I didn't mean to put you off on the R75.

I'm not saying go buy this one because I don't know the specifics on it
but at Universal web site. Here is a Demo unit

http://www.universal-radio.com/alert.html
D931 *ICOM R- 75 DEMO COMM GC DIG 0.3-60MHZ ORIGINAL
559.95 NEW ORIGINAL WARRANTY

A new R75 from them is only $10 more with a free DSP module.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/0175.html

and for new go here to see current tabletop radios.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr.html

I can recommend a AOR 7030+, Drake R8B and a Ten-Tec RX-340 because I
own them and they are great SW broadcast listening radios but they are
much more expensive than the R75. The Drake R8B is discontinued now so
you will have to buy it used. Universal doesn't have any used ones right
now.

The Yaesu FRG-100B and the Palstar are more in the R75 price range.

If I was you I would go read some reviews on the web.
http://www.radiointel.com/reviews.htm

http://www.dxing.com/rx/rxindex.htm

http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/m...ceivers/rx_sor
t1.html



In article ,
"Lisa Simpson" wrote:

Based on your comments, now I am less sure I want the R75. My listening
interest is purely SW. Based on that, what tabletop model would be the
best?

Lotsa opinions expected! : }

My calendar: http://calendar.yahoo.com/public/earlwphillipsjr
"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Lisa Simpson" wrote:

ok, ya ready for a dumb question? : }

Does anyone have a used Icom R75 they're looking to sell?

As a novice listener I advise you to look for a different radio. The
controls are not intuitive and it would probably take me a while of
operating that radio to get the most from it. If you like tweaking the
radio then don't let this stop you. Some people like to play with the
controls and some don't.

If you spend more time listening to utility/ham/SSB than SW broadcast
then again you might consider the R75 but on the other hand if your
interests go the other way then consider another radio with better
sync, AGC and audio characteristics.

Importantly if you decide to get the R75 make sure it has all the
latest of the "mods" for the AGC, sync and audio. These "mods" either
fix or improve problems with that radios performance. Also this radio
has an optional DSP module. I would want that in the radio. If it has
all this stuff and is in good alignment and physical shape and your
listening interests support it then consider it.

One more thing, the speaker is small and poor sounding so expect to use
headphones or an inexpensive external bookshelf speaker with it.

Please post to the news group about what you get and how it works out
for you. Any table top radio will be a big step up from portable
performance with a outside antenna.

Good luck with your purchase and good listening to you.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Less than $500

"Buzzygirl" wrote in message
...

"Lisa Simpson" wrote in message
. ..
Based on your comments, now I am less sure I want the R75. My listening
interest is purely SW. Based on that, what tabletop model would be the
best?

Lisa: How much do you want to spend? That will likely effect which radios
get recommended...

Jackie

that helps a lot - thank you!

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 02:12:14 GMT, "Lisa Simpson"
wrote:

Based on your comments, now I am less sure I want the R75. My listening
interest is purely SW. Based on that, what tabletop model would be the
best?

Lotsa opinions expected! : }


If you want to buy new then you are limited to:
AOR 7300
Icom R75
NRD-545
Ten-Tec RX-340
Ten-Tec RX-350
Palstar R30 and it's variants (dependent on the filter choice)
Yaesu FRG-100

Of these, the Icom, Palstar and Yaesu are in the same price class
around 600 dollars, the others range from 1200 - 1800 dollars except
the RX-340 which is a bit over 4000 dollars.

Having gone through this decision myself the first thing I did was to
think about how much of my budget I wanted to put into the hobby and
that left me looking at the 600 dollar range. Was looking at the
Yaesu and Icom and was hard pressed to decide which to buy - ended up
with the Icom as I was able to pick one up that had been traded in
when the owner bought the RX-340. For the less than the Yaesu the
Icom had the extra filters I wanted (at the time - would consider
replacing the narrow with a wider filter for program listening), the
KIWA mods were done and it had the voice synthesizer. I've been happy
with it and will also testify that Telamon's comments about it are
valid - had I not been aware of the audio issue I would've been
disappointed with the radio. The manual is not very well written in
terms of explaining how to use some of the menu items and controls;
there is a Yahoo Group for R75 users (and is open to all) and you can
find decent support from folks there to compensate for the manual.

If you are okay with buying used try to find a Drake R8 series, if
somebody is willing to sell one 8-} Perhaps a JRC 515, 525 or 535 -
perhaps somebody familiar with those could comment on which is the
best to look for.

