As a kid, what was your most "drooled over" communications receiver? (Include photo)

[Omega-TI]

For me it was the Radio Shack Realistic DX 160. I obsessed over that radio so much the catalog would simply fall open to that page of the catalog. Years later when I was finally able to afford one, sadly the performance never lived up to my dreamed of expectations.

 

[merlin]

That would have to be the Collins R-390A-URR.
Finally got one at a ham swap meet in 1969.

 

[merlin]

For me it was the Radio Shack Realistic DX 160. I obsessed over that radio so much the catalog would simply fall open to that page of the catalog. Years later when I was finally able to afford one, sadly the performance never lived up to my dreamed of expectations.

View attachment 156743

Actually, a worthy receiever, but do need a very good SWL antenna. Same is true for the infamous R-390.

 

[bill4long]

 

[tuihill]

For me it was the Radio Shack Realistic DX 160. I obsessed over that radio so much the catalog would simply fall open to that page of the catalog. Years later when I was finally able to afford one, sadly the performance never lived up to my dreamed of expectations.

View attachment 156743

Had one for a few years. Moved up to a Yaesu FRG-7.

 

[GadgetGeek]

 

[prcguy]

That would have to be the Collins R-390A-URR.
Finally got one at a ham swap meet in 1969.

As a child of the 60s this was also my dream receiver and when I was 17ys old I acquired a 390 and a 390 A.

 

[Blackswan73]

We had one of these in my electronics class. It belonged to the teacher and we got to use it during our free time. I always wanted one. It was the creme’de la creme’ of communications receivers

B.S.

 

[bill4long]

 

[Omega-TI]

You must be a youngster!

 

[Omega-TI]

View attachment 156755

She's a beauty! Where did you originall see this? Was it in your grandpa's house or a museum?

 

[GadgetGeek]

You must be a youngster!

Thanks!

 

[Blackswan73]

I have both. The 71a and the 70. In my opinion the R70 is far better than the 71a. For example, the 70 has a nice built in speaker. Also the 70 has a non-volatile memory and operating system. It has most of the same features as the R71a, without the disadvantages

B.S.

 

[a29zuk]

I had the Realistic DX-160 but drooled over this:

https://www.universal-radio.com/used/UF72Alrg.jpg

Nixie tubes!


Jim

 

[cistercian]

https://image.invaluable.com/housePhotos/ejsauction/04/747904/H8897-L331678524.jpg

 

[cistercian]

I had one for some time. Just fantastic...epic grade AM BCB receiver. Great flywheel action tuning.
A true 10/10 radio...in its day.

 

[cistercian]

I remember lusting after one of those. I bought a R8500. And I still have and use it!
The IC7410 I have is better on AM BCB and LW. Everywhere else on HF too.


Unfortunately my cheap plastic Airspy HF+discovery destroys them on LF and HF. Depressing actually...a tiny plastic thing working so much better. The horror!

 

[merlin]

I remember lusting after one of those. I bought a R8500. And I still have and use it!
The IC7410 I have is better on AM BCB and LW. Everywhere else on HF too.


Unfortunately my cheap plastic Airspy HF+discovery destroys them on LF and HF. Depressing actually...a tiny plastic thing working so much better. The horror!

Yea, but tune up the oldies, its like a breath of fresh air.

 

[ratboy]

When I was a kid, it was a Hammarlund HQ-180. A neighbor had one. I really wanted one badly.

Later on, it was the awesome JRC NRD-515. I had mine from 1986 until 2013. I loved that thing. I had a cash crunch and I sold it off. Mine was a "Gilfer" modded one, with some other mods. I had the 96 Channel memory too. It still had the "wooly" AM audio, but was very quiet and could hear really weak SSB signals great. I found an old speaker from the 50's at a garage same, and I don't know why, it made almost all the "wool" go away.

The only negative was the Delta tune knob, the triange F one, it had a detent at the center that made it nearly useless, so I had Universal Radio replace it with a Bournes "Knobpot" which made it almost perfect, ergonomically. Sadly, these radios are beginning to die of old age now, the filters are failing, and the electrolytic caps are too. You can get around them failing fairly easily, but if the magnetic tuning encoder fails, you're probably looking at a paperweight. Someone was working on a optical encoder conversion, but I don't know if it ever was actually made.

 

[samcken]

I spent 4 years back in the early 70's with a 390-URR and o-scope. While never used for general frequency scanning, it was exceptional for what we used it for. If I wasn't older and wiser I would try to find one just to see what it can still do.