Lowe HF-225E Radio Shortwave **EUROPA** Receiver With B-225 & W-225 ***SCARCE***

This sale is for a nice Europa version of the Lowe HF-225 shortwave communications receiver (HF-225E) which was manufactured in England from 1991 – 1997. The Europa enhanced version of the HF-225 is actually less common. We have sold about 55 of the HF-225’s here on Ebay over the years, but we have only offered a couple of these Europa upgraded versions of the HF-225 for sale. Most serious users and collectors do not sell the receiver when it comes into their hands, opting to hold onto it and thus making its availability even more scarce. We have taken internal pictures of the receiver. The larger board that is vertical on the left side is the optional synchronous board that sold for $89.95, but this board is standard on the Europa version. The smaller vertical board on the right side is the W-225 whip preamp option which enables the receiver to take a smaller antenna such as a whip, but have better signal recovery due to the preamplification of the signal. This W-225 sold for an additional $39.95 not counting the additional cost of installation. At the very rear of the inside of the receiver, you’ll see that this unit comes with the B-225 option which allows you to install rechargeable NiCad batteries so that you can operate the receiver for that remote DX trip or during times when there may be a power outage. This B-225 option is great to have available for emergencies and sold as an option for $119.95 not including installation. We have only see this B-225 in one other HF-225 that we have previously sold. Please note that you will be required to supply your own rechargeable batteries for this unit. The Europa upgrade over the standard HF-225 receiver boosted the original selling price of this HF-225E to between $1,000 – $1100 depending on the dealer selling the receiver. If you take this price of $1,000 in 1991 and convert it via inflation dollars to 2024, the cost would be $2,345 if this receiver could be purchased as new from the Lowe factory today. With the additional W-225 and B-225 options, the selling price in 2024 dollars would be $2720.00. Please note that this original selling price also included a wired keypad control which is also included in this sale. Designed by the legendary shortwave design guru, John Thorpe, this Lowe represents a wonderful value in the category of DX receivers. Thorpe has gained quite a following over the years with his influence on a few well designed receivers that have enthralled shortwave enthusiasts. This receiver should really appeal to both shortwave enthusiasts and DXers and the Lowe name carries a lot of respect among shortwave enthusiasts. The receiver operates off of 12 VDC and so can be used for connection to any 12 VDC power supply such as an auto battery (for emergencies) or a 12 VDC using the B-225 power pack battery for remote DXing. The HF-225E’s small size and footprint enable it to be transported to remote locations….or to be used within an auto, RV, or on a boat for marine applications. Cosmetically, the receiver is in beautiful original condition. There are a couple of very minor marks consistent with age and use, but this receiver is in above average cosmetic condition and should appeal to someone wanting both the Europa upgrade model and beautiful cosmetics. Please view the HD pictures to get specific detail on cosmetics. Electronically, the Lowe has been fully tested and performs just beautifully. We were able to tune through the various shortwave and amateur bands and get excellent signals as the unit displayed wonderful sensitivity. There are no operational defects or shortcomings noted during testing and operation. We wanted to mention that the HF-225 uses low illumination green LED bulbs to assist with dark room operation. During daylight and even in dim light, it may not be easy to see this illumination. But in darkness, these lamps enable easy viewing and operation of the receiver. (see our picture of the receiver taken in darkness). It is our opinion that the HF-225E will provide the new owner many years of trouble-free listening. This particular HF-225E comes with: · low noise AC adapter · copy of the Lowe user manual · copy of the HF-225 technical manual (service manual) · copy of the scarce Lowe Listener Guide (that offers tons of shortwave listening pointers and tips) · Lowe Europa HF-225E review by Proceedings newsletter · Europa HF-225E spec sheet · EEB (Electronic Equipment Bank) HF-225 Europa catalog page · Gilfer Shortwave Europa HF-225E catalog page · Medium Wave Circle review · Radio Netherlands review · Passport review 1991 (Passport to World Band Radio) · Passport review 1995 · WRTH review 1990 (World Radio and Television Handbook) · Proceedings review of the HF-225 (serious hobbyist newsletter) · Advertisement #1 (in color) · Advertisement #2 (in color) · EEB catalog page (Electronic Equipment Bank) · EEB catalog advertisement 1994 · Advertisement in Passport 1991 · HF-225 Brochure (4 page color) · Lowe info flyer · Lowe product flyer · Lowe receivers – Universal Radio catalog page · CD containing a wealth of files including the user manual, technical manual, mods, schematics, Lowe Listener Guide, advertisements and reviews. This CD is not sold separately as its contents were provided to hobbyists and collectors for their enjoyment and needs. Many of the 500MB of documents found on this CD are no longer available online or from any other source as we have accumulated much of the resources over a period of 19 years of selling communications receivers here on Ebay. Please do not email and inquire about purchasing this CD separately. Background on the Europa Receiver: The success of the Lowe HF-225 provoked many European DXers to request custom modifications for this dependable receiver. The DX Club of Finland petitioned Lowe with a number of mods to fit their specific needs and which were more desired for DXing signals that were encountering interference and circuit changes to improve low signal reception. Lowe agreed to modify the club’s receivers and dubbed the project “Finlandia” in honor of their northern DX customers. Although the circuit changes were costly, the transformed receiver satisfied the members. Lowe was recognized for their