{"id":17310,"date":"2016-02-12T11:49:25","date_gmt":"2016-02-12T15:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=17310"},"modified":"2016-02-12T11:49:25","modified_gmt":"2016-02-12T15:49:25","slug":"auction-score-a-sony-icf-sw55","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/auction-score-a-sony-icf-sw55\/","title":{"rendered":"Auction Score: a Sony ICF-SW55"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Goodwill-listing.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17336\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17336\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Goodwill-listing.jpg\" alt=\"Goodwill-listing\" width=\"838\" height=\"461\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Goodwill-listing.jpg 838w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Goodwill-listing-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Goodwill-listing-768x422.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Goodwill-listing-500x275.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 838px) 100vw, 838px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regular <em>SWLing Post<\/em> readers know that I&#8217;m a sucker for classic solid-state portables and vintage tube radios.<\/p>\n<p>What many of you may <em>not<\/em> know, however, is that I&#8217;m not a fan of auction-style bidding for radios. Those who are familiar with it will recognize the\u00a0story: it begins on an optimistic note, when I find something I&#8217;m enthusiastic about. \u00a0Then the bidding war begins, and invariably, the price quickly ratchets upwards to far\u00a0beyond my comfort zone. \u00a0It&#8217;s only then I find I&#8217;ve wasted my time on the entire process, and my hopes are dashed. \u00a0So it&#8217;s not a purchasing method I relish.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, despite\u00a0all of the radio gear I&#8217;ve purchased over the years, I&#8217;ve only bid for a radio\u00a0in an online auction perhaps\u00a0three or four times.<\/p>\n<p>But a couple of weeks ago, my buddy David Korchin (K2WNW)\u2013\u2013who has a knack for finding deals on radios, and often\u00a0alerts\u00a0me to them\u2013\u2013mentioned that he was bidding on a Sony ICF-SW55.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17335\" style=\"width: 422px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Front.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17335\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17335\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Front.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of the ICF-SW55 from auction listing.\" width=\"412\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Front.jpg 412w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Front-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 412px) 100vw, 412px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-17335\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo of the ICF-SW55 from auction listing.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>David wasn&#8217;t bidding on the popular online auction <a href=\"http:\/\/ebay.com\" target=\"_blank\">eBay<\/a>\u2013\u2013rather, he&#8217;d found this deal on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/ShopGoodwill.com\" target=\"_blank\">ShopGoodwill.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>A note about ShopGoodwill.com<\/h2>\n<h2><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-ScreenShot.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17313\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17313\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-ScreenShot.jpg\" alt=\"ShopGoodwill-ScreenShot\" width=\"800\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-ScreenShot.jpg 800w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-ScreenShot-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-ScreenShot-768x416.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-ScreenShot-500x271.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>In case you haven&#8217;t heard, <a href=\"http:\/\/ShopGoodwill.com\" target=\"_blank\">ShopGoodwill.com<\/a> is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodwill.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Goodwill Industries International&#8217;s<\/a>\u00a0online auction site. \u00a0Goodwill employees select\u00a0exceptional donations,\u00a0items they feel are worth more than typical Goodwill retail prices,\u00a0and post them there for online auction.<\/p>\n<p>I believe it was <a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/tag\/mario-filippi-n2hun\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Mario Filippi<\/a>, who first introduced me to ShopGoodwill.<\/p>\n<p>The cool thing about ShopGoodwill is that it&#8217;s <em>not<\/em> as popular as, for example,\u00a0eBay. Thus a bidder has\u00a0a better chance of\u00a0finding a good deal,\u00a0with the added benefit that\u00a0less enthusiasts will be hiking\u00a0up the price with\u00a0rapid bidding.<\/p>\n<p>There are issues with ShopGoodwill.com, though, some of which are very off-putting:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Items are often poorly described, thus:\n<ul>\n<li>searching through the\u00a0collection can be rather difficult<\/li>\n<li>you often can&#8217;t trust these condition descriptions, as they&#8217;re written\u00a0by someone who is clearly\u00a0<em>not<\/em> an expert<\/li>\n<li>Photos are sometimes of low quality, low resolution, and rarely offer\u00a0enough detail for an informed decision<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Buyer beware: nearly all items are sold &#8220;as-is,&#8221; and are untested<\/li>\n<li>No returns on most items<\/li>\n<li>No real seller feedback: if you&#8217;re frustrated with a Goodwill shop, you have no real\u00a0recourse other than complaint<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, in summary: unless\u00a0otherwise specified in the\u00a0listing, you must\u00a0assume that<em> any item offered for auction on this site\u00a0doesn&#8217;t function and may be in poor cosmetic condition as well<\/em>. After all, these are donated items.