{"id":58375,"date":"2023-12-07T07:45:28","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T11:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=58375"},"modified":"2023-12-07T07:45:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T11:45:28","slug":"the-sony-icf-8000-bobs-nostalgic-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/the-sony-icf-8000-bobs-nostalgic-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sony ICF-8000: Bob’s nostalgic journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Bob Butterfield, who shares the following guest post:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The SONY ICF-8000<\/b><\/h1>\n

By Bob Butterfield<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As many radio enthusiasts have experienced there are some pieces of equipment that come and go for a variety of reasons.\u00a0 Many times, there are regrets about radios or accessories that are here one day and then gone another.\u00a0 Years ago, I was gifted a Sony ICF-8000 \u201cSuper Sensitive\u201d FM\/MW\/SW portable radio.\u00a0 My ICF-8000 was one of those that \u201cwent.\u201d\u00a0 To tell you the truth, I am not actually sure where it went off to!\u00a0 In those days I used my \u201cSuper Sensitive\u201d radio on vacation trips, on the back deck, and for local MW\/FM and casual SW listening.\u00a0 When a new position with the Government necessitated relocation, I left this radio behind at my parents\u2019 house where it was regularly used by my mother in the kitchen.\u00a0 That is when things get fuzzy.\u00a0 Suffice it to say that I am not sure what happened to it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As far as I can determine, the Sony ICF-8000 is a close relative of the earlier Sony TFM-8000W, another \u201cSuper Sensitive\u201d model.\u00a0 What sets them apart is that the Sony TFM-8000W has the Public Service Band (PSB) and the Sony ICF-8000 does not.\u00a0 The ICF-8000 has its SW bands spread out into 4 bands: 1.6 to 3.5, 3.5-7, 7-14, and 14-26.1 MHz.\u00a0 In contrast the TFM-8000W has a slightly shorter SW frequency range split into three bands: 1.6-4, 4-10, and 10-22 MHz.\u00a0 Both radios have continuous coverage with no gaps from MW to SW as well as FM.\u00a0 These radios are almost identical in appearance.\u00a0 Other than the PSB and three SW bands on the TFM-8000W, the only other visual differences from the ICF-8000 are how the bands are arranged, identification of the Public Service Band on the face plate, and the addition of an on\/off squelch toggle switch for the PSB.\u00a0 Internally the TFM-8000W has a couple more semi-conductors.\u00a0 In line with these two radios is the older Sony TFM-1600W \u201cSuper Sensitive\u201d which came out circa 1971, has its own distinctive but similar appearance, and is set up like the ICF-8000 with FM\/MW\/SW.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A while ago the \u201cI used to have that radio nostalgia bug\u201d hit me, and I have been searching since for a decent ICF-8000 to purchase.\u00a0 Sony TFM-8000Ws in decent shape are up for sale on eBay on occasion, but I was looking for the ICF-8000. \u00a0 Finally, I spotted one recently (which was listed as a TFM-8000W!) at a price and condition I was comfortable with.\u00a0 After negotiation with the seller, I purchased it. \u00a0 There is some useful information on the Web about the Sony TFM-8000W.\u00a0 Jay Allen has a good piece on this unit<\/a> worth checking out.\u00a0 The Sony ICF-8000 appears to be much harder to find, information on the Web is skimpier, and I am not sure how long they were produced.\u00a0 It is quite possible that its production run was limited.\u00a0 Manufacturing likely started in 1976<\/a>\u00a0when it probably replaced the Sony TFM-8000W.\u00a0 One reference I located on the Web listed the ICF-8000 being made as early as 1974 but provided no source. \u00a0 I also found evidence of at least two versions of ICF-8000s being produced; one with a switch located in the battery compartment allowing multiple different voltages including that for Japan, and one operating on 120 volts only.\u00a0 The corresponding model number identification panels on the rear are annotated accordingly with voltages available.\u00a0 Both versions have \u201cFM\/AM Multiband Receiver\u201d lettering on the face plate. \u00a0 Sony, like Panasonic, often tweaked models for domestic and foreign markets, adding or modifying features to fit those markets accordingly.\u00a0 If anyone has more information on these models, year(s) manufactured, availability of free manual copies, etc., drop them in the comments section.<\/p>\n

The Sony ICF-8000 I purchased was in very good shape having just some minor imperfections showing on the faceplate paint. No cleaning was necessary, nevertheless I gave it one.\u00a0 All switches were quiet and functioned as they should.\u00a0 A nice feature of the ICF-8000 is its exceptionally smooth tuning mechanism which utilizes a flywheel.\u00a0 In addition, on my radio, the tuning scale is practically spot-on on all the bands.\u00a0 Not usually the case in an analog set of this type forty-five plus years old.\u00a0 When added to the fact that the SW frequencies are spread out in four bands instead of three, tuning is easy.\u00a0 The presence of a fine-tuning knob is a nice touch and can be useful.\u00a0 Also available is a tone control knob, signal\/battery strength meter, a lighted dial, AC\/DC capability, external antenna connection, world time calculator wheel (at the rear on the battery compartment cover), and a dual FM AFC and AM Broad\/Sharp bandwith control.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Nostalgia aside, the Sony ICF-8000 has provided reliable performance on all bands so far.\u00a0 MW sensitivity is adequate while SW reception is above average using the built-in telescoping antenna which measures 44 inches (111.75 cm) in length.\u00a0 I did a limited shortwave reception comparison in the 49-meter band between the ICF-8000 and the Panasonic RF-2600 with its 37 inch (94 cm) built-in telescoping antenna and found the Sony performing equally with the Panasonic; at times even better perhaps due to its longer antenna.\u00a0 When connected to an external 75-foot (22.86 meters) longwire I found the ICF-8000 shortwave reception to be particularly good.\u00a0 I did not experience any overloading, nor did I encounter multiple images.\u00a0 The sound was, as others have attributed to the TFM-8000W, \u201cmellow\u201d.\u00a0 If this is not to your liking on the shortwave bands the tone adjustment is useful. \u00a0 Noise levels were well tolerated.\u00a0 I suspect that the Sony TFM-8000W would perform similarly.<\/p>\n

