[Premium-Rx] Premium-Rx Digest, Vol 203, Issue 1
joseph.bozzer at skynet.be
joseph.bozzer at skynet.be
Mon Jul 3 05:36:41 EDT 2023
A very good and sensible receiver is the NRD92 or NRD93 of JRC
I had the occasion to compare it with a IC-R9500 and the sensitivity is really the same
Le 3 juil. 2023 à 10:25, premium-rx-request at mailman.qth.net a écrit :
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Help choosing HF receiver (sm0aom at telia.com)
2. Re: Help choosing HF receiver (Arthur Delibert)
3. Re: Help choosing HF receiver (Joseph Pistritto)
4. Re: Help choosing HF receiver (SCOTT MCDONALD)
5. Rohde Schwarz EK070 for sale (Kai Garrels)
6. Re: Help choosing HF receiver (Joe Jesson)
7. Fw: Help choosing HF receiver (Enrique Fernandez Garc?a)
8. Fw: Help choosing HF receiver (Enrique Fernandez Garc?a)
9. Re: Help choosing HF receiver (Bruce Gentry)
10. Re: Fw: Help choosing HF receiver (sm0aom at telia.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2023 22:55:41 +0200 (CEST)
From: "sm0aom at telia.com" <sm0aom at telia.com>
To: Enrique Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>,
premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID:
<2101921665.192806.1688244941735.JavaMail.defaultUser at defaultHost>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Decades ago, I was involved in evaluation of HFreceivers for diplomatic and SIGINT purposes.
Many receivers were tested, but the RA3701and later the 3791 won out due to price/performance.
The EK890 (predecessor to the EK895) was good, but too expensive, and the WJ8711 came quite far down the list,
mostly due to audio distorsion and "buggy" software. Also, the synthesiser did not live up to expectations.
Today, when the spectrum occupancy by strong BC stations is much smaller, the demands on the synthesiser become a lot less,
so the extremely good signal handling properties of the E1800 and similar receivers are not needed in the same extent.
Even quite mundane receivers tend to give good performance today, as the ambient noise floor is much higher now which will
mask spuriouses and intermodulation artifacts quite well.
73/Karl-Arne
SM0AOM
----Ursprungligt meddelande----
Fr?n : premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Datum : 2023-07-01 - 22:34 ()
Till : premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
?mne : [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Dear group,
After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was quite noisy.
I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since I am a bit confused in this aspect.
I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and audio in general is quite important.
After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind these receivers (in no special order):
-Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA 3701.
-Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF design and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not have the additional independent IF BW options
- R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
- WJ 8711A
- Cubic CDR-3280
Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from the above?
Thanks in advance
Regards
______________________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 11:41:01 +0000
From: Arthur Delibert <radio75a3 at msn.com>
To: "premium-rx at mailman.qth.net" <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>, Enrique
Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID:
<CY8PR20MB5714CAA7E4EBFA7FD36B391FE428A at CY8PR20MB5714.namprd20.prod.outlook.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Although not on your list, I would suggest the Ten-Tec RX340. I have been using one for several years and find it extremely capable. (I had also tried the AR-7030, NRD-545, etc., but when I run them side-by-side with the 340, the 340 is the winner.) The SSB audio quality is excellent, bandwidths are extremely flexible, and ergonomics are thoughtfully designed. It's surprisingly light-weight and has a smaller footprint on the desk than most other professional receivers.
There are two drawbacks. First, the close-in dynamic range is poor. In practice, this is rarely a problem, especially in the tropical bands. It could be a real problem in the ham bands, where strong signals can pop up anywhere, any time. Second, the synchronous AM doesn't hold lock as well as some consumer receivers; this can be remedied with the Sherwood Engineering SE-3 synchronous detector.
