The Internet is always slow, sometimes full of rain barrell echoes. Sound just
stops on it, meaning a delay of up to 30 seconds before it restarts.
It's too " Belleding Edge" technology,
grat in the Demonstrations in the Board Room, but fair to poor in the field.
AND imagine if you get " away" from the Internet Server farms;

Shortwave is still the way to go

Dan


In article , "craigm"
writes:


"Robert Sillett" wrote in message
...
I don't think any of the previous postings properly addressed Mark's
question.

Since the BBC stopped shortwave broadcasts to the USA in 2001, it's very
hard to receive them. And since Mark is looking at a budget portable, the
only broadcast that he could possibly listen to would be the evening
broadcast on 5975 kHz. Yes, there are other broadcasts that can be
received; however, none of the others are better than marginal.


The only way to properly hear the BBC in the USA is via a broadband
Internet
connection.

On the other hand, Mark's posting makes a very good point. A decent
shortwave portable can cost only $100 to $200. But if Mark decides to
listen to the BBC via the official line, that is via broadband Internet,
then he's conservatively looking at $40 per month or $480 per year.

Bob



"Mark" wrote in message
om...
Hey Gang,

I am in need of some help in picking out a new shortwave radio. I no
nothing about them, but I am looking for something for $150 or less.
The SOLE PURPOSE that I need this radio for is to pull in as clearly
as possible any and all radio stations from the UK. Specifically the
BBC stations. I live in Minneapolis, MN if that makes any
difference. I am not at all concerned with am, fm or stations from
any other part of the world, ONLY the UK. My wife wants to get me one
for Christmas, so quick replies would be appreciated. Thanks in
advance for any help you can provide. Please e-mail all responses to
me at

Mark



I guess you would have to define 'marginal'. I regularly listen to the BBC
on 5975 in SE Minnesota. It is rare that it can't be heard in the evening.
Other frequencies can be heard also. While I have several radios, the best
antenna I have is 30 feet of wire, all indoors. To imply the the internet is
the only way to listen is just wrong. Even a DX-398 with the whip antenna
works.

craigm

Myrton Smith wrote in message news:ODJvb.4423$dO2.3062@lakeread03...

I would suggest a portable receiver, such as the now discontinued model
from Radio Shack, DX-398.

Last I knew it was selling for around U.S. $125.00


I bought mine a year ago for US $99.97. They were scarce then.

(Mark) wrote in message . com...
Hey Gang,

I am in need of some help in picking out a new shortwave radio. I no
nothing about them, but I am looking for something for $150 or less.
The SOLE PURPOSE that I need this radio for is to pull in as clearly
as possible any and all radio stations from the UK. Specifically the
BBC stations. I live in Minneapolis, MN if that makes any
difference. I am not at all concerned with am, fm or stations from
any other part of the world, ONLY the UK. My wife wants to get me one
for Christmas, so quick replies would be appreciated. Thanks in
advance for any help you can provide. Please e-mail all responses to
me at

Mark

Mark, I strongly suggest the Sony 7600GR for your purposes. Of all
the radios for $150 or less, I think this model would give you the
best shot of hauling in the BBC. It is more sensitive off the whip
than either the Sangean 909 or the Grundig Yachtboy 400PE. Plus, its
synchronous detector really can help in making an otherwise
unintelligible signal intelligible. As another respondent stated, the
Beeb comes in adequately quite often on 5975 kHz at night. I have
also had reasonable success listening to the Beeb on 12095 kHZ in the
afternoon here in Western NY.

Regards,

Grumpus

Grumpus,

I have been a little shy to post this, basically because it's tough to
prove, I'm SURE people's "mileage may vary," and people tend to get
emotional about their choices in radios.

A guy recently posted in the DX398/ATS-909 group at Yahoo that he was at a
ham get-together, and his supposedly unmodified ATS-909 outperformed a Sony
7600GR "off the whip." He said everyone there was very impressed with it.

I ordered both a 909 and a 7600 a few weeks ago, and my ATS-909 was very
close in whip performance to the 7600GR, but I wouldn't say "better." Not
needing two portables -- I chose to send the 7600 back. The 909 came from
C. Crane, and is their deluxe model with the anti-chuffing mod already
installed. I do not know (but I doubt if) they did any other modifications.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has gotten one of these radios in
the past two months, and what their experience is. Though I hope Sangean
saw fit to boost performance of American-market radios, frankly, it wouldn't
surprise me if Sony toned their whip performance down, as I've seen posts
that it actually does have problems with overloading in Europe.

-- Stinger


"grumpus" wrote in message
om...
(Mark) wrote in message
. com...
Hey Gang,

I am in need of some help in picking out a new shortwave radio. I no
nothing about them, but I am looking for something for $150 or less.
The SOLE PURPOSE that I need this radio for is to pull in as clearly
as possible any and all radio stations from the UK. Specifically the
BBC stations. I live in Minneapolis, MN if that makes any
difference. I am not at all concerned with am, fm or stations from
any other part of the world, ONLY the UK. My wife wants to get me one
for Christmas, so quick replies would be appreciated. Thanks in
advance for any help you can provide. Please e-mail all responses to
me at

Mark

Mark, I strongly suggest the Sony 7600GR for your purposes. Of all
the radios for $150 or less, I think this model would give you the
best shot of hauling in the BBC. It is more sensitive off the whip
than either the Sangean 909 or the Grundig Yachtboy 400PE. Plus, its
synchronous detector really can help in making an otherwise
unintelligible signal intelligible. As another respondent stated, the
Beeb comes in adequately quite often on 5975 kHz at night. I have
also had reasonable success listening to the Beeb on 12095 kHZ in the
afternoon here in Western NY.

