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Sony ICF-SW7600GR FM Stereo Multi-Band World Band Receiver Radio

Sony ICF-SW7600GR FM Stereo Multi-Band World Band Receiver Radio

List Price: $199.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: As far as I can tell, it's the perfect starter radio
Review: I'm very new to the world of shortwave (2 days now). I came across a thread on a messageboard describing the "Conet Project" which is basically a CD collection of various "numbers stations" that have been collected through listening to shortwave radio. These audio loggings intrigued me greatly, and I decided that I wanted to enter the world of shortwave.

So what to do? I have no friends who know what shortwave is, much less what radio to buy. I took a trip to my local Radio Shack and was not impressed with their selection. I did a lot of research online and pretty well figured out that this radio is universally hailed as a great portable and an excellent starter radio. I ordered the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, used super saver shipping, and got it on Monday after Thanksgiving (Thanks Amazon!). I've been using this bad boy ever since and let me tell you, I have been completely overwhelmed at what I could pick up with this thing. I've received HAM radio communcations, BBC with excellent clarity, FM stations that I normally cannot pick up here, AM stations from my hometown that are weak, and quite a few of these treasured "numbers stations" that got me so interested in the first place.

I'll be honest, I haven't tested another radio, so I have little to compare to. But this radio exceeded my expectations for 128 dollars and change. It's very well constructed, and comes with a nifty carrying case and a spool type antenna. Receptiion with the included antenna is nothing short of awesome.

The only downside I can find is the fact that no AC adapter was included. Why Sony would not include something like this is beyond me, but I'm not going to complain a lot. I've read that AC adapters can cause unwanted interference, especially the one that this radio uses.

I don't know how I can wrap this up other than saying that I'm new to shortwave, I find it very interesting, and this radio pleases me greatly. Unless you want to spend a lot more money, this will be your best bet.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: AC adapter **not included
Review: If you order this radio, Be advised that the AC adapter is not included, if you read the discription you are lead to believe that the AC adapter is included. 1st impressions with the receiver, it appears to be fairly easy to operate, I immediately began using without referencing the manual, and was finding short wave stations almost immediately, only knock, is it is a bit overpriced.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AWESOME
Review: In "Passport to World Band Radio" it is one of their top choices in portables along with the Grundig YB400PE. The price difference is small (YB 129 SONY 149) but the Grundig comes with an AC adapter included, which is important if you do a lot of listening. When comparing both side by side ( I own both ) I feel that the Grundif has the best sound. But The reason I bought the SONY is because it has great reception and SSB. SO what that the Grundig has better sound if you can't listen to the stations that the SONY can pickup and weed out the bad costations. Only more expensive models comes with SSB, and this SONY is well priced. If sound is a concern I use good headphones which makes all the difference. I would recommend the AN-LP1 antenna to go with it, it is the best loop for portables out there, but it definetly puts the 7600 at a different level when you can pick up a lot more stations. The Grundig is cheaply made in China. My YB 300 broke down within months of use to the point that is was more expensive to fix it than to buy a new one. SONY is a brand one can trust. THe only drawbacks is that the sony buttons on the side (SSB , VOLUME, ...) are hard to get to and it can be at first a bit dificult to use advanced features. Other than that it is definetly the best bang for your buck.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Better with an Active Antenna
Review: Sony never sounds as good as a Grundig, but has lots more goodies in a smaller package. Get the active antenna (Sony AN-LP1)and you'll hear a lot more stations. People new to shortwave listening are usually disappointed when they turn the new radio on and hear nothing but static. Rather than take it back or toss it in the closet, get a better antenna and you'll hear what's out there. The little whips that come on these things just don't add much to the true value of the receiver. A few of the "big boys" (BBC, etc) have stopped beaming directly to the USA but you can still hear their broadcasts to other parts of the world. This radio will satisfy. As with any portable, if you want more stations on shortwave, use a better antenna. I'd also recommend the yearly updated guidebook "Passport to Worldband Radio" (available at Amazon).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good radio but no alpanumeric labeling offered, like it says
Review: The radio is very good except in the Amazon description it says "This Sony radio allows you to label each station with up to six alphanumeric letters" which it does NOT!! that is the only reason I bought it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sony's best buy !!!
Review: The SW7600 has some outstanding features that no other radio in its price class can challenge . Most importantly it has Synchronous tuning which is generally only found on high price professional models .This function allows you to always get a clean locked in signal even on the weakest signals . It has a sleak design and well laid out controls . Lots of memory presets and extras like a line out and ext antenna input and an excellent side band set up . The sound is excellent when using headphones . My only knock is that the built in speaker is adequate , nothing special . It has past my performance tests in that I can pull in SW and AM stations that are not audible on the equvilant Grundig and Sangean models. Best in its class!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sensitive, selective, reliable and durable radio
Review: This is a terrific value. Very sensitive on shortwave and mediumwave (I don't use it for FM), built like a tank, good on batteries. It is conveniently small, and although its speaker won't fill a concert hall, it's an excellent speaker for its small size. Fine home and travel radio, even if that's travelling around the house or yard. The only better portable shortwave receiver out there is the Grundig Satellit 800, which costs three times as much and is the size of a tank.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Radio for the Price
Review: This is an excellent radio for the price. I have owned it now for almost a month and have been very pleased with its performance. Reception is good, and I have been able to pick up a number of stations around the globe very easily (bear in mind this is short wave radio we are talking about, don't expect the same type of reception you get from FM!). I like the digital tuner, as I don't get the drift that I get from my other short wave with analog tuning. The size of the radio makes it easy to carry around whereever you go. An added bonus (at least in mine) was the external antenna that was included in the box.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great radio (also has a 7600 Yahoo Discussion Group)
Review: This is an excellent shortwave radio. The synchronous tuning works every bit as well as the older Sony 2010 as well. ... the built-in telescopic antenna works fine too (especially for 99% of the big shortwave broadcasters most people like).

This radio also garnered an EXCELLENT top-of-the-line review from Larry Magne in his book "Passport to World Band Radio" (...).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Did not purchase since AC adapter is...
Review: Verify... verify... I had placed the Sony ICF-SW7600GR (currently in the $150 range) into my shopping cart after reading the positive reviews and yet one attracted my attention at the last moment. Within that review, the author mentioned that the AC power cord was not included.

Amazon reported the power cord was no longer offered (Sony ACE60HG AC Adaptor $22.99); so I searched about the web to discover the AC power cord is $49. At six other businesses, the power cord is consistently $49.

For what reason would I purchase an AC cord at 1/3 the price of the radio - this seems to be a basic inclusion with the product. The power cord to my PC was only $3 - my other electronics CAME with a power cord.




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