Is the WJ-8611 VHF/UHF receiver any good on HF?

[@davidsharp3110]

Great video, never seen the 8611. You have an awesome collection. Thank you!

[@kamilsp7fll]

Comparing 8611 to BELKA receiver, which costs 1/20 of WJ, might be interesting, or possibly surprising at least.

[@KI4BZJ]

Hmmm…That would be interesting!😁

[@vu3mes]

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

[@KI4BZJ]

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!

[@hercsie]

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

[@KI4BZJ]

I believe there is one there now if you are interested!😉

[@dieselten01]

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.

[@KI4BZJ]

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!😉😁

[@dieselten01]

@@KI4BZJ thanks Chuck!!

[@vincentsong1355]

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!

[@KI4BZJ]

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!

[@BradLatta]

I have the WJ8889, quite rare, almost the same as a WJ8888

[@KI4BZJ]

Awesome! I’d live to see pictures and/or a video of it. WJ made some great machines.

[@LeeLee-lt8tp]

Good show ! You are a huge crocodile !

[@KI4BZJ]

Thank you!😁

[@joonglegamer9898]

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?

[@KI4BZJ]

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.

[@explorandovestigios01]

I liked the radio, very beautiful. 73

[@zdzisiek1979]

Ładne radio gratuluje zakupu. Dziękuję za prezentację. Pozdrawiam.