The Unsorted BBS Collection/thegreatunsorted.tar/thegreatunsorted/texts/pirate_radio/400

Text File | 1993-12-18 | 34KB | 825 lines

Greetings.

This is the first issue of airwaves radio journal (formerly the
Internet Radio Journal).

We are keeping the same numbering scheme to make keeping track of
issues easier.  Hope you like it.

Bill

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

||@                                                                      @||
||@                                                                      @||
||@                                                                      @||
||@                    -- YOU ARE IN TUNE WITH --                        @||
||                                                                        ||
||                                                                        ||
||   __________________________________________________________________   ||
||   ||||| ||||||  |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
||   ||||   ||||'''||'''|''||'''|'''|'''||''''|||''''|'''|||''''|||''''|  ||
||   ||| ||  ||||  |||  _|__||  ||  || ||__|'  |||_ '|| ||' '''  |  '|_|  ||
||   ||'____ '|||  |||  |||||||   |   |||' _|  ||||_ ' |||  ||||||'|_ '|  ||
||   |' '||'  '|'  '|'  '||||||| ||| ||||_ ''_ _||||_ |||||_ '''_| _'' ,  ||
||   |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
||   |||||||||'''''''''''''''''''|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
||   |||||||||   ISSUE NUMBER    |||''''''|''''''|||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
||   |||||||||      - 400 -      |||      |      |||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
||   |||||||||,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,|||o     |     o|||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
||   |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||      |      |||||||||||||||||||||||  ||
||   |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||______|______|||||||||||||||||||||||  ||

An Interactive e-mail Journal In Service To The Radio Broadcasting Community
-- ----------- - ---- ------- -- ------- -- --- ----- ------------ ---------
                   (Formerly the Internet Radio Jorunal)

Our Internet Email Addresses:

    Submit Articles:            [e-mail]
    Subscription Desk:            [e-mail]
    Archive Site Desk:            [e-mail]
    Editor's Personal Email:        [e-mail]

... Thank You For Subscribing  .....  William Pfeiffer: Editor/Moderator ...
    ===== === === ===========         ======= ========  ====== =========
For Credits, Archive and Other Information, See Info Section at End of Journal
------------------------------------------------------------------------------



            Articles in this issue include:

Reviews    of several DX radios (long)            (John LLoyd)

------------------------------



------------------------------
Subject: Reviews of several DX radios (long)
From: [e-mail] (John LLoyd)
Organization: Clemson University Computer Science Dept.

    Due to the response I had three weeks ago, when I posted this, I
will post this every month. If you would like to add something to
this list then please e-mail it to me.

Thanks,

John


----------------------------------------------------------------
Below is a collection of SW receiver reviews written by readers
of this newsgroup. The number following the brand and model
number is the number of readers, who indicated they use this type
of receiver.

All credit for these reviews should be given to the readers of
this group and not me.

John Lloyd



Sony 2010 - 3

I found it VERY easy to plug in and start listening. The supplied
instructions are adequate for what they do, but
are not really enough to really start enjoying the radio. The
whip antenna works great at home, but just doesn't cut it at work
(way too much metal/interference). Even the supplied wire antenna
does not seem to help at work (I have not yet tried it at home
(no real need).


Realistic DX-380 - 1

I am by no means an expert, but I have a DX-380 and can give some
of my experiences. First of all, I would pay the extra to get the
390 to get the single side band capability.  I miss it.  I miss
it.  Also, the sensitivity for foreign broadcasts (I'm in DC)
without an external antenna is poor.  You get the BBC and some
German broadcast relays from Canada transmitters, some south
american stuff, and that's it.  BUT with a 50 m Cu wire out my
2nd story window attached to the antenna with an alligator clip,
I regularly get Abu Dhabi and Australia at night.