I suggest you try to find John Wilson's review of the 340 in the October 2001 Short Wave Magazine. He gives a much better feel for the radio than does Larry Magne's review in Passport. For example, Magne criticizes the 340 because not all bandwidths are available in all modes; that could be a real limitation, but Wilson explains that in practice, for the synch detector the bandwidth must be at least 4 kHz (not a problem is you're using the Sherwood SE-3, in which case you can use any BW), and for ISB the bandwidth is fixed at 3.2 kHz. Otherwise, all BWs are available in all modes.
Regards,
Art Delibert, KB3FJO
________________________________
From: premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net <premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Enrique Fernandez Garc?a via Premium-Rx <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 1, 2023 4:34 PM
To: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Dear group,
After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was quite noisy.
I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since I am a bit confused in this aspect.
I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and audio in general is quite important.
After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind these receivers (in no special order):
-Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA 3701.
-Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF design and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not have the additional independent IF BW options
- R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
- WJ 8711A
- Cubic CDR-3280
Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from the above?
Thanks in advance
Regards
______________________________________________________________
Premium-RX Mailing List Information
Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 07:03:57 -0700
From: Joseph Pistritto <jcp at pistritto.org>
To: Arthur Delibert <radio75a3 at msn.com>
Cc: "premium-rx at mailman.qth.net" <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID:
<CAERTgXfX2GnuSSoUKbRLKWkJn3T=PGGYhiQjDEqQpyi70DJfJw at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
i have one of these (Ten Tec RX340) that i acquired from another collector
who passed on. Ive used it a lot to receive longwave signals and its the
most capable receiver ive personally used for this. (example: the
Differential GPS longwave stations) as well as a lot of shortwave utility
monitoring.
I really like the way the receiver looks in the rack i have it in (there's
also an oak cabinet available which i have too) and its extremely easy to
use.
I have an SE-3 (that i got with the receiver) but i havent actually used it
with the receiver.
So second the motion on the RX-340. I do see them for sale from time to
time on Ebay.
-jcp-
N3CKF
On Sun, Jul 2, 2023 at 4:41?AM Arthur Delibert via Premium-Rx <
premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> Although not on your list, I would suggest the Ten-Tec RX340. I have been
> using one for several years and find it extremely capable. (I had also
> tried the AR-7030, NRD-545, etc., but when I run them side-by-side with the
> 340, the 340 is the winner.) The SSB audio quality is excellent,
> bandwidths are extremely flexible, and ergonomics are thoughtfully
> designed. It's surprisingly light-weight and has a smaller footprint on
> the desk than most other professional receivers.
>
> There are two drawbacks. First, the close-in dynamic range is poor. In
> practice, this is rarely a problem, especially in the tropical bands. It
> could be a real problem in the ham bands, where strong signals can pop up
> anywhere, any time. Second, the synchronous AM doesn't hold lock as well
> as some consumer receivers; this can be remedied with the Sherwood
> Engineering SE-3 synchronous detector.
>
> I suggest you try to find John Wilson's review of the 340 in the October
> 2001 Short Wave Magazine. He gives a much better feel for the radio than
> does Larry Magne's review in Passport. For example, Magne criticizes the
> 340 because not all bandwidths are available in all modes; that could be a
> real limitation, but Wilson explains that in practice, for the synch
> detector the bandwidth must be at least 4 kHz (not a problem is you're
> using the Sherwood SE-3, in which case you can use any BW), and for ISB
> the bandwidth is fixed at 3.2 kHz. Otherwise, all BWs are available in all
> modes.
>
> Regards,
> Art Delibert, KB3FJO
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net <
> premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Enrique Fernandez Garc?a
> via Premium-Rx <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, July 1, 2023 4:34 PM
> To: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
>
> Dear group,
>
> After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio
> SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional
> receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was
> quite noisy.
>
> I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in
> the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since
> I am a bit confused in this aspect.
>
> I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and
> SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and
> audio in general is quite important.
>
> After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind
> these receivers (in no special order):
>
> -Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA
> 3701.
