AOR AR-DV1 and Shortwave ?

I'm following most of the threads here about the DV1--- I find myself strangely interested in this receiver. I'm reading a lot about it's operation with various digital modes, and about some of the idiosyncrasies of the radio, along with enhancements that are being made with firmware upgrades. I also like the radio because of its size.

I can't seem to find much information about the DV1's operation in the 540 KHz through 30 MHz range. I'm looking to monitor some of the low band ham activity, all modes but especially SSB. Ditto some of the "utility" stuff (Coast Guard on 5696) and the foreign broadcast activity.

I live in the heart of New York City, so I'm trying the get an idea about what kind of results you guys have been having with the DV1 on the low bands. Here are a few things I'd like to know, preferably from your own first-hand experience.

1) Frequency stability-- How rock-solid is the unit? I may be a little spoiled--- I have a WJ HF-1000, but that's a bit too big to mount in the car. I was looking at the AR 8600 MK 2, but some of the information I read (including right here in the forum) seemed to indicate that the unit had some issues with frequency accuracy & stability on the low bands. Is the DV1 any better in this regard?

2) Front-end overload-- After watching the "Problems & Faults" videos on YouTube about the AOR flagship Alpha receiver, I'm wondering if I am going to have similar problems with overloading / spurs / images on the low bands with the DV1. What are you guys experiencing ?

3) Anything else I might have overlooked or neglected to ask regarding the DV1, particularly in this type of RF-rich environment? Any info along these lines is greatly appreciated.

I have several different antennas that I use for low band reception, generally mounted anywhere for 20 feet to 60 feet above ground. I don't use any type of antennas with preamps, just standard diopoles or random wire antennas.

Thanks so much for any information you can provide. -Mark

I realize this may not apply but there is a guy on eBay selling the AR8200 for 325. Had 4 already sold 2 & he only listed them like 6 hours ago... New these things were like 700$ I would have bought one also, but I don't have the spare $ right now! Good luck!

MStep
My AR-DV1 here in Los Angeles overloads very easily on MW and SW. If I use some sort of preselector, even a simple MFJ tuner, the receiver is acceptable, but not what I would call great, certainly not for the money. Then again, being able to switch from 40 meter CW to 450 Mhz DMR with the flip of a button in one receiver is pretty neat.
I have used the receiver with an AOR LA-400 indoor loop, and it works pretty well. I tend to be a "hard" rater on these receivers. Comparing it to my high end scanners, no way is it going to compete. Comparing it my ELAD FDM-S2 and Perseus, no way is it going to compete. However, I can certainly see taking the AR-DV1 on a trip with me along with the indoor loop and having an all band/mode receiver.
Overall, I have a hard time recommending the AR-DV1 at this point, but for certain applications and situations, it does have some merits. Once some programming software comes out for it, I may feel a bit differently. There are some folks who own it who do seem satisfied.
Compared to an ICOM IC-R20 I have, the AR-DV1 is better, with adjustable bandwidth and all the digital modes.

sshermanmd said:

MStep
My AR-DV1 here in Los Angeles overloads very easily on MW and SW. If I use some sort of preselector, even a simple MFJ tuner, the receiver is acceptable, but not what I would call great, certainly not for the money. Then again, being able to switch from 40 meter CW to 450 Mhz DMR with the flip of a button in one receiver is pretty neat.
I have used the receiver with an AOR LA-400 indoor loop, and it works pretty well. I tend to be a "hard" rater on these receivers. Comparing it to my high end scanners, no way is it going to compete. Comparing it my ELAD FDM-S2 and Perseus, no way is it going to compete. However, I can certainly see taking the AR-DV1 on a trip with me along with the indoor loop and having an all band/mode receiver.
Overall, I have a hard time recommending the AR-DV1 at this point, but for certain applications and situations, it does have some merits. Once some programming software comes out for it, I may feel a bit differently. There are some folks who own it who do seem satisfied.
Compared to an ICOM IC-R20 I have, the AR-DV1 is better, with adjustable bandwidth and all the digital modes.

Click to expand...

Thanks Steve for your comments here, and also your post over in the Uniden forums. I know you tend to be a bit more critical than some, but I appreciate your candor. I guess I will remain in a "holding pattern" for a bit longer with the DV1 to see what else develops, but I continue to welcome other's comments here about their own experiences with the unit on the low bands, especially those in RF-dense environments.

I have not not done much in the way of HF on this but it seems to work very well with good audio and receive. USB on 2 meter VHF sounds good too and I also like the sound on VHF AM Airband. I do think it is currently lacking on standard VHF/UHF FM but hope this will be improved with a future firmware update.

