On the Table 1 of 17

w2xq.com On The Table 1 of 17

This following material was written between 1994 and 2002. It appeared on my TRS Consultants' trsc.com web site (no longer in operation) until March 2002. Since then we have not actively sought out new receivers to review. Nevertheless the information may be of use or interest to those interested in older receivers. References to sources known to be no longer available are retained for context, and appear as strikethrough-formated text. This document was prepared in June 2012. The PDF format enables flexibility in presentation and we opted to add some additional comments, indicated by highlighted text.

Thomas R. Sundstrom, W2XQ

Contents Table Top Receivers...... 4 Hallicrafters S-38...... 4 Magnavox RCU-2...... 4 Hammarlund HQ-150...... 5 Hallicrafters 8R40...... 5 ICOM IC-R71A...... 6 Kenwood R-5000...... 6 Japan Radio Company NRD-535D...... 6 Lowe HF-150...... 7 Drake R8B...... 7 Ten-Tec RX-320...... 8 WiNRADiO WR-1500e...... 8 ICOM IC-R75...... 8 Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium...... 8 Ten-Tec RX-350...... 9 Desktop Photographs...... 10 Portable Radios...... 12 SONY ICF-2010...... 12 Panasonic RFB-65...... 12 SONY ICF-SW55...... 12 SONY ICF-SW100...... 13 SONY ICF-SW07...... 13 Radio Shack DX-398...... 13 Sangean ATS-909...... 13 FreePlay Global Shortwave...... 13 Sangean ATS-505...... 14 Yaesu VR-500...... 14 Yaesu VR-500...... 14 SONY ICF-SW7600GR...... 14

Transceivers...... 15 Yaesu FT-901DM...... 15 Japan Radio Company JST-135...... 15 Kenwood TS-940S...... 15 Japan Radio Company JST-245...... 15 VHF Transceivers...... 16 ICOM IC-27H...... 16 Yaesu VX-5R...... 16 Vertex VX-150...... 16 Postscript 2012...... 17 Grundig etón E-100...... 17 Radio Shack HTX-200...... 17 Rsdio Shack PRO-2041...... 17 Radio Shack PRO-106...... 18 Yaesu FT-8800R...... 18 Yaesu VX-6R...... 18 A reminder...... 18 receivers and transceivers on the table...

Since 1952 more than a few receivers and transceivers have crossed the threshold and wound up connected to antennas at our homes. Some of the receivers were around for less than a year for purposes of developing computer programs to control the receiver; others were here only for a few weeks while writing test reports. The opinions expressed below are mine, they are subjective and they do not necessarily agree with published receiver reviews or with comments of other users.

Table Top Receivers • Drake SPR-4, SW8, R8 and R8A • Grundig Satellit 800 Millenium • Hallicrafters S-38, SX-28A, 8R40 and S-53A • Hammarlund HQ-129, HQ-140 and HQ-150 • ICOM R-71A and IC-R75 • Japan Radio Company NRD-525 and NRD-535D • Kenwood R-2000 and R-5000 • Lowe HF-150 • Magnavox RCU-2 (WWII vintage) • Radio Shack DX-150A and DX-394 • Ten-Tec RX-320 PC receiver and RX-350 DSP receiver • Watkins-Johnson HF-1000 (loaned to us for a short while) • WiNRADiO WR-1500e PC receiver • Yaesu FRG-100B

Reflections. In 1952 our first shortwave receiver was a 9-year-old Hallicrafters S-38. The first of a very popular series, it had two half-moon dials – tuning and bandspread – and a variable BFO. No power supply suggests it would be wise to use an isolation transformer for safety. Radio Australia, Radio Netherlands, the BBC, the VOA and the Armed Forces Radio Service were frequent visitors.

The Magnavox RCU-2 was quite different from the receivers of the day. A floor console made of polished Mahogany, the left side top opened to access a record player. The right half was a huge half-moon dial with 3 bands to tune from 540 kHz to 18 MHz in AM mode only. A pair of 6L6 tubes drove audio to two huge 15-inch electromagnetic speakers. When the volume was turned up it could be heard a mile away. For use aboard Navy ships in WWII, the radio was highly shielded to prevent enemy submarines from

