I would like to buy a decent radio to listen to shortwave and
hams. From what I've seen, the Kenwood r-1000, Kenwood r-5000,
and Icom R-75 should suit my needs. I tend to lean towards the
r-1000, but the Icom is a new design and only a couple hundred dollars
more. Would I be better off choosing the Icom, or is it loaded with
squirrel features I would never use? Is the r-5000 a better choice?
Thanks for any help.

Jerry wrote:

I would like to buy a decent radio to listen to shortwave and
hams. From what I've seen, the Kenwood r-1000, Kenwood r-5000,
and Icom R-75 should suit my needs. I tend to lean towards the
r-1000, but the Icom is a new design and only a couple hundred dollars
more. Would I be better off choosing the Icom, or is it loaded with
squirrel features I would never use? Is the r-5000 a better choice?
Thanks for any help.

Of those radios, if it were me, I'd go with the R-75.

But if you are open to other options, I'd look at a used Drake R8.

I had one, and feel they offer a lot of bang for the buck.

Don't buy a tabletop radio unless you can put up a good outside antenna. If
you can't a portable will be just as good.

Bill, N5NOB

When conditions get REEALLY bad or the Signal is
REEALLY faint,
the R-75 shines... ( with a good, long antenna)


Mine is hooked up to Computer speakers; sounds pretty good to me !

- Someday I'll get the Kiwa mods;
- but I like it so much it'd be hard to send away ...

Dan


In article , Jerry
writes:


I would like to buy a decent radio to listen to shortwave and
hams. From what I've seen, the Kenwood r-1000, Kenwood r-5000,
and Icom R-75 should suit my needs. I tend to lean towards the
r-1000, but the Icom is a new design and only a couple hundred dollars
more. Would I be better off choosing the Icom, or is it loaded with
squirrel features I would never use? Is the r-5000 a better choice?
Thanks for any help.

In article , Mark S. Holden wrote:

But if you are open to other options, I'd look at a used Drake R8.

I had one, and feel they offer a lot of bang for the buck.

The R-8 is a good radio, performs well and does have lots of features.

The ergonomics IMHO leave a lot to be desired. I like to have all sorts
of knobs to "twiddle". And therefore have an R-5000.

If you prefer a more modern design, i.e all things are are set with
up/down or on/off buttons, then the R-8 is for you.

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson 972-54-608-069
Icq/AIM Uin: 2661079 MSN IM: (Not for email)
Carp are bottom feeders, koi are too, and not surprisingly are ferrets.

I'd go with the R-75. It's the best of all the radios you've listed for
DX'ing and dealing with weak and messy signals.

A close friend of mine has the Kenwood R-5000 and I also love that radio
too.

Still, I prefer the R-75. For a new price of about $500.00 US, you can't go
wrong !!!!

There is some info on the R-75 on my web page. The link is in my signature.

--
Respectfully,

Michael

Home Page: http://md_dxing.tripod.com/
Northern NJ
R75 w/DSP, Kiwa agc/sync & audio mods
G5RV & 200ft longwire w/ICE-180
MFJ-1048 preselector
SoundBlstr Live PC card w/five piece Cambridge
speakers & full software mixer/eq.

"Jerry" wrote in message
...

I would like to buy a decent radio to listen to shortwave and
hams. From what I've seen, the Kenwood r-1000, Kenwood r-5000,
and Icom R-75 should suit my needs. I tend to lean towards the
r-1000, but the Icom is a new design and only a couple hundred dollars
more. Would I be better off choosing the Icom, or is it loaded with
squirrel features I would never use? Is the r-5000 a better choice?
Thanks for any help.

In article ,
says...

I would like to buy a decent radio to listen to shortwave and
hams. From what I've seen, the Kenwood r-1000, Kenwood r-5000,
and Icom R-75 should suit my needs. I tend to lean towards the
r-1000, but the Icom is a new design and only a couple hundred dollars
more. Would I be better off choosing the Icom, or is it loaded with
squirrel features I would never use? Is the r-5000 a better choice?
Thanks for any help.


Well, the R1000 was discontinued in like 1986 or something like that,
kind of old now, and parts could be hard/impossible to get. The 5000 is
a nice radio, run it off 12 volts, on 120, it runs HOT! These came out
in 1986, and some are getting kind of creaky from age. The 75 is a
decent, if kind of ugly (just my opinion!) radio that seems to be very
reliable.

You might want to think about a JRC NRD-535 too, a very nice radio that
isn't hugely expensive bought used..

BDK