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Reviews For: Philips D2999

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Philips D2999
Reviews: 11MSRP:
Description:
Portatop HF full coverage plus FM receiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00114.9
DAROBIN Rating: 2005-06-01
Quiet Portable Blockbuster Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's somewhat surprising that the D2999 space on eHam.net has gone unfilled for so long, because this is a radio classic which is frequently overlooked in debates about portable development and design.

The D2999 was produced under the Philips and Magnavox name, as everyone familiar with the radio knows. This receiver got some very good reviews in the 1980's, and then interest in it dropped off and it was kind of forgotten.

D2999s are available on Ebay in varying states of cosmetic and mechanical health. Most important, if you are looking for one, is to make sure all pushbuttons (which are the small square type) are functioning and have not been pounded by the previous user(s). Also check to see that the lights are working for the S-meter and LCD display and of course that antennas are not broken.

I have my Magnavox D2999 hooked up to a 100 foot longwire in parallel with some other receivers, including a number of gold plate specials by JRC and Drake. Sensitivity is the big standout on my D2999 -- this radio really pulls stations in, and combined with its dual bandwith option and the glorious sound from the front and top-firing speakers, it's a joy to listen to hour after hour.

The S-meter is large -- in fact, one of the biggest seen on ANY SW receiver, comparable to the Grundig 800 meter, and old fashioned analog. The radio tunes with "detents" or clicks for every turn, but unlike the annoying feature of the Grundig 650, you continue to hear signals as you tune. The radio has BASS and TREBLE controls, and has AGC Manual/Automatic option, but here is the big cautionary note. This is not the best receiver in the world for SSB, as one needs to reduce the RF gain a bit and go to manual AGC for stable SSB reception.

Antenna connections on the back are BNC for AM/SW and FM, similar to Grundig 700/500 which is a bit of a pain, but not insurmountable.

On some days, I'll be tuning on my JRC or Kenwood or Drake receivers, and then just switch the D2999 to the same frequency and it performs superbly. If you acquire a good condition D2999 I'm sure it will become one of the keepers in your collection.

While not on the same par as as a Grundig 700, chiefly due to the lack of synchronous detection, the D2999 is certainly as sensitive and looks fantastic!