RADIOS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT

After several requests I've put together this page to enumerate the various radios and other equipment that I've got in the shack.

RADIOS
AOR
Bearcat
General Electric
GRE
Grundig
ICOM
Kenwood
Nova-Tech
OptoCom
Panasonic
Realistic
Radio Shack
Realtone
Sanchin
Sears
Sony
Toshiba
Uniden
Yaesu
Yupiteru
Zenith
 
ACCESSORIES
Advanced Electronic Applications
Heathkit
MFJ
Radio Shack
 
WANTED
ICOM
Yaesu

RADIOS

AOR AR5000
Full coverage monitoring receiver.

A very good radio, with a good selection of bandwidths and step sizes. Can be computer-controlled and it has a discriminator output on the AUX connector. Also has a 10.7 MHz IF output on the back.

AOR AR8000
Full coverage handheld.

A fairly good performer, although mine could use a speaker mod to eliminate the audio cutting in and out that can occur.

AOR WX-2000
This is a radio facsimilie terminal that produces printed copies of radio fax signals, such as satellite weather maps.

Bearcat DX-1000
Desktop shortwave radio, 10 kHz to 30 MHz.

Like many owners, I'm looking for the Service Manual for this rig. So far all I have are the schematics.

General Electric Searcher
AC or battery-powered desktop radio, with AM, FM and Public Service Band (PSB).

Four-channel scanning in the VHF band.

GRE PSR-800
Handheld scanner capable of monitoring Project 25 Phase 1 and Phase 2 systems.

GRE America closed down in 2012 and in September 2013 the intellectual property rights were purchased by the Whistler Group of Bentonville, Arkansas.

GRUNDIG YB 400 PE
Portable FM/Medium Wave/Long Wave/Short Wave radio

ICOM PCR-1000
PCR-1000, computer controlled receiver about the size of a large paperback book. For data decoding fans like me the built-in discriminator output is nice.

ICOM bungled the release of the control protocol, but it's been reverse-engineered and is available on the Internet.

As with any receiver, it's important to have the right antenna for the frequencies you're interested in.

I recently purchased a UT-106 DSP Unit and will install it when I have some time.

ICOM R1
Very small handheld receiver circa 1989.

After all thesee years the internal battery no longer holds a charge.

ICOM R6
Very small handheld scanner.

ICOM R70
R70 Desktop receiver covering 100 kHz to 30 MHz.

I bought a second unit, in the original box, from a thrift shop.

ICOM R7000
Front of R7000 Full coverage monitoring receiver. I purchased this unit used at the 2017 Dayton Hamvention.

Back of R7000 It has a set of modifications; three subminiature switches mounted on the back panel.

R7000 switches

ICOM R7100
Full coverage monitoring receiver. Mine doesn't see that much use since I got an R8500.

Bought a second unit at the 2018 Hamvention.

ICOM R8500
Full coverage monitoring receiver. The successor to the R7100. Solid performance, built-in discriminator output and 10.7 MHz IF output.

The "IF OUT" jack on the back panel outputs a 10.7 MHz IF signal with 9 volts DC for external equipment.

I bought a second full coverage unit at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention.

KENWOOD
R-2000 receiver, with a VHF Converter Unit.

NOVA-TECH Air-O-Ear 711-WN
Early 1960's aircraft and shortwave receiver. It was advertised in the August 1964 issue of Flying magazine, among others.

I'm looking for SAMS Photofact 659-4, which covers this model.

OPTOELECTRONICS OPTOCOM
Computer controlled receiver.

Unfortunately, it's discontinued. It's a neat design -- a GRE receiver board interfaced to a computer-control board (controlled via a Winbond 8051 microprocessor).

Opto had planned to offer a series of add-ons to the receiver, but eventually had trouble getting boards from GRE in the small quantities that sales numbers dictated.

PANASONIC B65
Portable AM/FM/Shortwave receiver. This was purchased from a thrift store and works fine.

PANASONIC RE-1800
Desktop scanner purchased at the 2018 Hamvention.

Eight memories. Coverage from 30 to 50 MHz, 144 to 174 MHz and 450 to 512 MHz.