My AOR DV-1 works real good on Shortwave. The problem right now is trying to program all of my favorite frequencies in by hand. I have so far used up over 15 banks out of 40 banks. Each bank holds 50 channels. Butel is planning on developing some software. I have several HF Frequencies programed in. I can even receive HF Frequencies on a Discone antenna made for coverage of 30 MHz to 800mhz.

Thanks guys--- space is limited in my shack and I'm looking toward the DV-1 for SSB utility monitoring and scanning--- mostly stuff like 5.696 (Coast Guard) and other military frequencies, so I am concerned about the stability and accuracy of the unit.

The best utility SW radio I ever had for low-band utility scanning was the Icom R71--- dead on frequency and incredibly accurate with a very good scanning functions (slow AGC mode was great on that radio) --- unfortunately it met its demise do to a close lightning strike and a trip back to Icom. I'm sure some of you guys have experienced that, but for some reason, once a radio makes it back to the repair facility, it is never quite the same--- I'll save that for another thread.

Of course I am also interested in the digital modes it offers for ham radio monitoring. I'm embarrassed by the amount of fully functional SW receivers I have sitting in storage, but space in the shack is somewhat limited these days, and for mobile operation, the WJ HF-1000 is just not going to sit well under the dash! (By the way, the 1000 is a great receiver, but was not as efficient at low-band utility scanning as the R71.)

Thanks again guys-- I'll be doing more research but your continued comments are welcomed.

The AR-DV1 will never replace a top-tier scanner. But my experience with the receiver on MW and SW is quite good. Tends to overload, but that may be the 50 KW KFI AM 640 antenna 1 and half miles from my house putting in a +5 dBM signal into my receivers. That's a lot of signal. Even my Perseus and ELAD FDM-S2 require some attenuation to handle that.
But even with KFI right next door, using my MFJ preselector, or an LA-400 indoor loop works well with the AR-DV1. I still get a kick of listening to 40 meter CW or 80 meter SSB, then switching the next second to NXDN railroad stuff or DMR stations on 450 Mhz all with the same receiver.
I know you have a 536HP MStep, so adding the AR-DV1 may be an enjoyable experience. I know my reviews on other threads have at times been rather harsh on the AR-DV1, but thats because of scan speed and absence of trunking. But now that I have accepted the fact the AR-DV1 is not going to do that, and appreciate the functions that it does have, including all the different digital modes, it is pretty good for what it is.
Kind of nice listening to Yaesu Fusion and ICOM D-Star, together with NXDN, DMR, then add in a decent MW/SW receiver, and its probably worthwhile. I doubt we will see anything else like it for a while. Should not be your only radio, but can be a worthwhile addition. I can especially see taking the AR-DV1 on trips, especially when my wife and I go overseas or on cruises. You can listen to DX, FM, and more and more of the cruiselines, which seem to be using DMR, all in one package.

How is the frequency stability for HF SSB?
prcguy

sshermanmd said:

The AR-DV1 will never replace a top-tier scanner. But my experience with the receiver on MW and SW is quite good. Tends to overload, but that may be the 50 KW KFI AM 640 antenna 1 and half miles from my house putting in a +5 dBM signal into my receivers. That's a lot of signal. Even my Perseus and ELAD FDM-S2 require some attenuation to handle that.
But even with KFI right next door, using my MFJ preselector, or an LA-400 indoor loop works well with the AR-DV1. I still get a kick of listening to 40 meter CW or 80 meter SSB, then switching the next second to NXDN railroad stuff or DMR stations on 450 Mhz all with the same receiver.
I know you have a 536HP MStep, so adding the AR-DV1 may be an enjoyable experience. I know my reviews on other threads have at times been rather harsh on the AR-DV1, but thats because of scan speed and absence of trunking. But now that I have accepted the fact the AR-DV1 is not going to do that, and appreciate the functions that it does have, including all the different digital modes, it is pretty good for what it is.
Kind of nice listening to Yaesu Fusion and ICOM D-Star, together with NXDN, DMR, then add in a decent MW/SW receiver, and its probably worthwhile. I doubt we will see anything else like it for a while. Should not be your only radio, but can be a worthwhile addition. I can especially see taking the AR-DV1 on trips, especially when my wife and I go overseas or on cruises. You can listen to DX, FM, and more and more of the cruiselines, which seem to be using DMR, all in one package.

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CW and SSB stability seem fine to me, but honestly, I have not sat on any SSB transmissions for a long period of time to check and see if there is any drifting.

Steve

sshermanmd said:

CW and SSB stability seem fine to me, but honestly, I have not sat on any SSB transmissions for a long period of time to check and see if there is any drifting.

Steve

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That I think is a very important component to the equation, as prcguy is also curious about. By the way Steve, I know we've crossed paths on the Uniden forums as well--- you probably know that I pulled the trigger on the BCD436HP, which I am very happy with for both the type of mobile and portable operation I require. So that clears the way for something coming up in a month or two, with the DV1 being one of the contenders.

