what radios have the best ears ?

[985chicago]

Becouse I live near the city (chicago ) a noise blanker is needed most of the day time. +10db. Static is common on both ssb and am.The best radios i ever used as a receiver was a Stoner Pro 40 for ssb, and a Kenwood TS950sdx. Kenwood has a awesome noise blanker.Static is a major problem for me most of the time.
985chicago.
Voodoo audio#12

 

[70cst]

Its time for an update ...

 

[Eastside]

Out of all the radios that I have owned.....the Tram's and the Brownings are the best hands down.

 

[w9cll]

So far I would say the Yaesu Ft-901dm and Ft-102 are tops for me. I have not seen or heard a radio hear better then those. Now that being said I have not had a Ft-5000 in front of me so I can't compare to the newer stuff.

 

[Shockwave]

Out of all the radios that I have owned.....the Tram's and the Brownings are the best hands down.

I have to agree when it comes to 11 meter radios, nothing new has beat the receiver performance of the 40 year old rigs. The Browning Golden Eagle receivers still have some of the best sensitivity of any radio with its all Nuvistor front end.

When it comes to selectivity, Tram went out of their way to make the most selective receiver with their model XL-100 mobile tube radio. This antique had the bragging rights with 95 db rejection at 10KHz. One of the only radios that used crystal filtering in the AM IF stage rather then mechanical, ceramic or just tuned circuits.

Too bad noise blankers were not common back then because that would have been the icing on the cake. The NB didn't start appearing on radios until around 1975 when Tram introduced the D-201 with VOX and NB.

As much as I like the original D-201, it's for the transmitter in this radio and not so much for the receiver. While the receiver is in no way lacking, it's also not exceptional with rejection or overloading the front end. It does have exceptional tone quality and a transmitter that is unsurpassed with those two 6L6GC tubes.

 

[hotrod]

I have a pair of 3500 100 watt versions that I will be sending to Bob for a complete tune up. Can't wait to try this radio out.

then ya get it back should be a sweet radio. id also opt for the sp-a1 speech compressor too

 

[nfsus]

Back in 1985, I bought a DP2112A PHASE-COHERENT LOW-PASS FILTER MODULE from a company called DX Products in Laguna Hills Calif. This is pretty much the same as the STONER "Whistlestop" filter. Its basis is the NE570 Compander IC. If anyone has the old "Secret CB" books, look in Volume 23, pages 7-9. This filter is the best noise reduction device I have ever seen. I have a schematic somewhere in my files if anyone wants to try and build one.

- 399

its a dead thread prob, but id love to see the schematic if you had it. or if anyone has it now.

 

[c316buckeye]

The best receive radio that i had so far was The Yeticom Optima. And i will be buying another one here soon.

just picked up an optima mk2, enjoying some of the features. waiting for a steady station locally at a good distance to be able to judge the filters in comparison to the 6900v7 and 959. with shottky diodes, the 949/959 was my favorite for a listening experience.

 

[Onelasttime]

A 1990's or earlier Cobra, Uniden, Cybernet type CB. A old school say 1998 and earlier President Lincoln, HR2600, HR2510.

A 1991 or earlier RCI2950 that has been gone through recaped and aligned.

 

[BC Coyote]

A 1990's or earlier Cobra, Uniden, Cybernet type CB. A old school say 1998 and earlier President Lincoln, HR2600, HR2510.

Those are all fantastic radios and over the last 40 years I have owned many of them, but for receive my Anytone 5555N2 blows everything else out of the water. Even better receive than my 1994 Cobra 148GTL side mic, which would be my vote for second best. Anytone's onboard DSP noise reduction is amazing !
Of course, almost any ham rig from Icom, Kenwood or Yaesu will outperform even the best CB or export radio.

A 1991 or earlier RCI2950 that has been gone through recaped and aligned.

Yuck ! I hope you're kidding! I had a 2950 and a 2970 back in the early 1990's. New out of the box and they had horrible harsh noisy receive. A really good tech could make them sound a bit better. But not much. And Ranger went downhill from there.........

 

[Onelasttime]

Those are all fantastic radios and over the last 40 years I have owned many of them, but for receive my Anytone 5555N2 blows everything else out of the water. Even better receive than my 1994 Cobra 148GTL side mic, which would be my vote for second best. Anytone's onboard DSP noise reduction is amazing !
Of course, almost any ham rig from Icom, Kenwood or Yaesu will outperform even the best CB or export radio.


Yuck ! I hope you're kidding! I had a 2950 and a 2970 back in the early 1990's. New out of the box and they had horrible harsh noisy receive. A really good tech could make them sound a bit better. But not much. And Ranger went downhill from there.........

A lot of people think that. Back when you had to purchase 2950's from HRO and they where $400 radio's they where really good. You needed a real technician not a butcher to go through one.

Half of the worthwhile modifications that ended up in the RCI2950 Bible and such where developed by myself and my boss in the 1990 and 1991. We shared them freely in the internet and other people compiled them latter.

I will say this the white noise on even the early pre 1990 RCI 2950 was a bit of a problem but white noise was always an issue on radio's that had really good ear's even prior to this. I am not going to make excuses for it that is for sure. That said I could hear audio that guys with beams could not pick out even though I was mobile. If you want less noise you end up with a Cobra or Cybernet and far less recieve as well!

We had told Ranger in 1990 that the RCI2970 needed a feedback circuit we had already fixed that issue early on. We steered everyone away from the 2970 at the time. If people just had to have one we modified them so it was far more stable. We actual prefered to put someone into a 2950 turned down and a TS667 or even a 2 pill amp over the 2970.

The RCI2950 got a bad reputation once Copper and other's started selling it and the CB butchers got their hands on them. It was not a radio that was kind to ignorant rednecks and CB truck stop idiots with a golden screw driver and a lightbulb!!!

We where a warranty center back when that actual meant something and we did Yaesu, Standard, Motoral, JRC, Kenwood etc.....Back in 1990 1991 your choices where Cobra/Uniden/Realistic CB, Galaxy, RCI 2950 and HR2510. I am not kidding when I say HRO was selling RCI2950 for over $400 a pop!