| DXTUNER |
Rating:      |
2008-05-20 | |
| One solid performing machine |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This is my first time owning an R-1000, having recently purchased it on Ebay for less than $200. My 5/5 rating isn't to say the R-1000 outperforms any of the techier new desktops, but rather reflects my astonishment that a 25-year old model has held-up so well after so much previous use. Not only that, it fulfills most of my stringent expectations for HF Dx. I am impressed.
Sensitivity on SW is easily up-to-par. With just a short indoor antenna I receive Volmets from Europe. However, being accustomed to newer model units with installed DSP, it took me a few days to get used to the band noise (which, at times, can bury a weak utility station). Yet the R-1000 has an asset the newer hi-tech models don't have: It's big, heavy and solid -- it does not feel like a plastic toy. Accordingly, its audio is really rich & full. Headphones are not needed. Just notch-up the volume a bit & the entire room is full of tone!
Limitations: Digital readout only to 1 kHz. But its actually easy to fine-tune with the main dial. Also, USB voice Txs are received 1.9 MHz above the listed frequency. For example, I get 3455 kHz NY ATC at about 3456.9. Its as though this particular model was made for receiving USB RTTY & Fax instead of USB voice. Or something. However, AM & LSB are dead-on.
Sure, the R-1000 has some very minor limitations when compared to today's $700 models, but this is one very solid machine that consistently delivers. No cheapo model here. Probably the best $175-$300 radio purchase that one can possibly make on Ebay.
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| N4ZBS |
Rating:      |
2008-05-08 | |
| Great general coverage receiver. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Recently purchased this receiver at local ham fest. Have wanted one since seeing magazine adds in the early 80's. Receiver serves me as well as Icom 751-A and kenwood TS-450S. Do not need a manual, no dual function keys, good audio when connected ot my old Zenith Allegro speaker. My only concerns are; is there a way to change agc speed and increase sensitivity on medium wave and 160 meter band.
Again this is a great receiver and a joy to use.73's |
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| KF6JSA |
Rating:     |
2008-04-13 | |
| a wonderful radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I Bought my R1000 at HRO back in 1983 after seeing an ad for it in QST and owning two other Radio Shack shortwave radios. I turned it on and never looked back. While it lacks a lot of features found on other table top receivers, that's sometimes a good thing. The R1000 controls are laid out so clearly and sensibly that someone with no experience operating communications receivers will have the R1000 figured out in no time. The receiver's greatest asset is its ability to pull stations out of a noisy background, even when that noise measures an S9! The R1000 comes with both coax and wire antenna connections and reception in the low power tropical bands is especially good if you have a coax fed longwire antenna. The R1000 has no antenna of its own and you don't need an antenna farm to start listening. The R1000 is quite sensitive even with a piece of wire as an antenna. Tuning the R1000 is a joy. It's 0-30Mghz coverage is divided into 30 bands, each 1khz wide, so you can easily single out a favorite station in a crowded band.
With its all metal cabinet, the R100 is built like a tank. Being physically disabled, I've fallen into it walking on crutches and knocked it over a few times and it survived intact.
The receiver's weaknesses are that for its class, an RF gain control and adjustable AGC should have been included but are not. The automatic AGC is painfully slow, which can often obscure weak stations among strong ones while band scanning. The lamps which Illuminate the spread dial and the S-meter eventually burn out. The R1000's sensitivity in the longwave and mediumwave part of the the spectrum has been deliberately reduced by Kenwood to prevent overload,which makes it hard to do medium wave DX. What puzzles me is that the R1000 has an attenuator with a maximum setting of 60db, so the reduction in sensitivity seems unnecessary. The filters installed on the R1000, 12khz Wide and 6Khz narrow are a little too wide for my taste on shortwave, but you can change that to 6Khz wide and 2.7khz narrow if you get the R1000 Owner's manual and are good with a screwdriver. I'll tell you, with the wide setting on a Local AM talk station listening on headphones, I could hear the producer talking to the host through the station intercom and all the voice processing being used. The speaker on the receiver itself is only fair, lacking a low end. Kenwood has wisely put an external speaker jack on the rear of the unit. The SSB features work really well and use a 2.7 KHZ Filter. There's some drift in SSB mode when you first turn on the R1000, but it stablizes after it warms up. Other nice features include a clock, a timer, and a remote recording feature. If you buy one, be prepared to do your own repairs. Kenwood no longer services this model. A great, tough radio and an excellent value. |
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| K9EUI |
Rating:     |
2007-12-09 | |
| Great general coverage rcvr |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have had three of these over the years and for the $$ they can't be beat. Simple yet stable and sensitive. There are a couple of issues that can be remedied however. The AGC time constant is SLOW on AM and FAST on CW/SSB, just the reverse of the way it should be. There is an easy way to select whichever time constant you want in either mode. There is also a better way to select the three IF filters. The front end can also be easily modified to receive, with good sensitivity, down to 10 kHz. For these changes, see my article in March 1982 "73" magazine. |
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| KC0ZZH |
Rating:     |
2007-10-18 | |
| Basic Starter Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This is my second time having this R1000, traded it about seven months ago for an R-2000. Come about two weeks ago I got this radio back. Right now it’s hooked up to 20M dipole. I mostly listen for casual DX or broadcast stations.
