kaiser@jaws.DEC (Pete Kaiser 225-5441 HLO2-1/N10) (12/19/84)
Here's a summary of information people have passed on about portable short-wave
radios. The consensus seems to come to rest on the Sony ICF2002 and ICF-7600D
models, so I'm looking for a good price now. Other than the Uniden CR2021 (see
below about that) no other brand was mentioned. There were several mentions
of Sony models no longer sold.
Thanks to all who answered my request for information.
---Pete
Kaiser%JAWS.DEC@decwrl.arpa, Kaiser%BELKER.DEC@decwrl.arpa
{allegra|decvax|ihnp4|ucbvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-jaws!kaiser
DEC, 77 Reed Road (HLO2-1/N10), Hudson MA 01749 617/568-5441
================================================================================
Vikas Sontakke:
Currently SONY has two models which I think are the state of the art....
The[se] prices are taken from ... Modern Photography magazine.
(New York Mail Order) ICF7600A 7600D (digital)
Foto Cell $74.95 $168.95
Prestige Elec. $73.95 $151.95
Executive $75.50 $169.00
Martin Minow:
I bought a Sony shortwave radio and am quite satisfied. It was the
European version of the ICF-2002 (designated ICF-7600D). I got it
for about $180 from 47th Street Photo (800-221-7774).
Steve Sommars:
I'm happy with my Uniden CR-2021. [There was a flurry of USENET traffic on the
Uniden CR2021, which by all accounts was a terrific bargain. I called every-
place anyone mentioned; no one had it any more. One place said "We had 800 of
them, and they sold in 2 weeks." Too bad. --PK]
John Chew:
Finally! A chance to rave at someone about my favorite cute electronic
gadget! It may not be what you're looking for, but the other day I saw
the Sony IF2002 receiver in a store window and you can bet the GNP of a
developing country that it's what I'll be getting for Christmas.
Howard Gayle:
This is not a direct answer, but metainformation. If you write to
English Section
Radio Nederland Wereldomroep
Postbus 222
1200 JG Hilversum
The Netherlands
and ask for the Receiver Shopping List they'll send you a very
useful and free consumer guide to shortwave receivers. Also try
to find a recent edition of the World Radio TV Handbook, e.g. in
a library. In the back are receiver reviews.wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (12/21/84)
I've sent this as mail, but am posting it for general interest and because the long path to the addressee makes me fear it will not get through: Hi! I hope you saw my Uniden postings in net.ham-radio; several were long comparative reviews of the features of the Sony models vs. the Uniden. If you hadn't, let me know at the address below, and I'll send you copies (it won't be until after New Year, though, as I'll be on leave and cut off from net mail until I return). I recall seeing your initial query, but I think I didn't respond, being rather burnt-out from extensive radio-related newsgroup traffic. I can offer a few other comments, though, by now... One other radio, which, though discontinued, is still advertised and may be still available for around $100, is the Sony ICF-6500W. This is a portable with slide-rule dial and an LCD digital readout. Check your local newstand for copies of Popular Communications magazine and look in the ads. Also, 47th St. Photo was advertising this for around $70 in their latest catalog, so some of the other New York discounters may have it too. The Sony ICF-2002 is the same radio as the ICF-7600D. The difference is that the 2002 is the US (Sony of America) version, and has a US warranty. Don't expect any warranty service on a 7600D; it is grey-market. However, I bought a 7600D myself, as I don't think much of warranty service on this sort of thing -- I figure that, if it works when you get it, it will work at least as long as the warranty covers. My experience with the 7600D bears this out -- no trouble. The other difference is in the accessories. The New York discounters play games with these. They ask an extra $10 for the AC adapter, whcih they remove from the package and sell separately. The 7600D AC adapter is multi-voltage; the 2002's is 110 VAC only. If you travel overseas, the former would be useful. I bought neither, and made my own from one I had for a defunct calculator. Other accessories you should look for include an external battery pack. This holds 4 "C" cells and plugs into the external power jack on the 2002/7600D, to use instead of the 4 internal "AA" cells for longer battery life. It doesn't sound too great to me; it impedes the main advantage to the 2002/7600D -- the small size and extreme portability. This did NOT come with my 7600D, and I don't know if it was pulled out by the discounter (47th St.), or if it comes with the 2002 only. You may want a more protective carrying case for this radio than the soft cloth bag it comes with; check out camera cases -- one correspondent in RIB said that a "Lowe Pro Opti-Pouch" fit his 2002. However, I've checked camera stores and the Lowe catalog, and cannot find one that fits it right, in that or any other brand. Some almost fit, but are 1/4" too small in one direction. I bought a cheap lady's zippered small purse at Woolworth's that fit it, though. No foam padding but room for accessories and notepads, etc., with the radio. I would like a padded case with a belt loop, though, that would be conducive to hands-free operation while walking. Haven't found one yet. One other item, just published in the latest (this week!) Review of International Broadcasting: some ICF-2002's (and probably ICF-7600D's) suffered from a "pulling" malfunction in the SSB mode; a strong station near a weaker (when the radio was tuned to the weaker one) would cause the radio to shift off-frequency toward the strong signal. This only has an effect on you if you wanted to listen to amateur radio or utility traffic, not regular SW broadcasters. There is a factory modification, available as warranty-covered work, for this on 2002's. Recent 2002's have this change built in, of course. I don't know if Sony will even do this for money on the 7600D's. I haven't really noticed this on my 7600D, though, so the concern is academic for me. No data is yet available on the serial numbers the factory revisions began to be installed at, so I can't define a serial number range for "old" vs. "current" models of these radios. Regards, Will Martin USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA