New SDR CommRadio CR-1

[disapa]

CR1 sensitivity

Hello All. Looking at buying a used CR-1...serial number dated before 0050. Any known problems, updates hardware/software needed? I see that the case has changed but any known issues that need to be addressed? Also...if my conversion from dbm to microvolt, is correct the sensitivity seems to be much less then a typical HF-VHF/UHF rig.
Comments suggestions? Thank you.....Mike

My CR1 is as sensitive as my Radiojet pc sdr and the audio is actually a little bit "cleaner". It hears as well as all of my receivers, so I think it is a great radio. Very good on the deck with the miracle whip antenna as well

 

[W8RMV]

Hi Mike,
Mine is SN 76 & I did have to send it back for a hardware update. When I inserted an external speaker connector in the back of the radio, it would go deaf. I sent it back & some filters were installed. So there ARE hardware updates, to at least some of the units. I think this issue affected SN <101.

And there are some S/W updates as Bob mentioned.

The radio is unique & I have decided to keep it even tho there are some issues. I am trusting CommRadio will fix them in upcoming S/W releases.

When I buy something like this (a new $500+ radio), I never think about reselling it at the time of purchase. I like to think I am in for the long haul (like my: HQ145A, R75, IC-751A, etc.). Suggesting that it could be resold is not a ringing endorsement of the unit, to me. The owner of CommRadio suggested the same thing to me & I was surprised by his comment. Everything can be resold and I need no reminder of that, and especially from the company that makes the unit.

CommRadio does offer a 30 day trial period as I understand it. They should note this on their website. And I found that Universal Radio does also. So if you don't like it, make the decision to return it so you don't have to go thru the sometimes distasteful process of EBAY or the like.

As long as there is memory enough for S/W improvements, then I think the CR1 will eventually be worth the price.

73 - Bob

 

[K0OD]

. . ."It's [Racal's] only shortcomings, compared to the CR-1 is that it is a full rack mount radio"

is that statement some kind of joke? The Racal is a costly professional receiver, the CR-1 only seems to be marketed to SWLs. For starters, the AGC of a Racal works. Also seems that CR-1 software updates have been lagging in recent months. Didn't you suggest that one would be out yesterday?

"Just sayin"

 

[disapa]

I would have to agree with the agc issues. Even though the CR1 can hear as well as my radiojet, The agc is still in need of some work. As does the s-meter. I just switched the miracle antenna over to my aor 8200mk3 and it is easier to "find " signals with that receiver. For general listening the CR1 is good , but for searching, the agc is holding it back.

 

[W8RMV]

Ditto on the AGC. If that can be fixed, the CR1 would be a competent receiver. I tuned into 160M last nite to listen to a group of hams on SSB & I had to disconnect the CR1 in favor of the R75 because of the AGC desensitize issue. And the band was relatively quiet for a summer nite.

 

[K0OD]

I have it from a knowledgeable source that there is another software upgrade working it's way through the binary grist mill at CommRadio. If I were a betting man, I'd say 40% probability for this coming Friday, 60% for the Friday after. But Hey!, What do I know???

The above prediction was from August 5. The two Fridays have passed. Let's see more facts posted here (and some unbiased lab tests) and less marketing spin from a old friend of Commradio's owner. This crosses the line when the tiny Commradio CR-1 with a multitude of shortcomings is compared to a top of the line bulletproof Racal designed for professional and military use in high RF environments.

Jeff
K0OD

 

[MrMushroom]

I won't say I am unhappy with the cr1 but you guys are right it still has a few bugs. AGC needs work as I am still have problems of overload from other stations close to the freq I am monitoring. And as someone said the S meter is still a bit wonky sometimes. Its a keeper for me for it portability and size I'm sure they will get it strait. Its a good radio guys but still room for improvements

 

[W8RMV]

I never viewed Bob's comments as a promise. In fact this seems like the official CR1 site as the CommRadio site has very little info IMO. You cannot find the update procedure there or even find what is the latest s/w levels. Operational questions are answered here. No mention of the 30 day return policy there or dropbox. At least Bob indicates when we might expect updates & sometimes comments on Beta results.

As far as the Racal comments: I know Bob is a friend of the CR1 family & he is not going to diss the offspring. I just accept that. And depending on what he listens to and antennas used, he might not see much difference between the two. The CR1 does some things quite well. Which makes it's failings stand out more so than some lesser radios.

The last update was 31JL13. Let's hope we see the next one before the end of the month. I would prefer a good update as opposed to the last one that seemed to swap out one AGC problem for another. The last update should have had only the nice feature additions. What is not clear to me is whether all future updates are available to current owners or does that expire with the warranty. There was some mention of that possibility early on as I recall.

 

[MrMushroom]

I hope we didn't scare Bob away.but he has to understand a lot more people have bought this radio.and as it gets more popular, more and more questions will be asked. and we get frustrated when the only way to ask them is from this site thru Bob.
Why is there not someone from CommRadio answering them? and not a friend of a friend. Bob we understand you doing your best here, but sometimes we have questions that only CommRadio can answer thats what frustrates us all.

 

[WB2KTG]

General Reply to a bunch of questions and comments

My butt is mostly scar tissue from years of getting it bitten by professionals so I do not even take notice of the amateur (pun intended) chompings I encounter on this site.

CommRadio's philosophy with respect to upgrades of software is to provide upgrades free to owners of the CR-1 for the indefinite future. No one year limitation to coincide with warranty, etc. Don is very much in tune with amateur radio and the amateur radio experience. He's not a corporate marketing executive he's a techie first and foremost, as I am and from what I've seen, a good plurality of the members of this forum. Don is also a businessman to the extent that if he doesn't sell radios and make a fair profit from the sale of the radios, that he can't continue to support and develop this and future products. He doesn't get government grants for developing CR-1's, only from the sales and word of mouth recommendations of current owners. Simple as that. If you like the radio, please consider going to eHam and spreading the word. It's through positive recommendations that people will consider purchasing one.

My best guesses were wrong with respect too 40% and 60% probabilities of software upgrades happening. I am not privy to the details of the software of the CR-1. I think my brain would explode if I were. The folks with the 'big brains' (Don included in this category) decided that the software in process was not yet ready for prime time. That's their decision. As a beta tester, I am fed revisions to certain aspects of the software sometimes, sometimes what are considered to be finished versions of the software. As a semi-blind (with respect to what the changes are and how they are implemented) volunteer, it is my task to compare versions of software and determine their effect on the user experience or certain aspects of the user experience. I feed back my results, other beta testers feed back their results, all of the evaluations are thrown into the sausage grinder, and sometimes sausage comes out, sometimes they need more ingredients. The 'big brains' make that decision. I do know that another upgrade is getting worked through the process. This time, I will not offer dated probabilities of release.

With respect to my comparisons with the Racal and the AGC issues- I am aware of the AGC issues, mostly when tuning around. I am also pleased to report that when doing an A/B test with the Racal, switching between the two when listening to ham signals and also SW broadcast signals, that both radios provide me with a comparable user experience when both are using the same filters and the same external speaker (the Racal doesn't have an internal speaker, so I take the headphone jacks from the Racal and the CR-1 and route them both into my Roland CM-30 Cube Monitor's mixing panel). In some cases, the CR-1 handles the SW fading better than the Racal, sometimes visa versa.

S-Meter - yes the CR-1's S-Meter is wonky, no I don't look at the S-Meter. I personally don't like (can't stand?) digital S-Meters. I think they're about as useful as a digital speedometer on a car. Something about being as useless as mammary glands on a bull? I have been a mild advocate for an analog S-Meter for the CR-1 but really don't care one way or the other.

As far as selling something? Any time I buy Anything, I keep all the paperwork, the original box, plastic bags for accessories, Everything. That way if and when I choose to sell it I get top dollar. I think if you don't keep all the eye candy, you're foolish because it costs nothing to keep it and who knows if someday you might want to or need sell it. My watches, my cameras, my telescope, my radios, ditto. And for insurance purposes it makes sense also. Easy to prove what you had, when you purchased it. I always keep everything, just because.

I can agree that CommRadio should get their site updated with terms and conditions, software uprgrade locations, etc. Probably because of the efficiency of the RR forum in keeping people up to date, Don has put site updates at a lower priority than continuing development of the CR-1.

Did I miss commenting on anything?

Bob

 

[W8RMV]

Not as far as I am concerned. Good reply, Bob. I respect your view of the Racal & the CR1. I almost never take issue with someone's experience. How could I, unless I was there to see & hear it myself?

I too, keep everything down to the plastic bags when I buy something like the CR1. But that was hardly my point.

Since you suggested the resale after I had also gotten that same line from Don, I felt I needed to comment on it. It just doesn't need to be said and somehow doesn't speak well for the product. Think of it this way: You go to the CR1 site and after you read all the great things about it, the webpage tells you that if you don't like it, you can resell it. That would not play at all. And implicit in this is the fact that you almost certainly will lose money after the experiment.

Buying a radio like the CR1 at over $500, should not be portrayed as an experiment.

- Bob

 

[tdt3607]

Well put!

Perhaps this is a way too simplistic comment, but I own many other high-end RX's and the CR-1 is the only one that I have used since it was purchased. Over the years I have purchased many, many radios in this price class, and when compared to all of those, nothing for me has has delivered like this gem.

As it is, it works very, very well ( and will only get better).
The biggest difference between my FRG's, R-75, JRC 535 SE, and Palstar, is that I actually USE the CR-1 because of the total package (size, convenience, battery, fun to use, UI, looks.....) it's in a class by itself.

