Looks like a good item - but spendy even second hand (a few going for well over the hundred notes). I'll keep my eye out for a bargain, but if anyone knows of anything a little more accesible in my price range for now, I'd be grateful!
I think it depends on how much you want SW. Or rather how much you want decent SW. The Sony SW1 is a legendary radio and expensive for good reason. Many SW radios are deaf on the SW frequencies, but the little Sony has a reputation for pulling in a crisp signal across the whole SW spectrum without a problem. Be aware though, that many had faults early on and you see cheap ones on sale that suffer from this common fault (motorboating). There are people who will
repair the fault for you, but it's about £35 a pop IIRC. If you can find one cheap, in good working order, without the fault (or that has had the capacitors professionally replaced), snap it up.
If you are happy to set your sights a little lower, the Grundig G6 Aviator is a good little set....
http://www.overstock.com/Electronic...ortwave-Radio/5857120/product.html?cid=133635
You wont get the same range of SW you will get with the SW1 (that radio was about £350 when new 20 years ago). But the G6 is certainly not deaf on SW. Compact size, good sound quality, good battery life, decent SW and reasonable price.
As with all SW radios, a long wire antenna makes a big difference. This is my "pack radio" and I carry it in a little
hard case thing, with a set of earbuds and a 20 foot
plug-in long wire antenna.