> -Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF
> design and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not
> have the additional independent IF BW options
> - R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
> - WJ 8711A
> - Cubic CDR-3280
>
> Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from
> the above?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Regards
> ______________________________________________________________
> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
> ______________________________________________________________
> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
>
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 10:01:21 -0500
From: SCOTT MCDONALD <ka9p at aol.com>
To: Joseph Pistritto <jcp at pistritto.org>
Cc: Premium-Rx at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID: <AD0E560C-B696-4382-842B-3E7BD93C27FE at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Enrique,
I?m also a big fan of the 340, particularly because I find the audio less annoying than the 8711 or the HF-1000. Definitely worth a look.
I can scan the John Wilson review article Art mentioned if you need it, just contact me direct.
There?s also a nice HF to TT head to head comparison from Listening In June 2001 by George Zeller.
Happy hunting.
Scott ka9p
Make something good happen!
> On Jul 2, 2023, at 9:04 AM, Joseph Pistritto via Premium-Rx <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
> ?i have one of these (Ten Tec RX340) that i acquired from another collector
> who passed on. Ive used it a lot to receive longwave signals and its the
> most capable receiver ive personally used for this. (example: the
> Differential GPS longwave stations) as well as a lot of shortwave utility
> monitoring.
> I really like the way the receiver looks in the rack i have it in (there's
> also an oak cabinet available which i have too) and its extremely easy to
> use.
> I have an SE-3 (that i got with the receiver) but i havent actually used it
> with the receiver.
>
> So second the motion on the RX-340. I do see them for sale from time to
> time on Ebay.
> -jcp-
> N3CKF
>
>
>
>> On Sun, Jul 2, 2023 at 4:41?AM Arthur Delibert via Premium-Rx <
>> premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>> Although not on your list, I would suggest the Ten-Tec RX340. I have been
>> using one for several years and find it extremely capable. (I had also
>> tried the AR-7030, NRD-545, etc., but when I run them side-by-side with the
>> 340, the 340 is the winner.) The SSB audio quality is excellent,
>> bandwidths are extremely flexible, and ergonomics are thoughtfully
>> designed. It's surprisingly light-weight and has a smaller footprint on
>> the desk than most other professional receivers.
>>
>> There are two drawbacks. First, the close-in dynamic range is poor. In
>> practice, this is rarely a problem, especially in the tropical bands. It
>> could be a real problem in the ham bands, where strong signals can pop up
>> anywhere, any time. Second, the synchronous AM doesn't hold lock as well
>> as some consumer receivers; this can be remedied with the Sherwood
>> Engineering SE-3 synchronous detector.
>>
>> I suggest you try to find John Wilson's review of the 340 in the October
>> 2001 Short Wave Magazine. He gives a much better feel for the radio than
>> does Larry Magne's review in Passport. For example, Magne criticizes the
>> 340 because not all bandwidths are available in all modes; that could be a
>> real limitation, but Wilson explains that in practice, for the synch
>> detector the bandwidth must be at least 4 kHz (not a problem is you're
>> using the Sherwood SE-3, in which case you can use any BW), and for ISB
>> the bandwidth is fixed at 3.2 kHz. Otherwise, all BWs are available in all
>> modes.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Art Delibert, KB3FJO
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net <
>> premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Enrique Fernandez Garc?a
>> via Premium-Rx <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
>> Sent: Saturday, July 1, 2023 4:34 PM
>> To: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
>> Subject: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
>>
>> Dear group,
>>
>> After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio
>> SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional
>> receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was
>> quite noisy.
>>
>> I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in
>> the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since
>> I am a bit confused in this aspect.
>>
>> I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and
>> SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and
>> audio in general is quite important.
>>
>> After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind
>> these receivers (in no special order):
>>
>> -Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA
>> 3701.
>> -Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF
>> design and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not
>> have the additional independent IF BW options
>> - R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
>> - WJ 8711A
>> - Cubic CDR-3280
>>
>> Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from
>> the above?
