I've been spending about a month considering what I want to get to replace my aging Sony ICF-2010 as my main "casual listener."
First I looked for the Drake SW8, but post 1996 versions are near impossible to find.
Then I considered the Sat 800, but all the bad press about the quality issues drove me away.
Then I was convinced to try an Eton E1XM. Quality concerns here, too, made want to avoid used, so I got a new one from Universal Radio. It arrived with scratches all around the case, and a tuning knob that was off center. Performancewise, it pulled in nothing (although this may have been unfair, since I was trying it out during a week when nothing can in through anything). Even if it hadn't looked bad, the flimsy looking construction and poor audio quality drove me away, even though feature-wise, it's incredible.
So I went back and looked for Sat 800s. Prices on Ebay for non-pawnshop models were going up into the $350-$450 range. I almost gave up when I happened to chance upon an for one on Craigslist, located only 25 minutes from my house.
To make a long story short, I picked up a 2002, original-owner Sat 800 in like-new condition. Not a scratch on it. Came with original box, manual, headphones and power supply. The seller even threw in the 2008 Passport to World Radio book. All for $280.
Haven't had a lot of time to play with it, but even with the whip it seems to pull in much better than the Eton did (again, this may be due to propogation), and the audio quality is amazing. It's built like a tank. The only thing that bugs me is that it doesn't have "fast tuning," but since I'm going to be using it for mostly SW rather than SSB I'll just fill up the frequency banks.
If this thing doesn't break down, it'll be a keeper, and the 2010 will gone on the sell block.
Suzie
First I looked for the Drake SW8, but post 1996 versions are near impossible to find.
Then I considered the Sat 800, but all the bad press about the quality issues drove me away.
Then I was convinced to try an Eton E1XM. Quality concerns here, too, made want to avoid used, so I got a new one from Universal Radio. It arrived with scratches all around the case, and a tuning knob that was off center. Performancewise, it pulled in nothing (although this may have been unfair, since I was trying it out during a week when nothing can in through anything). Even if it hadn't looked bad, the flimsy looking construction and poor audio quality drove me away, even though feature-wise, it's incredible.
So I went back and looked for Sat 800s. Prices on Ebay for non-pawnshop models were going up into the $350-$450 range. I almost gave up when I happened to chance upon an for one on Craigslist, located only 25 minutes from my house.
To make a long story short, I picked up a 2002, original-owner Sat 800 in like-new condition. Not a scratch on it. Came with original box, manual, headphones and power supply. The seller even threw in the 2008 Passport to World Radio book. All for $280.
Haven't had a lot of time to play with it, but even with the whip it seems to pull in much better than the Eton did (again, this may be due to propogation), and the audio quality is amazing. It's built like a tank. The only thing that bugs me is that it doesn't have "fast tuning," but since I'm going to be using it for mostly SW rather than SSB I'll just fill up the frequency banks.
If this thing doesn't break down, it'll be a keeper, and the 2010 will gone on the sell block.
Suzie
