Gus,

I got a similar start, listening to David Goren's May 26, 2000 Lost &
Found Sound piece on NPR. I got a Sangean ATS-909, a good little radio
that has now (6 years later) pretty much given up the ghost. Never
found a numbers station (although my wife once picked it up, asked what
a numbers station was, and found a Cuban station in less than 10
minutes), but enjoyed the radio a great deal.

I look forward to see what folks say, since I'm going to need something
to replace the ever-increasing flakiness of the 909.


Gus wrote:
Hi everyone,

I'm new to this list and shortwave (SWL). I have an interesting twist
to the age old question, "what's a good first radio" (Yes, I did search
the group before deciding to post).

Okay, I decided I wanted to get into shortwave listening (after hearing
an NPR report on numbers stations). I'm primarily interested in
listening to major broadcasts (BBC, VOA, VOR, VOK, Radio Netherlands,
etc.) and maybe the occasional numbers station, if I can find one.

In terms of electronics, I tend to subscribe to two schools: buy the
absolute best OR buy the cheapest thing that will get the job done
(middle of the road stuff tends to be over priced given the feature
set). Well, after a little reading, I opted to buy the Sony
ICF-SW7600GR. I received the '7600GR a few days ago, and the radio
appears to work well.

The '7600GR was relatively expensive, and I'm not sure if I'll use it
enough to really reap the benefits of having a top-quality portable.
The Kaito KA1101 (Degen DE1101) got a favorable review in the 2006
_Passport to World Band..._ and at other SWL sites online, and I'm
beginning to wonder if I should have went the "cheapest thing that will
get the job done" route, especially since I'm so new to SWL.
Furthermore, I'm thinking of getting an antenna, and the Sony AN-LP1
(which apparently pairs well with the '7600GR) is about $105 delivered
from Japan (on eBay). I can order a KA1101 with the KA31 antenna for
about $100 delivered, which will save me well over $100 (more like
$160) when compared to the '7600GR + AN-LP1 combo.

On to my question, should I return the '7600GR? Will I notice a big
(unfavorable) difference in performance in the KA1101? Is SSB and sync
lock really necessary for my interests. I'm having a hard time with
this decision, so any input or recommendations are welcome---$160 is a
lot of money for me, especially if the KA1101 will work well enough for
my purposes.

Thanks,

Gus

Send your 909 in to here & they will repair/mod it so it is better than new!

http://www.radiolabs.com/products/re...3b6e0d4 d79c4

"Mark Loveless" wrote in message
ps.com...
Gus,

I got a similar start, listening to David Goren's May 26, 2000 Lost &
Found Sound piece on NPR. I got a Sangean ATS-909, a good little radio
that has now (6 years later) pretty much given up the ghost. Never
found a numbers station (although my wife once picked it up, asked what
a numbers station was, and found a Cuban station in less than 10
minutes), but enjoyed the radio a great deal.

I look forward to see what folks say, since I'm going to need something
to replace the ever-increasing flakiness of the 909.


Gus wrote:
Hi everyone,

I'm new to this list and shortwave (SWL). I have an interesting twist
to the age old question, "what's a good first radio" (Yes, I did search
the group before deciding to post).

Okay, I decided I wanted to get into shortwave listening (after hearing
an NPR report on numbers stations). I'm primarily interested in
listening to major broadcasts (BBC, VOA, VOR, VOK, Radio Netherlands,
etc.) and maybe the occasional numbers station, if I can find one.

In terms of electronics, I tend to subscribe to two schools: buy the
absolute best OR buy the cheapest thing that will get the job done
(middle of the road stuff tends to be over priced given the feature
set). Well, after a little reading, I opted to buy the Sony
ICF-SW7600GR. I received the '7600GR a few days ago, and the radio
appears to work well.

The '7600GR was relatively expensive, and I'm not sure if I'll use it
enough to really reap the benefits of having a top-quality portable.
The Kaito KA1101 (Degen DE1101) got a favorable review in the 2006
_Passport to World Band..._ and at other SWL sites online, and I'm
beginning to wonder if I should have went the "cheapest thing that will
get the job done" route, especially since I'm so new to SWL.
Furthermore, I'm thinking of getting an antenna, and the Sony AN-LP1
(which apparently pairs well with the '7600GR) is about $105 delivered
from Japan (on eBay). I can order a KA1101 with the KA31 antenna for
about $100 delivered, which will save me well over $100 (more like
$160) when compared to the '7600GR + AN-LP1 combo.

On to my question, should I return the '7600GR? Will I notice a big
(unfavorable) difference in performance in the KA1101? Is SSB and sync
lock really necessary for my interests. I'm having a hard time with
this decision, so any input or recommendations are welcome---$160 is a
lot of money for me, especially if the KA1101 will work well enough for
my purposes.

Thanks,

Gus