VOGuy

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Post by voguy » 10-12-2011 05:02 PM

Dale O Sea wrote: And they say radio is dead. :rolleyes:


I'm convinced radio committed suicide.
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Post by voguy » 10-12-2011 05:07 PM

Diogenes wrote: Just curious- I have three CC radios and now listen streaming from either my IPad or MAC - just wondering how many folks listen via an actual radio anymore.


I dumped XM due to service issues, and repeats. It wasn't worth the money, even after they offered 1 year at $6 p/mo. Personally, I also think the company lacks a soul.

I can't say I ever listen to "streams" over the computer.

I mostly listen to radio, AM, FM, and Shortwave, but I also have a supply of Coast shows on CDs when I'm driving long distances. One "Somewhere in Time" takes me from Indy, to Ft Wayne, to home. :)
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Post by Diogenes » 10-12-2011 07:09 PM

voguy wrote: I dumped XM due to service issues, and repeats. It wasn't worth the money, even after they offered 1 year at p/mo. Personally, I also think the company lacks a soul.

I can't say I ever listen to "streams" over the computer.

I mostly listen to radio, AM, FM, and Shortwave, but I also have a supply of Coast shows on CDs when I'm driving long distances. One "Somewhere in Time" takes me from Indy, to Ft Wayne, to home. :)



I would listen to Coast and others on the radio but the disturbance and fading is too much - what type of radio do you have and any special antennae?
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Post by voguy » 10-12-2011 07:48 PM

I use two radios, depending on the location. My favorite is the GE SuperRadio III which has an amazing audio section. A strong local station can sound almost "FM like" due to the large speaker and tone controls. The down side of the GE radio is that in portable use it needs something like six D-cells making it heavy, although at low listening levels it lasts for a hell of a long time. It has a power cord, so you can leave it plugged in at home. It also has external antenna connections for AM & FM, and a narrow/wide IF switch in case you get some interference from adjacent stations.

The Sony ICF38 is a real nice, small portable that a lot of people in radio use for listening around. It won't command the loudness and audio quality of the SuperRadio, but it does do a fair job and it's very portable.

Now, a quick hint about radio listening. If you have a small portable radio, like one of those old shirt pocket transistor radios from the 60s, you know those 2" speakers were nasty for good sound. Here's a suggestion. If you have an old pair of computer speakers, plug the 1/8" jack into the headphone plug of the radio, and try using the computer speakers in place of the radio's speaker. You would be surprised at the sound. I have an old Sony SRF-A100 radio (remember AM Stereo in the 80s) that had the worse speakers ever. Although when you put on headphones you were amazed at the quality. One day I found a pair of Bose computer speakers at a garage sale for $15. The speakers were about the size of a loaf of bread, and the owner said he used them for gaming. I plugged those into the SRF-A100 and had amazing audio quality. So before tossing a radio because the speaker sounds bad, consider using computer speakers.

Now, to get a better signal. there is a device out there called a Select-A-Tenna which uses the old design of a coil and cap in a resonant loop. Here's the bonus.... it's simple as heck. If you get the Select-A-Tenna 541, all you do is place the device at the back of your radio, and then turn the knob, slowly, until the station peaks. The Select-A-Tenna 541M allows for a connection to be made to a radio, but the 541 works very well in most cases, and requires no connection and no power. By orienting the device at different angles you can get better signals, or null out an offending interference.

This is the route I would go.

Search around and you can find these at sometimes very good prices. GE SuperRadio is usually $50, the Sony $30, and Select-A-Tennas have been closing out for $30 or so.

EDIT: Added price info
Last edited by voguy on 10-12-2011 07:52 PM, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by voguy » 10-12-2011 08:05 PM

BTW, if you're looking for small, hand held radios that are pretty hot, look up info on the DXER.CA website about some of the radios called "ultra-lites" because of their small size.

