Best HF Receiver

[pjxii]

$1,200 for a NRD-505 is not as bad as I thought, but still a chunk of money. I paid $800 for my 515 roughly 7 years ago, from Ebay seller Big Apple.

That NRD-505 kept calling to me so I looked online at the user manual. It says that the bandwidth for SSB is fixed (AM and CW can be wide or narrow). That's a deal breaker for me. Even the much maligned Bearcat DX-1000 let's you use any of the three bandwidths in any mode.

BigApple59 Randy has an NRD-515 listed now with the Dallas Lankford mod that bypasses the BC control on MW. Supposed to be a vast improvement for medium wave DXing.

 

[pjxii]

That NRD-505 kept calling to me so I looked online at the user manual. It says that the bandwidth for SSB is fixed (AM and CW can be wide or narrow). That's a deal breaker for me.

I should have worded that better. I would still want a 505 but at this time I couldn't justify spending that much unless it had better versatility. I have enough fixed mode bandwidth receivers already.

 

[kc2asb]

That NRD-505 kept calling to me so I looked online at the user manual. It says that the bandwidth for SSB is fixed (AM and CW can be wide or narrow). That's a deal breaker for me. Even the much maligned Bearcat DX-1000 let's you use any of the three bandwidths in any mode.

I never heard of such a limitation in a receiver.

That restriction was eliminated in the 515. The filters in the 515 are known for needing maintenance. IIRC, there is foam inside that breaks down, requiring the filter to be opened and cleaned to restore proper function. The narrower 2.4 kHz filter in my 515 produces muddy audio, and clearly needs to be cleaned.

BigApple59 Randy has an NRD-515 listed now with the Dallas Lankford mod that bypasses the BC control on MW. Supposed to be a vast improvement for medium wave DXing.

Interesting. The stock 515 is extremely good on MW. I'm not familiar with this mod.

Have you heard that the 515's were especially sensitive to static discharge through the antenna input? Mine was originally purchased from Gilfer Shortwave, in 1980. I think Gilfer used to do a mod that corrected this, but no idea if it was performed on the unit I have.

 

[Yagi]

This is an interesting conversation. I think the newer SDR radios can offer a great ratio of cost to performance. But you also need to be inclined to invest the time to learn the software setup and utilization. I think for some they would rather spend their hobby time turning knobs and listening, not fussing with software.

Like others have commented the Kenwood back cover ads for the R2000 and R5000 receivers were something I studied a lot. But cost at the time was a big limitation. My starter receiver was a Wards multi-band receiver. Not great, but I enjoyed tuning around. Several years later I acquired a Realistic DX440 and loved the features it offered.

For many years, school, jobs, moves and life limited my hobby time. But in recent years I've enjoyed jumping back into the hobby. I did go back and purchase some of the receivers that I used to look at in advertisements. Some like the Panasonic RF-3100 and the Grundig 800 were very short term. At the time I had them I also had picked up a Kenwood R2000 and felt that they couldn't compete with the Kenwood.

After that, I went all in on Kenwood nostalgia and for a time had a Kenwood R1000, R2000 and R5000 side by side. I know that many people have great respect for the R1000 but it was the first to go. Next to go was the R2000. I liked the 2000's looks and it was a fun radio, but the 5000 fully populated with filters made the 2000 redundant.

 

[pjxii]

Have you heard that the 515's were especially sensitive to static discharge through the antenna input? Mine was originally purchased from Gilfer Shortwave, in 1980. I think Gilfer used to do a mod that corrected this, but no idea if it was performed on the unit I have.

I really don't know much about the JRC receiver line so I did a Google search, and AI says this:

Internal protection circuit
The NRD-515's antenna input protection is located on the CMA105 board.
The original design uses a set of arrester diodes (CD83-CD86) in the front-end signal path.
These diodes are intended to shunt excess voltage to ground. However, experienced users and modifiers have found that under high-signal-level conditions, these diodes can cause significant intermodulation and cross-modulation distortion.
Modifying the internal protection
A common modification among NRD-515 enthusiasts involves replacing the stock arrester diodes to prevent distortion issues.
The recommended fix is to remove diodes CD83-CD86.
Replace them with a circuit consisting of a 1 mH choke in parallel with a neon bulb, which is then connected to ground.
The choke helps pass the desired signal, while the neon bulb acts as a high-voltage protector by ionizing and conducting charge to ground when a high voltage (like a static discharge) is present.

