[Premium-Rx] Longwave Receiver Recommendations?

Thu Apr 2 11:40:43 EDT 2020

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION  -- ANTENNA, ANTENNA, ANTENNA

  * Loops are a good bet if you don't have a lot of room.
  * A tuned loop will give you front-end selectivity.
  * Otherwise, most of these receivers with broadband front ends, might
    need a low pass filter on the front end.
  * I don't think there are any magic receivers.

My two cents,
Al


On 4/2/2020 11:10 AM, sm0aom at telia.com wrote:
> TRF receivers work as good as others, as long as their limitations are
> understood.
>
> Regarding the actual performance differences, the main aspect for a LW receiver
> is the selectivity. Sensitivity or noise figure are secondary, as long as the antennas are above "minimum size".
> When a reasonable compromise of antenna size is made, the large-signal performance is also somewhat secondary, as long as you do not live "next-door" to a transmitter site.
>
> In my soon 40 years of professional practice, long-wave receivers have mostly been encountered in maritime/naval and SIGINT roles.
>
> In the maritime services they were mostly used for 500 kHz watch-keeping or traffic channel,
> with quite small antennas, often long-wires or active antennas, the SRT AA300 was one common type.
>
> The most common receivers were Drake RR-1 and Skanti R-5001s.
> When the networks were reorganised, the RR-1 became phased-out and we standardised on the R-5001 for
> fixed frequency use and the SRT CR302 for frequency-agile use.
>
> Naval users had the Racal RA-117 with the LF converter RA-137 well into the 80s, but they were phased out
> in favour of the CR302 during the late 80s.  Submarine communications used RA-117 + RA-137s and some custom-built receivers for receiving shore-to-ship broadcasts.
>
> When submarine LF/VLF Morse broadcasts were abandoned in favour of MSK some 20 years ago,
> the Navy purchased a British-made high-performance receiver+modem system from a manufacturer whose name has escaped me.
>
> Most SIGINT people with interest in LW used the receiving system integrated in the Plath Watson-Watt DF equipment,
> sometimes supplemented with CR302 or CR91 receivers.
>
> If there are many strong out-of-band interferers, it is advisable to have a tunable preselector in-front, such as the one integrated into the Skanti R-5001.
>
> It was impossible to distinguish any performance differences by just listening,
> comparing the R-5001 and the SRT PS300 and CR302 combination on long-wave, despite the 1:4 price difference.
>
>
> 73/
> Karl-Arne
> SM0AOM
>
>
> ----Ursprungligt meddelande----
> Från : premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
> Datum : 2020-04-02 - 16:15 ()
> Till : premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
> Ämne : Re: [Premium-Rx] Longwave Receiver Recommendations?
>
> How about the RAK and RBA ?    They are ancient TRF boatanchor receivers
> with regen detectors, but many people have been amazed at how well they
> can perform. There is no mixer noise or birdies, unless you turn the
> regen up too much.  I had one about 50 years ago, and with a good
> antenna it was amazing.   In many ways, especially it's internal noise
> floor, it  was better than an R-389.
>
>         Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY
>
>
> On 4/2/20 7:38 AM, Clemens Ostergaard wrote:
>> And as long as we are mentioning boat anchors, let us not forget the RCA
>> SRR-11, with its range of 14-600 kcs and its 28 soldered in tubes. (and
>> wonderful mechanical construction). Used to have one but let it go, because
>> I could not establish the requisite antenna.
>>
>> Clemens
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 2, 2020 at 2:31 AM Heinz Breuer via Premium-Rx <
>> premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>>> How about the AEG E 1800A, the later DSP version of the E 1800/3?
>>> Also don’t forget the boatanchors R-389/URR, Telefunken E 108 LW and
>>> Siemens E 311 e2 with E 350 longwave adapter or even a Lorenz Lo 6L39 which
>>> is the longwave version of the pre WW II short wave receiver Lo 6K39. This
>>> is a TRF receiver with six tuned circuits.
>>>
>>> I have several of the receivers above (unfortunately no Lo 6L39) but my
>>> location in the middle of severe man made noise from my neighbors by
>>> switchmode power supplies, Chinese cell phone chargers and powerline
>>> ethernet adapters makes reception difficult.
>>>
>>> vy 73 Heinz DH2FA, KM5VT
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Von meinem iPhone gesendet
>>>
>>>> Am 02.04.2020 um 00:16 schrieb Edward via Premium-Rx <
>>> premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>:
>>>> Greetings to the Group!
>>>>
>>>> I have built up quite a collection of Premium Rx and would like to know
>>> what you would consider as the ideal rx for reception of the Longwave band.
>>> I have high hopes for this, as I put up a couple of antennas that are quite
>>> suitable for LW. I am also in the Middle East and hope to hear some
>>> Europeans and N African stations, plus NDBs.
>>>> I plan to dedicate 3-4 Rx for this so pls give me your top 3-5 choices
>>> from the following:
>>>> -WJ HF-1000A
>>>> -WJ 8711A
>>>> -WJ URR-74
>>>> -Harris R-2368
>>>> -Racal RA-3791
>>>> -Racal RA-6793
>>>> -Racal RA-6790/GM
>>>> -Hagenuk RX-1001M
>>>> -AEG E1800/3 (aka Telefunken)
>>>> -Telefunken E-1501
>>>> -JRC NRD-93
>>>> -JRC NRD-75
>>>> -Drake RR-3
>>>> -Collins 651-S1
>>>>
>>>> Plus some SDRs.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks & 73,
>>>> Ed NI6S/7Z1ES
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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-- 
Al Klase – N3FRQ
Jersey City, NJ
http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/