The R-1000 to me is ideal. Lack of memories isn't an issue for me since I have never used them. Dial accuracy isn't the best but once again I do not expect much for a unit of this age. The build quality is more than satisfactory.
No "big" radio features such as RF Gain and Notch filtering, but it does fine without those. I think the meter is too small, but usable once you get used to it.
Unit has great stock sound. Not even the newer radios can compare. No need to get an external speaker here.
It receives as well as my old Icom R-70.
Overall, I would rate this radio a 3.8 out of 5 bc of its lack of useful features, but when it comes down to it this radio is still hard to beat for all around quality. |
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| N1WCL |
Rating:     |
2006-10-19 | |
| Good for the money |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This is my second R1000, sold the first one, what a bonehead! Right now it’s hooked up to 20M sloper.and a 50 foot long wire antenna. Using the switch on the rear of the radio to change antennas These are great radios for band scanning. I mostly listen and search for utility stations on the SW bands. The winter half is my favorite time to search for new stations.
The R1000 is ideal. It has no memories so a pen and paper is required. With it’s analog VFO and a digital readout which on my unit reads about 1khz high. Not bad, gives my brain something to do! The build quality is fabulous, nice tuning knob. When my Daughter first saw it, she couldn't believe it was over 20 years old!
She thought it was new. I thought in the back of my head we could only wish the new receivers looked and felt as nice as this classic. There’s no notch filter or an adjustable RF gain which is probably a weak point for the R1000. I think the meter is a little small, but usable. The sound is good with the speaker, but headphones are always better anyhow for weak SSB stuff.
It receives at least as well as my Sony 2010 from the same time period. But it’s a lot more fun to use. These are a great value and will out perform most portable SW radios. You can still find them on eBay or sites like eham and probably at hamfests. Also it might even be the best $200 spent on a radio. I have a feeling mine will last for another 20 years and no it’s not for sale! |
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| Wil Schaffner |
Rating:    |
2006-07-26 | |
| Good, But Could Be Better |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
First let me say that I really like this RX and that everyone should own one, but the way it is out of the box (as you'll find almost all on eBay) its a good radio, but it could have been better.
If you do want to pick one up, it may be important to you to check the serial number before purchase. Early ones didn't have the circuitry that gave the low audio frequencies (bass response) a boost when the AM Wide filter is selected, which is one of the best things about this rig for me. Try running the R-1000's audio out to a stereo system on a clear MW signal; it's beautiful if you get the full range. You can't switch the filters over to use the 2.7 kHz SSB filter in AM with the early ones (unless you have the electronics skills to rework the circuitry). Also, the later serial numbers seem to be less noisy to my ears. That helps when you're looking for very faint signals.
The 12 kHz AM Wide filter may seem too broad for a shortwave receiver, but it has its uses. Local MW signals (especially daytime) can sound FM quality if the station puts out a nice sound. On SW you'd be hard pressed to find much use for it, but occasionally you come across a rare decent signal in the clear broadcasting music. Listening to any speech with this filter brings out a background hiss which can be reduced with the tone control. The shape factor is about 2:1, so on SW or MW at night you really need a lot of open space between stations or you will get some annoying splatter.
