I had a nice phone chat with SWLing Post contributor and good friend Robert Gulley this week and discovered that, like me, he’s in the process of selling a few radios in his collection.
Robert is thinning his radio herd in order to help fund another hobby: photography. I’m minimizing my collection, on the other hand, to make room in my radio shack for a dedicated soldering station/work bench.
Other than units to evaluate and review for the Post, I’ve vowed not to acquire any more radios for the rest of this year. I’m trying to go “cold turkey” until January 1, 2019.
Turns out good ole Robert, of all people, is putting my prohibition to the test. I just found out he’s selling two radios I’ve kept in my search list.
One is the GE Super Radio II:
Robert is selling an excellent specimen. The Super Radio II is a choice model for AM DXers which is why I’ve kept an eye out for one. I’ve found a number of Super Radio I and III models locally, but not a II.
Another classic he’s selling is the RadioShack DX-440 (a.k.a. Sangean 803A):
If you’re a long-time reader of the Post you might recall that the ‘440 was my first digital portable. It was my travel companion when I lived in France during university, so I have a lot of nostalgia for this particular set. Of course, it had room-filling audio and great sensitivity and would operate for ages on batteries.
I’m going to try to look the other way, though. I hate to fall off the wagon so close to the end of the year!
Thanks a lot, Robert!!! (Ha ha!)
[If interested, here are links to Robert’s DX-440 and Super Radio II on eBay.]
Post readers: Do you have any particular radio models on your search list? Please comment!
I had both a SR II and a DX-440. The SR II is way overrated in my opinion, but I can never argue against picking up any radio that someone always wanted either to try out or just to have. I’ve done it many times! If nothing else, it’ll look great in the collection.
The ‘440 isn’t a bad radio at all, and the memories it’ll bring back would make it worth getting again.
I agree with a response above, get it and you won’t regret it.
I’m trying not to buy any more but it’s not easy, especially after trying a premium receiver like a Cubic. Really tempted to try a Racal, WJ, etc…
I’ve been selling lately, but acquiring a short list of radios as they come up for sale. Mostly they are radios I had as a kid. At this point I have re-acquired the ones I want except for finding a nice Sony ICF-6500W that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, and possibly a Mosely CM-1. I have a really nice DX-440 I picked up at a Ham Fest, and an RF-2200 that needs some TLC. I have 3 ICF-2010’s. two of which are for sale, and one (restored and updated by the great Rod Wallberg) that will be a keeper.
One radio that I’ve had on my watch for ages, looking for a cheap one to just try out was a RS DX-398. I finally got one a week ago and I’m glad I did. What a great radio. Thinking of sending it to RadioLabs and having the mods done.
As for the rest of the collection, I will be hopping HamFests with crates of radios for the next year or so.
This radio is a classic but it is user hostile when using the programmable memory to save settings I had to find a manual to learn how to do it. I am trying to find out how to disable the alarm clock function with jumpers (it comes on during inconvenient times). Here is something you can do when you get it.
https://swling.com/blog/2017/09/ed-gives-this-realistic-dx-440-a-bath/
Ed
I live in the Philippines as an expat… I get some decent stations like radio japan, but some of these stations heard over hear are nothing but new age crap – Radio Taiwan for one.. Australia radio stinks as well… When I was a kid I enjoyed a little controversial radio russia, but this Taiwan BS is even worse… However, I use a Yaesu FT 897d that Is just too complicated and bulky… If you have something decent at a good price that I can carry around, and want to send it over here, I would appreciate it… My first radio was a Halicrafters S-38 I bought with my grass cutting money from my other friend’s grandfather. My neighbor’s dad, Mr Lloyd, introduced me to SWL when I was about 8… He had a Mohican… I was never in the right place at the right time to get my hands on one. BTW – I love QRP
Unrelated to this topic but of interest to us HAMs. I hope Thomas posts this:
ARRL’s “Confidentiality vs. Transparency” Emergency: Rescue ARRL With Your Vote This Month!https://perens.com/static/ARRL/TransparencyOctober2018.html
Unfortunately the history of the League is cluttered with this sort of thing.
They have over the decades shown that they are primarily a New England
outfit and ” What’s good for the League is good for the hobby”.
In other words your money is welcome but not you or your opinion.
Their “accomplishments” include the Incentive License debacle
(which brought a caste system to the hobby and the quick end to
the Grand Old Radio Companies),loss of 220-222 mhz (it wasn’t
impotrant) and other things.
Two meter FM was called “CB” and in this century they set the
Whackers loose on us.
Now it’s New Speak and secrecy by the Inner Circle.
Hopefully this guy will be sucessful.
If not the League (now down to 20% of hams) will become a
part of history…right now a QST subscription,er, membership is
50 bucks per year.
The late Tom Kneitel once observed the ARRL had a long history and
that’s what it should be…history.
I’d buy the radios if I were you, nothing worse than the regret suffered by not! How often have you heard, “oh I wish I bought that radio when I had the chance !”? No point going “cold turkey” grasp the opportunity with both hands and enjoy the radios!
BTW, I have the Superradio 1, 2 & 3 and find the 1 the best. I also have 3 803A’s and a 440 and they are nice radios especially if connected to an external antenna.
I’m currently renewing my interest in the Sony ICF-2001, excellent performance despite the heavier than usual battery useage.
Get yhose radios! Lol
Cheers from Australia. ……… Phil
Now that I’ve gone SDR, my two Sony 2010s and Yaesu FRG100 no longer get any use. I’d save one 2010 for emergency purposes. I also have a SuperRadio II that’s worth keeping.
I currently have a couple ‘440’s (one good, one busted) that take the place of my original radio, and my first good one after getting back into SWL, the Ambassador 2020. The 2020 was just a re-badged ‘803a that came out before Sangean started selling its own products in the states, and long before Radio Shack started selling it as the ‘440. IIRC, the ‘2020 was sold by EEB. They’D been running ads in Jeff White’s “Radio Earth” program on Radio Clarin. Back then, the line on the radio is that the radio was a reworked version of the Sony ‘2001 (2010? I get ’em mixed up) and had equal performance. In hindsight, great performance yes, but not related in any way to the Sony…
I gave the radio away almost 20 years ago. I’ve since been looking for another one, but the ‘440 is all I’ve found (not even a Sangean model), so a ‘440 it is for the collection for the moment…
Replying to myself! Now that I think about it, it wasn’t Radio Earth, ’cause I listened to that several years before on a Sony ‘6500W. I think I may have heard about it on WRNO “the rock of the world.” Or somewhere else. My brain is rusting away…