<\/p>\n<p>With that said, even though the risk is higher than on eBay&#8211;where\u00a0sellers are rewarded with positive feedback and endeavor to fully describe merchandise\u2013\u2013some good deals are occasionally to be found on ShopGoodwill!<\/p>\n<h2>Now back to my story&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>The Sony ICF-SW55 listing that David found on ShopGoodwill.com kept a steady bid of $28 until the day before the auction&#8217;s end, when it increased to $48 US.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s likely that this listing would have seen\u00a0more active bidding if the description were\u00a0better\u2013\u2013it\u00a0didn&#8217;t even provide\u00a0the model number, and\u00a0was listed as &#8220;Sony Worldband Portable Receiver.&#8221; Moreover, the\u00a0feature\u00a0photo for the listing was of the radio&#8217;s <em>case,<\/em>\u00a0not the radio itself (see below), yet another reason the listing got so little attention. But David, being the deal hound he is,\u00a0found it!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17334\" style=\"width: 415px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Case.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17334\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17334\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Case.jpg\" alt=\"The feature photo.\" width=\"405\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Case.jpg 405w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-Case-300x204.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-17334\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The feature photo.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I encouraged David to really go for it, saying that this could be an excellent opportunity to snag one of these classic portables for a good price. And if it didn&#8217;t work, there would be a good\u00a0chance<a href=\"http:\/\/hamradio.repair\" target=\"_blank\"> Vlado could fix it for a fair price<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The morning the auction concluded, David messaged me that he&#8217;d decided to pull out of the bidding. He found something else he wanted to\u00a0snag, so he encouraged me to take the baton and bid on the ICF-SW55, myself.<\/p>\n<p>I read the vague description&#8230;then took a deep breath, and decided to go for\u00a0it!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Listing-Description.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17365\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17365\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Listing-Description.jpg\" alt=\"Sony-ICF-SW55-Listing-Description\" width=\"760\" height=\"839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Listing-Description.jpg 760w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Listing-Description-272x300.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Again, I&#8217;m not adept\u00a0at bidding, but at least I have a method that has worked for me in the past. My simple rules:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Only bid once.<\/li>\n<li>Wait until the last few seconds, then offer\u00a0my\u00a0highest comfortable bid.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Final bidding,\u00a0blow-by-blow<\/h2>\n<p>Here&#8217;s how the final moments of the auction played out:<\/p>\n<p>I waited until one minute before auction end. I decided I would go as high as $120\u2013\u2013a little rich for my modest budget, considering this\u00a0could amount to a parts radio, but it was late in the day and I admit I wasn&#8217;t thinking clearly.<\/p>\n<p>Then, at thirty\u00a0seconds before auction&#8217;s end, the ShopGoodwill.com site simply\u00a0stopped responding\u2013\u2013!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Error-Chrome.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17364\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17364\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Error-Chrome.jpg\" alt=\"Error-Chrome\" width=\"794\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Error-Chrome.jpg 794w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Error-Chrome-300x85.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Error-Chrome-768x219.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Error-Chrome-500x142.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>No, it wasn&#8217;t my dubious Internet connection this time\u2013\u2013their site was having problems\u00a0loading.<\/p>\n<p>I\u00a0<em>finally<\/em>\u00a0got the auction screen to pop back up ten\u00a0seconds before auction&#8217;s end. I quickly attempted to place my bid: the web page churned&#8230;and churned&#8230;and churned.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, up popped the review screen at literally the last breath of a second. I clicked &#8220;confirm\/submit&#8221; (thank you,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/lastpass.com\" target=\"_blank\">LastPass<\/a>, for filling in my password immediately) and <strong><em>just<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0managed\u00a0to record the bid!<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m certain that my bid was received within the last second. I had the countdown clock running on my Android phone so I&#8217;d know when the auction&#8217;s end was coming up. Unlike eBay, there is no dynamic counter on ShopGoodwill: you <em>must<\/em> refresh the page to see the time remaining. The Android countdown was set to end three\u00a0seconds before the actual end of auction. When I confirmed the bid, it read &#8220;-3 seconds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Goodwill site was having so many problems, that it took it two\u00a0full minutes before I could get the auction screen to refresh after it accepted\u00a0my bid\u2013\u2013it was still stuck on the screen that confirmed my bid was recorded and that I was\u2013\u2013for the moment, anyhow\u2013\u2013the highest bidder.