Gosh Danny, sounds like you got radios or money to burn! I've had 
my Vr500 for probably 15 years and love it.  I like to try and 
pick up wireless mic's at various places I've been.  I really 
don't find too much of interest on the shortwave bands outside of 
the band bands, to listen too.  That's another topic for possible 
discussion here.  I wish Yaesu or Kenwood would come out with an 
all mode broad band receiver that would have speech output in a 
handheld box.  Someone here brought up the worrysome thought that 
with all the really cheap rigs becoming available, it might knock 
companies like Yaesu Icom, and Kenwood out of the market.  I 
really hope that doesn't happen! Jim WA6EKS

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Danny Dyer <[log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Date sent: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 21:41:51 -0400
Subject: Re: swl radio with keypad entry

Hi Guys, the VR500 is a fine radio, if ones' expectations are 
geared
to what it actually is!/I've had several, and liked them very 
much,
hope to have another one in time.  *For over all 
portability,/(fits in
a shirt pocket, has a wrist strap, and belt clip, it's about the 
size
of an IC-t90,) and versatility, they're hard to beat!  They're 
more
along the lines of an all purpose scanner than a Real SWL 
receiver
though!  They use a rubber duck antenna with a BNC connecter, 
will
take an external ant, but can be overloaded signal wise to where 
you
may need to use the attenuater.  And even with the duck, the 
radio will
receive pretty well./I've gotten Gander and or New York Radio
WX/3.485, 6.604, 10.051, 13.270,SSB, here in GA, quite often, and 
CW
and SSB nets and qsos are doable.
The thousand mems are non volatile, the wide-narrow filtering 
works
nicely/has to be set up in the menu, which though not blind 
friendly,
can be accomplished with sighted hellp, and maybe blindly with
software and screen reader, although I never had that option.  
For a
DC to Dark so to speak radio, they're pretty neat, and I'd love 
to
have another one some time.  But if you're looking for a unit 
that
specializes in Basic lw-through short wave with FM, that majors 
on
consistantly pulling DX signals out of the mud, especially if 
you're
used to table top or portable SW radios, the VR500 may not live 
up
your expectations.
I've had, used, owned
Sony 2001, 7600G, GR, A, D, and European,
SW100S,/my favorite of the sonys,
Grundig YB400s,
RadioShack
DX390, 392, 398, 440, 505, SW100, and their Sangean equivalents, 
as
well as a couple whose nomenclature escapes me,
A Uniden RX whose nomenclature escapes me,
Kaito KA1102,
AOR 1000,
Yaesu VR500,Hallicrafters S38/several different models,
s120, S40, SkyBuddy,
Several of the National table tops, and some other receivers I 
can't
remember nomenclature of right now, not to mention transceivers 
I've
played with.  HTH, Danny


On 10/2/12, Anthony Vece <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 Thanks & 73 de Anthony w2ajv


 Sent from my Verizon iPhone!

 On Oct 2, 2012, at 4:40 PM, Jim Gammon <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

 Yes, the VR500 can receive Am, Fm wide and narrow, and USB LSB.
 Jim WA6EKS

 ----- Original Message -----
 From: Anthony Vece <[log in to unmask]
 To: [log in to unmask]
 Date sent: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 14:27:49 -0400
 Subject: Re: swl radio with keypad entry

 Jim;

 Will the vr500 decode sideband?

 Thanks
 Anthony


 Sent from my Verizon iPhone!

 On Oct 2, 2012, at 12:38 PM, Jim Gammon <[log in to unmask]
 wrote:

 Russ, how much is the Grundig G3? Sounds like a great radio.
 The
 Vr500 will fit in your shirt pocket and runs on 2 double a
 batteries or uses the same wall wart as the Yaesu Ht's Vx5r and
 such.  Jim