The 6 kHz Narrow AM filter is the weakest part of the R-1000, in my opinion. This is the filter which a SWL would probably use most for both bandscanning and program listening. Unfortunately the shape factor is 3:1, which translates into annoying splatter and heterodynes on many signals. Kenwood's later RX, the R-5000, had the option of swapping its even worse stock 6 kHz filter with a much better one. Sadly, R-1000 buyers didn't have this option, so unless a previous owner had already done so, you'd be wise to upgrade to a Kiwa Filter Module or Murata replacement filter here. This mod alone would bring my rating for the R-1000 up to a 4.
The stock SSB filter is very good. If you can get an R-1000 which will let you use this filter for AM Narrow, so much the better provided you don't mind the muffled audio in exchange for no splatter or hets. Local amateurs sound fantastic with this filter, and using ECSS for broadcast listening provides good audio.
Its hard to imagine why Kenwood gave the Step Attenuator the values they did, -20, 40, 60 dB. -60 dB is what you're trying to lower adjacent signal levels to with the IF filters, making them inaudible. Fortunately there is a modification available to change the values to -10dB, 20, 30 put out by Kenwood in a service bulletin. This should have been the original settings when the receiver was first offered.
The AGC setting has its charm. When you go from listening to a decent signal and quickly tune up or down to another frequency, the newly tuned station slowly fades in. Sometimes, though, it can be annoying, and a faster AGC would be nice to have. Even better would be a way to select between fast and slow, but again the receiver needs a modification to do that.
Sensitivity on SW is excellent. MW sensitivity has been deliberately suppressed to prevent unwanted MW signals showing up on the SW frequencies. For me, MW sensitivity doesn't seem to be kept down, but I'm not heavily into MW DXing. I've heard that the real test for MW sensitivity is to see what it does in the daytime, but I would guess you'd also want a proper MW antenna. Nighttime reception on MW has given me nothing to complain about, as skywave propogation has brought some nice suprises with a random wire tossed around the room. There is a mod to defeat Kenwood's MW attenuator available, if you wish.
I haven't gotten anything on LW frequencies yet, but then again I have no clue as to what a proper antenna would be for down there.
Living in far south Florida, I should note that I once found Radio Havana's 6000 kHz signal on 12000 kHz (but just once). Also I found that 31 meter band signals showed up near the 20 meter band one evening, using a Par Electronics EF-SWL 45 foot antenna. Guess I should check back some time to see if they're still there. Just a strange night in the ionosphere, perhaps?
The timer is a nice touch, but unless I'm really doing something wrong I can't set the shut off time while I'm listening unless I set the start time to turn it on first, which means I have to turn the receiver off so that it can start itself up to be able to turn itself off. Again, maybe it's me, but I just don't use the timer anymore as it's very frustrating.
Just as the 6 kHz filter is the weakest part of the R-1000 IMO, the Noise Blanker is the strongest part. Do not underestimate the importance of a good noise blanker. The most enjoyable signals to listen to are the clean ones, though they may not always be the stongest. If you get rid of the splatter and hets with good IF filtering, eliminate selective fade distortion with a Synch Detector or ECSS, and/or wipe out man-made QRM with a low noise antenna system and NB, you will be able to really enjoy the broadcast.
The R-1000 has no Synchronous Detection. If you can get hold of a Kiwa MAP unit and use the stock 12 kHz filter, or modify it with a 455 kHz IF output and run it into a Sherwood SE-3, you can have it, but those options will cost at least three times as much as what you'd have paid for the used R-1000. Good thing this receiver has nice audio with ECSS and its stock SSB filter, so you may not miss it.
The tone control can be useful when there's lots of atmospheric noise, bringing the high audio frequencies down, and reducing hiss with the 12 kHz filter. It does nothing for boosting or reducing the bass response. A Notch Filter would have been more useful. Thankfully, you can add an outboard Autek Research QF-1 for an audio notch for less than $50 on eBay. Even better is the QF-1A which gives you two audio notch filters, and a high pass filter to reduce bass response when needed to clear up speech.
They're less than $75 on eBay.
When you first turn the RX on, a frequency set to SSB will drift a bit for the first 15 minutes or so; you'll need to retune a few times, maybe once more past that point. After about half an hour, its very stable.