© 1994-2012 TRS Consultants. All Rights Reserved. w2xq.com On The Table 4 of 17 picking up the inherent oscillator signals. Ten years after the end of the war, it took more than six months of back-and-forth correspondence with Magnavox, the Navy and the Library of Congress to first get the manual declassified and then get a photocopy. The Hammarlund HQ-150 had a Barker & Williamson Model 370 SSB Receiving Adapter and a Heathkit SB-620 Panadapter attached to it. Of all the receivers, this is the probably the best I have ever owned for MW TA (trans-Atlantic) DXing. The bulk of the 90-odd countries heard between 520 and 1600 kHz were done so using this receiver. The picture was taken in 1958, before acquiring the panadapter; we were in high school. The 3-piece setup, with a box loop antennas, was the centerpiece of the receivers on the table into the mid-1970's. The Hallicrafters 8R40, first built in 1953, was unique at the time for its additional coverage of 30 MHz to 50 MHz. The “beep-beep” of Sputnik – launching the space race – was heard on both 20 and 40 MHz. During the solar cycle peak of the late 1950's, including the International Geophysical Year, one could listen to the din of military, police and utility signals as the MUF (maximum usable frequency) climbed above the 10 meter amateur band toward 50 MHz. There was a BBC TV audio signal around 48 MHz, and that served as a green light for 6 meters F2 propagation to Europe. In the 1970's the Drake SPR-4 was newer technology of a hybrid tube and solid-state radio, a precursor of future solid-state receivers to come. Unlike the larger Hammarlund HQ-150 that had a bit of frequency drift as it warmed up, the SPR-4 was spot-on from the start. The receiver was not continuous coverage. Rather, the user had to add up to 24 crystals to cover 500 kHz segments and apply corresponding decals to the tuning dial. Licensed as a Novice, the SPR-4 was coupled to a Johnson Viking Ranger transmitter, good for CW contacts with almost all the states and 80-odd counties.

The R-71A's optional SSB filter was one of the best at the time. The ICOM IC-R71A and Kenwood R-5000 receivers are both good receivers. (The R-2000 had such good audio that it prompted me to buy the R-5000.) Both receivers are discontinued, but do occasionally show up on the used equipment market. In 1999 ICOM released the IC-R75 (one arrived here in mid-January 2000) but Kenwood no longer offers a shortwave receiver.

The Japan Radio Company NRD-525 and NRD-535D receivers are excellent radios (we haven't yet played with the NRD-545). We like the optional 1 kHz filter for digital signal utility signal monitoring, something not offered by ICOM and Kenwood. We like the separate FAX and RTTY modes, and the direct frequency readout. There is no adding offsets to the display readings as one must do with Drake, ICOM and Kenwood receivers, or tuning FAX in the USB mode. I had DES M-6000, M-7000 and AEA Fax III decoders attached to the NRD-series receivers. Some owners complained about the NRD-525 audio quality. The audio quality was addressed in later models but it still is not the quality of the Lowe HF-150 or ICOM IC-R75. There are some modifications to change a few components in the audio chain, and these changes help to increase the tonal control range. Many of the mid-1990's audio sound files were recorded with the NRD- 525 and the NRD-535D. We had a retro moment on July 26, 2000, and picked up a (third) clean used NRD-525 with the computer control board. (The first receiver was destroyed by lightning; the second sold when the NRD-535D arrived.) In retrospect, we believe the NRD-525 has less digital display noise than the NRD-535D. In our opinion that makes for a better LW receiver than the NRD-535D. In terms of computer control capabilities, the Drake R8-series and Japan Radio Company

© 1994-2012 TRS Consultants. All Rights Reserved. w2xq.com On The Table 6 of 17 receivers offer the best set of instructional commands. For program listening, the Lowe HF-150 has absolutely superb audio with our favorite speaker1 and excellent synchronous capabilities. It is our favorite receiver for listening to international shortwave broadcasters hour after hour. The keypad is a must. It is not necessarily a DXing machine as it lacks 100 Hz readout, a noise blanker, the CW mode and a timer/clock. We like the portable kit, as that gives me a carry strap, whip antenna and battery operation. The radio often accompanied me to the back yard in the summer. If there is a downside to the HF-150, the lack of a r.f. stage eventually led us to purchase the matching PR-150 preselector to eliminate evening hours crosstalk caused by RCI Sackville in the 49m band. I have seen and heard the SP-150 speaker, and the audio is quite good. I opted to pass on the accessory as I had other receivers with s-meters and good speakers here on the table. At the end of 1997, the HF-150E was announced. We have not tried the E version of the HF-150 receiver. With the optional Lowe IF-150 interface cord, the HF-150 has limited computer control; data can only be sent to, but not read from, the receiver. We use and recommend Fineware's Smart Lowe 32 software with a schedules subscription service as the best in class for this receiver. The Lowe software is a derivative of the Drake R8-series software. The Drake R8B receiver is a good value. In North America, at the $1000 price point this is the receiver to buy. Good audio, all filters included, the serial port for computer control all add up to make this a good buy. Note that for the digital signal listener, the R8-series suffer from not displaying the nominal carrier frequency. I have to keep a calculator nearby, to subtract 2.125 kHz for RTTY and 1.9 kHz for FAX (tuned in the USB mode). Annoying... if you are using the utility frequency guides. (The same problem exists in the ICOM IC-R75.) See the R8A review I wrote in the 1996 WRTH and a variation of the review on Radio Netherlands Receiver Shopping List. The Drake R8B, with more memories, was released in October 1997, but we have not tried the radio yet.

