Author Archives: Thomas

Hackaday recounts an “An Unlikely Radio Story”

Brittle ribbon cables: James cautions Sony ICF-2001D and ICF-2010 owners

Regarding the Sony ICF-2001D (or ICF-2010 in North America), SWLing Post contributor James Patterson writes:

I have a comment on the Sony ICF-2010. In New Zealand it is called the ICF-2001D, as labeled on it.

I bought the ICF 2001D at a sale. Brought it home and it seemed to perform almost perfectly on all bands. In fact I was very suprised on how well it worked. Audio was excellent, sensitivity was great, even the Air Band received very well. But I’m a very keen SSB DXer, meaning I monitor the Single Side Band [SSB] utility stations like HFAir, Marine, military, etc. so I needed to check the SSB in the radio.

[O]n official frequencies like 8.86700 HF AIR, it was well off, and came up readable around 8.86500, even with the tuning speed mode set to “slow”. So I then decided that with the age of the radio, over time it has drifted off zero beat, so I would need to re-align the BFO/SYNC coil.

I looked up on the internet at the signal board, and located the correct coil. Having the batteries out of the radio, I plugged in the DC power supply and retuned that coil and got the speech correct at 8.86700. I also checked the universal time signal on both USB and LSB and it was “Bang on”.

I was very pleased with myself, meaning I now had a Sony ICF-2001D working in perfect condition.

But just then the radio went dead. At this stage I still had the board lifted up, as I had just finished the realignment. I could not understand, after all my work, what had happened. So having a good look at the wires and the board, to my most disappointed dismay, I noticed one of two ribbon cables–Sony called it a “Flexible circuit board” had snapped right across and come apart.

There are two ribbon cables on the board. This was the short one. So,with the slightest lift of the board, this one snapped. I then felt the cable and noticed how frail it was with a piece just falling off. The ribbon cable as I call it, had become most fragile with age and probably heat from the sun(?) over the years the previous owner had it.

So all of a sudden I found I had a ICF-2001D no more. I looked at the other board, the CPU board underneath and noticed that ribbon cable was joined to the other ribbon cable side by side to become one cable, and spot soldered onto the board. Also on shifting the CPU board to view underneath it, the selective speed plastic slide switch snapped off.

Note broken ribbon cable and broken switch.

[B]y now, I was in a state of complete disarray to say the least. Never was I going to have the ICF-2001D operational again.

So guys, be most careful if you ever need to do any repairs or realignment of that radio–remember the ribbon cables become very fragile and will just snap right across as mine did with the slightest lift of the board. I wish I had known this, and I would have taken the cable out of it’s socket first,then when finished, plugged it back in, and radio would still be working. But to realign it, the cable would need to be connected anyway. So I hope this does not happen to anyone else, especially if you don’t have spare parts, as I don’t have.

So Im keeping this one for parts now,and hopeing to replace it with either another 2001D or its older brother ICF 2001. I do have a small collection of vintage portable short wave radios; they all have SSB, and all work very well. Most have the varible BFO control knob and that seems to suit me better, rather than a radio with tuning steps and needing to perhaps realign it. I think the ICF-2001D is very similar to my ICF-SW7600G with only a few memories and no tuning knob. I think the older ICF-2001D would still be my radio of choice though.

Showing the slide switch that snapped off the CPU board when trying to bend it slightly to get access to the board.This pic shows a small hole where the plastic tip of the switch was.The switch is unsoldered off the board.

Showing soldered open ends of the computer cable.

In this photo I have tried to replace the ribbon cable with an old Computer ribbon cable,but that job failed because the board underneath has the ribbon cable spot soldered on.There are two ribbon cables both joined side by side to become one.So the idea of replaceing the broken ribbon cable would disturb the other having to cut it away from it.

The best shortwave radio for cross-continent cycling?

22 Replies

SWLing Post reader, Pat, is an avid cyclist and is seeking a radio for his next cross-continent adventure. There are a limited number of products on the market that meet Pat’s requirements, so I thought posting his inquiry might bring a few options out of the woodwork. Check out Pat’s requirements and please comment if you have a suggestion!

Pat writes:

I’m a professional ski coach from Colorado. When I’m not on skis, I like to get on my bicycle and go explore the world. I’ve ridden across the USA a few times, covering all 48 states in the Continental US. A couple of years ago I got my 49th state when I rode from Alaska back home to Colorado.

Next year I plan to ride to Argentina, a journey of 12,000 miles over six months.