Realistic DX-390 - 2

Great mid-sized digital portable.  Good sensitivity and
selectivity. Digital display shows time, frequency, signal
strength, and memory location.  Covers LW (in 9 kHz steps), MW
(in 9 or 10 kHz steps) and SW continuously from 150 kHz to 30000
kHz. FM reception (88-108 MHz) with stereo through headphone
jack. BFO control for SSB reception.  Built-in timer/clock, 9
programmable memory locations per band, except 18 on SW.  Good
audio output. RF Gain and AM bandwidth controls.  Keypad
frequency entry.  External antenna, AC-adapter inputs.

A great radio for the beginner or as an upgrade from a smaller
and/or analog unit.

Purchased from Radio Shack for $219 in January, 1992.


I have a new Realistic DX-390 (alias Sangean 813??).  Seems to be
a great value for the price $169 US. I haven't yet heard from
someone who can recommend a radio for the same price that is
better, and can back it up with facts.


Grundig Satellit 700  - 3

Truly a world-class portable, digital receiver.  Excellent
sensitivity and selectivity.  Digital display with two separate
clock/timers, signal strength meter, band selection, frequency
readout, and user-definable eight-character "name" for each
memorized station. Has RDS circuitry on FM to decode the newly-
phased-in system for identifying stations by call letters,
format, etc. 512 memory positions,  upgradable to 2048.  Tunes in .1 kHz
increments. Selectable wide/narrow bandwidth for AM mode
reception. Tunes MW in 9 or 10 kHz steps. Keypad frequency entry.
Receives USB and LSB.  Synchonous detector helps pick difficult-
to-receive stations out of the crowd.  Selectable
automatic/manual gain control. Covers LW (150-353 kHz), MW
(528-1611 kHz), SW (1612-30000 kHz), and FM (87.5-108 MHz).
Excellent audio output, with separate treble and bass controls.
Stereo through headphones or external speakers.  Line-level out
(left and right), external antenna, and 12 VDC-in jacks.
Local/DX switch.  Built extremely rugged. Multi-national power
supply included.

An outstanding performer, and worth the price to a serious    SWL
or DX'er who requires portability.

Purchased from Universal Radio for $479 in April, 1993.


The Following is a comparison of the SONY ICF-SW77 and the
GRUNDIG     SATELLIT 700:

Both of the receivers you are looking at are pretty solid. The
Sony  is slightly smaller and has a somewhat more "finished" feel
about it. The Grundig is SOLID with a much better sound. Neither
is as good a SW signal receiver as the previous Sony, the '2010
(2001). However, they both have very advanced features;
multiple (and in the Grundigs case, expandable) memories with
alphanumeric tags so that you have a name as well as a frequency,
all sorts of memory grouping and scanning etc. The Grundig has
good RDS ident. on it's FM band, but I have a feeling that this
isn't used much, if at all, in the US. If you intend to buy
second-hand, be very wary of the SW77 - the early version was
pretty flakey. The later version is better but still not as good
as the '2010.
I think that the choice comes down to "feel". They are both quite
complex to use, but both work as advertised. Try 'em both as they
have quite distinct operational methods. If sheer performance on
SW is the main point for you, compare them with the Sony ICF2010.
You'll buy it and save some loot !
For what it's worth, I tried them both and settled on the
Grundig. I have my Satellit 700 in daily use and it's performed
without a hitch.

My reasons for the choice were:

1. Performance. The Grudig was much better than the early SW77.
2. Sound. I happen to prefer the slightly bassy Grundig sound to
the somewhat sharper Sony.
3. Power. The Grundig takes D cells and can self-charge Nicads in
the set, which is how I have it set up. (The SW77 used C cells)
They both run down batteries fast. The Sony worse than the
Grundig due to it's smaller cells.
4. RDS. I love it and the SW77 doesn't have it.
5. Feel. I like the, I don't know, Germanic solidity and sheer
heft of the Satellit. A Satellit with a full load of 4AH Nicads
can tip the scales at twice the weight of a SW77. Of course, if
drop one on your foot the Sony would be the better bet ! I
only use the Grudig about the house. I have a '2010 for the
road.

