quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Thanks for all the replies. I ordered the Sony 7600. This was my birthday present this year. At some point, I may get the CountyComm for my Go bag, but I've long wanted the Sony, so...

Interestingly, Sony long ago discontinued the AC power adapter for this radio. They have a replacement, but it's not compatible with their worldband radios, as it introduces noise into audio. There are a ton of cheap adapters available, but I don't want to burn my house down. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good quality 6V adapter for this radio? 700ma, IIRC.


Thanks again to all.

The thing you're looking for is a linear power supply. Most wall warts are switching, and this causes noise. I just picked up an iFi PSU for a DAC, about $50. If that's too rich for this use, then shop around, there's others. Just make sure the voltage matches, and the PSU has more amps than you need.

Does the Sony recharge batteries? If so, get a cheap switching unit, and unplug it to run off batteries when you want to listen.

Timely thread, I too have been looking for a SHTF radio and the Sony fits it perfectly. Just ordered it from Amazon. Thanks for the heads up.

I received my CountyComm GP-5/SSB today. I ordered it from CountyComm and received it in 3 days.
I'm impressed by how well it receives on 80m, 40m, and 20m ham bands in SSB with just the telescopic antenna. I'm sitting next to my Yaesu FT-950 with it's long wire antenna comparing sensitivity. It'll do.

It's not exactly the most rugged handheld device around but with the carrying case it should be ok to throw in a bag.

I've only briefly tried the ferrite antenna for AM and picked up some station in Korean or something like that.

Anyway, so far so good.

Thanks to all who've replied. I decided on the Sony, and yes, it's still made in Japan. The radio came with a fitted soft case and a nice clip-on wire antenna on a roll up spool, also marked as being made in Japan. This is a neat and compact antenna.
This is a very solid feeling radio. I'm not familiar with listening to SSB. What might I find on such channels? The controls of the radio are something less than intuitive, although to be perfectly fair, this radio was introduced in its current form in 2001.

Thanks to all who offered there opinions, and emailed me links to this and that, and thanks especially to henryaz, who kindly gave to me his Sony AC-E60HG adapter, which is the correct but now-discontinued AC adapter for this particular radio.

This radio is my birthday present for this year.

quote:

I'm not familiar with listening to SSB. What might I find on such channels

Congrats on the birthday present!

This part of the solar cycle you will have best bet listening to the 40 and 80 meter ham bands using LSB. 40 meters should have activity most anytime and 80 meters could, especially local hams, but typically 80 meters will be a lot more active later in the day/night as the old geezer hams get up and stay up all night "rag chewing" with their ham buddies and most of them will be running "legal limit" 1500 watts on transmit. You could also try 20 meters USB which often has activity but signals will typically be weaker though could be from all over the world.

20 meters check between 14.15 - 14.35 Mhz USB
40 meters check between 7.1 - 7.3 Mhz LSB
80 meters check between 3.75 - 4.0 Mhz LSB

Also you can look up any US ham at the FCC link below to get their name, address, license class. This is why most of us hams won't post our call signs on forum threads. A ham is supposed to ID at least every ten minutes.

http://www.arrl.org/advanced-call-sign-search

http://www.csgnetwork.com/hamfreqtable.html

quote:

most of them will be running "legal limit" 1500 watts on transmit.

I had that happen when I lived in an apartment on Gallows Road near the Fairfax Hospital. The signal was over driving the audio circuit in my Fisher Stereo and the audio output was crystal clear. Sounded like someone was in your apartment.

So I knew that it was someone close so I asked others in the building and some were having the same problem. I even looked around thinking some one had an antenna on their balcony. The manager was also notified but no one knew until I saw a QC magazine in the apartment mailbox. It was the Navy guy on the top floor and his apartment had access to the attic where he had strung a long wire antenna.

Since this had been going on for many months, the managers must have really been mad because he was gone by the next week.

41

Oh no.

He probably had everything grounded to the building electrical conduit then acting as a ground plane.

Most hams I talked to in apartments were on 2 meter FM or low power HF. He must have known that he would cause problems. Hope he moved somewhere where he would not bother others LOL.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I'm not familiar with listening to SSB. What might I find on such channels?

It's not a channel, more of a mode to bring in a signal you find clearer.

Sorry if this link is a dupe. It's to a forum with sub forums on topics like pirate radio stations, and other interesting stuff. There is a link on the site to an iPhone app that provides broadcast schedules. I haven't downloaded it or tried it yet. Anyway, might be of interest to some of you.

http://www.hfunderground.com/b....php/board,12.0.html

quote:

Originally posted by mattjmcd:
I have the Sony. Excellent reception and sound quality with the long antenna. Good kit.

I have one as well. Very happy with it.

Damn you guys. I had a $250.00 Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket since February. No more. Read a bunch and scooped up a Sony ICF 7600GR. Now the hunt for the unicorn power supply and a portable and fixed antenna setup. Thanks. Thanks a lot... I hate this forum.

ETA:

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Expat,

Since there is no need now to make a recommendation, after Para made his choice.

Simply wanted to say, I own an old Radio Shack DX-360 that I used to listen to Tahiti on.

Para:

SSB is single side band split in to 2 modes (USB - upper side band, or LSB - lower side band).

Most SSB is USB. Although on the Amateur Radio Service Frequencies USB and LSB are used depending on frequency range.

AM is also called DSB, Double Side Band, with a carrier in the middle.

So, SSB is basically AM without the carrier and just 1 side band (upper or lower). SSB is a very efficient voice mode.

Of course JALLEN must vividly recall the AM vs SSB wars in Amateur Radio on the 60's. I was still in diapers so I just hear the stories.

Anyway, have lots of fun with your new toy. I just read per Nielsen that 240 million people in the US still listen to Radio AM/FM, besting TV (radio with video) at 226 million people.

Radio - over 100 years old now and still going strong.

Just took a gander at my well used/abused Sony 7600D in my work desk drawer. I bought it in 1984 in Nagoya, Japan while I was there for a month long work visit. The company I worked for at the time worked globally, one of our senior field crew recommended the Sony. It has been dormant for the last 10 years, I need to pull the batteries, replace them, find the AC adapter...fire it up if possible, it was a great radio when I used it.

I ended up getting the Sony as well. Could anyone suggest a good antenna for it?

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
I ended up getting the Sony as well. Could anyone suggest a good antenna for it?

Start out with just a length of wire (6-10ft, cut as needed). String it around different ways.
 

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
Is SSB the most important feature in a SW for emergency use? How useful would the weather options be?

SSB lets you listen to hams, as I understand it. Broadcasters don't generally use SSB. "Regular" shortwave is what you want for listening to weather or Radio Moscow, or whatever.

quote:

Originally posted by Ackks:
I ended up getting the Sony as well. Could anyone suggest a good antenna for it?

Try a wire outside, some convenient length. Higher and in the clear is better.

You can get away with more modest antennas because the stations you are listening for are running high power to very good antennas usually. You aren't trying to hear, or be heard by, some guy clinging to a frozen rock running <100 watts to a tiny vertical on the other side of the world.

Even though I have a ham radio license and other rigs, I picked up one of the County Comm GP5s. So far I like it and it does a decent job of picking up shortwave stations.

Of course, that tends to mean "God stations", lots of Spanish language stations, old guys grumbling about something or another, and the occasional more exotic foreign language (pretty sure I've gotten japanese, italian and arabic/farsi so far).

Does anyone here have first hand experience of how the Sangean ATS-909X compares with the Sony ICF-SW7600GR?