I got my new 7600GR from Etronics today. For the most part, it performs and
sounds just like my old 7600G did. The variable attenuator is a nice
addition. The page system memory is a nice arrangement too. Most
importantly, I'm totally psyched to have a portable with ssb selectable am
synch and real ssb capabilities. I have 9475 on now at 22:38 and I am
using the ssb selectable am sync. When I select usb, I can clearly hear
some QRM. When I switch to LSB, I get a wonderfully clear signal. I've
read many comments in posts that say the 7600's ssb selectable am sync
really doesn't count for much. I've had the radio only for a few hours and
I can say for sure, that it matters quite a bit. Also.....I can now use
ecss again without being seated in front of my R-75. The fine tuning dial
is very manageable. I've used the KA-1102, YB-400,PL-550 and a whole host
of other portables. The 7600GR is by far my favorite. Over the next few
weeks I'm going to do some side by side comparisons with the 7600GR and the
KA-1102 and PL-550. I can easily look up the numbers for all of those
radios, but I want to hear them all now in practice. I'll be sure to post
my results.

--
Respectfully,

Michael

Location: New Jersey
Primary Receiver: R-75 with full Kiwa mods
Antennas: G5RV, 200ft "Frankenstein" roof wire
Additional Radios: 7600GR,KA-1101,KA-1102
PL-550, KA-989, Info-Mate 837, GE-SR III
Westinghouse H-104 (seven tube)
Web Site: http://md_dxing.tripod.com

In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

I got my new 7600GR from Etronics today. For the most part, it performs and
sounds just like my old 7600G did. The variable attenuator is a nice
addition. The page system memory is a nice arrangement too. Most
importantly, I'm totally psyched to have a portable with ssb selectable am
synch and real ssb capabilities. I have 9475 on now at 22:38 and I am
using the ssb selectable am sync. When I select usb, I can clearly hear
some QRM. When I switch to LSB, I get a wonderfully clear signal. I've
read many comments in posts that say the 7600's ssb selectable am sync
really doesn't count for much. I've had the radio only for a few hours and
I can say for sure, that it matters quite a bit.

Snip

There is no substitute for getting your hands on the hardware.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

The major problem with the 7600GR that the 7600G did not have is
muting when you change frequencies, which slows you down to one poke
a second if you scan manually that way.

The attentuation is nice though in that it solves the fast AGC problem
that causes audible flutter when two stations with the right strengths
are on almost the same frequency, very common on MW. You can just
change the attentuation so the AGC doesn't kick in and it stops pumping.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

"Ron Hardin" wrote in message
...
The major problem with the 7600GR that the 7600G did not have is
muting when you change frequencies, which slows you down to one poke
a second if you scan manually that way.

The attentuation is nice though in that it solves the fast AGC problem
that causes audible flutter when two stations with the right strengths
are on almost the same frequency, very common on MW. You can just
change the attentuation so the AGC doesn't kick in and it stops pumping.

Thanx for the tip, Ron... I'll be sure to put it into action when the time
comes....

Michael

The major problem with the 7600GR that the 7600G did not have is
muting when you change frequencies, which slows you down to one poke
a second if you scan manually that way.

Actually, you CAN scan without muting. Just press the up or down 1kz instead of
the 5kz, and keep it pressed. It scans just like a manual dial scan. When you
hear something, just lift your finger.

I did not discover this, someone posted it in this NG about 2 years ago, and I
was amazed that 1) I never knew this, and 2) the manual doesn't say anything
about it.

---Ken

"Michael" wrote in
t:

The 7600GR is by far my favorite.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to do some side by side comparisons
with the 7600GR and the KA-1102 and PL-550. I can easily look up the
numbers for all of those radios, but I want to hear them all now in
practice. I'll be sure to post my results.

I would love to see the results. I have the Sony and the KA-1102 as well. I
have compared them extensively. The Sony is of course the superior radio
but you have to love the Kaito for the price. The Sony is better at AM
DXing and SSB but I sometimes find it easier on the Kaito to tune into SSB
although the audio quality is not as good as on the Sony. On SW I see
almost no difference in the radios. The only thing I dont like about the
Sony is the display. The Kaito gives you much more information. There isn't
any Meter Band indicator on the Sony or button to quickly jump from one
meter band to the next. If the Sony had a display like the Kaito along with
the light buttons I would like it more, and if you add a tunning knob there
would be no more arguments in favor of the Sangean 909. These seem like
very simple modifications that I would love to see.

"Juan Gonzalez" wrote in message
...
"Michael" wrote in
t:

The 7600GR is by far my favorite.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to do some side by side comparisons
with the 7600GR and the KA-1102 and PL-550. I can easily look up the
numbers for all of those radios, but I want to hear them all now in
practice. I'll be sure to post my results.

I would love to see the results. I have the Sony and the KA-1102 as well.
I
have compared them extensively. The Sony is of course the superior radio
but you have to love the Kaito for the price. The Sony is better at AM
DXing and SSB but I sometimes find it easier on the Kaito to tune into SSB
although the audio quality is not as good as on the Sony. On SW I see
almost no difference in the radios. The only thing I dont like about the
Sony is the display. The Kaito gives you much more information. There
isn't
any Meter Band indicator on the Sony or button to quickly jump from one
meter band to the next. If the Sony had a display like the Kaito along
with
the light buttons I would like it more, and if you add a tunning knob
there
would be no more arguments in favor of the Sangean 909. These seem like
very simple modifications that I would love to see.

Juan... I agree with you 100 % regarding the display. I really like the
display on the 1102. I have also noticed something else I dont like about
the display on the 7600gr. I took it to work today and I noticed that
unless you look at the display straight on, it appears as if every character
on the display is active. All lcds can have this problem in heavy lighting,
but the one on the 7600gr is really bad. Even if you are looking at it at
just a slight angle in moderate light, you cant tell what you are looking at
because every character is visible.