I don't have a user manual, but these are from a forum posting back in 2005:

  1. Place all the "Memory Channel" toggle switches in the Down/Off position.
  2. Rotate the "Tuning Speed" dial so that "Manual Scan" and "Auto Scan" are NOT selected.
  3. Tune in the frequency desired using the "Tuning Up/Down" switch. The speed at which you go through frequencies can be adjusted by turning the "Tuning Speed" dial to "Low," "2nd," "3rd," or "Top."
  4. When the desired frequency is displayed on the LCD panel, switch the toggle switch corresponding to the "Memory Channel" you wish to program to the On/Up position.
  5. Press the "Memory Push" button to save the frequency to the selected "Memory Channel."
  6. Repeat for the remaining seven "Memory Channels" (Note: Do not have more than one toggle switch in the Up/On position when you press the "Memory Push" button.)
  7. Once your memory channels are programmed, you can turn the tuning dial to "Auto Scan," which will automatically scan through all memory channels that have their toggle switch in the up/on position. Or, you can turn the tuning knob to the "Manual Scan" selection and manually switch through the memory channels that have their toggle switch in the up/on position by using the "Channel Selector" switch. Hint: Be sure to install two 9 volt batteries in the compartment on the bottom so that if you lose power or unplug your scanner, you won't have to reprogram all your memory channels. I learned this the hard way.

PANASONIC RF-085
Portable AM/FM/Shortwave receiver.

PANASONIC RF-2200
Portable AM/FM/SW receiver.

Very good sound from this receiver.

PANASONIC RF-888
Portable AM/FM/PSB receiver.
Coverage is 525-1605 KHz (AM), 87.5-108 MHz (FM), and 148-174 MHz (PSB).

This radio is still in the original box.

RADIO SHACK DX-342
Small, handheld AM/FM/shortwave receiver.

RADIO SHACK DX-360
Portable AM/FM/shortwave receiver.

I have two of these units.

RADIO SHACK DX-375
Portable AM/FM/Shortwave receiver.

Support documents can be found on Radio Shack's support web site, here.

RADIO SHACK DX-398
Portable AM/FM/Shortwave receiver.

Support documents, including a manual in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, can be found on Radio Shack's support web site, here.

This radio is identical to the Sangean ATS-909.

RADIO SHACK DX-440
Portable shortwave receiver.
RADIO SHACK PRO-106
Handheld, APCO Project 25 trunk-tracking scanner.

RADIO SHACK PRO-2001
Early programmable base/mobile scanner.

RADIO SHACK PRO-92
GRE-designed and built handheld TrunkTracking scanner.
I have the first version and the B model (note the 'B' inside the box in the upper right corner of the right-hand photo).

I have a little more information about this scanner here.

RADIO SHACK PRO-94
1000-channel dual-trunking handheld scanner.

RADIO SHACK PRO-96
GRE-built digital (APCO-25) trunk tracking portable scanner.

I have more information about this scanner here.

REALISTIC DX-100
Desktop shortwave receiver circa 1980 - 1984.

Covers 550 kHz to 30 MHz.

REALISTIC DX-120
Early 1970's basic shortwave receiver.

For more information and photographs, click here.

REALISTIC DX-150
Late 1960's vintage GRE-built shortwave receiver.

You can read more about this model here.

REALISTIC DX-160
Early 1970's vintage GRE-built shortwave receiver.

REALISTIC DX-200
Five-band shortwave receiver.

For more information and photographs, click here.

REALISTIC PRO-23
4-channel crystal-controlled VHF handheld scanner approved by the FCC in 1982.

Coverage: 118-136 MHz and 144-148 MHz.

REALISTIC PRO-2006
400-channel desktop scanner manufactured by GRE.

Coverage: 25-520 MHz, 760-823.945 MHz, 851-868.945 MHz, 896-1300 MHz

The gaps in 800 MHz coverage are due to the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) which mandated that the FCC deny certification to scanners that could tune to these (at the time) analog cellular telephone frequencies.

Coverage could be restored by clipping a particular diode.

A quick guide to operations is available here.

REALISTIC PRO-2009
8-channel VHF/UHF desktop scanner manufactured by GRE circa 1995.

Coverage: 29-50 MHz, 144-148 MHz, and 410-512 MHz.

