Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike

mike wrote:

Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike

If you want the Grundig, I'm not about to tell you not to.
But *best* bang for the buck? -- probably not nearly.

If you now have a high quality portable as you do, and you
aren't already using some sort of outdoor antenna, in my
opinion your best "bang-for-the-buck" for improving
performance is first to add an appropriately-sized outdoor
antenna (or indoor loop such as Sony makes) to your
portable. Try perhaps 20-75 feet. Start long and trim back
if you experience spurious signals and overloading. You
don't *need* to use transformers or coax to start with, but
if you like the improvements, you may get sucked into the
world of trying to improve your antenna all the time.

Ironically, while a portable might work well with just its
short whip, as you go up the $$$ scale these high-buck
radios often require better antennas to function well. I
know the Satellite 800 has a whip and a whip amp, so it's
possible that with limited antenna, you will get more
readable signals -- but probably not more than $2 worth of
wire could do for you without the Sat 800.

Still, the Sat 800 sounds great, and a lot of people have
sworn by it (and at it!) in this NG. Check google groups
for rec.radio.shortwave and find zillions of opinions on it.


-- Ross

Some news for you -- you won't be able to pull
in much more with a table top, given the continuing
decline in shortwave broadcasting.

However, a good tabletop will make a difference
with the more difficult stations. Drake R8s are
an excellent option, going for 400-500 on Ebay
these days.



From: "mike"
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2003 02:24:53 GMT
Subject: Sony Portable versus Tabletops

Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike

mike schrieb:

Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Do keep in mind that a computer based rx will always require this
eternal source of interference (and noise) to be on - and I don't think
bedside listening is very comfortable with one of those. They do,
however, have some advantages - adding new modes is not a problem when
the implementation is like the one on the WR-G303i, which leaves
demodulation to the host computer (which has to be reasonably fast for
this, of course). So yes to a computer based receiver if you're after
DRM and utility stations; if you're more interested in broadcasting and
hams in SSB, better go for a conventional receiver.
In terms of those, it's a good idea to spend at least 2...3 times as
much if you want to get a noticeable improvement over the old receiver.
This would mean some US$500...600 in this case. In that price range, you
can get portables like the Sony ICF-SW77, semi-portables like
Grundig/Tecsun Satellit 800 (I'd always get a new one, since a number of
issues have been worked out over time), Drake SW-8, Lowe HF-150 and
Palstar R30C, and several older tabletops (say, a Kenwood R-5000 or AOR
AR3030, perhaps a Drake R-8A or JRC NRD-525). They all have their pros
and cons (for example, the Satellit 800 sounds good, but is big and
bulky, while the NRD-525 is a nice DX rig even today but suffers from
"JRC like" audio), you'll have to research a bit before deciding on one.

Stephan
--
HX-inside:
iP133, Mill II 4 MB, 256 MB FPM, 2.5 + 1 (IDE) + 4.5 (SCSI) GB;
WinNT 3.51 / WinNT 4.0 / Win95a / DOS 6.22 + WfW 3.11
Home: http://stephan.win31.de/

Hi Mike:

Had a 7600, great set.
Got an Icom R-75;
-& in SOME ways the Sony is better than the Icom !!

- Not to dissuade you from getting a new set, but
First, start with an external antenna, longer is better IMHO

Dan


In article , "mike"
writes:


Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike

"Ross Archer" wrote in message
...
mike wrote:

Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike

If you want the Grundig, I'm not about to tell you not to.
But *best* bang for the buck? -- probably not nearly.

If you now have a high quality portable as you do, and you
aren't already using some sort of outdoor antenna, in my
opinion your best "bang-for-the-buck" for improving
performance is first to add an appropriately-sized outdoor
antenna (or indoor loop such as Sony makes) to your
portable. Try perhaps 20-75 feet. Start long and trim back
if you experience spurious signals and overloading. You
don't *need* to use transformers or coax to start with, but
if you like the improvements, you may get sucked into the
world of trying to improve your antenna all the time.

Ironically, while a portable might work well with just its
short whip, as you go up the $$$ scale these high-buck
radios often require better antennas to function well. I
know the Satellite 800 has a whip and a whip amp, so it's
possible that with limited antenna, you will get more
readable signals -- but probably not more than $2 worth of
wire could do for you without the Sat 800.

Still, the Sat 800 sounds great, and a lot of people have
sworn by it (and at it!) in this NG. Check google groups
for rec.radio.shortwave and find zillions of opinions on it.

