Here is my "Master List" of SHORTWAVE
HF Receivers owned since 1977.
Please note: I no longer own most of these (like 99% of
this list), and questions to these receivers I may not
be able answer. Here for the general information only and nothing
more. NO....none of this is "For Sale" as a
few have come to think for some reason.
This list includes portables as well as table top sets. Yes, my
fingers have passed over many sets over the years. As you can
tell by scanning down the list, I'm not a "Valve" (Tube)
lover , and have not owned any.
* DRAKE SSR-1 (with GILFER
Frequency counter)
My first "Real" SW Receiver in 1977. Analog display, a
bit before the hit of "Digital Readout" sets (at least
at a good price). I added a e-tek "Gilfer" frequency
counter to it. This gave me a LED display for Khz's. Actually not
made by Drake, was made in Japan with Drake's name on the front.
Did not have a SO-239 antenna connector, just 2 "posts"
for connections. A well made set but was loaded with birdies.
* PANASONIC RF-2800
My first SW portable (1978), and a set with LED digital display
on board to boot. A big beast, and was very drifty, so never used
it all that much. But was great to have a solid idea where you
are tuned to. Remember this was 1978.
* YAESU FRG-7000 (with Gilfer Mods)
My second "Table Top" , with the tighter Gilfer filter
installed. I actually regreted changing the Yaesu filter as the
audio really suffered. Was a time trying to keep all of the lamps
operating in this set. There were many, and burned bright. Was
not a real easy job to replace as you had to take the entire
front bezel off to get to the soldered in lamps. The on board
clock was very accrate, would not loose a "Second" in
months. A pre-selector radio (that is a preselector needed to be
adjusted). Tuned in stations like the "Voice Of Chile"
and "Radio Gabon" (Both in English) on this set. A bit
of the synthesizer noise would bleed into the audio chain, but a
switch was eaisly pushed to turn off the LED's (noise would
totally go away).
* SONY ICF-2001 (Perry Ferrell's import unit)
Well after drooling in the 1980 WRTH (back cover), I was
wondering in January of 1980 "Why Can't I purchase one of
these in the US ??". I contacted Perry Ferrell at Gilfer and
so happend had a unit that he had just done evaluating (was
wondering to carry it or not) and was about to sell it ?? He had
imported it direct from Japan. So I grabbed it, the instructions
were in Japanese but was pretty easy to figure it out. This was
in Feb of 1980, and Sony USA started selling the ICF-2001 in the
US in June of the same year. Of course my sample suffered the
push button gremlin (failures) about a year later (very common
problem with the ICF-2001's).
* KENWOOD R-1000 (ARF !!)
Well this radio has to go down for the worse case in the
frequency display being off. Even after adjusting it to match up
in the lower end of a 1 Mhz band, by the time you got to the
other end, it might have been off my 4 or 5 khz. This was
unacceptable to me and left my shack fairly quickly. It did have
pretty good audio however, except for a REAL SLOW AGC. This was a
updated model too. Yes, it had a.........R-E-A-L-L-Y.......S-l-ooooo-w.......decay
rate.
* YAESU FRG-7 (with Gilfer Mods)
This receiver was very well made. I don't think Yaesu will again
make a receiver like this one again. This was one solid radio.
Worked good too. A set of good batteries, provided you kept the
lamps off, would last a long time. Another preselector radio,
analog readout. Really GOOD samples are getting hard to find.
Fair to Poor samples are very common even these days.
* SONY ICR-4800 (Sony's first micro set)
A radio's size that equaled the performance...."Tiny"...It
was neat having a radio this size, but images and whistles were
all over the place. Very limited SW receive coverage. Single
conversion and no FM broadcast. Was not cheap for the day either
(about $ 100.00). But a few good memories anyway.
* JAPAN RADIO CO. NRD-515 (With NCM-515 KeyPad Controller)
This was the first JRC radio that I owned, as is the case with
alot of pepole. It's die-cast front panel made it look and feel
like a "real" radio. Worked very good for SSB and RTTY
signals. Audio quality using AM Mode for MW or SW Broadcast
signals, well FORGET IT !!! It was sort like trying to listen to
a radio with about 5 blankets thrown over the top of it (gee,
maybe that's why Larry Magne used the term "Woolly"?).