Idk if this is what the Gilfer modification was, they may have had their own mod that wasn't published. I believe Craig Siegenthaler of KIWA had at least one that I never saw on the Internet.

 

[pjxii]

Sorry, the mod is by Stefan Wikander, not Dallas Lankford. He came up with so many mods I just assumed it was his. Replace BC preselector with a bandpass filter 0,6-1,6 MHz. https://www.dxinfo.se/NRD515_eng.pdf

I came across this PDF when I was looking for information to help me decide whether to buy the 505. I actually ended up buying a really nice 525 for nearly half the cost. I have a couple of filters here that are ideal to put in it and use for SSB since I will be able to use them all in USB. Thanks for the info about the foam in the mechanical filter, I'll check it when the receiver arrives.

 

[pjxii]

This is an interesting conversation. I think the newer SDR radios can offer a great ratio of cost to performance. But you also need to be inclined to invest the time to learn the software setup and utilization. I think for some they would rather spend their hobby time turning knobs and listening, not fussing with software.

Like others have commented the Kenwood back cover ads for the R2000 and R5000 receivers were something I studied a lot. But cost at the time was a big limitation. My starter receiver was a Wards multi-band receiver. Not great, but I enjoyed tuning around. Several years later I acquired a Realistic DX440 and loved the features it offered.

For many years, school, jobs, moves and life limited my hobby time. But in recent years I've enjoyed jumping back into the hobby. I did go back and purchase some of the receivers that I used to look at in advertisements. Some like the Panasonic RF-3100 and the Grundig 800 were very short term. At the time I had them I also had picked up a Kenwood R2000 and felt that they couldn't compete with the Kenwood.

After that, I went all in on Kenwood nostalgia and for a time had a Kenwood R1000, R2000 and R5000 side by side. I know that many people have great respect for the R1000 but it was the first to go. Next to go was the R2000. I liked the 2000's looks and it was a fun radio, but the 5000 fully populated with filters made the 2000 redundant.

Never had the R-2000. The R-1000 is a nice receiver but the R-5000 is just a huge step up. Great radio!

 

[Yagi]

It's fun to own & try out the receivers that you lusted / closely studied years ago.

The one that as a teenager I loved the look was the Panasonic RF4800 / 4900. In recent years the idea of restoring or repairing any issues kept me from buying one. I also understand that the performance doesn't equal it's physical side. I imagine that the 4800 is similar to the 3100 series.

But I still think they are cool looking.

 

[pjxii]

It's fun to own & try out the receivers that you lusted / closely studied years ago.

The one that as a teenager I loved the look was the Panasonic RF4800 / 4900. In recent years the idea of restoring or repairing any issues kept me from buying one. I also understand that the performance doesn't equal it's physical side. I imagine that the 4800 is similar to the 3100 series.

But I still think they are cool looking.

Totally agree about making up for not being able to own receivers out when we were younger. The one table top Panasonic I would love to try is the RF-600B but it seems like they all have problems with the push button switches, especially with turning the display on and off.

 

[kc2asb]

Totally agree about making up for not being able to own receivers out when we were younger. The one table top Panasonic I would love to try is the RF-600B but it seems like they all have problems with the push button switches, especially with turning the display on and off.

+2. It's the exact reason I purchased an R-5000, NRD-525 and R-7000. Those Panasonics are great receivers. This is how people end up with too many radios.

 

[K0WWX]

The OP hasn't returned to the thread, but in response to the original question, the ham radio sites are a good place to look for a desktop receiver under $500. The classified section on one site currently has a Kenwood R-5000 in "like new" condition available for $400 and a R-2000 sold yesterday for $95. Hamfests are also great places to look even if you are not a ham.

 

[K0WWX]

It's fun to own & try out the receivers that you lusted / closely studied years ago.

I have a affinity for the receivers that became available in my late teens and during the first part of my working career, have now tried/owned most of the ones that I wanted to try back then, and have not been disappointed with any of them.

