Great stuff Chuck - nice comparison 👍 haven’t seen an 8611 on fleabay for years - a military surplus store in Israel had a few but they were very rough
Great radio, I had the wj8718a which is qrt now, no parts available. But sadly there's not much left on hf other than some air traffic controls and a pestering CRI Beijing on all bands
Thanks. That might be a benefit of having a wideband radio these days. You can get FM and other higher frequency stations. I miss the broadcast offerings of years past on HF as well!
Nice presentation Chuck! Fyi, NDB’s on LW are best received in AM mode at around 3khz bw. If you look at it on a scope, there is a carrier and both side bands.
That display there to the left is really cool. It almost seems like a CRT scan, but probably is some kind of weird dot-matrix VFD of some sort? You had me so curious on that display, what is it?
You are right. It is a simple two line fluorescent dot matrix display. Very simple and basic, but functional. The multifunctional menu choices that are available through it do allow a lot of control over the radio’s settings and features.
I got the chance to buy an almost new WJ-8617a. Any suggestions when I chekc whether it works as the seller says. The price tag is 500 dollars. Is it a bit too pricy? Thanks in advance!
I don’t have any experience with the 8617a. I have two 8716s (HF only) and they are top notch. If the seller is being ‘snarky’ about whether the 8617 actually works it is a cause for concern. If he won’t provide a video session to show you that then you have to decide if you want to take the chance. If it works $500 is a very good price. If it doesn’t then at worst you have a spare parts rig, but not functional. If it does work I’d love to hear how it performs on HF and AM BC bands since the 8617 is a VHF/UHF radio (like the 8611). Good luck!
Great video, never seen the 8611. You have an awesome collection. Thank you!
Great stuff Chuck - nice comparison 👍 haven’t seen an 8611 on fleabay for years - a military surplus store in Israel had a few but they were very rough
I believe there is one there now if you are interested!😉
I liked the radio, very beautiful. 73
Ładne radio gratuluje zakupu. Dziękuję za prezentację. Pozdrawiam.
Great radio, I had the wj8718a which is qrt now, no parts available. But sadly there's not much left on hf other than some air traffic controls and a pestering CRI Beijing on all bands
Thanks. That might be a benefit of having a wideband radio these days. You can get FM and other higher frequency stations. I miss the broadcast offerings of years past on HF as well!
Nice presentation Chuck! Fyi, NDB’s on LW are best received in AM mode at around 3khz bw. If you look at it on a scope, there is a carrier and both side bands.
Thanks for the tip! I know you are an NDB expert so thanks for the advice. I actually included the NDB comparison with you in mind my friend!😉😁
@@KI4BZJ thanks Chuck!!
Comparing 8611 to BELKA receiver, which costs 1/20 of WJ, might be interesting, or possibly surprising at least.
Hmmm…That would be interesting!😁
That display there to the left is really cool. It almost seems like a CRT scan, but probably is some kind of weird dot-matrix VFD of some sort? You had me so curious on that display, what is it?
You are right. It is a simple two line fluorescent dot matrix display. Very simple and basic, but functional. The multifunctional menu choices that are available through it do allow a lot of control over the radio’s settings and features.
Good show ! You are a huge crocodile !
Thank you!😁
I got the chance to buy an almost new WJ-8617a. Any suggestions when I chekc whether it works as the seller says. The price tag is 500 dollars. Is it a bit too pricy? Thanks in advance!
I don’t have any experience with the 8617a. I have two 8716s (HF only) and they are top notch. If the seller is being ‘snarky’ about whether the 8617 actually works it is a cause for concern. If he won’t provide a video session to show you that then you have to decide if you want to take the chance. If it works $500 is a very good price. If it doesn’t then at worst you have a spare parts rig, but not functional. If it does work I’d love to hear how it performs on HF and AM BC bands since the 8617 is a VHF/UHF radio (like the 8611). Good luck!
I have the WJ8889, quite rare, almost the same as a WJ8888
Awesome! I’d live to see pictures and/or a video of it. WJ made some great machines.