Other then that, I have to say that the 7600gr is far superior to the
KA-1102 over all. It doesn't seem to be any more sensitive then the KA-1102
but it resolves the signals better, especially weaker signals or signals
that are close to stronger ones and are exhibiting QRM. The audio quality
is better in general too, but that is to be expected given the smaller
speaker in the 1102. I dont mean that as a criticism of the 1102 either.
I'm amazed at what a great performer it is for its size and price. I
actually think that the KA-1102 is very close to the Sony in selectivity
too. The 7600gr has the ssb selectable am sync that helps out a lot with
adjacent signals and fade where as the KA-1102 does not, but the actual
selectivity of the KA-1102 seems to be on par with the 7600gr.

As far as the PL-550 goes.... I think it is the least selective of the
three. It doesn't have glairing problems with this, but it doesn't cut it
as well as the 7600gr and the KA-1102. It also dose not resolve signals as
well as the 7600gr does, but to be honest, I really think the audio quality
and definition on the PL-550 is the best of the three. To my ear, it sounds
more defined. So..... You cant deal with a het or AM signal fade on the
PL-550 like you can with he 7600gr, but when the conditions are good, I
think the PL-550 sounds better. I also love that the PL-550 has both push
button and the all important dial to turn for tuning. That feature alone
make it the first radio I'll grab when I want to explore the bands. Other
things I really like on the PL-550 are the selectable filter setting and the
IF switch. The IF switch by no means outshines the ssb selectable sync on
the 7600gr, but it does help out a bit even though using it diminishes the
audio fidelity. If they could only have made the PL-550 with ssb :-)

I haven't had enough time to evaluate the 7600gr under circumstances in
relation to the 1102 and PL-550 yet, but I sure plan on doing so over the
next few weeks.

"Michael" wrote in
t:

As far as the PL-550 goes.... I think it is the least selective of
the three. It doesn't have glairing problems with this, but it
doesn't cut it as well as the 7600gr and the KA-1102.

How good is the PL-550 on MW? I have a Tecsun PL-230 which is a cool
looking radio that works great on SW but the MW performance is very poor.
I'm in NYC and can hear an AM station from Ohio on the Kaito and even
better with the Sony. With the Tecsun I even have trouble with one local am
station that comes in noisy but perfect on the Kaito and Sony.

I also don't like the Sony display since its hard to view at an angle. The
Kaito display is much better and includes so much more information. The
Sony doesn't even have a battery charge indicator so you never know how
much you have left. Even very cheap radios have that, but you can't argue
about the quality of the Sony and the reception.

"Juan Gonzalez" wrote in message
...
"Michael" wrote in
t:

As far as the PL-550 goes.... I think it is the least selective of
the three. It doesn't have glairing problems with this, but it
doesn't cut it as well as the 7600gr and the KA-1102.

How good is the PL-550 on MW?

Hiya.... I dont think the PL-550 is a good MW radio. For MW I prefer my
GE-SR III best for sure. Because it has analog tuning it has almost no
internal noise. As you would expect with such a large speaker, the audio
quality is also very good. It also has a nice long internal ferite bar
antenna, so its great for DX'ing. The only draw back is that the analog
tuning dial is not at all accurate. My next favorite radio for MW is the
KA-1102. It was a really nice surprise to find out what a great MW radio
that it is. I often use it to listen to WBT in Charlotte and WTAM in
Cleveland and WBAL in Maryland and others too. It is not as quite as the
GE-SR III, but it does a very nice job of it for sure.

I have just started to test the 7600gr out on MW. From what I have read, it
is a better performer for MW DX'ing then the KA-1102. I would imagine that
you could get more out of the 7600gr just going on the fact that it has
"real" ssb selectable sb capabilities that you can use when you are tuned in
the mw range. That alone would tell me I have a better chance of resolving
some tuff MW DX with the 7600gr then with the KA-1102. The KA-1102 has ssb
capabilities, but they dont work when tuned to mw, and even if it did, it
would hardly matter. The KA-1102 doesn't have "real" ssb selectable sb.
You cant choose usb or lsb. Along with that, using ecss on the KA-1102 is
almost useless because of the flutter you always get when you try to use
ecss. So... As of right now I can't say any thyting about the 7600gr for
MW. I need to test it out some more.

So... The PL-550 is not a good MW radio as compared to the other radios
that I own. The PL-550 is not the most sensitive, selective or quite when
tuned to MW. Nor does it have any ssb capabilities. I dont mind so much
though because I purchased it to use as a sw radio and I think it is very
good for sw. When you consider its price in comparison with the YB-400 and
7600GR, you really have to say that it was one of the best value for dollar
deals to come along in quite a while.

Michael

"Michael" wrote in
:

I have just started to test the 7600gr out on MW. From what I have
read, it is a better performer for MW DX'ing then the KA-1102. I
would imagine that you could get more out of the 7600gr just going on
the fact that it has "real" ssb selectable sb capabilities that you
can use when you are tuned in the mw range. That alone would tell me
I have a better chance of resolving some tuff MW DX with the 7600gr
then with the KA-1102. The KA-1102 has ssb capabilities, but they dont
work when tuned to mw, and even if it did, it would hardly matter.
The KA-1102 doesn't have "real" ssb selectable sb. You cant choose usb
or lsb. Along with that, using ecss on the KA-1102 is almost useless
because of the flutter you always get when you try to use ecss.
So... As of right now I can't say any thyting about the 7600gr for MW.
I need to test it out some more.


What you say about the Sony SSB on MW is exactly right. It's something the
Kaito can't do. If you like the Kaito for MW you will love the Sony.