This guy had a real impressive review on the Eton Executive...

[Omega-TI]

I have the Eton Elite Executive. I am impressed with what it can receive with just the telescopic antenna on HF. I am more impressed with it as a single channel civilian air band receiver. Very good sensitivity and excellent audio.

Have you used one of these? The rod antenna works great, but I'm never satisfied and feel there is always room for some improvement.

 

[GROL]

Have you used one of these? The rod antenna works great, but I'm never satisfied and feel there is always room for some improvement.

View attachment 118028

I have tried that. It really didn't help as much as it does on my Sangean radio.

 

[GROL]

Man no kidding! When squelch breaks on the aircraft band it sounds like they are in the room with you. I was NOT expecting that. I too was really impressed with it's sensitivity AND selectivity on HF. In the past I've used larger more expensive "communication receivers" with outside antennas that were not as impressive.

I am going to have to get a plastic holder for it though. The only drawback with this radio is not it's reception capability, it's that the case/antenna issue. Also, without holder, it's prone to tipping if nudged.

Yep. The antenna is a bit of a pain. You can't really leave the leather case on it due to how the antenna works. The one thing I wish the radio had is an RF gain adjustment.

 

[Omega-TI]

Yep. The antenna is a bit of a pain. You can't really leave the leather case on it due to how the antenna works. The one thing I wish the radio had is an RF gain adjustment.

Yeah, all it has is the DX/LOCAL switch on the side, but still, that sucker is more sensitive than I expected and the selectivity ain't bad either.

 

[Boombox]

I made a review today...

Interesting review. Would have been cool to see some MW performance, but I'm sure it's pretty good.

I'm not sure how much you're into SW, but early a.m. the "Asia pipeline" often comes in well, and I used to hear a lot from Asia and SE Asia when sunspots were better, and as sunspots increase the 40 meter ham band / 41 meter SWBC bands will hopefully make for some good listening. Even off the whip, you should be able to hear a lot on good propagation days.

I've heard that BC Canada 40 meter net, they seem to have it most days. Not sure of the time as it's been a long time since I've tuned the ham bands.

Nice vid.

 

[KevinC]

Does anyone want to host the PDF of the "facts only" English version of the Eton Elite Manual? This site will not allow a PDF of decent quality to be uploaded, so I'll be happy to email to anyone that wants to host it.


View attachment 117924

I would suggest putting it in the RR Wiki. You could also link your review there as well.

 

[Boombox]

Yeah, all it has is the DX/LOCAL switch on the side, but still, that sucker is more sensitive than I expected and the selectivity ain't bad either.

If you're using the whip, just decrease the length a little. Use that as an RF gain. It works that way on my Grundig G2. Remember, DSP chips act differently than analog IF chips. You can reduce the whip considerably and still get reception, especially from stronger signals.

 

[Omega-TI]

Interesting review. Would have been cool to see some MW performance, but I'm sure it's pretty good.

I'm not sure how much you're into SW, but early a.m. the "Asia pipeline" often comes in well, and I used to hear a lot from Asia and SE Asia when sunspots were better, and as sunspots increase the 40 meter ham band / 41 meter SWBC bands will hopefully make for some good listening. Even off the whip, you should be able to hear a lot on good propagation days.

I've heard that BC Canada 40 meter net, they seem to have it most days. Not sure of the time as it's been a long time since I've tuned the ham bands.

Nice vid.

Heck yeah! Early AM SW would be fun to listen to as I'm usually getting ready for work then. Do you have any recommendations for shows with frequency and time in UTC that I should check out? I'm not really into listening to nets or check-ins myself, but had to have something on SSB for the review.

Thanks for the compliment on the review, it's nice to see someone enjoyed it!

 

[Omega-TI]

I have tried that. It really didn't help as much as it does on my Sangean radio.

Thanks for that feedback, I think I'll pass on it.

 

[Omega-TI]

Another good test frequency is 27.025 MHz which is Channel 6 CB during the day if the skip is good. See what frequency read out that actually ends up on with the most optimal reception.

I took your advice and the Eton is EXACT on frequency. But jeeez, those people are freaking nuts and rude, the main reason I abandoned CB back in 76 or 77.

 

[trentbob]

I took your advice and the Eton is EXACT on frequency. But jeeez, those people are freaking nuts and rude, the main reason I abandoned CB back in 76 or 77.

Oh yeah, a special breed, Channel 6 has been like that through all the cycles, I remember the solar cycle in the 70s. Things will be opening up nice.

Yeah that's good if it's right on the money. That way you can preset but always fine tune in case, that's 11 m. It could be a tiny bit off on other bands. Sometimes other conditions in lieu of the radio can cause a small drift.

