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Author Topic: What was your first shortwave radio?  (Read 480732 times)

2E0OZI

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #15 on: November 18, 2011, 12:35:31 PM »

My grandparents had a radiogramme from the 50s that had 2 or 3 bands SW and the large glass display had "Moscow" and "London" on it and that was pretty exciting. Later Dad let me use a transistor portable with 3 bands, but it wasn't until many years later at about 30 years old that I was given a FRG7700 as a birthday present and that was what really hooked me - RNW, VoA, Radio Moscow, RFPI, WWCR, and many others in probably the last great blooming of shortwave in the 90s. Also listened to 11.175 usb all the time  ;D  hams, utilities, airliners, and decoded faxes. Great fun and to be honest far more fun than my 40 Aussie channels of CB base station with a 5/8 vertical (even though I was a CB DXer).

I still listen a fair bit....
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Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
George Orwell

AJ8MH

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #16 on: November 18, 2011, 02:37:25 PM »

My first short-wave radio was a Hallicrafters SX-140.  Unfortunately, it was a ham band only receiver (I was close to getting my Novice License), but short-wave broadcasters did occupy parts of 40 meters in the early 60’s.  I can remember listening to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” on a morning show coming out of Africa.

My second receiver was an SX-130.  See http://webpages.charter.net/aj8mh-radio/todayphoto.html for pictures of these.  Yes, they still work.

I’d probably listen to more SW broadcasters if the formats changed.  Seems to be a lot of nut cases on the airwaves these days.  I'm surprised we don’t have an outlet here in the U.P. of Michigan promoting Bigfoot (Sasquatch), and our underground alien spaceport…
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KE4VVF

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #17 on: November 18, 2011, 09:06:53 PM »

Hallicrafters SX-99
Beautiful radio.  Needs a good antenna and it will tune very well.

Now I use my IC-746 and a G5RV antenna.  The Hallicrafters is still on my desk.
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2E0OZI

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #18 on: November 19, 2011, 02:18:44 AM »

A great moment for me when when I first heard Arnie Coro from Cuba and then later Glenn Hauser WOR. And I bought the "Passport" book a few years running what a great book that was!
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Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
George Orwell

N1NQC

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #19 on: November 19, 2011, 04:11:08 AM »

Hey all,
First rig used an old 1930's RCA AM b'cast/ 6- 12 Mhz tube rcvr. First rig BOUGHT a Halli S-120a.

K
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MIKE882

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #20 on: November 19, 2011, 05:46:26 AM »

Hi,
  Mine was a Lafayette HA-63 had a lot of fun with it!
Mike
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W8AD

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #21 on: November 20, 2011, 12:45:35 PM »

The first SWL receivers I WANTED, but never got, in 1949-50 was the original Hallicrafters S-38 or Zenith Transoceananic (sp). I drooled over the radios in the Aliied Radio catalog at the time while sitting in 8th grade study hall. Finally got my class B ham ticket in 1950 and got a National NC-33 for both ham and SWL. My buddy had a National NC-57 which was much better but I couldn't afford it. Later got a Hammarlund HQ-129X which was very good for me then. Those were nostalgic days to be sure.

Don, W8AD
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W9KDX

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #22 on: November 21, 2011, 06:05:55 PM »

My very first was a table top wooden rig from my grandmother.  I alternated between baseball and the BBC.  Then I graduated to stealing my Dad's Transoceanic (still have it) and when I was in college I got a Hallicrafters SX-25 (still have that as well).  I must have purchased and sold 15 different radios over the years.  Glad I kept the good ones.
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Sam
W9KDX

AD6KA

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #23 on: November 21, 2011, 10:28:52 PM »

The first one I LISTENED to was a 1937 Phicol console,
model 37-650. (That radio cost $100 new in 1937, big bucks)
It was in my grandfather's attic when I was 8 years
old and I spent hours listening to SWL BC stations.
It sits here in the shack. Hasn't been powered up
in 40 years.

