Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: AOR AR-7030

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : AOR AR-7030
Reviews: 22MSRP: 1,799.95 (7030+)
Description:
A Menu-driven Radio which can also be Computer-Controlled
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.aoruk.com/Default.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00224.7
STEVE Rating: 2002-02-15
they are the best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
the best hf rx i have ever had,if i not owned it i have tryed it this is still the best in the fact that it sounds fab its cheap to buy & in real terms its a radio that can be kept on the road,in that parts are easy & cheap to get.dont get me wrong i have had a few problems with my 7030 but aor all-ways come to my aid & back up like that is hard to find.can be tricky to use i soon worked it all out ,this is the best that we can get the next step is working for g.c.h.q
K7NA Rating: 2001-07-01
Excellent General Coverage Rx Time Owned: more than 12 months.
As popular as this receiver is among shortwave listeners as well as hams who enjoy tuning the SWBC bands, I was surprised that no one had bothered to produce a review or even a comment or two about the AOR AR-7030. I've owned mine for a few years now and it has been a reliable, versatile receiver capable of providing very good results.
In my case, the AR-7030 replaced a Drake R-8 which, although wonderful in its own right, did not have a synchronous detector as stable as that of the British-made unit. Whereas the sync detector in the R-8 would lose lock and drift every now and then, especially under heavy QSB or if music was being listened to, the 7030 just does not suffer from that problem at all. The sync detector in the 7030 is absolutely rock solid stable and the signal of interest can fade unmercifully with no loss of lock. For that reason alone, I made the switch.
The appearance, build quality and sheer resetability of all parameters on the 7030 are superb. Some might be intimidated by the menu system, but this knucklebrain had no problem mastering use of the various menus to control all aspects of the receiver. The performance is excellent and, if connected to a reasonably good speaker (Iam using an old Hammerlund HQ-series speaker) and antenna, the 7030 will yield excellent fidelity and signal strength on shortwave broadcasts. I added a 4 kc Collins mechnical filter to the existing ceramic filter line up and it offers a nice range of selectivities from which to choose to fit existing band conditions. The filter recalibrate auto-calibration program in the receiver keeps it at peak performance. The solid metal case and front panel, to say nothing of the machined metal tuning knob, are beautiful.
Although I have one of the earlier models prior to introduction of the AR-7030 Plus which includes various upgrades and features, I find the receiver fits the bill nicely for my needs as a casual SWL. AOR maintains a service facility in California to service the receiver as needed. I'd recommend your serious consideration if you have the opportuntity to acquire one of these little, solidly made, black gems.

Vince K7NA