"James Boyk" wrote in message
...
Frank Dresser wrote: There really aren't that many SWLs in the US.

How can there be a market for portables & tabletops by Drake, Grundig,
Sangean,
et al.---enough of a market for mass-marketer Radio Shack to sell such
products--yet no market for SW car radios? This makes no sense.

Radio Shack cleared out their line of Sangean clones about a year ago. It's
been reported that RS is selling the Grundigs now, but I've been to three RS
stores over the last year, and I've seen none. The last radio I've seen
which had SW capability at Radio Shack was one of those big, goofy analog
multiband "portables" on a discount shelf.

The other mass marketers, such as Best Buy, Circuit City and Sears offer
few, if any, radios with SW capability. There's no sign of any mass market
for SW radios.

How many standard radios are sold for every SW radio? 1000 to 1? 10,000 to
1? Probably even more.


As for the idea that the market *must* not exist because manufacturers
would
have tapped it if it did, this shows an attitude toward manufactuers'
intelligence and the efficiency of the marketplace which amounts to "all's
for
the best in this best of all possible [commercial] worlds," which I cannot
share.


Well, Sears used to sell SW radios. In fact, they sold their own version of
the Yaesu FRG-7. Sears was in the market, and took it seriously. They're
out of it now. Radio Shack used to sell even more SW radios. Try to find
the radios now. I'm not sure if the people running Sears or Radio Shack are
particularly intellegent or not, but I'm sure they are capable of reordering
items which sell quickly and dumping items which are dead on the shelf.

The market for SW radios is no longer part of the mass market. It's a
specialty item now, at least in the US. It's mostly a mail
order/internet/ham radio store market. Sometimes low end SW radios are
found at outlets such as Big Lots.

If there really is a mass market for SW radios, the internet vendors will
become incredibly wealthy and the ham radio stores will be mobbed by eager
buyers. Don't let yourself get trampled near the entrance door at opening
time.


As for the idea, "if you think there's a market, why don't you derail your
life
to exploit it?" I'm afraid I do have one or two other things to do that
are more
important to me. I see a dozen untapped commercial opportunities each
month;
it's not my business to pursue them, but to do my own work.


That wasn't my comment, but the point is valid. My comment concerned the
market for auto cupholders and undercar neon lights, which has vastly
overshadowed the market for auto SW radios. It's easy to buy most any damn
fool thing for your car except, for whatever reason, shortwave radios.

If the market for auto SW radios is that obvious, I'm sure somebody will
pick up the slack. Maybe by this time next year.


Thanks for the suggestions and ideas.

James Boyk


You're welcome!

Frank Dresser

James Boyk wrote:

Frank Dresser wrote: There really aren't that many SWLs in the US.

How can there be a market for portables & tabletops by Drake, Grundig, Sangean,
et al.---enough of a market for mass-marketer Radio Shack to sell such
products--yet no market for SW car radios? This makes no sense.

You just keep repeating that! The fact is that there probably is no market, otherwise
the manufacturers would have stepped into fill the void.

It makes 'sense' to those few of us left that have any.

As for the idea that the market *must* not exist because manufacturers would
have tapped it if it did, this shows an attitude toward manufactuers'
intelligence and the efficiency of the marketplace which amounts to "all's for
the best in this best of all possible [commercial] worlds," which I cannot share.

Get a grip on reality!


As for the idea, "if you think there's a market, why don't you derail your life
to exploit it?" I'm afraid I do have one or two other things to do that are more
important to me. I see a dozen untapped commercial opportunities each month;
it's not my business to pursue them, but to do my own work.

Thanks for the suggestions and ideas.

No problem!

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8 and R8B

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

James Boyk wrote:

Thanks. I'll look for one of these.

I don't "get" another poster's comment about SW not taking off in the USA.
There's a huge potential market of SWL's here; why shouldn't makers of SW radios
try to sell them?

If there were a market, the manufacturers would have tapped it.

If you think there is a market why don't you draw up a business plan, borrow some
money, and have the car radios manufactured?

They do so for 'stationary' radios; why not for cars? The
remark that US broadcasters "can't target" listeners here is unintelligible to
me, as many of them do target listeners here as well as abroad.

Listeners here are targeted in a certain sense, however, the Smith-Mundt Act
prohibits it, as I recall.

The bottom line is though that SW has never really 'taken off' in the USA, other
than for radio hobbyists, and casual listeners.

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8 and R8B

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

N8KDV,

"The bottom line is though that SW has never really 'taken off'
in the USA, other than for radio hobbyists, and casual listeners."

This is basically due to three Factors: Geography, Politics and Society.

* While the USofA and Europe may be view as having roughly the
'same' Geographic Size and Populations.
The USofA is One Country and Language. {Unified}
IMAGINE: Each US State having it's own State Radio Station:
The Voice of George; Radio Free Vermont; Colorado State Radio; ETC.
Vice- Europe is made up of many Countries and many Languages. {Fragmented}
NOTE: Many European Nations are about the Size of 'States' in the USofA.

