Broadcast RX (Travel portable recommendations)

Mike 1972

Im looking for a FM/LW/MW/SW receiver preferably reasonably portable with good RF performance on all bands and ideally with a facility to connect an external antenna when at home.

I already have a Grundig YB 400 and a Roberts RC828 but both have seen better days Im afraid

Whats good out there at the moment (If anything). Maybe another Roberts or a Ive heard people speak highly of some Eton models. ?

Ideally Id like something with SSB capability and double conversion as I still take the occasional notion to tune the SW bands

Any thoughts ?

watty

One of the better Etons
Or a Yaesu VR500 (SSB and aerial socket, switch on attenuator with external aerial)
Or second hand Sony ICF2001D / ICF2010 (warning models for some Asian and Arab markets lack bands). Does SSB.

A second-hand FT817 that someone is selling cheap cos they burnt out the TX PA. It's a VERY good 100kHz .. 56MHz, 76MHz ..108MHz (WFM only), 108MHz .. 152MHz and 420 .. 470MHz all mode Receiver (AM, SSB, FM, NFM). Needs external ferrite rod adaptor for LW/MW. Buy the BHI keypad accessory.

Avoid cheap "world radio" with mechanical display (wave change switch dies and performance rubbish) and cheap "world radio" LCD alarm clocks like Lidl sell.

Make sure there is
VFO/Tuning knob
keypad for direct frequency entry
Or you will find it's no use for travel. A scan button and Memories as sole input method is useless.

Sadly most of the radio with DRM (LF/MF/HF) and DAB are rubbish user interface and a pain for anything other than memory channels.

Antenna

watty wrote: »

"world radio" LCD alarm clocks like Lidl sell.

And I have never seen Lidl sell any radio with LW coverage (which the OP requires).
You'd perhaps sooner find a C-Band satellite LNB for sale in Lidl than a radio with LW!

Mike 1972

Antenna wrote: »

And I have never seen Lidl sell any radio with LW coverage LW!

In fairness I have (in Lidl NI at any rate)

A silvercrest 4 band portable (with RDS) which (despite lacking keybad entry) wouldnt be a bad radio if the IF bandwidth (AM and FM) wasnt as wide as a barn door

sometimes its difficult to identify exactly which frequency a station is on because the selectivity is so awful

watty

Antenna wrote: »

And I have never seen Lidl sell any radio with LW coverage (which the OP requires).
You'd perhaps sooner find a C-Band satellite LNB for sale in Lidl than a radio with LW!

Generally true. I have tried two "all band" "world Radios" from Lidl that had LW. They might as well sold them as ornaments. I gave one away and took the other back. They did have a 3rd model. It seemed a variation on the theme.

I also took back an RDS radio. A €2 auto scan radio worked better (though with no RDS).

The Lidl electronic stuff has gone downhill. Aldi and Lidl are not good value for Electronics stuff now other than maybe the rechargeable batteries. The cheap stuff is no use and the good stuff is more expensive than elsewhere.

Taildragon

I recommend that you look for a second-hand Lowe receiver

http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/lowe1.html

They really are truly excellent performers.