One's up for auction on Ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Has anyone owned one of these receivers? I'm not bidding on it, but I'm
curious about how it would stack up against one of the better
commercial receivers, like an R8B or 7030+.

Steve

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 20:49:48 GMT, David wrote:

On 23 Apr 2005 13:22:06 -0700, wrote:

One's up for auction on Ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Has anyone owned one of these receivers? I'm not bidding on it, but I'm
curious about how it would stack up against one of the better
commercial receivers, like an R8B or 7030+.

Steve

Per Bob, better than the AOR, not as good as an R8.

http://www.sherweng.com/table.html

Misread the chart. Both radis are rated above the Racal.

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 21:13:49 GMT, David wrote:

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 20:49:48 GMT, David wrote:

On 23 Apr 2005 13:22:06 -0700, wrote:

One's up for auction on Ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Has anyone owned one of these receivers? I'm not bidding on it, but I'm
curious about how it would stack up against one of the better
commercial receivers, like an R8B or 7030+.

Steve

Per Bob, better than the AOR, not as good as an R8.

http://www.sherweng.com/table.html

Misread the chart. Both radis are rated above the Racal.

Here's a more complete review:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/488

There is no shortage of people who get some exotic widget then drone on
about how good it is.

I heard the keyboards wear out on those Racals. Just image the hassle
getting parts.

Pass. In fact, I passed on that radio years ago when some Russian was
peddling them at Livermore. Something like $600 and he didn't even
throw in some vodka for contract cleaning.

wrote:

One's up for auction on Ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Has anyone owned one of these receivers? I'm not bidding on it, but I'm
curious about how it would stack up against one of the better
commercial receivers, like an R8B or 7030+.

Never had one, never will. Not even necessary for DX'ing...

dxAce
Michigan
USA

I swear by, not at, Drake receivers.©
Drake R7, R8, R8A and R8B

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

dxAce wrote:
wrote:

One's up for auction on Ebay right now:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3D576 83=
29816&rd=3D1&ssPageName=3DWDVW

Has anyone owned one of these receivers? I'm not bidding on it, but
I'm
curious about how it would stack up against one of the better
commercial receivers, like an R8B or 7030+.

Never had one, never will. Not even necessary for DX'ing...

dxAce
Michigan
USA

I swear by, not at, Drake receivers.=A9
Drake R7, R8, R8A and R8B

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

I had one several years ago, worked ok, nothing to write home about. I
agree, the Drake R8 series is better as are many other receivers. Guy
Atkins, a well known mw dx'er sold his and kept a Kiwa modified Icom
R75.

Les

Les is correct. After much comparison on the tropical bands and foreign MW
DXing, I found the modded R-75 essentially equal to a fine example of a
RA6790GM (with various new parts, and tweaked, serviced, and refurbished by
the Racal guru Gary Wingerd).

At one point I installed a very desireable upgrade to the front end roofing
filters, by changing them from a 20 kHz bandwidth to a 10 kHz bandwidth,
using two 40.455 MHz modules from a Cubic R-3030 RF board. This made the
Racal better at tough MW split-frequency DXing with strong signals nearby in
frequency.

Still, the R-75 was so much easier to operate-- smaller, lighter, cooler
running, and has the advantage of working off 12vdc for power when needed at
DXpeditions. In addition, the Twin PBT control in the R-75 is a great tool
for DXing-- a feature sorely missing in the Racal. The RA6790GM model fit
its commercial/military monitoring purpose well, at a reasonable cost in its
day for organizations and governments. It was never intended to meet the
specific needs of DXers.

One example of the awkwardness of the RA6790GM for DXing is in the choice of
filters for SSB. To use anything other than the default SSB filter (normally
3.0 kHz), you need to switch to CW mode, adjust the BFO offset to achieve
natural speech, and then choose one of the other installed bandwidths. This
is VERY inconvenient during changing DX reception conditions, particularly
during dawn enhancement of signals when you need a flexible, quick-to-adjust
receiver.

My R-75 has these Kiwa mods: Synchronous AM module, Kiwa CLF-D2K filter (no
longer made), and the Kiwa audio upgrade. I also have two 1.8 kHz INRAD
filters in the 2nd IF , ECSS volume mod, Dr. Phil's high fidelity audio
upgrade, and a number of other smaller mods. The radio doesn't need these
mods to perform very well, but I to tinker with my gear...

The R-75 is now my secondary radio. The main and best performing rig in the
shack now is a ICOM IC-756Pro transceiver. In all but one DXing situation
over the last 4 or 5 months, the 756Pro has noticeably outperformed the
R-75. There is not a huge difference, but big enough that I can often times
make out more words and IDs in a foreign language on a static-riddled, weak
station on the 756Pro compared to the R-75.

However, the R-75 is the best value in a new receiver these days (while they
last...I wonder how many R-75's Universal Radio still has in their dwindling
stock?)

Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA USA


"Les" wrote in message
ups.com...

SNIP

I had one several years ago, worked ok, nothing to write home about. I
agree, the Drake R8 series is better as are many other receivers. Guy
Atkins, a well known mw dx'er sold his and kept a Kiwa modified Icom
R75.

Les

wrote:

Something like $600 and he didn't even
throw in some vodka for contract cleaning.


You have to use lawyers for "contract cleaning." ;-)

--
Former professional electron wrangler.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Has anyone owned one of these receivers? I'm not bidding on it, but
I'm
curious about how it would stack up against one of the better
commercial receivers, like an R8B or 7030+."

Well, remember the Racal is a commercial grade receiver designed for
specific applications ranging from laboratory work to fixed frequency
monitoring, etc. It was not built as a hobbyist radio. There are
several interesting reviews that go into detail about it's strong
points and several limitations: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/488


On the other hand, the R8B and 7030, R75, etc., are consumer grade
receivers for serious hobbyists. All three are known for for having
numerous very useful features that allow the user to manipulate the
signal in a variety of ways. Unlike the Racal they all have memories,
a feature that is basic to swling.

Fully expect that you would hear the same signals on the Racal as you
would with the three consumer receivers. The Racal does look the
serious receiver with the rack mount case, handles and austere design.

Pete G on this group raves about how great it is.

however it does not mean it is fun to use. commercial receivers are not
always fun to use.

I have a Drake maritime 5000 dollar receiver, I find it no fun at all to use
compared to the satellit 800 or a modded DX-394 or similar fun to use
receiver.




wrote in message
ups.com...
One's up for auction on Ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Has anyone owned one of these receivers? I'm not bidding on it, but I'm
curious about how it would stack up against one of the better
commercial receivers, like an R8B or 7030+.

Steve