Quality AM radio

On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 21:46:56 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 12:52:42 -0700,
etpm@whidbey.com wrote:

On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:32:06 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com
wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 06:09:17 -0700 (PDT),
tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

On Thursday, 12 October 2017 12:32:06 UTC+1, pf...@aol.com wrote:
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 11:44:10 PM UTC-4, MOP CAP wrote:

Does anyone have a recomendation for a quality AM receiver? I have a
cabin in the low Sierras and have trouble receiving AM. I would prefer
one that would not require an outside antenna.
Thanks,
CP

Mpffff... This is an easy one. If you are looking, primarily, for good reception over top-notch sound (mostly wasted on AM anyway), and this is to be a single-purpose device, look for something like a solid-state GE "Super Radio" or similar. They are fair-enough sounding and far better than average at AM DXing capabilities. Low in cost for very good results.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GE-SUPERADIO-SUPER-RADIO-LONG-RANGE-AM-FM-HI-PERFORMANCE-VERY-NICE-/401419473964?hash=item5d7677142c:g:e9AAAOSwbRJZvvX8 I keep one of these at our summer house that is no slouch at all. The AM band is pretty busy, especially at night.

I've heard of the GE Superradio, but didn't think I needed anything more
at that time. Is the GE Superradio especially good on FM as well as
AM?


,,,,,
Hard-Core would be a Communications Receiver, something in the Hallicrafters, Collins or National lines - which are a whole different can of worms, do want an outside antenna, and likely will contain tubes rather than transistors.

I don't have the best antenna. I took 4-wire phone line, solder two
pair together at one end and one pair at the radio-end so it goes down
and back twice and it was stretched down the stairs. I think I should
more it to the attic.

And, one of these will truly separate fly-poop from pepper. Give it an 80' longwire and you will be getting AM from Hawaii - or thereabouts.

Counting back and forth twice, it's 80' or a little more. Maybe I
should shorten it to 80' ???

Peter Wieck

The old Vega/Ocean radios are very cheap dx sets. Some mericans might not like their origins. But don't worry, they don't run Kaspersky.

I run Kaspersky but I lie about what I'm doing so when they report back,
it will just confuse the Kremlin.

I thought all phone line wire was twisted pair.

All the indoor phone wire I've seen has been 4-wire untwisted. Red,
yellow, black, and green.

If that's the case
then I would think your setup would tend to keep radio waves, AKA
interference, out. Maybe that's why your antenna isn't working very
well.
Eric

Thanks but it's not twisted. My next-door neighbor is, but that's
another story.

You know, I was thinking about the solid phone wire, 4 conductors, two
twisted pairs, surrounded by a loose fitting jacket. The stuff you run
inside walls. But of course I didn't think enough 'cause then I would
have thought about the flat 4 conductor interior phone wire used for
extensions and the like. Duh.
Eric

 

[Dave Platt]

In article <7ff5c2cc-83d4-4c9d-bf06-5ab9de9d7d83@googlegroups.com>,
<jurb6006@gmail.com> wrote:

"where are the laws or
regulations which "forbid" them? "

Poor choice of words, there probably is no actual law or regulation, but for some reason
manufacturers omit those frequencies.

Probably because it costs something (in engineering and in dollars) to
implement a "DC to daylight" design. The manufacturers don't really
have any incentive to do this, and include the "missing octave" (above
the medium-wave AM band, and below the start of HF at around 3 MHz),
because very few of their customers care about this, because there
isn't any commercial or social programming using these frequencies.
The semiconductor companies which make specialized ICs for receiving
middle-wave AM, VHF FM, etc. probably don't make chips specific to
these frequencies because there's no commercial demand.

If you want a radio which receives these, they're certainly available
"off the shelf". "Communications receiver" radios like the Icom
IC-R8500 will do this very well indeed - that one receives everything
from 100 kHz to 2 GHz, except (in the U.S.) for those cellphone band
frequencies I mentioned.

These receivers aren't cheap, of course.

Or, build any of numerous LF/MF receiver designs out there on the
net... a simple MW AM superhet design can be adapted easily enough, or
use an NE602 and make a single-chip direct-conversion receiver (add a
transistor or two to drive a loudspeaker).

There is something though because years ago the FCC was considering pulling a station's license
because their programming "appeared to be intended for domestic
audiences".

If they were trying to abuse an "international short-wave" station
license to do domestic broadcasting, I'm not surprised. The FCC
regulations on stations for those frequencies are very clear - they're
to be used only for broadcasting programming to other countries. You
have to have at least 50 kilowatts of transmitter power, _and_ a
directional antenna with at least 10 dB of gain (which means "big!")
aimed at the specific area your broadcast is intended to serve.

The FCC points out that the costs are high (maybe a million dollars)
and it's not a very efficient way to reach international audiences
these days.