I hope this splurge hasn't clouded the issue for you.



Editor's Note:
I have one of these radios and love it! I sent the following
message to someone just after I bought it.

I just recently forked out $500 and bought a Grundig Satalit 700.
The sound from the radio is truely impressive! I have always
wondered why broadcasters put music on shortwave, because it
alway sounded like garbage. However with the 700 I can listen and
enjoy the music. The 700 has Bass and Treble controls, which
improve the sound quality but the Automatic Gain Control most
likely does the most toward improving the sound (I'm not an
expert, so this is just a guess!). Anyway my  Wife
regularly listens to music coming from a 60m band radio station
in  Guatemala, and can enjoy the sound. However there are some
bad points. It is programable, but I have not worked out how to
do it yet. Well I tried once and gave up. This is not too
bad though, because BBC, Deutche Welle, and about 10 others
are  stored in a ROM table. And these frequences actual work
(i.e. they are the  frequencies for North America and NOT
Germany).
Also I connected a long wire antenna and found my local AM
station on shortwave. I guess the front-end is not good enough to
sort  the signals out when coming from a large antenna. But don't
worry about this  either.
If you only want to listen to the biggies like BBC, Deutche
Welle,  you won't need an external antenna.  I am planning to put
a Pre-selector  between The Radio and the Antenna, and I think
this will cure the problem of AM stations on shortwave and cut
out some interference. Finally I recommend this radio to you. I'm
sure you will have  hours if enjoyment from it.



Grundig Satellit 500 - 2

Formerly Grundig's flagship portable SW receiver, this is
still an excellent piece of equipment.  Excellent sensitivity and
selectivity.  Digital display with two separate clocks (only
one displayed at a time), signal strength meter, frequency
readout, and four-character user-definable "name" for each
memorized station. 42 memory positions. Tunes to .1 kHz
increments. Selectable wide/narrow bandwidth for AM mode
reception. Tunes MW in 9 or 10 kHz steps. Keypad frequency entry.
In addition to AM, has three receiving "modes" for LW, MW, and
SW: USB, LSB, and "Sync," which should more accurately be
described as "fine tuning," as this implementation of synchronous
detection operates differently from the Satellit 700 or Sony
2010.  Selectable automatic/manual gain control.  Covers LW
(150-353 kHz), MW (528-1611 kHz), SW (1612-30000 kHz), and FM
(87.5-108 MHz).
Excellent audio output,  with separate treble and bass controls.
Stereo through headphones.  Line-level out (mono), external
antenna, and 12 VDC-in jacks.  Local/DX switch.
Built extremely rugged.  Power supply included.

An all-around great performer.  Now that it's discontinued,
many outlets are selling this unit at close-out prices, making
this radio an excellent value for the money.

Purchased from Universal Radio for $379 in December, 1992.



I have a Grundig Satellit 500 and am basically satisfied with it.
I miss the 512 memories of 700 and 'SSB clarify' control
sometimes.

Yes, its 'sync' is exactly fine tuning in 100 Hz steps. However,
it is rather simple to make it work similarly to '700 and '2010,
because the detector chip is the same in all three. Only a switch
with two pairs of contacts is needed. Another design fault, the
excessive distortion in SSB mode, can be partly cured by adding
two resistors. For serious DX-ers it may be important that the
internal ferrite rod cannot be disabled on MW and LW in both 500
and 700, so the in-house noise may become a problem on these
bands.



Lowe HF-150 - 1

The Lowe HF-150 (sold by Universal and EEB) is a nice compromise.
Similar number of cubic inches as the Sony (different shape), but
offering some features of the R8.   Also the Lowe is made with a
mostly solid alumnum case, which is better than the Sony or the
Drake.  The Lowe has dual antenna inputs (wire or SO-239), record
out, audio out, 12vDC in.  It can run off any 12V DC battery.
I use 7 aH gelcells which I recharge.  The Lowe also takes
8 internal AA nicads *OR* disposable batteries.  It will recharge
the nicads with a builtin recharger if you plug it into
an external power supply.  It's a nice semi-portable radio.  It
has a few ideosyncracies, but you might want to look at it.


