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| Reviews Summary for Sony World Band Receiver ICF-SW7600GR |
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Reviews: 61
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Average rating: 4.3/5
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MSRP: $$180
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Description: Portable shortwave receiver.
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More info: http://
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write your own review of the Sony World Band Receiver ICF-SW7600GR.
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G0RRL
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 21, 2008 11:24
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20 years and going strong
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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this review is for a 1986 Sony 7600D.
it must have been one of the 1st batch made. the tuning at the time was revolutionary. people niggle about preferring a dial .. but i thought this tuning was quite novel. my early memory's were of a impressive multiband radio for its size. to prevent overload i used a coupled ATU .. whereby the signal was loosely coupled by moving the radio as close to the ATU coil without creating overload & birdies. a very lo value capacitor or close coupled windings were tried & gave simular good results. a direct connection to a 50ft wire was no good.
cons: NO dial lock on this model.-- today the FM band is VERY w i d e.--
pros: audio is really nice.-- rock solid tuning. small. -- AA cells.
the radio has had minor faults .. such as the AE socket conection to the PCB came loose. most of the solder joints sufered & were re-soldered. 20+ years later the radio is still going strong.
i was considering a upgrade .. but i see the latest model still has no wide/narrow filter .. & several features that some of the cheaper "copy" radios have. ???
its been a great port-radio. IMO not really been superseded since.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9502951@N07/
pictures can be seen here.
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KC2OYZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 21, 2008 00:43
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Buy it - big radio in little package!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I do a lot of SWL and MW dx'ing. I bought an SW7600GR in 1999 after researching it. Since then I have owned about a dozen portables and several tabletop rx's - including TenTec, Grundig Satellit 800, Eton E1, Eton E5, Eton E10, Icom R75. The only one I still have and use is the SW7600GR (getting another R75). I live in an area plagued with the worst RFI, and a steel framed building, antenna restrictions, etc - about the worst possible situation for radio listening - I have trouble pulling in WCBS, a local 50 kw station!
Over the years I have given every receiver the 'WCBS test' - take the radio 20 feet away from the window and tune in WCBS. The only portable to pass the test is the SW7600GR - it blows away all the competition, including the newly released Eton E5, which paled in comparison, so I returned it the next day. And it picks up SW DX as good as anything under $1000 (or maybe more - haven't spent that much). With an external speaker or headphones and a decent antenna you've got BIG radio in a little package.
This baby has been with me through terrorist attacks, blackouts, and drinking bouts, and never fails. The only thing I've had that outperforms it is the Icom R75. The alarm is also great - very easy to use and two independent settings. The only downside is that a lot of the controls are on the side of the radio and hard to see from the front - but it's a minor complaint. A keeper and a classic.
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WA4053SWL
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 26, 2008 23:02
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7600G, probably the best portable SW receiver
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have the model ICF-7600G and Sangean 909, but the Sony is the winner, the 7600G is a very sensitive and selectivy radio, the LSB and USB to listen amateur and utilitary is amazing, and the synchronous detection helps a lot to broadcasting SW and MW, very recommended.
73 to all
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ELKABONG
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 25, 2008 04:45
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Compact radio with ultra sensitivity
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This radio is replacing all my other radios even my AOR 7030 Plus because of it's Sync. Lock feature makes stations lock on, no fading. It's a wonderful thing. Shortwave reception is outstanding for a little radio especially just using the whip antenna, more with the reel antenna attached. Wish it came with a case with a shoulder strap so I wouldn't have to hold it when I'm listening while traveling, even though it's about the size of a paperback book.
I had second thoughs about the Sony ICF-SW7600GR vs. Super Sangean ATS909 but the Sangean is more than twice the money which isn't a factor and it's an inch larger overall which is a factor. The reviews I read it wasn't any better or worse but it did have a tuning knob and strength meter. All in all I'm a very happy customer.
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W4RAR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 4, 2008 20:03
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For the price can't be beat
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought this little gem after hearing one of my friends talk about how neat it was. the first thing I ask was can you actually listen to SSB? he said yeah but I had to hear it for myself, he brought it over and I ordered one that very day. I had previously purchased a Sangean ATS 909 you couldn't hear anything on it "except commercial broadcast" and I paid twice as much for it. this is a fantastic little portable I would recommend to anyone. I might buy another one myself since the price is so reasonable HI HI
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WF7I
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 7, 2007 10:15
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Very good little radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I picked up this radio a few weeks ago and am generally pretty impressed.