The frequency uses are coordinated between the FCC, and other ITU
countries, to minimize interference in these broadcasts between
countries. I haven't read the ITU regs (a treaty to which the
U.S. has been signatory for a lot of decades) but I strongly suspect
that the international agreements for these frequencies _forbid_
signatory countries using them for in-country broadcasting... there
are other frequencies set aside for that.

The FCC's regulations are quite clear:

§ 73.788 Service; commercial or sponsored programs.

(a) A licensee of an international broadcast station shall render only
an international broadcast service which will reflect the culture of
this country and which will promote international goodwill,
understanding, and cooperation. Any program solely intended for and
directed to an audience in the continental United States does not meet
the requirements for this service.

These aren't new regs; this section dates back to 1963 and was last
amended in 1973.

Need I mention that the
station was full of dissidents who were very critical of the US government ?

No, you don't need to mention it, because it's really rather
irrelevant. The FCC regulations apply to _any_ US organization that
wants to set up an international broadcast station. Dissidents have a
right to equal treatment before the law, _and_ they have an equal
obligation to respect the rules (or step up and face the consequences
for not doing so).

So, if that group of dissidents applies for an international broadcast
authorization, asked for a frequency assignment, and then tried to
"re-purpose" their station in a way which is _specifically_ prohibited
by the regulations, it's not surprising they got slapped... and I have
no particular sympathy for them. I expect a similar thing would
happen to any other "international" broadcaster that tried a similar
stunt.

 

[Dave Platt]

"Can you cite the regulation in which they actually mandated this?
I've never heard of it. "

The both AM and FM thing I remember distinctly due to my exposure to high fidelity. I'm pretty sure
it was in the 1970s. A quick Google does not turn up anything on it though, but that is not uncommon.
Much of this older stuff was simply never archived. Suffice it to say I didn't make it up. I didn't
imagine it.

I find this quite curious, because I subscribed to those same
magazines (Stereo Review, High Fidelity, Audio, the Sensible Sound)
through the same era, and never read or heard anything about that sort
of requirement by the FCC.

I've never seen a reference to such a requirement, anywhere. I've
never seen a receiver, tuner, or integrated circuit described as
complying with a "Part XXX" requirement of this sort (while they're
often tagged as complying with Part 15 rules for RF interference).

I've never heard tell of a manufacturer being cited for failing to
comply, or a bunch of illegal FM-only radios/tuners being seized by
the FCC, or any company fined for selling them.

And, I know there were a bunch of FM-only tuners and radios being made
and sold through that era... Kloss made several FM-only radios, Scott
and others made FM-only tuners, I've still got a Dynaco FM-3 in my
collection (no AM).

So, I'm not sure what you read. It's possible the FCC may have been
_considering_ such a mandate (possibly someone in the AM broadcast
industry filed a petition to ask for a rule-making of this sort) and
this was mentioned in the magazine, but I don't think I've ever seen
any evidence that such a mandate was ever actually implemented. There
_ought_ to have been plenty of traces, visible over the years and even
now, and I haven't seen any.

If it had been I suspect that it might have been unenforceable, as
being outside the FCC's authorized regulatory powers. The FCC has a
lot of authority over what can be _transmitted_, and how, but a lot
less over what can be _received_ (and I think even less over the
question of what must be _required_ to be receivable).

I wonder if I could at least get the date from archives of High Fidelity magazine, to which I
subscribed for a time.

Please pass the info along if you do find it - I'm quite curious.

They used Hirsch-Houck (sp) labs to test everything and though AM was no big
deal they tested it anyway to see if the manufacturer was lying in the manual. Of course the
consistently found poor performance, but then they didn't lie about it. The AM section was there, I
bet some people never ever used it.

I suspect _lots_ of people never used it. Even by the 70s, FM (with
its better performance and stereo capability) had pretty much kicked
AM's butt, as far as quality sound distribution goes.

The presence of the AM section was pretty much a "check-box" item for
most buyers, I think. They expected it to be there (because they were
used to it) and they'd consider a receiver not having it to be
"inferior" and thus less worthy of purchase. That's probably why the
manufacturers (1) continued to include it and (2) didn't bother to
make it a good one - it had to be there to keep their product from
losing sales, but its quality was pretty much irrelevant to those
sales.

The devices which didn't have it, were ones which were being marketed
to an audiophile crowd, I think, where people wanted the best FM sound
for their dollar and didn't care a fig about AM.

