What would your dream SW portable receiver look like?
willfu...@yahoo.com
1. specialized search functions- be able to define the search band.
(like a VHF scanner)
2. build in audio recorder with squelch- an hour recording time would
be nice. make it uploadable to PC.
3. upload/download freqs/text-
4. solar/crank recharger-
5. dc to daylight range-
6. video reception-
7. morse code translator- hey that's a good idea!
8. foreign language translator-
9. GPS postioner-
10. phone jack for remote use-
11. the whole thing the size of a paperback
What would your radio do?
All the Best, John in Texas..
David
d
D Peter Maus
> It would look like Brigitte Bardot.
I was thinking Lauren Graham. The knobs would be smaller, but
performance would be striking.
€ Dr. Artaud €
@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
1. Quality table top grade with portable features, i.e. carrying strap,
feet on bottom and edge opposite to strap, 13.8 V Operation.
2. Sensitive tuner with SSB capabilities with the option to add noise
processors, Digital (ugh!), and other likely future needs without sending
the unit to the manufacturer to have them installed.
3. Hi and Low Z inputs for the antenna, ergo wire and coax connectors.
4. All knobs parallel to the face of the radio (i.e. no small knobs that
partially go inside of the radio).
5. All Buttons on the face of the radio.
6. Variable illumination for the display.
7. Front panel speaker with sufficient clairty and drive to avoid
distortion.
8. Jacks for recording (audio and control), computer interface, audio
line level out, and disconnect for receiver when unit is being used in
conjunction with a transmitter. With the reduction in the price of
memory, perhaps an internal memory that can record 2 hours of talk shows.
9. Variable programming options so that the radio can tune to several
shows on several frequencies at different times. Perhaps an audio
assessment circuit that prohibits the recording of nothing but static and
stops the tape.
10. Not made in China. $700 to $900 price range would be OK.
Dr. Artaud
Greg
> From: "€ Dr. Artaud €" <€NoSuchThing€@Notreal.com>
> Organization: None
> Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
> Date: Sun, 04 Dec 2005 13:03:58 -0600
> Subject: Re: What would your dream SW portable receiver look like?
>
> willfu...@yahoo.com wrote in news:1133683898.230776.237900
> @g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
>
> 1. Quality table top grade with portable features, i.e. carrying strap,
> feet on bottom and edge opposite to strap, 13.8 V Operation.
>
> 2. Sensitive tuner with SSB capabilities with the option to add noise
> processors, Digital (ugh!), and other likely future needs without sending
> the unit to the manufacturer to have them installed.
>
> 3. Hi and Low Z inputs for the antenna, ergo wire and coax connectors.
>
> 4. All knobs parallel to the face of the radio (i.e. no small knobs that
> partially go inside of the radio).
>
> 5. All Buttons on the face of the radio.
>
> 6. Variable illumination for the display.
>
> 7. Front panel speaker with sufficient clairty and drive to avoid
> distortion.
>
> 8. Jacks for recording (audio and control), computer interface, audio
> line level out, and disconnect for receiver when unit is being used in
> conjunction with a transmitter. With the reduction in the price of
> memory, perhaps an internal memory that can record 2 hours of talk shows.
>
> 9. Variable programming options so that the radio can tune to several
> shows on several frequencies at different times. Perhaps an audio
> assessment circuit that prohibits the recording of nothing but static and
> stops the tape.
>
> 10. Not made in China. $700 to $900 price range would be OK.
>
> Dr. Artaud
>
Sounds more or less like a Drake SW-8, my dream portable.
Greg
m II
..as long as static didn't destroy the front end...and the existing set
was receptive to communications.
mike
D. Peter Maus
In all applicable seriousness, rare in my house (or so the chihuahua
tells me) I've had trouble deciding with radio to drag with me to the
North Woods. If it's not my Sat 650 Professional, it's my SW-8.
SW-8 isn't the most sensitive off it's whip, but with random wire, or
portable active, it's great fun when it's just me and the dog at the
cabin. When it's not just me and the dog, I generally don't notice if
there's a radio or not.
nm...@wt.net
My IC-706 coupled with a laptop can do many of those...
1. specialized search functions- be able to define the search band.
(like a VHF scanner)
I have 4 scan modes...Better scanner, than some scanners...
The receiver itself is better than most scanners for sure....
2. build in audio recorder with squelch- an hour recording time would
be nice. make it uploadable to PC.
Have this as long as I have the laptop..
3. upload/download freqs/text-
Yaaaaaa, as they would say in Fargo...
4. solar/crank recharger-
Not this, but I never run solar yet...
5. dc to daylight range-
pert near...I can receive from .30 to 200 mhz straight line,
and then from 400-470 mhz straight line. It's not total
coverage, but I can listen to about anything I want. The
exception being the military aircraft band on VHF..
6. video reception-
Yaaaaaaa, but what type? I can do SSTV, FAX, etc, etc on
HF. Can run full blown ATV on uhf...
7. morse code translator- hey that's a good idea!
Thats built into my brain... :/ Option not needed..
8. foreign language translator-
If they don't talk no english, I don't need to listen... :(
9. GPS postioner-
Yaaaa, if I couple a GPS with the laptop...
10. phone jack for remote use-
Yaaaaaa... Can be rigged up...Not that I
have much use for it...
11. the whole thing the size of a paperback
Not too far off... It's bigger than a paperback,
but smaller than many books. It's about half
the size of my ARRL antenna handbook as an
example.