1 From Radio Shack, in the 2001 catalog, our favorite speaker is now known as the RCA PRO-X44AV (black #40-5001, white #40-5002). It sells for US$60 but often goes on sale at a considerable savings. The speaker was formally known as the Radio Shack Optimus PRO X44AV (black #40-2080, white #40-2081) and prior to that the Radio Shack PRO 7AV (white #40-2048, black #40-2059). We use this speaker on all receivers on the tabletop.

In October 1998 we tested the new Ten-Tec RX-320 DSP PC receiver. It is a black box (under the two Lowe items, right) with software controls (Windows), and it is a remarkable receiver for the low price of $295. The WiNRADiO WR-1500e arrived in December 1998. First impressions: a quality product, nice software, great on VHF and UHF. But in early tests we note that at night there is signal overload on the main shortwave broadcast bands... and the receiver documentation suggests using shorter antennas and preselectors. And there is only one AM bandwidth. If shortwave-only is your interest, stay with the Ten-Tec RX-320. The ICOM IC-R75 arrived mid-January 2000. Bottom line, we like the radio. The attractive price point properly places the unit between the Lowe HF-150 and the Drake R8B or AOR AR-7030 PLUS receivers (depending upon your location in the world). The Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium was purchased July 10, 2000. The radio was not at all what we expected, and we returned the unit 4 days later. We briefly checked a second unit as well. There were quality control issues which could be fixed, but what was unforgivable was the radiation from (probably) the digital display that affected all other receivers within 2 meters of the Satellit 800, Internally-generated noises were scattered through the spectrum.

There are other tabletop receivers out there, and we do look, but sensibilities limit the number of receivers we purchase at any given time. In September 2000 we had a fire-sale and cleared the tabletop of a half-dozen tabletop and portable receivers, keeping only the Japan Radio Company NRD-525. A Ten-Tec RX-350 DSP receiver (atop the NRD-525, left) arrived on 14 December 2001. A remote keypad was included. Preliminary thoughts? Overall a decent, quite sensitive receiver, but the LW performance is suspect due to the MW signal break-through.

Desktop Photographs

March 1996

March 1996. Starting at the upper left, counterclockwise: RF Systems SP-2 Signal Splitter, Drake R8A, Japan Radio Company NRD-535, DES M-6000 digital decoder, Frankford Radio Club CW keyer with Bencher iambic keyer, Japan Radio Company JST-245 matching desk microphone, Kenwood transmit monitor, Japan Radio Company JST-245 transceiver, Lowe HF- 150 and Lowe PR-150 preselector. Off to the right: Heathkit SWR meter. Not shown: video monitor for M-6000, DenTron Super Super Tuner, ICOM IC-27H 2m transceiver, and rf Concepts 175w 2m FM amplifier.

August 2000

August 2000. Starting at the upper left, counterclockwise: Lowe HF-150 and Lowe PR-150, RF Systems SP-2 Signal Splitter, Japan Radio Company NRD-525, Drake SW8, ICOM IC-R75. Not shown: ICOM IC-27H 2m transceiver and rf Concepts 175w 2m FM amplifier.

