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Reviews For: SONY ICF-SW77

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : SONY ICF-SW77
Reviews: 12MSRP: 699.99
Description:
Receives SW/MW/LW/FM/CW and SSB world/domestic broadcasts
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/portable/worldbandspec
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00124.3
K7LZR Rating: 2021-09-06
Very good quality portable receiver Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought the ICF-SW77 locally from a Facebook ad. It was advertised as working, and it did - sort of.

Upon deeper testing at home, I found that it did work on FM and MW but intermittently and the other frequency ranges were erratic. The VCO would unlock and lock at random, spurious noises were heard, and sometimes nothing at all.

So I researched and found that these things are a common problem with the ICF-SW77 due to aging of electrolytic capacitors which are used in various circuits within. This problem is also common to many other electronic devices from the 1980-2000 year period but especially the ICF-SW77 because of a production run of sub-quality capacitors as supplied to Sony at the time. It is so common with these that there are capacitor replacement kits available for it.

I ordered such a kit and proceeded to replace all of the capacitors in my unit. Not an easy thing to do because there are about 25 of them and they are very small and SMT mounted.

After the recap job, my receiver came to life and all problems were cured. I performed an alignment, put it all back together, and have been using it for a few weeks now. Here are my thoughts & results:

This is a really, really good receiver. It is sensitive, selective, and has great sounding audio. It is also very solidly built and has a heavy, quality feel. Such things are nonexistent in the radios of today.

The memory system is a bit confusing at first, but once mastered it is very convenient and makes perfect sense. It is then a joy to use. All of your favorite stations and frequencies are at your fingertips with one touch.

AM sounds very full and rich, as does FM. The unit offers bass and treble controls but I found that it sounds good even with those controls centered and effectively bypassed. On AM, a synchronous detector with selectable sideband is available, and it works very well and locks quickly.

SSB is a true joy. It is stable, and sounds very nice. The AGC time constants are just right.

To sum, the ICF-SW77 is a truly high-quality and functional receiver even today. It was made circa 1991-1996 and even now it rivals many newer models in both performance and build quality. If you can find one, I believe that you will be happy with it.

MIKEL Rating: 2016-03-12
Best SSB portable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For my money, the SW77 sits squarely among the top 3 portable GC receivers (the other 2 being the Sony 2010 and Eton E1.) In AM mode, the SW77 finishes 3rd. The E1 finishes first followed by the 2010. However, the SW77 clearly leads the trio in SSB mode. As a result, the SW77 is my top pick for amateur and utility DXing.
GFEDCBA Rating: 2009-09-01
one of the best! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For me this is the best portable receiver. Very good sensivity, the sync-mode and the cool design are strong arguments for this rx. Of course it is not easy to work with it as some features are hidden in the menu. But also with an IQ of less than 140 you are in the condition to use it. If you really want.
EHAMRH Rating: 2008-10-11
Unreliable and hard to use Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The first one was faulty and exchanged after some persuasion. The second? ... When it worked, it worked quite well. But on SSB the frequency would start to drift after a few weeks and re-alignment would be needed every six months or so. And if not used for several weeks, it would motorboat badly enough to make it unusable - on all bands. It would slowly recover itself, but the recovery period got longer and longer until I threw it in the skip. If it had been a user-friendly radio, I might have persisted with getting it fixed, but the software was unbelievably arcane: it utterly defied logic. Either you had to dig into the radio's features every day to maintain familiarity, or you had to have a prodigious memory. When there are radios available which deliver quality of performance with ease of use, it makes no sense to have something where the performance had to be paid for with hair-tearing frustration. Perhaps even that "1-rating" is generous - I hated it. Very unreliable and very hard to use.
FISHAMERICABOY Rating: 2007-11-09
A Great Solid Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I am very happy with this radio. I got it off ebay brand new in the box from a European seller (Serial No. 71720). I'm learning more about SWL over time. I live in California not too far (30 miles) from the Pacific Ocean. I listen maily to SSB Phone (Voice) And I use a Buckmaster 300Watt antenna with a 50ft 9913 flex Coaxial Feed. I also have a northwest antenna (nwantennas.com) that does very well with it, too. The whip is pretty good but adding this high end antenna has really made this unit shine if you ask me with no overload problems:

160m-40m (night): SSB is Is Loud and clear. I've heard HAMS from all over clear as a bell many times. Sometimes faint but mostly very very clearly. Even as far away as North Carolina and Florida. Im getting some Great DX MW During the day on MW even on 120m

40m-15m (day): When I finally caught on that these bands are best during the day I was able to get alot more SSB. On 20m I've heard as farwest as Hawaii and Japan and even as far as American Samoa and Tonga. I've gotten some great stuff on 17m clear as a bell. 17 m shines during the day . Our neighbors to the north (Canada) can be heard on segments of the 20m that US Hams are not allowed to Tx SSB on. I've even gone as high as 15M and have heard USB with success.

Keep in mind I'm using an OFC Dipole that I set up in a "T" configuration an i can only get it about 15' up.

I could go on but the is an excellent shortwave portable radio and I see why so many people are still trying to get it. I hear the Eton E1 out shines it from well-qualified sources. I will say that for its size, easy treatment of batteries, smooth ergonomics and ample features, you can't go wrong.

I've had such great SSB listening experiences that Im now studying for my license and looking at Elcrafter's K3 High Performance 160 - 6M Band Transceiver.

I also compared it side by side to a used SW77 that was pretty good, but it didnt have as satisfactory an Audio quality as this brand new one. I just use the built in speaker and I can hear everything clear and with a full-body sound.

If you want one and you can get it do it. You'll be so happy you did.

FishAmerica





MW1ROS Rating: 2006-10-12
Brilliant Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If your thinking of buying one, go for it, this radio is outstanding. absolutely brilliant, blows all the competition away no problem.
WB8UHZ Rating: 2006-04-19
Excellent Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Excellent , great receiver, great audio on AM and SSB.. nice lay out .. outstanding radio.
PY1BR Rating: 2002-12-03
The best portable worldband receiver today Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had the SW7600 and SW7600GR models before. I sold them and bought the SW77, a completely different radio. It belongs to a different category of product. Every travel, the radio comes with me. I don’t use all of its features, but in general, I use to copy hams, DX and some broadcasts. Just listening. The sound quality is amazing, the sensitivity is also outstanding. The SSB receiving is much better than the previous radios I had. It´s not “fine tune”. It’s probably the best portable worldband receiver today. Of course, it’s expensive, but to someone who likes this type of gear, I think it’s the portable radio to buy. I think it worth.
ECP Rating: 2001-12-31
Great Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
With performance very close to the legendary 2010, better sound quality and much better features, I don't see how you could rate this radio anything but great.FM stereo with headphones is nice. Finished, modern look is also a plus in my book. I have had a 2010 for 10 years but, God forgive me, I like my SW77 better.
ALANJGIDD Rating: 2001-12-12
New Portable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Sorry to say but I do not find this radio difficult or complex to operate ( read the instruction manual a few times). I agree that it is not the best radio to give a first timer but as I am not then no worries. I like the synch feature as it does work well on 95% of signals and stays locked all the time. I have heard stations that I couldn't on my previous radios & the audio is not as dreadful as some may lead you to believe. I have heard better but not that much better, besides, I like to listen in bed with my headphones on so no problems. The radio is well laid out & easy to manipulate. I do wish the light would stay on though! If you are worried about the last bit of the antenna breaking off, simple: don't fully extend it, a few inches won't matter to the signal. Ok, so you pay a lot & expect perfection but I have never brought any consumer item that was brilliant in every field. Have you? If you have a 2010 then keep it, a SW77 is not a giant leap but the SW77 is far better than any other portable. You pay more but I think it is worth it. Drop me a line if anyone wants to discuss the SW77 further.