Again, I am not as serious in the hobby as I once was, but I find myself not being able to walk past this radio without turning it on.

73

 

[WB2KTG]

Bob-

With the collective knowledge and wisdom expressed by all of the participants on this forum, I hardly think anyone purchasing the CR-1 is doing it as an experiment, especially given the soft 30 day full refund policy (soft meaning I don't Don will twirl his moustache, draw on his cigar and tell somebody "No, it's 31 days, you may NOT have a refund!") I was not aware of Don's comment regarding resale, but I guess great minds do think alike. ;-) I don't think it speaks badly of the product. I think it is a neutral statement of fact in recognition that a secondary market does exist for the product. I've bought many things, from cameras to you name it where I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread for maybe six months, before I said 'been there, done that, don't want to play that game no more'.

Bob

 

[WB2KTG]

A few good examples of radios that I "had to have" were the R-390A - the Best Receiver in the World, Ever. Works good, sounds great, weighs 75 lb. and takes up half a workbench, tunes with a Veeder Rooter counter. Not fun to use. the Hammarlund HQ-215 - used only one type of transistor in the whole bloody box IIRC. 200KHz per crystal, just like the Collins S-Line. Fun to use, serious image problems. The HRO-500 - from what I heard, God himself made this radio. It was designed by a tube radio designer with sockets for all the transistors all over the chassis, little solder-type terminal blocks and posts everywhere with point to point wiring, just like a tube set. I actually tested it for image rejection after I got totally frustrated with it. Maybe 20 or 30 dB down for 2nd and 3rd image rejection. Great Dolly Parton knob right in the center, with 1 KHz readout. Way cool to use, and a lot of fun, unless you had two signals in the same band... I also had the Watkins Johnson 8716, got it at the same time I got the RACAL 6790. The radio worked good, but was no fun to use. The big clicky clunky buttons were not fun, the unit was designed by an electrical engineer, who didn't enjoy designing radios (I am a mechanical engineer, by degree, and have loved doing the mechanical design for a couple of receivers of one kind or another, nothing commercial). The two happiest days in my life with the WJ - the day I bought it and the day I sold it - to another guy who thought he was getting the best radio in the entire world. I think I even made money on the WJ. Somedays you're the windshield, some days the bug.

 

[shortwaver]

Bob-

especially given the soft 30 day full refund policy

Bob

Does the documentation for the 30 day return policy come with the radio? I have not been able to find any mention of it on their site.

 

[WB2KTG]

shortwaver-

Seeing other people comment to that effect I checked the CommRadio site myself. I didn't see it either. I also saw a couple of other nits that need to be corrected. I e-mailed Don to let him know. However, you have my word for CommRadio that there is a 30 day full return policy. I believe, worst case, that you might be asked to pay for the insured shipping back to the mother ship in Golden Colorado. If you have the patience to go back through the forum, you'll see a few other folks speak about the policy as well. Same thing applies if you purchase it from Universal Radio in Ohio if I'm not mistaken.

Bob

 

[W5RST]

Does the documentation for the 30 day return policy come with the radio? I have not been able to find any mention of it on their site.

The return policy is on this page

CR-1 Communications Receiver - CommRadio Store

Look under the "Product Information" tab. The return policy is at the bottom of the list; seems to be no questions asked but the buyer pays the return shipping (which is fair IMHO). If my memory is correct, this policy was there the first time I looked at the CR-1 specs several months ago.

73

 

[W5RST]

Modest proposal

I've been reading the discussions concerning features, needed improvements and company access with interest since my CR-1 arrives tomorrow according to UPS. While this forum is a great place for discussions, I think that something like a Yahoo or Google+ group would be a great support site for CR-1 users, particularly IF someone from Commradio was a group member. A number of ham radio/radio hobbyest companies (Elecraft and Buddipole both immediately come to mind) use such forums to provide news and answer questions as well as keep a finger on the pulse of their customers. Plus, Yahoo groups provide space for files, photos and links.

Just a thought...

 

[WB2KTG]

n5jky-

Yahoo or Google+ sound like a good idea, although RadioReference does include the ability to link to external sites, files, etc. and also allows / encourages photos too. Don and the CommRadio staff do 'lurk' this site but do not comment directly, at least as of this time. I find myself acting as an active intermediary with the CommRadio team. Check back a page or two when somebody requested photos of the 'new' style chassis for the CR-1.

I asked for the CommRadio site to include a couple of external links, like to eHam and RadioReference to speed up the learning curve for those people just finding out about CommRadio for the first time. Rest assured though, CommRadio does keep a sharp eye on what goes on here...

Bob

 

[W5RST]

Hi Bob,

I've been following this forum since May, so I am aware of your role as a beta tester and friend of the company. In fact, I'm very grateful that you're filling this role. My suggestion was made based upon my experience of forming or participating in groups dedicated to some software or product.

73, Mike n5jky