 

[GROL]

If you're using the whip, just decrease the length a little. Use that as an RF gain. It works that way on my Grundig G2. Remember, DSP chips act differently than analog IF chips. You can reduce the whip considerably and still get reception, especially from stronger signals.

An actual RF gain control would be helpful to reduce background noise when the signal is strong enough. It greatly reduces the fatigue you get when listening. Unfortunately the background noise isn't reduced shortening the antenna. But it's not a communications receiver or HF transceiver. It still works very good for a small portable. I bought it for travel. It will work fine for that. For serious DX reception I still use the FT-891 or FT-857D.

 

[GROL]

27.025 MHz is CB 6, I'm sure this is just a typo.

Well, I was curious so I tuned my FT-857D in my Explorer to 27.025 MHz this afternoon just to see what was there. OMG, no intelligent life there.

 

[Boombox]

Heck yeah! Early AM SW would be fun to listen to as I'm usually getting ready for work then. Do you have any recommendations for shows with frequency and time in UTC that I should check out? I'm not really into listening to nets or check-ins myself, but had to have something on SSB for the review.

Thanks for the compliment on the review, it's nice to see someone enjoyed it!

I haven't done much SWLing early mornings over the past few years, so I'm not really sure how it is now. I've tuned around late in the morning and mostly have heard China's CNR1 and Radio NZ Int'l, VOA in Korean to Korea, and a few broadcasts to Russia in Russian, but the solar cycle isn't exactly hopping right now... Got out of the habit of it when conditions went south in late 2016 / early 2017, but when conditions were good early in that decade the 40 meter ham band had interesting nets from Malaysia and sometimes I'd hear hams from SE Asia and Indonesia on CW and SSB -- either them talking to each other, or talking to Japan, or even US and Canadian hams trying to reach them.

Around 6999 khz or thereabouts you can hear the pirate hams from Borneo -- they're mainly in Kalimantan (Indonesian half of Borneo), talking in Bahasa Indonesia language and or chanting (a type of contest they do, every station chants into their mics while another one records it, and then plays it back -- it's a weird thing to hear for the first time). That's all in LSB, sometimes USB. There are a couple Russian single letter beacons around 7040 khz or so that come in readably (CW).

The SW broadcasters are mostly China, China in Russian to Siberia, Japan in Russian to Siberia; I used to hear Vietnam now and then. The BBC used to broadcast in English from Singapore to the Far East (I don't recall the frequency) -- I'm not sure if that's still on the air. When conditions are even better you can sometimes hear India and VOA and BBC broadcasts to Afghanistan and surrounding areas -- usually in their languages, but you'll hear the usual VOA programming, which often has music included that is popular in those areas.

As the sun cycle improves over the next few years just check the SW frequency websites (I keep EiBi on my tablet computer handy, and also use short-wave.info, which is really useful and handy) and tune around. 31 meters and 49 meters also have a lot of Asian activity, but when things were really hot 2011-2015 or so, 40 m / 41 m were my favorite bands to tune into, because it was a treasure trove of different stuff.

PS -- it also helps if you know a little CW, to where you can at least read a CQ transmission -- just logging call letters from a station in Indonesia or Malaysia is quite cool.

When I was hearing most of what I heard I was using my DX-398 and a 25 ft. indoor wire, but I also heard a lot of the SWBC activity on my G2 off the whip, so it can be heard even with just a decent DSP chip radio.

 

[Boombox]

An actual RF gain control would be helpful to reduce background noise when the signal is strong enough. It greatly reduces the fatigue you get when listening. Unfortunately the background noise isn't reduced shortening the antenna. But it's not a communications receiver or HF transceiver. It still works very good for a small portable. I bought it for travel. It will work fine for that. For serious DX reception I still use the FT-891 or FT-857D.

Well, with some radios the RF Gain would reduce overmod images, and that sort of thing, and with a sensitive DSP portable reducing the whip length can do that.

 

[Omega-TI]

I can tell you one thing that impressed me about this radio... I can actually use it in the den! I have four other radios that pick up AM-BCB and I cannot use any of them in the den due it it being a high RFI environment.

This morning I was listening to a local AM station and had to go back into the den to retrieve my coffee cup on the warmer, (while I was holding my radio of course). I instantly realized it was still receiving the station and was not drowned out by noise.

 

[GROL]

Well, with some radios the RF Gain would reduce overmod images, and that sort of thing, and with a sensitive DSP portable reducing the whip length can do that.

