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| Reviews Summary for Radio Shack DX-160 |
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Reviews: 30
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Average rating: 3.6/5
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MSRP: $$160 (ca 1975)
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Description: General coverage receiver, solid state, analog readout, single-conversion, AM - SSB, coverage 150Khz to 30 Mhz.
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More info: http://
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write your own review of the Radio Shack DX-160.
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KJ4AXU
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 28, 2008 21:04
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Great Oldie!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Memories galore - like so many others this was my introduction to shortwave and ham radio. My cousin was a ham at the time (I was about 10 or 11) and he recommended it as a good way to hear SW and HAM,a nd he was right. The Variable BFO was cool, ship to shore was great, and of course SW was a blast. Parents got rid of mine when I went to college - hated that it was gone. Bought one on Ebay recently and again it got me thinking about SW and HAM. This time around I got my Tech, then General, then Extra. Still enjoy playing with the DX-160 even though there are better radios now - it is still amazing what it can pick up with a random long wire!
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KA8NSG
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 26, 2008 04:58
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Good rig to start with
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I got mine back in 1976. Spent hous listening to it. You name it SW broadcasts, Ham radio, CB, and AM broadcasts. Always used mine a back receiver when I got my ham license in 1981. Its been a good receiver for me. Sure mine has its downs too, and the its showing its age and use. It needs to be benched and reworked and recalibrated and such. Still have mine today and still use it much. Its not perfect no, but neither is my Heathkit HW 16! Someday I will get mine refurbished I hope and hope to upgrade with a more capable receiver, but I wont part with mine as I have too many memories with it. Ron, KA8NSG
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SPIDER89119
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Rating: 0/5
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Jun 25, 2008 11:25
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a pretty piece of junk
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased this new when I was a kid. I remember being so excited to get it. I've had it for all these years, only occasionally pulling it out of the closet only to be reminded of what a dog it is. The only semi-positive thing I can say about it is that it was so-so for DXing the AM broadcast band. That's if I can remember correctly, since that band stopped working a week after I bought it! The radio got nothing on LW, and very little on SW. As far as Ham reception goes, what little I got was usually impossible to make out using the terrible SSB on this unit. Oh yeah, I could also listen to CBers, but they were nowhere near where they were supposed to be on the dial. I now have a Sony 7600GR, and that little portable is light years ahead of the DX-160 in performance! Next I am going to get rid of my DX-160 and get a Palstar R30cc.
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N4OI
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 9, 2008 19:21
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Revered Place In Attic
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Wow! I just ran across my old DX-160 on its shelf in the attic today. I bought it with my very first paycheck from my very first full-time job back in 1970! Although my Drake R8 will make sure the DX-160 stays in the attic, I will never part with it -- too many great memories of listening to Cold War broadcasts, numbers stations, ship-to-shore phone calls -- and, of course -- hams. I have since become a ham -- directly as a result of my days with the DX-160. Great times! 73 de Ken - N4OI
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K6JPA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 27, 2008 15:59
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You Never Forget Your First...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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You're either going to love it or hate it.
Personally, I was 13 years old when it hit the shelves at my local Radio Shack, and this was the receiver that introduced me to the hobby. I neighbor had one, and we often used it together. Somehow, my neighbor came across a spool of telephone wire, and he must have had enough strung around his rear yard in various forms of antennas to reach across town!
I BEGGED for one each year from "Santa". I must have had 20 Radio Shack catalogs strategically placed around the house trying to spark interest with my parents. Unfortunately, "Santa" never came through for me on this request.
I ran across a very nice one with speaker a few years ago, and purchased it for nostalgic reasons. I know it drifts, and dial accuracy is very marginal, but it doesn't matter one bit to me. It will always hold a prestigious position in my shack.
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VE3ES
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 27, 2008 10:03
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GREAT radio for what it is.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Love all the negative comments about the venerable DX-160. What do these people think this radio is? A top of the line receiver like an ICOM 8500 or a top end JRC 535? This is a 30+ year old general coverage receiver lacking most of the refinements found on modern radios. In it's day it was a great entry-level receiver from Radio Shack that got a lot of people, myself included, into the shortwave radio listening game. It's a great radio for what it is and nothing more. The complaining that it doesn't do this or doesn't do that are worthless comments. It never did nor was designed to do most of what people wish it did. The one comment that one should not pay more than $50 for this radio is absolutely correct...for such an old radio. But if you want a neat looking radio that works and will let you listen to a pile of shortwave radio and even utility stations then get on e-Bay, offer up the fifty or sixty bucks that it'll cost and go for it! A great trip down memory lane for those who received one for Christmas as I did back in the mid-70s. You want a great radio? Buy an ICOM IC-R75. You also want a nice looking radio to play around with? Get a DX-160 as well as the R75. Don't listen to the naysayers. Whine, whine, whine. A DX-160 or a previous version such as the DX-150A or B should be in the shack of every ham radio operator or shortwave radio listener! A great "fun" radio.
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VK5JNL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 12, 2008 23:46
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One Fantastic Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Our friend who wrote the last review must have had a really bad experience with his 160. The one I have has - to be sure - been put on the bench and "fettled". After all, it is now well over 30 years old. However, after tweaking, it is streets ahead of an ICF-6800 I have, it is stable, it is spot on the dial, and it has really nice audio. I use an OCF Windom to drive it and I have no complaints at all. If you see one on EBay or elsewhere, buy it. You won't be disappointed. Mine is a keeper.
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KA2SHU
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Rating: 2/5
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Oct 4, 2007 21:38
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A Good Looking Period Piece
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I just purchased a real clean example of this radio with matching speaker. I have thouroughly tested this radio with respect to its age and the state of the radionic art when it was produced.
The Good: A Good looking set with a colorful dial and lots of controls and switches. It has a nice looking s-meter and has decent construction. The radio has very low power consumption and would run a long time on a 12 volt battery supply. The dial is very well lit as well as the s-meter. The radio is quite sensitive on MW. It's large enough to put lots of stuff on top of it.
The Bad: The calibration of the bandspread dial in conjunction with the main slide rule is a sorry example of Blind Mans Bluff. Knowing where you are requires a new setting for the band spread dial. The radio's stability is very poor. It takes at least 25 minutes for this radio to really settle down. The sensitivity drops off sharply above 20 MHz. The image rejection is very poor. The AVC switch produced no decernable differences in reception.
The Ugly: Without a doubt, this radio has the most dreadful audio I have ever heard. AM sounds as if it's being piped through a flint whistle. I have tried many quality outboard speakers but there is no relief. I have tried several modifications on the audio output circuit with little success. It's really tough to listen to for any length of time.
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NB7I
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Rating: 1/5
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Aug 29, 2007 04:25
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Drifter
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had one when I was a kid, and it almost ruined my interest in shortwave. I had to keep one hand on the bandspread to follow the drift. I must have had a lemon.....
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N6KYS
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Rating: 0/5
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Aug 28, 2007 21:16
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A nightmare in the hamshack
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This receiver is only good for the most casual applications.....eg. in a cottage at the lake hooked up to a long wire strung up in a tree...that's it (meanwhile, pray that it gets stolen while you're away). It will entertain, but what a mess to use in any serious application, especially in the hamshack. Very poor dial calibration....IF alignments were worse than poor in these radios. Sensitivity was sporadic, depending on the band, and drifting was pathetic. Only buy one of these if it costs maybe $20 and you want to elmer a kid, for example. Otherwise, save yourself the grief and get something better.
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