What would your radio do?
What it does...
http://www.icomamerica.com/products/amateur/706mkIIg/
They make ones even better, if you wanna cough the cashflow...
IE: the kenwood TS-2000 is a good do-it-all radio with wide
coverage. But...It's a bit bigger than the 706...
Also, the 706 has a detachable faceplate. I've been
eyeballing the IC-7000 that is supposed to be coming out.
It's like a 706 on steroids...Color "pro" style readout, more
lights, blinky things, etc... Will probably trade to one of those
for a mobile if the price drops down...Although a TS-2000
is tempting...The 2000 is a handy radio. Can crossband
repeat, work sat's full duplex, etc, etc.. I've talked on 160m
before by talking across town on UHF, using the 706, to
a TS-2000 that received me on UHF, and then retransmitted
on 160m.. Being he had a big amp on the ts-2000, I was
actually louder on 160m going to his radio, than actually using
mine on 160m, being I don't have a amp on 160m.. :/
The day will be soon when you can get all that in a radio I bet..
If...., there is a large enough market for them... Radio in general
is kinda dropping off vs the internet, etc, etc...
MK
Greg
> Organization: AT&T Worldnet
> Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
> Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2005 03:46:30 GMT
taking my family for a short, pre-Christmas vacation on the beach (Anna
Maria Island, Fla.). My main portable is the modest but venerable RS
DX-440. The last time I took it to the beach I heard more DX than ever
before on that radio, using a 24' wind-up wire antenna. Great fun.
Greg
D. Peter Maus
Well, these are only two of the many. House full of T/O's, and
Hallicrafters clones. A handful of Grundigs, A couple of Panasonics, and
one lonely Sony ICF-5900.
About the only portable I've not played with is the RS badged
Sangean. Any of them. I had an ATS 803, but an old high school buddy was
looking for a radio, so I gave it to him.
I did take an RF-B65 to the Gulf Coast recently, and got to listen in
a relativelly noise free environment.
Yeah, there's nothing quite like a good listening environment and a
good radio.
cuh...@webtv.net
cuhulin
nm...@wt.net
>cuhulin
The front face of the 706 is plastic covered, but the radio is
all metal otherwise. The body of the radio actually is the heat
sink for some of the regulators, etc in the radio. There is a heat
sink in the back for the finals, and there is a small fan
inside that draws air thru the middle when the T-stat says
it needs it, or I key the radio to xmit. If you pick up the
706, it's like a solid brick nearly. Pretty hefty for it's size.
But...I like that. It's built well. One reason why I chose it
over the "equal" yaesu FT-100 when I bought it. The 706
seemed a little more solid, and I didn't like the pigtail antenna
connectors on the FT-100.. To me, I kinda consider the 706
a geenuwine miracle radio. Or at least, I know for sure, back
in the 70's, we often thought about just this subject, and the
"dream" radio had the features of the 706, or equal, but...
We never dreamed it would end up as small as it did... :/
Whoever designed the 706 radios was some smart cookies.
They did a bang up job, and you have to use it a while to
appreciate just how well they designed the radio.
Sure, it's not the best thing out there, but for its size/price
it's pretty amazing. Hooked up to a good speaker, or my
audio amp, it sounds about like a 756... No joke..has good
audio.
Real nice for MW, if you like kinda wide filters, which I do..
I don't like narrow filters for MW...Cramps the audio too
much. But the 706 sounds great on MW or SW AM for
general use.. The only place where the 706 falls down is on
LW...It's usable, but compared to many other radios, it sucks
on LW.. MW or above, it's fine.
MK
sdan...@nyc.rr.com
if you're on enough land to string up a really long wire.
Steve
D Peter Maus
I've thought seriously about redoing the cabin for year round living,
and moving up there. It's RF quiet, with even cell phone service tough
to come by. And local radio is God Awful. There's more than enough real
estate for a decent length of wire, or more involved installation, and
it's 5 miles to the nearest human, and that's across the lake.
The SW listening is pretty decent. Even MW DX is good.
It really is a great place to get away.
And stay away.
RHF
Gee for a 'portable' AM/FM Radio to 'tote about'
it would be the Grundig S350 / Tecsun BCL-2000.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/3500.html
For a 'portable' AM/FM Shortwave Radio to 'tote about'
it would be the Eton E1 Receiver with XM Satellite Radio.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/0101.html
For a 'small' mobile AM/MW Shortwave Receiver to
use as a Field Radio it would be the Icom IC-R75
using the Car's Battery.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/0175.html
For a "Travel" 'portable' AM/FM Shortwave Radio to
carry in my luggage while Travaling my choice would
be the Sony ICF-SW7600GR with the Sony AN-LP1
'portable' Shortwave Antenna; plus NiMH Batteries.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/0360.html
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3676.html
WHY - All of the above have a LCD Frequency Display;
a real Tuning Knob; built-in Speaker and long Battery Life.
(Sony has no Tuning Knob)
hey - it's just an opinion folks
and i do own all four radios ~ RHF
.
.
. .
.
cuh...@webtv.net
(cabinet) like one of those nifty lookng radios from the 1950's or
1960's.That was some real neat styling back in those years.Nowdays,they
mostly all look just alike,like those cars going up and down the
roads.You have to get up real extra close to them cars to see what car
company made them and even then,it's hard to tell.
cuhulin