* The Politics of Radio Broadcasting is Different in the USofA
and in Europe.
In the USofA Radio Broadcasting is 'controlled' by one National
Government through "Commercial Licensing" (A Government
Controlled Private Enterprise with a large number of 'independent'
and "Network" Radio Stations.)
Vice - In Europe Radio Broadcasting is 'controlled' by many
independent National Governments through Government Controlled
Radio Stations and Government Networks with a limited number
of radio stations.
NOTE: In Europe Longwave, Medium Wave and Shortwave are all
used to get the Government's Message Out within the Country
and throughout Europe.

* The Societies (Populations and Languages)
The Radio Broadcasting Model in the USofA is based on One Language
and Multiple Radio Broadcaster that are Independent of Government
Control. American's basically speak one Language: English.
(The Commercial Radio Stations presented "Diverse Messages" and
the American People could pick and choose.)
Vice - The Radio Broadcasting Model in Europe is based on Many
Languages that are Spoken in Europe. The Government 'controlled'
Radio Station Monopoly presents the Government's Message.
Europeans had to listen to Radio Stations from other Countries
to get some "Diversity" and Information that was Independent of
Government Control. Longwave and Shortwave allowed Europeans
to get this information. Plus since the distances were shorter
(within the European Continent) and in 'uniform' "Single" Evening
Time Period; Shortwave was like listening to an in country
broadcast. (Strong Signals and No Fading.)

TBL: Geography, Politics and Society came together in Europe to
make Shortwave Radio Broadcasting a 'popular' {useful} media.
Vice - In the USofA those same elements worked "Against" Shortwave
Radio Broadcasting becoming a 'popular' {useful} media.

Something-to-Think-about: Had Ford, GM, Chrysler, American Motors,
and many other old Automobile Companies. Each been allowed to
Set-Up a Shortwave Station to Broadcast Nation Wide then there
would have been a Shortwave Radio in every Car and Truck in
the USofA. Just look at Today's Marketing of XM Radio and
Sirius Satellite Broadcasting Systems by the Auto Companies.

wmcis ~ RHF
..
..
= = = dxAce wrote in message
= = = ...
James Boyk wrote:

Thanks. I'll look for one of these.

I don't "get" another poster's comment about SW not taking off in the USA.
There's a huge potential market of SWL's here; why shouldn't makers of SW radios
try to sell them?

If there were a market, the manufacturers would have tapped it.

If you think there is a market why don't you draw up a business plan, borrow some
money, and have the car radios manufactured?

They do so for 'stationary' radios; why not for cars? The
remark that US broadcasters "can't target" listeners here is unintelligible to
me, as many of them do target listeners here as well as abroad.

Listeners here are targeted in a certain sense, however, the Smith-Mundt Act
prohibits it, as I recall.

The bottom line is though that SW has never really 'taken off'
in the USA, other than for radio hobbyists, and casual listeners.

Steve
Holland, MI
Drake R7, R8 and R8B

http://www.iserv.net/~n8kdv/dxpage.htm

..

"John" wrote in message
An amateur transceiver is also a good way to go however be aware that the
audio on these rigs is often underpowered and restricted. I have an Icom
706 MKIIG which of course covers all of the SW spectrum with sideband and
then some but the audio on this model is "constipated"- there is a
noticeable rolloff of the low and high ends of the audio spectrum.

Have you tried an external speaker? Can make a huge difference in
audio on those radios. Also, an external audio amp helps even more.
The audio from the icom itself should be pretty good. I know mine is.
Here in the house, I run mine through the sound card, and then to a
kenwood audio amp and speakers. Sounds real good. It's my best radio
for listening to the "rack" crowd, running the high end audio gear.
I've got spectrum analyser software I use, and the audio is quite flat
across the passband. I gets lots of bass, and pretty good highs
considering the filter width. BTW, make sure the "FIL" is off , if you
are listening to AM. That setting is very tight, and the audio will be
very pinchy. But it is good for ID'ing weak stations buried in
sideband crud...In the car, I just use external speakers. I have one
in the dash, where the factory radio speaker goes, and also use a
drake speaker sitting on the floor, if I want some more lows.
Eventually, I plan to pick up a small stereo EQ/AMP, "maybe 40w or
so??" and use that as an audio amp for the car. Being a ham, naturally
ham rigs are all I use in the car, and in the house for the most part.
The 706mk2g is better for AM than many ham rigs, as the stock
bandwidth on AM is wider, than many, and sounds better. Many ham rigs
use the same 2.4+2.4 kc SSB filtering as the AM filter. "4.8kc total"
That is kinda pinchy sounding after a while. The 706 is a good bit
wider than that on AM, unless the "FIL" is on, or you have a custom
filter.But for SSB is still the usual rated 2.4 kc...In real life on
the analyser, the bandwidth is quite usable out to about 2.7 kc, and
it drops off pretty fast. Almost the same as my TS-830.. As far as
antenna, I use my all band ham mobile antenna, and tune for the
nearest band closest to what I'm listening to. IE: if I were to
listen to 31m, I can tune my antenna to 30m ham band, and have very
good performance. But even tuned for 40 or 20 will work fine. The s/n
ratio is the same, the signal level would just be down some...My ant
tunes 80,40,30,20,17,15,12,10 meter bands...I do have to get out to
switch bands, but it doesn't take very long. But like I say, for SWL,
it's not critical at all...Performance SWL'ing mobile? Nearly as good
as at the house...I have good transmit performance too on the ham
bands...BTW, compared to some portables, or car radios, the 706g still
may seem a bit tight...But thats cuz the portables, and car radios are
usually as broad as a barn door in comparison...:/ Naturally, they may
sound a little brighter with music playing. But I'd still usually
prefer the 706g in the car...Much more useful overall, being it also
covers VHF/UHF, etc...The 706g is my radio of choice here, when I
listen to AM-BC. To me, the width is just about like I like it. Not
too narrow, but not too wide either...That dinky 3-4 inch speaker in
the top is the weak link... MK