>>
>> Thanks in advance
>> Regards
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
>> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
>> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
>> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
>> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
>> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
>> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
>> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
>> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 19:05:54 +0200
From: Kai Garrels <kai.garrels at me.com>
To: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Premium-Rx] Rohde Schwarz EK070 for sale
Message-ID: <1FEAE37E-4B0A-4A43-8924-E952ED775ECB at me.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Hi,
I am offering my EK070 for sale, details are here:
https://www.fa-kleinanzeigen.de/biete/empfanger-scanner_1/rohde-und-schwarz-ek070_i43563 <https://www.fa-kleinanzeigen.de/biete/empfanger-scanner_1/rohde-und-schwarz-ek070_i43563>
Recevier location is Mannheim/Germany.
73,
kai dm2kg
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 16:36:16 -0400
From: Joe Jesson <jejesson4 at gmail.com>
To: Enrique Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>
Cc: Premium Premium receiver <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID:
<CAN=BUM-069V5Bp81kow8E50RpweOcgDUnOkfhtboeUuX8RezRA at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
I also like AM DXing and my favorite classic is the Scott Philharmonic
crome-plated radio. The Wj-8718 had terrible audio until I realized I had
to match the radio's audio output of 600 ohm to a 3.2 ohm speaker. All was
good after that.
If you want to try BCB dxing on the latest SDR receiver (Airspy HF +
Discovery) with an active regenerative loop, I think you will be surprised!
Adding a klipsch speaker was like icing on the cake :-)
On Sat, Jul 1, 2023, 4:34 PM Enrique Fernandez Garc?a via Premium-Rx <
premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> Dear group,
>
> After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio
> SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional
> receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was
> quite noisy.
>
> I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in
> the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since
> I am a bit confused in this aspect.
>
> I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and
> SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and
> audio in general is quite important.
>
> After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind
> these receivers (in no special order):
>
> -Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA
> 3701.
> -Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF
> design and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not
> have the additional independent IF BW options
> - R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
> - WJ 8711A
> - Cubic CDR-3280
>
> Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from
> the above?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Regards
> ______________________________________________________________
> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
>
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 20:57:01 +0000 (UTC)
From: Enrique Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>
To: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Premium-Rx] Fw: Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID: <1896678621.2154992.1688331421614 at mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
First of all a big thank you to everyone who took the time in answer,
I have some thoughts in the receivers that have been suggested:
AEG Telefunken 1800/3 : It is not a suitable receiver for shortwave listeners, lack of filters and more, I have been reading some review in the fenu radio website:
https://www.fenu-radio.ch/AEG_Telefunken-E1800-3-en.htm
Telefunken E1501: has highpass filters inside, on MW is desensitised, bandwidth filters are poorly selected for voice understandability , needs a QRM free location, not mine regrettably.
https://www.fenu-radio.ch/Telefunken_E1501-en.htm
WJ 8711a: Audio distortion
WJ8716A: I have read some reviews and it seems a very good radio, I will keep investigating
EKD500: needs laarge antennas, it would not work correctly with my Wellbrook. I read that the perfomance is equal to an JRC 545.:
https://www.fenu-radio.ch/RFT_EKD-500-en.htm
Ten Tec RX340: At very weak signals Telefunken 1501 has a much better audio recovery and has clear sound. Add a SE-3 would be expensive:
https://www.fenu-radio.ch/Ten-Tec_RX340-en.htm
I would bet for the RA3701 or the 3711 ( I have not found much information about this 3711), compared with the AEG 1800/3 it seems that plays in the same league. I will keep an eye on the 3701.
https://www.fenu-radio.ch/RACAL_RA3712-en.htm
I discard the EK895 the are like hen's teeth in finding one.
