My first wideband receiver was the Icom
PCR-1000
which is a 10kHz to 1.3GHz scanner, all-mode (AM/FM/WFM/CW/SSB).
It has a great set of bandwith filters (2.8/6/15/50kHz). Most
useful is the 50kHz filter which can be used for several types of wideband
FM decoding such as APT / pocsag (minicall) / ACARS
(aviation data) etc.
I still use it for this kind of decoding, and as a spectrum
analyzer, hooked up to the
10.7MHz IF output of my R-8500 receiver. I actually have two of these now.
...but my main radio today is the Icom
R8500
, a 0.1MHz to 2GHz receiver (with the high stability crystal oven installed) and I
just love it, it's a great piece of hardware,
expensive perhaps - but has
everything I demand of a receiver, I won't trade away quality and feel just to
save a few bucks.
For 0-30MHz I mainly use a 30meter (~100') longwire antenna with a magnetic
balun, a 15meter Windom,and a couple of E-H's,
for VHF reception (0.03-2GHz) I use an active antenna, a
Dressler
ARA-2000
which is a very good VHF/UHF scanner antenna.
I recently also purchased an E-H antenna for 20M and I've
built one for 40M and another for 20M,
and I'm truly impressed with the reception they provide, it's
a strange
design but it really does work!
There is alot less background noise compared to the
longwire/dipole.
Below are a couple of my satellite dishes...
This was my 1.8 meter dish with 1691MHz feedhorn when it was
used for Meteosat, and also some sun-noise measurements.
With a 3 turn helical feed I used it for Inmarsat reception,
Inmarsat is used for satellite phonecalls (1535-1545MHz) with analogue audio in
the clear.
The 19" box I've built the
R8500 and two PCR-1000 units into, the unit on top of the R8500 is a Yaesu
FRT-7700
antenna matching unit for shortwave reception.
I don't use the internal speakers at all , they are connected
to 2 computers instead (for decoding/recording purposes).
All mains power wires are screened with sheets of copper and
stainless steel.
It took some time to get my hands on a good 3meter (10' )
dish, but now it's been up and running for a couple of years.
It has a dual feedhorn for 1420MHz & 1665MHz, (hydrogen and
hydroxyl lines) two
ultra low-noise
amplifiers (<0.3dB NF)
from
DownEast
Microwave , mounted directly on the feedhorn, and I use
line amplifiers (0.8-2GHz)
from Swedish Microwave
to pump the signal thru
about 20 meters of H-1000 semi rigid low-loss coax to my R-8500 and spectrum analyzer.
Block diagram of the current setup.
(just the dish section)
Most indoor parts are assembled in this dedicated 19" rack...
Vintage Radio / Renovation
Projects
my DRAKE radios, TR-4, T-4XC, R4B,
R4C