Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception, plus External Plug-in Antenna
by Sony
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception, plus External Plug-in Antenna
Customer Review: good
Summary: 5 Stars
1. Study existing 5-star review written in 2004 by A W Flones of California;
he covers a lot of ground.
2. Note well that this wonderful Sony does NOT provide an EXternal antenna
jack, which would have been nice. A radio is only as good as its antenna's
incoming signal, so for a SWL set to omit a passive means to boost signals
is regrettable. Hardly any portable (or tabletop) sets have external jacks
for an antenna, so do not use this as a pretext to "pass" on this model.
3. Once the existing supply (warehouse stock) of Sony ICF-SW7600 sells out,
you'll be looking desperately for USED units from questionable sources. In case you actually intend to _use_ a solid SWL portable (at home or away), the 7600 will serve you better than what is produced these days.
Please do NOT buy one in case you merely want to add it to your unused collection of trophy radios; there are serious SWLers who can make better use of the dwindling stock (manufacture DISCONTINUED!).
4. To those of us who are annoyed by SSB "noise" when tuning, this radio allows us to actually make sense of what otherwise is an unintelligible signal. Most SWL radios don't "read" Single SideBand, but this one does.
5. Powered by 4xAA.
Be prepared for emergencies by stocking 8-count (4+4) lithium AA's, sold
at outrageous prices, but having a ten-year shelf-life. Search B00003IEME
Charger for NiMH AA's: definitely get the affordable B00077AA5Q (quality)
Batteries: go for Sanyo NiMH 2700mAh B000IV413S
Customer Review: I love this radio!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I live in Florida and was looking for a small AA powered radio to have on hand during hurricanes. I bought a $50 Grundig but wasn't happy with it. After reading many SW/DX review sites I bought this radio.
So far I've found that all the positive statements about this radio seem to be true. The second night I had it I tuned in Radio Netherlands, Radio Japan, Radio Cairo, Voice of Vietnam, and Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran. I was blown away. I'm new to shortwave so maybe this is no big deal to most, but for $150 I'm getting alot of entertainment from this little radio. I thought it would sit in a box until the next Hurricane Charlie, but I'm using it every day.
Sound from the little speaker sounds like, well .... sound from a little speaker. I didn't expect anything different. It's fine for talk radio, NPR, etc. I bought a $15 pair of earbuds for stereo listening and I'm very pleased with the sound. The built in world clock is pretty cool.
As for lack of an AC adaptor, it doesn't really bother me. As I understand, the Sony adaptor created a lot of interference on the short wave bands, plus it's no longer available in the states. Universal Radio offers a non-interfering adaptor for this radio for a reasonable price.
There's a small learning curve at first but after reading the manual and flipping through "Passport to World Band Radio" I was up and running in an hour or two.
Customer Review: Fantastic SW Radio
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very sensitive and versatile, dual conversion, shortwave radio. The FM portion is stereo when used with earphones and sounds very good. The FM band starts below 88 MHz. This portion of the band can be used for emergency broadcasting and can receive the audio portion of some TV stations.
There is, also a longwave band, a standard broadcast band and 14 shortwave bands all of which can be scanned so that looking for a station is fast and easy. The 100 memory locations can also be scanned once the presets have been set. The compact wire antenna that comes with the radio is very helpful at bringing in distant stations. Single sideband stations can also be received.
There is also a clock that can show Universal Coordinated Time (or the time in any other part of the world) and local time. There is also an alarm feature with two preset memories.
The radio comes with a shortwave radio guide and a soft case for the radio.
Do not buy an AC power supply to be used with shortwave. They are very noisy and the program material is drowned out. I have tried various filters and regulators without any improvement in the noise. The AC power supply can be used with the FM portion, however. Using rechargeable batteries (4 type AA) is the best way to go for shortwave listening. Alkaline batteries last between 34 and 47 hours depending on which band is being used.
Customer Review: The Only Portable Shortwave Radio Available With Synch Detector
Summary: 5 Stars
Once you have experienced the ability of Synch Detection to dig out and lock-in weak stations and reduce adjacent station interference you will never buy another shortwave radio without it. The 7600GR is the lowest priced radio available today with this unique Sony circuitry.
I also have the Sony SW07 & SW100. These two radios are the pinnacle of portable shortwave radio design but are now difficult to find new. Both have the Synch Detector but at a much higher price than the 7600GR. Couple the 7600GR with Sony's AN-LP1 antenna and you come surprisingly close to the performance of the SW07 & SW100. The 7600GR with the AN-LP1 antenna will blow away any competitor in the portable shortwave radio catagory available new today. Futhermore, the 7600GR performance on Longwave & Mediumwave (AM) are superb for such a small radio. The stereo audio on FM through a quality set of headphones is excellent.
In regards to a comment about the operation of the 7600GR and its ergonomics, the person either didn't read the manual and/or knows very little about shortwave reception. Having the best tool in your hands doesn't make you an expert until you learn how to use it. And the 7600GR is the most useful and simple portable shortwave radio I have ever used in my 30+ years in this hobby. Get one while they are still available. You will never regret it!
Customer Review: Perfect starter radio
Summary: 5 Stars
I have just recently gotten into Shortwave listening, and this radio has been perfect for me. I received a Grundig YB300 for Christmas, but upgraded to this model shortly thereafter. I have been very happy ever since.The Sony SW7600GR has wonderful reception. I have hooked up an outdoor wire antenna also, which helps greatly with more faint reception. The built in attenuator is very handy for cutting down the signal on strong stations and can be shut off entirely for weeker station reception. I love the 100 station presets too, which is really all one needs for shortwave listening. The sound is ok, but with headphones is superb. I have also hooked the receiver up to my stereo via the line out jack, and this, too, sounds superb.
The dual clocks are handy, and I also use the radio as an alarm clock to wake up to the radio in the morning. When using this feature, the radio automatically goes into sleep mode and will shut off by itself even if you forget to do so. I have had the radio for a month and half so far and the 4 AA batteries are still going strong - very good on battery usage. I also purchased the AC adaptor, but really only use it for FM listening because it adds an internal hum to AM reception, which is the only negative.
Overall, I couldn't be happier with a introductory shortwave/AM/FM radio. It's a great value for the money.