Sony Shortwave Radio
The previously-reviewed Sony ICF-2010 is undoubtedly the best portable shortwave radio ever made. It was built to perfection with synchronous detection, aircraft band and a lot of other bells and whistles. But unfortunately, it has long been discontinued. Likewise, the previously-reviewed Grundig YB-400 has also been discontinued.
Today, the two best portable shortwave receivers in the market are the Sony ICF-SW7600GR and the Grundig G5. Both are great radios, but the 7600GR triumphs over the Grundig because of its excellent build quality (still Japanese made!) and synchronous detection circuitry, which lets the user eliminate adjacent channel interference, fading and distortion on shortwave. Both are equally sensitive on shortwave but some argue that the G5 has better audio (i.e. the speaker). For listening to ham radio stations, though, the 7600GR is much better and, at least for the moment, it is the only portable receiver that features synchronous detection circuitry, technology usually found only on radios *ten times* the price!
Some background on synchronous detection: an Amplitude modulated (AM) signal has three components: the carrier signal which is flanked by upper and lower sidebands (USB and LSB). The sidebands carry the audio information and are prone to interference when a station from an adjacent frequency interferes with the sidebands. For example, if you are listening to BBC on 9500 KHz, a station at 9505 KHz might interfere with the upper sideband of 9500 KHz but not with the lower sideband. The lower sideband is vulnerable only to a frequency lower than BBC at 9500 KHz. A regular detector on a radio like G5 will take *both* sidebands and the carrier signal and generate an audio that will show signs of interference. A synchronous detector like the one on the Sony 7600GR eliminates the distorted sideband and uses the cleaner sideband (the one not affected by interference) and mixes it up with a new strong carrier signal, which it generates by itself. Thus, the 7600GR eliminates two problems: weak carrier signal and distortion of the sidebands due to adjacent channel interference.
For hams radio stations, single side band (SSB) capability is needed. Hams generally broadcast in the upper or the lower side band but not both. The Grundig G5 and the Sony 7600GR both have an SSB feature, but only Sony lets you manually select which of the two single side bands (upper or lower) to listen to. That USB/LSB selectable switch also comes in handy for the synchronous detection circuitry. For instance, if you know the interference is coming from a station broadcasting at a frequency higher than what you are listening to, choose LSB on the switch and the USB is eliminated and vice versa.
The 7600GR has been a great companion to me for the last five years. I listen to All India Radio to catch some news and music from home. I also love listening to voices from all over the world: BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio China International, Radio Japan, and Radio Australia among many others. Beyond increasing my understanding of the world around me, the radio also helped me a lot with improving my spoken English. And due to its size, I'm able to take the radio pretty much everywhere I go.
-- Sam Ponissery
Sony Shortwave Radio - ICF-SW7600GR
$150
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Sony
Favorite (15)
heath
check this: www.lonelyengineer.com
jim`
What the frequency for All India Radio?
James
I have owned this radio for about three years and I agree, it is a great radio for the shortwave enthusiast. Shortwave propagation is at its 7-year lull, so having a receiver that is sensitive enough to pick out the signal from the noise is a must. The synchronous detection is an amazing piece of technology. It can make a station that is very difficult to listen to come in like a local AM station. Since upgrading my amateur radio license, I have purchased a HF radio that offers even better performance, but it is connected to a large antenna and costs north of $1,000. Currently, the Sony is used primarily to keep the dogs 'company' with the local classical station when we are not at home. It is invaluable during power failures and incidentally, when the power is out, all of that man-made noise goes away so shortwave stations are even clearer :). The AM broadcast receiver is so sensitive that it can pick up the micro-power traffic advisory AM transmitters at the mountain passes tens of miles away on a good night-with the built-in bar antenna. The FM quality is very musical and offers very little distortion. It's a very listenable radio.
Overall, a great radio for the shortwave/ham/AM enthusiast. My only complaint is that the volume control needs to be cleaned as it is starting to crackle slightly at the lower-end.
josh
i have the older icf-7600d model. i live in new york city with all kinds of radio interference. this is the only radio i have that picks up am stations properly. the fm is also better than most stereo receivers with an external antenna. the perfect bedside radio. i have mine on a small wooden easel intended for displaying a plate.
frank
The Grundig G3 should be a close match, coming soon.
Tom Welch
Today, I bought a Tecsun PL-600 SW radio off of Amazon, more radio for the buck.
John
yeah I agree. Great radio. Have been using mine since 2001. Excellent sensitivity and reception on shortwave. Like the sound on FM too. Great cool tool.
Kathleen
I've had the older model 7600D for over 20 years now. Still great and still going strong
Dave
I've owned this radio for around 5 years and it works like a charm. You can boost the signal by using an external antenna as well. Great radio.
Paul
Agree that it is a great radio (I have owned an older model for several years). But we are now at the trough of the 11-year sunspot cycle, and it apparently is not moving upward as it is supposed to! The result is that international broadcasts are very hard to pull in, no matter what radio you have. There are exceptions--high-power US religious broadcasters, Radio China--but these get tiresome after a while. Alas, the BBC stopped shortwave broadcasts to the U.S. a few years ago, and the mysterious, addicting "numbers" stations have all but vanished as well.
Will
I have the Sony ICF 2010 does anyone know where I can find a power adapter?
john
I've owned the original 7600 for 25 years, no digital, all manual.
It's been dropped, kicked and suffered countless indignities yet still
soldiers on.
Ash
I've had this radio for about 10 years. I must embarrassingly admit that I only use it for FM talk radio, which is really doesn't take advantage of its capabilities. But the radio's batteries last for ages, it gets extremely good reception, and the sound quality is fantastic. It's also rugged -- we use it all over the house and it gets knocked around and dropped rather often. It dramatically outperforms my girlfriend's more expensive Roberts radio in every way. If you're someone that enjoys radio -- even if you're not into shortwave, AM, or world bands -- this radio is absolutely worth the money.
cirrostratus
I don't know if Sony really holds its edge on shortwave receivers anymore. They've been coasting on their brand name for quite awhile now.
Anyone considering a Sony receiver in this class should do themselves and their wallets a favor and seriously compare the Sony to the similarly featured Kaito/Degen 1103.