W8RMV
Member
Thanx! I found it. I either missed it (apparently others had, too) or it was an addition since I had been there last. 73 - Bob
New SDR CommRadio CR-1
- Status
Thanx! I found it. I either missed it (apparently others had, too) or it was an addition since I had been there last. 73 - Bob
CR1 s/n under 50
There is one in the used list at universal radio. s/n 39. It might be a demo model. Price looks good too. I just saw it for the first time today Dion
There is one in the used list at universal radio. s/n 39. It might be a demo model. Price looks good too. I just saw it for the first time today Dion
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2012
- Messages
- 242
- Reaction score
- 15
Radio Arrived. Quick Receive Question
The CR-1 arrived today and I will say that my initial impression is that is a pretty solid little radio. I really love the screen.
As I was sanning around and getting used to the controls, I noticed a fairly stong signal at 5505, though I couldn't get it readable. In similar situations on my trusty Tecsun 660, i wold just spin the bfo a bit and that would work. I scanned around with the tuning resolution at the lowest level on the CR-1 and the transmission still sounded like it was "off-band"'. I got out the Tecsun and sure enough was able to pull it in quickly with a minor bfo adjustment. The Tecsun was set at 5505 USB. I don't remember if the CR-1 said lsb or usb, or just Am, but it was set to 5505 and General.
I assume the CR-1 automagically goes into the mode needed for the band I'm in (I tried to manually switch from Lsb and usb but found no way to). I traveled up and down untill the signal disappeared on the CR-1 without being able to hear the signal clearly.
I am probably doing something wrong, but I wasn't able to find anything on the site regarding this.
Thanks
The CR-1 arrived today and I will say that my initial impression is that is a pretty solid little radio. I really love the screen.
As I was sanning around and getting used to the controls, I noticed a fairly stong signal at 5505, though I couldn't get it readable. In similar situations on my trusty Tecsun 660, i wold just spin the bfo a bit and that would work. I scanned around with the tuning resolution at the lowest level on the CR-1 and the transmission still sounded like it was "off-band"'. I got out the Tecsun and sure enough was able to pull it in quickly with a minor bfo adjustment. The Tecsun was set at 5505 USB. I don't remember if the CR-1 said lsb or usb, or just Am, but it was set to 5505 and General.
I assume the CR-1 automagically goes into the mode needed for the band I'm in (I tried to manually switch from Lsb and usb but found no way to). I traveled up and down untill the signal disappeared on the CR-1 without being able to hear the signal clearly.
I am probably doing something wrong, but I wasn't able to find anything on the site regarding this.
Thanks
That would be shannon volmet on 5505 usb. If you tune the station then keep pushing the mode button it will cycle to usb, then your set. If the radio is in automatic mode in the menu settings, it will try to change the mode for you to am, lsb, usb etc., depending on where you are in the band plan.It's all in the manual supplied with the radio. Have fun with your new small performance rig!! Dion
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2012
- Messages
- 242
- Reaction score
- 15
Thanks Dion. That must be it as I remembering it being in auto mode. RTFM as they say...
I scanned it briefly looking at the pretty pictures..
I scanned it briefly looking at the pretty pictures..
I am curious as to what serial numbers they are up to. What is yours as you received it today? Mine is 105.
WB2KTG
Member
Short waver- congratulations! You're already 50% finished climbing up the learning curve on this little beauty. Next week this time You'll be the one giving advice to the noobs. The manual is a great starting point, but things have changed somewhat due to software revisions, so refer to the manual and trust RadioReference for the most up to date advice. There's another sweet update coming soon, but I don't know exactly when. Everybody is notified via e-mail, and I try to post a head's up right here. Happy Listening!
Bob
Bob
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2012
- Messages
- 242
- Reaction score
- 15
Thanks Bob. The learning curve appears to be low as everything seems to make sense.
I've been comparing it to a Tecsun 660, with the CR-1 on a 45' Par Endfedz, and the Tecsun just using its whip. I've been able to hear everything on both so far, that puzzled me. The Tecsun has always impressed me though I'm sure I need to tweak my setup to pick up some tough signals on the CR-1.
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2012
- Messages
- 242
- Reaction score
- 15
My SN# is 247
W8RMV
Member
I guess we will agree to disagree. In 50 some years of buying stuff, I can’t remember a time where I bought something brand new and the rep for the company and/or the owner and progenitor himself, suggested I could sell it (on Ebay) if I didn’t like it. I still find it a very unusual statement about the obvious.
corbintechboy
Member
Wow!
I have SN#12. They have sold a bit
.
