Tell us about the GP-5 (side band?) radio. Cumbersome? Use it often or emergency type?
No, it isn't cumbersome. It is made to be easy to operate while holding it in one hand. That makes it handy for field use, but not so handy for sitting on a table at home. However, as I said above, I have two types of stands that work well for the GP-5 and would work equally well for the GP-7 - the hockey puck stand sold by CountyComm, and also a cheap, clear brochure display stand I bought at an office supply store.
I use a GP-5 SSB radio often. It has been sitting near my computer that I work at every day, providing music or news radio as I work. Also, when my internet and tv service goes out, as it did for a few hours today (and quite often), I use this radio on my dining table while I eat, and around the apartment as I do chores. I have tended to reach for it often, because it is easier to move around and fit in small spaces a bit easier than my PL-880, while still providing adequate volume and clarity.
A bit more information....features include MW, FM, and SW (1711 -29999 kHz). The radio requires 3xAA cells to operate, and it works very well on rechargeables. In fact, you need to set the radio to operate with rechargeable cells, and after doing that the display indicates that you are using rechargeable cells. The speaker is 40mm in diameter, and it puts out 500mW, with 16 Ohms impedance. It sounds surprisingly good for its size. There is an earphone jack on the top, as well as a jack for the MW t-type antenna, which is provided with the radio and is very effective. The FM/Shortwave antenna extends to about 15.5 inches. There is also an alarm clock feature, a sleep function, and a key lock feature.
The GP-5 SSB has upper and lower sideband capability, as well as a BFO function. You can skip from one SW band to another SW band using dedicated buttons. Memory presets can be programmed manually one by one, or using two automatic methods: 1) ETM (Easy Tuning Mode), which allows you to temporarily store frequencies found active by the radio in special ETM memories, but not in the regular memory slots; and 2) ATS (Auto Tuning Storage), which automatically stores active frequencies into the main radio presets as the radio scans the band selected. The manual claims there are 450 total preset slots for ETM and 550 for ATS - but I have only entered presents manually, so I have not tested this claim.
Performance: The radio seems to me to be quite sensitive and selective, for its size and the cost to me. To my ears, it sounds surprisingly good. It obviously is not going to wow the listener with audio fidelity, compared to the passive, sealed speaker of a Tecsun PL-880, but the clarity and volume and richness are good for the size of the radio. The battery life is excellent on Eneloops/Fujitsu cells. The charging port is an old mini-USB port, but charging works well through a 5 Volt source. Electrical shielding is not fantastic on this radio - I have to keep it at least four feet or more from my computer monitor to prevent severe interference.
The only other feature missing on this radio, and it was a deal-breaker for many potential buyers, is a keypad for direct entry of frequencies. The result is that tuning around the bands, particularly on SW, can be tedious and time-consuming. That omission is corrected with the GP-7, according to the CountyComm website.
I hope the above comments provide the type of information you had in mind.