The first one I OWNED was a National NC-183D receiver.
It was my dad's and he let me have it after he was
no longer interested. I left it at home when I went off
to college and my folks gave it to the Goodwill.
Boy, was I pi***d.

The first SW receiver I BOUGHT was a Kenwood R-1000.
Actually, a pretty nice radio and I have kicked myself
a hundred times for selling it. I used the money to buy
an R-2000, but still wish I had the R-1000.

73, Ken  AD6KA/5R8GQ
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MAGNUM257

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #24 on: November 22, 2011, 04:33:17 AM »

Mine was a Sears Silvertone portable radio. AM, FM, and 3 SW bands. I was nine years old when I "borrowed" it from my dad, who used it to listen to the Phillies games. I would take it to bed at night and listen to the "strange" noises, foreign music and news, military traffic and ham radio operators in the area, until i fell asleep. Mom would come in and turn it off.

I still have it.
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AA4HA

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #25 on: November 22, 2011, 03:43:42 PM »

I am not sure mine had a name.  It was the early 50's.  I was in grade school. We had a cabinet type radio with a 78 rpm record player underneath two hinged walnut lids on the top, the radio on the left, the record player on the right.  Below was the single "hi fi" speaker as stereo had not yet been invented. This was just before TV, so listening to the radio was the family entertainment, and this fine piece of furniture was the center of attention in the living room.  The radio then was AM broadcast, FM was not yet invented. But, interestingly, in addition to the AM Broadcast, there were four or five other bands. All five were shown on the glass display, one on top of the other, as the needle indicator moved from side to side. There was a band switch that selected each of the five bands. No one in the family was interested in the bands other than AM broadcast but me. For fun I would switch to the other bands and dial across them and listen.  I remember I found the Los Angeles Police department frequency, and would often listen to the dispatcher send urgent messages to the patrol cars. I would listen to that for hours. I heard foreign radio broadcasts, and I think Voice of America.  All this was done with a short wire antenna stapled to the inside of the wooden cabinet.  I was hooked. When I showed up in high school, I found the "radio club" where I learned about what I had been playing with.  I got my novice, technician and general before I graduated from high school. 

If it had sort of off white, ivory push buttons for band selection and maybe a green tuning eye it could have been a Telefunken console. Those were great radios and I recall that several West and East German models followed the same scheme.

There could have even been a fine tune function on the main tuning knob. The names of cites and countries were inked onto the back of the glass. The radio would sound fantastic, even with broadcast band stations. With an outdoor antenna it would be a killer.
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Lookout Mountain, Alabama

K5WLR

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #26 on: November 25, 2011, 03:44:33 PM »

Well, back in 1966, when the SAT was accomplished on stone tablets and dinosaurs ruled the earth, my parents gave me a phonograph with a radio that included shortwave bands. Got to listen to shortwave broadcasts. Then my friend Greg sold me his old Knightkit Star Roamer when he purchased a Realistic DX-150. The Star Roamer was kind of deaf (10 uv sensitivity) but I got to hear more shortwave bands. Then I got my own DX-150 and I was off to the races!!!!

BTW, I have a Star Roamer and a DX-160 down in the basement!

;D
« Last Edit: November 25, 2011, 03:46:09 PM by K5WLR »
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AE6ZW

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #27 on: November 26, 2011, 03:29:06 PM »

mine was SONY ICF-6500  in 1980's , it was good radio, since then I went through several shortwave radios ,  now I have TECSUN PL-660
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K0YQ

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #28 on: November 28, 2011, 03:00:51 PM »

Panasonic RF-2800 as a kid in 1978.  Changed my life...
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KG4NEL

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RE: What was your first shortwave radio?
« Reply #29 on: November 28, 2011, 10:04:44 PM »

Mine's really the newest? Not surprised, I guess  :D

Grundig YB-400, in '98ish. I had been "DXing" on my dad's Sherwood receiver from the '70s for a couple months before that, but that was "my" first receiver.

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