Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares a link to this Sony ICF-6000W he found on eBay:
The seller notes that the condition is “near mint” and the radio works perfectly both electronically and mechanically.
I absolutely love the design of this radio. When this was being produced (assuming sometime in the 1980s), Sony and Panasonic’s aesthetic smacked of utility, simplicity, and had a near military-grade feel. Ever function had a switch or knob.
Neither Dan nor I have ever seen this particular model before. If I had money to burn, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Sony radios of this era tended to have stellar AM/MW performance. I’d love to see how large the ferrite antenna inside might be.
Note that even though this radio may work perfectly–it’s obviously been very well taken care of–you would need to mentally allot funds to have it re-capped at some point soon (Vlado could do this, I’m sure). You wouldn’t want a leaky cap to damage the board or other components inside. With radios pushing 40 years old, you must plan to replace the capacitors.
The price is $399 US with a modest shipping fee. The seller has stellar ratings and there’s a 30 day return window .
Click here to check out this Sony ICF-6000W on eBay.
If you own or have owned an ICF-6000W, we’d love to hear your thoughts about its performance! Please comment!
It was manufactured from 1977 to…???
Was wondering if anyone can help me? I’m looking for a good shortwave reciever, used or new preferably $300 or less. AM/FM, PSB isn’t important, but would want all Ham Bands, and Short Wave capabilties. Would prefer Ebay retailer, or dealer. (Looking for some kind of warranty and to use Paypal). Any reputable brand. Any suggestions, ideas etc. are welcome.
Thanks , Jon
Check out the Tecsun PL-680 and see if it meets your needs…
Norway is calling with this great ICF6700W
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275168931353?
The caps are probably dried out so why bother with this receiver or any of a similar vintage ? Unless you collect radios for their looks or have the tools to maintain such old receivers then I just wouldn’t bother with this.
The eBay seller has quite a few other vintage Sony, Panasonic, and Sanyo radios for auction too, including two more ICF-6000 models. Someone’s clearly liquidating a very nice collection!
Beauty! I have an ICF-5500W which is a vertical version but I am sure not as good. It sounds great on FM though. One thing I wonder is that it has a ‘DC OUT jack?
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/154869793905?hash=item240ef58471:g:1aIAAOSwc4tiGUtl
“Public Service Band”. A catch all for two way radio. So I assume from somewhat above 148MHz (the top of the 2M ham band) to about 174MHz. Maybe slight variation in the range, so may e including the ham band, or slightly less spectrum.
So police, taxis, fire, the NOAA weather frequencies, the FM marine band at 162MHz.
it would be easy to align it to take in the amateur 2 meter band at the low end of the ‘PSB’ range (if it doesn’t already) by someone competent, to allow 2m repeaters and simplex FM transmissions to be heard. It can be interesting listening. There are not many transmissions to be heard nowadays in many places in its PSB band otherwise, apart from Marine VHF with other services gone to digital systems or mobile phones.
PSB ? What frequency coverage is that ?
Wow, I just broke a couple of Commandments.
Cheers, Jock
If you have basic soldering skills (or, even better, a kitchen table, work bench, etc) this should be totally DIY at home if this really was made in the 1980’s as most parts would still be thru-hole mount rather than surface mount.
That said, the main problem in 2022 is the shortage of everything electronic and I’ve read repeatedly that passive parts (RLC) are often harder to obtain than active ones!