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Reviews For: Radio Shack DX-160

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Radio Shack DX-160
Reviews: 48MSRP: $160 (ca 1975)
Description:
General coverage receiver, solid state, analog readout, single-conversion, AM - SSB, coverage 150Khz to 30 Mhz.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00483.6
KA4DQJ Rating: 2012-02-27
Nice Receivers Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two.. the very first and very last models; the DX-150 and the DX-160. The 160 works fine except that the bandspread dial string is off an is a bear to intall. The Dx-150 has a nasty, "warbly" frequency drift. Hope I get time to get both of these fine rigs up and running. I used to go to RS just to see the DX receivers running on the shelf.
N4UE Rating: 2011-05-17
Bought another combo Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
ALMOST a 5!!!
Well, I came across a DX-150 and SP-150 speaker combo for a fantastic price on eBay. The seller was a newbee, and not only had ZERO feedback, he stated that he knew nothing about radios and stated he "thought it worked OK". He had 2 of these combos for sale. I chose the higher ser #. Heck, it was not far from me, so the shipping was cheap. I took a chance and lo and behold, not only was the radio and speaker well packed, it looked brand new. Knobs were perfect, NO wear on any of the control shafts, etc. Calibration was VERY close.....
Too good to be true I thought. To my pleasent surprise, it worked perfectly. I was ALMOST feeling guilty. I just wanted a radio for the shop to have something to check propagation. After a quick clean-up and a re-spray of the covers, it was as nice as the other 160 in my collection.
I decided to do an alignment (something I didn't bother with on my other 3 of this RS series).
WOW! It responded with a vengence. The IF was close, but some of the Osc and Ant circuits were off.
(note: the on-line Service Manuals have several mistakes, but they are free!)

So, don't be afraid of 'good deals' on eBay. Sellers with Zero feedback have to start somewhere, just like I did!

tnx
ron
N4UE

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Earlier 5-star review posted by N4UE on 2010-12-29

OK, here goes....

This radio is probably a '4.5', but I'm giving it a '5' because of all the crummy reviews, that this radio may not deserve.
Having had great luck with RS and the GRE family of radios, I had been looking for a DX-160/SP-150 combo for a LONG time, just to fill that void in my collection. Let me say that these radios are on eBay ALL the time. From 'basket case' to 'new in the box'.
I first thought about buying a junker then rebuilding it. Luckily, sanity pervailed and I bought a nice 'combo' for around $50. I sure didn't expect much for the price. ha ha

BOY, was I surprised. This radio has seen little use, judging by the condition of the controls and the dial string. The alignment was unmolested, the face and plastic face were perfect as were the knobs (after a wash). Yes, the cover of the radio had some rust, but a warm day here in Florida fixed that real quick.
Yes, there is a small drift until the radio warms up. However, I was VERY surprised just how good SSB sounds on this old girl. Very impressive.

Here's an example: as I type this (6 PM local) I have 10 MHz WWV tuned in. I also have it tuned in on my Icom 756PRO, same antenna. The DX-160 sounds just as good as the Icom. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it.
Yes, above 15 MHz, the sensitivity is down and because of the single conversion, there are inages all over.
However, considering the cost / fun ratio, it's one of the best old radios in my collection. YES, that does include several Collins, RMEs, Hallis and Hammerlunds, etc.

My recomendation is to to buy a 'nice' one with the speaker. Not much $ but a nice little radio.
The speaker is extremely well made and sounds great!

Unfortunately, 'newbe' SWLs have to have digital readout to 'find' stations. This would be a GREAT 'learning' tool......

ron
N4UE
VK4RU Rating: 2011-05-16
classic receiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
before anyone gives it a caneing, remember what was available to listeners in that era..
Receivers were expensive and building your own was a genuine option. This little set was a couple of weeks wages but my 35 year old one still cranks up every time. the audio is very hissy, but i have an amplifier to fit inside the case when i have time. Seems that the audio chip is no longer available. My set needs a calibrate and tune up.
Got mine at the central coast field day in 1988 at the used gear stall. It lives on my receiver shelf and is used for finding lost signals from errant oscillators on my bench. Has a pretty dial, which is something that hardly any gear has anymore.
DXTUNER Rating: 2011-01-22
Super Hot SSB Receiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The DX-160 is as good as single conversion can possibly get. Like the reviewer below mentioned, sideband reception on this rig is extremely impressive - sharp and clear. I turn my RF Gain way back to 12 or 1 o'clock, giving a silent noise floor, and utility signals (or Hams) still peg the S-meter to the wall. But a word of warning here, in order to catch sideband signals in the first place you need to have (or acquire) a feel for tuning this unit. Although its pure analog the selectivity is still razor sharp. Which is a good thing, but will prove challenging to those accustomed to dauntlessly tuning sideband on newer rigs.

The audio from the DX-160 is atrocious however, by far the worst I've ever heard in any table top radio. You can (a) simply get used to it, or (b) perform a simple modification such as putting an inductor in series to the speaker. There are more complicated modifications published too, should you have the patience for it.

Removing an easy-to-access resistor (R62) allows you to dx the MW broadcast band. With this resistor gone my DX-160 is up there with more famous MW dx'ing champions. No external antenna is needed here. I understand the earliest models didn't have this resistor at all. But, again, you'll definitely want to do something about the audio before you can enjoy anything on the broadcast band.

