General At first glance the AR8000 in it’s static form may look no different to any modern hand-held wide range receiver, but the similarity ends there... just as soon as the receiver is switched on!! Initially you are greeted with the opening welcome message on the AR8000 multi-function liquid crystal display “WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF AR8000 RECEIVER”, in a similar way tosign on message displayed by your personal computer. This new experience immediately demonstrates that the AR8000 is no ordinary radio but THE NEW CONCEPT in radio design. Internal construction is of a high quality modular surface mount design with the only wires being those connecting to the internal loudspeaker. This ensures the highest performance and reliability. Frequency coverage and modes The AR8000 is a highly sensitive hand-held receiver boasting the widest frequency coverage of 500kHz to 1900MHz without gaps in the range (actual acceptable frequency input from 100kHz). Step size is programmable in multiples of 50Hz for smooth tuning. The all-mode reception provides AM, USB, LSB, CW, NFM and WFM. Step offset is a useful facility for correctly tuning through bands with unusual offsets and channel spacing. As you might expect from a radio receiver of this calibre, an independent 4.0 kHz SSB filter is fitted as standard and the USB/LSB/CW modes use true carrier re-insertion with non-offset frequency readout. Auto-Mode tuning Comprehensive band plan information specific to the target market area has been programmed into the AR8000 receiver. This inclusion will greatly simplify frequency entry and search programming. The receiver will “automatically” select the appropriate mode and channels step. Of course, should you wish then both the mode and channel step may be manually changed when required. Custom ferrite bar aerial A custom manufactured ferrite bar aerial has been neatly installed into the AR8000 cabinet to provide a suitable aerial for medium wave reception. 2VFO Twin VFO frequencies (A & B) may be displayed on the LCD simultaneously, one providing a stand-by frequency available for quick transfer (similar to commercial aviation built-in radio transceivers). The two VFO systems operate independently of each other and store frequency, mode, channel step, step offset and attenuator status. Alphanumeric Display Each memory channel and search bank can be given a specific title using alphanumeric comments up to seven characters in length. The addition of com- ments which may be entered via the keypad/rotary encoder or through the computer port greatly eases the identification of radio channels or stations. The dot matrix display provides additional information such as frequency readout, S-meter and band scope. When entering data into the receiver (such as frequency), the AR8000 display provides helpful text prompts to ease operation. Band Scope In VFO mode the AR8000 can check adjacent channels for activity (five channels each side of the centre frequency). The information is displayed by means of vertical bars (like a graph) on the LCD and is updated every five seconds or when the DIAL is turned.