Lowe HF-225 - 2

I've had an HF-225 for a few years now, and I'm pretty happy with
it.  I use it mainly for broadcast listening.  It's connected to
25m of random wire via a 5m coax run inside the house.

I tried using an ATU to improve the matching between the aerial
and the coax, and on some frequencies it gave a (small)
improvement in signal strength, but it was such a pain to keep
retuning that I gave up using it.

I recently bought a "magnetic longwire balun", and this seems to
offer the best of both worlds - improved matching between the
wire and the coax, but no retuning necessary.  It's rather
expensive, though, and it may be that I'd have been just as well
off with a home brew transformer on a ferrite ring...

The other potential advantage of an ATU, filtering out of strong
signals well away from where you're listening, seems to be
completely irrelevant on the HF-225.  I've never yet found a case
where switching in the attenuator did anything beneficial.  The
receiver's front end seems to be excellent in this respect.

I've got the sychronous detector option, and I wouldn't be
without it.  It quite often makes a heavily fading signal quite
pleasant to listen to.  Pity it doesn't have a selectable
sideband option, though - I quite often find myself tuning an AM
signal in the LSB or USB modes to try to get rid of an adjacent
interfering signal.

Would I buy it again?  Yes, unless I decided that I really wanted
a receiver which offered a computer interface.



Sony SW-1 - 2

I bought an SW1E over a year ago, for listening to broadcast SW
and FM at home and while travelling. I like this very small radio
a lot. It is maybe expensive for a portable, but the build
quality is very good, - everything looks and feels right.
Battery life is good, and the set DOES work with NiCads (2*AA)
contrary to the instructions. Reception of broadcast SW is good,
either with the whip or clothes-line antenna. I've never noticed
any big problems from adjacent channels either. As a bonus, FM
stereo reception is good through headphones. Audio quality from
the in-built speaker is fair, but you'll want to use phones for
noisy environments. The only bug with this radio is the memory
capacity - only 10 mems is really not enough to cover ALL of AM
and FM.
Summary - if you want a very small portable, and appreciate high
quality (and can afford it), I would recommend the SW1E. Note the
E, which denotes the SW1 kit without the active antenna and brief
case - these add a lot to the price, and I don't rate the antenna
too highly either.


Sony ICF-5100 - 1

I bought this radio in Kuala Lumpur in 1988, and I'm not sure if
it goes by the same model number in other parts of the world. It
is a shirt pocket analog tuned radio with coverage from 6MZ to
about 21MZ in seven bands. The radio is very rugged and has
served me well despite of the physical abuse it has gone through.
Because of its small size the speaker is only small and the sound
from it it a little tinny, but I used it mainly to receive news
in countries without English language news services and in remote
areas while camping etc. I recommend this radio to anyone, who
considers size the most important factor. Cost was about US$70.


Sony ICF-7601 - 2

In some respects this is my favorite radio. No bells no whistles
no FM stereo -- just a good solid (feels like a small brick)
analogue unit.  It covers AM, FM and has 10 SW bands that cover
most of the "out of band" frequencies. Band switching on SW is
done by a slide on the front of the radio while buttons are used
to switch from AM to FM to SW. The dial is accurate to 5 kHz so
is very easy to locate a station. I believe that it was simply
the best low cost analogue rig out there.  It's still around and
can be had for well under $100.00.  Grab it!!


I have a 7601 also.  Most of its weight is from the batteries and
the speaker, giving it better tone and volume than smaller,
lighter sets.

As with other cheap analog sets, it wasn't very hot out of the
box.