And this was in the 6 Khz filter bandwidth. I can remember I
tried to clean things up a bit by removing a couple of capacitors
that were in the input to the audio amplifer stage. This did
clean things up a bit, however it also gave me alot of hiss. So
that did not work. If you used ECSS on Broadcast Signals,this
worked with good results. I can also remember the sample I had ,
the tuning knob seized up most of the time (BRAND NEW), that it
would get so tight that you could no longer turn it unless you
gave it a good flip the other way. This was in the very early
days of optical encoders, and JRC had to "roll" their
own. This JRC was not modular construction and a good part of the
RF/IF sections of the radio were on a single PC board. I did not
get it with the Memory Unit, but did purchase it with the NCM-515
Keypad .
* ICOM IC-R70
A very well made set. A bit weird to operate, say going from one
Mhz band to another. When it came out, was the only general
coverage tabletop set from Japan that had a IF notch filter. Did
not suffer from the excessive distortion in the audio that the IC-R71
had, but a high background hiss level in the audio made me sell
this one. Was a bit weird to use as well.
* ICOM IC-R71 (TRIPLE ARF !)
The ICOM IC-R71 must go down as the "WORST" receiver
for audio quality I have ever owned ! The battery backed RAM
operation software was another big problem for me with this set.
The Lithium Battery Dies, so does the set, and NO it will NOT
come back to life with a battery change, it needs to go back to
ICOM and get reprogrammed !. Pretty stupid idea here, ICOM was
not too smart when this set was on the drawing board !!
* SONY CRF-1
Drooling in the 1980 WRTH again. Was shown on the same Sony ad
with the ICF-2001. Even to this day it was the biggest pain of
ANY radio that I have ever used !! For a picture and more info, see
the "Pictures From the Past" page. Another Preselector radio. This is a
receiver that suffers from synthesizer failure sooner or later.
* JAPAN RADIO CO. NRD-525 (2 samples)
Owned a couple of these. Actually have had the chance to use
about 4 samples of this set over the years. I noticed a pretty
good swing in the audio quality area between all 4 sets used. The
overall distortion in the AM mode varied. My feeling that this
was due to alignment at the factory, too much IF gain ?? Yes,
cutting back the RF Gain control did help somewhat, BUT not
totally . The INTERNAL "IF Gain" trimmer pot I feel may
have been up too high ?? However it's something I never checked
out for sure. The "AUX" filter opening (about 12 khz or
so) on a Stock 525 when on the right "In the Clear"
signal using this bandwidth...the radio sounded very nice. But as
many already know, using any other filter,the NRD-525's "Hiss"
problem will drive you out of the room.
* KENWOOD R-11 (TOSHIBA RF-P11)
Little analog bandspread set. Made for Kenwood by Toshiba.
Batteries would last forever. The only real gremlin that I can
remember was the radio had a bad "Bandswitch Bleed"
problem. If I was in the 41 meter band, I could still hear the 49
Meter loud and clear. This set actually had a REAL old style S-Meter
on it. Also had a record jack on it !! If it was not for that
bandswitch bleed problem...I would still have this one.
* SANGEAN ATS-803 (was not the "A" version)
This was one of the early versions of this set. The units display
would always revert back to the clock. So could not have the
frequency displayed all of the time. Tuning knob had a cheap feel
to it, felt like it was going to fall off. But for the biggest
bang for the buck..it was useable. Audio was onlty so-so even
with the bass and treble controls.
* SONY ICF-2010 (4 samples)
Before I had a AOR AR7030, this was my best receiver in the Sync
Dectector dept. But it's sync detector is still no slouch.I like
the one button memory presets. Tuning knob was a bit slow with
this set (no 5 khz step) for SW broadcasting. But still the best
receiver Sony has ever made in my view ! Purchase a plastic tilt
stand from Universal Radio in Ohio and the set will be much easier to use
along with being able to see the display eaiser. See see the "Pictures
From the Past" page for a bit more.
* SONY ICF-SW1 (2 samples)
A real digital pocket SW radio. Eats batteries, but was a fun
radio to play with. 5 khz steps only and AM mode. These sets have
a nack of drifting off frequency after aging and capacitor
failures (in the audio section) are common as well. But no clam
shell to have to worry about failing.
* SANGEAN MS-101A
Used it around the house for general use. SW had poor sensitivity.
A set of batteries last about 6 months. Single conversion set, so
di-da's all over the place. It served me well for many years
anyway.