REALISTIC PRO-2011
Twenty-channel programmable base/mobile scanner built by GRE covering frequencies in the VHF and UHF bands.

Science Fair Globe Patrol
Basic shortwave receiver that covers four bands from 550 kHz through 30 MHz with a separate bandspread selector.

A schematic and manual can be found here.

A local copy of the schematic (click for a larger image):

Globe Patrol schematic

REALTONE TR-970
A portable shortwave receiver.

Click here for more photos.

SANCHIN ELECTRIC COMPANY COASTAL NAVIGATOR
This is a Radio Direction Finiding (RDF) three-band marine receiver. It covers:
  • Beacons: 175 to 400 kHz
  • AM Broadcast: 550 to 1600 kHz
  • Marine: 1.6 to 4 MHz
I'm looking for a manual and a replacement extendable (telescoping) antenna for it.
SEARS RECEIVER 40
I know 11 meters isn't everyone's favorite band, but I thought this radio was interesting enough to pick up. It's an AM/FM/CB monitor with analog tuning, allowing the user to hear any potential interstitial transmissions. It also works well for receiving the audio from cheap wireless microphones.
SONY ICF-SW1S
Portable FM/Long Wave/Medium Wave/Short Wave radio
TOSHIBA IC-700
I picked up this three-band portable receiver at a local hamfest. The end of the telescoping antenna is missing, but it doesn't affect the operation of the radio.

This model originally came out around 1971.

ELECTRA BEARCAT FIVE-SIX
Bearcat Five-Six.
Handheld five-band, six-channel crystal-controlled scanner.

Covers the following bands: 33-47, 118-136, 154-164 and 450-512 MHz.

UNIDEN BEARCAT 100XLT (BC100XLT)
Bearcat 100XLT.
VHF/UHF handheld scanner.
UNIDEN BEARCAT 200XLT (BC200XLT)
Bearcat 200XLT.
UHF, VHF, 800 MHz coverage (less cellular) handheld scanner.

UNIDEN BEARCAT 210XLT
Older desktop scanner.
UNIDEN BC245XLT
Bearcat 245XLT.

Full coverage (less cellular) TrunkTracking handheld scanner. Capable of computer control.

UNIDEN BC560XLT
16-channel base/mobile scanner with 'one touch' weather button. Covers 10 bands with the following frequency bands: 29 to 54 MHz, 137 to 174 MHz, and 406 to 512 MHz.

I bought this unit at a garage sale. When I plugged it in, instead of channel numbers, the two-digit display showed 'L'. I hit the [WX] button and immediately heard the local NOAA weather radio transmission. Hitting [SCAN] after that caused the scanner to run through all sixteen channels.

Apparently there are folks out there who get the 'L' display and are unable to proceed. If the [WX] doesn't work, try programming one of the 16 channels with a known frequency (NOAA weather frequencies are good for this: try 162.400 and 162.550 first). After receiving a good signal, manually step thorugh each channel - you should hear static if the squelch is set correctly.

YAESU FRG-7
Desktop receiver covering 200 kHz to 29.90 MHz.

YAESU FRG-7700
FRG7700 Desktop receiver covering 150 kHz to 30 MHz.

Serial number format: YM PPPSSS, where Y is production year in the 1980's (e.g. '4' = 1984), M is the productiom month (e.g. 'E' = May), PPP is the production run and SSS is the individual serial number.

The letter 'M' preceeding the serial number indicates the factory installation of a memory module.

YAESU VR-5000
Desktop receiver covering 10 kHz to 2.6 GHz (less cellular) with a 10.7 MHz IF output. This particular unit was manufactured in 2008.

I'm looking for computer control and cloning commands beyond the few CAT messages described in the manual.

YUPITERU MVT-7100
Yupiteru MVT7100 full coverage handheld scanner.

I bought a second one at the 2016 Dayton Hamvention.

ZENITH TRANS-OCEANIC
Vacuum tube shortwave radio, model H500.

I need to get a spare set of tubes for this unit.

Does anyone have a good source for tubes, especially the 1L6, that aren't at a ridiculous price?

ACCESSORIES

AEA FAX III
FAXIII From the manual:

The worse the weather gets, the better AEA FAX III is. This is because AEA FAX III allows you to colorize your received WeFax images, producing amazing full-color weather displays.