If you "super tweek" the 7601, it's pretty good on AM, but no
match for a 2010 or Superradio III.  Most of the shortwave bands
peaked up well, but I never could get 19 meters working right.
As with most analog portables, the whip is part of the RF tuned
circuit, so one must be careful to duplicate the exact listening
conditions when tweeking the radio.  Even the presence of
headphones will shift the antenna tuning.

Unfortunately the 7601 picks up FM stations at various places on
the shortwave bands.  If you're far enough away from FM and TV
stations you might have room for an R-390.

When going on trips I usually take my SW-1 because of the
convenience of the presets and the reception flexibility provided
by the active antenna that comes with it.


Sony ICF-SW33

I've owned this radio (SW33)  for about 8 months and use it as my
"carrying around the house rig."  I purchased it as a replacement
for a Sony 7601 that I now have use at my office at school
(things electronic can grow legs on a college campus).  By far
the best features of this unit are its convenient size and
excellent performance on all bands; AM, SW and FM stereo.  Don't
get me wrong -- this is not a DX machine on SW but for listening
to the major broadcasters it's excellent.

The filter selection seems just right and tuning on SW is in 1
kHz. This allows you to move away from interference to a degree.
It's a big improvement over the 5 kHz that many radios in this
price range allow.

The radio does not have a keypad so entering frequencies is a bit
clumsy. By entering the middle frequency of each of the major SW
bands in the 7 memories (5 memories plus 2 timer memories) and
slewing up or down from those positions you can get around
reasonability fast. The SW bands are changed by a combination of
2 keystrokes.

Setting the radio alarm is very easy -- once you have set the
clock.  That, frankly is a pain.  The clock function is very good
(combination world/home time) but it takes at least 7 distinct
steps to set it. Fortunately the clock is fairly accurate (Looses
about 0.2 sec/day) so you don't have to reset it too often.  The
lightedsec at the touch of a button) is a nice touch.

Would I recommend this radio to anyone?  If you do a lot of band
scanning, definitely not; it would drive you crazy.  At about
$140.00 (NYC mail-order) it's an excellent "second" radio to
carry around for listening to the major broadcasters. I like it!


Realistic DX-440 - 1

I have a DX-440 and I think it is a good 'dabble' radio but if I
ever get serious I will look for a > $500 table model.



DAK DMR-3000 - 1

I bought this radio since they have a 30-day money back guarantee
and I did not know if I would like the hobby or the radio. Good
points: direct-entry tuning, 36 station memories, fairly small so
it is easy to travel with, speaker sound was good, reception was
okay, but improved dramatically with the addition of the Radio
Shack 23' rollup longwire ($8.95). Bad points: only 5kHz tuning
steps, only major  broadcast bands tunable (large gaps between
bands), selectivity not so good, no fine tuning, no BFO, no SSB
or CW, poor FM reception. All in all, not a bad radio of $69.90,
however, it left me wanting for more, so I got rid of it.

I have seen a couple of posts asking for a low cost SW receivers.
I have recently bought a DAK Model DMR-3000, for just
$69.90+$6.00 shipping from DAK - a mail order company.
The receiver has a direct access, so you can type in the desired
frequency, and a manual / automatic scanning system. It also has
a dual time clock with alarm and 'sleep' timer. Unfortunately you
can tune only to the commercial frequencies on SW, AM and FM
bands. I have to say though that cheapness comes at a price. The
first receiver I got was defective so I had to ship it back and
ask for a replacement. Now, I received a new one which works very
well.

Compared to my Sony ICF-7601 the DAK unit is an insensitive
brick. The fancy clock and timer features aren't really worth it.
About the only thing nice is the FM Stereo support if you plug in
headphones but the FM sensitivity leaves much to be desired as
well.
Something else to watch for.... That pretty lettering on the
buttons will wear off REAL fast. If you haven't used it much yet
you won't see a wear off REAL fast. If you haven't used it much
yet you won't see a problem. After you've done some tuning you'll
see the pretty arrows disappear from the buttons.


