| N2DY |
Rating:    |
2007-05-07 | |
| Disappointing SSB Warble |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| The 7600GR would be a great radio if it did not have the warble effect on SSB. As noted by many other reviewers, many of these units, including mine, have a warble sound on SSB. This is a known defect that Sony has failed to address for some time in this model and others. I have many, many SW portables (I am a receiver junkie) and most do not exhibit this sort of sound. For example, the much cheaper Kaito 1103 and 1102 do not make this sound, nor do my Eton E1 or Grundig YB-400. It is a real shame because, absent this annoyance on SSB, the 7600GR is a terrific radio. However, as a ham, I listen on SSB quite a bit and need good, clean SSB sound. Sony you continue to fumble on this one. Try to get it right on the next version. |
|
| YO3FXF |
Rating:     |
2006-12-30 | |
| Very good portable receiver! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I use this radio many days and I'm very happy with it!Work well on SSB & CW the signal on those modes are very inteligible...work very well with the only 5m long antena...I use this radio only on hollydays,...with headphone the signal is very good!
Work up to 30 hours with 4AA Alkaline batteries!
I use also one KENWOOD TS2000x with very good results!...and one TELEFUNKEN E1502...73! |
|
| N5UD |
Rating:     |
2006-12-15 | |
| Best SW AM FM for $$ |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have been a radio operator since 1963. I have used or tested many radios during that time. This is one heck of a portable. Better than the earlier models of the 7600 series. I have verified that with test equipment. A really great portable on all bands. Picks up FM really well too. I can't emphasize this enough, best radio for the price. That includes nearly all the used ones in this price area.
I have used this in direct comparison to my desk top radios. Antenna is a long wire. As for regular shortwave AM, right with them. The SYNC detector works well. Sensitivity was measured at under 1/2 microvolt.Of course I used an external speaker or headphones when making these tests. I even hooked up to an audio amp. I also checked CW and SSB. Tunes in the hams with little trouble. Naturally not as good as a "ham" radio or a good desktop.
If you need a serious DX radio, then don't get this. If you need a portable, or casual desktop player, here it is.
Rates a 5 as a portable, and 4 as desktop. |
|
| KF6IRK |
Rating:     |
2006-10-31 | |
| Better than the Original ICF-SW7600 I Had |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I read some reviews and decided to try the New and Improved GR model. I had previously owned several original models of the SW7600 that were absolute junk. The SSB 'warble' issue on these units was totally unacceptable.
I went round and round with Sony's Service Center for over 6 months trying to get resolution. They kept sending me replacements that were worse than the first one I purchased. I believe they just kept sending me radios that other dissatisfied owners had returned. I finally received a refund, but I lost a lot of respect for Sony back then. I purchased a Grundig YB-400 and it did not have the 'warble' problem.
The GR performs so much better with less 'warble'. The USB & LSB and sync detection features are plusses as well as the additional memory capacity.
The only down side I can comment on is that the volume and fine tuning control pots seem cheap and noisy, hence I rate the radio a 4.5
I'll try spraying the pots with an air-blast, I hope that helps ... |
|
| OE3SGU |
Rating:     |
2006-10-15 | |
| Good |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I had this Receiver for about one year and prefered it over the Sangean ATS-909. In my opinion its straight forward to use, the only downside I remember was the not great sound. Reception was just ok. I dont expect good SSB-reception from a unit costing less than € 200,--. I would buy again. |
|
| MW1ROS |
Rating:  |
2006-10-12 | |
| waste of money |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had this for over a year now, and I still dont like it at all, it is VERY fiddely on ssb and not a very user friendly radio at all.
sound is very tinney and hissey, cheap plasticky feel to it.
I use my old sony 7600D instead of this as it is a much better radio, I dont know what Sony are thinking about with this 7600gr, but they got it all wrong as its rubbish. |
|
| SLIDERULEX |
Rating:     |
2005-12-09 | |
| Good Performer, SW, SSB |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I want to give the Sony 7600GR a 4.5, but couldn't give it a 5 so I picked a 4. This is a fine radio. I use it mainly for SW listening and SSB ham listening. I am impressed with its decent sensitivity for SW and very good sensitivity for SSB. I live on the West Coast so picking up some SW stations is difficult, but it does a good job off the whip. And when I'm listening to SSB just off the whip, it's quite sensitive and easy to tune. And when I attach the 20 foot long wire antenna, it does even better.
I also have the Degen DE1103 and I ran some comparison tests. I tested on SW and SSB and used only their whip antennas with fresh batteries each. They were very close in sensitivity for SW and ease of tuning for SSB. At some frequencies for SW, the Sony did a bit better, while at other frequencies the Degen did a bit better. Overall, they are equal in SW performance. The same for SSB. These radios are very closely matched.