I have SN#12. They have sold a bit
.
W8RMV
Member
If you haven't been to the CR-1 site recently, you may notice some improvements.
One thing I found exciting are the future potential feature/function additions which I copied below:
Potential New Software Applications (provided free if/when they occur, but not included in purchase price):
Spectral Display (across individual bands) – fast detect of band openings
PSK-31 decoder.
Synchronous AM detector (algorithm).
Nice!
- Bob V
One thing I found exciting are the future potential feature/function additions which I copied below:
Potential New Software Applications (provided free if/when they occur, but not included in purchase price):
Spectral Display (across individual bands) – fast detect of band openings
PSK-31 decoder.
Synchronous AM detector (algorithm).
Nice!
- Bob V
W5RST
Member
First impressions...
This is not meant to be an exhaustive review by any means but just some of my first impressions after using the CR-1.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the CR-1. The fit and finish are very professional, and the construction very sturdy. Operation of the radio doesn't rely upon having the manual in hand; in fact, I've hardly looked it. Contrast that to some of the newer Yaesu or Icom radios that have a steep learning curve. I'm not crazy about the memories layout, but I'm getting used to it. The gold standard for a memories menu, for me at least, is the Eton E1 with its detailed and intuitive display. Of course, the E1 has 4X the screen space, too. The CR-1 display is crisp with high visibility even in direct sunlight. So, given the relatively small amount of screen real estate, the CR-1 display is quite nice.
The audio is very pleasing, which is somewhat surprising given the small speaker. I tuned to our local classical music FM station, and the sound was warm and full. Comparing it to my Yaesu FT-817, which also receives FM BCB, the CR-1 had a much nicer sound. The Yaesu is more sensitive, however, being able to pull in a distant station with a rubber duck that the CR-1 couldn't hear with the same antenna. The FT-817 was also more sensitive on 2M and 440 MHz, too… maybe not too surprising since the Yaesu is optimized for these ham bands. The playing field got more level when I went to the SW bands. The CR-1 reception of my local 2M repeaters was fine and also with good audio. I heard no distortion or other issues.
On the shortwave bands, the CR-1 held its own against the Yaesu FT-817 and my old FRG-7. In fact, just about anything the FT-817 could hear the CR-1 could hear. There were only few times when there were crowded signals that the Yaesu won out thanks to a 300 Hz Collins filter and passband tuning (PBT) to dodge QRM. I am pretty ignorant of what could or couldn't be added to the CR-1 in terms of new features, but PBT would be a very nice addition if possible. CommRadio could reclaim the memory used for the Morse decoder and use that, as far as I am concerned: it works pretty marginally even on W1AW code bulletins. I did find it interesting that the noise floor S-meter reading was about the same on the two radios if the preamp was ON on the Yaesu. Generally, I leave the FT-817 preamp off if I am below 15 MHz since it mainly increases the noise and degrades the AGC function without really increasing readability of signals. Perhaps a switchable preamp or attenuator on the CR-1 could go on the feature list. I really was only aware of the much-discussed AGC issue when listening to a strong CW signal (again W1AW). It seemed to me that the AGC speed just was not matching the signal well, and as has been talked about here before, I think that a switchable slow-fast AGC would be a very nice addition. I didn't notice any AGC problems when listening to a strong SW broadcast station like Radio Romania or Radio Australia or a local AM station. There was an occasional "pop," but nothing I found objectionable. Maybe my radio has some newer software update? I also did some listening to SSB on 80M and 40M as well as CW on 30M. Again, I was very pleased with the audio and the filter options.
So, my initial impressions are positive. My feeling about this radio is somewhat the same as I feel when I buy a new piece of software: I expect updates, improvements, and new features. You can't say that about a traditional shortwave radio. That feature places the CR-1 in the category of some of the newer ham transceivers by Elecraft and Ten Tec where the product is an evolving platform. I think that the CR-1 has mainly started out on the right foot, and I encourage CommRadio to emulate those two companies I just mentioned who are well-known for their customer service and support. If they follow through in a similar fashion, I think that the CR-1 could be the first in a line of successful receivers.
73,
Mike N5JKY
This is not meant to be an exhaustive review by any means but just some of my first impressions after using the CR-1.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the CR-1. The fit and finish are very professional, and the construction very sturdy. Operation of the radio doesn't rely upon having the manual in hand; in fact, I've hardly looked it. Contrast that to some of the newer Yaesu or Icom radios that have a steep learning curve. I'm not crazy about the memories layout, but I'm getting used to it. The gold standard for a memories menu, for me at least, is the Eton E1 with its detailed and intuitive display. Of course, the E1 has 4X the screen space, too. The CR-1 display is crisp with high visibility even in direct sunlight. So, given the relatively small amount of screen real estate, the CR-1 display is quite nice.
