Many thanks to Dave Zantow (N9EWO) who relays this info regarding the new NRD-383 via Takahito Akabayashi:
[The JRC] NRD-383 is sold by “Defense Systems Sale Division” of JRC, so this SDR receiver is especially for military use.
The price is more than $50,000 [each].
Recent JRC products [have] nothing to do with amateurs.
Takahito Akabayashi
Tokyo, Japan
OK, I think I can safely remove the NRD-383 from my wish list. At $50,000 each, this is indeed a receiver intended for government and commercial use.
Wait till you can buy them surplus.
Few could have afforded Collins R388s or R390s when new, but quite a few individuals were able to own them later.
I recently saw some photos of someone’s collection of Drake high end receivers, that came out in the early seventies. They were expensive then, and we likely only knew about them because someone decided to write about such high end receivers. They were synthesized and digital readouts, when few receivers had such features. Even could receive ISB. But, eventually they became available, and at a price where someone could own more than one.
I bought a used WRTH a few months ago, maybe a decade old, and it had some comments on solid state Racial receivers I’d never heard of, again really expensive when new, now somewhat affordable.
So there’s always hope, as long as someone buys enough of these receivers in the first place.
Michael