Looking for the opinions and experiences of others here on their favorite general coverage receiver.
Sensitivity, selectivity, SSB or AM only etc.......
Looking for the opinions and experiences of others here on their favorite general coverage receiver.
Sensitivity, selectivity, SSB or AM only etc.......
My old Super Pro was great but... I like the general coverage RX on my Kenwood TS-850 and Ten Tec Pegasus best.
Will probably add the Ten Tec RX-320D to the shack someday, but I'm likely to spend the money on the new Flex 1500 first. That radio makes my acorn itch.
"Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman
I had a chance at an RX-320 (non D) that needed a knob but the rat bastard bid it up to exponentially astronomical heights.
My favorites:
Kenwood R-5000 - some folks claim that the rig suffers from internal (CPU-generated) noise but there are fixes if present. Very sensitive, 100 memories. All-mode reception out of the box, and will cover 118-174MHz with the optional VC-20 internal converter.
Icom R-71A - the audio response is a little flatter than that of the '5000 but it's a darned good receiver nonetheless. Various enhancements available, and of these I would recommend the aftermarket memory back-up boards as first priority.
ITT Mackay Marine 3030A/3031A/3041A - a casualty of the demise of the HF ship-shore telecommunications industry, these rigs excel at sub-4MHz reception - which is the range where they were most used. No noise blanker but they weren't needed at sea. An outboard audio DSP unit will rectify any received noise problems.
Drake R7 - Still one of the best tropical-band (120/90/60M) receivers going. No FM capability but everything else is there. Uses a PTO for tuning and will drift a bit until warmed up but in total shouldn't exceed 400hz or so.
Watkins-Johnson HF-1000, TenTec RX-340 - kissing cousins; ergonomics very similar. If you can find either at a decent price they're definitely worth the money.
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
Pictures are worth 1k words, so here goes.
First, the R7:
drake-r7a-col.jpg
Next, the 3031A:
The 3030AR version. Also shown are Watkins-Johnson 8718 and Racal 6790, both of which are very desirable receivers to own:
Harris 590. Wonderful set but the VFD is its Achilles heel. Make sure you have spares:
harris_rf590b.jpg
Collins HF2050. The first DSP-based Collins:
1980s_rxtx_2050_rx_b.jpg
Collins 851-S1. You find one of these at a decent price, grab hold of it:
Collins%20851S%20012.jpg
Collins 651-S1. Synthesizer is "chuffy" - 100hz step points and slow lock time. Users of the Heathkit HW-5400 will immediately recognize the quirk. This receiver went for $10,300 in the late 70's:
collins651s1.jpg
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
Cool pics!
I'm considering setting up the SP-600 along side the Rycom for DC and AMBCB.
The Rycom is actually a piece of test equipment that cover 1Hz to 460Khz. It consistently showed subtle changes in band conditions over the Winter. Another 300' of wire and I'll have a 1/32nd wave antenna for BBC4 LOL!
Sorry about raping the tables.
What's a Kilocycle??Originally Posted by KG4CGC
Cool pics!
I'm considering setting up the SP-600 along side the Rycom for DC and AMBCB.
The Rycom is actually a piece of test equipment that cover 1Hz to 460Khz. It consistently showed subtle changes in band conditions over the Winter. Another 300' of wire and I'll have a 1/32nd wave antenna for BBC4 LOL!
We never had weather like this before they started messing around with that internet stuff.
Cold War terminology.
Hello.
KiloCycle= 1000 motorcycles. ;)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
