Good receiver for AM on Ham Bands?

[N1KK]

Hello all,

I am getting back to my early days of Ham Radio (1966) and now
have a DX-60 with HG-10 VFO using them on CW and AM.
For my receiver I use a IC-735 or my IC-746. They work but
seem to lack the Fidelity I seem to remember listening to back in the
60's-early 70's.

I would like to buy a receiver and have been reading several
articles but thought this forum might be best to post my
question about what should I be looking at.   

When I got my General in 1967 I had a HQ-170A which I thought was
pretty good but after reading over the last few weeks most post
say not to good for AM reception.  I used it with a Johnson transmitter
on CW and AM.

Any tips would be appreciated.

thanks
Ken
N1KK

[WQ9E]

Ken,

The HQ-170A is a good receiver for a variety of conditions but it isn't as broad as some of the vintage gear.  It is one of my favorites because it does a great job when conditions become difficult.   The Hallicrafters SX-96 family (includes 100,101,115 etc.) offer the same selectable sideband on AM capability with a little broader maximum bandwidth.

For decent conditions I really like the sound of a lot of the National receivers (NC-240-D, NC-183, 183D, HRO-50etc.) but they won't do as well as the HQ-170A when conditions really become difficult.

[w3jn]

Look at these articles: 

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/slabrxreview.htm
http://amfone.net/ECSound/JNRECS.html

My choice:  the Hammarlund SuperPro (pre-SP-600) - SP-10, SP-100, SP-200, SP-400, BC-779, BC-1004

[The Slab Bacon]

First of all, you have to make the decision on what you want out of a receiver.

Do you want "battle conditions" selectivity, OR high fidelity.

the two usually dont go hand in hand. You and only you have to decide which is more important to you and go from there. Everything is a trade off and the two usually don't go hand in hand!

[The Slab Bacon]

Look at these articles: 

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/slabrxreview.htm
http://amfone.net/ECSound/JNRECS.html

Johnny,
            One day I have to get a chance to go through my notes and spend a little time beatin on the keyboard. I have close to 10 more to add to that list...............

[W7TFO]

Look at these articles: 

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/slabrxreview.htm
http://amfone.net/ECSound/JNRECS.html

My choice:  the Hammarlund SuperPro (pre-SP-600) - SP-10, SP-100, SP-200, SP-400, BC-779, BC-1004

Ditto.

73DG

[N6YW]

My two cents...
Depends on what you want to spend or can afford.
For me it's a toss up between a Collins R-390 or the SP-600 JX-17. I have both and I cannot imagine anything better. For fidelity, the National NC-183 and Hallicrafters SX-28 are pretty nice to listen to.
The push pull 6V6 output stage of the NC-183 is pretty hard to beat, especially when coupled to an Altec 604 Duplex (coaxial) speaker. If you want BOTH performance and fidelity, then the 390 or 600 using a line out to an outboard tube amplifier pushing a real speaker or recording monitor. After that experience, nothing else even comes close. Maybe a bit off topic, but half the battle of getting good receiving results is the choice of good monitoring. I see guys spending big bucks on equipment but skimping on monitoring equipment.
It doesn't have to be expensive either. For example, I use an inexpensive self powered two-way recording monitor that produces 75 watts of clean audio. It cleanly reproduces the audio derived from your tube receiver and if you add some equalization in that chain, then it enables you to contour the system to your set of ears.
Food for thought.

[WA3VJB]

I wonder whether the size of the Dixie 60 is part of your station plan.

Some of the receivers others have mentioned are also my preference for the best quality of AM, but if you want a smaller size, consider the Hammarlund HQ110. It's about the size of a Johnson Ranger, not as deep, and probably would fit the same table top as the Heath gear you've already got.

They're also not very expensive.

I've got an HQ100A^* that I really like.  I use an external audio amp with tone controls, and a good "stereo" type loudspeaker.  The external amp is fed at a level from the Hammarlund that sounds the best from the receiver's compensated tone design. (the proportion of bass/treble varies with volume).

Also in the smaller-is-better category, the Kenwood R-1000. Solid state, 30 years old, a good example can still be found.  I have one of them too, and lately find myself using it instead of the SP600, R390 or R390A just because it's instant-on to let me check the bands.

I've paired it with an FT101EE for use up on 10 meters for now.  Great tabletop combo.

*disagreeing with John's review.  I don't find the audio "awful" when you set the level in the sweet spot, and the selectivity is generous to allow good quality AM signals to come through.

Larry, W8ER, has done some mods on the HQ110 to improve the audio¹

Recordings he has made of my station sounded good.

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/hqaudiomods.htm

[w3jn]

*disagreeing with John's review.  I don't find the audio "awful" when you set the level in the sweet spot, and the selectivity is generous to allow good quality AM signals to come through.