Regards,

Grumpus

said ---



I am in need of some help in picking out a new shortwave radio. I no
nothing about them, but I am looking for something for $150 or less.
The SOLE PURPOSE that I need this radio for is to pull in as clearly
as possible any and all radio stations from the UK. Specifically the
BBC stations.


Get the Sony ICF-SW7600GR. Its synchronous detector is a VERY important feature
to have for decent shortwave reception.

http://universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/0360.html

As others have said, any appreciable length of wire clamped to a radio's whip
antenna will usually improve reception of weak signals.

Also, if you're only interested in hearing BBC news, some U.S. AM/FM stations
actually broadcast the BBC news a few times a day. These are typically college
or NPR-type stations, or all news stations. Maybe do a Google search or call
your local stations?

"Stinger" wrote in message . ..
Grumpus,

I have been a little shy to post this, basically because it's tough to
prove, I'm SURE people's "mileage may vary," and people tend to get
emotional about their choices in radios.

A guy recently posted in the DX398/ATS-909 group at Yahoo that he was at a
ham get-together, and his supposedly unmodified ATS-909 outperformed a Sony
7600GR "off the whip." He said everyone there was very impressed with it.

I ordered both a 909 and a 7600 a few weeks ago, and my ATS-909 was very
close in whip performance to the 7600GR, but I wouldn't say "better." Not
needing two portables -- I chose to send the 7600 back. The 909 came from
C. Crane, and is their deluxe model with the anti-chuffing mod already
installed. I do not know (but I doubt if) they did any other modifications.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has gotten one of these radios in
the past two months, and what their experience is. Though I hope Sangean
saw fit to boost performance of American-market radios, frankly, it wouldn't
surprise me if Sony toned their whip performance down, as I've seen posts
that it actually does have problems with overloading in Europe.

-- Stinger


Stinger, I suppose you've got me. I was quite impressed with the
performance and features of the 7600GR but I sent back the one I had
because I hated using those pointy little buttons on the side and I
wanted to move up to a 2010. Nonetheless, I thought it demonstrated
excellent sensitivity when I used it off the whip alone. It was even
better used in conjunction with Sony's AN-LP1 loop antenna (within
moments of using this combo I heard Voice of the Mediterranean and a
Northern African broadcaster). Subsequently, I purchased a DX-398
(Sangean 909) on closeout for $99 at RS. It seems adequate off the
whip, but nothing more. When I use it for SW, I hook it up to a
reel-out antenna I have strung out across the ceiling and it performs
quite well then (with this set-up I QSL'd CKZN, a 1kW CBC station
1,000 miles away). My understanding is that the 909/398 is the best
among all the portables in its price range in its ability to handle a
serious external antenna without overloading. Is this an indication
of reduced sensitivity off the whip? I don't know. I have not done
any kind of head-to-head comparison of the 7600GR and the 909/398, so
the impression I have formed about the relative sensitivity of these
two models off their whips alone comes from just a little bit of
practical experience and the net wisdom of this group and what I read
in Passport. So, in truth, it is an interesting question whether my
perceptions were colored by an existing bias in favor of the 7600GR,
or I correctly judged the relative performance of the two radios.

Regards,

Grumpus



"grumpus" wrote in message
om...
(Mark) wrote in message
. com...
Hey Gang,

I am in need of some help in picking out a new shortwave radio. I no
nothing about them, but I am looking for something for $150 or less.
The SOLE PURPOSE that I need this radio for is to pull in as clearly
as possible any and all radio stations from the UK. Specifically the
BBC stations. I live in Minneapolis, MN if that makes any
difference. I am not at all concerned with am, fm or stations from
any other part of the world, ONLY the UK. My wife wants to get me one
for Christmas, so quick replies would be appreciated. Thanks in
advance for any help you can provide. Please e-mail all responses to
me at

Mark

Mark, I strongly suggest the Sony 7600GR for your purposes. Of all
the radios for $150 or less, I think this model would give you the
best shot of hauling in the BBC. It is more sensitive off the whip
than either the Sangean 909 or the Grundig Yachtboy 400PE. Plus, its
synchronous detector really can help in making an otherwise
unintelligible signal intelligible. As another respondent stated, the
Beeb comes in adequately quite often on 5975 kHz at night. I have
also had reasonable success listening to the Beeb on 12095 kHZ in the
afternoon here in Western NY.

Regards,

Grumpus

grumpus wrote:

"Stinger" wrote in message . ..
Grumpus,

I have been a little shy to post this, basically because it's tough to
prove, I'm SURE people's "mileage may vary," and people tend to get
emotional about their choices in radios.

