{"id":48696,"date":"2021-04-30T08:10:49","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T12:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=48696"},"modified":"2021-04-30T08:11:57","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T12:11:57","slug":"are-there-any-tabletop-shortwave-receivers-currently-on-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/are-there-any-tabletop-shortwave-receivers-currently-on-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Are there any tabletop shortwave receivers currently on the market?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Peter, who asks:<\/p>\n

Two of the tabletop shortwave receivers recommended in the past are listed as discontinued by retailers. Do you have any current recommendations?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Great question, Peter. I’m guessing that you’re looking for a new tabletop communications receiver and I also assume you may be referring to the CommRadio CR-1a<\/a> and the Alinco DX-R8T<\/a>. Both of these have been discontinued by the manufacturer.<\/p>\n

Fewer options than in the past<\/h1>\n

To my knowledge, there are very few dedicated, stand-alone tabletop shortwave receivers currently on the market<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The ELAD FDM-DUOr<\/p><\/div>\n

One notable exception is the ELAD FDM-DUOr<\/strong> which is essentially a tabletop, stand-alone SDR. It is an excellent performer and I believe still available from ELAD for about $900 US<\/a>. The FDM-DUOr is currently the best option I know of under $1,000 US.<\/p>\n

There are still a handful of dedicated communications receivers on the market, but they tend to be wideband<\/em> receivers and carry a heavier price tag than legacy HF-only receivers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The new Icom IC-8600 at the 2017 Hamvention<\/p><\/div>\n

One example is the Icom IC-R8600<\/strong>. It’s a great HF radio–click here to read the review<\/a>–but it retails for around $2,200 US.<\/p>\n

In addition, AOR still offers a variety of wideband analog and digital communications receivers<\/a>, but again, the prices are all well over the $1,000 mark.<\/p>\n

What happened to tabletop receivers?<\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Icom IC-705<\/p><\/div>\n

In my opinion, two innovations pushed dedicated tabletop receivers off the market:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The proliferation of high-performance, affordable software defined radios<\/strong> like the AirSpy HF+ Discovery<\/a><\/strong> and SDRplay RSPdx<\/strong><\/a>. Both of these models retail for less than $200 US new and offer superb performance when coupled with even a modest PC, laptop, or tablet. In addition, those seeking benchmark SDR receiver hardware and performance will invest in higher-priced models like the new ELAD FDM-S3<\/a><\/strong>. Click here to read Part 1 of our SDR primer<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. General coverage ham radio transceivers<\/strong> now provide performance that’s on par or even better than legacy tabletop receivers. Many shortwave listeners now purchase transceivers and simply disable the transmit function so that they don’t accidentally inject RF power into the antenna. Transceivers lack some broadcast listener features like synchronous detection, but their single sideband performance often compensates for this, in my opinion. Some current (sub $1,000 US) favorites among SWLs include the Icom IC-7300<\/strong><\/a>, and the Yaesu FT-891<\/strong>.<\/a> I’m also a huge fan of the new Icom IC-705<\/strong> portable transceiver<\/a>, although its price point is closer to $1,300 US. Click here to read more about general coverage transceivers<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If SDRs and general coverage transceiver lack appeal, keep in mind that there are a multitude of legacy communications receivers on the used market.<\/p>\n

    I should add here that one Ohio-based manufacturer, Palstar<\/a>, has mentioned that they plan to produce the Palstar R30B<\/strong> tabletop shortwave receiver which would be the latest iteration of their R30 series. This announcement has been out there for some time, though, and I’m not sure when or if the R30B will ever come to fruition.<\/p>\n