Regards
----- Mensaje reenviado ----- De: Arthur Delibert <radio75a3 at msn.com>Para: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>; Enrique Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>Enviado: domingo, 2 de julio de 2023, 13:41:04 CESTAsunto: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
#yiv7991857453 P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;}Although not on your list, I would suggest the Ten-Tec RX340.? I have been using one for several years and find it extremely capable.? (I had also tried the AR-7030, NRD-545, etc., but when I run them side-by-side with the 340, the 340 is the winner.)? The SSB audio quality is excellent, bandwidths are extremely flexible, and ergonomics are thoughtfully designed.? It's surprisingly light-weight and has a smaller footprint on the desk than most other professional receivers.
There are two drawbacks.? First, the close-in dynamic range is poor.? In practice, this is rarely a problem, especially in the tropical bands.? It could be a real problem in the ham bands, where strong signals can pop up anywhere, any time.? Second, the synchronous AM doesn't hold lock as well as some consumer receivers; this can be remedied with the Sherwood Engineering SE-3 synchronous detector.
I suggest you try to find John Wilson's review of the 340 in the October 2001 Short Wave Magazine.? He gives a much better feel for the radio than does Larry Magne's review in Passport.? For example, Magne criticizes the 340 because not all bandwidths are available in all modes; that could be a real limitation, but Wilson explains that in practice, for the synch detector the bandwidth must be at least 4 kHz (not a problem is you're using the Sherwood SE-3, in which case? you can use any BW), and for ISB the bandwidth is fixed at 3.2 kHz.? Otherwise, all BWs are available in all modes.
Regards,Art Delibert, KB3FJO
From: premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net <premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Enrique Fernandez Garc?a via Premium-Rx <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 1, 2023 4:34 PM
To: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver?Dear group,
After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was quite noisy.
I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since I am a bit confused in this aspect.
I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and audio in general is quite important.
After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind these receivers (in no special order):
?-Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA 3701.
?-Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF design? and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not have the additional independent IF BW options
- R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
- WJ 8711A
- Cubic CDR-3280
?Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from the above?
?Thanks in advance
?Regards
______________________________________________________________
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Message: 8
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 21:17:28 +0000 (UTC)
From: Enrique Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>
To: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Premium-Rx] Fw: Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID: <1129006651.2170517.1688332648584 at mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Hello Joe,
Yes, an EK895 owner told me that the perfomance was very similar,almost equal, to the Airspy HF+ discovery not discerneable difference.
I have already got a SDR receiver, a Winradio G33DDC Excalibur Pro, I am not very happy with it. Every now and then overloads, it has fitted a preselector and attenuator but I am not totally convinced about the perfomance.
For my taste is too noisy, comparing weak signals my Lowe HF-150 is equal if not better in most cases. As antenna I use a Wellbrook ALA 100M.
Maybe I should add add an external USB card in order to improve the Winradio.
Regards.
----- Mensaje reenviado ----- De: Joe Jesson <jejesson4 at gmail.com>Para: Enrique Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>CC: Premium Premium receiver <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>Enviado: domingo, 2 de julio de 2023, 22:36:29 CESTAsunto: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
I also like AM DXing and my favorite classic is the Scott Philharmonic crome-plated radio.? The Wj-8718 had terrible audio until I realized I had to match the radio's audio output of 600 ohm to a 3.2 ohm speaker. All was good after that.
If you want to try BCB dxing on the latest SDR receiver (Airspy HF + Discovery) with an active regenerative loop, I think you will be surprised! Adding a klipsch speaker was like icing on the cake :-)
On Sat, Jul 1, 2023, 4:34 PM Enrique Fernandez Garc?a via Premium-Rx <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
Dear group,
After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was quite noisy.
I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since I am a bit confused in this aspect.
I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and audio in general is quite important.
After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind these receivers (in no special order):
?-Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA 3701.
?-Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF design? and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not have the additional independent IF BW options
- R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
- WJ 8711A
- Cubic CDR-3280
?Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from the above?
