Is Icom R75 better than JRC NRD-525?
Lee
NRD-525 on EBay. I'm a little disappointed in the results I'm
getting. A lot of noise and not a lot of stations, although some such
as Tiawan are very clear. At this point my antenna is a 40 ro 50 foot
wire strung out to a tree in my yard. I've been told that the ICOM
R75 is better due to newer design. There is no way for me to try one
or even look at one other than to buy it. Is the R75 are better
reciever? I mostly just want to hear commercial stations from other
countries.
Thanks for your time.
sdan...@nyc.rr.com
for listening to commercial broadcasters.
:)
"Lee" <tl...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:ns7ns15aebjnattau...@4ax.com...
The 525s are some of the best radios ever made. Theres something either
wrong with the radio or your setup or environment such as ant. or RFI
etc... A R-75 isn't a better radio for tough signal handling. With mods the
R-75 is a nice radio. These other guys will go into great detail about the
R-75 mods if you ask.
--
Regards
B.H.
RHF
The JRC NRD-525 is a good Shortwave Listener's (SWL) Receiver.
Before you spend some more money on a second Radio/Receiver
like the Icom IC-R75 { I own one} - What About a Better Shortwave
Listener's Antenna to improve your Shortwave Listening (SWL) ? ?
Consider Buying or Building a better Shortwave Listener's (SWL)
Antenna.
Read these Messages posted here on the Rec.Radio.Shortwave NewsGroup :
* First - Lets Think : Out-of-the-Box {Ready-Made}
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antennas
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/a91e9554b3d7d7ee
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/2729
* Low Noise Shortwave Listener's (SWL) Antenna - by Design
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/17ab857189fec531
* Better Signal-to-Noise Ratio from a Combination of Improvements
including . . . a Ground
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/8cb74bf221633ba3
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/5961
* Shortwave Listeners (SWL) Horizontal Loop Antenna
built with common and cheap TV Parts
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/b88323867b8b44a3
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/6135
* ABOUT - The "Low Noise" Antenna design concepts
that were popularized by John Doty :
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/a438b087b5e89fee
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/5178
* WHY - The simple Random Wire Antenna is better than the
Dipole Antenna for the Shortwave Listener (SWL)
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/bb023dcbd76abc37
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/4854
* Basic Antenna Question
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/776c390272c6c91f
* Questions on Inverted L Antenna
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/e0b3ddbed819958d
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/f6f7b5506cc942e2
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/0b44743ddec9424f
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/c890a154db93a89a
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/c14b09ea224f4434
* Noise Reducing Antennas
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/43463ad863e5b075
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/3effeaab835e3bb6
* The Better Idea :
The Low Noise Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/481fa55268969cfd
* ABOUT - USING PAR EF-SWL ANTENNA :
The Par Electronics End-Fed Shortwave Listener EF-SWL Antenna
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/a1f41e85486b0ed9
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/4311c0ac4f084b87
Read - PAR Electronics EF-SWL Antenna
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/ee85739bddf54cc3
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/1666
Setting-Up the Ground Connection
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/9db0c1f933b5e495
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/277
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/672c697b586250c4
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/2ade50507b08ca99
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/a29543b89d07e5a2
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/b368cb105b4a370b
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/38d00e8131ee9876
* Concerning the building of an Inverted "L" Antenna
for Shortwave Listening using the Par Electronics
End-Fed Shortwave Listener (EF-SWL) Antenna
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/45a68a64cf6d8a00
* RF Junkie 'introduces' new SWLZ Balun using "F" Connector
for use with RG6 Coax Cable
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/a9b90bced20caa9d
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/4245
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/674ed98cedc9e5eb
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/4249
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/0380b823057d9744
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/4313
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/49b07e98a66ab88b
* Shortwave Listener (SWL) Baluns
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/e8d7b5749fd53113
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/6165
* RIGGING - The LMZ-75, SWLZ and
RF Systems MLB (Magnetic LongWire Balun)
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/9b6df0ac85d0fbea
* LMZ-75 Shortwave Listener (SWL) Longwire {Random Wire}
Antenna Impedance Matcher
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/f577c0e9783e7421
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/591f34e5bbcaecb8
* Simple 'build-it-yourself' Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna
made from TV Parts
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/d9b19017525fa722
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/6233
hope this helps - iane ~ RHF
.
All are WELCOME and "Invited to Join" the
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna eGroup on YAHOO !
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/>
SWL ANTENNAS GROUP => http://tinyurl.com/an6tw
.
Some Say: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.
I Believe : On A Clear Night You Can Hear Forever
. . . and Beyond , , , The BEYOND ! ! !
With a Shortwave Listening Antenna of your own making.
"If You Build It {SWL Antenna} You Will Hear Them !"
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/>
SWL ANTENNAS GROUP => http://tinyurl.com/an6tw
.
.
. .
.
Jim Hackett
something wrong with yours or you have a problem with your antenna/lead-in
or something else. If you just want to listen to commercial broadcasters,
you should have gone with a Sat-800. It is suited to that role very well...