<\/p>\n<p>When the page finally loaded, I saw that I had, by the skin of my teeth, snagged the SW55, and for a mere $53.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-WinningBid.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17366\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17366\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-WinningBid.jpg\" alt=\"ShopGoodwill-WinningBid\" width=\"673\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-WinningBid.jpg 673w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-WinningBid-300x104.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ShopGoodwill-WinningBid-500x173.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 673px) 100vw, 673px\" \/><\/a>That is\u00a0one of the\u00a0lowest prices I&#8217;ve ever seen one of these units go for in an online auction, even when listed as a &#8220;parts-only&#8221; radio.<\/em> \u00a0Needless to say, I was exhilarated! \u00a0My heart pounded.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m certain\u00a0that the problem with the Goodwill site helped me win the auction. There were multiple bidders, and I think mine just happened to trigger a bid, leaving the competition no way to outbid me in the last 1\/10 of a second. \u00a0This wasn&#8217;t bidding skill. \u00a0And it surely wasn&#8217;t a fat wallet. \u00a0Frankly, I was just lucky.<\/p>\n<p>I was thrilled\u00a0to have won the radio at such a relatively low price, but the relief afterward\u00a0reminded me why I don&#8217;t like auctions like this. I definitely prefer a more straightforward, less exciting (and less anxiety-producing),\u00a0approach to making purchases.<\/p>\n<h2>Good news comes in small packages<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Front.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17346\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17346\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Front.jpg\" alt=\"Sony-ICF-SW55-Front\" width=\"850\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Front.jpg 850w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Front-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Front-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Front-500x281.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Goodwill can be relatively slow to ship. \u00a0It took about two weeks, but on Monday, I received the package from Goodwill in California. \u00a0The rig, save a little dust, looked fine. \u00a0But&#8230;how would it function?<\/p>\n<p>I put in some freshly-charged Enloop AA batteries and turned it on.<\/p>\n<p>Much to my surprise, the rig turned on&#8230;I rapidly tested all the functions. Again, I couldn&#8217;t believe my luck: <strong><em>it functions perfectly!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Right-Side.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17341\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17341\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Right-Side.jpg\" alt=\"Sony-ICF-SW55-Right Side\" width=\"850\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Right-Side.jpg 850w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Right-Side-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Right-Side-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Right-Side-500x281.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <em>only<\/em> feature in need attention is the DX\/Normal\/Local switch, which makes the rig\u00a0sound a bit scratchy when I change positions\u2013\u2013an\u00a0easy fix, however, with the aid of a little DeOxit.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-back.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17345\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17345\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-back.jpg\" alt=\"Sony-ICF-SW55-back\" width=\"850\" height=\"463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-back.jpg 850w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-back-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-back-768x418.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-back-500x272.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This auction had a happy ending: I got a radio I&#8217;ve always wanted for a price I could swing, I didn&#8217;t need\u00a0my friend\u00a0Vlado to come to my\u00a0rescue (though I&#8217;ve no doubt he would have), and best of all, I find I <em>absolutely love<\/em> the ICF-SW55.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-3.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17344\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17344\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-3.jpg\" alt=\"Sony-ICF-SW55-3\" width=\"478\" height=\"850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-3.jpg 478w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-3-169x300.jpg 169w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned&#8230;A review of the classic SW55 is in the works, and will be here on the <em>SWLing Post<\/em> in the coming weeks!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-1.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-17342\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17342\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-1.jpg\" alt=\"Sony-ICF-SW55-1\" width=\"478\" height=\"850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-1.jpg 478w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Sony-ICF-SW55-1-169x300.jpg 169w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Regular SWLing Post readers know that I&#8217;m a sucker for classic solid-state portables and vintage tube radios. What many of you may not know, however, is that I&#8217;m not a fan of auction-style bidding for radios. Those who are familiar with it will recognize the\u00a0story: it begins on an optimistic note, when I find something [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4138,627,3,3196,26,43],"tags":[2264,2263,331,4749,4327,4750,4748,495,4326],"class_list":["post-17310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deals","category-how-to","category-news","category-portable-radio","category-radios","category-shortwave-radio","tag-david-korchin","tag-david-korchin-kc2wnw","tag-ebay","tag-goodwill","tag-icf-sw55","tag-online-auctions","tag-shopgoodwill","tag-sony","tag-sony-icf-sw55"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-4vc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23238,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/oxford-shortwave-log-sony-icf-sw77-vs-icf-sw55-vs-tecsun-pl-310et\/","url_meta":{"origin":17310,"position":0},"title":"Oxford Shortwave Log: Sony ICF-SW77 vs ICF-SW55 vs Tecsun PL-310ET","author":"Clint Gouveia","date":"January 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi there, I recently posted an article regarding a couple of recent DX catches with the Sony ICF-SW77 receiver and went on to explain the background to a multi-receiver test I had started conducting, comparing it with its stablemate of the time the ICF-SW55 and, just for the hell of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/sw77b-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19369,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/the-sony-icf-sw55-and-the-voice-of-greece-a-wonderful-travel-combo\/","url_meta":{"origin":17310,"position":1},"title":"The Sony ICF-SW55 and the Voice of Greece: a wonderful travel combo","author":"Thomas","date":"June 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm currently in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr\u00e9, Qu\u00e9bec (Canada) and having a brilliant\u00a0time. I've been sans Internet for the better part of a week (save a little online time at\u00a0local caf\u00e9s) which is why I'm quite far behind on correspondence. The lack of Internet, though, has a positive side: it has given me\u00a0uninterrupted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sony-ICF-SW55-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Sony-ICF-SW55-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Sony-ICF-SW55-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Sony-ICF-SW55-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Sony-ICF-SW55-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16505,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/james-put-his-ailing-sony-icf-sw55-on-ice-literally\/","url_meta":{"origin":17310,"position":2},"title":"James put his ailing Sony ICF-SW55 on ice. Literally.","author":"Thomas","date":"January 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, James Patterson, who writes: I have owned the Sony ICF-SW55 for around 15 years or more. I like to change my listening pleasure from radio to radio, giving each one a rest, as they are all different to a degree.\u00a0So I put the SW55\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"sony-icf-sw55c","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sony-icf-sw55c.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sony-icf-sw55c.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sony-icf-sw55c.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/sony-icf-sw55c.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15184,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/mini-dxpedition-oxford-shortwave-log-and-the-sony-icf-sw55\/","url_meta":{"origin":17310,"position":3},"title":"Mini DXpedition: Oxford Shortwave Log and the Sony ICF-SW55","author":"Thomas","date":"October 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post reader, \"Oxford Shortwave Log\" recently noted the following on our Facebook page: \"Hi there, I received some very nice feedback regarding almost perfect reception of Radio Australia during a mini DX-pedition into the Oxfordshire countryside and thought I would share it.\" https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-b8bKEA2Wck \"I use a (now vintage I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sony-ICF-SW55","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sony-ICF-SW55.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sony-ICF-SW55.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Sony-ICF-SW55.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23130,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/sony-icf-sw77-recent-dx-comparing-performance-with-the-icf-sw55-tecsun-pl-310et\/","url_meta":{"origin":17310,"position":4},"title":"Sony ICF-SW77: recent DX &amp; comparing performance with the ICF-SW55 &amp; Tecsun PL-310ET","author":"Clint Gouveia","date":"January 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of you might remember the extensive tests I conducted last August, comparing this great portable receiver against the model it was introduced to replace - and arguably one of the best-ever portables - the Sony ICF-2001D\/ICF-2010.\u00a0I conducted\u00a0a back-to-back series of comparison tests at the very quiet wood in Oxfordshire\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/sony-icf-sw77.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/sony-icf-sw77.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/sony-icf-sw77.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/sony-icf-sw77.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/sony-icf-sw77.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19615,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/catch-the-2016-bbc-antarctic-midwinter-broadcast\/","url_meta":{"origin":17310,"position":5},"title":"Catch the 2016 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast?","author":"Thomas","date":"June 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Only a couple of hours ago, I packed up the\u00a0Sony ICF-SW55 and CC Skywave\u00a0portables in\u00a0search of a quite spot to listen to\u00a0the BBC World Service\u00a0Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast. I'm currently traveling in Canada and staying in a condo--the RFI in this building couldn't be much worse. There was no way I'd\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sony-ICF-SW55-Midwinter-Antarctica","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Sony-ICF-SW55-Midwinter-Antarctica.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17310\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}