 

[micky]

In sci.electronics.repair, on Sat, 14 Oct 2017 11:40:27 -0700,
etpm@whidbey.com wrote:

On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 21:46:56 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com
wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 12:52:42 -0700,
etpm@whidbey.com wrote:

On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:32:06 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com
wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 06:09:17 -0700 (PDT),
tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

On Thursday, 12 October 2017 12:32:06 UTC+1, pf...@aol.com wrote:
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 11:44:10 PM UTC-4, MOP CAP wrote:

Does anyone have a recomendation for a quality AM receiver? I have a
cabin in the low Sierras and have trouble receiving AM. I would prefer
one that would not require an outside antenna.
Thanks,
CP

Mpffff... This is an easy one. If you are looking, primarily, for good reception over top-notch sound (mostly wasted on AM anyway), and this is to be a single-purpose device, look for something like a solid-state GE "Super Radio" or similar. They are fair-enough sounding and far better than average at AM DXing capabilities. Low in cost for very good results.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GE-SUPERADIO-SUPER-RADIO-LONG-RANGE-AM-FM-HI-PERFORMANCE-VERY-NICE-/401419473964?hash=item5d7677142c:g:e9AAAOSwbRJZvvX8 I keep one of these at our summer house that is no slouch at all. The AM band is pretty busy, especially at night.

I've heard of the GE Superradio, but didn't think I needed anything more
at that time. Is the GE Superradio especially good on FM as well as
AM?


,,,,,
Hard-Core would be a Communications Receiver, something in the Hallicrafters, Collins or National lines - which are a whole different can of worms, do want an outside antenna, and likely will contain tubes rather than transistors.

I don't have the best antenna. I took 4-wire phone line, solder two
pair together at one end and one pair at the radio-end so it goes down
and back twice and it was stretched down the stairs. I think I should
more it to the attic.

And, one of these will truly separate fly-poop from pepper. Give it an 80' longwire and you will be getting AM from Hawaii - or thereabouts.

Counting back and forth twice, it's 80' or a little more. Maybe I
should shorten it to 80' ???

Peter Wieck

The old Vega/Ocean radios are very cheap dx sets. Some mericans might not like their origins. But don't worry, they don't run Kaspersky.

I run Kaspersky but I lie about what I'm doing so when they report back,
it will just confuse the Kremlin.

I thought all phone line wire was twisted pair.

All the indoor phone wire I've seen has been 4-wire untwisted. Red,
yellow, black, and green.

If that's the case
then I would think your setup would tend to keep radio waves, AKA
interference, out. Maybe that's why your antenna isn't working very
well.
Eric

Thanks but it's not twisted. My next-door neighbor is, but that's
another story.
You know, I was thinking about the solid phone wire, 4 conductors, two
twisted pairs, surrounded by a loose fitting jacket. The stuff you run
inside walls. But of course I didn't think enough 'cause then I would
have thought about the flat 4 conductor interior phone wire used for
extensions and the like. Duh.
Eric

My attempted shortwave antenna didn't use that either. It used the round
white wire with for separate, unattached conductors inside, each with
its own separate insulation. Don't you remember those days?

 

[Foxs Mercantile]

On 10/14/2017 8:02 PM, Dave Platt wrote:
> Please pass the info along if you do find it - I'm quite curious.

Don't hold your breath.
jureb6006 is full of unsubstantiated nutter
conspiracies.



--
Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi
http://www.foxsmercantile.com

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 14 Oct 2017 08:46:13 -0700 (PDT), jurb6006@gmail.com wrote:

"where are the laws or
regulations which "forbid" them? "

Poor choice of words, there probably is no actual law or regulation, but for
some reason manufacturers omit those frequencies.

There were a few cheap AM/FM/SW receivers on the market in the 1960's
that used 10.7MHz for the first IF frequency. Trying to listen to
anything within about 2 MHz of 10.7MHz was difficult because of
spurious receiver responses from the AM broadcast band. So, there was
a hole in the tuning range from about 9MHz to 12.3MHz. Is that what
you're talking about?

There was also a move during the AM stereo wars (approx 1980 - 1995)
to require AM stereo in all automotive radios. Manufacturers were
worried that there might not be a mass market for AM stereo (which was
proven correct) and that the general public was better served by
having AM stereo shoved down their throat. Similar requirements have
been proposed for satellite radio, and HD FM Radio. To their credit,
the FCC has rejected all such proposals.

Back to the "Quality AM Radio"... To deal with complaints about lousy
mono AM quality, the AMAX certification program was established:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMAX>
"According to the EIA and National Association of Broadcasters,
tuners and receivers that are qualified to carry the AMAX stereo
certification logo will capture the widest audio frequency
response and highest quality stereo separation of AM stereo
broadcasts that modern technology can offer. In addition,
AMAX tuners and receivers will capture all of the fidelity
transmitted from monaural AM stations. Its audio response
is more than two octaves greater than a standard AM radio."

So, is your favorite AM stereo tuner AMAX certified?
<http://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/datasheet/motorola/MC13122P.pdf>
(See Pg 6) Notice that the AMAX spec required a wide/narrow bandwidth
IF switch in order to get decent audio quality. I couldn't find
anything on how or where to get something certified.