"Lee" <tl...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:ns7ns15aebjnattau...@4ax.com...
sho...@trailing-edge.com
I don't think the NRD-525 vs R75 is going to make a lot of difference.
I've used them both (although I own neither) and I think they're fine
radios, and they're also both much better than the average SWL uses.
If you're hearing "a lot of noise and not a lot of stations", I
especially don't think the radio will make a big difference.
Concentrate
on listening in the right places at the right times: 49M is packed
on the evenings in the US, and 31M will be nearly as crowded too.
25M and 19M have some activity in the day. But nothing is as jam-packed
as 49M at night, sometimes it seems like there's a station every 5kHz.
You will also hear lots of South/Central American stuff on 61M through
the night. Sometimes when the other bands aren't so hot because of
poor propogation, 61M just booms in by comparison. On these nights
MW (AM band, 540kc-1600kc) reception is exceptional too.
Tim.
Bob Miller
The answer is simply "no."
Over the years, Japan Radio Company receivers have been among the best
available to SWL folks. The JRC rigs are popular with ships at sea,
and generally widely-used for commercial purposes.
I have an NRD 525, as well as an Icom 735, one of Icom's better
transceivers from the 80s & 90s, and considered to have a hot
receiver. Listening to the same stations, on side by side rigs, I
can't really hear much difference between the 525 and 735.
Another way to look at it: the list price on an R75 is $692 in 2006; I
paid around $1200 for my 525 back in 1988.
You might re-check and make sure you're operating the controls
correctly in regard to filter width at Wide or Aux; AGC at slow; RF
gain plenty high or all the way clockwise; make sure the Notch is off
and PassBand Spread is centered; the Noise Filter is off; the
ATTenuation is off; the mode at AM for most broadcast stations.
bob
k5qwg
Joe Analssandrini
Please understand that we are now at the "bottom" of the 11-year
sunspot cycle. Conditions on the shortwave bands are not as good as
they were in, say, 2001 or will be probably in 2010-11. You will have
difficulty receiving signals on the higher bands (above 10000 kHz) at
night and the signals in the lower frequencies don't generally "travel"
as far as those on the higher frequencies. At the present time, the
best time to listen is early morning and daytime as those higher
fequencies travel better in your local daytime. (Right now - 1637 UTC -
I'm listening to some beautiful classical music on Radio Jordan 11690
kHz; the transmitter is in Jordan - it is not a relay in the US,
Canada, or Caribbean islands such as the Taiwan broadcasts you are
hearing.)
I do not believe that any other radio would perform "better" for you
than your NRD-525 (assuming it is in first-class shape); there are
certainly other radios which are "better" performers but, if you can't
hear much with your current radio (another assumption: your antenna is
mounted and connected correctly and your radio is grounded correctly),
you won't hear any more with any other one. As others have stated here,
the JRC NRD-525 is a good one.
So hang in there - conditions will start to improve probably in 2007.
In the meantime, try listening during the day. I think you'll be
surprised and pleased.
Best of luck,
Joe
Brian Denley
I have 8 or so receivers here working off the same antenna (active
multicoupler) and the reception on all of them is pretty much limited by my
antenna. If you can't get a station with your NRD-525 (an excellent
receiver BTW though I don't like the audio), you wont receive it on any
other receiver either. The atmospheric conditions lately are pretty bad.
Where are you located and what times and frequencies are you listening to?
--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html
John S.
I think you will find that a side-by-side comparison of reception on
any of the high-end receivers will show them to be more similar than
different. Said another way you will likely hear the same stations on
an NRD525 that you will on the R75 or a Kenwood R5000. The 525 is
close to reaching classic status and it has a following of very loyal
users.
At the risk of being handed my head for asking the obvious are the RF
gain set to max and RF attenuator set to wide open?
Assuming the radio is set up correctly and the antenna has a good
connection the next question is how the receiver performs in comparison
to another. Do you have another shortwave receiver, even a portable?
If so try for the powerhouses on 6mhz at night.
Lee
NRD-525 and try to fix up the antenna a bit. Right now it is just a
wire stuck through a hole in the wall of my concrete block and stucco
house and tied to a tree. No insulators, no coax, just wire. That
has to be some of the problem.
Rick
long time with just a 100 foot wire wrapped around a nail next to my
window and thrown into a tree. There was maybe 80 feet between the
window and 20 feet hanging down from the tree and tied to a brick.
This kept the line fairly tight in the wind. I used this with my
Sangean 803 for years. It was a grand improvement over the whip.
It was only when I got the Icom R-75 that I started to use more
sophisticated wire.
sdan...@nyc.rr.com
If you just do something about that, I bet you'll hear a big
improvement.
Steve
GYT
Awesome post!
On the JRC reception, the radio is only part of the equation. Your antenna
is a bigger part of the equation. The best radio in the world won't make up
for a poor antenna. It's easy to buy a nice radio but it takes some research
and work to put up a nice antenna. One of the nice things about shortwave
radio is that someone can buy a $100 portable and put up a nice antenna and
do very well. Try playing around with some different antenna ideas. RHF's
post is an excellent place to start. It sounds like you have some room to
work with. Good luck!