    More options?<\/h1>\n

    \"\"<\/a>To keep the scope of the original question in check, I’m leaving out a number of other viable options like larger portable radios (the Sangean ATS-909X2<\/a><\/strong> and\/or the Tecsun H-501<\/strong><\/a> for example) and other inexpensive DSP receivers on eBay like those based on the\u00a0 Si4732<\/strong> chipset<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Have I missed something? Please comment if you know of other tabletop communications receivers currently on the market. Also, if you use a general coverage transceiver for SWLing, please share which make\/model you like in the comments section! Click here to comment.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Peter, who asks: Two of the tabletop shortwave receivers recommended in the past are listed as discontinued by retailers. Do you have any current recommendations? Great question, Peter. I’m guessing that you’re looking for a new tabletop communications receiver and I also assume you may be referring to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[3,43,154,158],"tags":[3276,25,4087,1628],"class_list":["post-48696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","category-shortwave-radio-reviews","category-software-defined-radio","tag-general-coverage-transceivers","tag-shortwave-radios","tag-software-defined-radio","tag-tabletop-receivers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-cFq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17628,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/the-icom-ic-r75-is-being-discontinued\/","url_meta":{"origin":48696,"position":0},"title":"The Icom IC-R75 is being discontinued","author":"Thomas","date":"March 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I've learned through a couple of sources that the Icom IC-R75--which has been a staple tabletop shortwave receiver for 16 years--is being\u00a0discontinued by Icom. Here's what Dave Zantow (N9EWO) announced on his website: \"Last Call\" ICOM IC-R75 Table Top HF Receiver : Yes, it's true and is not a misprint\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Icom-R-75","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Icom-R-75.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5458,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/commradio-is-introducing-the-cr-1-a-new-tabletop-shortwave-receiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":48696,"position":1},"title":"CommRadio is introducing the CR-1, a new tabletop shortwave receiver","author":"Thomas","date":"January 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"US-based CommRadio is introducing a new tabletop, SDR-based, shortwave receiver this year: the CR-1. Their website has a few specifications and the video I've embedded below. The CR-1 receives the full medium wave and shortwave spectrum (.5-30 MHz), plus some portions of VHF and UHF (FM broadcast band, Aircraft, Marine,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Manufacturers"","block_context":{"text":"Manufacturers","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/manufacturers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The CommRadio CR-1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/CR-1-300x131.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31326,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/catsync-a-new-tool-to-control-websdrs-with-your-tabletop-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":48696,"position":2},"title":"CATSync: A new tool to control WebSDRs with your tabletop radio","author":"Thomas","date":"March 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Southgate ARC) Introducing CATSync - The new CAT tool for WebSDRs Oscar, DJ0MY, has developed a new software tool for radio amateurs and SWLs. CATSync\u00a0allows the user to control public WebSDR receivers with a real rig connected via CAT. It supports the classical Web-SDR servers as well as the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/KiwiSDR-1024x623.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/KiwiSDR-1024x623.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/KiwiSDR-1024x623.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15953,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/the-swling-post-2015-2016-shortwave-radio-buyers-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":48696,"position":3},"title":"The SWLing Post 2015-2016 Shortwave Radio Buyer\u2019s Guide","author":"Thomas","date":"December 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This article originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine: Despite the often-expressed view that shortwave may be on the decline, if one were to look at this year\u2019s shortwave technology alone, the truth would seem to be anything but. Remarkably, 2015 has been a great\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FourRadiosAbstract2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/FourRadiosAbstract2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/FourRadiosAbstract2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/FourRadiosAbstract2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2700,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/shortwave-radio-index-now-has-tags-for-country-of-origin\/","url_meta":{"origin":48696,"position":4},"title":"Shortwave Radio Index now has tags for country of origin","author":"Thomas","date":"February 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Several readers have written to ask where various shortwave radios are\u00a0manufactured, and if there are models that are manufactured outside of China. By and large--with the exception of one Sony model--shortwave portables are manufactured in China, with a few possibly originating in nearby Taiwan and\u00a0Malaysia. \u00a0Chinese facilities certainly produce exceptional\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Shortwave Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Shortwave Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/shortwave-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/ztentec.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44564,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/covid-19-popular-yaesu-and-alinco-rigs-meet-early-demise\/","url_meta":{"origin":48696,"position":5},"title":"Covid-19: Popular Yaesu and Alinco rigs meet early demise","author":"Thomas","date":"July 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 No doubt, the Covid-19 global pandemic has had a mostly negative impact on our daily lives.\u00a0 Surprisingly, I found that the impact on the amateur radio world, at first, was quite minimal. Not only did sheltering at home seem to increase the number of operators on the air, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Yaesu-FT-450D-edited-1-e1596207207516.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Yaesu-FT-450D-edited-1-e1596207207516.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Yaesu-FT-450D-edited-1-e1596207207516.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Yaesu-FT-450D-edited-1-e1596207207516.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48696","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=48696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48696\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}