Sangean ATS-803A - 1

Since I was now turned on by SWL'ing, I moved up to what most
people agree is the best all-around radio for this price. Good
points: excellent frequency band coverage (150kHz to 30mHz), fine
tuning, good selectivity, BFO for SSB and CW, many scanning
options, lots of accessories included, good AM and FM reception.
Bad points: way too big to travel with, high battery consumption,
synthesizer noise in background all the time, scanning frequently
skipped lots of   "listenable" stations that I was able to get by
manual tuning (what's   the use in scanning, then?). I found that
adding a longwire antenna   only increased interference and noise
while not improving the set's   scanning sensitivity. Overall, a
fairly good radio for the price...

I have a Sangean ATS803A which I love.  Comments to quote me on
would be that it's an excellent beginner's radio for the price.
Although I've heard that the 818 is the "latest and greatest" in
this price/performance category. I especially love the full
coverage  150kc-30mhz and the (albeit lo tech bfo) SSB
capability.



Sony ICF-SW20 - 1

I was in dispair when I could not find a decent travel portable
for   under $200. However, I accidentally crossed paths with a
Sony   ICF-SW20 on sale (normally $99, on sale for $49.99) at a
local store   and had to check it out. It is an analogue set, but
since I got a   30-day return policy on it, what the heck? Good
points: analogue   tuning so no problem with confining 5kHz
tuning steps, INCREDIBLE   SENSITIVITY - this radio blew the DAK
and Sangean away with the   number of stations I picked up, good
selectivity (no fine tuning knob   - all you need to do is turn
the tuning knob slowly), tiny size (4"w   x 3"t x 1"d), small
whip antenna (only 18"), addition of Radio Shack   rollup
longwire increased sensitivity even more, great low price (if   I
lose it or its gets destroyed, no problem replacing it), tuning
bands are wider than the major broadcast bands, so you do get
some   utilitiy reception as well as WWV, AM and FM are really
sensitive   while FM goes from 76mHz to 108mHz so I can pick up
some TV as well.   Bad points: frequencies cover only seven
broadcast bands (I can live   with that, though), only monaural
earphone included (however, you can   get a $1.39 mono to stereo
headphone plug), no BFO for SSB or CW, no   station memories. All
in all, this radio gave me the best   price/features/size ratio
of the ones I checked out first-hand. It's   a keeper for me!



Magnavox    3625 - 1

Finally received my Magnavox 3625!  Well, I'm certainly happy I
purchased this little radio.  Sure, it's not top shelf, but it's
suitable for travel purposes and gives adequate SW coverage.

Has these features:
Travel Lock
Alarm (beeps, does not turn on radio)
Sleep Timer
9/10 KHz switch - for world travel
12 hour clock (however, when unit is swith to 9 KHz steps 24 hour
clock                kicks in)
20 presets - 5 for each band FM, AM, SW1, SW2
Dual time
Auto store - this feature allows the radio to automatically find
           the five strongest stations in an area and program
them              into the memory of the FM & AM band.
Back stand
Antenna swivels and rotates
Runs on four AA batteries.

Well, the sensitivity is quite good.  Steps in 1 KHz increments.
No tuning knob but the slew tuning buttons work just fine.  It's
about the size of a paperback book and can be taken anywhere
reasonably well.   No carrying strap,
though.  The SW coverage is limited but it grabs the major
broadcasters exceptionally well.  Example:  the 41 meter band is
covered from 7100 to 7300.  So if you want to listen to the BBC
on 7325, you're oput of luck.

However, I like to listen to the BBC on 12095 or 15070 European
signals during the day that I cangrab when I attach a long wire.
The 3625 can't tune these freqs. but it can grab 15400 (from
africa) WITHOUT a long wire antenna!  I'm pretty impressed.

Bottom line....A GREAT little travel radio for $70.00!  Call a
Magnavox outlet if you are interested.