Stations still doing AM stereo:
<http://meduci.com/stations.html>
Better quality AM receiver retrofit (using C-QuAM modulation):
<http://meduci.com>





--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 15 Oct 2017 09:28:57 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

Back to the "Quality AM Radio"... To deal with complaints about lousy
mono AM quality, the AMAX certification program was established:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMAX

Some more detail on AMAX, improvements to AM broadcasting, and AM
stereo:
<http://www.radioworld.com/am_king>

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

On Sat, 14 Oct 2017 21:43:47 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Sat, 14 Oct 2017 11:40:27 -0700,
etpm@whidbey.com wrote:

On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 21:46:56 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com
wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 12:52:42 -0700,
etpm@whidbey.com wrote:

On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:32:06 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com
wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 12 Oct 2017 06:09:17 -0700 (PDT),
tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

On Thursday, 12 October 2017 12:32:06 UTC+1, pf...@aol.com wrote:
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 11:44:10 PM UTC-4, MOP CAP wrote:

Does anyone have a recomendation for a quality AM receiver? I have a
cabin in the low Sierras and have trouble receiving AM. I would prefer
one that would not require an outside antenna.
Thanks,
CP

Mpffff... This is an easy one. If you are looking, primarily, for good reception over top-notch sound (mostly wasted on AM anyway), and this is to be a single-purpose device, look for something like a solid-state GE "Super Radio" or similar. They are fair-enough sounding and far better than average at AM DXing capabilities. Low in cost for very good results.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GE-SUPERADIO-SUPER-RADIO-LONG-RANGE-AM-FM-HI-PERFORMANCE-VERY-NICE-/401419473964?hash=item5d7677142c:g:e9AAAOSwbRJZvvX8 I keep one of these at our summer house that is no slouch at all. The AM band is pretty busy, especially at night.

I've heard of the GE Superradio, but didn't think I needed anything more
at that time. Is the GE Superradio especially good on FM as well as
AM?


,,,,,
Hard-Core would be a Communications Receiver, something in the Hallicrafters, Collins or National lines - which are a whole different can of worms, do want an outside antenna, and likely will contain tubes rather than transistors.

I don't have the best antenna. I took 4-wire phone line, solder two
pair together at one end and one pair at the radio-end so it goes down
and back twice and it was stretched down the stairs. I think I should
more it to the attic.

And, one of these will truly separate fly-poop from pepper. Give it an 80' longwire and you will be getting AM from Hawaii - or thereabouts.

Counting back and forth twice, it's 80' or a little more. Maybe I
should shorten it to 80' ???

Peter Wieck

The old Vega/Ocean radios are very cheap dx sets. Some mericans might not like their origins. But don't worry, they don't run Kaspersky.

I run Kaspersky but I lie about what I'm doing so when they report back,
it will just confuse the Kremlin.

I thought all phone line wire was twisted pair.

All the indoor phone wire I've seen has been 4-wire untwisted. Red,
yellow, black, and green.

If that's the case
then I would think your setup would tend to keep radio waves, AKA
interference, out. Maybe that's why your antenna isn't working very
well.
Eric

Thanks but it's not twisted. My next-door neighbor is, but that's
another story.
You know, I was thinking about the solid phone wire, 4 conductors, two
twisted pairs, surrounded by a loose fitting jacket. The stuff you run
inside walls. But of course I didn't think enough 'cause then I would
have thought about the flat 4 conductor interior phone wire used for
extensions and the like. Duh.
Eric

My attempted shortwave antenna didn't use that either. It used the round
white wire with for separate, unattached conductors inside, each with
its own separate insulation. Don't you remember those days?

Yeah, I remember that wire. I though that the wires in them were
twisted pairs though. Not a very high rate of twist though. Are you
sure those wires aren't twisted pairs?
Eric

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 04:32:03 -0700 (PDT), "pfjw@aol.com"
<pfjw@aol.com> wrote:

And, one of these will truly separate fly-poop from pepper.
Give it an 80' longwire and you will be getting AM from
Hawaii - or thereabouts.

Yeah, that's the conventional wisdom. I have a different view.
A bigger broadband antenna does not produce a better AM signal.
What happens when you install a bigger antenna is that you
simultaneously increase the signal and the noise pickup with the SNR
(signal to noise ratio) being constant. At BCB (broadcast band)
frequencies, the atmospheric and man made noise is quite high.
<https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Atmosphericnoise.PNG>
Hearing a distant station with good fidelity and low noise is not so
much a matter of having a strong signal, but more a matter of reducing
the noise. The noise can be switching power supplies, motors,
appliances, and mixing between two or more out of band stations.