Larry, W8ER, has done some mods on the HQ110 to improve the audio¹

Recordings he has made of my station sounded good.

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/hqaudiomods.htm

Dif'rent strokes for different folks.  Everyone has their likes and dislikes and I readily admit to my prejudices in receivers.  The little HQs are pretty good for what they are, but I'd never use one as a main station RXer.  Too weak a front end, and the awful (to my ear, and compared to stouter receviers) audio is the icing on the cake.  And to be honest, there's no one receiver that I've ever owned or used that has ALL the features I want, or doesn't have some irritating weakness, so I'm building my own (again).

At the end of the day price/availability/personal likes determine what you end up with unless cost is no object.

[k4kyv]

First of all, you have to make the decision on what you want out of a receiver.

Do you want "battle conditions" selectivity, OR high fidelity.

the two usually dont go hand in hand. You and only you have to decide which is more important to you and go from there. Everything is a trade off and the two usually don't go hand in hand!

Unless you custom build or modify your own.  Then, you can have both. I like the 75A-4 for its stability, dial accuracy and selectivity.  But the audio was an afterthought at best, and the stock receiver sounds like crap.  I adjusted a few coupling capacitors in the low level audio stages, pick the audio off the af gain control, and use an outboard amplifier (an old 1950s vintage monaural "hi-fi" amplifier with a pair of 6V6s), feeding a 15" broadcast studio monitor speaker and enclosure. With that, it has pretty decent audio.

I added an outboard box with additional mechanical filters to my A-4, so I can choose 300~, 3.1, 4, 6, 8 and 16 kc/s selectivity.  The stock 6 kc/s AM filter is too narrow for good quality.  OTOH, the R-390A jumps from 4 to 8 kc/s; sometimes the 4 is too narrow for condx while the 8 is too wide.  They should have included a 6 between the 4 and 8.

The R-390A sounds good if you pick the audio off the "diode load" terminal on the back of the set and run it to an outboard amp, but the thing is a PITA to tune through the frequency ranges.  I also like a slower tuning rate than the 100 kc/dial revolution.

The R-390 (non-A) sounds much smoother than the A model, due to the phase  distortion generated by the mechanical filters.  The selectivity of the L-C filters in the non-A is almost as good as that of the mechanical ones.  

Another often-overlooked receiver is the R-392.  It runs on 28 vdc, but works much like the R-390 (non-A), with L-C filters, except no 16 kc/s selectivity.  It is smaller, but the thing is ugly, yet even the stock audio sounds good with a decent speaker. You  have to provide a 28 volt DC source at several amps.

I work CW from time to time, and occasionally monitor slopbucket, so I want good solid stability.  Most of the "vintage" receivers like the Super-Pro and other Hammarlund, and Hallicrafters are lacking in that department.  The most solidly stable vintage receivers are the ones made by National: HRO series, NC-240D and NC-101 series. They take a while to warm up, but once they come to temperature, the stability is almost as good as the Collins.

[N1KK]

I have been doing some additional reading since my post and found
folks saying the R390A might be the best receiver ever but
they said the audio was not as good as others.

It's interesting the more I read the reviews of receivers on forums
I can't find 2 reviews that both agree on a particular receiver having
the best audio for AM reception.

I had a 75S-1 given to me and I just finished cleaning it up.
other than comparing it to my IC-735 and IC-746 I am curious
how it fits into the top receivers for AM.  It sounded better
than my Icom radios on AM but doesn't come close on 15 and 10m
for sensitivity. With a old Ameco HF preamp it's not bad.

A few hear are adding external audio amps with selective frequency adjustments. I guess it helps but that would be the case with most.

So I will refine my request to what is the best receiver for AM and CW.

Ken
N1KK

[w1vtp]

Quite a few AMers up here in NE are using rice boxes that have capability of going wide on AM.  I know this is off topic, but it is an option.  I think everyone on this forum knows my bias toward the Flex radio system (I have both the Flex 5000 & the Flex 1500).

I like Don's recommendation best among the BA receivers - particularly picking the audio off before the crappy final AF stage and using a HIFI amp.  I use a SP600 with the Sherwood SE-3 for outstanding audio if I am in the BA RX mood.  The audio cant be beat - mostly because it takes care of the distortion that comes from modern high density modulation and the inability of diode detection systems to handle high mod % plus selective fading is minimized.

Oh yes, be sure to make room for a decent speaker - not those nice stock speakers that Hallicrafters, National Radio etc offer.  Of course if you can lay your hands on the Hallicrafters bass reflex speaker that would be !!GRRRREAT!!

Have fun, Al

[Pete, WA2CWA]

So I will refine my request to what is the best receiver for AM and CW.

Ken
N1KK

Sort of like asking: what's the best car for day and night driving". You can ask 100 people and get a hundred different responses. Same goes for "best receiver". There is no one answer.