* MAGNAVOX D-2935
This set remined me of the Panasonic RF-2800, about the same size.
However this set was very stable, and had a keypad. The biggest
drawback of this set: The keypad was of the membrane type. Due to
the narrow IF filter used (It was a later model), the audio
quality was quite poor.
* SONY ICF-PRO80
As Larry Magne said about this "Brick" handheld set.."If
you like Puzzles...you will love this set"...and he is 100%
correct here, is a royal pain to use. But for it's day, was the
only set in this package with SSB reception, even if that part of
the radio was only fair it did work fine. I would like to see
manfactures to develop a set in the style of the PRO-80,with a
REAL Tuning KNOB and some REAL performance. Oh yes, ALOT smaller..like
pocket size..the PRO-80 was indeed about the size of a real brick.
Very high current requirement too and also suffered from audio
SMD capacitor failures as did with the ICF-SW1.
* SONY ICF-SW20
Intresting analog pocket set, but was as hissy as a mad snake. No
SW coverage below the 49 meter band (below 5.9 Mhz). Dual
conversion (455 khz and 10.7 Mhz). Just too limited SW coverage.
* JAPAN RADIO CO.NRD-535D (2 samples)
The 535 to me was the best that JRC had made so far (well until I
grabbed a NRD-545 anyway). However, after purchasing a AOR AR7030
this NRD went out of my Shack. The JRC trait of poor audio
continued in the 535 but no "Hiss" as was in the 525.
But I did a side by side test, same antenna, and as much of the
same settings as I could. I was understanding the audio on a weak
signal on the 7030, where as I could not make out 1 word on the
JRC. Sync Detector and Notch Filter were useless on the "NRD"
as well. Well could go on, a generally very well made receiver,
but poor audio made me part with it.
* ICOM IC-R9000 (2 samples)
I would easily say that this is the best receiver that ICOM has
ever made, even will EVER make. This gem covers the entire
spectrum, well at least the part we would be listening to. At a
little over 44 lbs (20 kg) you do not want to carry one very far,the
size with the weight of this beast makes it hard to handle. The
paint chips very eaisly (after owning 2 of these, I know this
first hand with the cabinet. As the reports have said over the
years, this radio does indeed run H-O-T.
This is due to the power supply transistor, and bridge rectifier
mounted on the rear heat sink. I have used an external power
supply to power the radio (only as a test) and it makes a huge
diffrence in the heat. Has a super "Notch" filter, very
deep and sharp. Very easy to use. The AM mode audio is OK,
however distortion is in there making it a bit ruff to listen to
hour after hour. Distortion on SSB signals is almost nil (ALOT
better).The "line" output is low in level, I used to
use a mic mixer to cure this.
The R-9000 suffers from the nasty "VCO" problem that
plauges most Icom sets in this era. Most users never even realise
this problem. It can take even a brand new set less than a year
for this to appear. Tuning to a strong solid VHF signal (say in
the 144 to 174 area), and have a close listen to the sub-audio/signal
floor. AT TIMES it will sound like a bunch of "bubbles"
in the background. In due course the set will die, and the VCO
capacitors will have to be replaced out. Yes, it affects SW bands
as well !! Very expensive to repair.
* SONY ICF-SW77 (Newer Version)
Great set for the person who has a hard time keeping track of SW
broadcasting schedules. Works great in this area. Sync circuit is
not so good when compared to the older ICF-2010 (ICF-2001D
outside North America). Lots of distortion, sync actually
degrades audio on many signals. Tuning Knob is actually a disc
that you "push On" to tune, gets old very quickly for
the band scanner. But for the person who just wants to push a
button and be there..this set would "fill the bill"
real well. Line out is a bit too weak for a tape recorder. The
front panel is all sprayed painted plastic....it shows wear real
fast, even the buttons have sprayed paint on them !!! Ugh !!
* SONY ICF-SW7600G
Another Sony set with a fairly "poor" sync circuit and
only one bandwidth filter.
* DRAKE R-4245 (A R-7A and RV-75 Vfo in a Tan Cabinet)
I'm not sure why this receiver became so highly rated ?? It's
nothing more than a R-7A with a RV-75 VFO unit , oh yes in a
pretty tacky looking tan cabinet. Very good dynamic range,
sensitivity, and the synthesized VFO made the receiver stable
after a 15 min or so warm up. Was far from being "commerical".