I'm going to be very limited at this point with any external antenna configuration--- I sure hope I can pick up some of the stronger SW stuff with a indoor telescopic antenna, although the Zenith Trans Oceanics were doing it fairly well 50 years ago, albeit more with international broadcasters and million watt signals

And while I would be foregoing the digital modes that the DV1 provides, I am also somewhat fascinated with the CommRadio CR1A (I don't see that on your list of equipment Steve--- or did I miss it ?!?!?)

Kind of pricey but the AOR LA-400 loop works very well indoors. Have not used any telescopic antenna on AR-DV1. Given my list, may be hard to believe, but don't have the CR1A.

sshermanmd said:

Kind of pricey but the AOR LA-400 loop works very well indoors. Have not used any telescopic antenna on AR-DV1. Given my list, may be hard to believe, but don't have the CR1A.

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"Kind of pricey" is a wonderful understatement. I'm more concerned about the "exceptional 20dB gain is realized, thanks to a built-in low noise amplifier." Given previous discussions about my location in Manhattan, situated practically in-between and equidistant from the transmitters on the Empire State Building and the Freedom Tower, the effect of that type of amplification on front-end overload leads me to believe that the LA-400 would find a better home in an area with less RF density.

Time will tell--- let's see what the next month or two holds in terms of new toys. And no CR1A ?!? Now there is a true James Bond "throw it into your overnight bag" type receiver--- something that could easily be slipped past an objecting wife or loved one for that quick, middle of the night, RF fix !

Thanks for all you input Steve.

Morning Steve
Have you had any opportunity to decode any random digital traffic heard on the Chinese walkie talkies that offer AMBE+2 digital etc? I'm tempted by the receiver though know AOR tends to rush products to market despite many pages of bug lists.
I'm just getting back into scanning after years away from it.
Cheers Nigel

EDIT: i already found the answer now on another post, in does indeed only scans one bank at the time which is a big bummer for me



hey, im at the point of purchasing a new receiver now what I cannot find or is not clear in the manual that I read all over about the ar dv1, it has 40 bank with 50 channels in each bank right..
now what I cannot find is, can you select multiple banks like for example listen to bank 1 and bank 31 just to name some OR can you only select ONE bank at the time ?????

I like to have bank with certain catorgories, bank 1 ems, bank 2 police, etc

thanks so much cause this will for me make the difference to buy this receiver or not

Bowlieweekender said:

Morning Steve
Have you had any opportunity to decode any random digital traffic heard on the Chinese walkie talkies that offer AMBE+2 digital etc? I'm tempted by the receiver though know AOR tends to rush products to market despite many pages of bug lists.
I'm just getting back into scanning after years away from it.
Cheers Nigel

Click to expand...

Nigel
Just saw your post. Have been on a cruise and not very speedy WiFi access. Have not heard any AMBE 2 digital yet.
Regards
Steve

Supposedly able to mix banks but Ihave not done it yet. BUTEL software came out just before I left for vacation. Will try that feature when I return. I also like banks with separate categories.

stok573 said:

EDIT: i already found the answer now on another post, in does indeed only scans one bank at the time which is a big bummer for me



hey, im at the point of purchasing a new receiver now what I cannot find or is not clear in the manual that I read all over about the ar dv1, it has 40 bank with 50 channels in each bank right..
now what I cannot find is, can you select multiple banks like for example listen to bank 1 and bank 31 just to name some OR can you only select ONE bank at the time ?????

I like to have bank with certain catorgories, bank 1 ems, bank 2 police, etc

thanks so much cause this will for me make the difference to buy this receiver or not

Click to expand...

There are 50 Banks
The first number starst with 0
For example 00 = Bank 1
01 = Bank 2

Each Bank can be broke down.
For example 05 -06 would be bank 6 and channel 7.

The numbering takes some getting use to.

Yes you can put what you wont in each bank.

I have banks 0-7 FM Signals
Bank 8 - FM Broadcast Radio
Bank 9 - Shortwave Broadcast Radio
Bank 10 - AM Broadcast Radio
Bank 11- 38 Shortwave Signals other than AM
Bank 39 - My Top 50 Shortwave signals.

I don't try to link them up and scan multiple banks at a time. Even though I could.

Software

Hello,

Receive my DV1 today.
Some spectrum view software will be nice so i ask Butel if possible to make his famous ARC 3000, ARC 8000, and ARC 5000 spectrum toy available for use with DV1.
Other hand,
DV1 is a SDR receiver so could be possible to connecting to SDRsharp or any other SDR software ?
That will be great.

aor ar-dv1b

Is there any chance this radio might come in a handheld? Seems like a great receiver but a little pricey! I've been waiting for a good receiver to come out that would pick up the various digital voice formats. Thanks!