Hope that helps.

In article ,
"Lisa Simpson" wrote:

Less than $500

"Buzzygirl" wrote in message
...

"Lisa Simpson" wrote in message
. ..
Based on your comments, now I am less sure I want the R75. My listening
interest is purely SW. Based on that, what tabletop model would be the
best?

Lisa: How much do you want to spend? That will likely effect which radios
get recommended...

The Palstar R30C, Yaesu FRG-100 and Icom R75 are all around $600 new.

There are several nice condition Icom R71 radios on Ebay in the $300 to
$350 range. Currently no R75's on Ebay that I see or at Universal used
page except for the one demo unit for $10 less.

http://electronics.search.ebay.com/I...QQbsZSearchQQc
atrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQco pagenumZ1QQfgtpZQQfposZ
Q5AIPQ2fPostalQQfromZR2QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQftrtZ1QQf trvZ1QQlopgZQQsacatZ150
51QQsadisZ200QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQsaslcZ2QQsbrfto gZ1QQsofocusZunknown

There are some Drakes on Ebay. An SW8 might be a good choice and there
is an R8 and R8A for sale all currently under $500.

http://electronics.search.ebay.com/D...0QQbsZSearchQQ
catrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQc opagenumZ1QQfposZQ5AIPQ
2fPostalQQfromZR10QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQfstypeZ1QQftrt Z1QQftrvZ1QQsacatZ15051
QQsadisZ200QQsargnZQ2d1QQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofoc usZunknown

Here is a used Yaesu FRG-100 for the current bit of $202.49
http://cgi.ebay.com/Yaesu-FRG-100-Co...W0QQitemZ58564
93794QQcategoryZ15051QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

My first "real" radio was an R75. Even with the Kiwa mods and the DSP
unit I found it to de disappointing. I eventually sold it and bought a
Drake R8B.

I think the Palstar would be a good "starter" tabletop. If you decide
to get an even more high-end rig later, the Palstar would be great for
DXpeditions or other semi-poriable use. I've even considered getting
one just for the portability, but I've heard that Palstar might come
out with a new receiver this year so I'm holding off.

In article
,
Telamon wrote:

In article ,
"Lisa Simpson" wrote:

Less than $500

"Buzzygirl" wrote in message
...

"Lisa Simpson" wrote in message
. ..
Based on your comments, now I am less sure I want the R75. My listening
interest is purely SW. Based on that, what tabletop model would be the
best?

Lisa: How much do you want to spend? That will likely effect which radios
get recommended...

The Palstar R30C, Yaesu FRG-100 and Icom R75 are all around $600 new.

There are several nice condition Icom R71 radios on Ebay in the $300 to
$350 range. Currently no R75's on Ebay that I see or at Universal used
page except for the one demo unit for $10 less.

http://electronics.search.ebay.com/I...QQbsZSearchQQc
atrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQco pagenumZ1QQfgtpZQQfposZ
Q5AIPQ2fPostalQQfromZR2QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQftrtZ1QQf trvZ1QQlopgZQQsacatZ150
51QQsadisZ200QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQsaslcZ2QQsbrfto gZ1QQsofocusZunknown

There are some Drakes on Ebay. An SW8 might be a good choice and there
is an R8 and R8A for sale all currently under $500.

http://electronics.search.ebay.com/D...0QQbsZSearchQQ
catrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQc opagenumZ1QQfposZQ5AIPQ
2fPostalQQfromZR10QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQfstypeZ1QQftrt Z1QQftrvZ1QQsacatZ15051
QQsadisZ200QQsargnZQ2d1QQsaslcZ2QQsbrftogZ1QQsofoc usZunknown

Here is a used Yaesu FRG-100 for the current bit of $202.49
http://cgi.ebay.com/Yaesu-FRG-100-Co...W0QQitemZ58564
93794QQcategoryZ15051QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem

Looks like the search page results link is to long for my news reader to
handle but you can do your own search on Ebay.
http://electronics.listings.ebay.com...ve_Shortwave-R
adio_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ15051QQsocmdZListingItemLi st

Just use the search box to the left of the Shortwave Radio drop-down
menu using "Drake" or "Icom" as examples.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

In article .com,
"mike0219116" wrote:

My first "real" radio was an R75. Even with the Kiwa mods and the DSP
unit I found it to de disappointing. I eventually sold it and bought a
Drake R8B.