Would never handle the daily demand of a heavy commerical user.
The audio quality, when comparing to today's receivers, was very
poor. Excessive distortion in AM reception mode. My ears could
not take much over 30 min's of listening to SW AM broadcasting
stations. SSB was much better. Ran hot.
* SONY ICF-SW100 (2 samples, early version and one near
final production)
About as small as you can get. If you need it super small and SSB
and sync detection too, this is the ONLY set that will cut it. Be
aware that problems happen with early samples with a couple of
ribbon cables that connect the halfs. If you don't see the little
cut out in the hinge area it's a early one. Don't expect any good
audio out of this radio either, but with a nickel sized speaker,
that can be expected. But the audio I feel is really comprised by
the too narrow IF filter (has only one audio bandwidth filter).
The early sample had a very hissy trait (MUCH worse than the SW1).
However with the later one , this hiss issue was cleared up. Sony
..how about a radio like the SW100, full SW coverage with another
wider voice bandwidth (have 2 filters),a "thumb wheel"
tuning KNOB , and GET RID of the "2 half" clam shell
design ?
* AOR AR7030 (6 Samples , 4 Plus / 2 Standard)
A communications receiver with about the best audio that you will
find, but also has the worst ergonomics that you can think of too.
I still like this set very much, but with the many parts quality
problems, I have a sour taste in my mouth with the AR7030. 4 of
the 5 (6 if you count the sour one out of the box new I received)
samples that I have owned have failed either in some way (say 6
to 8 months-light use). I guess if you are handy and maybe don't
mind fixing the set as you take it out of the box "Brand New",
I guess this may not matter ?? Again this is a great receiver,
but just understand the fact that the receiver does not have a
good track record for using certain parts that could fail. Very
expensive for what you get as well at $ 1500. US for a plus
version these days. Be sure and check out the link below if you
have not been there already.
N9EWO's Real Story on the AOR AR7030
* KENWOOD R-2000
Was a good, very easy to use tabletop receiver. Had weird
sensitivity curves. SSB step not fine enough (50 hz). Poor
dynamic range.
* JAPAN RADIO CO. NRD-93 (With NDH-93 Scanning Unit)
The champ of all JRC receivers. Quality of construction in this
set was outstanding. High quality parts used, for example the
volume/RF gain controls etc, were top drawer. No consumer crap
used here. Audio was better (still not the greatest) then any
other JRC set I have ever used , up until the NRD-545. But
still not up to the AR7030. Good news is that the 93 has
excellent ECSS, and when used..AM signals sound very good. I
tried a Sherwood SE-3 with this set..but distortion was present (Yep,
tried diffrent "IF" levels too). But when
compared to modern day sets...the 93 is "Long in the Tooth",
as it was on the drawing board in the early 80's. Sensitivity
being only good not outstanding. To me, internally the
construction and parts used (except for the above average
variable controls) in it's circuits and pc boards are about the
same say to a NRD-545. The front panel construction is way above
average. Made a weird "whine" sound that came from the
switching power supply section after it warmed up for awhile,
this would drive me nuts in short order. This is the main reason
I did not keep this one. The more current NRD-301A suffers from
this same problem.
* JAPAN RADIO CO. NRD-545 DSP Receiver (2)
A very well made receiver. The audio is more crisp than the NRD-535
or NRD-93 even ever were .The way you select the IF bandwidth
filtering is excellent. However the audio suffers from 2 very
weird DSP sounds on broadcast signals (SW or MW). See sure and
see my page devoted to this set, and 3 "Real Audio" files (and 1
audio file on break up distortion) that will allow you to listen
to these sounds. I generally still love the NRD-545 even with it's
quirks.
* WATKINS JOHNSON HF-1000A DSP Receiver / WJ8711A (3)
As is with the JRC NRD-545 above this is another TRUE DSP set.
DSP not only works in the IF filtering area, but also in
detection/AGC/Noise Blanker....the works. Triple conversion as
with the NRD-545 as well. This set can kick butt as far as
pulling out the signal out of the muck. However it suffers from
it's own gremlins. It does not suffer from the "Burps"
and "Ticks" that plauge the NRD-545. Also MUST be used
with good coax feedline and remote antenna, as it creates it's
own "buzzie-buzzies" that can irk back into the
received signal if this is not done. Another gremlin is that SSB
reception has clipping problems on strong signals.
The HF-1000(A) has been discontinued and no longer sold new.
