cobalt pet shortwave / mediumwave weblog

09 February 2006

receiver status

For no apparent reason, I thought I'd mention each of my portable shortwave receivers and what they are currently doing:

* Sony ICF SW7600GR: This has been my main radio lately. This is partly because I'm listening indoors, so its larger size compared to my other portable radios isn't an issue. The synchronous detect helps improve many signals, but in a few cases it actually increases the noise level. I've recently been using this radio to hear longwave and ssb in addition to the normal shortwave broadcasting. I wish that both the LCD and its backlight were a bit more exciting.

* Tecsun PL-350: I use this in conjunction with the SW7600GR, either to provide supplemental treble for a broadcast, or to check other frequencies while the SW7600GR does most of the work. This radio is definitely more sensitive to noise than the Sony.

* Kaito KA1102: This is currently my favorite portable, although it doesn't get much use while I am indoors. SSB reception is not as good as on the SW7600GR.

* Tecsun PL-200: I have one in my bathroom and use it mostly for mediumwave reception.

* Tecsun R-912 and Tecsun R-9012: I also use these mostly for mediumwave reception, or when I'm in the mood for analog scanning in the shortwave bands. My older, duller-looking R-912 seems to be a slightly better performer overall than my colorful R-9012.

* Eton E5: Ordered! It doesn't seem justifiable that this radio costs about the same as an SW7600GR, but I want one anyway. I don't have a Kaito KA1103 (aka Degen DE1103), and according to passband.com, this radio offers similarly excellent performance. It also has a dedicated volume control, and alphanumeric memories. I'll let you know more about this radio when I receive it.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see the E5 make it to market, what with so many shortwave radio makers abandoning us. The E5's SSB capability makes it tempting, but I might wait to see what the Degen 1108 looks like before I decide. I'm running out of excuses to buy more radios!

weatherall said...

Hi Chuck:
Some time ago I heard that Kaito/Degen was going to make a high-end radio in the 110x product series that was based on the Grundig Satellit 700. The dimensions and specs of the upcoming 1108 make it sound like a Satellit 700 successor. Do you know if that's the case? That radio also sounds interesting, so I'll be interested to learn its price.

Anonymous said...

I don't think I've heard about the Satellit 700 connection, but the timing of this new release from Degen could be very revealing. The 1108, from what I've seen on it, could be a real boost to the radio hobby, and I'm hoping we see pics of it before I go bonkers from waiting.

Anonymous said...

If you like the E5 you can always move the 1102,Tecsun, Sony on Ebay.
I can't understand the design of the 1103 combining the manuel tuning with the volume button which has prevented me from ordering the radio. The E5 gets that right,and may push the price down of the 02,03.

weatherall said...

To the anonymous commenter:
That's true, although I'll definitely keep the Sony. The PL-350 would probably go first. If anyone's interested in a used Tecsun PL-350 (with Chinese labeling), leave a comment here.

Anonymous said...

Hello all..

I have the idea to buy a E5
Is the lack of the synchron detector a problem? Any overall experiences of this receiver?
What about the memory function, is it also possible to select on times?

Please drop me a line..,
thanks..
Hans

Anonymous said...

Hans:
The E5 is terrific. I use it much more than my SW7600GR. I think the lack of the sync detect is going to be subjective, because I often have strong signals that can't be helped much by the sync detect on the Sony radio. Often, tuning off a frequency by one or two khz does the job for me. The E5 also seems to have more MW sensitivity, allowing it to be used for DX. Although, one thing I just recently noticed is that tuning off by one or two khz in mediumwave greatly increases the noise level. I don't really know why. Feel free to ask more questions about the E5 if I can help.