SSB receiver radio advice needed

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SandraMennem

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Currently in Gibraltar, hearding towards Marseille for winter and have heard that an SSB Receiver radio (looking at Sony 7600) is a good way of receiving weather info. Can anyone advise on the suitability of a radio with SSB for this purpose. Also, has anyone got a Sony 7600? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Many thanks in advance.
 
The Nasa HF/3 is worth a good look . their active aerial also works well but the bottom fitting is a bit flimsy considering where most people mount it.
 
This man, Frank Singleton....

...will put you right:

clara net

He will show you how to receive both weather maps from Northwood and Oppenheim? and telex info on SSB short wave.

Steve Cronin
 
Combine the responses from the first 3 posters and you will be on the right track. I used a portable Sony SSB (older model) for receiving the DWD Hamburg forecasts which were very good for the broader 3-5day trends but more for the open sea than for coastal cruising. Coastal was often better via VHF broadcasts from the local country.

Back to SSB-teletype. The trouble with the small domestic radios is that SSB is really only a small part of the design focus and usually for listening to voice traffic so not as accurate and repeatable as more specialised gear. The SSB teletype needs to be accurately tuned and this can be very difficult even with a digital tuner because you usually have to tune manually down to the LSB from the nearest stepped frequency the radio allows. If I were to start again I would look closely at the NASA products which are designed for the job and from what I understand are virtually "hands free".

The HF/3 has the advantage of being able to be used for BBC Worldservice short wave reception too.

Ray
 
if you are looking for a quality portable at the right price, then the sony has to take second place in terms of quality and ability to get the signal you want.
take a look at the Sangean ats909, the one with upper and lower sideband selection, there is a cheaper one, the 505 I think, dont go for that, it is vfo ssb resolution, and can be a pain.

google ats909 review etc, tak a look, another to consider depending on your budget is the Icom PCR 1500, with or without the head unit. a very nice computer controlled receiver.
 
If you can find a Lowe HF150 on ebay you won't be dissapointed, it's a specialist bit of kit which in my opinion can't be beaten. British made and out of production (how do you compete with Roberts and Sony?) but still supported by the original manufacturers.
 
ah yes, the hf150, thats also a nice set, the HF225's also crop up on ebay from time to time and are very very nice too. I got rid of a 225 prior to cruising, and must confess I miss its simplicity to use and quality.
Thanks for the roberts link, I knew they used Sangean, but wasnt sure which model.
would appear to be buyable for around 139 gbp in the uk, price in spain is 200 euros in coruna.
 
Just so happens I have a LoweHF150 surplus to requirements. Have to use an extension speaker and the digital read out is poor in bright light. But it's available for a nominal sum!! PM me if anyone wants it.
 
beware the model reference - one has an audio output the other has modulated output to plug into a pc, i didn't ever get the HF3/W with software to work until i took out the modulator board fitted a resistor and connected the audio into the mike input. Can't remember the software but there's a lot of it about

Have a look at frank singletons web site and that will tell you all you need to know.

The "active" aerial i found useless but winding the long wire provided around the backstay as an inductive loop worked a treat.

here 'tis http://www.franksingleton.clara.net/

Ian
 
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