Eton Am/fm Shortwave Radio

[IdleMonitor]

http://tinyurl.com/qdmnn

What's everyone's thoughts on this radio? The last Source flyer that came in the mail says it has SSB capability as well. Not bad for $99 I must say.

What's the comparison with this radio against the DX-394 that Radio Shack had a few years back. I remember the DX-394 as a very cost affordable and very easy to use radio with great SSB capabilities.

I'm looking for a basic Shortwave radio with SSB in it that's not too expensive and will get me all the right bands to listen in on.

Now the source website doesn't mention the SSB part of the radio so I'm not sure if it was just an error in the ad or what. If it's not worth it, then I'll just keep looking for a DX-394 radio as I was quite impressed with that radio.

 

[Chev_am]

I love that radio. I don't have it but I was just trying it out at a Radio Shack. I don't have 99 Dollars right now. It has great capabilites and I got great reception on it. Once I have enough i'm probably going to get it.

 

[tmnewman]

That's the Grundig S350. It does not have SSB capability.
Try the Grundig G4000A (used to be the YB 400) for list $150 or the new Eton E5 for $150. Check them out at www.etoncorp.com or at Grove Enterprises.
I have the Grundig YB-400PE which is a very good radio, but the new Eton E5's re-chargeable batteries charge in the radio, a convenience feature. You have to re-charge them externally for the YB-400.
I also have the Eton E10, bought for $50 at Radio Shack clearance (List $130), to me, the Holy Grail of portables, but no SSB.
I never used the RS DX-394 but maybe they're available on Ebay.
I have also had the RS DX-390 for many years which is a very good portable with SSB.
Good luck in your search!

 

[cnmsales]

With shortband do you have to have an antenna mounted outside to get good reception? Also what is SSB?

 

[IdleMonitor]

SSB = Single Side Band

Much the same as used on CB radio, but on HF that's where you get all the good stuff.

So, judging by the comments here, even though that radio is decent by The Source, I'd still be better off with atleast the DX-394 radio? For a low end, cost efficient SSB Shortwave radio receiver.

With shortband do you have to have an antenna mounted outside to get good reception? Also what is SSB?

 

[pathalogical]

I have also been looking for a SW radio. I have narrowed down my search to the Sangean 909 and Sony 7600gr. Both have SSB, however the Sony specifies Upper Side Band and Lower Side band. The 909 has a larger LCD display. The Source's Grundig/Eton S 350 DL was tempting, but after researching, it has no SSB and analog tuning with digital readout. Several years ago I did buy a YB "something" at Radio Shack, but didn't know anything about SW (reception, stations, UTC, etc.) so I returned it. May have been the YB 400.

 

[ka3jjz]

I seem to recall that the S350 is single conversion - which means that there's a pretty fair chance that you will hear stronger stations repeated in places where they shouldn't be. It's kinda retro, quite frankly - there are better portables out there - both models patalogical mentioned above are well regarded.

We have a section of our wiki devoted to receiver reviews - and my friend Ulis Fleming has a page on his RadioIntel website devoted to portable reviews. I'd strongly suggest using that, along with EHam and a few other links listed there, as a point of reference before you lay down your hard earned greenstuff.

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/SWL_Broadcast

As to antennas - yes, generally using an external antenna will improve performance. However, somewhat like scanner antennas, there is a point of diminishing returns - make it too long, and you may overload the radio (most portables are not designed to handle large amounts of RF that a lot of wire may deliver - the rather expensive Eton E1 is something of an exception....).
Indoor antennas will work - I've used various kinds for almost 20 years in the listening hobby, and while I'll never say something is the equal of a good well constructed outdoor antenna, it gets the job done, and I have heard my share of DX. Loops - even the well known Carpet Loop - will help keep the enemy of HF listening - noise - at bay somewhat. It's a dandy first project, too. Our Antennas wiki has the details.

73s Mike

 

[IdleMonitor]

So far, not alot of comments on the Eton radio, but still, nice to see some comments.

So would ya say that I'd be still better off with a DX-394 then the Eton radio.

I don't know, I haven't dabbled into much shortwave over the years, but it'd still be nice to hear the odd Atlantic planes flying the skies or even the odd marine stuff, hell, if we had a military even the Canadian military would still be nice to hear.

I don't need to hear all the juicy stuff, and I don't really care much for SSB Broadcast or HF SSB Ham for that matter but even the HAM SSB is still much better to listen to than the local repeaters.

But i'd still like to hear atleast hear the odd SSB comm that's not broadcast, nothing against Broadcast or anything but ya know what I mean...

I don't even care much for antenna stuff as long as I can hear stuff on SSB that's not broadcast.

Although I don't mind the odd pirate station however, what peaked my interest a few years ago was actually listening to the space shuttle go up into space and listening to comm's as it was going up after liftoff.

I ain't looking for a professional set up here just something that's somewhat cheap to have in the shack with SSB for a straight up hobbiest....That's it, nothing too fancy.

 

[ka3jjz]

Well with the S350, you only get single conversion - which as I mentioned before, is likely to have broadcasters appearing in the middle of the utility bands at some point. The 'odd SSB comm' as you call it, would be interfered with, or covered completely with such a radio, even if it was SSB capable (which I'm pretty sure it isn't).

And much as I hate to burst your bubble, you will need to 'care' about antennas - on HF they're much more important than the little whip you get with a desktop scanner that's enough to hear police and fire. The antenna can be quite simple - a hunk of wire hung out on a tree - or can be quite elaborate, depending on the radio you purchase and your own environment RF-wise.

I've said this before, and it bears repeating - HF is a different animal than listening to the VHF/UHF bands. There are many other things involved in hearing a signal besides having a radio and antenna. There are several other topics - such as propagation - which you need to understand, even at a basic level. You certainly don't need to be able to write a doctoral thesis on the subject, but understanding that will allow you to comprehend why you hear signals at one time but not another.

We have numerous links in our Wiki that can help - take the time to do the research properly, and save yourself the headache of buying the wrong radio for the wrong reasons. Don't be deceived by the glitzy ad you see on EBay or other places - we have several links with receiver reviews, numerous antenna links, propagation, an intro to the services on HF and many others. Spending time educating yourself is more beneficial in the long run.

As my yoga instructor tells me and the students, it's the journey, not the destination.

73s Mike

 

[Dorpmuller]

I have an S-350. I bought it knowing about the images and poor selectivity-but wanted it for a bedside radio so I could use the sleep timer, as a cheapie to take along camping, etc. and not being too upset if it got scuffed, etc.

That said, the performance on AM is amazingly good, just being a notch below the GE Superadio III. FM is also good-I can get the one classical public broadcast station here in central Pa. that everything else has trouble picking up.

For shortwave, it is OK if you are going to listen to programs and they are on a freq that you know. The talk about images is true and there is no BFO, so no sideband capability.

For casual program listening and AM DX, it's fine and lots of fun to tune around.

Rich