This IBM-compatible software receives HF SSB transmissions. Satellite maps and WeFax images are received in gray-scale and can be displayed in dazzling 256 pseudo-color like the one you see above. In addition to images, you'll be able to receive and decode Morse code, RTTY, and NAVTEX transmissions.

AEA FAX III's color enhancement lets you colorize maps and WeFax images however you want. See cloud formations and weather patterns that just can't be seen in gray-scale. Export your colorized images to PCX or GIF files for use in other applications.

Choose schedules from the fax station database (included) and go do something else. AEA FAX III allows your computer to switch frequencies on your computer controllable receiver, receive transmissions, and save them. When you come back you'll have images waiting for you. View the images you receive in the special slide show-mode.

AEA FAX III is easy to use right out of the box. Simply plug in the demodulator (shown here), install the software, and you're ready to receive highly detailed images. Tuning the signal is easy, AEA FAX III has an on-screen tuning indicator to help you keep the signal coming in clearly.

Don't be left out in the cold when it comes to high-tech weather reception, get AEA FAX III.

Requires PC-compatible XT, AT, or better and a general coverage HF SSB receiver. VGA monitor required for gray-scale fax display and false-color.

Note: Timewave Technology Inc. acquired the AEA data products line in April, 1997.

AEA KEYER TRAINER KT-2
From the manual:
The KT-2 has two basic modes of operation. You may choose between a keyer and a Morse trainer. Control for each mode is provided from the keypad for full feature programming.

You have a fully programmable trainer with an incredible range of features for learning or teaching Morse code. You also have a programmable keyer with selectable speed, tone, dot-dash ratios and automatic and semi-automatic (bug) capabilities.

AEA MORSE MACHINE MM-3
From the manual:

The Morse Machine is a full-featured, high performance keyer featuring 2-255 WPM programmable or 2-99 WPM variable speed selection and 8,000 memory characters that can be stored into 20 memories (36,500 characters if 32K RAM is used. See page 4). Seven programmable modes of operation are included: KEYER/MEMO- RY SEND, BEACON (to automatically repeat a Morse or RS-232 ASCII message at a programmed interval of one to 999 seconds), MEMORY LOAD, TRAINER (allows random code group practice at steadily increasing speeds), MORSE TERMINAL, CONTEST SIMULATOR and QSO SIMULATOR.

A computer serial port can be interfaced to The Morse Machine through its RS-232 compatible I/O allowing any front panel function to be programmed from the computer. Loading memories is as simple as typing them on the computer keyboard. Further, your random code, contest or practice sessions can be displayed on your computer screen.

HEATHKIT CA-1 CONELRAD ALARM
A relatively scarce Cold War device designed to prevent accidental transmissions that might guide Soviet missiles. You can read more about it here.
MFJ 959B ANTENNA IMPEDENCE MATCHER
Two antenna, two receiver impedence matcher.

RADIO SHACK DSP 40
Noise reduction via Digital Signal Processing.

Brief documentation is available from Radio Shack's support web site at here. The September 1998 Hints newsletter from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has the following modification:

Louder DSP with the RS 21-543 Box

Michael, N4TMI, has a quick fix for anyone trying to get more volume out of a Radio Shack 21-543 DSP box:
The cure is simple. The gain of the audio amplifier can be doubled by soldering wire jumpers across R54 and R57. These are clearly labeled 100-ohm chip resistors on the underside of the circuit board. According to the manufacturer's data sheet, the KIA7227CP audio amp chip does not require these components. Their only purpose is to reduce gain, apparently a bad idea in this situation. After the mod, it's much easier to get room-filling volume from a speaker. Sound quality is excellent, and digital signal processing is unaffected.
--Michael A. Covington, N4TMI, 285 St George Drive, Athens, GA 30606; e-mail mc@ai.uga.edu

WANTED

ICOM IC-718
Need recap and realignment.
ICOM IC-735
Two radios. Need recap and realignment.
YAESU FT-11R
Need replacement battery.
Miscellaneous
MFJ-872 SWR Meter, 1.8 to 200 MHz (~$114)
MFJ-891 Giant X Wattmeter, 1.6 to 60 MHz (~$195)


Comments to Dan Veeneman

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Last revised May 13, 2023