• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

148F vs 959

i would go with the 148F between the two seems to me the RX is much quieter and i can hear distant stations more clearer on my 148F then i do with the 959. i bought the 959 to try so as to not run my classic 148F so much, but it's back on the shelf. i tell you a radio i found that is really close to the performace of a 148F plus it has a 6 digi fraq. counter and the is the Texas Ranger 696FD1 you can find them new for under $175.00. i have one and find it to be a little better then the 959. had extra channels added to it as well as a 10kc slide and opened up the clarifier with the 6 digi frq counter this radio is quite flexable. o get about 18 watts on am & 22 on ssb and with the stock mic it sounds great always good reports on am & ssb. but between the 148F & the 959 go with the 148F with a simple tune up and the stock mic it will sound great.
 
i would go with the 148F between the two seems to me the RX is much quieter and i can hear distant stations more clearer on my 148F then i do with the 959. i bought the 959 to try so as to not run my classic 148F so much, but it's back on the shelf. i tell you a radio i found that is really close to the performace of a 148F plus it has a 6 digi fraq. counter and the is the Texas Ranger 696FD1 you can find them new for under $175.00. i have one and find it to be a little better then the 959. had extra channels added to it as well as a 10kc slide and opened up the clarifier with the 6 digi frq counter this radio is quite flexable. o get about 18 watts on am & 22 on ssb and with the stock mic it sounds great always good reports on am & ssb. but between the 148F & the 959 go with the 148F with a simple tune up and the stock mic it will sound great.

Ironic. I thought that the 696 was the exact same board as the 959.
 
Ironic. I thought that the 696 was the exact same board as the 959.

It's the same radio almost. I dunno about you guys, but I find the receive on my 959 to be on par with the 10 meter radios I own. It's smooth and pulls in distant stations without a lot of noise. A simple mod for that radio that is often overlooked is the installation of ecg583 schottkey diodes replacing the existing rec diodes and nb diodes. it takes about 5 mins to do, the diodes cost like $1 each and it makes a world of difference. Pound for pound, my 959 is the champion in my stable. It only swings 15 watts, but the attack time is very fast, the audio is super clean, and it modulates beautifully. I'd take the 959 for those reasons, and the others stated here, particularly the availability of parts. That's just my two cents.
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.