Grundig Globe Traveler G3 AM/FM/Shortwave Radio with Aircraft Band, Single-Side Band, Radio Data System and Synchronous Detector Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had high hopes for this radio, hoping that I could replace my much-used and beat up Eton E5. Sadly, this will not be the case. While the G3 adds some features such as the Aircraft band, LSB/USB switch, RDS and Sync detector (which sorta works), several important traits/features of the E5 are not carried over to the new model.

1. FM sensitivity is not as good. Several FM stations in Eugene Oregon (about 110 miles away) that are easy catches for the E5 can still be heard with the G3 but not as clearly, and with much more effort to get the antenna "just right".

2. MW (AM) sensitivity is not as good...side by side comparison on several weak AM stations that yield decent reception with the E5 are heard with more noise and hiss on the G3.

3. Ditto for LW... several aircraft beacons are heard, but with more hiss on the G3.

4. The "wide/narrow" switch does not also function as "voice/music" tone control on FM, as it does on the E5.

5. The push-buttons are NOT illuminated on the G3.

6. Tuning steps increased from 25 kHz to 50Khz on FM... not what is needed to pull in a weak DX station that is first adjacent to a strong local!

The good points:

1. The RDS functions well.

2. SSB stations are MUCH easier to tune with the G3 than the E5.

3. The Aircraft band works well, this will be great for airshows.

4. Under some conditions (stations that are not too weak) the sync detector does provide improvement. I find that I must tune 1 kHz LOW to get it to work, so there could be some alignment issues with my particular radio. The feature does not work as well as it does on my Sony ICF-SW7600GR and is not even close to the performance of my Sony ICF 2010!

5. The G3 is less likely to "overload" in strong signal areas than the E5... perhaps the sensitivity was reduced on purpose to provide better reception for city dwellers, at the expense of reducing DX capabilities.

So, I will keep my beat up old Eton E5, and use both... sad!

Update: 5/19/10I have read several reviews/comments that seem to indicate that the sensitivity and Sync detector problems on early production units have been fixed. This model might be worth a second chance.

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Product Description:
AM/FM/Shortwave Radio with Aircraft Band, SSB (Single-Side Band), RDS (Radio Data System) and Synchronous Detector

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Kaito Electronics Inc. KA500BLK Voyager Solar/Dynamo Emergency Radio - Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I tested the KA500 along with several other self-powered radios for a project I'm working on in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.I found that the KA500 is a very capable shortwave receiver it's just not nearly as rugged as its competitors. Here are my thoughts:

What I like about the KA500:
- Solar Panel--the KA500 is one of the only portable shortwave receivers out there with a built-in solar panel. The panel is effective enough that it will power the radio (if in direct sunlight) without batteries and produce a reasonable amount of volume through its built-in speaker.

- The 5 LED reading lamp -- This reading lamp is impressive. If the batteries are fully charged, the lamp works for VERY long periods of time. I'm also an amateur radio operator and found that the reading lamp is bright enough that it lit up my large radio table.

- Good shortwave sensitivity -- For a self-powered analog radio, I was impressed with the shortwave sensitivity. I also found the AM broadcast and FM bands adequate/average.

- Good selectivity -- When a station is tuned-in well, you don't often hear adjacent signals.

- Good frequency coverage -- I like the fact that KA500 covers the NOAA weather frequencies, FM, AM and a very large portion of the SW spectrum (from 3.2 MHZ to 22MHz, missing only a little used piece between 8 & 9 MHz)

What I didn't like:
- Quality -- Though the radio feels solid in your hand, I found through my testing that the quality of the KA500 is actually quite poor. More than once, the tuning mechanism would slip and the needle would get stuck in the middle of the dial. The worst part, though, is the poor quality of the hand-crank mechanism. The dynamo and crank arm feel cheap. Well, they are cheap.After only a month of occasional testing--and with me being very careful with the hand crank--the dynamo started showing signs of failing. The crank became less fluid to turn and would rub the side of the radio chassis. One day, while slowly cranking, the crank arm just snapped in half. No more crank power.

- No Fine Tune control -- Kaito fits the whole SW1 and SW2 spectrum on a small dial. There were a few times I wish this radio had a fine tune control like the Grundig FR200.

BOTTOM LINE:
I sent my KA500 back and did not get it replaced. It's a shame, really. I loved the radio's features and overall performance, but was very disappointed with quality.

I could only recommend this radio to someone who plans on tucking it away and using it on rare occasions or someone who wants a basic full-featured radio but never plans on using the hand-crank.I'd also keep the receipt handy for the return (and buy from an authorized dealer like Amazon or Universal Radio).

For my purposes, I will be using the Grundig/Et