Portable Radios I have forgotten some of the older ones owned dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. These are the more recent ones. • FreePlay Global Shortwave • Panasonic RFB-65L • Radio Shack DX-394, DX-396 and DX-398 • Sangean ATS-505 • SONY ICF-2010, ICF-SW55, ICF-SW100, ICF-SW07 and ICF-SW7600GR • Yaesu VR-500

Reflections. My decision criteria here initially was to find the best portable, and the SONY ICF- 2010 was the first to fit that bill. The synchronous detection is probably still among the best of the portables, albeit with our general purpose listening I don't require the feature that often. My decision criteria dramatically changed when we started traveling by air more frequently, and the receiver size became important. The 2010 was too expensive to risk in the luggage holds and conveyers, too big to put in the carry-on luggage, and we tired of carrying a separate Gilfer (Park Ridge, NJ) Shortwave bag. The Panasonic RFB-65 was an attractive smaller alternative, but its 36 memories paled by comparison with the 125 memories of the SONY ICF-SW55 in the same size package. We liked the now-discontinued SONY ICF-SW55 and considered it to probably be the best buy for features and performance versus price. The singular downside was that batteries were chewed up in a nominal 20 hours.

But the ultimate traveling package came along with the miniature SONY ICF-SW100. We left the peripherals home, and simply took an extra set of batteries when we went away for more than a few days. Some owners complained that the ribbon within the hinge failed, and the repair charge was costly. That breakage did not occur with ours. I do not recommend the SW100 or the ICF-SW07 (the 1999 upgrade of the SW100) portable for one's first or only receiver as these do not appear to be as sensitive or selective as the SW55 and tabletop receivers we have owned, but the SW100 and the SW07 suited my "have pocket - will travel" needs very nicely. The SW07 has a nifty memory system, otherwise has the same characteristics as the SW100. The SW07 took a bit of getting used to, but one learned we found it easier to use than the SW100. Notably, one does not have to page through "memory pages" of five memories apiece. The Radio Shack DX-398 is equivalent to the Sangean ATS-909. Our impression is that it is not as sensitive as the ICF-SW100S or ICF-SW07, but the memories are easy to use. The ATS (automatic tuning system) for AM, FM and LW is interesting: hold a button down and it populates memories with the strongest stations, producing interesting results on MW if you do this at night. For the Radio Netherlands Receiver Shopping List, we reviewed the FreePlay Global Shortwave in December 1999. Though critics rightly point out shortcomings and the availability of analogue and digital battery-powered portables for less money, nevertheless the GSW is an interesting and useful unit. Running on a windup spring, it is ideal for distressed or third world countries where electric and batteries are in short supply. Aside from campers, park personnel and others who camp and travel in remote areas of developed countries, the GSW probably is more of a novelty value. In March 2000, FreePlay began shipping a GSW with slightly expanded band coverage and better voltage control. These were issues raised in our review. Coincidence? In the early 1990's we looked long and hard for an inexpensive (less than $150) small portable from Radio Shack and others, but finally opted to give up the search. Unfortunately most (if not

© 1994-2012 TRS Consultants. All Rights Reserved. w2xq.com On The Table 13 of 17 all) portables in this category lack sufficient frequency coverage. Notably these lack coverage of the extended bands such as found on the high end of 41 and bottom end of 49 meters. The Sangean answered the call in year 2000 with the ATS-505 that tunes AM and SSB continuously throughout the shortwave spectrum. The Sangean ATS-505 performance surprises us for a list price of just US$130. An upgrade to the AM-only ATS-404, this LW-AM-SW with SSB-FM paperback-size receiver arrived in early March 2000. The first station we tuned was Radio Sri Lanka on 15425! For the Radio Netherlands Receiver Shopping List, in February 2001 we reviewed the Yaesu VR-500 manufactured by Vertex Standard. This tiny hand-held radio covers from 0.1 MHz to 1.3 GHz and runs on a pair of AA batteries. So long as you do not overdo the antenna on the receiver front end, the performance is quite credible for price versus performance. In May 2001 we reviewed the SONY ICF-SW7600GR portable. From a performance point of view, it probably is not worth it to the owner of a ICF-SW7600G to upgrade. Significantly, the number of memories in the "GR" increased to 100. Those looking for a new radio or looking to improve upon a low-cost model should be very happy with the "GR" that has synchronous detection and an line output jack (for recording), features missing from Grundig and Sangean at this price point.

Transceivers • Drake TR-4CW • Kenwood TS-430S, TS-930S, and TS-940S • Japan Radio Company JST-135 and JST-245 • Yaesu FT-901DM

Reflections. Solid-state made maintenance a lot easier, but the Yaesu FT-901DM was a disaster. I think it was built late on a Friday afternoon prior to a long holiday weekend. A series of Kenwoods came and went, with the Japan Radio Company JST-135 in-between. The Kenwood TS-940S did yeoman service for many years, but the Japan Radio Company JST-245 was a honey. Absolutely smooth, quiet full break-in CW operation, and we received outstanding audio reports. In September 1999 the North American office of Japan Radio Company told me that they expect to deliver a DSP transceiver to the marketplace in 2001. Undoubtedly it will be based upon the NRD-545 receiver.