A lot of survivalists are starting to catch on to them as they have very superior performance in a small package.
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Post by Diogenes » 10-12-2011 08:44 PM

voguy wrote: I use two radios, depending on the location. My favorite is the GE SuperRadio III which has an amazing audio section. A strong local station can sound almost "FM like" due to the large speaker and tone controls. The down side of the GE radio is that in portable use it needs something like six D-cells making it heavy, although at low listening levels it lasts for a hell of a long time. It has a power cord, so you can leave it plugged in at home. It also has external antenna connections for AM & FM, and a narrow/wide IF switch in case you get some interference from adjacent stations.

The Sony ICF38 is a real nice, small portable that a lot of people in radio use for listening around. It won't command the loudness and audio quality of the SuperRadio, but it does do a fair job and it's very portable.

Now, a quick hint about radio listening. If you have a small portable radio, like one of those old shirt pocket transistor
radios from the 60s, you know those 2" speakers were nasty for good sound. Here's a suggestion. If you have an old pair of computer speakers, plug the 1/8" jack into the headphone plug of the radio, and try using the computer speakers in place of the radio's speaker. You would be surprised at the sound. I have an old Sony SRF-A100 radio (remember AM Stereo in the 80s) that had the worse speakers ever. Although when you put on headphones you were amazed at the quality. One day I found a pair of Bose computer speakers at a garage sale for . The speakers were about the size of a loaf of bread, and the owner said he used them for gaming. I plugged those into the SRF-A100 and had amazing audio quality. So before tossing a radio because the speaker sounds bad, consider using computer speakers.

Now, to get a better signal. there is a device out there called a Select-A-Tenna which uses the old design of a coil and cap in a resonant loop. Here's the bonus.... it's simple as heck. If you get the Select-A-Tenna 541, all you do is place the device at the back of your radio, and then turn the knob, slowly, until the station peaks. The Select-A-Tenna 541M allows for a connection to be made to a radio, but the 541 works very well in most cases, and requires no connection and no power. By orienting the device at different angles you can get better signals, or null out an offending interference.

This is the route I would go.

Search around and you can find these at sometimes very good prices. GE SuperRadio is usually , the Sony , and Select-A-Tennas have been closing out for or so.

EDIT: Added price info


Hey - thanks for that great information. I love radios and have all of my old transistor radios - in fact I have a very cool Sony (Orange) from the 60's. I will look around for that GE and the Sony and for sure that Select A Tenna.

Very clever regarding the computer speakers.

Thanks alot :)
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Post by SquidInk » 03-15-2013 11:29 PM

For if it profit, none dare call it Treason.

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Post by Riddick » 03-16-2013 01:07 AM

Fyi folks, both VOguy's sites are back after that January hack attack...

His HF antenna site is just as it was, though his newest one's undergone a re-design with a new logo -

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Post by Diogenes » 03-16-2013 10:50 AM

Great news and thank you for he update.
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Post by Riddick » 06-22-2013 01:48 PM

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Post by voguy » 06-22-2013 01:49 PM

Back @ YA!
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Post by Diogenes » 06-22-2013 01:55 PM

Well if I write anything else about this guy he will begin to think I have a crush on him.:D
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Post by voguy » 06-22-2013 02:02 PM

All is good. As the man say, "don't worry, be happy". :D

90-degrees here today so I'm just chilling on the inside in the radio room. It's field day, but I'm laying low. I prefer calm. ;)
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Post by Fan » 06-22-2013 02:20 PM

Oh my word I am very happy to see you back VOGuy!

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Post by Raggedyann » 06-22-2013 02:26 PM

voguy wrote: All is good. As the man say, "don't worry, be happy". :D

90-degrees here today so I'm just chilling on the inside in the radio room. It's field day, but I'm laying low. I prefer calm. ;)

I am flat out jealous! It's been raining here for weeks with no end in sight for another 3 wks. Cold, still wearing my winter woolies!
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” Simon Wiesenthal

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