[R-390] OT: Other Radios You Like

[Les Locklear]

I was listening the other day to some long forgotten frequency in the 17.8 
mc (yeah I'm that old) range on the John R. Leary SP-600 and it was fully 
readable, not so on my Kiwa modified Icom IC-R75, nor the Eton E1. So much 
for modern technology.............;-) The basic superheterodyne receiver has 
been around since the 1930's, not much has been done to improve on this 
design other than bells and whistles.

Having owned 128 receivers over the years in a seemingly fruitless search 
for the "Holy Grail" of receivers, I realized many years ago it does not 
exist. Having stated that, my choice for a "Hollow State" receiver is the 
Hammarlund SP-600 in its many variations, but the JX-17 wouldn't be one of 
them due to its crappy agc action. Solid State receivers? The Drake R8B 
would get my nod, due to its superb synchronous detector, but low marks for 
the dismal mechanical encoder vs. the optical encoder in the original R8. I 
sold my R8B because of that very problem after correcting it.

I have divested myself of almost all the boatanchors, except the Leary 
SP-600, a beautiful Philco 40-144 wood tabletop radio, the aforementioned 
Icom R75 and Eton E1. If I go before my wife, she won't have too much to get 
rid of. The Leary SP-600 will go to my grandson Jake so he will know that 
the Japanese (Sony in particular) didn't invent radios.

All that said and done, it has been a fun ride trying all these various 
receivers and seeing first hand what works and what doesn't.

Les Locklear
Gulfport, Ms.
DX'ing Since '57
http://www.hammarlund.info/

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cecil Acuff" <chacuff at cableone.net>
To: "Masters Andy" <nu5o at yahoo.com>; <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: "Les" <leslocklear at cableone.net>
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 12:18 PM
Subject: Re: [R-390] OT: Other Radios You Like


> Interesting Andy.  10 khz spacing is quite demanding.  There are so many 
> variables.  I can't imagine if all were set to a common bandwidth for 
> testing that performance would not be close to the same.  I know the SDR's 
> have great flexibility in setting the bandwidth....I guess it all depends 
> on how many buttons and knobs one has at his disposal to dial up a 
> solution. No doubt the 390A has few but I would have expected better out 
> of the tracking preselecting front end....  Which antenna connector do you 
> use the balanced or unbalanced.  The unbalanced is a compromise because it 
> skips part of the front end tuning.
>
> 10Khz is still a pretty stiff requirement....but I've seen my (now Les 
> Locklears) Leary SP-600 slice and dice with the best of them.
>
> Cecil
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Masters Andy" <nu5o at yahoo.com>
> To: <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 11:55 AM
> Subject: [R-390] OT: Other Radios You Like
>
>
>> Tim raises a good point about his WJ.  I have
>> thoroughly enjoyed this discussion because I always
>> wondered about a lot of the radios mentioned.
>>
>> Where I live, near Memphis, TN, I have an acid test
>> that I use to evaluate selectivity.  We have a local
>> high power AM station on 640 Khz (WCRV), I take the
>> radio and then tune it to 650 Khz (WSM in Nashville,
>> TN).  If I can hear WSM and NOT hear WCRV, the radio
>> is good.  WCRV watches its modulation and is a good
>> test.  My R390A did not pass the test but a 651S-1 and
>> the new Flex-Radio I have tried did so with flying
>> colors.  Others to fail were the IC-75A with the Kiwa
>> mods, a 51S-1, IC-756PRO II/III and my old
>> Sparton-although the Sparton with its loop antenna
>> built in was able to reject 640KHZ by simply turning
>> it to null the local station.  When flying WSM used to
>> be a clear channel station and we could use them as a
>> NDB from hundreds of miles out to thousands of miles
>> depending on time of day.
>>
>> My other test is purely subjective and that is the
>> sound of the audio.  My R390A  has the Kleronomos
>> audio mod and the audio sounds fantastic out of it.
>> The Sparton has been modified to a single ended 6V6
>> biased in class A and it has the edge on sound.
>>
>> I figure you guys have collectively saved me $1000's
>> on what I always wondered about.  THANKS!
>>
>> Andy Masters NU5O/P29AM/7Q7AM
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ____________________________________________________________________________________
>> Be a better friend, newshound, and
>> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
>> http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
>>
>> _____________________________________________________________
>> R-390 mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/r-390
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/faq.htm
>> Post: mailto:R-390 at mailman.qth.net
>> Unsubscribe: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/options/r-390
>>
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 
> 269.21.1/1297 - Release Date: 2/25/2008 9:22 AM
>
>