VLSC RIG

Deep dives into legendary radios — one machine at a time. Each entry is an end-to-end analysis: how it was designed, how it measures in a lab today, everything that ages and how to fix it, and a modernization roadmap that is honest about what can and cannot be improved. Written by BG1SB. 中文版

No. 1 · Wideband Receiver · 1989

ICOM IC-R9000: Anatomy of a 1989 Flagship — and How to Modernize It

Twenty kilograms, 0.1–2000 MHz, a built-in amber CRT, and a price that bought a car. Sherwood's lab numbers against 2026 flagships, every documented failure mode with its fix, and a staged roadmap: cool it, recap it, LCD it — then graft an SDR onto the 10.7 MHz IF and gain synchronous AM, a color waterfall, and digital modes the 1989 designers never imagined.

BG1SB · Sep 27, 2026 · ~16 min read
No. 2 · HF Receiver · 1991

JRC NRD-535: The Last Analog Flagship — and How to Keep It Alive

Japan Radio Company's final all-analog receiver: a tracking preselector, 1 Hz DDS tuning, WRTH's 1991 award — and a vacuum-fluorescent display with no fix and no spare parts. The design story from JRC's own US sales manager, Sherwood's numbers for the whole family, the JRC↔NDK filter cross-reference that makes real upgrades possible, the Gilfer/Kiwa NRD-535GS recipe, and an SDR graft at 70.455 MHz.

BG1SB · Sep 27, 2026 · ~17 min read