Engine104
Member since 2005
Just curious.. Has anyone used a Yaesu FRG-9600 wide-band receiver for SWL or SSB? I've seen several listed on eBay for decent prices.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Yaesu FRG-9600 for SWL and SSB?
- Thread starter Engine104
- Start date
- Status
KEWB-N1EXA
Acushnet Heights Radio 740
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2020
- Messages
- 416
If you Use an Upconverter for HF the 9600 works great. You can use the Noo shown below or any other HF upconverter on Ebay.
This unit takes the HF band and adds 125 Mhz to the signal so you run the 9600 up in the aircraft band in any mode.
Its designed for SDR but It works on anything with Aircraft band on it or 110-150 Mhz am fm SSB CW like a scanner or Icom and such.
Pete N1EXA
This unit takes the HF band and adds 125 Mhz to the signal so you run the 9600 up in the aircraft band in any mode.
Its designed for SDR but It works on anything with Aircraft band on it or 110-150 Mhz am fm SSB CW like a scanner or Icom and such.
Pete N1EXA
Last edited:
Engine104
Member since 2005
Hi Pete,
Thanks. I didn't realize the FRG-9600 goes from 60Mhz up. I have a feeling that once you add in the up converter, it would probably be best, price wise to go with a receiver designed for HF. Also, who knows if the filtering on the 9600 would work well for HF.
Thanks and 73,
-KG6EJT
Thanks. I didn't realize the FRG-9600 goes from 60Mhz up. I have a feeling that once you add in the up converter, it would probably be best, price wise to go with a receiver designed for HF. Also, who knows if the filtering on the 9600 would work well for HF.
Thanks and 73,
-KG6EJT
KEWB-N1EXA
Acushnet Heights Radio 740
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2020
- Messages
- 416
My 9600 was purchased back in 1986 it was $450 from HRO. They are pretty dated and mine needs an FM trap to kill the local FM stations from Overloading - There is a gain pot inside you can lower the front end if it gets swamped.
The up converter works because I use it on a Scanner too. I listen to WRMI on 5.950 and 9.395 AM HF in the evening
In the long run it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to go with a Noo Smart SDR or newer HF receiver than a 30+ year old 9600.
The 9600 does not have any filters to select from so your going to find it on SSB pretty open seeing your using the Aircraft band.
60 - 950 Mhz band coverage on the 9600 American Version the Real Japanese one had different specs on the low end I think 50 Mhz.
Just an Opinion
Pete N1EXA
The up converter works because I use it on a Scanner too. I listen to WRMI on 5.950 and 9.395 AM HF in the evening
In the long run it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to go with a Noo Smart SDR or newer HF receiver than a 30+ year old 9600.
The 9600 does not have any filters to select from so your going to find it on SSB pretty open seeing your using the Aircraft band.
60 - 950 Mhz band coverage on the 9600 American Version the Real Japanese one had different specs on the low end I think 50 Mhz.
Just an Opinion
Pete N1EXA
The FRG-9600 uses an old style TV tuner as its front end and were not all that good in their day.
KEWB-N1EXA
Acushnet Heights Radio 740
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2020
- Messages
- 416
The TV tuner Video Modulation out was an option card- I had that option for 438 Mhz Amateur TV Reception. Could use an analog cable box on ch 57-58 too which was another option.
I agree the 9600 could get hammered really easy from local broadcast transmitters so running a FM trap helped.
Pete N1EXA
The TV tuner is not an option, its what is at the heart of the 9600 for all reception. Instead of Yaesu designing a front end for their scanner they opted to use a typical 1980s TV tuner as the front end for the scanner. Look at the picture here, you can see the tuner in the bottom picture with coax soldered to what would be its 300 ohm TV twinlead input on a 1980s TV set. https://www.rigpix.com/yaesu/frg9600.htm
I didn't have my FRG-9600 very long. Just about any other radio I owned beat it, hands down, and I didn't even bother to try it on HF. I had good stuff to listen to HF with and didn't need to bother with the 9600. Now I live in HF hell, I can''t really hear anything. Terrible QRM.
KEWB-N1EXA
Acushnet Heights Radio 740
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2020
- Messages
- 416
Ok
Before you start Brow beating as usual- I have the 9600 and to Use the Video out NTSC and play with Amateur TV on 438 MHZ You need
the Option Card !
I know what your saying about the tuner-Yes it is there ( I see it +TUNER*) But you needed the Card for Video Out there was an NTSC and
A Japanese NTSC version Of the option Card.
Pete N1EXA
KEWB-N1EXA
Acushnet Heights Radio 740
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2020
- Messages
- 416
It only goes to 60 MHZ You can get HF on IT !
That's Why In Need the Up Converter on it !
Pete N1EXA
Not sure if you understand what I'm saying about the TV tuner inside the 9600. I'm not talking about TV video reception amateur or otherwise, the TV tuner inside the 9600 is what its used for all reception, AM, FM and SSB. That's what the 9600 doesn't go below about 60MHz, the internal TV tuner picking up everything it receives is limited in frequency range to what a Japanese TV would be from the 1980s.
I've circled the TV tuner module which was used as the receiver. This is not to be confused with the optional card which allowed reception of NTSC broadcast signals.
Mine sits on a shelf in my office tuned to the local fire paging frequency.
Mine sits on a shelf in my office tuned to the local fire paging frequency.
Engine104
Member since 2005
Remember when we used to say we "Love radios that glow in the dark"? We still say that, but now, it is also, we love radios with no SMDs
I know it only went down to 60MHZ. It was just an awful radio, one of many "Scanners" that didn't work very well. Lots of display noise, lack of sensitivity, and that was enough for me. I had an Icom R7100 and it wasn't bad. Slow, but it received very well. Another dud was the Standard Ax-700, another radio that had a TV tuner front end! It was nice looking, and seemed to be built well, but it was almost as bad as the 9600, reception wise. You can buy an SDR, or a used SW radio for HF that destroys any of these radios, regardless of a converter or not.
Only mainstream radio I had that was as bad as the 9600 was the awful Uniden BC-9000XLT that did one single thing well, it scanned really fast. Images, overload, lack of FM capture, crappy audio(Until I changed the speaker), and the regulators inside ran super hot until I added heat sinks, it had all those, big time. Any of my other scanners, GRE/RS or Uniden, were vastly better. I kept it for a long time, and finally decided it had to go. Why I kept it as long as I did is a mystery, most of the time I had the volume turned all the way down due to it's habit of stopping on "nothing" and sputtering static. When the bands were open, several SE Michigan PS transmissions would be mixed into local Toledo stuff with neither really copyable. My Pro-2004 sitting side by side had little problems with keeping Toledo stuff copyable.
MikeTheListener
SWL
If you are looking for a good wideband receiver that covers everything from LW , HF, VHF and UHF (from 100 kHz up to 1999 MHz), you should have a look at the ICOM IC-R 8500. It works very well on shortwave (especially in SSB). I use it next to my NRD 545 to receive aeronautical, Volmet and other voice transmissions. It's almost as good as the NRD 545, so it might be worth a look if you can get it at a good price.
- Status