Magnavox AE-3805 - 2

Great little digital portable.  Good sensitivity, average
selectivity. Covers MW (in 10 kHz steps only), FM (no stereo),
and SW in two "bands":  3200-7300 kHz and 9500-21750 kHz.  Built-
in timer/clock (12 hour format only), 5 programmable memory
locations per band. Great for travel use.

Purchased from Damark for $49 in May, 1993.

$50 from Damark closeout  --  cheapie category



Emerson PSW-4010 - 1

Great analog portable.  Good sensitivity and selectivity.  Covers
MW, FM (stereo through headphones), and SW in 8 bands (roughly
split out as 13m, 16m, 19m, 25m, 31m, 41m, 49m, and
60/75/90/120m). An excellent travel portable.

Purchased from DAK for $49 in June, 1988.



Sony ICF-5900W - 1

Sony ICF-5900W was a good radio in its day, but isn't worth
listing now.



YORX AM908 - 1



Drake R8 - 1



Drake SPR-4 - 1



Icom R-71A - 1



Kenwood R-2000 - 1



Kenwood R-5000 - 1



Japan Radio Company NRD-525 - 1



Japan Radio Company NRD-535D - 1



Yaesu FRG-100 - 1



Panasonic RFB-65L - 2

$220 from Universal, EEB, etc. -- my main set, an excellent
portable, many features, nice construction and details.



Sony SW-55 - 2

This is my principal radio at the present time (I also have the
Sony ICF-SW33 and the Sony 7601).  This rig is an extremely
sophisticated piece of equipment.  I especially like the fact
that you can store up to 125 frequencies on 25 electronic pages
that can be named as you wish (by country). Once programed this
is very convenient.  The two filter selections are well chosen
(much better than the stock Sony 2010 filters).  My use the radio
to copy WEFAX  with  excellent results attests to its stability
(and that it receives USB and LSB).

The versatile timer/alarm and tape remote feature allow
automatic recording with certain tape recorders (Sony and others)
of up to five times and frequencies in a 24 hour period.  I use
this feature all of the time.  Audio (stereo on FM) qualitity for
a portable is very good; better I believe than the stock 2010
although  as with the 2010, it is improved with a set of external
speakers.

Unlike the 2010, the SW55 does not have synchronous detection.
That's too bad because I believe that if it had this feature it
would blow away
tition.  As it stands it is an excellent radio.  Most
interference can be eliminated with the narrow filter or moving
away from the interference a bit (the radio is tunable in steps
of  0.1 kHz)  so the lack of sd is not critical.  I really
believe that Sony did not include it because it would have then
had a very negative impact on sales of the SW77.

Would I buy this radio again. You bet!  The only problem I've had
in the year an
owned it is that the lettering has worn off the 1, 5, 0 and EXE
keys on the keypad.  That should not happen on a $300.00 radio!



Philips AE3905 - 1

In short, in my experience, the AE3905 is no real great shakes.
It looks neat as hell, and marks its owner as a man of taste and
distinction with more money than brains (like I said, *I* have
one). Its shortwave performance is mediocre.  Using this in a
hotel last February, I found that attaching the included reel
antenna caused the radio to overload fairly badly.  The batteries
don't last very long.  The filters included are fair, but you
still get a fair amount of interference from adjacent stations
(not as bad as some small portables, but not good).  I certainly
wouldn't want to use this as my primary radio.  For portability,
it's fantastic.  I can listen to the BBC or VoA anywhere.  The
radio fits in my shirt pocket, although reception in my pocket
isn't all that good. In short, the radio isn't worth what Philips
charges for it, but if you've got more money than you know what
to do with and a desire to have a flashy looking toy, it'll do.
The radio has only recently been available in small quantities in
the U.S., and appears to have been discontinued in Europe.  I got
a reconditioned copy for $179 from the Magnavox factory outlet in
Kentucky.  Universal lists the radio in their catalog for
something like $250 new if I recall correctly.  You're not likely
to find it anywhere else.




