While I'm not into receivers alone so much, that AOR AR-5000 was always on my list that made my mouth drool back then. I have a friend that has one and he's not gonna part with it, I've tried!
Best HF Receiver
- Thread starter shirsch101
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Bump up your budget and find a used Icom 705. Regret selling mine. But, for under $500, if you don’t mind a handheld, malachite 2.4 is a good HF radio. I got mine through Amazon but you can get it cheaper from Ali express if trust them.
Yeah do not want to hijack the ops question on receivers here but yes the AOR AR5000 was great that is the only AOR receiver I owned so I cannot comment on any others they had or have but that and the AOR 3000A I never heard anything bad abt?? Marcy
Past sales in RR Classified and QRZ.com. Forget thEbay shenanigans.
Ok thanks.
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I have purchased 1318 radio/electronics items off eBay from ebay over the years. I was ripped off exactly once.
I'll ask OP a question that no one else has, but can be a big deciding factor...
How fast do you want this HF receiver to get into your hands? Do you enjoy bargain-hunting, or do you just want to order one and get it into your hot little hands ASAP?
If you want good HF reception, <$500 USD, and the advantage of having something new with a warranty, I'd suggest a Xiegu G90 transceiver. You get controls common to HF rigs and performance that beats current receivers of equal price or greater.
That's the fast option if you want it; if you don't mind the shopping, there's already a ton of great suggestions here.
How fast do you want this HF receiver to get into your hands? Do you enjoy bargain-hunting, or do you just want to order one and get it into your hot little hands ASAP?
If you want good HF reception, <$500 USD, and the advantage of having something new with a warranty, I'd suggest a Xiegu G90 transceiver. You get controls common to HF rigs and performance that beats current receivers of equal price or greater.
That's the fast option if you want it; if you don't mind the shopping, there's already a ton of great suggestions here.
I've generally had good experiences on Ebay also. It's all about asking questions, vetting the seller and reading feedback.
I purchased my NRD-515 from a seller named "Big Apple". Don't know if this seller is still active, but he sold only radio gear, was knowledgeable, provided lots of photos, accurate descriptions and had a feedback rating near 100% positive.
The radio was shipped quickly and the packing job was professional.
I need to add, that if you're going to shop around for a good used unit, there's just something about Kenwoods. I can't say exactly what it is about them, but if you set me in front of a bunch of HF rigs and receivers, I'll wind up listening to a Kenwood.
K0WWX
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I'm also a Kenwood fan, for both HF radio and vintage audio equipment, especially the integrated amplifiers and FM stereo tuners they built in the 1970s. They must have employed some terrific engineers who always paid attention not only to audio quality, but also to ergonomics.
I agree. In the late 80's/90's, I saw these ads all the time in Popular Communications and badly wanted an R-5000 (or an NRD-525). As a kid in high school, there was no way I could afford a $1k receiver and my folks would never have spent the money. I was lucky to get a DX-440 from Radio Shack for Christmas. It took 20 years, but I did get an R-5000!
I still want an R-1000 and a R-2000, but can't justify it. Too many radios!
Token
Member
You say non SDR Dongle. But do you also mean no SDR at all? Remember, there are other SDRs than "dongles", there are some quite good SDRs out there, world class, that compete with the best traditional radios ever built. You can get some outstanding radios, plug and play with no fuss, that happen to be SDRs and use a computer as the user interface.
T!
For clarity, the ebay “seller” shenanigans are the ridiculous prices being asked for the R30. As for ebay in general, I have used the site since the mid or late 90’s.
pjxii
Member
Judging by eBay Buy It Now prices, probably the best bang for the buck would be the Icom R70 which generally go for $350 up to occasionally $450. The Kenwood R5000 can be had for about $500 as was mentioned. Both are terrific receivers, but don't forget about shipping fee and sales tax.
pjxii
Member
Randy AKA Big Apple is as good as it gets on eBay, he tells everything about the equipment that he's selling in the description including any flaws, which with gear he sells is usually only cosmetic. If every eBay seller were like him they wouldn't need a feedback system. Straight shooter.
Why are people recommending old boat anchor receivers that are well past their prime ? The OP said a portable HF was an option so I would suggest a Tecsun PL-880 or Sangean ATS-909X2.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
And the Belka portable which has numerous stellar reviews is also within the OPs price range
Mike
Mike
Because these "boat anchors" were top performers in their day and are still perfectly suited for tuning the bands today. We're talking about listening to HF, not using a 286 computer to run ProScan.
Just because they are old does not mean they are not relevant or suddenly poor performers. The newest tabletop receiver I own is an Icom R-75 and still use my Drake R8B, JRC NRD-525, Kenwood R-5000, etc regularly.
They have features like notch, IF shift, variable noise blaners, etc that are vital for digging out weak signals and are lacking on many portables, and filters that are superior to those found on lesser radios.
I'd put my JRC, Kenwood, or Drake up against any of these portables for digging out a weak signal from the noise.
Because I like knobs, not everything hidden in menus.
Yep totally agree. While these new itty bitty things are good for what they are, sometimes knobs actually favor my fat finger syndrome.
I'm 100% with you. I like a front panel littered with knobs and buttons. There are serious DX'ers that still use receivers like the Hammarlund HQ-180 from the 60's. Don't write it off because it's old!
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