A guy recently posted in the DX398/ATS-909 group at Yahoo that he was at a
ham get-together, and his supposedly unmodified ATS-909 outperformed a Sony
7600GR "off the whip." He said everyone there was very impressed with it.

I ordered both a 909 and a 7600 a few weeks ago, and my ATS-909 was very
close in whip performance to the 7600GR, but I wouldn't say "better." Not
needing two portables -- I chose to send the 7600 back. The 909 came from
C. Crane, and is their deluxe model with the anti-chuffing mod already
installed. I do not know (but I doubt if) they did any other modifications.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has gotten one of these radios in
the past two months, and what their experience is. Though I hope Sangean
saw fit to boost performance of American-market radios, frankly, it wouldn't
surprise me if Sony toned their whip performance down, as I've seen posts
that it actually does have problems with overloading in Europe.

-- Stinger


Stinger, I suppose you've got me. I was quite impressed with the
performance and features of the 7600GR but I sent back the one I had
because I hated using those pointy little buttons on the side and I
wanted to move up to a 2010. Nonetheless, I thought it demonstrated
excellent sensitivity when I used it off the whip alone. It was even
better used in conjunction with Sony's AN-LP1 loop antenna (within
moments of using this combo I heard Voice of the Mediterranean and a
Northern African broadcaster). Subsequently, I purchased a DX-398
(Sangean 909) on closeout for $99 at RS. It seems adequate off the
whip, but nothing more. When I use it for SW, I hook it up to a
reel-out antenna I have strung out across the ceiling and it performs
quite well then (with this set-up I QSL'd CKZN, a 1kW CBC station
1,000 miles away). My understanding is that the 909/398 is the best
among all the portables in its price range in its ability to handle a
serious external antenna without overloading. Is this an indication
of reduced sensitivity off the whip? I don't know. I have not done
any kind of head-to-head comparison of the 7600GR and the 909/398, so
the impression I have formed about the relative sensitivity of these
two models off their whips alone comes from just a little bit of
practical experience and the net wisdom of this group and what I read
in Passport. So, in truth, it is an interesting question whether my
perceptions were colored by an existing bias in favor of the 7600GR,
or I correctly judged the relative performance of the two radios.

Regards,

Grumpus




At the bototm line, the radio that just *seems* right to you in all
the ways you like best *is* the right one for you.

Tony


----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups
---= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

"RFCOMMSYS" wrote:

| Also, if you're only interested in hearing BBC news, some U.S. AM/FM
stations
| actually broadcast the BBC news a few times a day. These are typically
college
| or NPR-type stations, or all news stations. Maybe do a Google search or
call
| your local stations?

Yup, 91.1 in the MPLS/St Paul area broadcasts BBC from midnight 'til 6 a.m.

73,

Steve Lawrence
Burnsville, MN


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.542 / Virus Database: 336 - Release Date: 11/18/03

RS,

To carry your "Logic" forward and based upon the 'emperical evidence'
(his posting here) that Mark already has a Computer and an Internet
Connection. We can conclude that Mark is currently 'paying' that
Bill. So by simply going to the BBC Website: Mark can Listen to the
BBC for FREE !

wmcis ~ RHF
..
..
= = = "Robert Sillett"
= = = wrote in message ...
I don't think any of the previous postings properly addressed Mark's
question.

Since the BBC stopped shortwave broadcasts to the USA in 2001, it's very
hard to receive them. And since Mark is looking at a budget portable, the
only broadcast that he could possibly listen to would be the evening
broadcast on 5975 kHz. Yes, there are other broadcasts that can be
received; however, none of the others are better than marginal.

The only way to properly hear the BBC in the USA is via a broadband Internet
connection.

On the other hand, Mark's posting makes a very good point. A decent
shortwave portable can cost only $100 to $200. But if Mark decides to
listen to the BBC via the official line, that is via broadband Internet,
then he's conservatively looking at $40 per month or $480 per year.

Bob

On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 13:06:58 -0500, Robert Sillett wrote:
I don't think any of the previous postings properly addressed Mark's
question.

Since the BBC stopped shortwave broadcasts to the USA in 2001, it's very
hard to receive them. And since Mark is looking at a budget portable, the
only broadcast that he could possibly listen to would be the evening
broadcast on 5975 kHz. Yes, there are other broadcasts that can be
received; however, none of the others are better than marginal.

The only way to properly hear the BBC in the USA is via a broadband Internet
connection.

On the other hand, Mark's posting makes a very good point. A decent
shortwave portable can cost only $100 to $200. But if Mark decides to
listen to the BBC via the official line, that is via broadband Internet,
then he's conservatively looking at $40 per month or $480 per year.

Bob

Here in Baltimore, MD 5975 comes in great, late nite 6135 is good and 15190
in the mornings is also pretty good. The BBC can also be found on 88.1, a
local fm station 12am - 5am local time.

--
clear skies,
Joe
GS800M ~ S/N: S8304027607
YB400PE ~ S/N: 615254
http://users.erols.com/jringer3/astro1.htm