?Thanks in advance
?Regards
______________________________________________________________
Premium-RX Mailing List Information
Home:? https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
Help Page:? ?http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post to Group eMail:? ?premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Help Contact eMail:? 73 at 73.am
Web Home Page:? http://www.premium-rx.org/
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2023 00:01:42 -0400
From: Bruce Gentry <ka2ivy at verizon.net>
To: "premium-rx at mailman.qth.net" <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID: <6b1eb4a6-1c79-8993-e3fd-5931022c66db at verizon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
A Scott Philharmonic is quite good, but would likely be very pricey. A
more practical and excellent sounding rig for BCB listening and SWL is a
Hammarlund SP-400. If you want a great sounding consumer console
receiver, the Philco 37-690 properly restored is awesome. I had both the
Scott and the Philco, the Philco was hands down the better sounding one
for oldies stations, it ROCKS!. The Scott has four 6L6s in push pull
parallel, I always thought it sounded sort of harsh. the Philco and
Hammarlund have variable coupling in the IF transformers so you can
adjust the selectivity for exactly what suits the occasion. There is no
doubt the Scott is the best for style. Be ready to replace all of the
paper and electrolytic condensers in all of them, and test the resistors
because they usually drift upward in resistance. Once you get any of
them, power them with no more than 115 volts, or better yet, 110. They
are all 70-75 years old, and power transformers are not as robust now
and getting them rewound is pricey. For serious voice broadcast DX, a
Collins R-390- NOT the 390A- sounds good if you take the audio from the
"diode load" terminals on back. The built in audio is strictly
communications quality. The 390A uses mechanical filters, they don't
sound that good for music. With the changes in programming, there are so
few music stations on AM today. Overall sound pleasure is very personal,
if possible listen to and try a prospective choice. The right choice is
the one that YOU enjoy, for sound and style.
?? Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY
On 7/2/23 16:36, Joe Jesson via Premium-Rx wrote:
> I also like AM DXing and my favorite classic is the Scott Philharmonic
> crome-plated radio. The Wj-8718 had terrible audio until I realized I had
> to match the radio's audio output of 600 ohm to a 3.2 ohm speaker. All was
> good after that.
>
> If you want to try BCB dxing on the latest SDR receiver (Airspy HF +
> Discovery) with an active regenerative loop, I think you will be surprised!
> Adding a klipsch speaker was like icing on the cake :-)
>
>
> On Sat, Jul 1, 2023, 4:34 PM Enrique Fernandez Garc?a via Premium-Rx <
> premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
>> Dear group,
>>
>> After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio
>> SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional
>> receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was
>> quite noisy.
>>
>> I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in
>> the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since
>> I am a bit confused in this aspect.
>>
>> I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and
>> SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and
>> audio in general is quite important.
>>
>> After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind
>> these receivers (in no special order):
>>
>> -Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA
>> 3701.
>> -Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF
>> design and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not
>> have the additional independent IF BW options
>> - R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
>> - WJ 8711A
>> - Cubic CDR-3280
>>
>> Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from
>> the above?
>>
>> Thanks in advance
>> Regards
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
>> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
>> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
>> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
>> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
>>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Premium-RX Mailing List Information
> Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
> Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
> Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
> Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2023 10:25:22 +0200 (CEST)
From: "sm0aom at telia.com" <sm0aom at telia.com>
To: enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es, premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] Fw: Help choosing HF receiver
Message-ID:
<447850441.176436.1688372722320.JavaMail.defaultUser at defaultHost>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
The perceived receiver performance is influenced primarily by factors that the user
has very little influence over; the noise/RF environment and the adjacent channel properties of other transmitters.
It is very seldom that receiver characteristics or performance themselves will have a governing influence.
I speak from some 40 years professional experience of specifying, assenbling and operating large HF systems for both civilian and
defence purposes, using equipment ranging from "cheap" to "extremely expensive".
SDR:s today have an edge in almost all aspects, and their only shortcoming is when extremely strong (>120 dB over the noise floor)
unwanted signals are encountered, such as when operating with co-located transmitters.
The Winradio Excalibur surpasses almost all analogue receivers, but receivers such as the E1800 have a slight advantage when
such signals are encountered, as they "degrade gracefully" when the adjacent channel signals increase.
