jwilliam wrote:

I feel like apologizing right off the bat since I know this question
must be asked regularly in this group. I've searched the older posts
but still had questions.


Well, I'm not the most knowledgeable person in this group, but I may
be able to offer some help.



I work in CT, about two hours from both NY and Boston. I'm on the
lower floor and get mediocre AM/FM reception in my office from my run
of the mill boom box on my desk.


The mediocre AM/FM respetion is almost certainly due to the fact
that you are in a steel frame building - no? That murders radio
reception sometimes (most of the time, in fact).



I was looking for a replacement
radio and in the course of doing a search online found listings for WB
radios. The idea of being able to receive not only the CBC news
(being an refugee Canadian) but also getting the BBC and other news
sources intrigued me. That of course left me with more questions than
answers.

The BBC would be no problem, if the type of radio you were looking
for was in your own home. CBC news is tougher - none of the few
Canadian SW outlets are terribly strong. Fine sometimes, weak or almost
nonexistent others. And I'm in a wood frame building in Michigan with a
longwire antenna hooked to a very sensitive receiver!



What I'm looking for is a decent radio I can keep in my office. I
don't travel much so it probably won't move from its spot on my desk.
I'd like to keep the price below $200 if possible. I'm not sure what I
can expect to hear. Might I be able to pull in stations from Europe
with a radio in that price range or will I be limited to those that
are getting some form of enhanced reception on the eastern US
seaboard?


With any of the radios you mention below, when reception conditions
are good, you can occasionally do all of the things you hope for. But
again - in that steel frame building . . .


Since I'll be at work I won't be spending much time
fiddling with dials to pull in too many really esoteric stations, but
getting news directly from the Middle East or Japan on my desktop
would be amazing.


See above comment.


From the research I've done I looked at the Sony 2010 (a used one,
although most of the ones on Ebay appear to be pretty old models, very
low serial numbers). I also saw good reviews for the Grundig YB
400PE, which I can pick up new for less than the used 2010.


Both are good radios in your price range, and might well give you the
results you are looking for on a whip antenna *when you are at home*.
But in a steel frame building, I doubt it.

Remember, others here may have more hopeful info for you - keep
checking this thread. And god luck to you, jwilliam.

Tony