| CARMEN |
Rating:      |
2010-05-04 | |
| trounces competition |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
A/Bing Sony ICF-SW7600GR & Degen de1103 on:
* coils 0-3mhz, both inductively coupled to internal loopsticks and with a coupling loop on the ANT port
* magloops 3-10 mhz, and 10-30 mhz KR1ST design
* random wires, roughly 20 meters long tied to trees outside
wideband overload
sony wins hands down. no sort of broadcast ‘leakage’ anywhere. on the 1103 it is everywhere Local or DX mode on wires, and DX on loops. additionally, even local mode is overloaded on a rooftop with whip retracted ALL the way, a few Km from a skyscraper with several FM stations on it, and about 5 miles from a variety of AM towers. its simply a wall of noise and cant even hear WWV (Sony 1, Degen -1)
clipping
the de1103 has no variable gain. the ‘local’ is too deaf to hear anything but the amp guys, the ‘dx’ mode guy causes the amp guys to be horribly clipped and warbly overdriven artifacts. sony has a variable gain knob, but really works fine anywhere except the bottom 20% where it will only hear strong stations (Sony 1, Degen -1)
signal
something is wrong with 1103 (mkIV) > 10 mhz. on both magloops and wires, i often simply hear nothing when tuning between 18.1 + 18.17, or 21.2 and 21.4. on the sony i’ll hear QSOs every 5 khz or so on the same bands with the same antennas and loop tunings. i always thought people just didnt use these bands! wow (Sony 1, Degen -1)
ssb
7600 has a real SSB detector. signal below zero-beat does not pass through at all. you can be on 3800, and guys chattering away at 3803 wont be heard at all which is awesome (some mild AGC pumping if theyre high power). the 1103 hears them as loud as what youre trying to listen to, at inverted pitch. (Sony 1, Degen -1)
selectivity
in SSB, 7600 seems to be about 3 khz wide. you may hear a slight high pitch of a QSO 3 khz above zerobeat. narrow mode on 1103 seems to just lowpass the AF a bit. thus you will hear 3 QSOs at once, on crowded ham bands due to the wide filter and inability to reject below zerobeat. unless band is uncrowded you will not find it comfortable for long (Sony 1, Degen -1)
ecss
unfortunately ECSS does not work on the 1103. carrier energy silences the much weaker audio. achieving a zerobeat is awfully hard with the tiny wheel as well. ive had superb ECSS using Quisk, pulling out all sorts of previously inaudible signals on SW broadcast freqs, due to the sony’s SSB properly exalting the carrier you can employ this technique when needed. (Sony 1, Degen -1)
sync
this is why everyone says to get the sony. im finding it pales in comparison to the general S/N n S/QRM reasons.
but sync helps with weak AMers. like Timtron operating from his car (ok, not so piss weak) (Sony 1, Degen 0)
tuning
sony lacks a tuning knob, however 1103 doesnt really have one either, just a rotary encoder that can send +-1 messages to the synthesizer. the sony can send +-1 and +-5 from the jog button bank. holding +-1 ‘slides’ the tuning with no chuffing, simply let go when you hear something. 1103 has mild digital chuffing sounds when spinning the knob. additionally the buttonbank is standard computer keyboard/phone orientation so you will be very fast on the sony, or hunting around on the degens awkward horizontal strip. 5KHz is a perfect stepsize for BCL but is not available on the Degen (Sony 1, Degen 0)
fm
using a homebrew yagi-uda to pick up low power caribbean stations from towns like dorchester and brockton, the 1103 is certainly passable. not as good as a 70s yamaha reciever but decency in a small package. sony does not hear anything on FM besides the horrible Clearchannel crap (Sony -1, Degen 1)
build
want to like degen, but my 1123 died within a few weeks, and had a serious manufacturing defect short that i had to fix. the faceplate fell off my 1103 after a few months , being attached with some cheap sticky tack like a magazine might affix a card with. otherwise feels like a brick and has fallen onto hardwood numerous times. sony faceplate hasnt fallen off, so it has the edge (Sony 1, Degen 0)
in summary, if you just want to hear Cuba or Sackville broadcasts, get a 10 dollar radio like the eton 300, it will hear them. if you want a decent radio for HF and dont want to spend more for a SDR or say R390A or waste money on a SONY 2010 that probably needs a round of electrolytics, modern sony cant be beaten by degen’s offering at the current time
Sony 8 Degen -5 |
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| W4PDZ |
Rating:   |
2009-11-13 | |
| Bad Controls |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have had my 7600 for about two years. While I like the radio very much, I have had one continous problem. Unstable fine tuning and scratchy volume controls. I have installled a
second set of these controls with same results. The only time I get a couple of weeks of good results is when I take the case apart and spray these controls with tuner cleaner. Anyone else have the same problem? Otherwise, outstanding receiver. |
|
| SPIDER89119 |
Rating:      |
2009-11-07 | |
