Shortwave/Multiband radios- your opinion

July 14, 2016, 06:12 PM

Prestoked

quote:
Originally posted by deepocean:
Does anyone here have first hand experience of how the Sangean ATS-909X compares with the Sony ICF-SW7600GR?

I currently have the Sangean ATS-909X with the Clearmods from http://www.radiolabs.com/produ...ers/ats-909x-mod.php , (recommended it near the top of this thread), used to have the Sony, and have the County Comm (SSB) and the Tecsun PL360. The Sangean, with the Clearmods, is superior in all regards, although not a pocket radio like the later two mentioned.

July 14, 2016, 06:20 PM

deepocean

quote:
Originally posted by Prestoked:
quote:
Originally posted by deepocean:
Does anyone here have first hand experience of how the Sangean ATS-909X compares with the Sony ICF-SW7600GR?

I currently have the Sangean ATS-909X with the Clearmods from http://www.radiolabs.com/produ...ers/ats-909x-mod.php , (recommended it near the top of this thread), used to have the Sony, and have the County Comm (SSB) and the Tecsun PL360. The Sangean, with the Clearmods, is superior in all regards, although not a pocket radio like the later two mentioned.

Thank you for your reply. Did you have the detent mod, too? Do you use the external antenna included with the 909X?

July 14, 2016, 06:29 PM

Voshterkoff

quote:
Originally posted by Expat:
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.

I have a feeling that this thread has cleaned out ebay.

July 14, 2016, 06:29 PM

Prestoked

quote:
Originally posted by deepocean:
quote:
Originally posted by Prestoked:
quote:
Originally posted by deepocean:
Does anyone here have first hand experience of how the Sangean ATS-909X compares with the Sony ICF-SW7600GR?

I currently have the Sangean ATS-909X with the Clearmods from http://www.radiolabs.com/produ...ers/ats-909x-mod.php , (recommended it near the top of this thread), used to have the Sony, and have the County Comm (SSB) and the Tecsun PL360. The Sangean, with the Clearmods, is superior in all regards, although not a pocket radio like the later two mentioned.

Thank you for your reply. Did you have the detent mod, too? Do you use the external antenna included with the 909X?

Yes to both.

July 14, 2016, 06:33 PM

Ackks

I looked at the 909x and it looked like a nice radio, but is it as durable as the Sony? The Sony just seemed tested and dependable.

July 16, 2016, 01:28 PM

Jimineer

Anyone else think about this thread following the events in Turkey?

Whatever the cause, if/when primary comm channels go down, having a ham radio and / or scanner will be useful - see Para's post that started this thread.

July 16, 2016, 04:53 PM

JALLEN

quote:
Originally posted by Jimineer:
Anyone else think about this thread following the events in Turkey?

Whatever the cause, if/when primary comm channels go down, having a ham radio and / or scanner will be useful - see Para's post that started this thread.

Having the radio is a good thing if/when comm channels go down. Knowing how to use it, where and when to use it, and how all the various features work, what those are for, will make it useful. AGC, filters, passband tuning if it has that, what modes are likely used on which bands, what to expect, will minimize frustration.

Standing there in the dark listening to hiss while your wife stands there expecting to hear what's going on makes you wonder why you wasted money on this worthless contraption and is very frustrating.

Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown

July 16, 2016, 05:40 PM

10X-Shooter

I recently add a Yaesu VX-3R to my go box. Thing is almost as small as a pager. It has a super low transmit power and honestly I'm having trouble getting it to transmit for some reason. I'm pretty sure it's some quirky setting I've missed but it was $110.00 and pretty well taken care of and came with program, programming cable, ac and DC power cables. It's surprised me how well it picks up most frequencies other than AM, even then it will pick up closer stations. Pretty cool for an ultra small go radio. It'll be even cooler once I figure out what's preventing it from transmitting.

October 22, 2016, 09:43 AM

JALLEN

quote:
Originally posted by 10X-Shooter:
I recently add a Yaesu VX-3R to my go box. Thing is almost as small as a pager. It has a super low transmit power and honestly I'm having trouble getting it to transmit for some reason. I'm pretty sure it's some quirky setting I've missed but it was $110.00 and pretty well taken care of and came with program, programming cable, ac and DC power cables. It's surprised me how well it picks up most frequencies other than AM, even then it will pick up closer stations. Pretty cool for an ultra small go radio. It'll be even cooler once I figure out what's preventing it from transmitting.

You need to sign up and attend the two week school in Chicago.

$110 appears to be a hell of a good price if it is new. Of course, if you can't use it, it's worthless.

That's about how I feel about the VX-170 I have had for years. I've had handi-talkies since Yaesu came out with the first synthesized HT nearly 40 years ago, and each new model gets more and more complex, more features, more button mashing, less useable. You need a program to set them up, and if your buddy suggests going to an odd simplex channel, you are screwed. They might as well be crystal controlled, like the old ones.

The radios are cheaper, but the two week school in Chicago to learn how to use them isn't.

October 22, 2016, 10:08 AM

If things ever went south, a sub would launch an EMP weapon offshore and denote it over the CONUS which would cause destruction of all electronic devices not protected.

Using that as the worst case, you need to prepare for the survival.

41

October 22, 2016, 10:10 AM

parabellum

Yes, because nuclear war is the only possible disaster scenario.

We're discussing radios.

October 22, 2016, 10:43 AM

Looks like the Navy has been doing some work to prevent EMP's.

The Navy Has Prepped for An EMP Attack for 7 Years
.......................
Since Obama has been President, the Navy has been involved in an unprecedented 7 year war game. In actuality, this move, by the Navy Department is designed to keep as many ships out to sea because they fear being victimized by an EMP attack. What has the Navy known about Obama that the rest of us should know?

http://www.thecommonsenseshow....t-the-united-states/

41

March 29, 2017, 07:43 PM

arlen

Kaito Voyager Pro KA600L windup radio. AM/FM/SW NOAA Weather. If the electricity is off and your batteries are drained your radio is a door stop. But a windup radio can be used forever.

March 30, 2017, 07:11 AM

SMLgraybeard

Thanks for unlocking...I, too, find this thread very useful.

March 30, 2017, 07:53 AM

95flhr

Para,

You might be able to find your AC adapter here.

http://www.jameco.com/

or here https://www.circuitspecialists...ersal-power-supplies

March 30, 2017, 10:40 AM

dewhorse

quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:
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.

Thanks Para for the post and thanks to everyone who contributed.

I have had this radio on my Amazon wishlist for awhile.....

March 30, 2017, 08:58 PM

SIG 229R

quote:
Originally posted by OKCGene:
Para I seem to recall that you're in the Atlanta area? If so, you might peruse the website of HamRadioOutlet
Just search for "receivers".

They have a radio store in Atlanta. They do carry a good selection of radio receivers. I greatly prefer being able to see, touch and operate things in person before I buy them.

I totaly agree. If. I am going to spend that kind of bucks I want to spin the dial a bit and take it for the provrrbial road tdst. There is a lot of good stuff out there but also a lot of junk.

March 30, 2017, 09:23 PM

bendable

good thread
after reading the manuals for both the Sony and the tecsun,
I have decided that either are about half as complicated as my current BearCat scanner.

but like the scanner I can see me getting a spiral 3 x 5 card notebook to write all of the
info in .

high band channels,low band channels, ssb channels etc