What Is The Most Beautiful Radio Ever Made (In Your Opinion)?

[WB9JOX]

Icom 7800 best looking radio for me.

[KC0KEK]

Great topic — and a tough one. I vote for the:

• Icom 7800. I almost bought one but didn't need the second RX, so I went with a 7700.
• Yaesu FT-101ZD.
• Yaesu FT-9000 with the display.

I think Yaesus are like BMWs in the sense that they have a distinctive look.

[VE3TMT]

I'll add my list to the pile...

# 1 - Icom 7800, loved the look of this radio from the minute I saw it. It's my density, I mean, my destiny.

# 2 - Kenwood TS-870S, great looking radio
 
# 3 - My old TS830S, AT230, SP230, VFO230 setup. Kenwood knew how to design a radio


Ugly...The new TS990S, too much crammed in to it. For all the hype of a new HF radio, I think it's a disappointment and too expensive. Bring back the 850!

TenTec Eagle and Yaesu FT9000 come in a close 2nd and 3rd.

[KC0KEK]

The TS-2000 must be the most polarizing radio ever designed.
In almost every aspect of it I find that some people Love it and some people Hate it.

Agreed. Any Ten-Tec rig from the past 20 years would be a close second.

[KD8MJR]

Great topic — and a tough one. I vote for the:

• Icom 7800. I almost bought one but didn't need the second RX, so I went with a 7700.
• Yaesu FT-101ZD.
• Yaesu FT-9000 with the display.

I think Yaesus are like BMWs in the sense that they have a distinctive look.

Oh how I dreamed of owning a 7800    I would still love to own one but it's way out of my price league and they are getting a bit dated.

FT-101ZD must have been the Marilyn Monroe of it's time, it's still sexy even today.

[KC0KEK]

Oh how I dreamed of owning a 7800    I would still love to own one but it's way out of my price league and they are getting a bit dated.

The older design was another reason why I went with a 7700. But according to the 7800 Yahoo Group, Icom will be upgrading the 7800's firmware with:

1. Waterfall screens for RF and AF (Audio Scope/FFT Scope/Oscilloscope)

2. Mouse operation for scopes, click to select the frequency (Use USB hub to connect both of the keyboard and mouse at the
same time) and other scope improvements

3. Remote control by RS-BA1 (new version) without radio-side PC. Shack side PC (user operation PC) is still required.

4. Voice recorder improvement (similar to ID-31/51, IC-7100 function)

5. USB flash drive compatibility (in addition to Compact Flash)

6. New APF function improvement (0-6dB six steps volume adjustment)

7. Transmit delay function (for linear amplifier)

8. Expansion of 7MHz band (EUR version)

9. One-hand operation for filter setting change

10. New CI-V command additions (quasi-power-On/Off, setting/reading current status of RIT/Delta TX Freq, RIT On/Off and
Delta TX On/Off)

That group is a good one to join if a used 7800 is more in your price range.

[K9MHZ]

and, Ten Tec rigs are ugly?  At least an average technically inclined ham can repair them when the time comes.

Once again.....OLD Ten Tec radios, butt ugly.  New Ten Tec....very nice looking radios.  And good luck repairing the new ones yourself; they're very advanced just like everything else. 

Ten Tec has really come a long way....their gear is on my short list for the next round of new gear.

 

[AC7DX]

R390A

[K9MHZ]

R390A

Collins did make some lookers!


 

[W2WDX]

Of all time, hands down ...

The Collins "Gold Dust Twins", The KWS-1 transmitter with a matching 75A-4 receiver and the matching 270 loudspeaker. And these were made for the Amateur market, not the military or commercial use. At $13,000 in adjusted 2013 dollars ($2500 when sold new), the nickname is appropriate.

Bask in the luscious wrinkle finished wonders they are, and bow to their impressive uber-whelming towering presence!!!

Now that's a real mans Ham radio! And a kilowatt of input power to boot! And just as pretty on the inside, as outside!

Yummy!

I can't believe nobody mentioned them yet!

John, W2WDX

[AF6WL]

The RACAL RA17 ... or better still a row of them





I regret selling mine some 15 years ago.

[KQ6EA]

What movie is that from?

[AF6WL]

What movie is that from?

The Bond Film Dr No according to the site http://harrysportcar.blogspot.com/2012/11/rolex-submariner-and-racal-117-in-movie.html

[NK6Q]

Of all time, hands down ...

The Collins "Gold Dust Twins", The KWS-1 transmitter with a matching 75A-4 receiver and the matching 270 loudspeaker. And these were made for the Amateur market, not the military or commercial use. At $13,000 in adjusted 2013 dollars ($2500 when sold new), the nickname is appropriate.

Ooh, ooh, I feel like one of those primates in 2001 A Space Odyssey peering up at the Monolith (cue "Also Sprach Zarathustra")

Bask in the luscious wrinkle finished wonders they are, and bow to their impressive uber-whelming towering presence!!!

Now that's a real mans Ham radio! And a kilowatt of input power to boot! And just as pretty on the inside, as outside!

Yummy!

I can't believe nobody mentioned them yet!

John, W2WDX

[W2WDX]

Ooh, ooh, I feel like one of those primates in 2001 A Space Odyssey peering up at the Monolith (cue "Also Sprach Zarathustra")

Actually, for the scene with the apes touching the monolith, cue Gregory Ligeti's 'Requiem'! The bone smashing scene is "Also Sprach Zarathustra".