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Reviewed by: sem99
06-05-07
Duration of ownership:
7
Days
Strengths: Synchronous Selectable Sideband, good battery life, made in Japan, 100 memory presets, probably best reception in its class
Weaknesses:No power adaptor included, no signal strength indicator, telescopic antenna is not solid, gray color
Overall Evaluation: I own one of the predecessors of this model, ICF-SW76000 which I love, but it doesn't have SSS, so I got this one. The reception is indeed improved in comparison with my older model, but not as dramatic, as it would seem. I purchased the older model fourteen years ago and it still going strong, but I am not sure this new one would hold up as good. Overall, it's a good value in today's market, but be forewarned that broadcasters are switching to digital, so this radio might become unusable really soon.
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Reviewed by: simonitsch
03-06-07
Duration of ownership:
5
Days
Strengths: Easy to learn and operate but be sure to still read the manual for some nice items that aren't obvious.
Weaknesses:Built-in speaker is only adequate.
Overall Evaluation: It's packed with all the features that listeners need to have like PLL tuning, direct keypad frequency entry, scan tuning, memories tuning, LCD backlid,....and the powerful Synchronous Detection Circuit. This AM mode feature would LOWER the distortion due to fading from weak receptions and EXTRACT the adjacent broadcast stations to get a clear/better reception, using the SYNC mode and either LSB/USB switch.
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Reviewed by: GreenPGH
10-24-05
Duration of ownership:
1
Days
Strengths: Solid feel, great battery life, logical controls, very stable ascillators, synchronous AM detection feature reduces interference, other convenient features like scanning and alarms.
Weaknesses:The display is a bit small and low in contrast for my eyes. Coarse 1 KHz tuning step makes signal recognition difficult when manually tuning across a band.
Overall Evaluation: I'm a ham operator who sold all his HF gear when he moved into the city about a decade ago and recently became homesick for some SSB and CW receive capability. There was no way to be sure from the published specs if the ICF-SW7600FR would do what I wanted, but I figured that at the price it should be good for something around the house. One charge on the 4 NiMH AA's I initially installed, a week ago, is still going strong with a couple hours per day of listening. Some portable devices don't do well with rechargeables because of the lower voltage, but this radio seems to be fine with them. Using the supplied external antenna, which is about 16 feet of wire on a wind-up spool with a clip that attaches to the telescoping built-in antenna, indoors, I am able to receive what I'd guess are the strongest 10% of the signals on the ham bands, when conditions are good, that you would normally hear on a ham transceiver or communications grade receiver. This isn't great sensitivity, but it's about what I expected. I'm sure that one could do better with a proper outdoor antenna, but they don't make that easy. There are no screw terminals for antenna connection, just a jack with a warning not to use except with Sony accessories since it carries dc voltage to power those accessories. Yes, you probably will have to read the manual to get started with this radio. And no, the manual isn't the best because of less-than-ideal translations into English, but it will do, and once you catch onto the design philosophy the controls seem logical and easy to master and remember. I've found that it's important to use the wrist strap when carrying this radio around because it is rather heavy for its size, and it's got slippery surfaces. Dropping it is a serious possibility. How nice it would be if they would put a rubbery coating on the back and bottom surfaces so it wouldn't slip out of the hand so easily. Something that I hadn't considered before making the purchase, but am very happy about, is that this radio, with its good rf attenuator control, makes it possible to listen to local broadcast am and fm stations that can't be heard on inexpensive consumer am/fm radios because of severe front end overload in large metropolitan areas. (It used to irk me that I'd have to drive well out of town to hear signals from stations that are line-of-sight from my house.) About those weaknesses... I have to put on my reading glasses to make out the display and the labels on the controls, and no, the display backlight doesn't help much. I know I'm not a kid anymore, but neither are some of the other users, and how hard would it be to use a larger font? And while I'm on the subject, it would be nice if the side-mounted controls were labeled on the front edge so you wouldn't have to turn the radio around to identify them. Regarding the tuner step size, 100 Hz would be so much better than 1000 Hz -- you could tell SSB signals from carriers as you slew the VFO with the awkward-enough push button tuner controls (a knob would be so much better). But it does work. The IF bandwidth is wide enough that you hear a strong signal for several steps of the tuner and the VFO analog vernier control gets you dead-on the correct frequency once you find the right coarse step. This little radio is a keeper for swl-ing, and it just might become my primary clock radio alarm too.
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Reviewed by: Prudent7
03-19-05
Duration of ownership:
3
Months
Strengths: This is a very portable and well built radio. I like the fact that it is manufactured in Japan. The radio has many,many features,and the discriminating buyer will find this a BIG Bang for the Buck.
Weaknesses:The manual is very hard to follow,but for an experienced SW enthusiast,it should be no problem at all.
Overall Evaluation: I would purchase this radio again. Even though the speaker is small and not room filling,it is adequate.The biggest feature,and one that should not be overlooked when buying a SW radio,is the fact that this Sony has a Synchronous Detector,which is an absolute MUST.You will be pleased with this radio.
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Reviewed by: SgtWyatt
12-15-04
Duration of ownership:
4
Days
Strengths: Amazing reception for its size, sturdy yet lightweight, good audio quality, included retractable antenna
Weaknesses:A bit confusing to operate until you get the hang of it
Overall Evaluation: I purchased this radio as a replacement to a cheap old Radio Shack SW receiver that I had been using with limited success for several years. Although the Sony ICF-SW7600GR took me some getting used to (and yes...I had to break open the manual), once I got the hang of its controls I was amazed at the quality of this portable receiver. Scanning the airwaves with my new Sony, I immediately began picking up numerous stations that had previously been hidden from me on the old Radio Shack. When I attached the included retractable (which clips onto the telescoping antenna built in to the radio) even more stations began to come in. For a portable radio, the audio quality of this radio is beyond what I had expected. I spent a great deal of time researching numerous models and brands of portable shortwave receivers before deciding to purchase the Sony SW7600GR. For the price (I paid $135 including shipping from Computers4Sure) I don't think it can be beat. This radio is a great value, especially since it receives SSB...something that few radios of this price range do with any quality. Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a portable and affordable SW receiver. The receiver's sensitivity rivals some of the more expensive models I have seen in the past. This radio is one of the few portable SW receivers that actually serves as such. Unlike most other radios of this price range (and below) that are just glorified AM/FM receivers with SW as a novelty, the Sony SW7600GR gives you serious bang for the buck. You won't be disappointed.
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