Is the Sony ICF-8000 a fantastic DX machine?\u00a0 No, it is not.\u00a0 Is it \u201csuper sensitive\u201d?\u00a0 Maybe not \u201csuper,\u201d but definitely above average, and surely sensitive enough for general listening.\u00a0 Is it an attractive, affordable classic, easy to use, and sturdy radio with decent performance that can hold up through the years? \u00a0 I think so.\u00a0 Does it bring back fond memories?\u00a0 Absolutely!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Butterfield, who shares the following guest post: The SONY ICF-8000 By Bob Butterfield As many radio enthusiasts have experienced there are some pieces of equipment that come and go for a variety of reasons.\u00a0 Many times, there are regrets about radios or accessories that are here one day […]<\/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":[3194,3,305,43,4796],"tags":[9801,4342,4094,1302,10387,681],"class_list":["post-58375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-posts","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-shortwave-radio","category-vintage-radio","tag-bob-butterfield","tag-guest-posts","tag-nostalgia","tag-radio-nostalgia","tag-sony-icf-8000","tag-vintage-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-fbx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31140,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/the-sony-icf-m780sl-peter-catches-some-serious-mw-dx-on-gran-canaria\/","url_meta":{"origin":58375,"position":0},"title":"The Sony ICF-M780SL: Peter catches some serious MW DX on Gran Canaria","author":"Thomas","date":"March 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Peter Wilson, for sharing the following guest post and DXpedition report: Sony ICF-M780SL MWDX on Gran Canaria by\u00a0Peter Wilson I have spent the last two months in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. I travelled light and didn't bring my radio\/SDR\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","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\/2018\/03\/Sony-ICF-M780SL-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Sony-ICF-M780SL-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Sony-ICF-M780SL-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Sony-ICF-M780SL-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58044,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/the-sony-icf-sw800-a-most-unusual-sony-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":58375,"position":1},"title":"The Sony ICF-SW800: A Most Unusual Sony Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"October 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill (WD9EQD), who shares the following guest post: A Most Unusual Sony Radio By Bill Hemphill WD9EQD Over the years, I have owned many of the various Sony shortwave radios.\u00a0 From analog to digital, I would buy the latest and sell my current\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image1-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image1-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image1-300x200.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48523,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/would-a-sony-icf-sw07-outperform-a-modern-dsp-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":58375,"position":2},"title":"Would a Sony ICF-SW07 outperform a modern DSP radio?","author":"Thomas","date":"April 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William, who asks: Hello, Firstly thank you for the blog - I have been reading occasionally for several years - it's really interesting. I live in the UK. I own (was given as a gift many years ago) a Sony ICF-SW07 and have been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Sony-ICF-SW07.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49055,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/zacks-sony-icf-s5w\/","url_meta":{"origin":58375,"position":3},"title":"Zack’s Sony ICF-S5W","author":"Thomas","date":"May 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"In reply to our Caveat Emptor post, many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Zack (N8FNR), who writes: Attached is a copy of the Sony brochure for the ICF-S5W, a photo of the front and also the inside. This is a fairly old rare radio and some of your readers might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Sony-ICF-S5W-brochure-page-1-scaled-e1622153260130.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Sony-ICF-S5W-brochure-page-1-scaled-e1622153260130.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Sony-ICF-S5W-brochure-page-1-scaled-e1622153260130.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Sony-ICF-S5W-brochure-page-1-scaled-e1622153260130.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Sony-ICF-S5W-brochure-page-1-scaled-e1622153260130.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23522,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/the-diminutive-but-brilliant-sony-icf-sw100-a-few-autumnwinter-dx-catches\/","url_meta":{"origin":58375,"position":4},"title":"The diminutive but brilliant Sony ICF-SW100: a few autumn\/winter DX catches","author":"Clint Gouveia","date":"January 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi there, I posted an article on this brilliant little radio a few months ago because\u00a0it had demonstrated a level of performance way beyond my expectations. Notwithstanding it's incredibly small size the DX results I obtained with it were beyond my ICF-SW55 and up there with the iconic ICF-2001D. Armed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","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\/icfsw100wood.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/icfsw100wood.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/icfsw100wood.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/icfsw100wood.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/icfsw100wood.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22249,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/sony-icf-2001d2010-vs-icf-sw77-the-final-result-next-contender-the-eton-e1\/","url_meta":{"origin":58375,"position":5},"title":"Sony ICF-2001D\/2010 vs ICF-SW77: The final result & next contender ~ The Eton E1","author":"Clint Gouveia","date":"November 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=m7MPaTFAQKE Hi there, after conducting a total of 14 reception tests comparing these two vintage - but excellent\u00a0portable shortwave radios, there was a clear winner - the ICF-2001D. Interestingly, the second half of the\u00a0testing identified yet another example of synchronous detection lock dropping out on\u00a0the ICF-SW77 (during reception of Radio\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DXpeditions"","block_context":{"text":"DXpeditions","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/dxpeditions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"eton-e1l","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/eton-e1L.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\/58375","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=58375"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58381,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58375\/revisions\/58381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}