Les is correct. After much comparison on the tropical bands and foreign MW
DXing, I found the modded R-75 essentially equal to a fine example of a
RA6790GM (with various new parts, and tweaked, serviced, and refurbished by
the Racal guru Gary Wingerd).

At one point I installed a very desireable upgrade to the front end roofing
filters, by changing them from a 20 kHz bandwidth to a 10 kHz bandwidth,
using two 40.455 MHz modules from a Cubic R-3030 RF board. This made the
Racal better at tough MW split-frequency DXing with strong signals nearby in
frequency.

Still, the R-75 was so much easier to operate-- smaller, lighter, cooler
running, and has the advantage of working off 12vdc for power when needed at
DXpeditions. In addition, the Twin PBT control in the R-75 is a great tool
for DXing-- a feature sorely missing in the Racal. The RA6790GM model fit
its commercial/military monitoring purpose well, at a reasonable cost in its
day for organizations and governments. It was never intended to meet the
specific needs of DXers.

One example of the awkwardness of the RA6790GM for DXing is in the choice of
filters for SSB. To use anything other than the default SSB filter (normally
3.0 kHz), you need to switch to CW mode, adjust the BFO offset to achieve
natural speech, and then choose one of the other installed bandwidths. This
is VERY inconvenient during changing DX reception conditions, particularly
during dawn enhancement of signals when you need a flexible, quick-to-adjust
receiver.

My R-75 has these Kiwa mods: Synchronous AM module, Kiwa CLF-D2K filter (no
longer made), and the Kiwa audio upgrade. I also have two 1.8 kHz INRAD
filters in the 2nd IF , ECSS volume mod, Dr. Phil's high fidelity audio
upgrade, and a number of other smaller mods. The radio doesn't need these
mods to perform very well, but I to tinker with my gear...

The R-75 is now my secondary radio. The main and best performing rig in the
shack now is a ICOM IC-756Pro transceiver. In all but one DXing situation
over the last 4 or 5 months, the 756Pro has noticeably outperformed the
R-75. There is not a huge difference, but big enough that I can often times
make out more words and IDs in a foreign language on a static-riddled, weak
station on the 756Pro compared to the R-75.

However, the R-75 is the best value in a new receiver these days (while they
last...I wonder how many R-75's Universal Radio still has in their dwindling
stock?)

Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA USA


"Les" wrote in message
ups.com...

SNIP

I had one several years ago, worked ok, nothing to write home about. I
agree, the Drake R8 series is better as are many other receivers. Guy
Atkins, a well known mw dx'er sold his and kept a Kiwa modified Icom
R75.

Les