It has a small footprint for a communications receiver. The fact that the power supply is internal is a plus, though it adds a little weight when carrying it. You won't be pushing the R-1000 around the table when tuning like some other receivers. The tuning knob has a nice smooth action and a finger dimple to help turn it quickly.
If you want to use this radio as a field rig, you'll probably want one that already has the DCK-1 12v DC kit installed, as finding one 20 years after production stopped has proven to be pointless.
Personally, I find that the green light of the analog tuning dial gives this rig its personality. Combined with the green (and orange) markings of the signal strength meter, I kind of forget that the digital frequency counter display is actually blue, as the green tends to overshadow it. This is a nice rig to use in a dim or dark room, as the muted color is easy on the eyes.
The reason that I say that everyone should own an R-1000 is because of its analog dial. If you have a rig without one, and the display goes bad, you're done until you get it fixed. When you adjust the analog readout on the R-1000 to match the digital frequency counter midway through a MHz band, say 9500 or 11500 kHz, and dial all the way up to the top or bottom of the band, you shouldn't be off by more than 5 kHz. The marks are every 10 kHz, so between marks gives readout accuracy to 5 kHz. You'd be hard pressed to find a better backup rig at this price. If you have patience you will be able to find a nice R-1000 for less than $200 either on eBay or at hamfests.
Kenwood offered this receiver new for $499, which was low at the time for a good HF rig. If they would have cut the attenuator values in half from the start, gave a choice for AGC time and used a better 6 kHz filter, they could have had a receiver that had no competition under $1000. Being able to offer it for under $500 must have been what they hoped would be its strong point, but I would have gladly paid $600 new at the time with just those few changes.
Today, it's a bargain at $200 or less, and depending on condition and if it has the DCK-1 or a late serial number (3xxxxxx), $300 isn't too much to pay for one. |
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| NIGHTHAWK |
Rating:      |
2006-07-01 | |
| Great radio, can still run with the best of them. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased this radio off eBay for $200.00 USD. I used to have an Icom R71A until the poor quality of the reciever finally caught up with me, the R1000 hears everything the Icom did.
Strengths:
-Straight-forward design, easy to master.
-Good selectivity.
-Great audio.
-Very stable in SSB
-Good attenuation 20db/40db/60db.
Weaknesses:
-Very slow AGC (not a big deal though)
-"Wide" filter is a little wide for me (12kHz)
-Noise blanker doesn't seem to work to well (not a problem)
Overall this is a great radio even today, I recommend that if you come across one in good shape pick it up! Personally I think Kenwood is of better quality than some of Icoms stuff but that is mearly an opinion. Great radio for the buck, its not meant to be a $1000 unit but still does very well!
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| TRYCYCLE |
Rating:     |
2006-03-26 | |
| Added to nice collection |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I rank it good yet ought go for great just to say I have one to add to collection that incl: K-5000, K-2000, JRC545, DrakeR8A, Grundig 800, 400's, Sony2010, 2002,2001, and too many more.
My only point of this is to say that the Medium Wave reception seems subdued and was wondering if others have experienced that in comparison to other table tops and fine to fair radios.
Email abroadventure@yahoo.com
Also: I saw a comment on replacing the light bulb over the signal meter and wondered if someone could email me in regard some shortcuts and specifics on self-replacement. I just got the radio off EBAY and have not tinkered with removing the top. Just looking at the screws, it's never been removed.
Market price was about $225.00 +s/h |
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| DAR1232 |
Rating:      |
2005-08-10 | |
| Excellent first time receiver |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I had a Kenwood R-600 reciever and I saw the R1000 on ebay and was lucky to get it at a resonalble price of $200. When I got it the bulb for the S meter was out and the coupling for the ATTN slector was in need of tightening, only to find out the coupling was cracked,but I got it fixed. Cleaned up the controls and stared listening to the world.
I am not a ham and only listen. The radio pulls in the stations excellent with my new 40ft slope ant. It has excellent audio and station slectivity,but I can only compare it to the Kenwood 600 I had before.Before that all I had was a Hallicrafter 38. If your a first time SW listener and have a change to get a Kenwood 1000,do. |
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