In summary the super hot reception keeps me coming back for more, in spite of any shortcomings in other areas. On sideband the DX-160 is among the sharpest I've ever come across. Factor in its bargain basement price and a 5-rating is not uncalled for.
N0UJR Rating: 2010-12-26
Pretty Piece of Junk Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I read quite a few 5/5 reviews on this here in eHam, and I like how it looks, so I purchased one on eBay. It was inoperative when I received it. I fixed the short in the speaker line and got a few signals on a couple of bands, after connecting it to a good outside dipole antenna, and a good quality speaker. I decided to try and bring it back to it's new, original working condition if possible, so I replaced all the electrolytic caps, reworked probably 70 or 80 bad solder connections, cleaned all switches and controls, cleaned all the dust from the boards, and did a complete alignment. I found that at best, it's a poor performer. Poor sensitivity, poor audio quality, etc. etc. It's a poster child for frequency drift, for one thing. Typical Radio Shack...all about looks, nothing about quality or good performance. Yes it was a relatively cheap receiver when new, but they could have made it a good receiver for not that much more money. I have to ask, why even bother to design and manufacture such a poor performing piece of equipment? What a waste of money all the way around. So why so many 5/5 ratings? I can only conclude that the high ratings must be from people that really don't know what a good receiver is... Mine is going in the dumpster.
OLDSWLSD Rating: 2010-12-20
A real Classic Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my first DX-160 with the SP-150 for $20 at a pawn shop in 1980 and have owned several over the years. I don't know how many hours I spent listening to the Beeb, Radio Moscow, Pyongyang and so many others during the Cold War.

One note, if you have or purchase one replacing all the electrolytics and the non ceramic caps on the tuning board with original ratings and a proper alignment really brings out the best in the 160.

Properly aligned they make a great starter receiver and I still use my (heavily modified) 160 almost daily.

The only real negatives I have about the stock units is the tinny audio, too-wide IF bandwidth and drifting. The very straightforward design makes mods easy to implement. A digital readout is nice too but remember the age of these units.

There will always be an unmodified DX-160 in my collection as well as a modified one for those long winter nights.
VE3ES Rating: 2010-10-31
Great vintage receiver! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Further to my comments back in 2008, one thing to consider with the DX-150A, DX-150B and DX-160, is that these are vintage radios now forty years old-ish and usually they still work great. No tubes! Not much to go wrong!!! The decade or so earlier similar radios from Hallicrafters for example are full of tubes and rarely still work. While I love the old Hallicrafters general coverage SW receivers, these old Realistic products are even better. And the company that produced them is still around and still making new products (GRE). They have a new line of scanners that they exhibit at the Dayton Hamvention each year and were also responsible for a plethora of other Radio Shack products.

Honestly, if you can find one of these radios, buy it. True, it isn't a top of the line receiver such as you'd find in a Yaesu FTDX-9000D or an ICOM whatever, but these are classic products that usually still work well and make an excellent addition in any ham shack!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by VE3ES on 2008-01-27

Love all the negative comments about the venerable DX-160. What do these people think this radio is? A top of the line receiver like an ICOM 8500 or a top end JRC 535? This is a 30+ year old general coverage receiver lacking most of the refinements found on modern radios. In it's day it was a great entry-level receiver from Radio Shack that got a lot of people, myself included, into the shortwave radio listening game. It's a great radio for what it is and nothing more. The complaining that it doesn't do this or doesn't do that are worthless comments. It never did nor was designed to do most of what people wish it did. The one comment that one should not pay more than $50 for this radio is absolutely correct...for such an old radio. But if you want a neat looking radio that works and will let you listen to a pile of shortwave radio and even utility stations then get on e-Bay, offer up the fifty or sixty bucks that it'll cost and go for it! A great trip down memory lane for those who received one for Christmas as I did back in the mid-70s. You want a great radio? Buy an ICOM IC-R75. You also want a nice looking radio to play around with? Get a DX-160 as well as the R75. Don't listen to the naysayers. Whine, whine, whine. A DX-160 or a previous version such as the DX-150A or B should be in the shack of every ham radio operator or shortwave radio listener! A great "fun" radio.
KJ4DGE Rating: 2010-10-22
Nostalgia Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got started in SWL in the late 70's with one of these. Running in the car I listened to LW beacons with a box loop antenna. Great fun. I recently saw "Dawn of the Dead" circa 1979? One scene shows a DX-160 in 2 shots being used as a transmitter! cute. Its a good radio for casual listening and at the time was also great for LW running off the mains and on battery. Like older tube rigs, its the nostalgia that makes it fun to have in the shack. I am keeping mine.
AD5VM Rating: 2009-06-21
I Love it!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Bought it used on ebay for about $50. Great shape. Works great, looks great. Much bigger than I pictured!!
A REAL radio! How great it must have been to be a ham in the 60's and 70's....
KJ4AXU Rating: 2008-06-28
Great Oldie! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Memories galore - like so many others this was my introduction to shortwave and ham radio. My cousin was a ham at the time (I was about 10 or 11) and he recommended it as a good way to hear SW and HAM,a nd he was right. The Variable BFO was cool, ship to shore was great, and of course SW was a blast. Parents got rid of mine when I went to college - hated that it was gone. Bought one on Ebay recently and again it got me thinking about SW and HAM. This time around I got my Tech, then General, then Extra. Still enjoy playing with the DX-160 even though there are better radios now - it is still amazing what it can pick up with a random long wire!