enhanced 225 when the “Finlandia” was proclaimed as the “Best DX Receiver of The Year” by the European DX Council in 1992. Other receivers tested included the famed JRC NRD*535 and the Icom R*72E. News of this special edition circulated around Europe, and because of this extensive interest, Lowe decided to produce a special edition of the HF-225 called the “Europa” at a premium price. So what were the differences? Well, the wide 10 KHz filter was replaced with a more versatile 3.3 KHz filter giving the 225 an additional choice to control side channel interference and to enable the receiver to operate in ECSS in wide sideband, as required. In addition, all filter chokes were replaced by high quality magnetic chokes in order to prevent unwanted leakage across the filters. Filter decoupling capacitors were bypassed with new chip capacitors. Additionally, filter selection diodes were replaced by low capacitance switching diodes. According to Lowe, the effect of these changes was to render a noticeable improvement in skirt selectivity and residual noise performance of the receiver. In short, you had better filters and lower circuit noise which enabled better DXing. Additional improvements in the Europa included making the optional synchronous detector as standard and also including the optional keypad as standard. Let us now provide a little information about this Lowe receiver. The stock HF-225 is a highly stable (30 Hz drift after 1 hr) double conversion superhet that operates on less than 300ma of power. It is supplied with 4 bandwidth filters that give the user a nice selection to use for both AM and SSB and filters have excellent shape factors. The receiver has good image rejection of all tuned frequencies in the HF bands so if you live in a high RF environment, this may be helpful for you. When evaluating this receiver, it becomes obvious that this is not your standard desktop receiver. First of all, there are only a total of 9 controls on the front panel eliminating clutter and placing most needed controls at the user’s fingertips. Despite this scant number of controls, the HF-225 offers the user some outstanding reception. The main tuning dial and S-meter are illuminated with light green color and the readout gives the user tuning information in 1 KHz increments. However, tuning is much finer than the display indicates as tuning resolution ranges from 50-500 Hz in AM and 8-250 Hz in SSB. As you tune the display faster, the encoder will speed up tuning so that you can move through the band more quickly. But if the need for fine tuning is dictated, the receiver is capable of delivering this precision which is especially important when clarifying the signal on sideband. For the price of this receiver, most manufacturers offer two bandwidths. The fact that this Lowe offers 4 of them is helpful especially to the program listener and as mentioned. The total audio distortion is remarkably less than .5% and can only be fully appreciated with an outboard speaker or connection to either an amplified speaker or home stereo system. If this is done and the signal is strong, the user will be treated to uncharacteristically pleasant sound on the AM commercial and shortwave bands. Here are some features found on this HF-225 receiver: Coverage from 30 KHz to 30 MHz S-225 Sync detector (optional on the HF-225 and stock on the HF-225E so installed) W-225 Whip Preamp (optional and installed) B-225 Battery holder for NiCad batteries internally (rechargeable batteries not included) KPAD-1 (wired keypad was optional on the HF-225 and stock on the HF-225E so included) 4 bandwidths of 2.2, 3.5, 4.5, and 7.0 KHz S-meter Backlit LCD Built-in speaker 30 Memories Dual VFOs 1/4″ Headphone jack External speaker jack Tone control Record jack Attenuator -20dB Front tilt feet Modes of AM / LSB / USB / CW Stability of <30 Hz / Hr 200 Hz CW filter Speed sensitive tuning Low Distortion (THD less than .5%) AGC (automatic gain control) Heavy duty construction Operates off of 12 VDC The HF-225 is easy to use and should appeal to beginning DXers. Its features will be attractive to more advanced shortwave listeners as it is capable of delivering top notch performance during program listening. While the Lowe does not have all the frills as other receivers, it is competitively priced and delivers outstanding performance. Passport to World Band Radio 1990 describes the HF-225 thusly: "Overall the '225 performs very well and sounds unusually good" Lastly, one thing that we want to mention is that this receiver operates on a lot less power than other tabletop units. The importance of this is that the HF-225 can listen for a long duration using 12 volts DC. This would be important during a time of crisis when operating power may be in short supply. Because the receiver can utilize the internal battery pack, you have convenient access to DC power. Also, you can utilize 12 VDC externally (via the rear input jack) as it would be easy to concoct a cigarette plug for use in an automobile. We listen to a shortwave receiver regularly in our vehicle and utilize an amateur radio 2 meter antenna with very good results. You would not use such an antenna for DXing, but this arrangement offers surprisingly good reception and serves as a backup listening plan during a power outage or emergency. The Lowe would be more thrifty on power than most other comparable receivers as it operates on 1/2 to 1/3 the power of most desktop receivers and this should appeal to preppers. If you would like to read more about this fine receiver, here is an especially good page filled with info: https://web.archive.org/web/20180217023948/http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/lowe3.html (copy & paste link into your internet browser) We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Please use the Ebay shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost. This cost includes proper packing materials for safe delivery and insurance cost against damage or loss. Those buyers living outside the USA are also welcome to purchase from us. We have shipped to 112 countries during the past 25 years on Ebay and we are happy to ship virtually anywhere in the world. You may use the shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to look at our Ebay items!