| a superb portable |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| For the price, and considering that it is a portable, this is one awesome little radio. I am constantly amazed at how well it performs with just the whip antenna. It gets even better with a 50 foot outdoor longwire clipped to the antenna, and the front end handles it just fine. I mainly use it for trips, and when I want to sit outside, or in other rooms of the house while I tune and listen. I have compared it to my Palstar R30A, an excellent performing tabletop receiver which is very highly regarded. Using the same 50 foot outdoor longwire for both, there is very little, if anything, that I can receive with the Palstar that I cannot also receive with the Sony. It even receives the vast majority of the signals with just the whip. The Sony's audio can't come anywhere close to the Palstar's, of course, but the Sony is a little portable, so that's to be expected. If you can't deal with the sound from the speaker, try a pair of quality noise blocking earbuds. It sounds great. |
|
| KB3TKT |
Rating:      |
2009-07-21 | |
| Bang for the Buck |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I have been using the SW7600 GR as my take along radio on camping trips and it has been great.
Easy to use and really pulls in the stations.
July 19, 2009 listening to 40 meters SSB had 5 and 9 copy on a Ham from Ireland EI6S in QSO with many stations in the US and Canada and had no trouble hearing him work through the pile up he had going as stations called to make contact.
This was using the roll up antenna supplied strung out along the porch in front of our camp.
SWLing the international bands is a pleasure using the 7600.
Great product, maybe better then my Grundig 800 in some respects. |
|
| AC7CW |
Rating:     |
2009-02-10 | |
| Hard to use in the dark |
Time Owned: N.A. |
| I got this radio for it's synchronous AM detection, I had trouble with MW stations fading at night. For that it's fine but it's too hard to tune at night when in use as a bedside radio. I like my little Grundig G1000A far better at night, I can tune across a whole shortwave band in a few seconds whereas with the button-and-scan system on the ICF-SW7600GR it's a real headache what with the light not staying on and the scan thing doing it's thing and the need to adjust the RF pad so it won't stop on every noise source. If I could get a radio that tuned like a G1000A with synchronous I'd do it tomorrow. |
|
| 9V1AE |
Rating:     |
2009-02-10 | |
| Great for outdoor use |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| The radio is very good for outdoor use. I should have got an active antenna to receive the DX signals from inside my home, without going out. But I do not know where to get the active antenna in Singapore. |
|
| W1FG |
Rating:     |
2008-08-24 | |
| Very Good Portable |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Very pleased with this Sony. Very selective and sensitive for price class, and I love the Sync Detector for SWL. SSB also works fine. Audio is acceptable for the size, but certainly not great. Controls are reasonably intuitive, and the manual is very good. Works very well with the Sony active loop AN-LP1, I use batteries only to avoid power supply hum. I did have one QC problem upon receipt - the ferrite rod MW antenna was rattling in the case - inadequately glued and easily fixed. Satisfied and would recommend to a friend. |
|
| KU4UV |
Rating:     |
2008-07-16 | |
| Probably the best SW receiver in it's price class |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I purchased my 7600GR about a year ago, and I have really enjoyed using it in that time. I think this is one of the best, if not THE best portable shortwave receiver on the market that is in it's price class. The receiver seems to be very sensitive, and I also like the AM SYNC feature. I use rechargeable NIMH batteries for my 7600GR, and the radio runs for quite a while on a full charge of the batteries. I have never tried the power adapter, as I have heard there are problems with the stock Sony adapter. I understand that Universal Radio makes an adapter for the 7600GR that doesn't have the hum noise problem associated with it. I give the 7600GR a "4" rating mainly for a couple of reasons. For one, I wish it had a tuning knob on the side of the receiver. It kind of gets old having to tune in stations by holding down the buttons, plus this can also lead to the numbers and lettering rubbing off of the buttons eventually after a lot of use. I guess Sony figured that most of the people who purchase the 7600GR will already have a set number of SW stations that they regularly listen to, and that they would simply enter these into the radio's memory instead of using a tuning knob. Secondly, as others have mentioned, the radio's audio from the front speaker leaves a lot to be desired. The radio is so small and light-weight though, I guess something had to be compromised, so the speaker got the bill. Overall, I really like the 7600GR. The 7600GR has been on the market for around 7 or 8 years now. I am hoping that Sony will produce an updated model of the 7600 series receiver soon, and fix some of the minor shortcomings of the 7600GR that I have mentioned. I would recommend this receiver to anyone.