The antenna does not need to be huge. See various version of the
PA0RDT mini-whip antenna for clues on what can be done with very small
antennas:
<http://dl1dbc.net/SAQ/miniwhip.html>
<https://www.ebay.com/sch/Ham-Amateur-Radio-Antennas/4672/i.html?_nkw=mini+whip+antenna>
<https://www.google.com/search?q=pa0rdt+mini+whip&tbm=isch>

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[micky]

In sci.electronics.repair, on Sun, 15 Oct 2017 11:25:19 -0700,
etpm@whidbey.com wrote:

My attempted shortwave antenna didn't use that either. It used the round
white wire with for separate, unattached conductors inside, each with
its own separate insulation. Don't you remember those days?
Yeah, I remember that wire. I though that the wires in them were
twisted pairs though. Not a very high rate of twist though. Are you
sure those wires aren't twisted pairs?
Eric

I stripped back 6 inches on one occasion, I'm pretty sure, and I saw
no twisting.

I'm sure I still have more of it, and I have some new stuff tooMaybe 5
years old.

I bought a new roll of 100' a while back, but I haven't stripped that
type of wire back more than an inch or two.

 

[Frank]

On Sat, 14 Oct 2017 17:25:58 -0700, Dave Platt wrote:

The FCC's regulations are quite clear:

§ 73.788 Service; commercial or sponsored programs.

(a) A licensee of an international broadcast station shall render only
an international broadcast service which will reflect the culture of
this country and which will promote international goodwill,
understanding, and cooperation. Any program solely intended for and
directed to an audience in the continental United States does not meet
the requirements for this service.

These aren't new regs; this section dates back to 1963 and was last
amended in 1973.

So what? American domestic SW stations have been broadcasting to a
domestic audience since at least around 1970 when I was entertained by HL
Hunt sponsored right wing propaganda on radio station WINB.

It reached a peak around the Y2K period when overtly racist neo-nazi
babblers could be found among the end time preachers, conspiratorialists,
and other kooks of domestic SW radio.

Domestic SW broadcasting has been a real world fact, if not a legal fact,
for decades.

I'm not aware of the FCC enforcing any speech codes or domestic SW
broadcasting requirements in modern times. Maybe it's not enforceable?
I dunno.

No, you don't need to mention it, because it's really rather irrelevant.
The FCC regulations apply to _any_ US organization that wants to set up
an international broadcast station. Dissidents have a right to equal
treatment before the law, _and_ they have an equal obligation to respect
the rules (or step up and face the consequences for not doing so).

So, if that group of dissidents applies for an international broadcast
authorization, asked for a frequency assignment, and then tried to
"re-purpose" their station in a way which is _specifically_ prohibited
by the regulations, it's not surprising they got slapped... and I have
no particular sympathy for them. I expect a similar thing would happen
to any other "international" broadcaster that tried a similar stunt.

Kookcasters don't have the budget for their own radio station. They buy
time on brokered SW stations. A broadcaster like the Jeremiah 33:3
Ministries guy has been kicked off at least a couple of stations for not
paying his bills. A real loss for those who need to learn every kooky
detail on the Masonic/Alien/David Rockefeller Conspiracy which controls
EVERYTHING.

I haven't heard ADV in a while. Sometimes broadcasters go vagabond,
sometimes they're just gone.

 

[amdx]

On 10/13/2017 9:16 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

Just a few things in general from questions asked:

a) GE Super Radios are very good general consumer radios with excellent AM and FM capacities.
b) I am a bit of a collector of radios, with one foot pretty deep into Audio as well. So, I have a large number of comparison points from the 1920s through the 1990s. Of all of those, the best AM reception I get (without an external antenna) is on my Zenith RD7000Y TransOceanic. With an external antenna, it would be the Hallicrafters SX16. The Halli is a beast in weight, takes an external speaker, lots-O-real estate and will heat a small room in the winter. It is also my only communications receiver - chosen because I tripped over it (no kidding) at a flea-market, the seller was an old friend, and the price was right.

Tied for second place: Grundig Satellit 700 and my B600L TransOceanic.

Tied for third place: The GE, YB500 and H500 TransOceanic.

All of the above are very good radios, all but the GE designed specifically with DXing in mind, and really with very little to choose between them. The GE is a happy accident of good design and good execution resulting in a pretty hot radio.

On the audio side, I own two component tuners with AM sections. The Soundcraftsmen T100 AM section is an unhappy joke. I can get the local torches reasonably well (KYW being one). But no real distance. On the other hand, the Dynaco AF6 is not half-bad for AM. I have never tried it with other than the ferrite antenna on board, but I suspect it may have hidden depths with a very good antenna. It also helped that I aligned it for AM when I got it. Being able to do AM and SW alignments is a side benefit of the hobby, but does give me a good base for judgment.

