Can you please name your 3 best SW radio performers ? I'm just curious.

Zenith R7000-2
Panasonic RF-4900
Sony ICF-5900W

There are only subtle differences among them as far as sensitivity is concerned. I included the RF-4900 since it does have handles and can be run from internal batteries. But perhaps it doesn't qualify for the list because there is no built-in SW antenna. For comparison with the others, I used a 3' piece of wire. I would probably have listed my RF-2200 instead but, unfortunately, most SW bands get completely blocked by the many high powered FM stations operating near my location. Away from home, it is right up there among the others. For some reason my RF-4900 doesn't have that affliction nor does the Zenith or the Sony.

I would have listed my Heathkit GR-78 because it has outstanding sensitivity and selectivity but it's stability is somewhat shakey at the higher frequencies and the sound is strictly "communications quality". It can be seen here to left of the Zenith.



Dave

I'd say this one at the moment. I've had metal case radios of different makes and can't get excited about them no matter how well they perform.

Nice photo Dave. What is the set to the right of the Zenith?



I have an RF-B600. Funny thing is that it only works on BC and FM. The other freqs only work when it was cold sitting in the garage. After it was on for a few minutes, SW quit. Do you know anything about this set? I had it opened up to fix the problematic latching push button switches and there were two massive circuit boards with maybe 25 interconnecting cables. I would like to get this fully operational but no one has been able to find info on it.

Jay

Zenith Trans-oceanic R7000-2
RCA Globetrotter P890
and another P890

Bruce Webster

My Zenith Royal D7000Y
Panasonic RF-2800
GE 7-2990A

in no certain order.

It is a Heathkit "Mohican" model GC-1A. It is their 1st solid state communications receiver. Being a first generation design, it really doesn't perform as well as some of the later sets, although it is a fun set to use, nonetheless.

Dave

Thought that I recognized the knobs and the color, but wasn't sure. Never saw that before.

Nordmende 7/601 Globetrotter German version.

Sony CRF 5090 and a Zenith 3000-1

I have one of these too...

...but I would hardly say it's a performer, but it sure looks the part

I had one of those RCA P890's, but it was the Japanese version called a "Nivico FA 6000T" - bought for about
US$30 up the Persian Gulf in the mid 60's. Here's an RS ad for one, and the Nordmende too..


But I do lust for one of these...

...a Braun T1000CD....

Thanks Dave Doughty, here are mine:

Sony ICF-5900
Philips Magnavox D999
A modified Panasonic RF-2800 (Mod in the RF Stage)
CC Radio SW

I also have Panasonic RF-1150, RF-2200, Rf-2600, RF-2900, RF-3000, Sony CRF-5100, TFM-8000W, ICF-7601, Royal Zenith D9000Y, Realistic Patrolman 9, DX-440, Grundig Satellit 1400 they are also good performers but not as good as the above mentioned.

For raw sensitivity & DX pulling ability, probably my Radio Shack DX-398 is my best portable.... It's got negatives, though: muddy audio no matter which filter, pumping AGC, eats batteries even just using headphones.

The Realistic DX-390 is very easy to use for a digital portable, pulls in signals off a wire really well, and has fair to good sound. Pumping AGC, though, can make it a bit tiresome through headphones.

Overall my best performer is the Realistic DX-440. Easy on the ears, narrower 'narrow' filter, the AGC doesn't pump, and works well for ECSS. It will usually hear anything the DX-398 will hear. Batteries last a long time.

The only modifications I've done to the radios is add protection diodes to the 390 and 440, and I ground down the lock switch on the 398 to keep the radio from being switched on while being carried in its case (happened to me more than once, the lock switch would get bumped, then the power switch, and then the radio would play its batteries quickly to death while still in my backpack....).

Renton 481. Can you give more information on the protection diodes on the DX390? Is there a published Mod somewhere?
Ken

Hi Ken,
I am not aware of any published mod.

I had kept reading that the DX-390's front end transistor can get zapped by static electricity, especially from handling the whip, and I had noticed that more than once during the winter I had to be careful while handling the radio because of static electricity from my hand striking the whip antenna. My radio was still working well, but I decided to add some diodes as a precaution.

So, I wired two diodes back to back from the whip connector to the ground side of the battery, using hookup wire. There is just enough space near the negative side of the battery to fit a couple diodes underneath the back of the radio, in the corner.

I didn't add diodes to the external antenna connector, because everything I'd read referred to static zapping the front end transistor from the whip. I always have kept my outdoor antenna grounded when not in use, so I felt the external connector was safe enough. I suppose it could be done easily enough, though.

I have attached a photo of my DX-390 with the back off. You can see wires from the battery to the battery connectors, and a wire that goes from the whip antenna to a T (covered in tape), with two wires going from the T: one to the back to back diodes, the other to the whip antenna connector on the PCB.

The green circle in the photo circles the whip antenna connector and the T; the yellow circle is around the diodes; and the orange circles show where I soldered the hookup wires to the positive and negative battery connectors.

I also have attached a second photo showing the diodes.

Hope this helps.

Chris

I only have two.

The first is a Philips D2999 I bought when I lived in Hong Kong. I brought it back to Canada and a few years later we had a severe lightening strike and it no longer worked. I took it to a local Philips dealer who claimed to be able to fix anything. He had it for a year and it was in pieces when I went to pick it up to settle the insurance claim. He cramed it back together while I waited, took it home an put it up on the shelf still not working.

A year or two later I took it down and plugged it in. IT WORKED! I traded it to a friend for some radios. Later the friends family had an estate auction and I bought it back for $5.00. It just does not want to go away.

The second is a Sony ICF2010 I bought to replace the Philips that "died".

Ed.

Thank you Renton 481. It's a good idea. I think I'll do the same with my 390. Ken

I have a Sony CRF-330K that is quite good on shortwave. Not so great on MW and LW. Another decent SW radio is my Grundig Satellit 210. I also like my Philips/Norelco 22RL798 which performs nicely on SW even though it has no RF amplifier stage. The tuning is a bit touchy though. The Zenith 7000 variants are still on my radar and I will jump for one when the right deal comes along. I don't really consider my Yaesu FRG-7 a portable, even though it has a handle on the side and will run on 12V, but I would rate it right up there with the Sony and it doesn't weigh nearly as much. (The 330K is heavy).

...probably should consider doing this with my DX-392, since the radio part is the same...

Zenith R7000-2 and Zenith Transoceanic 8G005Y. Carefully restored, the latter is also my prettiest. It sure gets some attention on camping trips! It is surprisingly quiet (low noise).

I should probably mention that I swept the 8G005's IF. The careful pass-band shaping make a considerable difference.

For SW I would rate my Eton E1 as the best SW-SSB portable I have. For AM sensitivity and sound quality, it would be my Panasonic RF-2200. And for nostalgia sake, I would include the Schaub Lorenz Polo Automatic 105, bought duty free at Amsterdam Airport in the mid 70's, that is a great sounding radio for it's size, I still like it a lot.

frank

At last some great picks. The Eton is the leader of the pack followed by the Sony 2010, the Panasonic rf 2200,thePanasonic rf 300, and , believe it or not ,the Grundig 750, anyone want to argue lol. Have a great day! Marc