I think the Palstar would be a good "starter" tabletop. If you decide
to get an even more high-end rig later, the Palstar would be great for
DXpeditions or other semi-poriable use. I've even considered getting
one just for the portability, but I've heard that Palstar might come
out with a new receiver this year so I'm holding off.

I haven't had my hands on a R75 in any condition but you would think
that with the mods and DSP it would be a decent radio.

Out of the table top radios this is the only one that "appears" to me
that people would possibly have a problem operating. With a non-standard
AGC control setup on small concentric knobs I could see people turning
the wrong control by mistake. That together with the dual bandpass
control you could have the radio sounding very poor in short order.

With the mods the AGC and sync are supposed to be working with a visual
indication of when the sync is trying to lock and that should have been
a help and the audio is supposed to be improved.

What disappointed you about the R75? Was it that the audio was still
sub-par even with the mods and DSP? To tricky to operate?

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Telamon wrote:
In article .com,
"mike0219116" wrote:

My first "real" radio was an R75. Even with the Kiwa mods and the DSP
unit I found it to de disappointing. I eventually sold it and bought a
Drake R8B.

I think the Palstar would be a good "starter" tabletop. If you decide
to get an even more high-end rig later, the Palstar would be great for
DXpeditions or other semi-poriable use. I've even considered getting
one just for the portability, but I've heard that Palstar might come
out with a new receiver this year so I'm holding off.

I haven't had my hands on a R75 in any condition but you would think
that with the mods and DSP it would be a decent radio.

Out of the table top radios this is the only one that "appears" to me
that people would possibly have a problem operating. With a non-standard
AGC control setup on small concentric knobs I could see people turning
the wrong control by mistake. That together with the dual bandpass
control you could have the radio sounding very poor in short order.

With the mods the AGC and sync are supposed to be working with a visual
indication of when the sync is trying to lock and that should have been
a help and the audio is supposed to be improved.

What disappointed you about the R75? Was it that the audio was still
sub-par even with the mods and DSP? To tricky to operate?

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

My disappointment with the R75 probably had more to do with my
unrealistic expectations about the receiver than anything else. First
of all, I got into shortwave largely for broadcasting listening, which
is something that the R75 is simply not well suited for, especially out
of the box with its narrow filters and practically non-existent synch
detector. I had all of the Kiwa mods done and I did not find them to
make that much of a difference in terms of improving broadcast
listening. The synch, in particular, was barely better after the mod.
However, this was a few years ago and I think that there is a new
version of the synch mod available from Kiwa that is much better than
the one performed on my rig. I didn't find the audio to be much
improved, even with an outboard speaker. I thought the manual was
poorly written, but I got a much better grasp of the functions after
reading Harry Helm's shortwave handbook. I bought the R75 when the
R8B was still on the market, and I thought long and hard about what I
should buy. In the end, I tried to save some money by choosing the R75
with the knowledge that I would probably have to put out some more cash
for the mods. For my taste, the money I saved wasn't worth the
diminished experience. I sold my modded R75 on eBay for a good price
and bought a R8B about a year before it was discontinued. It was
everything I wanted in a receiver and more. I was worth every penny.
I thought it was so much better than the R75 in every possible way,
except for maybe the tuning knob.

In today's market, with the R8B long gone (except for used units),
the R75 is much more attractive IMO. If the mods have improved, as
they seem to have been, then that makes the R75 an even better option.
I should say that I also have an NRD 545, and that I have not found it
that much better than my R75 was, especially for $1,000+ more. I know
that the R8B vs. R75 debate has been well-played out here (I've read
all of the old threads that Google has archived) and that the debate is
often emotional. For my own tastes/preferences the Drake is far
superior to the R75. On the other hand, I can see why so many people
hold the R75 in such high much esteem, especially considering its
price-point. Its strengths are even more amplified in today's
tabletop market. In the end, the R75 just wasn't for me.

In article .com,
"mike0219116" wrote:

Telamon wrote:
In article .com,
"mike0219116" wrote:

My first "real" radio was an R75. Even with the Kiwa mods and the DSP
unit I found it to de disappointing. I eventually sold it and bought a
Drake R8B.

I think the Palstar would be a good "starter" tabletop. If you decide
to get an even more high-end rig later, the Palstar would be great for
DXpeditions or other semi-poriable use. I've even considered getting
one just for the portability, but I've heard that Palstar might come
out with a new receiver this year so I'm holding off.

