AR-DV1 How Is The AOR AR-DV1?

JASII

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I am giving some thought to a wide range receiver. Some time back I read up on the AOR AR-DV1. I gather it was a pretty decent receiver, but had some issues.

Now that some time has passed, how is it these days? What are the shortcomings I should be aware of?
 

MStep

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I am giving some thought to a wide range receiver. Some time back I read up on the AOR AR-DV1. I gather it was a pretty decent receiver, but had some issues.

Now that some time has passed, how is it these days? What are the shortcomings I should be aware of?
The DV1 has been around long enough that there is already a wealth of information without having to rehash it all. My short & sweet--- it's a great receiver for manually tuning the VHF and UHF spectrum. Offers as much digital modes as you can get from a "stock" receiver. It's just ok on shortwave--- the Icom 8600 does a far superior job for me below 25 MHz. If you are a "scanning" enthusiast, this is not as feature-rich as something like the Uniden SDS 200. One should consider the AOR DV1 to be a communication receiver with some added scan/search functionality.

One of the best reviews written is here:

P.S. My AOR DV1 required one warranty repair, which was done at the time at their facility in California. My understanding is that now all repairs go back to Japan--- someone please correct me on this if that's not accurate.
 
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palmerjrusa

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The DV1 has been around long enough that there is already a wealth of information without having to rehash it all. My short & sweet--- it's a great receiver for manually tuning the VHF and UHF spectrum. Offers as much digital modes as you can get from a "stock" receiver. It's just ok on shortwave--- the Icom 8600 does a far superior job for me below 25 MHz. If you are a "scanning" enthusiast, this is not as feature-rich as something like the Uniden SDS 200. One should consider the AOR DV1 to be a communication receiver with some added scan/search functionality.

One of the best reviews written is here:

P.S. My AOR DV1 required one warranty repair, which was done at the time at their facility in California. My understanding is that now all repairs go back to Japan--- someone please correct me on this if that's not accurate.

The radio community sure will miss Dave, his website was/is a wealth of great information/reviews etc.
 

palmerjrusa

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I am giving some thought to a wide range receiver. Some time back I read up on the AOR AR-DV1. I gather it was a pretty decent receiver, but had some issues.

Now that some time has passed, how is it these days? What are the shortcomings I should be aware of?

Unless a complete suite of digital modes is a necessity, the IC-R8600 is a significantly superior receiver.
 

G7RUX

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My experiences with the DV1 suggest that you will probably require some external filters to switch in for specific purposes, depending on what you want to listen to and what transmissions are around in your local area. This is probably true of most wide band receivers in many situations and can be a source of a fair bit of difficulty as it can be hard and/or expensive to source filters of suitable performance although the SDR community has led to a fair selection of the main ones at decent prices.
 

marlbrook

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I have the Icom R8600 and the ARDV1.

If I could only have one it would be the DV1. Remember it is a communications receiver, and due to its size audio is best if you attach an external speaker. Both receivers share a Loop antenna here, and they compare favourably across their respective ranges.

The Spectrum display on the Icom is nice, but not the best in my opinion, and the lack of DMR is an issue. Thr R8600 noise reduction system is a little better,

I have never needed any external filtering on either Receiver.
 

JASII

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Most of my listening would be above 30 MHz.

Is slow scan speed still an issue, then?
 

G7HID

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Most of my listening would be above 30 MHz.

Is slow scan speed still an issue, then?
The DV1 was designed as a receiver that scans rather than a scanner..
Above 30MHz you might do better with a Uniden or Whistler scanner if they cover your required modes

Mike
 

dlwtrunked

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I am giving some thought to a wide range receiver. Some time back I read up on the AOR AR-DV1. I gather it was a pretty decent receiver, but had some issues.

Now that some time has passed, how is it these days? What are the shortcomings I should be aware of?
Of course the primary thing the 8600 lacks it DMR which the DV-1 will do. And neither will do trunking.
 

JASII

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I am considering one of these from an eBay dealer in Japan.

Would the wall wart power adapter from Japan work in the United States?
 

KD9KSO

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Probably not. Japan uses 100V. Unless it is a universal PS, voltage in the US may ruin the power supply. Not certain about what prong arrangement they use either.
 

KE4ZNR

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My problem with recent AORs has been the display...this type of display specifically:
aor.jpg

To me that display looks cheap and hard to read for such a high dollar receiver.
Maybe it looks better in person and maybe I have just been spoiled by better displays but AOR
has really cheapened out on the display front.
 

marlbrook

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Despite its age and small display the DV1 is still a very good Receiver, howevwe if anyone can afford it the DV1 and an Icom R8600 make a great combination. With just one BNC to BNC connection they can be linked, using the Icom as the 'front end' and the DV1 tuned to 10.7 MHz to demodulate all of its many modes. Of course this also adds a large 'scope' to the system.

The Icom has a 10.7 output which can simply be connected to the DV1,s antenna input.

In effect any frequency the Icom is tuned to is output at 10.7MHz, and once tuned to that frequency the DV1 provides any mode it is capable of.

The Receivers can still be used independently when requred by adding an antenna to both.
 
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