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Those of you who follow our listings on Ebay know that we specialize in serious communications and amateur radio receivers.  This County Comm GP-7/SSB is a departure for us, for it is not a desktop receiver, and it is our delight to bring this wonderful unit to Ebay.  As you can see, this is a new unit and this is also different than our standard offerings.  There is a good reason for us to step outside our normal offerings and we are proud to offer the GP-7/SSB.  Since this is a new unit, cosmetics are factory fresh and the unit is in perfect operating condition and guaranteed to perform flawlessly in accordance with its design. 

First of all, you may wonder why we are making such a fuss about this small handheld radio.  This is a legitimate question and one that demands a little time to explain.  You see, it is amazing how far technology has advanced in electronics the past 20, 10, or even 5 years.  Flat screen TV sets in the home are relatively recent and this revolution has occurred most during the past 5 years.  Cell phone technology began with the bag phones in the 90's, advanced to flip phones in the 2000's, and during the past 10 years is not only miniature, but is akin to carrying a mini computer in your pocket with advanced camera optics and an MP3 player to boot.  Amazing stuff. 

The GP-7/SSB is considered to be an ultra-portable due to its discrete size and it comes to the buyer in the most modest way possible.  Forget the fancy packaging with the splashy pictures.  You will receive a plain brown box devoid of any hint of the contents.  But open the box, you will be greeted with the radio and belt clip, carry case, stereo earbud earphones, medium wave ferrite antenna, rechargeable battery, USB recharge cable, and operation manual.  County Comm produced this radio in quantity for contract use and it was not meant to be supplied for sale in retail stores requiring shelf packaging.  Money is saved in packaging and thus you do not pay extra for something that you may likely toss away.  

The GP-7/SSB is now in the 4th generation of design taking the previous 3 generations offered with the GP-5/SSB and offering yet more functions and features such as:

• multiple bandwidths (SSB of .5 / 1.2 / 2.2 / 3.0 / 4.0 KHz and AM of 2.5 / 3.5 / 9.0 KHz)
• direct entry
• variable tuning rate steps
• removable / rechargeable lithium BL-5C battery (additional batteries sold on Ebay)
• 27" enhanced stainless steel antenna
• 16 ohm high fidelity speaker
• synchronous detection

We are avid shortwave radio enthusiasts and have owned a wide range of radios during the span of our hobby interest over the past 48 years and so we were actually startled at this GP-7/SSB's performance.

In the 80's digital signal processing was introduced into the market via military receivers capable of cleaning up signals that traditional analog receivers could not match.  At first the differences were modest and virtually undetectable.  But over time, DSP circuitry took hold and enabled so many more features to be added to improve reception signal/tonal clarity at a fraction of the cost.  Actual sensitivity has not really changed a lot during the past 20 years in radios for the most part, but the smaller radios now challenge some powerful desktop receivers and the performance to clean up the signal and reduce interference is vastly superior to portable radios from 20 years ago.  But that is not all that has improved.... 

The predecessor to the GP-7/SSB was the GP-5/SSB this radio and each generation has made a jump forward with capabilities and features.  With the GP-5/SSB, County Comm contacted Edison Fong PHD to elicit his assistance with improvements and the result was the SiLabs Si4734 DSP chipset.  The GP-7/SSB makes important use of the SiLabs Si4734 DSP chip to pack a variety of features and reception of both LSB and USB that can be achieved with 10 Hz BFO tuning resolution that is virtually unheard of in a handheld unit and not even possible in some desktop receivers.  Such tuning resolution enables clear sideband reception with minimal distortion.  This amazing SiLabs SI4734 chipset is now Gen 2!

Virtually all shortwave radios enable the user to tune using a standard dial or by scrolling through stored memories.  One of the things that we also found attractive for this unit is that you can activate ETM (easy-tune mode) whereby you press a button and the radio will tune medium wave, shortwave or FM and then store the frequencies into a usable memory that does not affect the standard memories.  Thus, if you travel quite a bit, there is no need to thumb your way through the whole band to get that favorite AM or FM station or to discover what you can receive in a given shortwave band.  If you activate this function, the radio will scan the receiving range.  At the conclusion of scanning, you can scroll through the stored frequencies.  The advantage of this on shortwave is remarkable.  With this method, you can tune from 2300 to 29900 KHz and can do so within a couple of minutes to determine what can be heard at that time at your location. 

