NRD 525 with the 5000
The NRD 525 and the Kenwood R-5000 are two of the finest SW rigs ever made and all though older can still keep up with the best of modern receivers. They are about equal in performance and Kiwa offers mods for both radios. Be sure to fully test thiese older rigs before you buy because some of the R-5000s suffer from key bounce. I myself have used two R-5000s for almost 20yrs without problems The optional VC-20 VHF converter covers 108-174 MHz in all modes. The R-5000 is double conversion in all modes but FM. As for the 525, some problems have been noticed in regurds to the keypad as well and some cleanig of the contacts for the board plugins may be needed. The 525 is also much easier to work on than the 5000 with it's style of board plug in moduals.
Sony SW1 & Sony Pro80 with the 700
All three of these radios are wonderful performers but the Pro80 and SW1 can develop problems with their surface mount electrolytics and are very hard to work on without experience and the right tools. Kiwa still offers service on these units as well as myself and a few others. So beware when puchasing these radios. The SW1 does not have SSB capability. The 700 is a fantastic radio with great audio for all around listening and I've not seen as many faliures as with other portables of this age.
Kenwood R-5000 & Icom R71A
I've already talked about the 5000 so I will get onto the the R71A. The 71 is probably one of the most sensitive radios for DX ever made and is a utility loggers best friend for the $s and is quite stable for use with decoders and such. As far as audio goes it can be fatiguing for broadcast and music. I highly recommend a few audio mods as well as a quality outboard speaker. Kiwa I think still offers service on this radio.
ETON E1.
The E1 is a fine radio and holds it's own against all other portables in it's class. The audio is great and outshines most. Some argue about the differances in performance between it and the Sony 2010 and the Sat 700 etc.. but in my experience most can't hold a candle to it's features, audio or even performance and lets face it most 2010s are in need of service because of their age and unless your lucky enough to get one from a experienced hobbiest and tech who has maintained the 2010 you just puchased then you'll have to spend some more $s to get the performace needed to rival or barely out perform the E1.
AOR 8200 mkIIB Wideband scanner.
550khz-2.4ghz
Not a bad scanner for general listening and bringing along on trips or in the car but they arn't cheap and several others are comparative for less $s. The sensativity can vary in these as I've owned four and did notice a differance but overall a nice radio but don't overpay and do some reseach on other comparative models in this era like the Yupiteru MVT-7100 which I think is a better buy and performer. I'll put a pic up of mine soon.
Sony 2010
Here we have the famous Sony 2010 which was the best portable in the world as far as performance goes for many yrs and good ones are as good as any portable around. The audio can be improved by upgrades available through me or places like Kiwa. They are plagued by other problems and performance can vary because of the need for servicing and alignment. So be careful or just buy a E1 unless your tech savvy or can afford the repair cost to bring a great radio up to spec.
Kenwood R-2000
I just got this so the verdict is still up in the air. More soon after I fix the encoder problem and give it's tuned circuits a tune up!
Uniden BCT15
WOW! What a radio! This has to be the best scanner ever made in this price range ($230). I can't stop playing with this thing and with the GPS capability in your car it's the bomb. I love this radio!!!!! Uniden is awsome!
