RETRO RECEIVER REVIEW #20 SONY ICF-5900W by CRAIG SEAGER VK2HBT This time around, I thought we might direct our attention to one of the many portable receivers of yesteryear, and it is perhaps appropriate that we choose a manufacturer that continued to produce quality equipment featuring shortwave coverage until long after. I’m sure our Japanese friends will concur with the submission that Japan is a land of short-lived, but enthusiastically embraced fads. Whether it be karaoke, yo-yos with brains, electronics pets or Pokémon, each craze sweeps the country in such a way that captures the attention of the rest of the world and is usually associated with some pretty smart home-grown technology. In the mid to late 1970s, shortwave listening (or “BCL”) was the flavour of the month, with teenagers (and some older folk!) compiling large QSL collections and forming SWL and DX clubs all over the country. Nowadays, you’d be fairly hard-pressed to find any external broadcas...
Nice to see your shack and antennas Rob. Very nice environment there. 73, Bas
ReplyDeleteThank you Bas. One day, I'll do a video of inside the radio shack! Best wishes, Rob
DeleteIntroduce your equipments also. 73 de VU2UT
DeleteGhoseCoy - Of course!....eventually. 73 old friend!
DeleteHi, Rob. Thanks for sharing. It was nice to see your set-up. I am moving from a 1.6 acre lot in the country to a small 24th floor condo in Chicago. Most of my DX will be done from the car, although I plan to install a 20-meter Isotron ham antenna on my terrace. Hopefully, the height will make a difference. I also use a Wellbrook ALA1530-AL2 loop antenna for most of my shortwave DX. I enjoyed the video and like your report. 73 MIKE N9OVQ
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, thanks for the feedback on the video. Good luck with the big move from the country to the condo - hope it goes well for you. I have not used an Isotron antenna, and reviews of it appear to be mixed - some love it, some are disappointed. From some reports, a few people appear to have had trouble tuning it. I guess it depends on the expectations of the user! However, the Wellbrook should work well for listening at the condo. Cheers and 73, Rob VK3BVW
Delete