But, if an inexpensive, reasonably well sounding stand-alone portable radio is desired - the GE Super Radio is a fine option with not a half-bad FM section as well.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Finally some recommendations for his question.
I agree with the GE Super Radio, it is a good radio at a reasonable price.
If you want to go up in price the Sangean ATS 803A was good and then
there is the Sony 2010. 3 of them for sale on Ebay as I write.
Mikek

 

[John-Del]

On Friday, October 20, 2017 at 8:08:16 AM UTC-4, amdx wrote:

On 10/13/2017 9:16 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:
Just a few things in general from questions asked:

a) GE Super Radios are very good general consumer radios with excellent AM and FM capacities.
b) I am a bit of a collector of radios, with one foot pretty deep into Audio as well. So, I have a large number of comparison points from the 1920s through the 1990s. Of all of those, the best AM reception I get (without an external antenna) is on my Zenith RD7000Y TransOceanic. With an external antenna, it would be the Hallicrafters SX16. The Halli is a beast in weight, takes an external speaker, lots-O-real estate and will heat a small room in the winter. It is also my only communications receiver - chosen because I tripped over it (no kidding) at a flea-market, the seller was an old friend, and the price was right.

Tied for second place: Grundig Satellit 700 and my B600L TransOceanic.

Tied for third place: The GE, YB500 and H500 TransOceanic.

All of the above are very good radios, all but the GE designed specifically with DXing in mind, and really with very little to choose between them.. The GE is a happy accident of good design and good execution resulting in a pretty hot radio.

On the audio side, I own two component tuners with AM sections. The Soundcraftsmen T100 AM section is an unhappy joke. I can get the local torches reasonably well (KYW being one). But no real distance. On the other hand, the Dynaco AF6 is not half-bad for AM. I have never tried it with other than the ferrite antenna on board, but I suspect it may have hidden depths with a very good antenna. It also helped that I aligned it for AM when I got it. Being able to do AM and SW alignments is a side benefit of the hobby, but does give me a good base for judgment.

But, if an inexpensive, reasonably well sounding stand-alone portable radio is desired - the GE Super Radio is a fine option with not a half-bad FM section as well.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA


Finally some recommendations for his question.
I agree with the GE Super Radio, it is a good radio at a reasonable price.
If you want to go up in price the Sangean ATS 803A was good and then
there is the Sony 2010. 3 of them for sale on Ebay as I write.
Mikek

As much as I hate to disagree with Peter, let me offer this example as a potential candidate for a quality AM radio (about two weeks left on auction for those reading this from the future):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-L-M-co-model-2TR-TWO-TRANSISTOR-RADIO-in-GOOD-CONDITION-and-WORKS-/322812826908?hash=item4b2924d51c:g:tHoAAOSwGNtZ2TOt


John
Wolcott, CT

 

[amdx]

On 10/21/2017 1:40 PM, John-Del wrote:

On Friday, October 20, 2017 at 8:08:16 AM UTC-4, amdx wrote:
On 10/13/2017 9:16 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:
Just a few things in general from questions asked:

a) GE Super Radios are very good general consumer radios with excellent AM and FM capacities.
b) I am a bit of a collector of radios, with one foot pretty deep into Audio as well. So, I have a large number of comparison points from the 1920s through the 1990s. Of all of those, the best AM reception I get (without an external antenna) is on my Zenith RD7000Y TransOceanic. With an external antenna, it would be the Hallicrafters SX16. The Halli is a beast in weight, takes an external speaker, lots-O-real estate and will heat a small room in the winter. It is also my only communications receiver - chosen because I tripped over it (no kidding) at a flea-market, the seller was an old friend, and the price was right.

Tied for second place: Grundig Satellit 700 and my B600L TransOceanic.

Tied for third place: The GE, YB500 and H500 TransOceanic.

All of the above are very good radios, all but the GE designed specifically with DXing in mind, and really with very little to choose between them. The GE is a happy accident of good design and good execution resulting in a pretty hot radio.

On the audio side, I own two component tuners with AM sections. The Soundcraftsmen T100 AM section is an unhappy joke. I can get the local torches reasonably well (KYW being one). But no real distance. On the other hand, the Dynaco AF6 is not half-bad for AM. I have never tried it with other than the ferrite antenna on board, but I suspect it may have hidden depths with a very good antenna. It also helped that I aligned it for AM when I got it. Being able to do AM and SW alignments is a side benefit of the hobby, but does give me a good base for judgment.

