[Premium-Rx] Best Premium Receiver?

Tue Nov 6 16:16:55 EST 2007

Hi Don,

>I still have not any DX where the 7800 does better than the SE-3 combined
>with WJ8712P/HF-1000A/8711A.

This statement sounds very much different
(and no mention of the SE3,either!)
to your original posting - to which my criticism referred to - on this list on September 04, 
2005,
which reads (excerpt):
>>My icom7800 does not hold a candle to the wj8712p/wj8711a/hf1000a for TP<<
>>medium wave dxing, nor weak  signal recovery on the shortwave bands.<<

>And why did the 9500, which I am told has the same receiver circuitry as the
>7800, not get rave reviews?

In German ham magazine "Funkamateur" the IC-9500  received exceptional
high marks in any respect from the testers which were Christoph Ratzer (ratzer.at),
a European top BC DXer, who did extensive on-the air tests with crucial bc stations
(see his recorded files)
and a professional rf engineer (which also ham) who did the benchmark tests.

>Maybe you aren't tuning the difficult dx signals (try the remaining RRI
>stations down around 2910kHz  - they are difficult to bring from carrier to
>audible signal down on the left coast. The 7800 hasn't done this feat in
>three times I have had it on channel in parallel with the WJ/SE3.

Did you try the 7800 in ECSS mode?
Of course that sounds not as good as synch am but it should give a similar readibility.

>Further, the SDR technology is far more interesting than a either the WJ or
>7800.

I agree.That's the future.

>I am close to putting the 7800 up on ebay to fund a gaggle of SDR's.

But beware,You won't find an if output for your SE3 either.

73
Clemens
DL4RAJ

Clemens

I still have not any DX where the 7800 does better than the SE-3 combined
with WJ8712P/HF-1000A/8711A. Yes, I still have all 13 of the WJ's purchased,
as well as the lone 7800.

Would I purchase additional 7800's?  No! (nor 9500 nor 7200) My experiences
on weak dx across the ocean (not across the pond of the atlantic, nor in the
strong signal environment of Europe) indicate that I don't have a need.

And why did the 9500, which I am told has the same receiver circuitry as the
7800, not get rave reviews? More of your "biased nonsense"?

And I found no means to connect the SE3 up to the 7800 - the IF just isn't
created and accessible, even for conversion to that needed by the SE-3.
Perhaps you can share your tricks with us?  (And it's the combination of the
SE-3 with the WJ hardware that makes it so effective. You know that the
synch detector of the WJ hardware by itself won't be as effective, don't
you?)

So we can all play around comparing the lengths of our specs, but it is only
in actual use that you will see a difference.

Maybe you aren't tuning the difficult dx signals (try the remaining RRI
stations down around 2910kHz  - they are difficult to bring from carrier to
audible signal down on the left coast. The 7800 hasn't done this feat in
three times I have had it on channel in parallel with the WJ/SE3.

Maybe your strong signal environment in Europe favors your use of the 7800.
The additional 3kHz roofing filter may help you (remember that the WJ's have
either a 8kHz or 16kHz roofing filter don't they?- at least mine do).

You really do need to consider the differences in operating environment
don't you?  Your results may be quite different. Does that make other's
results wrong? Only in your eyes.

Further, the SDR technology is far more interesting than a either the WJ or
7800. John and Guy already showed the advantages of spectrum saving and
review under the conditions we see on the west coast (openings of short
duration on TPDX) - saving a swath of weak spectrum and review it later. Guy
and John at QCI have found and reviewed some very interesting TPMWDX using
SDRs** - tough ones like a number of India MW stations and middle east MW
>from the WC. (No, not the easy to hear most winter night SW stations on
49m).  Perhaps these are easier to hear from Europe - its certainly closer
to you.

I am close to putting the 7800 up on ebay to fund a gaggle of SDR's.

Don
AC7ZG

** and the SDR's were certainly less expensive than the 7800 or WJ's....

-----Original Message-----
From: premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Clemens Paul
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 2:16 PM
To: Premium-Rx at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Premium-Rx] Best Premium Receiver?

Hi Ed,

the "biased nonsense" was indeed not referred to your own comment but to the
content of your sources.
As to the first one, from Don AC7ZG, you may go to the archives and read the
discussion
with Don around 5th September 2005, so we need not to rehash it here.

As to the second source,I think you meant your own experiences,did you ever
try
it the other way round and connect the SE3 to the 7800 and let the HF1000A
use its own
synch detector?
This test setup would seem a bit less biased.

73
Clemens
DL4RAJ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Aidehua at aol.com
To: cpaul at gmx.net
Cc: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 9:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Best Premium Receiver?

Clemens:

Thank you for your feedback  regarding my "nonsense" comment.  I derived my
information from two  sources.  The first was from "Dave's Reciver Page"
which
cites the  following:
"My icom7800 does not hold a candle to the WJ8712p/WJ8711a/HF1000a  for TP
medium wave dxing, nor weak signal recovery on the shortwave  bands.

Like the ICOM756pro2 and 3, the 7800 has an attenuator in  circuit below
1700kHz to prevent overload by AM stations. Guy Atkins has made  some
circuit
changes to his pro3 to bring it into play as a weak signal MW  receiver,
including
removing the attenuation circuit and replacing the roofing  filter with one
of the 6kHz versions from the 7800. (I've not similarly  butchered my
IC-7800)

Don AC7ZG

PS:  I've used one of my  WJ8711A's for receive (disabled during transmit)
along with the IC-7800 to do  some very weak signal ham radio qso's -- the
7800
could not keep  up."
(http://www.ticon.net/~n9ewo/wj8711user.html, accessed 11/2/07)
This  comment prompted me to conduct my own tests, as I have both the 7800
and the  HF-1000A, among other receivers.  I indeed concur with Don's
comments,
especially on BCB where I could discern signals uncopiable on the 7800.
Also tried it on 49m and the same applies.  To boot, I used Sherwood's SE-3
with
the HF-1000A, making some tropoical band signals audibly enjoyable.
Nothing
like listening to "Salsa" music on 49m/60m through an SE-3 and external
amp!

Would love to have a 9500 to compare with, but even the 2008  "Passport"
review doesn't give its sych detector high marks.  I still  prefer to hang
onto my
HF-1000A/SE-3 combo.  It's the best for me.....Just  my biased opinion....

73,
Ed NI6S

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