Outside cabinet and controls feel (and the weight) like a cheap
low end american car. Overall this set is simply not worth the
extra money for 99% of us.
At time of writting...It's "mother" version WJ-8711A
can still be purchased "Brand New" at about $ 5500.00
US , plus another $ 1100.00 for the optional preselector. It has
a number of wider bandwidths (much needed in my view) up to 16
kHz when compared to the older HF-1000 which stopped at 8 kHz. Be
ready to wait a good 4 months (after paying for the order) for a
new unit to show up at your door. See the page devoted to this receiver. But overall in my view it CAN be the
best SW receiver that can be purchased these days....bar none.
* SANGEAN ATS-909/RADIO SHACK DX-398 Portable
Works pretty good using it with a external outdoor antenna. The
whip sensitivity on SW lacks big time however. Nice "fine"
DIGITAL tuning steps of 40 Hz, with OK SSB (at portable standards).
But still not fine enough for real serious work. Tuning Knob and
keypad both have very good feel. Line out jack provided, NOTE:
This is a stereo jack (manual is wrong) and if you do not use a
stereo plug into this "Line Jack", it will short out
the middle ring connection on this 1/8" stereo phone jack
and speaker will distort. So a bit of warning on that one (you
seen this info here FIRST !!). As most have said the "flip
stand" is a joke and will indeed break (have already seen
this one personally). Don't use it, purchase one of the
aftermarket stands from Universal Radio in Ohio. FM broadcast really rocks on this set,
great sensitivity and selectivity. Slurps batteries up fast !!!
The narrow "Wide" bandwidth" filter does not help
this sets fair to poor audio. The "Narrow" bandwidth
filter is too wide for real SSB signals.
* VERTEX-STANDARD-YAESU VR-5000 Wide-Band Receiver
OK, this is a wide band "all frequency - all mode - in one
box receiver" and I understand that. So it's a very low
price for such a set. So with that in mind it works and is fun (somtimes).
Has nasty poor dynamic range with any real antenna. A neat spectrum display that
works OK provided it has not launched into overload. Phase noise
is also in the nasty poor area too, so manual ECSS is out of the
question. See my page devoted to this set, for more info. Not a set
for performance or for ease of use which has to be one of the
worst I have ever used on both fronts. Best to forget this one
for ANY real use on HF.
* LOWE HF-250 (with all options, Non E version)
This receiver is ALMOST the
cleanest sounding shortwave set I have EVER had my hands
on (with the sync mode in use). It's sync handles fading
distortion extremely well too. The downside with the HF-250's
audio is it suffers from a level of low frequency "rumble"
that totally
ruins the gains. This was more noticable
with the Sync on but also exists in the virgin AM mode as well.
The HF-250 also had a real quirky microprocessor (a known issue
that happens to all of them) that would lock the entire receiver
up once in awhile when pushing buttons. This was a "bloody"
pain in the rump when it happened. Also a chore to even switch
modes. One has to push a mode button, push 2 more to toggle
around the loop to the mode you want and then punch the mode
button AGAIN. Tuning steps were also not good for any
bandscanning. It was too slow unless you press and continue to
HOLD a fast button. The remote control was also weird to use.
Good.....but not so good afterall. The AR7030 is a much better (and
actually stable) receiver.
* JAPAN RADIO CO. NRD-345 (Later Sample)
A JRC receiver that has 2 VFO's and a tilt bail with table
protection pads. Of course both lacking in ALL other JRC sets
ever made. Solid construction with a steel cabinet. Excellent RF
performance, super easy of use , nice LCD display and even a real
s-meter. Suffers from the JRC triat of poor audio with AM signals
even in wide bandwidth (muffled), SSB has very good audio with no
distortion or hiss at all. In my view here with SSB signals it's
way better over the AOR AR7030. Also very good manual ECSS. Sync
detection however is a major joke (just like with the Icom IC-R75).
Includes a regulated floor wart that is a bit under
rated for current (the USA 117VAC one at least is). A nice
litttle receiver from JRC, but not for listening to broadcast
stations.
Above is my "Master List" of
SHORTWAVE HF Receivers owned since 1977, in order as
received.
Please note: I no longer own most of these (like 99% of this list),
and questions to these receivers I may not be able answer. Here
for the general information only and nothing more.
None of this is "For Sale" as a few have come to think
for some reason.