But, if an inexpensive, reasonably well sounding stand-alone portable radio is desired - the GE Super Radio is a fine option with not a half-bad FM section as well.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA


Finally some recommendations for his question.
I agree with the GE Super Radio, it is a good radio at a reasonable price.
If you want to go up in price the Sangean ATS 803A was good and then
there is the Sony 2010. 3 of them for sale on Ebay as I write.
Mikek



As much as I hate to disagree with Peter, let me offer this example as a potential candidate for a quality AM radio (about two weeks left on auction for those reading this from the future):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-L-M-co-model-2TR-TWO-TRANSISTOR-RADIO-in-GOOD-CONDITION-and-WORKS-/322812826908?hash=item4b2924d51c:g:tHoAAOSwGNtZ2TOt


John
Wolcott, CT

Are you sure, or is the owner of a $550 handheld transistor radio
just going to to insist it is high quality?
At best the ferrite rod will only be 4" long and probably only 3-1/2".
Mikek

 

[John-Del]

On Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 4:14:48 PM UTC-4, amdx wrote:

On 10/21/2017 1:40 PM, John-Del wrote:
On Friday, October 20, 2017 at 8:08:16 AM UTC-4, amdx wrote:
On 10/13/2017 9:16 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:
Just a few things in general from questions asked:

a) GE Super Radios are very good general consumer radios with excellent AM and FM capacities.
b) I am a bit of a collector of radios, with one foot pretty deep into Audio as well. So, I have a large number of comparison points from the 1920s through the 1990s. Of all of those, the best AM reception I get (without an external antenna) is on my Zenith RD7000Y TransOceanic. With an external antenna, it would be the Hallicrafters SX16. The Halli is a beast in weight, takes an external speaker, lots-O-real estate and will heat a small room in the winter. It is also my only communications receiver - chosen because I tripped over it (no kidding) at a flea-market, the seller was an old friend, and the price was right.

Tied for second place: Grundig Satellit 700 and my B600L TransOceanic..

Tied for third place: The GE, YB500 and H500 TransOceanic.

All of the above are very good radios, all but the GE designed specifically with DXing in mind, and really with very little to choose between them. The GE is a happy accident of good design and good execution resulting in a pretty hot radio.

On the audio side, I own two component tuners with AM sections. The Soundcraftsmen T100 AM section is an unhappy joke. I can get the local torches reasonably well (KYW being one). But no real distance. On the other hand, the Dynaco AF6 is not half-bad for AM. I have never tried it with other than the ferrite antenna on board, but I suspect it may have hidden depths with a very good antenna. It also helped that I aligned it for AM when I got it. Being able to do AM and SW alignments is a side benefit of the hobby, but does give me a good base for judgment.

But, if an inexpensive, reasonably well sounding stand-alone portable radio is desired - the GE Super Radio is a fine option with not a half-bad FM section as well.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA


Finally some recommendations for his question.
I agree with the GE Super Radio, it is a good radio at a reasonable price.
If you want to go up in price the Sangean ATS 803A was good and then
there is the Sony 2010. 3 of them for sale on Ebay as I write.
Mikek



As much as I hate to disagree with Peter, let me offer this example as a potential candidate for a quality AM radio (about two weeks left on auction for those reading this from the future):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-L-M-co-model-2TR-TWO-TRANSISTOR-RADIO-in-GOOD-CONDITION-and-WORKS-/322812826908?hash=item4b2924d51c:g:tHoAAOSwGNtZ2TOt


John
Wolcott, CT


Are you sure, or is the owner of a $550 handheld transistor radio
just going to to insist it is high quality?
At best the ferrite rod will only be 4" long and probably only 3-1/2".
Mikek

Did you read the whole description? That baby is sporting two (2!) transistors, which means it has twice as many transistors as a one transistor radio!!

John
Wolcott,CT

 

[amdx]

On 10/22/2017 3:27 PM, John-Del wrote:

On Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 4:14:48 PM UTC-4, amdx wrote:
On 10/21/2017 1:40 PM, John-Del wrote:
On Friday, October 20, 2017 at 8:08:16 AM UTC-4, amdx wrote:
On 10/13/2017 9:16 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:
Just a few things in general from questions asked:

a) GE Super Radios are very good general consumer radios with excellent AM and FM capacities.
b) I am a bit of a collector of radios, with one foot pretty deep into Audio as well. So, I have a large number of comparison points from the 1920s through the 1990s. Of all of those, the best AM reception I get (without an external antenna) is on my Zenith RD7000Y TransOceanic. With an external antenna, it would be the Hallicrafters SX16. The Halli is a beast in weight, takes an external speaker, lots-O-real estate and will heat a small room in the winter. It is also my only communications receiver - chosen because I tripped over it (no kidding) at a flea-market, the seller was an old friend, and the price was right.

Tied for second place: Grundig Satellit 700 and my B600L TransOceanic.

Tied for third place: The GE, YB500 and H500 TransOceanic.

All of the above are very good radios, all but the GE designed specifically with DXing in mind, and really with very little to choose between them. The GE is a happy accident of good design and good execution resulting in a pretty hot radio.

