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This Japan Radio NRD-515 for sale works beautifully with great sensitivity up and down the bands.  This particular receiver comes equipped as it was sold from the JRC factory with the 6 and 2.4 KHz filters.  Should you require a narrow filter arrangement, you could slightly off tune using the narrow 2.4 KHz bandwidth in AM or you can tune the receiver in SSB using ECSS for reduced interference during listening.  

Cosmetics of the receiver shows some various marks which is typical of these 515 receivers of which the covers are easily scratched.  Please use the pictures at the top of this listing as a supplement to the description and feel free to ask any questions.  

The NRD-515 has been fully tested and operates as designed by JRC displaying no operational issues and having wonderful sensitivity.

The NRD-515 receiver comes with:

Background

Japan Radio Company is a long standing company established in 1915 and is considered one of the oldest and largest electronics manufacturing companies in the world.  Employing over 3,000 workers, JRC is a respected leader in such areas as marine radio equipment, mobile and satellite communications, fiber optics, radar, navigation equipment, and avionics systems. Therefore, it should be no surprise that JRC's line of communications receivers is highly regarded and sought for it's dependability, ergonomics, and ease of use.

Over the years, JRC has manufactured a fine line of consumer grade shortwave receivers.  Beginning with the NRD*505 and ending with the NRD*545, Japan Radio has incorporated state-of-the-art features into a unit designed with excellent sensitivity and to be operated with user comfort.  This NRD-515 is not exception and is typically sought by collectors that are fond of it's design and capabilities.  According to Fred Osterman in his book "Shortwave Receivers Past and Present" the NRD-515:

Interestingly, the 515 sold in the late 70's thru the mid 80's for about $1,000 to $1500....a tidy sum of money in those days.  Extra features such as the memory unit and additional IF filters would push the price even higher.  When new models come out, typically older shortwave receivers, like most consumer products, lose much of their original value.  However, the 515 in good condition is a true exception with selling prices remarkably stable even 25 to 30 years later.  There are reasons for this phenomenon.

First of all, the receiver is truly built like a tank.  The receiver front panel and cover are made from heavy gauge steel and designed to last.  The only plastic is found on the various knobs and feet with the balance of the receiver constructed of metal.

Secondly, the 515 was made during an era of mostly analog dial readouts that could tune to within 5 KHz or maybe even 1 KHz.  However, the red LED readout of the 515 could literally tune to a resolution of 100 Hz...an achievement unparalleled by other consumer equipment from that era.  Only mil spec equipment could brag such tuning resolution.  Japan electronic manufacturers were beginning to release some models with digital readouts, but again, the resolution was only as good as 1 KHz.

Tuning on the 515 is accomplished using a variety of knobs.  The user would determine which one of 29 MHz bands they would like to tune and move the large MHz dial into that position. (This is a photo rotary encoder that is extremely durable)  Then actual tuning to the specific frequency would occur with the large right main tuning knob, or if faster tuning was desired, using the toggle tuning switch that is located at about 2 o'clock to the main tuning knob.  For most tuning, this method is sufficient.  However, if tuning on SSB or for RTTY, Japan Radio also included a fine tune control that they refer to as the delta control.  This control deviates by about + or - 3 KHz and allows for extreme precision in tuning.

The 515 is a highly stable receiver.  Drift after about 30 minutes of warm-up is reported to be less than 50 Hz/hr, but avid users report that they rarely have to retune.  This stability is uncustomary for this time in the consumer market.

A nice feature found on the 515 is the passband tuning.  This control coupled with the receiver's excellent dynamic range allows the operator to frequently eliminate considerable side channel interference.  When used in conjunction with the installed filters, the 515 becomes a fantastic unit for digging out those weak signals.  The choice of filters is not mode dependent and this gives the user an extra degree of flexibility.

At this point, I would like to list some of the features followed by additional information found on the internet:

If you like reading reviews, this site from Eham is based on 14 of 15 users reviewing and giving the 515 a perfect mark:

At this point, we feel that we have conveyed some information to assist you with your research into this fine receiver.  If we can help answer any further questions, please feel free to email and inquire.

We are happy to carefully pack and ship this to your location.  If living in the USA, you may use the shipping calculator. 

If you live outside the USA, we are happy to ship this NRD-515 to you as well.  We have shipped to 98 countries during the past few years with excellent results.  The receiver will be well packed to protect it during transport.  You may also use the shipping calculator to determine your cost.  Please remember that the shipping cost does not included a provision to pay any additional costs such as VAT, import, duty or customs fees.  We ask that you check with your country's customs office or local post office to determine if you will have additional costs prior to purchasing.  Thank you!