|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
| Reviews Summary for Panasonic RF-2900 |
|
Reviews: 4
|
Average rating: 3.5/5
|
MSRP: $200-250 New -$150-190 Used
|
|
Description: This is an upgrade to the 1978-79 panasonic RF-2800 that featured an additional blue fluorescent digital display. Frequency Ranges: .525-1.61, 3.2-8, 8-16 and 16-30 MHz plus FM.
|
|
More info: http://www.dxing.com/rx/rf2800.htm
|
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this review.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
|
You can
write your own review of the Panasonic RF-2900.
|
KA2SHU
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Dec 28, 2008 08:08
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Nice AM/FM/SW portable
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
First: THE GOOD
Excellent clean audio in the Panasonic tradition
Very professional looking
Extremely sensitive FM band
Reasonably good battery life
MW sensitivity is excellent
Second: THE NOT SO GOOD
No rotating loop antenna so the radio must be turned to optimize a DX station on MW
The analogue dial is not the easiest to read
The digital frequency counter must be re-calibrated as you change from one band to another
The provisions for an SW external antenna are the slide lock type and are combined with the FM. This is a questionable arrangement.
The POOR
While SW sensitivity is adequate, there are many crash through signals in the 16-30MHz. band.
Stability is very poor making SSB reception a real challenge. There is no user control for the AGC. The detector on SSB has a miserable note and the BFO is highly unstable. The tuning backlash causes much of the radio's instability.
The band switch is another cause of instability as well. After you change bands while listening to an SSB station, you will not necessarily return the the previous frequency. Repeated cleanings did not change this.
|
|
RK3BU
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Dec 1, 2007 10:11
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Excellent Design only !!!
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
Excellent Design only!Becomes very good audio if to encreese AF capacitors between AM detector and
sound amplifier.Sencitivity is high enough,wich makes it to receive on SW close situated TV broadcust harmonics on full s-meter scale.The first maine oscilator,that tunes the stations has reepling tone wich makes SSB reseption unpleasant,don-t speak about stability.Almost all
analog radios are unstable.I love analog radios.
The SONY's ICF-5900W tone of main tuning oscilator has much much better,even musical tone.
The common noise floor is better,then SONY 5900W thanks to HF amp.The idea came,to change total
inside contens to R-1000 of Kenwood!There is a big lot of free space inside left for us.
My conclusion:Exellent MW receiver,coud be used for SW reception,all with good sound quality,a lot of free space inside,exellent design,
SSB is "moscito" type without AGC at all,wich overloads the SSB detector.
|
|
RF2900
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Apr 1, 2006 17:36
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
good with an easy mod
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
i bought the 2900 new. there was a magazine ad for a collins mechanical filter on it's own board.i got the 2.9. great for am dx. an easy and free mod is to take the back off and push the rubber drive belt off the analog dial pullys. this leaves the didital readout only. it is gear driven. the frequency drifting problem is cured.i love analog radios but not frequency drifting. the audio on ssb can be quite good. i enjoy all radios from cheap to expensive. if you need more features like passband tuning or notch, spend more money. i have got a lot of hours of enjoyment from this one.
|
|
W8GTX
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Aug 17, 2005 00:52
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Nice clean portable
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
Nice big radio with digital tuning. The digital display isn't a freq counter. If the radio isn't aligned on freq properly it will read off. Radio has a clean big sound to it and is fairly sensitive. No problem listening to 80m amateur stations at night with the BFO and whip antenna. It's a little touchy with the cogged belt driven tuner (suffers tuning back lash). The analog dial scale isn't easy to see nor is it accurate. Makes it somewhat useless in my book.
Over all the radio is a nice back yard portable for those times you kick back and want to tune around the globe. Communications receiver it isn't nor was it intended to be. I will add this, if your into FM BC band DXing, this would make a nice DXer. The FM reception with this radio is outstanding! Very sensitive & selective in that band.
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