Shortening the antenna does reduce the received signals, but it does not improve the signal-to-noise ratio. An "RF gain adjustment" that reduces the gain of the RF amplification, will reduce background noise which makes listening a lot easier, then you can use the AF gain to bring the audio level back up. You can greatly improve the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce listening fatigue. The Yaesu FT-857D I have also has an IPO function besides the RF gain, which turns off the RF pre-amplifier. I have it off for almost everything on HF and even have it programmed to be off in memory channels. The RF pre-amplifier is rarely needed on HF, and with it off signal-to noise is greatly reduced and stations are much easier to hear. If you have a receiver with an actual RF gain, you can use it in conjunction with AF gain to improve signal-to-noise and be surprised how much it can help. Until you try it, it may seem counterintuitive. "I am having a hard time hearing this station, so I need more RF gain". What you need is a better signal-to-noise ratio.

This guy describes it in the following video

 

[GROL]

Shortening the antenna does reduce the received signals, but it does not improve the signal-to-noise ratio. An "RF gain adjustment" that reduces the gain of the RF amplification, will reduce background noise which makes listening a lot easier, then you can use the AF gain to bring the audio level back up. You can greatly improve the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce listening fatigue. The Yaesu FT-857D I have also has an IPO function besides the RF gain, which turns off the RF pre-amplifier. I have it off for almost everything on HF and even have it programmed to be off in memory channels. The RF pre-amplifier is rarely needed on HF, and with it off signal-to noise is greatly reduced and stations are much easier to hear. If you have a receiver with an actual RF gain, you can use it in conjunction with AF gain to improve signal-to-noise and be surprised how much it can help. Until you try it, it may seem counterintuitive. "I am having a hard time hearing this station, so I need more RF gain". What you need is a better signal-to-noise ratio.

This guy describes it in the following video

I just pulled out my Radio Shack DX-398. While it is not as effective as with my FT-857D or FT-891, the RF gain adjustment actually helps. I have not used it in several years and couldn't remember how well it worked, I just remembered it has one. I bought the Elite Executive for easier portability traveling by air, and I thought it may be easier to get away with monitoring ATC on board. I was a bit disappointed it did not have an RF gain, but even without it works very good even though I have no way to improve the SNR.

 

[Boombox]

Shortening the antenna does reduce the received signals, but it does not improve the signal-to-noise ratio. An "RF gain adjustment" that reduces the gain of the RF amplification, will reduce background noise which makes listening a lot easier, then you can use the AF gain to bring the audio level back up. You can greatly improve the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce listening fatigue. The Yaesu FT-857D I have also has an IPO function besides the RF gain, which turns off the RF pre-amplifier. I have it off for almost everything on HF and even have it programmed to be off in memory channels. The RF pre-amplifier is rarely needed on HF, and with it off signal-to noise is greatly reduced and stations are much easier to hear. If you have a receiver with an actual RF gain, you can use it in conjunction with AF gain to improve signal-to-noise and be surprised how much it can help. Until you try it, it may seem counterintuitive. "I am having a hard time hearing this station, so I need more RF gain". What you need is a better signal-to-noise ratio.

This guy describes it in the following video

Actually, with my Grundig G2, shortening the whip does improve the signal to noise ratio. Noise is decreased, and the broadcast is more readable. If I clip wire to the antenna, the radio picks up more noise and the actual broadcast signal isn't improved.

DSP chips work a little differently from analog IF circuits.

I understand the use of an RF Gain control with analog radios, as you've described. The TS-570D in the video you linked is a superhet. The Yaesu you also mention in your post is a superhet.

I was referring more to DSP chipped portables. DSP 'captures' the audio component of a broadcast signal differently than analog superhet radios do.

RE: the DX-398: Sometimes I'd reduce the RF Gain a bit to keep the AGC from pumping. The 398 / Sangean 909 has pretty tight AGC. Pretty good radio, though, overall. Spent a lot of time tuning across the SWBC and ham bands with mine. I probably will again once the sunspots pick up again, and I get a better, outdoor antenna up again.

 

[GROL]

Actually, with my Grundig G2, shortening the whip does improve the signal to noise ratio. Noise is decreased, and the broadcast is more readable. If I clip wire to the antenna, the radio picks up more noise and the actual broadcast signal isn't improved.

DSP chips work a little differently from analog IF circuits.

I understand the use of an RF Gain control with analog radios, as you've described. The TS-570D in the video you linked is a superhet. The Yaesu you also mention in your post is a superhet.

I was referring more to DSP chipped portables. DSP 'captures' the audio component of a broadcast signal differently than analog superhet radios do.

RE: the DX-398: Sometimes I'd reduce the RF Gain a bit to keep the AGC from pumping. The 398 / Sangean 909 has pretty tight AGC. Pretty good radio, though, overall. Spent a lot of time tuning across the SWBC and ham bands with mine. I probably will again once the sunspots pick up again, and I get a better, outdoor antenna up again.

Whatever the design, it isn't possible to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. It works just fine for what it is and pulls in signals well. I do get a little fatigued listening to all the background noise. If anyone has found a block diagram or schematic for the Eton Elite Executive, I would really like to see how it is designed.