Icom IC-R8500.

My SWL (ShortWave Listening) equipment....the excellent Icom IC-R8500 "professional" all-mode communications receiver. Photographed with a Nikon D300s camera and Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 lens.

Information below for SWL / Radio "Ham" enthusiasts.

This is the European version with continuous frequency coverage from 100khz to 2Ghz (the USA version has gaps in the frequency coverage) and 10Hz resolution. Modes available are USB, LSB, AM (wide / narrow / normal), FM (wide / narrow / normal) and CW (normal / narrow) assuming the relevant filters are fitted. There are three antenna sockets at the rear (HF 50 Ohm / HF 500 Ohm and one for VHF / UHF). There is a RS-232C interface for computer control and with the optional UT-102 voice synthesizer unit it will even talk to you (it announces the frequency). Other "goodies" include programmable tuning-steps, IF shift, BFO and APF controls, voice squelch and a 1000-memory scanner. The 1990s-vintage Howes CTU8 antenna tuner / matcher was bought "pre-owned" from E-Bay (for half the price of the cheapest modern one !!) and works very well with my (indoor) 10 metre wire antenna and 9:1 balun, boosting RX and reducing the "noise floor" by, on average, about 3 S-points.