One of the things that keeps me sane is to have a radio strapped to the handlebars of my bike. I used to have a cheap AM/FM transistor, but have slowly improved the choice of radios on each trip.

During my Alaska ride I used a Degen DE1123, which was a great item. Not a great radio, but having an mp3 player built in made a world of difference. There were some mighty long distances without radio signal, so having the mp3 was great. But like I said, the 1123 wasn’t the most user-friendly item. Plus, it ate up AA batteries, which were pricey in the Yukon. So I upgraded to the Degen DE1125. Certainly an improvement, but still some things that could be improved. [See photo above.]

For my Argentina trip I want to have something really good; something that works well and will hopefully last six months. Also, I really like the idea of having a radio with a mini SD slot. I’ll have to download a lot of music and podcasts to keep me happy.

Someone suggested the Melson S8. I purchased one and it is a great unit, but way too big to fit on the handlebars.

You obviously have experience with many different portables and I was wondering if you could give me your suggestions. Maybe something from Degen, ShouYu, Tecsun?

Things that are important:

Ease of use (I’ll be using the controls while pedaling)

Weight (smaller and lighter is better)

Durability

Mini SD capability

Radio reception

AM, FM and SW capability

Li-ion batteries

Not overly important:

Ability to scroll through songs/find songs

Sound quality (I’ll have wind in my ears anyway)

Things that are not important:

Recording ability (I don’t foresee recording anything along the way)

Looks

Cost (I don’t want to spend $150 on a CC Crane, as the radio may get broken or stolen, but I’m willing to spend some money on a quality product if available).

[…]I’d love to select the best option for this silly ride I’m taking next summer and will happily take any advice.

A cycling trip to Argentina? Nothing silly about that, Pat! What an adventure!

Shortwave radios with MicroSD slots are somewhat limited in numbers, but more and more models have appeared on the market in the past few years.

Readers: can you help Pat with some suggestions/options? Please comment!

Dave’s Sproutie SPT Beacon

James’ restored Sony ICF-5800H

9 Replies

SWLing Post contributor, James Patterson, has recently restored a Sony ICF-5800H. James sent me a few photos and I decided to post them here.

I absolutely love the design of Japanese analog radios from this era. They have signal meters, large backlit dials, carry straps, and proper large controls–buttons, switches and knobs–that can even be operated when wearing gloves in the winter.

Great receiver you have there, James!

CountyComm promotion includes free custom padded case with GP5/SSB

3 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who writes:

http://www.countycomm.com/gp5ssb.html

Buy a GP5 from CountyComm this week and get the 17 buck custom carry case for free.

Thanks, for sharing this, Ron. I actually have this GP5 case–it houses the GP5/SSB in my Spec Ops Brand THE pack. It’s a custom, quality case that’s actually made here in the US.

If you’ve been thinking about buying a CountyComm GP5/SSB, it might be time to pull the trigger!

Click here to read my review of the GP5/SSB.

eBay: Mario considers the Time Out Radio Bench

3 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi (N2HUN), who writes:

Hi Thomas,

For hams and SWLs that have a lot of clutter, a great idea, reminds me of a foot stool that has been re-purposed for radio buffs. Nice idea, good price, free shipping, what’s not to like? My spending finger’s getting itchy hi hi.

Click here to view on eBay.

I’m with you, Mario: this is not a bad price for a useful and portable shelf that is even made here in the USA (Kentucky). I could see using one on Field Day where horizontal space is often limited on club tables.

It appears that the seller (a ham: Ron, KK4RON) purchased a large number of these in a deal. He writes this in the product description:

These benches are great for setting up a compact ham station or use 3 for a surround set up , They also stack nicely if you only have a narrow space available. Go UP rather than out.

These are very sturdy and well made in the USA by a factory in Kentucky , the surface is a very durable and easy clean kitchen cabinet material (Formica) on 3/4″ wood so screwing on mounting brackets and mike holders and such is very easy

These were intended to sell for $49.95 but the company that ordered them went out of business before they had payed the factory so the factory got stuck with literally thousands of these finished and ready for sale.

We were able to acquire there entire inventory including boxes and packaging at a fantastic price but that is also why we are limited to 8 colors and 2 top colors. But these are very well built from a factory (not home made) and just perfect for mounting several radios to and cleaning up your bench.

Again, many thanks, Mario, for sharing this find (and perhaps it’s time to get yourself an early Christmas gift?)!