NASWA Journal Columns · 1997 · May

NASWA Notes, May 1997

Shortly after the Journal was published last month, we learned of the closing of Gilfer Shortwave from Executive Council member Jerry Berg: “The rumors about Gilfer are true. Whether they have officially gone out of business, or “suspended operation,” they are closed, seemingly for good. John Figliozzi has confirmed this with Paul Lannuier. The store is for rent, blinds drawn. Gilfer opened its doors in 1952. Over the years I had always found it a pleasure to deal with Perry and Jeanne Ferrell, and then Paul, all of whom gave the business their personal touch. Gilfer was the first “real” commercial contact in the hobby for many of us.”

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Equipment Reviews, May 1997

The Becker Mexico Car Radio

Good shortwave reception in the car has been a dream for many of us who spend any appreciable amount of time behind the wheel. There have been various approaches to the problem in the past, such as using a portable radio in the car with an external antenna or converters, which shift segments of the SW bands in frequency so that they can be received on the car’s AM radio. There have intermittently been radios which can be mounted in a car’s dash which provide SW coverage. This is the ideal solution, in my mind, as it provides a secure location which is usually easily accessible by the driver. Models have occasionally been imported from Europe over the years, usually with limited shortwave coverage. A few years ago, the Phillips DC-777 in-dash receiver was available. It did an admirable job of receiving SW signals and provided a wide range of coverage, but many units had premature display and keypad failures.

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