By using the ETM, we will often locate stations outside the regular shortwave bands such as the "spy numbers" stations or those broadcasters operating in more unusual frequency locations.  We have discovered that we can shorten the scan time and cease scanning once the radio hits around 18000 KHz since little is ever heard above that range on shortwave.  When listening on shortwave, the ETM is a great feature since you can use ETM to locate stations as the listening frequencies change throughout the course of a day.  Interestingly, we have even used the GP-7/SSB as a locator radio for our serious desktop unit.  Our desktop receiver cannot scan such as this and so we can locate stations and programs that we would have missed if relying solely on bandscan tuning which can be very time consuming.  This is not to suggest that there is no longer a need to bandscan, but merely to advise that if you just want to program listen and do not intend to DX, then the GP-7/SSB can act as a locator and point you in a direction to tune your desktop receiver.  

Since this GP-7/SSB also receives longwave, medium wave, and FM and do so in such a small package, you can imagine the advantages of having this in your prepper bug-out bag.  In one radio, you have the potential to receive a wide range of signals and emergency communications (LW, AM, shortwave, amateur radio, CB, and FM).  In fact, some people who prepare for emergencies may well find that for the cost, they would like to invest in one radio for their bug-out bag and another to keep in the car glove box.  You would be surprised at the uses for the radio at your disposal when in the glove box....sporting events, a leisurely walk during lunch while at work, that drive to the mountains for shortwave enjoyment away from all the RF noise, etc. 

Here are some reasons why this radio is a good choice for emergency prepping:

• Small size for easy stowing and carrying
• Uses rechargeable battery so that you may use a USB mini input to charge from a variety of sources....including a small solar panel during power outages.  Cost of battery replacement is also reduced and spare batteries are inexpensive.
• Receives multiple radio tuning bands such as LW, AM, FM, shortwave, and citizens band (CB)
• Can pick up all HF amateur bands and decode both upper (USB) and lower (LSB) sideband
• Using "easy-tune" (ETM), can find signals fast and easy at any time of the day or night
• Comes with earbuds earphones for discrete listening, if required
• Very sensitive for its size
• DSP chip enables good audio/tonal qualities so audio is not "muddy" 

It should be noted that reception on all the bands of the GP-7/DSP is remarkably good.  On medium wave, County Comm has gone to the extra measure of providing an external ferrite antenna to replace the smaller, less sensitive, internal ferrite antenna.  You collapse the whip antenna and then can insert and rotate the rod antenna for best reception on any frequency.  While you could rotate your body or your hand to improve reception, this is not often convenient.  By rotating the ferrite antenna, you can listen to your favorite station in comfort without the need to tweak your body or hand for best reception. 

Another interesting feature of the GP-7/SSB is the addition of a thermometer in the display.  You have your choice of what is shown in the upper right corner of the display....clock time, alarm time, signal strength, or temperature.  By choosing temperature, you will be provided with ambient temperature in either Fahrenheit or centigrade.  If you want to go to sleep listening to the radio, you can activate the sleep feature so that the radio does not remain powered on for hours after you fall asleep.  And if you want to awaken afterwards, you can activate the radio alarm to power on to your favorite station at the appropriate time.  The small size of this radio, along with the various features, suggest that it is a great travel unit.

Here are the receiving specs for this GP-7/SSB:

• FM: 64 – 108 or 76 – 108 MHz (frequency range depends on setup for your specific location)
• MW/ AM: 522 - 1620 (9K tuning step) or 520 – 1710 kHz (10K tuning step )
• SW: Extended Frequency Range to 1711-29999 ( higher and lower coverage )
• LW frequency: 153 – 513 kHz (available for 9K tuning step variable )

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 24 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. 

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