John Lloyd
Computer Science Dept.
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina, USA


------------------------------


                            INFORMATION

Here are the basics.  For a complete file on the charter of this publication
        and it's guidelines, send email to the Internet Address of
            [e-mail] with the word 'help file'
                            as the subject.

1) AVAILABILITY: Anyone with an e-mail account on any major system can
   subscribe to Airwaves. There is no charge for subscriptions.  Some
   non-Internet systems do charge a nominal fee for reacing Internet e-mail.
   Also, all articles published in Airwaves are echoed to Usenet newsgroup
   rec.radio.broadcasting.  The subscription desk's e-mail address is -
   [e-mail]

2) SUBJECTS:  Virtually any topic that pertains to domestic radio
   broadcasting.

3) POSTING:  You may post directly to Usenet - or - you may email articles
   directly to  [e-mail].  All articles are reviewed by
   the editor/moderator prior to posting.

4) POLICIES:  Basically just keep the flame and noise levels down, stay on
   topic, edit quoted text as much as possible, and try to keep the
   'Brain-To-Bullsh*t' ratio as high as possible :->.
   Again, for a complete file on these topics, see 'help file' above.

5) ARCHIVES:  We keep archives of all past issues available for FTP at the
   Internet site of deja-vu.aiss.uiuc.edu.  They are in the directory -
   /misc/rec.radio.b-cast, and are arranged in sub-directories acording to
   issue number.  All are in compressed (.Z) format and should be transfered
   in the binary mode within FTP.  If you have trouble with FTP, or are on a
   system that does not allow FTP, let me know at [e-mail],
   and I'll try to assist.  For those using DOS or Macintosh platforms, there
   are utilities available free, or as shareware, that will decompree Unix .Z
   files.  We hope to have an archive server up and running shortly so you
   can retrieve files via e-mail automatically.


   <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

There are many people who have helped this publication to become what it is.

In no particular order...

Doug Blair <[e-mail]>:   For creating many of the shell
scripts and programs used in editing, collating and mailing this publication.
Also, for assistance with the graphics used in the Airwaves cover page.
In addition to being a wiz at Unix stuff, Doug is a well known air-talent in
the Chicagoland market and an all-around swell guy.  At this point I owe him
a *LOT* of pizza :->.

Greg Gulik <[e-mail]>: Sysadmin at gagme, a great public access
UNIX site on Chicago's Northwest side.  Greg runs a Pub-nix site as it should
be run, with care and commitment to his users.  Greg has my eternal gratitude
for his willingness to allow me news and system access, for answering too many
numerous and varied questions *and* going to great pains to ressurect my
entire e-mail file from mail logs, after an unfortunate crash left me without
a list-less!!!  For gagme information, mail  to - [e-mail] - .

C. Lance Moxley <[e-mail]>:  For allowing the Archives to
be housed on the machine he administers.  For his patience with some of the
same sort of dumb questions that Greg has had to put up with :->, and
for permitting me to use his site for posting and mailing news to this list.
If you use the archives, ** PLEASE ** take the time to drop Lance a note to
say thanks.  NEVER bother him with problems, send those to me.

Patrick Townson <[e-mail]> Moderator of Telecom Digest and
comp.dcom.telecom, for getting me started on the net and offering advice
(some of it I took, some I did't) along the way.   While he and I do things a
bit differently, Iappreciate his role in getting me started.


And of course, the most important person without whom there would be no
                    Airwaves Journal what so ever...

        *YOU* - the poster and reader of Airwaves.

            It is *YOU* who make Airwaves what it is.

                 Thank You.




End of "Airwaves" issue 400.

--



     William Pfeiffer - Moderator/Editor          |     Satellite-106       |
rec.radio.broadcasting - Airwaves Radio Journal   |       *********         |
              - Internet email -                  |    * All The Hits *     |
Article Submission: [e-mail]   |    * All The Time *     |
Subscription Desk:  [e-mail]  |    * All The Same *     |