Posted on 10/04/2001 8:12:50 PM PDT by freedomnews
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:38:44 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Don't get me wrong. Decent radio. However I think I'd be happier with an analog Grundig for home use. I'd keep the junko for travelling.
Callahan
One of the best single-conversion shortwave radios under the Radio Shack label ever made. I own one too. Pity RS stopped making them. Nice sensitivity, and incredible battery life (good for emergencies). My other radio is a Sony ICF-7600G with synchronous detection and LSB/USB.
That's usually a big no-no with small portable SW rec'rs. They can't handle the signal strength and overload, producing spurious phantom images of stations on frequencies they aren't on.
My pet peeve is the scanning. The damn thing goes 'round and 'round within the same band. Can't get it to start at the bottom and work it's way up thru ALL of the freqs.
Double check the manual on proper procedure for setting scanning limits; you might have inadvertently set it up to do what it is doing.
Secondly, the scan stops at pure noise a lot.
I warned you about that big antenna.... If the radio has an attenuator switch on it (reduces the signal stregnth going into it) switch it on while scanning, and see if that helps.
Good luck.
Yes, I have an "attunder" (sp?) switch on the side of the unit. Marked local/DX. I think that's what you mean, right? Anyhoo, I'll try switching it to "local" while scanning to prevent stopping at noise. The HUGE antenna is a bad idea, eh? I didn't realize that. Thanks.
Callahan
That's a drawback of the particular model you have, not all digitals are designed that way. I'm sure you can find a Sony or Grundig portable that will scan the entire SW range, if that's what you want it to do.
Yes, I have an "attunder" (sp?) switch on the side of the unit. Marked local/DX. I think that's what you mean, right? Anyhoo, I'll try switching it to "local" while scanning to prevent stopping at noise. The HUGE antenna is a bad idea, eh? I didn't realize that. Thanks.
Switch it to "local" while you're using the "big antenna" and see if that helps. Anything longer than about 10 -15' of wire connected to a small, portable digital SW rec'r is likely to overload it with strong signals, ruining it's ability to receive weak, faint signals. Technically, this is referred to as the rec'r having inadequate "Dynamic Range", and results in strong signals creating what are known as "intermodulation products" inside the receiver. These unwanted products are referred to as "intermodulation distortion" (IMD), and small protables are notorious for being susceptable to them (unless they are designed to be insensitive, but that makes reception of weak signals impossible also.)
Even my Sony 2010, arguably the digital best portable ever made, is susceptible to this, unless I use a outboard pre-selector to attenuate out-of-band signal strengths, or switch over to the built-in whip antenna or a short hunk of wire.
I use about 200' of longwire strung between the house and the trees, and the only thing that can handle that much signal strength without IMD problems is a full blown table-top SWL or HAM rec'r.
In conclusion, don't judge all digital rec'rs by your experience with one Radio Shack model. There many other out there, and many of those are much better and have better features. Check out the reviews in the World Radio and TV Handbook, or Passport to World Band Radio. Both are annual publications that contain lots of reviews and ratings for all sorts of SW rec'rs. Ham Radio Outlet in Salem has them; you can browse them without even buying, if your subtle....
True.
You can still pick up the BBC in the US; it's just a little harder to find. Even their broadcasts aimed at Europe usually come in here at decent-enough quality.
Digital sucks? My digital ICOM-746 will eat your puny Grundig with a dial. My ICOM will not only hear the Mid East, but I can talk to it if I choose.
The design is a bit old, but no one has yet produced a better performing portable SWL radio. Even Sony's newer designs, while replete with fancier features, can't out perform the 2010. The Synchronous Detector makes a significant improvement in reception quality on signals that suffer from phase distortion cause by selective sideband fading, and the ability to tune either sideband provides a sort of poor-man's pass-band tuning.
One of the weaker points of the 2010 is the IF filters, which have rather shallow skirts and poor ultimate rejection. Thankfully, relatively inexpensive after market replacements are availble with better specs; I replaced the WIDE filter with a narrower filter with steeper skirts and better ultimate rejection, and it significantly improves rejection of adjacent signals while still providing good audio response.
My understanding is the 2010 is now out of production, though there is significant inventory still out there.
Lordy, you bring back fond memories- I had one of those, and a 51J-4, that I used to intercept radioteletype signals way back in the 1970's..... they're good sets!
I leave the 2010 at home as the perfect bedside radio. Too big and heavy to lug around. Use a Sony 2002 for global travel.
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