On the audio side, I own two component tuners with AM sections. The Soundcraftsmen T100 AM section is an unhappy joke. I can get the local torches reasonably well (KYW being one). But no real distance. On the other hand, the Dynaco AF6 is not half-bad for AM. I have never tried it with other than the ferrite antenna on board, but I suspect it may have hidden depths with a very good antenna. It also helped that I aligned it for AM when I got it. Being able to do AM and SW alignments is a side benefit of the hobby, but does give me a good base for judgment.

But, if an inexpensive, reasonably well sounding stand-alone portable radio is desired - the GE Super Radio is a fine option with not a half-bad FM section as well.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA


Finally some recommendations for his question.
I agree with the GE Super Radio, it is a good radio at a reasonable price.
If you want to go up in price the Sangean ATS 803A was good and then
there is the Sony 2010. 3 of them for sale on Ebay as I write.
Mikek



As much as I hate to disagree with Peter, let me offer this example as a potential candidate for a quality AM radio (about two weeks left on auction for those reading this from the future):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-L-M-co-model-2TR-TWO-TRANSISTOR-RADIO-in-GOOD-CONDITION-and-WORKS-/322812826908?hash=item4b2924d51c:g:tHoAAOSwGNtZ2TOt


John
Wolcott, CT


Are you sure, or is the owner of a $550 handheld transistor radio
just going to to insist it is high quality?
At best the ferrite rod will only be 4" long and probably only 3-1/2".
Mikek



Did you read the whole description? That baby is sporting two (2!) transistors, which means it has twice as many transistors as a one transistor radio!!

John
Wolcott,CT

Less transistors to introduce noise and distortion!
Mikek

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

Well, there is a pretty good chance that neither of those transistors is being used as a diode... . Although I once had a one-transistor radio that amplified a germanium crystal permeable tuner. Interesting device.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[John-Del]

On Monday, October 23, 2017 at 2:51:54 PM UTC-4, amdx wrote:

On 10/22/2017 3:27 PM, John-Del wrote:
On Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 4:14:48 PM UTC-4, amdx wrote:
On 10/21/2017 1:40 PM, John-Del wrote:
On Friday, October 20, 2017 at 8:08:16 AM UTC-4, amdx wrote:
On 10/13/2017 9:16 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:
Just a few things in general from questions asked:

a) GE Super Radios are very good general consumer radios with excellent AM and FM capacities.
b) I am a bit of a collector of radios, with one foot pretty deep into Audio as well. So, I have a large number of comparison points from the 1920s through the 1990s. Of all of those, the best AM reception I get (without an external antenna) is on my Zenith RD7000Y TransOceanic. With an external antenna, it would be the Hallicrafters SX16. The Halli is a beast in weight, takes an external speaker, lots-O-real estate and will heat a small room in the winter. It is also my only communications receiver - chosen because I tripped over it (no kidding) at a flea-market, the seller was an old friend, and the price was right.

Tied for second place: Grundig Satellit 700 and my B600L TransOceanic.

Tied for third place: The GE, YB500 and H500 TransOceanic.

All of the above are very good radios, all but the GE designed specifically with DXing in mind, and really with very little to choose between them. The GE is a happy accident of good design and good execution resulting in a pretty hot radio.

On the audio side, I own two component tuners with AM sections. The Soundcraftsmen T100 AM section is an unhappy joke. I can get the local torches reasonably well (KYW being one). But no real distance. On the other hand, the Dynaco AF6 is not half-bad for AM. I have never tried it with other than the ferrite antenna on board, but I suspect it may have hidden depths with a very good antenna. It also helped that I aligned it for AM when I got it. Being able to do AM and SW alignments is a side benefit of the hobby, but does give me a good base for judgment.

But, if an inexpensive, reasonably well sounding stand-alone portable radio is desired - the GE Super Radio is a fine option with not a half-bad FM section as well.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA


Finally some recommendations for his question.
I agree with the GE Super Radio, it is a good radio at a reasonable price.
If you want to go up in price the Sangean ATS 803A was good and then
there is the Sony 2010. 3 of them for sale on Ebay as I write.
Mikek



As much as I hate to disagree with Peter, let me offer this example as a potential candidate for a quality AM radio (about two weeks left on auction for those reading this from the future):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VERY-RARE-L-M-co-model-2TR-TWO-TRANSISTOR-RADIO-in-GOOD-CONDITION-and-WORKS-/322812826908?hash=item4b2924d51c:g:tHoAAOSwGNtZ2TOt


John
Wolcott, CT


Are you sure, or is the owner of a $550 handheld transistor radio
just going to to insist it is high quality?
At best the ferrite rod will only be 4" long and probably only 3-1/2".
Mikek



Did you read the whole description? That baby is sporting two (2!) transistors, which means it has twice as many transistors as a one transistor radio!!

John
Wolcott,CT

Less transistors to introduce noise and distortion!
Mikek

Yes!!! See, was it so hard to see the quality of that radio?