If you want an AM/FM/Shortwave (plus Longwave) radio which is a superb performer yet won't break the bank, this is the one.
I can flatly state that this radio
Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception
is positively the finest compact portable shortwave, longwave (and AM/FM) receiver currently on the market. I believe that it is the finest compact portable shortwave receiver ever designed.
To get anything more capable, you will have to spend a LOT more money - and it is possible that, unless you research the market VERY carefully, you may get something which is not as good!
This receiver is simple to operate after reading the owner's manual. JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU READ IT! Also make sure you UNDERSTAND it! If you do not, or are not sure, then re-read it! Re-read it as often as necessary. You need not be embarrassed - no one else will know how many times you have read the instructions! (It shouldn't take more than one or two CAREFUL readings of the instructions to fully understand them.)
You must realize that this is NOT an ordinary analog AM/FM radio where all you do is turn it on, select AM or FM, and maybe change the stations with a knob.
This is in fact a sophisticated portable communications receiver and thus requires a learning curve if you are not familiar with shortwave reception. (I have read some reviews here on Amazon's site which clearly demonstrate that the writer[s] did NOT read the instructions! You'll be able to easily spot those for yourself.)
If you do read and follow those instructions, this radio is quite easy to use and, by following these instructions (and also by reading some basic books about shortwave listening such as
Passport to World Band Radio, 2008 Edition (Passport to World Band Radio)
and
World Radio TV Handbook 2008: The Directory of Global Broadcasting (World Radio TV Handbook)
), you will derive maximum benefit from the radio. Once you have learned how to operate this receiver, you will find that using it becomes very intuitive and VERY rewarding! (Please note that the two books mentioned above introduce new editions each year; you can check for them here on Amazon.)
This receiver contains just the controls necessary to bring in signals clearly, thereby eliminating much complication that can cause difficulty in use.
Its main claim to shortwave fame, in addition to its overall superb design, is its inclusion of a synchronous detection circuit (as well as full single sideband [SSB] reception), available on no other currently available new receiver in its size- and/or price-class. This circuit can make the difference between hearing a station or not hearing it. It can almost totally eliminate interference from a close-by frequency. The circuit also works on the AM band and eliminates selective fading distortion, commonly heard around dawn, dusk, or evenings when listening to distant stations. (The skywave comes in slightly behind the groundwave, or the skywave itself comes in out-of-phase, and causes distortion on other radios which makes an announcer sound as though he/she has a VERY bad cold! This annoyance will not occur on this Sony.)
For shortwave listening, it is quite sensitive off its whip antenna yet is robust enough to handle a significant external antenna, should the owner decide to use one.
With this radio, the user can easily and conveniently hear, at appropriate times of the day, English-language broadcasts from England (of course!), China, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Russia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Viet Nam, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Argentina (with some GREAT tango music), India, and many, many more. Also, for those conversant in various foreign languages, there is no shortage of those as well. It is fascinating to listen to news and commentaries from these various countries and to compare equivalent news items. It is particularly interesting to see how some countries will emphasize or de-emphasize certain items and, of course, the varying opinions expressed in their commentaries are of great interest to us here in the United States.
A
Sangean ANT-60 Short Wave Antenna
can improve shortwave reception but is not truly necessary. (The Sangean can be plugged into the radio's antenna socket; the wind-up antenna Sony supplies with the radio cannot. It must be clipped to the whip antenna.)
Regarding AM performance, this radio is superb. If desired, its AM reception can be improved by means of a
Terk Technology AM-1000 Advantage Passive AM Indoor Antenna
, used inductively, but this too is not really necessary. Local stations come in, as expected, extremely well, both day and night (especially with use of the synchronous circuit) but what is unexpected is how well this relatively small radio receives long distance stations. At my location, Canada, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic often come in like locals! Other stations from around the country do so likewise. These signals come in loud and VERY clear. One would not expect such high quality performance from a radio this size. And while some other radios in this category may be as sensitive as this Sony, not one of them has the synchronous detection circuit which "cleans up" the received AM signal and makes it fully listenable.
FM sensitivity, selectivity, and capture ratio are all excellent.
This radio has been manufactured unchanged since 2001; its predecessor model (from which there were only minor changes) dates back to 1994. Incredibly, in all this time, no other manufacturer has been able to design a radio even equal to this Sony, much less superior.
Its construction quality is absolutely first-rate. It is still manufactured in Japan (for Sony by Towada Audio Corporation, a company located in Kosaka, a town in the Kazuno District, Akita, Japan; they actually developed the radio), unlike all other compact shortwave portables which are manufactured in China (or, rarely, in Taiwan). Japanese build quality has long been noted for it excellence and this difference really shows. Believe me, just a cursory hands-on examination or comparison between this one and any other receiver in its class will confirm that its construction quality is second-to-none (and is even better than some tabletop communications receivers).