Hi. Yes I have tried external speakers and running the audio from the ACC
socket into an amp. Helps very little. Please checkout the ic-706 yahoo
group. Other users have noted the same problem and provided spectral
analysis of the audio. While the 706MKIIG IF is pretty wide , Icom changed
the audio for the worse between the 706 and the 706MKIIG.
The Becker Mexico AM audio is much better than a 706MKIIG.


"Mark Keith" wrote in message
om...
"John" wrote in message

Have you tried an external speaker? Can make a huge difference in
audio on those radios. Also, an external audio amp helps even more.
The audio from the icom itself should be pretty good.

In article ,
James Boyk wrote:
Sorry to ask what must be a perennial question, but is a car radio now available
for US market which will get me here on the west coast the big international
stations (Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, BBC)? Along with FM and
10k-spaced AM? And preferably with selectable sideband and synchronous
detection, like on my Sony 2010 at home? (Having lived with these features, I
don't see why anyone would make a receiver without them.) And, ideally, with CD
player also?

Hi, Jim.

I'm coming in late to this discussion, so perhaps you've already
Googled the thread that I started about this subject several weeks
ago. The upshot is that I bought a Becker Mexico. I got the one with
the cassette player, but they have them with CD players, too. I bought
it from Continental Imports in Florida (www.continentalimports.com).

I just had it installed today, so I can't give you a full report
yet, but so far so good! I can hear one non-directional beacon
on the longwave band, and as I was driving home just after sunset
tonight, I heard lots of stations while scanning through shortwave.
The sensitivity seems good on the AM broadcast band, too.

I'm currently using the built-in wire antenna in the windshield of
my Porsche. I'll evaluate things for a while before deciding whether
I need a different antenna.


Patty

"Patty Winter" wrote in message
...
In article ,
James Boyk wrote:
Sorry to ask what must be a perennial question, but is a car radio now
available
for US market which will get me here on the west coast the big
international
stations (Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, BBC)? Along with FM
and
10k-spaced AM? And preferably with selectable sideband and synchronous
detection, like on my Sony 2010 at home? (Having lived with these
features, I
don't see why anyone would make a receiver without them.) And, ideally,
with CD
player also?

Hi, Jim.

I'm coming in late to this discussion, so perhaps you've already
Googled the thread that I started about this subject several weeks
ago. The upshot is that I bought a Becker Mexico. I got the one with
the cassette player, but they have them with CD players, too. I bought
it from Continental Imports in Florida (www.continentalimports.com).

I just had it installed today, so I can't give you a full report
yet, but so far so good! I can hear one non-directional beacon
on the longwave band, and as I was driving home just after sunset
tonight, I heard lots of stations while scanning through shortwave.
The sensitivity seems good on the AM broadcast band, too.

I'm currently using the built-in wire antenna in the windshield of
my Porsche. I'll evaluate things for a while before deciding whether
I need a different antenna.


I just noticed that the Mexico doens't have a button labeled "SW";
how to you switch to the SW bands? I wonder if anyone has a
list of which other Becker models received SW, because on Ebay,
none of the other models had a button labeled "SW", so I assumed
(wrongly?) that they didn't receive SW.

In article ,
Ken Finney wrote:

I just noticed that the Mexico doens't have a button labeled "SW";
how to you switch to the SW bands?

The AM button cycles through the AM broadcast band, the LW band,
and the SW band.


Patty

Thanks for info. I wish I'd known earlier that there are current Becker units w/
SW. We got very good service from shortwavestore.com, but it would be
interesting to know how Becker's RF and AF quality compare to that of the Sony
XR-CA620X we got.

Jim Boyk

**

Patty Winter wrote:
...I bought a Becker Mexico. I got the one with
the cassette player, but they have them with CD players, too. I bought
it from Continental Imports in Florida (www.continentalimports.com).