40 Years of DX

[Rogue Wave]

It all started in the 1970s. I received an Panasonic R-70 Panapet radio for my 11th or 12th birthday. It went everywhere with me and it took quite a beating. Wish I still had it, maybe I'll hunt one down on eBay. Anyway, one night I was listening in bed and wandering the dial when I came across WABC. At first it was just another station until a local commercial aired and I was amazed. I was listening to a station thousands of miles away. It was like having a Star Trek transporter. I was hooked.

Panapet

In the mid 1970's CB radio became the rage and I joined in. Had a Cobra mobile in my room and a Big Stick antenna on the roof. Many a late night I was up screaming into the mic trying to get some skip. Hey, I was a kid and clueless.

Then in the late 70's I was visiting a friend's house when I saw an old Zenith Trans-Oceanic with frequencies that I never seen before. I had to turn on that radio and was surprised when an English broadcast came in loud and clear but with a strange accent. It was Radio Nederlands. Can you say Heroin? I had to get a shortwave radio.

I finally bought my first shortwave radio. It was a Panasonic RF-B300. It traveled the world with me and another radio that took quite a beating. First the dial lights burned out. then slowly knobs and switches wore out. I had a radio engineer do his best to save the radio back in the late 90's. It lived another 10 years before it died. The pic is my old friend. I do not have the heart to toss it or to cannibalize it for parts.It pulled in great DX for 30 years.

RF-B300

I replaced the Panasonic with a RadioLabs tweeked Sangean Super 909. I love this radio. It is light and portable.
The RadioLabs tweeks made a great radio even greater. I look forward to using this radio for 30 years.

Super 909

[Sealord]

Man, I haven't seen one of those Panapet Radios in ages - very cool Rouge Wave!

[The Poet]

Great post! Thanks for sharing that!

You know, with a heavier chain on it, that red ball could double as a self-defense device.

[Shiny Beast]

I had one of those little round radios when I was a kid, mine was white and I never knew what they were called.

[myteaquinn]

I just noticed this post and I really had to think about things and I realized that I'm coming up on 40 years myself. The first shortwave radio that I purchased was a Sony CRF-5100. I'm amazed that I can remember that day, it was the day of the 1976 Army-Navy football game. I bought it at a Service Merchandise store in Columbus Ohio for $270.00. Surprised that I can't remember how much my first car cost or my wife's wedding ring, funny how the mind works. I still have her and she still works. She's a little long in the tooth and she sounds tinny and whinny but she still works.

It wasn't to many years later that I saw the radio that I have always wanted these almost 40 years, a NRD-505. Boy did I want one but at that time it was way out of my price range but I never forgot "the one". Over the years I tried to scratch the itch with Realistic, Panasonic, Icom, Kenwood, even some of the 505's younger sisters. But the old lady was the one that I wanted the most. One day not to long ago I was checking out E-Bay and there she was; I decided to hell with the bidding I was going to take a chance on the buy it now, yeah I know I paid to much but then again a couple of years ago I paid almost $3,000.00 to save the life of the dog that my wife brought home one day. Crazy how the heart can overcome ones common sense, but then again I'm not sure that I have any common sense.

Is this my last radio? Probably this year, but if my wife doesn't catch me maybe not. I think that I need an intervention. Perhaps I should be taken to a mountain cabin where there are no neighbors, street lights or plasma tv. A place that is so remote that the only entertainment is from a radio. A radio with a long wire hanging off the back......

[Uncle John]

Wow! Simple, clean outstanding design ergonomics on that 505. I'd trade my R8B for one any day...well maybe. Doesn't look like the 505 has "passband offset" feature, which does come in handy. Otherwise,...

[myteaquinn]

Thanks, the biggest thing that I have to get used to, again, is no keyboard. But I'll make do with it as is.