I was very dissappointed in the SAT 800's sensitivity using just the whip
antenna!
DeWayne



-- Ross

The Sat 800 for about $300 on ebay is an undefeatable force to be
reckoned with. harpoons are no match and neither is almost any other
consumer radio on the market. the top dog on the salty seas. I will put
up an 800 against the competition and place money on the outcome.


mike wrote:
Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig


Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike

Try the Icom or Yaesu tabletop radios. I have the Yaesu. There are no
similarities, the Yaesu rules. I'm sure that similar results can be obtained
with the Icom R-75 (if not better results).

I have the DX-398, Yaesu FRG-100, Yaesu FT-840, Sony 7600GR and some others.
The Yaesu FRG-100 is the best (of my assortment). If you want a portable, the
DX-398 and the Sony 7600GR are great, but if you are serious about listening,
get a nice tabletop model. Look at the Drakes as well.

I'm sure that many will disagree, but the tabletop models are your best bet.
Or be original and try the Palstar http://palstar.com/palmain.htm You can get
tabletop performance with portability. Lack of push buttons should not be a
problem, as the Yaesu is similarly configured and it becomes second nature
with use.

Regards.



In article , "mike"
wrote:
Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike



Never say never.
Nothing is absolute.

Hi,

I live in a high rise and my Sat-800 is in our bedroom on a night table
right next our bed. It is one of the deadest spots in our apartment. Off the
whip only (no external antenna connected), it's pretty decent. I do have an
external antenna this is a just a wire that goes around the perimeter of our
bedroom. If I put my Grundig 400PE or DX-398 in the exact same spot as my
Sat 800 and use only their whip antennas, these two radios are very deaf in
comparison to the Sat 800 running off it's whip only. When connected, the
external antenna makes a huge difference on all these radios, even the
Sat-800. I use my 400PE and DX-398 in other places in my apartment where
reception is much better. I've always felt I really lucked out with the
Sat-800 I got.

Take Care
Abb N
VE3003SWL
Windsor, Ontario, Canada

I was very dissappointed in the SAT 800's sensitivity using just the whip
antenna!
DeWayne



-- Ross

DeWayne,

I have a Mobile/Emergency PL-259 Plug & 72" Whip Antenna Set-Up; that
I have use with my Kenwood R-5000 and Icom R75.

I would rate the three radios using the Whip Antennas:

* Icom R75 & Pre-Amp plus the Mobile/Emergency Whip Antenna

* Grundig Satellit 800M using it's built-in Whip Antenna and Pre-Amp

* Kenwood R-5000 using the Mobile/Emergency Whip Antenna

The GS800M's Whip Antenna is a design for an earlier age of radio when
whip antennas were designed and engineered to be real signal
gatherers: Large and Long and Thick at the base and tapering to the
tip. The majority of today's portable radios have short and thin
whip antennas; which provide minimum signal gathering. The GS800M's
Whip Antenna is MEGA Sized when compared to the average whip antenna
on most of today's smaller portable radios. Plus with the GS800M you
have the built-in Whip Antenna Pre-Amplifier for add signal strength.

IMHO: The Size and Shape of the GS800M's Whip Antenna is about the
signal gathering equivalent of one of those 23 Ft Role-Up Antennas
that are required by most other portable radios to get the same
signals that the GS800M provides.


iane ~ RHF
..
..
= = = "DeWayne"
= = = wrote in message . ..
"Ross Archer" wrote in message
...
mike wrote:

Hey group,

I own a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and have been very happy with it.

Thinking I am ready to graduate to a tabletop model such as a grundig
Satellite. I want the most bang for the buck.

Will the move be worth my money?
Will I be able to pull in more stations?

Should I buy a Winradio instead?

Your comments apreciated,

mike

If you want the Grundig, I'm not about to tell you not to.
But *best* bang for the buck? -- probably not nearly.

If you now have a high quality portable as you do, and you
aren't already using some sort of outdoor antenna, in my
opinion your best "bang-for-the-buck" for improving
performance is first to add an appropriately-sized outdoor
antenna (or indoor loop such as Sony makes) to your
portable. Try perhaps 20-75 feet. Start long and trim back
if you experience spurious signals and overloading. You
don't *need* to use transformers or coax to start with, but
if you like the improvements, you may get sucked into the
world of trying to improve your antenna all the time.

Ironically, while a portable might work well with just its
short whip, as you go up the $$$ scale these high-buck
radios often require better antennas to function well. I
know the Satellite 800 has a whip and a whip amp, so it's
possible that with limited antenna, you will get more
readable signals -- but probably not more than $2 worth of
wire could do for you without the Sat 800.

Still, the Sat 800 sounds great, and a lot of people have
sworn by it (and at it!) in this NG. Check google groups
for rec.radio.shortwave and find zillions of opinions on it.

I was very dissappointed in the SAT 800's sensitivity using just the whip
antenna!
DeWayne



-- Ross