What Is The Best Shortwave Radio (multi-band) On A Budget? (vanity)

Free Republic ^ | 2/6/21013 | Moi

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

I had a great multi-band radio a few years ago and would love to get one again. It was great listening to it at night. Loved the 'numbers stations' (and would LOVE to hear theories about them!). They were sooooooo creepy.

I like analog receivers. I know their outdated......but easier to tune.

I'm looking in the $150 range and under. Don't want to spend much as we have a lot of expenses coming up.

[dfwgator]

This was my first, the DX-160. It was the first significant purchase I ever made with my own money that I earned from my paper route as a teenager.

[THX 1138]

The Panasonic RF 2600 is the best portable shortwave I ever had. I loved that thing. Powerful and stable. It has digital and analog readings.

Unfortunately, they are hard to find and as such carry a premium.

You'd be lucky to find one under $250.

But if you can save up for a while, and if you can find one, get it!

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

bfl

[miele man]

You’ve been given several good suggestions in this thread; however, IMO, the absolute best small, portable, all-band receiver money can buy is the Sony 2010. No longer produced, sadly, but it is available via e-bay and occasionally you will see them on www.qrz.com or www.eham.net. Grundigs (older ones) are good but now they are made in China. Happy hunting...and listening!

[MachIV]

Sony 7600. Those Sangean models others referenced are good too. Grundig also had nice models.

[Wingy]

I LOVE my Grundig S-350...runs on 120vac or (4) D cells...It will also run on four AA batteries in a pinch. The AA compartment is recessed below the D battery bay.

I looked at my S350 and couldn't find the AA bay. Mine is about 6 years old so maybe that was a feature in an earlier model. Not so on mine. Drat!

[cynwoody]

How many of these interval signals can you recognize?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFRYKDF2kxs

Once upon a time, this one mattered. Maybe it will again. The jury is out.

[SueRae]

Bookmarking

[Portcall24]

“Varmint. I’m going to blow you to smithereens!”

[Portcall24]

Pick up a copy of the book “Spycraft” on Amazon and you’ll know everything you want to know about the numbers site. Plus it is an outstanding book about many of the techy things that the Agency developed while we were sleeping.
There were some true patriots keeping us safe. As well as details about Russian citizens who gave their lives helping us against the Soviets. Here’s a link to the book on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Spycraft-History-Spytechs-Communism-Al-Qaeda/dp/0452295475

And no I didn’t write it but I was a consumer of their products for the eight years I served AF Project Checkmate in the Pentagon.

[GJones2]

I was a shortwave listening enthusiast in my youth, but in recent decades the net has replaced shortwave listening as my source for things exotic. After all, distance is no real barrier on the internet. There are thousands of crystal-clear broadcasts from stations all over the world (including tv). Struggling to hear a weak signal from Tahiti or Sri Lanka on shortwave radio -- as it fades in and out, or emerges from a wall of static -- wouldn't have the same charm now that it once had. I've been spoiled by easy access through other means.

I started shortwave listening in the early 1960s with a Hallicrafters S120 (tubes -- I still have it), and moved on to transistorized models by Lafayette and Allied. Then, in relatively modern times, I got a digital Realistic DX-440 (Sangean 803A), which is about in your desired price range. Also, for power outage emergencies, I have a Grundig FR-200 (with a hand crank for recharging the battery).

The DX-440 does a decent job. I noticed from a net listing that Australia is listed on 9580 KHz at this time of day (between 8 and 9 am). I just checked that frequency, and was able to receive it on the U.S. east coast (with some static, but that's using only an indoor antenna).

For comparison, though, here's an example of what's available from Australia on the net (not counting tv) -- Australian Live Radio. I can understand having a shortwave radio for emergencies, or to receive special kinds of broadcasts, but for ordinary listening I think the internet is better.

[SeminoleCounty]

Really cheap.....but not good....Coby CX-CB 12....bought some on Amazon last year. Analog....non digital dial. Nine SW channels Lots of bleed over on FM and AM. Paid $12 each for them

I got them because I went to Europe and wanted an ole school dial radio as US radios have different spacing between AM stations. Also...this cheap radio has LW (longwave)....which comes in handy in Europe if you want English language radio on the continent....as BBC and RTE (Ireland) have LW stations

Cheap radio in price....cheap quality also this

[E. Pluribus Unum]

When I was a kid playing with my nine transistor radio, I learned that you could dramatically increase signal power by putting the radio next to the electrical power line coming into the house. Just an interesting observation.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Thanks! I’ll check it out.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Is this a good site to listen online?

http://websdr.org/

[tomkat]

Try these .. they work in a pinch .. got a couple sets for a C cell Maglite and they do the job.

(no affiliation, just a customer)

AA to C and D-Sized Battery Converters

             

[GJones2]

[Sorry for the length of this two-post response]

> Is this a good site to listen online? http://websdr.org/

I don’t know. I’ve never tried it. What I had in mind were stations that are put online by the broadcasters themselves, and that can be received (crystal clear) by programs such as Windows Media Player, Realplayer, or VLC Media Player. Many sites contain long lists of links to such stations, and you can find them by googling “online radio stations”. Other terms such as “live radio” or “streaming radio” and the name of a country or city you wish to receive will usually produce plenty of results.

If I understand the http://websdr.org/ site correctly, what it’s doing is producing a net interface to actual shortwave radio receivers at the various server sites, and allowing you to tune in frequencies and hear what the radios receive there. An amazing concept. It’s a way of listening to shortwave radio on other people’s receivers. :-)

[GJones2]

It does sound interesting, especially if you’re looking for odd signals that might show up on particular frequencies, rather than programs from the major broadcasters (which are probably best received with the programs I mentioned at the ordinary net streaming sites).

I didn’t try the site because it requires installing and enabling Java (in addition to JavaScript). My only possible concern would be security, though as far as I can see the site itself is legit. It passed a virus check by a couple of programs I use. I noticed that some of the individual receiver sites did too, but others are listed as unknown (probably because they haven’t been used enough to be checked by the major virus checkers).

My general impression is favorable, provided you wish to try odd frequencies and replicate real shortwave listening. You don’t need that site, though, just to hear lots of stations from all over the world. To do that, other lists of online stations will suffice (they provide clickable links that will play stations with the software I mentioned).

[Cboldt]

Look for a Yaesu FRG-7 on eBay or Craigslist.

[SpaceBar]

The MFJ-8100K WORLD BAND SWL RECEIVER-KIT
is a surprisingly good sw receiver. It's a regen, which the old-timers know about, but with a reasonable outside wire, and a simple L-network tuner, it will pull in world shortwave broadcasts, SSB phone, CW etc like a champ. Plenty of online reviews and has been around forever. Comes as a kit, or pre-assembled. Fun for the whole family.