One recent system was assembled using second-hand SRT CR91 receivers which replaced ageing (45-50 years of H24 operation)
SRT CR300 receivers. The main difference became that the control system was simplified and the spare parts situation became more manageable. Performance-wise there were very small, if any, differences,
The reader should be quite suspicious about claims of "wonder receivers", as the main characteristics of a MF/HF receiving system
are determined outside the receiver itself by the RF environment. Abilities to handle strong adjacent channel or out-of-band signals
will have the most influence performance-wise, with IF and audio passband shape next.
When listening to weak AM signals, it pays to use demodulation methods
that make the most out of the received signal energy, such as synchronous demodulation and "exalted carrier reception".
73/Karl-Arne
SM0AOM
----Ursprungligt meddelande----
Fr?n : premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Datum : 2023-07-02 - 23:17 ()
Till : premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
?mne : [Premium-Rx] Fw: Help choosing HF receiver
Hello Joe,
Yes, an EK895 owner told me that the perfomance was very similar,almost equal, to the Airspy HF+ discovery not discerneable difference.
I have already got a SDR receiver, a Winradio G33DDC Excalibur Pro, I am not very happy with it. Every now and then overloads, it has fitted a preselector and attenuator but I am not totally convinced about the perfomance.
For my taste is too noisy, comparing weak signals my Lowe HF-150 is equal if not better in most cases. As antenna I use a Wellbrook ALA 100M.
Maybe I should add add an external USB card in order to improve the Winradio.
Regards.
----- Mensaje reenviado ----- De: Joe Jesson <jejesson4 at gmail.com>Para: Enrique Fernandez Garc?a <enriqueeeeee2001 at yahoo.es>CC: Premium Premium receiver <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>Enviado: domingo, 2 de julio de 2023, 22:36:29 CESTAsunto: Re: [Premium-Rx] Help choosing HF receiver
I also like AM DXing and my favorite classic is the Scott Philharmonic crome-plated radio.? The Wj-8718 had terrible audio until I realized I had to match the radio's audio output of 600 ohm to a 3.2 ohm speaker. All was good after that.
If you want to try BCB dxing on the latest SDR receiver (Airspy HF + Discovery) with an active regenerative loop, I think you will be surprised! Adding a klipsch speaker was like icing on the cake :-)
On Sat, Jul 1, 2023, 4:34 PM Enrique Fernandez Garc?a via Premium-Rx <premium-rx at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
Dear group,
After having some conventional receivers, Drakes, Lowe, AOR and a Winradio SDR I have decided to make a step further and geting a professional receiver, although I had already got a Racal 1772 and for my taste it was quite noisy.
I would be very pleased if the members of this forum could indicate me in the right direction and throw some light in which receiver to choose since I am a bit confused in this aspect.
I am mainly interested in voice signals, not digital modes, mainly BCB and SWL, digging tropical band stations out of the mud so audio recovery and audio in general is quite important.
After surfing the web and readind on eham and in forums, I have in mind these receivers (in no special order):
?-Racal 3791, but it is said that the audio is not as pleasant as the RA 3701.
?-Racal 3701, on the contrary of the DSP version RA3791 is an analogic IF design? and as indicated before its sound is ways better but it does not have the additional independent IF BW options
- R&S EK895, with the quasi-continuous tuning fitted.
- WJ 8711A
- Cubic CDR-3280
?Any help and thoughts are very wellcomed. Any other receiver apart from the above?
?Thanks in advance
?Regards
______________________________________________________________
Premium-RX Mailing List Information
Home:? https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
Help Page:? ?http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post to Group eMail:? ?premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Help Contact eMail:? 73 at 73.am
Web Home Page:? http://www.premium-rx.org/
______________________________________________________________
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Home: https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/premium-rx
Help Page: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post to Group eMail: premium-rx at mailman.qth.net
Help Contact eMail: 73 at 73.am
Web Home Page: http://www.premium-rx.org/
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