[The Slab Bacon]

Well................. As they say, opinions are like that there certain part of the anatomy.............. everybody has one  

I could never make up my mind or allow myself to be shackled to having just 1 receiver, so I have around 15 or 16 of them...................  

[WA3VJB]

So I guess space/size not a consideration if you're receptive (pun) to the R390 sized receiver.

The R390 sounds better than the R390A.

The SP600 sounds as good as an R390.

The Flex5000 sounds better than all of them.

[W2VW]

Your Icom could be a very nice AM receiver with less attention than some popular 50s receivers.

[The Slab Bacon]

Your Icom could be a very nice AM receiver with less attention than some popular 50s receivers.

Always remember that Icom spelled backwards is Moci.................    

[W2VW]

Is that used as back masking on Led Zep tunes.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Your Icom could be a very nice AM receiver with less attention than some popular 50s receivers.

Always remember that Icom spelled backwards is Moci.................    

Slab Bacon spelled backwards is Nocab Bals
Collins spelled backwards is Snilloc
National spelled backwards is Lanoitan
Kenwood spelled backwards is Doownek

And, on and on...

[N6YW]

This thread is progressing in very evitisop manner. I applaud all of you.
I own and use the following:
R-390
SP-600 JX-17
NC-100-XA
NC-183
75A-4
75A-3
HQ-129-X
HQ-140-XA
HQ-170
SX-28A
S-19 Sky Buddy (first childhood radio I own)
EH Scott SLR-F

My favorite one? All of them.

[W2WDX]

Most of the suggestions that have been made are excellent. Unfortunately most of them are expensive in the current market. I am assuming you would prefer something turn-key or plug and play. The R390(a) and Sp600, Collins 75A-4 options are great, however they are close to $1000 these days in turn key condition. $500-600 at best.

If your not willing to spend that money, I do recommend the Hammarlund HQ100 or the HQ110a. They can be had in excellent shape for about a tenth of the price of the aforementioned, and sound quite good for AM.

Another option, is an SDR of some sort. There are several by different manufacturers, other than the Flex (who do not build a receive only radio). There is one that shows up on eBay all the time sold by a fellow in Japan. It's called the Soft66LC which comes with the board and case and hooks up to your line audio whatever (stereo, powered monitors etc.) and to the antenna, and to your computer via USB. Works and sounds great and is about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Sells for about $110USD +shipping. There are others as well. The one I mention I have tried and it works great, but there are many others.

John, W2WDX

[KL7OF]

SP-600....has that flywheel on the dial that makes band excursions easy and fun...
Buy that R388 from wd4tc...(Listed on this board)....those are good receivers too

[w5gw]

For my vintage AM ops I like my HQ-180 over my 75A4 - hands down.  Although the 75A4 does very well on SSB

However, my best AM reception is from my Flex 3000 using a set of open frame studio ear phones (AKG model K240) I typically run with a +/- 4 kHz filter but can open it up even more if conditions warrant.

To hear an AM recording thru my Flex go to this link http://w5gw.com/ham7.html and scroll down to a short recording of Darrell, WA5VGO.

I also get pretty good quality AM from my 75S-1.

[K6JEK]

...

I had a 75S-1 given to me and I just finished cleaning it up.
other than comparing it to my IC-735 and IC-746 I am curious
how it fits into the top receivers for AM.  It sounded better
than my Icom radios on AM but doesn't come close on 15 and 10m
for sensitivity. With a old Ameco HF preamp it's not bad.

I can almost answer: I have a 75S3-C, son of the 75S-1, without the optional AM mechanical filter, just an IF transformer. It's just fine on AM. I have to lie about it though because all of my friends pooh-pooh it as an AM receiver. I lie about the 75A-4 too, pretty darned nice with 9 kHz filter. I tell them I'm using one of my Nationals or Hallicrafters. Then they leave me alone.

I haven't done an A/B but I'd wager the 75S-1 is better in all regards than say the HQ-110 mentioned earlier or any of the lower end receivers -- small Nationals, Hallicrafters, Hammerlunds etc. The bigger stuff with the better audio sections -- HRO-50's, SX-42's, SX-28's will sound better but won't hear as well.

I think you'll find most of us miscreants on this board have more stuff than we can use and can say something nice about just about all of it.  I will say though, I do no like the Drake 2B on AM.

PS: Whoever it is that's giving you Collins S-line pieces? Stay on his good side.

[K3YA]

Finding a good AM receiver can be a life long endeavor.  I'm 40 years into the search and have tried quite a few out.  One affordable choice that I don't think has been mentioned is a National NC 303.  It does a lot of thinks well and can be made to sound good with a little tunin' on the audio output stage. Besides the National, some other favorites were 75A4, R390A and Sp600 and Kenwood R-1000, which all had strengths and weakness.   

Have fun finding "it", and certainly don't limit yourself to just one.