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Reviews For: Sony ICF-5900W

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Sony ICF-5900W
Reviews: 15MSRP: 250.00
Description:
Sony high end AM/FM/SW communication receiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00154.8
KB2NAT Rating: 2008-12-26
Truly Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It has taken time to show me how great this unit was. As others, I took this radio everywhere...by plane, car, poolside, beach, etc. It's sensitivity and resistance to overload were great strengths. I should have kept mine since it was reasonably travelable(?) and very high performing on all bands. It had the value of analog (that is, the ability to sweep bands for any signals) and digital (it could zero in on a specific freq with great accuracy). Now owning a GEII, Zenith 7000, Kaito 1102, Grundig 800, etc, I can now appreciate what a great portable it was...too late. Get one if you have the opportunity.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KB2NAT on 2008-06-07

A very sensitive and sturdy radio, this particular Sony was able to handle thousands of miles of travel by car, boat and plane. It was stable, the BFO was useable, and it used a tuning marker every quarter meg so that the operator knew accurately what frequency he was on. The output was 1.9 watts max with very good tone. Of all the units I've owned, this is the portable that I wish that I had kept. No negatives, lotsa positives.
MKANG Rating: 2008-12-26
Great Analog Portable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Glad to have back one original unit in good operational conditions after minor adjustments & repairs.
Very bold ergonomic design with large SW dial for accurate tuning and wide clear strip of band markings.
Large speaker mesh with strong sound output with controls in black colour and case body in gunmetal grey.
A timeless classic from the 70's comparable to the Panasonic RF2200 of the same era.
W8GTX Rating: 2006-07-11
Excellent analog portable Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Excellent analog portable. I have several different make/model high end Japanese analog portables and this one rates at the top with it's direct competitor, the Panasonic RF-2200. Sound quality is good on AM/SW and great on FM. Sensitivity of this set is outstanding considering it's intended price range & use. The band spread is a big plus with this set. Allows for precise tuning as far as analog receivers go. I fully aligned mine and was rewarded with a very accurate dial/freq calibration. It uses 3 D cell batteries that seem to last forever in this set. It's light handy and easy to use. The BFO is actually fairly stable for what it is. At room temp I rarely have to "touch" up the band spread for spot on SSB reception. Remember, this is a dual conversion set like it's competition the RF-2200. No images to speak of and selectivity is very good. No actual specs but my ear tells me all I need to know. Nab one while they're still readily available.
BILBO Rating: 2006-03-21
A precision instrument Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great little receiver of the saturday's nights era.
It's robust,very sensitive,have a good sound and a smart and accurate Xtal calibrator.
Grab it, if you find one in good conditions..
Very useful infos here:
http://www.noobowsystems.com/restorations/icf-5900w/icf-5900w-e.html

There is a dedicated Sony 5900W yahoogroup, too:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/5900W/
N7EKX Rating: 2005-12-26
Tough Workhorse Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Around 1976, this analog receiver (and its major competition, the Panasonic RF-2200) caused a sensation in the SWL world, by offering fairly accurate frequency selection in a portable radio. In today's culture of digital radios, it's easy to forget what a breakthrough this was, at the time.
I was fortunate to purchase both the ICF-5900W and the RF-2200 in 1976, and had the chance to test them out in all conditions, during the jammer-infested days of the Cold War. The performance of the two radios was very similar, and both of them had very good Medium Wave, FM, AM and SSB reception. The RF-2200 had a slight edge in audio quality and battery run-time, but the ICF-5900W was my favorite because of its portability (significantly smaller and lighter than the Panasonic, an important point for someone in the Navy, like me). I still have the ICF-5900W, and it works just as well today as it did in 1976. (The RF-2200, on the other hand, was loaned to a ham friend, who apparently ended up selling it on eBay...) In summary, if you can find either one of these fine analog portables in good condition, they will provide you with solid, reliable performance for decades!