Listening to AM, SSB and telegraphy on a Rohde Schwarz EK07 receiver

The Rohde Schwarz EK07 is a professional radio receiver made in Germany in the 1950s and 60s. It covers all of the radio spectrum between 0.5 and 30,5 MHz in 12 bands, and it was initially designed with the AM and telegraphy modes in mind.
Single side band started being widely used not long after the first EK 07 came out of the production line, and the Rohde Schwarz company came up then with a special SSB decoder, which allows the receiver to decode the upper and lower side bands. And it does a wonderful job at that! The decoder is as big and nearly as heavy as the receiver itself (which, at 68 kg, is the one of the heaviest radios of its time), so the whole setup is pretty close to 130 kg.
The R&S EK07 is arguably the best tube radio receiver ever made, and its performance is just beyond description. From a practical point of view, its downside is its weight. If you are lucky enough to find one, you’d better plan carefully where exactly it’s going to sit, get the help of a few strong friends to place it, and leave it there for ever and ever amen. Connected to a good antenna, this baby will be a source of joy for yourself and your grand grand grand children, with close to zero maintenance.