73,
KU4UV |
|
| KT3L |
Rating:     |
2008-07-16 | |
| Great value and performance |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I've been SWLing for a long time, and I must tell you the SW7600GR is as good as it gets for a portable receiver.
I purchased mine new in March of 2008 after reading many good reviews online, including eham.net. Also, I'd had real good experience with a previous Sony (ICF2010). Since the '2010 was very popular, I'll compare the '7600 against that radio.
At first I missed the tuning knob but not after a little use. You can bandscan to your heart's delight anyway by holding down the +/-1 (inner rocker) tuning button, with no synthesizer chuff at all, though you do hear the 1 kHz "steps" when you pass a heterodyne. The programmed 5 kHz-step scan (pause then resume) is better than the '2010 which resumes too quickly.
Battery life is superb. I'm on only my second set of four AA's since March and I listen at least an hour a day through earbuds. In my opinion, don't bother with an AC adapter that can introduce hum and provide another path for RF noise. I know that's not a "green" recommendation but practicality must also play a role! Changing the batteries does not zero out the clock or memories, so long as you get the new ones in within sixty seconds.
At home I clip an inverted-L long wire to the whip, and the continuous attenuator control is very effective in reducing front-end overload--another advantage over the '2010 whose slider-type RF gain control on the side is awful.
Sensitivity on a random selection of weaker stations is on a par with or better than my '2010 (whose sensitivity may have deteriorated slightly over lo these many years). What I really miss is a meaningful S-meter...LED's or otherwise.
Listening to hams, aviation, or AFRTS on SSB is a pleasure. I don't notice the "warble" that other reviewers have observed; AFRTS has complex audio that sounds fine over USB. For shortwave, the single bandwidth is an effective compromise and selectable synchronous detection works as it should to block out the offending neighbor five kHz away. The slide switches for AM/Sync/SSB and LSB/USB are quite stiff until you break them in. In this regard the '2010's buttons are much better.
Using the memory page system takes a little getting used to but otherwise works effectively. You can use the ten pages any way you like of course, but I use page 0 for stations at 0000 UTC, page 1 for 0100, and so on. Although I can't cover all 24 hours that gives me enough for the times I listen the most.
Direct frequency entry requires one more keypress than the '2010 (you have to press direct first, then the digits, then EXE). The buttons have a better, more positive feel to them. Actually, you can say that about the '7600 in general: it feels solid and substantial, as other reviewers have noted.
The audio through a pair of good earpieces is excellent; through the speaker, "not so much". Considering the speaker's size that's not surprising. The audio emphasizes the midrange and treble, making it great for listening to voice. If I were listening to music I'd probably use the '2010 for more bass. There's an ineffective tone switch that I leave on "music" (more treble). Sure wish Sony would use separate bass and treble controls like the Grundig/Eton radios, but I guess we should be glad Sony is still making receivers at all...
I don't do much MW DXing but when I have, I found the built-in ferrite loop antenna to be very sharp. Rotate the radio slowly to null out interference or peak your desired signal. FM stereo sounds fine, maybe a bit trebly but again, I got this radio for short wave.
Overall I have been having a blast with my '7600, logging new stations like crazy (with my limited Spanish augmenting my English listening). It's a pleasure to use and listen to.
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|
| RADIOLOVE |
Rating:      |
2008-05-30 | |
| Best Portable SW and Made in Japan Quality |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I'm very impressed with this Sony portable. Superior made in Japan quality unlike all that other made in china junk on the market today. Unit is sensitive and pulls in SW and SSB signals in quite well for a portable receiver. Great on trips around the world, I take it everywhere. Solid and reliable. I love this radio so much I bought a spare in case anything ever happened to it or Sony decides to pull the plug on another great SW receiver. |
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