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Reviews For: Standard Radio & Telefon AB CR91 HF receiver

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Standard Radio & Telefon AB CR91 HF receiver
Reviews: 1MSRP: 8000 - 12000 depending on config
Description:
HF communications and survelliance receiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0014
SM0AOM Rating: 2003-06-25
Analog HF receiver technology at its peak Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This receiver was built by the ITT subsidiary in Sweden (1982 - 1992 ca)in limited numbers for use in civilian and military radio systems, and was the brainchild of a small dedicated group of RF engineers, among them receiver experts SM0HP,SM5QA and SM0FZH.

It uses a very optimized mix of techniques (high dynamic range front end, low noise 1 Hz step synthesizer and carefully selected mechanical IF filter bandwidths and a low noise IF strip) to obtain high RF performance.

The synthesizer has exceptional phase-noise
performance; typically -107 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz spacing and -140 dBc/Hz at 30 kHz.

Performance-wise it outperforms i.a. the Harris RF-590 and Racal RA6790/GM by virtue of its narrow first IF roofing filter and built-in suboctave preselection.

In audio quality and recovery it comes second only to the Rockwell/Collins HF-2050 DSP receiver.

If supplemented by an add-on Rohde & Schwarz
FK101 tracking preselector the CR91 becomes virtually "bullet-proof".

I'm using my CR91 mostly for listening around the
HF amateur and military/commercial frequencies, and for some SSB QSO's, but as the software interfacing required to create a "virtual transceiver" together with a similar transmitter is quite extensive, it has up to now seen little
action on the amateur bands.

It is difficult to rate equipment, but a short list of advantages and disadvantages would include;

+ very high RF performance
+ low-noise synthesizer
+ very good audio response and low distortion
+ good panel layout
+ modular design and construction

- some spurious beats due to BFO leakage when listening to weak signals in narrow IF BW's
- scarce and expensive (both receiver and spare parts/boards)

All taken together, it justifies a 4/5 rating,
mainly due to price/performance considerations.
(No, I did not pay the list price... :-)

73/

Karl-Arne
SM0AOM