually goes, but, whattheheck...

I've decided that I want shortwave in my car. Last time I looked -- a
few months ago -- there weren't any adequate in-dash receivers
currently made, but I'm willing to do the messy-cable approach and
have an external radio available.

Now, the question: Would a tabletop or a portable be more effective?
The car has a multiband (HF/V/UHF) HAM antenna on it (no HF rig in the
car -- long story!) so I have an antenna that is nominally possible to
use with a tabletop, and it is outside, far from the electronic noise
of the engine and computers.

OTOH, at first blush a portable would seem obvious for this
application, except that it is inside the metal car body, along with
the electronic noise from the computers.

Any (intelligent, relevent) thoughts?

Thanks!

--
Eric F. Richards

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

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:44:07 -0700, Eric F. Richards
wrote:

Greetings...

Hate to be all on-topic and such here, given how this newsgroup
usually goes, but, whattheheck...

I've decided that I want shortwave in my car. Last time I looked -- a
few months ago -- there weren't any adequate in-dash receivers
currently made, but I'm willing to do the messy-cable approach and
have an external radio available.

Now, the question: Would a tabletop or a portable be more effective?
The car has a multiband (HF/V/UHF) HAM antenna on it (no HF rig in the
car -- long story!) so I have an antenna that is nominally possible to
use with a tabletop, and it is outside, far from the electronic noise
of the engine and computers.

OTOH, at first blush a portable would seem obvious for this
application, except that it is inside the metal car body, along with
the electronic noise from the computers.

Any (intelligent, relevent) thoughts?

Thanks!
http://www.icom.co.jp/world/info/ic-703/index.html

http://www.icomamerica.com/products/amateur/706mkIIg/

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

On 3 Feb 2006 08:24:02 -0800, wrote:

The problem with using a portable is you can't see the radio controls.
The form factor is wrong. [Knobs all over the place, rather than the
controls on the faceplate.] There are a few DC to daylight scanners
that do have shortwave. Another idea is to get a ham radio that has
continuous coverage. The advantage to using the ham radio is you can
get decent filters for sideband use, something the DC to daylight
radios often lack.

http://www.aoruk.com/ar8600.htm
or something like this (yaesu has a similar model)

BTW, that Bush statement on human-animal hybrids was code-word speaking
to his bible thumper base.
Ya think?

Feed the insanity.

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

About umpteen years ago,(1991) I was floatin around inside a mall in
N'Awlins (New Orleans,Louisiana) and there was a store out there outside
of the mall in the parking lot area that sold all kinds of car
radios,including Shortwave in the dashboard car radios.Yes,there are
some Shortwave in the dashboard car radios avalibale.Look for some fed
govt cars and rip off the Shortwave Radios out of their cars us
taxpayers pay for.
cuhulin

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:44:07 -0700, Eric F. Richards
wrote:

Greetings...

Hate to be all on-topic and such here, given how this newsgroup
usually goes, but, whattheheck...

I've decided that I want shortwave in my car. Last time I looked -- a
few months ago -- there weren't any adequate in-dash receivers
currently made, but I'm willing to do the messy-cable approach and
have an external radio available.

Now, the question: Would a tabletop or a portable be more effective?
The car has a multiband (HF/V/UHF) HAM antenna on it (no HF rig in the
car -- long story!) so I have an antenna that is nominally possible to
use with a tabletop, and it is outside, far from the electronic noise
of the engine and computers.

OTOH, at first blush a portable would seem obvious for this
application, except that it is inside the metal car body, along with
the electronic noise from the computers.

Any (intelligent, relevent) thoughts?

Thanks!

If you have the money for a tabletop, I'm not sure why you just
wouldn't get a ham rig with general coverage, a new or used Yaesu 857
or Icom 706 series. They're made to be used mobile; good backlighting
on the knobs, compact size, detachable head, etc etc

bob
k5qwg

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

Don't know too much about the FT-857 but don't get the Yaesu FT-897D.
Its AM tuning options are limited.

The only new portable going with good AM reception is the Icom
IC-7000. It has 3 variable bandwidths for AM and DSP noise reduction,
noise blanker, two notch filters - everything you need for portable
use. It is not cheap - $1500.

Otherwise any of the tabletop sets that run on 12 volts are useable
like the R-75. Drawback to a tabletop - they are large and not easily
secured to the vehicle. Check eham.net reviews to see which noise
blankers and noise reduction sytems are most effective. You will find
eham has many reviews of receivers as well as ham equipment.

Jim

On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 08:44:07 -0700, Eric F. Richards
wrote:

Greetings...

Hate to be all on-topic and such here, given how this newsgroup
usually goes, but, whattheheck...

I've decided that I want shortwave in my car. Last time I looked -- a
few months ago -- there weren't any adequate in-dash receivers
currently made, but I'm willing to do the messy-cable approach and
have an external radio available.

Now, the question: Would a tabletop or a portable be more effective?
The car has a multiband (HF/V/UHF) HAM antenna on it (no HF rig in the
car -- long story!) so I have an antenna that is nominally possible to
use with a tabletop, and it is outside, far from the electronic noise
of the engine and computers.

OTOH, at first blush a portable would seem obvious for this
application, except that it is inside the metal car body, along with
the electronic noise from the computers.

Any (intelligent, relevent) thoughts?

Thanks!

Portable or tabletop in this application?
 

i use a dx-399 for my dumptruck radio. i hang it on the dash in a
ziplock sandwich bag. you will need an outdoor antenna unless you can
get the radio up where the antenna is clear (maybe velcro it to the dash
where the antenna can be extended horizontaly under the windshield)