It is very tiny for what is in the package. It also seems fairly sensitive to weak signals, although it could have been better. Still for the price I think it does a great job.
It does a good job on SSB/CW reception although I have to say I'm not thrilled with having a BFO-style knob (would like to just hit "LSB/USB" and then be done with it, engage a real fine tuner, etc). It has a plethora of memories in it.
The biggest cons for me are mostly ergonomics or personal preference. No plug-in power supply, no tuning knob, audio kind of poor from speaker (but good through headset). Other than that, I'm thrilled with it. It doesn't replace my old ICF-2010, but then, nothing really does, especially at this price level.
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4Z5NU
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Rating: 3/5
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Nov 7, 2007 10:38
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Was My favorite before DE1103 appears
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Here I am commenting only about radios in portables category
Pros: Sensitivity with whip same as on DE1103, Reliability like a SONY brand should be.
Cons: To expensive, To big, Lack of a tuning knob, Sound in SSB mode is "dumby and muted", Poor dark, display only, illumination, No signal strength meter.
I have both the DE1103 and the ICF-SW7600GR.
I gave it a "3"-OK rating because I believe that only DE1103 truly deserve a "5" (again in portables category).
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4288
http://www.qrz.com/4z5nu
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KB0LPI
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 15, 2007 21:27
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I think there are better choices
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I own 2 other SW units, the Eton E5 and the Kaito 1103. If you told me I had to give up one of them, I'd give up the Sony.
Sony Cons:
- No tuning knob. (For me this is a BIG factor)
- Sound is "Muddy" compared to the others. (The Sony has a bit better bass response for music, but the mid-highs just aren't there.)
- No ability to recharge batteries on board.
- No AC adapter included. (The Kaito even included batteries)
- No battery condition meter (other than "really low" and "dead")
- "Light" must be pressed every time to illuminate the display (E5 and 1103 can activate whenever a button is pushed or tuning knob moves)
- Buttons not illuminated
- Display on E5 shows time, frequency, battery condition, wide/narrow, and signal strength all at the same time. The Sony will only show time OR frequency.
Sony Pros:
- SSB Sync holds stations without fading slightly better
- Analog volume control allows better control (I find that when going to bed that 4 is too soft and 5 is too loud on the E5)
- Adjustable attenuator (1103 and E5 are just 10db)
- External antenna comes with reel.
- Sensitivity with whip better than the E5. (about equal to the 1103)
The 7600GR isn't bad, but of the 3 radios I have, I think I like the Sony the least.
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LRDHEAT
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Rating: 5/5
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May 28, 2007 13:12
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addendum
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Time owned: months
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On medium wave, I was impressed with sync...I was able to use sync on LSB on 1480Khz, and totally get rid of interference from a local on 1490Khz. I could not do this with the Eton 5's narrow filter. It also found sync tuning to 1479Khz on LSB. I also found that, although sync would not hold on 1360Khz using LSB ( trying to hear a daytime signal from Corpus Christi, 125 miles away) in an effort to cut through inteference from Nuevo Laredo locals on 1340Khz and 1370 Khz, ECSS was doable on 1360Khz, and I was able to hear the Corpus station! Could't tune it in on the Eton 5 in it's narrow setting. ESCC is also quite decent on shortwave as is USB and LSB ham's; I listened to Honduras, Italy, and Belgium in my driveway within 10 minutes on 20 meters 4 hours before sunset yesterday!
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K4PDM
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Rating: 4/5
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May 24, 2007 07:38
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Not as good as I expected...
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Mine has the "warble" on very strong SSB/CW signals, but is OK with lower signal strengths.
I do not like the up/down pushbutton frequency control and would much prefer a tuning knob. I know many portables are made this way, but if you are used to using a VFO knob, you may not like this method of changing frequencies. It means that I never manually tune through the bands, which I enjoy doing with my $50 analog Sony portable (which I emailed Sony and praised,) and my ham rigs.
It receives well and generally sounds good. If you are happy with letting the radio scan or simply enter stations into memories, you'll probably love it. I have no major beefs--These are not deal-breakers for me, but they may be for you.
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