The R-1000 used to get loaned to me by a older fellow at work in early 80s and I finally got my own. Will always be fond of that receiver for the simple ergonomics, and the fact that it works so well. Of course, the R-5000 has a lot more features and better specs and doesn't cost a whole lot more.

Some others I eventually obtained that were originally way out of my reach price wise are the JRC NRD-515 (mentioned a lot in this thread and a true classic), the Yaesu FR-101S, and the Kenwood R-820. The Yaesu and Kenwood aren't general coverage, but you can hear a lot of the HF bands and also load them up with more crystals. The Yaesu is so well made, and is styled like the Collins S line. The R-820 is probably my all-time favorite radio. It took me a long time to find one, but it ranks among the best HF radios ever made, regardless of price or age.

If I ever buy another vintage rig, it would probably be a Collins 51S-1. I have used one in the past, but never owned one. They sell for more than there actual performance is probably worth, but the design is elegant, and they are much smaller and lighter than most of their Collins predecessors. They were made for a long time, from 1959 to 1975 if I remember correctly, and inspired the design of many of the Japanese rigs that followed.

 

[kc2asb]

The OP hasn't returned to the thread, but in response to the original question, the ham radio sites are a good place to look for a desktop receiver under $500. The classified section on one site currently has a Kenwood R-5000 in "like new" condition available for $400 and a R-2000 sold yesterday for $95. Hamfests are also great places to look even if you are not a ham.

+1. And I will just add Randy/Big Apple if the OP goes the Ebay route. You can buy from him and have peace of mind.

 

[RufusDawes]

The OP hasn't returned to the thread, but in response to the original question, the ham radio sites are a good place to look for a desktop receiver under $500. The classified section on one site currently has a Kenwood R-5000 in "like new" condition available for $400 and a R-2000 sold yesterday for $95. Hamfests are also great places to look even if you are not a ham.

which sites? i would rather buy from a ham than ebay

 

[K0WWX]

which sites? i would rather buy from a ham than ebay

QRZ.com, eham.net, and swap.qth.com are the main sites that list gear for sale, and there may occasionally be a receiver at hamestate.com. In some cases you'll need an account to view the ads, and maybe even a call sign, I'm not sure about the requirements for each site.

I can't vouch for all hams, but typically if a ham sells equipment that has issues, they usually disclose it and price accordingly. I suspect that most of the HF gear on eBay was probably picked up cheap by flippers at hamfests or estate sales, so the seller usually doesn't know much about it.

 

[pjxii]

which sites? i would rather buy from a ham than ebay

Sometimes I look at eHam.net to see what's listed in their classifieds. You really have to navigate the site to get there, though.

 

[pjxii]

The OP hasn't returned to the thread, but in response to the original question

We gave up on him pages ago. Judging by his posting history he wasn't really serious about looking for a HF receiver but I'm glad he started this thread. I ended up getting an NRD-525 because of it.

 

[pjxii]

The R-820 is probably my all-time favorite radio. It took me a long time to find one, but it ranks among the best HF radios ever made, regardless of price or age.

I have heard from more than one person that the R-820 is their favorite receiver. There was a place in the UK that made crystals for older receivers that are no longer available, I had a couple made for my SPR-4 and Mizuho handheld TX. I would love to see if they can make crystals for that radio for the utility stations that I now listen to.

 

[Token]

It's fun to own & try out the receivers that you lusted / closely studied years ago.

That is a problem. Why? Because (in the last 30+ years) I pretty much never get rid of a receiver.

Transmitters come and go, the same with transceivers and other things like HTs, scanners, etc. But, for whatever reason, these days I pretty much never get rid of communications receivers. And the few times I do get rid of one, I invariably end up regretting it and trying to find another one just like whatever I got rid of. This means that even radios I got rid of because I did not like them 50 years ago are back on my list to acquire.

Yes, this does become a storage problem. And yes, you can only use so many radios at any given time, 4 or 5 on the main radio bench, a couple at other locations through the house, one in each garage, etc. But, you can cycle things in and out of the rotation.

T!

 

[bearcatrp]

The Icom 705 is a great HF receiver if you can afford it. Regret selling mine. Good adjustable filters. Waterfall display really helps. My Lan IQ and my Malachite work very well with the right antenna. Both have waterfall displays that help allot. The Xiegu radios are a possibility but don't know much about them.