So then, since the Degen is 1/2 to 1/3 less than the Sony, why have the Sony? Well, for me, I like some features on the Sony better than the Degen. For instance, I like the direct, easy use of storing and recalling various radio stations using their "page" system on the Sony, better than the way they do it on the Degen. I also like the "Sync-detector" on the Sony. It's cool how it tries to lock on to a signal, valiantly, then finally succeeding. I like to hear it 'struggle' for it. The Degen has some nice features of direct tuning through the jog-dial. For just bandscanning, I prefer the Degen for bandscanning because it's easy to run along the frequencies and pick out stations as you go up or down the dial. Each radio has its unique features that gives it value. I like both and wouldn't sell either one. I would say that battery life is a bit better for the Degen than the Sony, and you can recharge batteries inside the Degen and you cannot on the Sony. Overall, I consider each a very good radio, sensitive, well built, and fun to use. |
|
| KD5RDY |
Rating:     |
2005-11-30 | |
| sw7600gr vs de1103 |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have both the DE1103 and the 7600gr. For the past week I have
compared them against my tabletop unit, a Kenwood R-1000. The antenna
selection included a 50 foot outdoor random wire, a sony windup 10
footer, and the degen DE-31 active loop. Listening times varied from
morning, midday and night.
Let me say first that I am pretty suprised with the de1103. For a radio
costing $50, it really is a bargin. The radio feels solid and compact.
Also, I love the anolog look of the LCD. I read the reviews from
Passport, and they panned the de1103's layout. But of late, I've lost
respect for that publication. I have NEVER found their "whats on
tonite" section to have accurate freqs! And their review are somewhat
bias.
Things I like about DE1103
1. small size
2. good speaker sound
3. tuning wheel
4.backlight on controls
5.sensitive
6.SSB
7.recharger batts included
8. good ear buds included
Things I dont like about DE1103
1. no volume wheel
2. SSB modes not changeable
3.SSB fine tuner is too wide and really touchy, hard to tune
4.SSB not very selective
5. batt springs mushy
Things I like about ICF-SW7600GR
1.small size
2.good speaker sound
3.very good selectivity (except for FM)
4.very good SSB reception (for portable)
5.very good MW reception (for portable)
6 ajustable attenuator ( good for long wire use)
Things I dont like about ICF-SW7600GR
1. no tuning wheel
2. odd scanning functions
3. no built-in batt recharger
4. no tone control wheel
5. local time 24:00 only
6.LCD too small
I like both radios. The sony is a little better overall and a lot
better on SSB. The Degen is smaller and more fun to tune-around with.
The Degen wins the "bang for the buck" award. The sony does a better
job of pulling in weak signals.
PS.. the degen DE-31 active loop is complete crap! The whip alone is MUCH better!
All the Best John in San Antonio Tx..
|
|
| RADIOFRED |
Rating:      |
2005-11-05 | |
| Not quite perfect but excellent quality |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Having owned a few portable radios, I would rate the Sony 7600gr as my favourite.
The best feature is the overall quality. Build quality is excellent for the money. Much better than the Grundig YB 400 I used to own, for example.
SW performance (using the whip) I find to be very good. More sensitive than the smaller Sonys if not much different to the YB 400. I found the 7600gr to be just that bit better on noisy/difficult signals than the YB400, though.
SSB works well and the sync' detector is an excellent feature.
Design and layout is very good though the side switches for tone and sync/SSB might be too fiddly for some. The page memory system is very good, I reckon, and very convienient and easy to use.
The negatives include the LCD display - pretty basic and not very clear at the wrong angle - and sound quality may not be to taste. It is somewhat muffled sounding, in my opinion. But this does mean it lacks the hiss of some others.
Also the up/down tuning buttons do mute quite noticeably (about a half second delay) - perhaps the most annoying thing on the radio. Holding down the 1khz button does without muting, however. The scan feature (stops for 3 seconds on a signal then carries on) is excellent.
For the money, however, I find the good points far outweigh the bad. Unlike some radios I have bought, the 7600gr is well worth the money. Excellent all-round quality and performance.
I just wonder how much longer they'll be around? |
|
| DB2EH |
Rating:   |
2005-03-31 | |
| jamming/warble on CW/SSB reception |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Bought the 7600GR a couple of weeks ago. Have to state: Neat size; Good finish; Good sensitivety;
Satisfiing AM/SSB IF-selection.
Unfortunately my radio shows a jamming effect/warbling on CW and SSB, like my de1102 does.
This was also recognized by other owners.
Don´t know if this is valid for the whole series?
Also the SW100 and the SW55 showing such effects.
May be the VCO-designs are guilty for such.
Have other radios like SW2001D(2010 in the US) and a PANASONIC RF-B65 which offer a clean and stable CW/SSB reception.
I´m now looking for an older G model to find out if that one fits my needs. |
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