Help Please?!! AM/Shortwave radio advice

Lawros Tache

Hi All

yet again i throw myself open to the all-knowing boardsies...

I like listening to AM radio. For reference, I mostly listen to UK stations and mostly at night. I have a Sony sw7600GR unit which i find excellent and have had it for about 12 years.

Unfortunately its broken at the moment and i'm in the process of trying to get it repaired but am slowly facing the possibility that it may be nearing the end of it's life and may have to be replaced.

Can anyone recommend a really good unit for AM reception?
From internet research it seems to be that good shortwave reception=good AM reception but i know little of this to be honest.
The names that have come up again and again are;

Sony(particularly the unit i already have)
Tecsun
Roberts
Eton

but as i said, i know very little other than i was very happy with my Sony.
There are obviously on-line reviews but to be honest most seem quite technical and i dont know enough to distinguish between them. I would much rather a personal view from someone on here.

Are there any particular units that boardsies would highly recommend?
Or would i be better simply trying to purchase the same Sony model as i already have?

Price-wise i'm probably talking up to €250 (flexible, would pay more for exceptional performance) but would obviously like to pay less as long as reception is not compromised, reception and performance is the top, top criteria.

Many Many Thanks to All :D

Timfy

Hi there...

You have two choices really, go for a new radio or search for second hand kit.

If your looking for new then the Eton Satellit 750 (bottom of this page) may be worth a punt.

http://www.ogormans.co.uk/Shortwave.htm

Well thought of, reasonable specs and only just outside your price range.

Second hand you may be able to find something a little more professional. I use a Kenwood R-5000. It has full computer control with a cheap add on board and is a delight to use. Look around for Icoms and Alincos.

The most important part of your setup, as I'm sure your aware, is the antenna. Make yourself a good longwire antenna of at least 30m. This will really bring in the signals. This is where a set with better selectivity comes in as a good ant will swamp a cheaper radios front end.

Timfy

Oops... forgot to mention that I have no connection with that website, it was just the first that came up on my search for the radio!

Lawros Tache

Thanks for that Timfy, had actually looked at that unit myself and thought it looked good.
At over €400 it's a little pricey but like i said, i'd pay it if it was exceptional.

Would it for example be much better than my Sony sw7600GR?
And would it be worth the extra €200?

Or would it be 3 times better than this one? (stg£299 vs stg£89)
Or perhaps the Eton Global Traveller at £99?

Could any other users recommend same or similar models?

For that price would i get anything decent secondhand? In more professional equipment i mean.
Really dont have any clue about "professional" equipment, any idea of what i should be looking for?

Could you recommend any websites with secondhand stuff for sale?

As regards the antenna, i had just been using a "select-a-tenna" and found it to definitely improve the signal.
Would anyone have any better suggestions?
Is it as simple as using a length of wire?

Once again, many thanks to all for your help and apologies for so many questions

ZENER

How did you get on with the attempted repair ? Was it worse than you thought ? Let me know if I can help.

Ken

Lawros Tache

Hi Ken,

cheers for that, may be getting on to you yet!

Original repair went fine, got the DC input replaced.

Was working fine for few days then just static. Opened it up and the ferrite bar had come loose (obviously got jarred in the same fall).

From what i can see the yellow wire around the has bar broken free of it's solder and is loose. When i touch the loose wire off the solder the reception is pretty much perfect so have borrowed a soldering iron and gonna have a shot when i get home.

Done a small bit of soldering before so fairly confidant with a small job like this.
If that doesn't work i might be giving you a shout alright Ken!

Just think it might be reaching the end of it's life though, so thought i'd ask for advice on new models.

Suppose a new wire antenna might help though, unit has a jack for plugging one in.

Don't suppose you'd be interested in making up one of those would you?

Anyway, thanks for the offer, i'll let you know

Greenman

What about this baby?

Seems to be the Eton by Grundig.

Looks like mainly positive reviews.



as per http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/0750.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK8tfJcV_8g

Molloys Clondalkin

HERE YOU GO OP
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/audioequipment/3386925

quickbefore its gone : )

Lawros Tache

Molloys Clondalkin wrote: »

HERE YOU GO OP
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/audioequipment/3386925

quickbefore its gone : )

Thanks so much for that Molloys, cant actually contact seller so may be gone already but deffo will buy if not already sold.

Dont spose anyone else out there has one for sale??!

Thanks again

Lawros Tache

Just a quick update for anyone interested...

Finally got hold of seller & following lightening trip to Wexford, i am
now the very proud owner of the Eton 750 as advertised above and
so kindly spotted for me by Molloys. :D:D

What a unit!!

Reception is fantastic, features are even better and i've only had a tiny play around.

So, many thanks to everyone for their suggestions and advice,
and especially to Molloys for keeping an eye out

Very much appreciated.

Molloys Clondalkin

no problem only thing left now is a good antenna if your able a g5rv would be great for that

watty

Lawros Tache wrote: »

Finally got hold of seller & following lightening trip to Wexford, i am
now the very proud owner of the Eton 750 as advertised above and
so kindly spotted for me by Molloys.

Great!

Now for less than €5 a metal core washing line from Tesco supported at far end by nylon cord.

Some sort of aerial matching unit. Automatic ones only work for transmitters.

Don't EVER buy a "g5rv", the "plans" are widely available and it can be made in 15mins for under €10.

A end fed wire as long as you can go connected via a Match/Tuning unit (straight and angled from radio, nylon cord at far end, or inverted "L" with two nylon cord supports.) Don't bother with "Egg" insulators, those were for before synthetic cord was available and supports were also wire. 1m or more of "builder's cord" or plastic "washing line" without metal core is fine.

Note that most consumer radios with a telescopic whip are too sensitive and work better with an attenuator. The point of the Aerial is to improve the signal to noise ratio. The very sensitive amplifiers in modern sets are for the Whip and amplify noise as much as signal, then with an external aerial (which has a better Signal noise ratio) they overload.

Planet X

I have a Sony ICF 6500W,

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/icf6500.html



......still in use in daughters room.
FM, MW and SW's. Any good?


OUCH!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=280759490714+,280759490714&lgeo=1&si=VO5zwSpmZDMAIcZ%252Frwp2NSSOmsA%253D&viewitem=&vectorid=229466&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_1854wt_1398

watty

It's a quite desirable some place between earlier sets with just a dial and ICF2001D which is digital display only.