The audio is very pleasing, which is somewhat surprising given the small speaker. I tuned to our local classical music FM station, and the sound was warm and full. Comparing it to my Yaesu FT-817, which also receives FM BCB, the CR-1 had a much nicer sound. The Yaesu is more sensitive, however, being able to pull in a distant station with a rubber duck that the CR-1 couldn't hear with the same antenna. The FT-817 was also more sensitive on 2M and 440 MHz, too… maybe not too surprising since the Yaesu is optimized for these ham bands. The playing field got more level when I went to the SW bands. The CR-1 reception of my local 2M repeaters was fine and also with good audio. I heard no distortion or other issues.
On the shortwave bands, the CR-1 held its own against the Yaesu FT-817 and my old FRG-7. In fact, just about anything the FT-817 could hear the CR-1 could hear. There were only few times when there were crowded signals that the Yaesu won out thanks to a 300 Hz Collins filter and passband tuning (PBT) to dodge QRM. I am pretty ignorant of what could or couldn't be added to the CR-1 in terms of new features, but PBT would be a very nice addition if possible. CommRadio could reclaim the memory used for the Morse decoder and use that, as far as I am concerned: it works pretty marginally even on W1AW code bulletins. I did find it interesting that the noise floor S-meter reading was about the same on the two radios if the preamp was ON on the Yaesu. Generally, I leave the FT-817 preamp off if I am below 15 MHz since it mainly increases the noise and degrades the AGC function without really increasing readability of signals. Perhaps a switchable preamp or attenuator on the CR-1 could go on the feature list. I really was only aware of the much-discussed AGC issue when listening to a strong CW signal (again W1AW). It seemed to me that the AGC speed just was not matching the signal well, and as has been talked about here before, I think that a switchable slow-fast AGC would be a very nice addition. I didn't notice any AGC problems when listening to a strong SW broadcast station like Radio Romania or Radio Australia or a local AM station. There was an occasional "pop," but nothing I found objectionable. Maybe my radio has some newer software update? I also did some listening to SSB on 80M and 40M as well as CW on 30M. Again, I was very pleased with the audio and the filter options.
So, my initial impressions are positive. My feeling about this radio is somewhat the same as I feel when I buy a new piece of software: I expect updates, improvements, and new features. You can't say that about a traditional shortwave radio. That feature places the CR-1 in the category of some of the newer ham transceivers by Elecraft and Ten Tec where the product is an evolving platform. I think that the CR-1 has mainly started out on the right foot, and I encourage CommRadio to emulate those two companies I just mentioned who are well-known for their customer service and support. If they follow through in a similar fashion, I think that the CR-1 could be the first in a line of successful receivers.
73,
Mike N5JKY
WB2KTG
Member
n5jky-
Very nice review. If you're so inclined please feel free to share your review with the folks over at eHam
COMMRADIO CR-1 COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVER Product Reviews
It's been a while since any CR-1 folks contributed their findings.
Bob
Very nice review. If you're so inclined please feel free to share your review with the folks over at eHam
COMMRADIO CR-1 COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVER Product Reviews
It's been a while since any CR-1 folks contributed their findings.
Bob
W5RST
Member
Bob,
I plan to post a review soon to eham.net after a bit more operating... maybe in a week or two. I want to do a few more listening tests and comparisons.
On the subject of eham reviews, I wish that they worked like Amazon.com's reviews do, where people can indicate whether the review was helpful and/or post comments. Some of the reviews I've seen on eham are total jokes: "I don't own the radio but don't like its looks" sort of thing.
73, Mike N5JKY
WB2KTG
Member
Mike- Like you opined, I believe anyone intelligent enough to find radio technology a fun hobby is also intelligent enough to 'read through' the silly reviews.
Bob
Bob
W5RST
Member
Finally remembered to check out my serial number:
SN 290E
DSP version 1872
PIC version 1871
73, Mike N5JKY
SN 290E
DSP version 1872
PIC version 1871
73, Mike N5JKY
W8RMV
Member
SN 76
DSP & PIC 1871. Latest from dropbox update
So there is a DSP update that has not been released via dropbox??
-Bob
DSP & PIC 1871. Latest from dropbox update
So there is a DSP update that has not been released via dropbox??
-Bob
W5RST
Member
Looks like it; mine is definitely 1872.
- Status
