|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
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 Realistic DX-160 |
|
Reviews: 11
|
Average rating: 3.5/5
|
MSRP: $150.00
|
|
Description: Improvement of the DX-160 series, with an external speaker.
|
|
Product is in production.
|
|
More info: http://
|
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this review.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
|
You can
write your own review of the Realistic DX-160.
|
KB8GRO
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Jan 26, 2012 22:06
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Good Radio
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
I have a DX160, it is being used in the shack. I like the radio a lot, it is built like a tank compared to what is available today. It drifts until you have it on for awhile, and the audio is communications quality, but the radio I have is 35 yrs old, and still going strong, it does remind you of the old shortwave receivers of the day, and some people think its a boatanchor wannabe, well at 15 pounds it could be. This radio is really not bad, I have newer receivers that do a good job, but if want a tast of what an old radio is like to tune , and use a bfo, and all analog readout, well you may like this one...
73's
Dan
|
|
N0LKK
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Jan 13, 2012 00:48
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
An entry level radio
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I have one of these in a storage tub somewhere. At the time a good radio at reasonable price for the casual SWL user. Not a communications receiver by any mean. When I went looking to upgrade, I discovered I could purchase a HF XVR for not much more, so I got off my butt & got licensed.
|
|
N8ERM
|
Rating: 2/5
|
Nov 10, 2010 07:57
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Good? Got much!
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I did the audio mod and aligned the rig. Looks much better on the service monator. I gave it away to a SWL. He used it for a few weeks and returned it, what more can I say.
|
|
KA8GEF
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Dec 4, 2009 18:54
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Not hollow state, but not so bad after a little work !!!
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I never thought that I would have one of these in my shack, I use to scoff at anything that Radio Shack put on the market. I picked up the DX-160 at a hamfest, the cabinet was worn down to the primer and the audio sucked. This receiver sat in a cabinet for a few years, until I stumbled on a web site last week, that listed a number of mods for this unit. Surrounded by at least 20 boatanchors, several desperately needing TLC and repair, for whatever reason I sought first to make this DX-160 a better receiver. I improved the antenna compensation, did an alignment and significantly improved the audio response- the stock limited communications audio certainly needed addressing. I repainted the cabinet (computer matched color) and although this rig may not hold up well (unstable, drifty etc. etc.) against my Hammarlunds, Hallicrafters or Collins receivers, the audio mod worked wonders, AM signals are easy to listen to, sensitivity below 14Mhz is respectable and now it is a fun to use little receiver. I will somehow find a place for the DX-160 on the operating table!
|
|
K6LO
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Oct 27, 2009 15:45
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Nostalgic
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I had a DX-160 as a kid, and paired with a Heathkit DX-35 scrounged from a my high school electronics teacher, I managed to make actual contacts with other novices on 7122. This was 1978. Radio Moscow OWNED 40 meters, and my DX-160 was virtually useless after sunset. I'd send CQ, wait for an answer on 7122 for a bit, then assume the other station was also rock-bound and go hunting for him across the novice segment, roughing it through the broadcasters, using my DX-160, and find my QSO. A minor miracle. God how I miss it. Did I just digress? Go ahead and buy one. If you don't like it you can always put it back on eBay.
|
|
KA1VF
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Dec 11, 2008 19:30
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Owned mine since 1980
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I bought the realistic DX-160 new in 1980, and
it still works okay! I've never had the covers
off it, but it probably could use an alignment.
I keep it in the bedroom and only fire it up if
me or the XYL have insomnia! She doesn't have
much interest in listening to Ham Radio stuff.
But, she enjoys the foreign broadcasts when the
propagation is good enough for arm chair copy.
|
|
ELJAY
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Nov 6, 2007 06:35
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Looks good on a shelf.
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I found the DX-160 and matching outboard speaker in a pawn shop for around $15 about 10 years ago. It was appealing for its looks: rugged battleship gray and no-nonsense dials.
As practical radios go, it's pretty dismal. The audio isn't bad and it's okay on strong stations. But there are images, birdies and funky behaviors galore. I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 as a radio.
But it looks so darned cool on a shelf. People can't keep their hands off it and that's fine because they can't break the darned thing. Get one as a conversation piece or den accent. I guarantee, nobody will give a dang about your Sony ICF-2010 but they'll like this thing. For that alone, it gets a 4.
Finally sold mine when I decided I'd gathered too many boat anchors. Wish I'd kept it now.
|
|
K2VI
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Jan 16, 2007 14:07
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
nice vintage radio
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
very easy to troubleshoot and repair,follow alignment procedures or you can really mess up the reciever.I enjoy the two i own,they are like new.i paid 45.00 and 60.00 in mint cond with the matching speakers and manual on qth.com.if you pay more than 60.00 for a mint dx-160 your a fool.I seen some ebayer bid up to 162.00 for a dx-100 which is a worthless piece of junk.the dx-160 is a very nice reciever.
|
|
W8GTX
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Oct 12, 2006 21:11
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
better than the 150 I own
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
|
Like it's older brother the 150 series, it suffers poor audio quality. Better speakers help but not much. There are mods for the audio section though I haven't tried them. Sensitive receiver compared to my 150A/B. Maybe the 150 has a quieter noise floor? I aligned all 3 from top to bottom. Easy set to work on. Great for the hobbyist.
|
|
K9AUB
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Sep 10, 2005 05:34
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Nice SWL Receiver
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I was attracted to this general coverage receiver because of its very attractive face. I was pleasantly surprised with its performance as well. This is a basic, no-frills receiver made by GRE of Japan for Radio Shack. It's an all-solid state design, so it's instant-on and runs very cool. Selectivity is fixed at 4 kHz, so it's intended more for voice than CW. But it does have a variable BFO, so CW and SSB is practical. Sensitivity is surprisingly good, and with a good antenna connected, I had no trouble hearing weak signals. Audio quality was average, but acceptable. The small matching external speaker could use some improvement. Stability left something to be desired; this particular receiver jumps frequency on the broadcast band, a problem I could probably track down to a loose solder joint, but I haven't bothered. All the SW bands are stable and sensitive. The attractive bandspread dial is a little hard to read due to its small size, but it tunes smoothly. Overall styling is extremely attractive, and the panel includes all the basics you'll need. It wouldn't do for a serious communications receiver, but if you want a very attractive general coverage receiver that covers the VLF band as well, this is a receiver you may want to acquire. By the way, although it runs off 117 VAC, there's a 12V DC plug on the back, so you COULD connect this receiver to a storage battery and use it as an emergency receiver in case of power failure.
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
