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Although this forum is mainly a scanning receiver forum, I thought I'd mention shortwave receivers for a change as they form an important part of monitoring DX especially aviation and utility voice traffic from around the planet. Yes there are scanning wide band receivers like the AOR8200 MkIII and the ICOM IC-R20 which have SW band and even SSB, but they simply do not perform on SW as good as a standalone shortwave radio or world band radio as they are often called now.
I have recently bought the subject shortwave receiver after a lengthy search on line. Like any other radio, you only get what you pay for. How much does a decent shortwave radio cost? How long is a piece of string? I was not after one of the big desk top models because they cost a very long piece of string! I wanted a portable model that I could take with me on my travels. Ebay has dozens of these radios, but they are mostly made in China. Even the high end Grundigs are now made in the PRC which is a shame as they were just about unbeatable quality when made in Europe. I searched reviews on EHAM which is a good starting place and discovered that the SONY ICF-SW7600GR was still made in Japan. I managed to get one from an Ebay trader who still has a few NIB ones available and it arrived two days ago neatly packaged. Thanks Tony!
In addition to receiving shortwave and SSB, this model also has three other bands, FM (stereo thru headphones) medium wave (broadcast band) and LW. The SONY ICF-SW7600GR is described as a PLL Synthesised world band receiver with 100 memory presents. What sets it apart from many of the PRC radios is that it has synchronous detection which improves MW and SWL listening as it stabilizes the signal and minimizes drifting. The audio is splendid and the radio has alarms which can wake you in the morning and a sleep timer at night. I have yet to explore the SW fully, but last night I had some DXBC stations coming in very clear. MW was phenominal at night as well. No scanner I have owned comes near this radio for pulling in DX MW and SW. The radio was supplied with a neat SONY reel wire antenna for improving SWDX but I haven't tried it as yet. A booklet entitled Wave Handbook (Shortwave Stations of The World) was also included in the box. An instruction manual and carry case completed the package.
This Japanese made radio has been around for some years. It is praised not for any blingy features, but for its perfomance and reliability. For just under $200, it represents great value for money, but as they are not in production anymore, now is the time to get one now before they are all gone if you are at all interested.
Scannersplitterguy wrote:Looks like a great radio, Airman.
What type of connector is used for the external antenna input?
Hi Scannersplitterguy the AM external antenna socket appears to be a 3,5mm jackplug socket. The supplied reel wire has a clip that fits on the telescopic. This does make a difference on SW. The MW/BCB signals are received through an internal ferrite bar.
Hi Airman,
I am looking at one of these at the moment. Have you used yours much since you bought it and what do you think about it?
I have an Eton E5 I bought a few years ago in the UK and whilst it's ok I would really like something with syncro AM and a bit tighter filtering. The E5 tends to overload easily with an external antenna but then again I haven't explored all the possibilities yet. Its intended use is for camping and travelling OS.
I've always liked Sony gear and have been interested in the incarnation of the 7600 for a while. Be interested to hear yours and anyone elses experiences with this radio
I use my ICF-SW7600GR most days to listen to broadcast AM, in the evening I can DX on AM far better than with my Icom IC-R6 which I use mainly for VHF Airband. The Sony has a good inbuilt ferrite for AM. I would like to try an active loop one day, but they are a bit beyond my budget right now.
I use a long wire, about 15 metres for SW SSB and reception this time of year is dependent on weather conditions. I am very cautious about stringing up a long wire outside the house at this time of year as we thunderstorms. I can receive aviation voice traffic and the SSB is easy to tune. The radio has a very good instruction manual and a user guide.
I previously owned a Chinese made Degen, but flipped it on eBay as it didn't perform that good on SW and certainly nowhere near as good as the Japanese made SONY ICF-SW7600GR.
Yes the 7600 series is a design & perfomance classic, that's if you can find one still working!
Has your set not suffered from the ~22 dead SMD gel capacitors? Mine are all leaking and the voltage drop is irking the PLL so nothing syncs!
These sets last a max of 20 years then they all die from dead gel capacitors. If left in storage the capacitors die in less than 15 years as they live longer if in constant use!
One of the design flaws that was not repeated on any later series.
Getting the 7600 sent off to Michigan USA in Jan. for a full replacement of all 35 circuit board capacitors and a worn switch all for just $50 USD + postage.
The guy doing it is an experienced HAM radio builder and has done 70+ of these receivers with 100% success!
Price seems ok but I am always a bit dubiuos about buying from OS but then again the outlay is not too much in my view. I have seen second hand ones come up sometimes for a whole lot more than the cost of these landed so I am tempted.