VHF Transceivers • Regency HR-2B • Clegg FM-27B • ICOM IC-27H • Vertex VX-150 (HT) • Yaesu VX-5R (HT)

Reflections. The ICOM IC-27H was the first 2-meter mobile unit to have a full PL-encode set within, and it's worked well over the many years. The Yaesu VX-5R, new in March 1999, is a marvelous 3-band (50, 144, 440 MHz) HT that covers the MW band, SW through 16 MHz and 48-999 MHz. Not a DXing machine, but nevertheless a very interesting portable receiver for the SWL who is also licensed for the VHF bands. The 7.2V/1100 mAh battery seems to last forever between charges. We sold the HT a few months later, as we just did not use it enough while home recovering from back surgery to warrant tying up money in the unit; we bought a second one in March 2002 when the VX-150 failed. In June 2000 we purchased a 2m Vertex VX-150 HT to take with us on vacations. Vertex is the commercial side of Yaesu; see the August 2000 issue of QST for a review of the VX-150.

Postscript 2012 It has been a decade since “Equipment Owned” was last actively edited. For the original content, minor edits for clarity were done. Material added in 2012 is highlighted. Our interests have changed over the years. The decline of the number of broadcasters delivering their programming on shortwave, the shift of services from shortwave to satellites, and the availability of “instant” information on the Internet are contributing factors. Our inventory has changed a bit. You'll recognize a few pieces. • Grundig etón E-100 (portable) • Japan Radio Company NRD-525 • Radio Shack HTX-200 (2m HT) • Radio Shack PRO-2041 and PRO-106 (scanners) • SONY ICF-SW7600GR • Yaesu FT-8800R (2m/70cm transceiver) • Yaesu VR-500 • Yaesu VX-6R (2m/1.25m/70cm HT)

Comments. The NRD-525 and ICF-SW7600GR remain my favorites in the desktop and portable categories. We just don't see anything interesting in the marketplace to warrant trading out these units. The VR-500 has become less useful as the police, fire and emergency services are mostly on digital trunking systems, but it still has viability as a portable receiver that fits in a pocket. The VR-500 rechargeable battery pack failed 10 years after buying the radio; rechargeable AA batteries now power the radio. The Grundig etón E-100, covering AM, FM and the international shortwave broadcast bands, fulfills our desire for a relatively easy to use – the memory paging is a bit cumbersome – small portable only slightly larger than the SONY ICF-SW100. As with other smaller, inexpensive, portables, We wouldn't recommend it as your primary receiver. Nor will the receiver handle a long wire antenna without overloading its front end. As the battery life using two AA batteries is very good, we didn't buy a wallwart power supply. The E-100 was purchased for a pittance on close-out. Radio Shack offered two tiny single-band hand-held amateur transceivers. Very low powered, and they fit in a shirt pocket. If primarily in listening mode, the two 2 AA batteries seem to last forever. We bought the HTX-200 2m version on closeout, but to our regret missed acquiring a 70cm version. The Radio Shack-branded scanners work well. The analog PRO-2041 is now used to monitor aircraft, a few amateur band repeaters, and the state forestry fire and parks services. The object-

© 1994-2012 TRS Consultants. All Rights Reserved. w2xq.com On The Table 17 of 17 oriented trunking portable PRO-106 ‐– the same electronics as the desktop PRO-197 – was purchased in 2011 after a hurricane caused a loss of power for several days. (We were annoyed that no media information was provided for the area.) The GRE-made scanner is extremely sensitive. In a strong-signal area, do not overdo the antenna. Do plan on using software to program the -106. In our opinion, programming by hand is akin to doing a root canal on yourself. The Yaesu FT-8800R and the VX-6R – a minor upgrade to the VX-5R – are reliable, durable and easy to use. Price versus performance is good. The prices of these analog radios have declined in recent years as APRS-functional radios and lower cost Chinese-made units come to market.

A reminder Names and model numbers are copyrights or trademarks of the respective companies. We have no vested interest in the companies mentioned. The opinions expressed do not represent endorsements of any kind. We invite you to visit our web site. The bibliography on the web site includes links to some of our other writings.2

2 Last edited 1 June 2012. Thomas R. Sundstrom (W2XQ), PO Box 2275, Vincentown, NJ 08088-2275, USA w2xq at arrl.net