I haven't had my hands on a R75 in any condition but you would think
that with the mods and DSP it would be a decent radio.

Out of the table top radios this is the only one that "appears" to me
that people would possibly have a problem operating. With a non-standard
AGC control setup on small concentric knobs I could see people turning
the wrong control by mistake. That together with the dual bandpass
control you could have the radio sounding very poor in short order.

With the mods the AGC and sync are supposed to be working with a visual
indication of when the sync is trying to lock and that should have been
a help and the audio is supposed to be improved.

What disappointed you about the R75? Was it that the audio was still
sub-par even with the mods and DSP? To tricky to operate?

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

My disappointment with the R75 probably had more to do with my
unrealistic expectations about the receiver than anything else. First
of all, I got into shortwave largely for broadcasting listening, which
is something that the R75 is simply not well suited for, especially out
of the box with its narrow filters and practically non-existent synch
detector. I had all of the Kiwa mods done and I did not find them to
make that much of a difference in terms of improving broadcast
listening. The synch, in particular, was barely better after the mod.
However, this was a few years ago and I think that there is a new
version of the synch mod available from Kiwa that is much better than
the one performed on my rig. I didn't find the audio to be much
improved, even with an outboard speaker. I thought the manual was
poorly written, but I got a much better grasp of the functions after
reading Harry Helm's shortwave handbook. I bought the R75 when the
R8B was still on the market, and I thought long and hard about what I
should buy. In the end, I tried to save some money by choosing the R75
with the knowledge that I would probably have to put out some more cash
for the mods. For my taste, the money I saved wasn't worth the
diminished experience. I sold my modded R75 on eBay for a good price
and bought a R8B about a year before it was discontinued. It was
everything I wanted in a receiver and more. I was worth every penny.
I thought it was so much better than the R75 in every possible way,
except for maybe the tuning knob.

In today's market, with the R8B long gone (except for used units),
the R75 is much more attractive IMO. If the mods have improved, as
they seem to have been, then that makes the R75 an even better option.
I should say that I also have an NRD 545, and that I have not found it
that much better than my R75 was, especially for $1,000+ more. I know
that the R8B vs. R75 debate has been well-played out here (I've read
all of the old threads that Google has archived) and that the debate is
often emotional. For my own tastes/preferences the Drake is far
superior to the R75. On the other hand, I can see why so many people
hold the R75 in such high much esteem, especially considering its
price-point. Its strengths are even more amplified in today's
tabletop market. In the end, the R75 just wasn't for me.

Thanks for writing about your experience with the R75.

The Drake R8B certainly a great rig and I enjoyed the R8 also when I
owned it previous to the R8B.

It's such a shame the R8B is not in production as it has most features
that people want for any kind of short wave listening. The Drake
equipment lives up to its specifications and works as you expect it too
out of the box.

Currently there is a used Drake R8 and also a R8A that is under $500 on
Ebay. The R8A is more money than the R8 but it has an improved sync and
ergonomics over the R8. The R8 delivers solid performance though.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Before I bought a R8B, I suspected that Passports claim that, "...the
R8B is the only non-professional receiver tested that gets everything
right...," was hyperbole. It turns out they were dead on with that
statement. I agree with your assessment about the R8B. I don't know
if there has ever been a more well-rounded receiver. I've told my
wife that if the house catches on fire, I'm saving (1) the R8B, (2)
her, and (3) the cats, in that order. I'll go back and get the 545
if it's convenient to do so. I should really qualify my
disappointment with the 545. Compared to the R8B, it not a good
broadcast rig. It's main problem is that there is only one AGC speed
(unless you're in SSB mode) and it's much too fast. The DSP
features like the fully adjustable filter, automatic notch, digital NR,
etc... are nice, but I've never picked up a station on my 545 that I
couldn't get on my R8B sans all the bells and whistles. I think that
if I did some more utility/SSB stuff, the 545 might pull ahead there
because the DSP can really clean-up those kinds of signals. One of the
major reasons I haven't sold it is that I have the wideband board
installed, and it's a surprisingly sensitive wideband rig. I have an
AOR discone up on the roof and the two play well together. The major
drawback is that the 545 wideband option suffers from a TON of birdies.
Oh...it's also a damn good looking rig and its silky-smooth tuning
knob is a joy to use, but it ain't a Drake by any stretch.