In order to buy something "better," you would have to spend at least three times the price of this radio and what you would get (the Eton E1, for example) would not be anywhere nearly as portable as this one. (Nor will its construction quality match that of this Sony.)
Some people have complained about the whip antenna being somewhat delicate. In fact, all whip antennas can be damaged relatively easily. In that regard, this Sony radio is no better nor worse than any other. In any case, however, the exact replacement antenna is available from PartStore<dot>com. The antenna takes less than one minute to replace.
Sound quality is pretty good - great for news/talk, somewhat less so for music on FM. But even this can easily and inexpensively be corrected by means of a cable available from your local Radio Shack that will connect the radio, via its line output jack, to your stereo system. Or, should you wish to use powered auxiliary speakers, this
Logitech Compact Speaker System Z320 for Notebooks
is inexpensive and works extremely well. Of course, there are also much more expensive powered computer speakers which may (or may not!) provide better sound than the Logitechs. The choice, as always, is yours. I really like the Logitech Z320s.
This receiver can be powered by four 'AA' batteries - either by standard alkalines or, better and far more economically, by rechargeable 'NiMH' types. The radio is very efficient with batteries; a set lasts a very long time and, of course, rechargeable ones can be recharged over and over again.
The radio has over 100 memories (100 "regular" memories, 2 more memories for the alarm clock function, and one each for the bottom of each shortwave frequency band). These memories do NOT disappear when changing or even removing the batteries. They are totally non-volatile and will remain essentially "forever," until you manually change or delete them. Even the clock remains for several minutes while changing the batteries. If, however, you remove the batteries for a long time, then you will have to reset the clock. This is very easy to do and is the only thing necessary to reset. There are, in fact, two clocks, one of which can be set to your local time, and the other which can be set to any time zone you desire; I have mine set to UTC [GMT]. (When you set the local time, the other time zone is automatically set as well so you only have to set the clock once.)
Sony no longer offers a suitable AC Adapter for this radio. However, Radio Shack does. And the Radio Shack AC Adapter (Cat. # 273-025; the appropriate Adapt-A-Plug [free with purchase of the adapter] is Cat. # 273-1705) is not only better than Sony's original, it is smaller and lighter in weight, and less expensive, costing only $12.99. This adapter and plug can be bought at any local Radio Shack store as well as online if you wish. (It is too bad that Amazon does not sell this adapter!)
All in all, this radio, especially at Amazon's current price, just cannot be beaten in terms of value for money.
It is, in my opinion, the best value in a shortwave receiver currently on the market and, in a world full of often ephemeral electronic "gizmos," one of the few genuine electronic bargains.
This is a radio that the owner will never outgrow!
================================================================================================================
Update: May 16, 2008
To improve shortwave reception at home or when traveling, I recommend the Sony AN-LP1 Active Antenna in addition to the Sangean ANT-60 mentioned above. The AN-LP1 is powered by two AA batteries, folds neatly, and fits into a convenient storage bag. While it is for indoor use only (it mounts in a window) or outdoor use only on days on which there is no wind blowing, it is an extremely useful addition to the owner's armamentarium.
If you wish to purchase one (it sells for about $115.00 including the shipping) there is an advantage and a disadvantage - and they are both the same! Currently this antenna is being sold ONLY by an eB@y dealer in Japan (just Google "Buyfromjapan" and then enter "AN-LP1" in his search box) -- but he is absolutely reliable and FAST - you'll have your antenna in less than a week by Express Mail - and he takes the usual major credit cards as well as PayPal.
I believe that using an AN-LP1 with an ICF-SW7600GR results in an almost "perfect" portable shortwave reception center.
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This Item  Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $84.98 | $79.98 | -40% $35.90 List: $59.90 | $329.98 | $243.90 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Volume control | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Sleep mode | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Electronnix | Electronnix | GagaBlue | Electronnix | VirVentures |
| power source | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Corded Electric |
| supported bands | 2-Band | AM/FM | AM/FM | AM/FM/SW | Dual Selectable | AM/FM/SW/LW/Air |
| connectivity tech | — | USB | USB | — | Wireless | Auxiliary |
| hardware interface | 3 5 mm audio | usb micro a | usb micro a | 3 5 mm audio | microsd, 3 5 mm audio, usb2.0 micro a | usb, 2 5 mm audio |
| display type | VFD | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD |
| power rating | — | 0.5 watts | 0.2 watts | 2 watts | 6 watts | — |
Reviews with images
A masterpiece by a great company.
In the darkest days in the history of my country , Sony was the only window for me to the free world through BBC and VOA.I never forget those nights with Sony ICF 7600...Now in this days with internet, I jast wanted to show my apriciate to a great company which inspired Stve Jobs and Apple in many ways.Thank you SONY!
Top reviews from other countries
Claude 94
A mon avis, la meilleure radio Sony.
Reviewed in France on March 26, 2016
