Customer Reviews

ETON YB400PE AM/FM Shortwave Radio

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This, along with the Sony ICF-7600G are among the two best portable shortwave radios offered by Amazon at this time. Both have their advantages and it is up to the user what is most important. The Grundig YB-400 is a fairly easy to use radio that allows the user to punch in the desired frequency, enter it into one of 40 memories, or scan desired bands to find a station of interest. The Grundig's best asset is its great audio. It is definitely the best audio I've heard from a shortwave portable and makes listening a real pleasure. If you live or travel to any part of the world other than Europe or eastern North America the Grundig YB-400 is the best you can buy. If you live in one of those two places consider the Sony, which has a synch. detector that allows you to reduce interference from adjacent stations. This is important in areas where there are a high number of strong stations crowded next to one another. In any case, both are well worth the money.

Among the best consumer world band radios available today, and the finest low-cost radio I have owned in over twenty years of listening.

This is great all-around radio. If you are new to short-wave, this is an very good radio to start with. For beginners, the lock-on tuning and scanning functions make listening easy. For more experienced and adventurous listeners, there is the ability to access single sideband transmissions. All current and proposed medium-wave, FM, and short-wave bands are available.

The speaker sound is excellent, and one can also attach stereo speakers to the YB400's headphone jack; my YB400 does double duty as an FM tuner and short-wave.

The Grundig YB400 comes as part of a very complete package. Included with the radio is an AC adapter, stereo earbuds, carrying case, and an external reel antenna that plugs into the radio itself. The manual is brief but clear, and a listening guide is also included.

While I'm not exactly a shortwave hobbyist I've used shortwave radios on every one of my travels overseas. That being said the YB 400 PE is the best SW I've ever had. This Grundig brings a lot of features to the table such as digital tuning, forty presets, great capture of stations and above average sound. I've really enjoyed using the 400 and its great features.

One complaint I had was that the manual that accompanies it does an inadequate job of explaining some of the functions and the pre-sets are all inclusive, that is it's forty pre-sets for all bands FM/SW/LW/MW rather than per band. But these are small things that shouldn't take away from the overall excellence of the radio.

I'm getting ready to go on an extended trip to the third world and the Grundig YB 400PE is at the top of my packing list.

Great sensitivity and sound in a small radio.

Very simple to operate.

It's to be compared with the Sony 7600G, in choosing a portable, its chief competitor. You can't go wrong with either one.

The YB400 audio is much better than the Sony, and the operation is easier than the Sony.

The interference rejection however is better in the Sony because of the Sony's synch detector, if interference of strong stations is a consideration, or if ``selective fading,'' common on shortwave or twilight AM broadcasting, where the carrier fades below the sidebands causing distortion, is a problem. This is also solved by synch detection.

If distance daytime AM listening is desired, the Sony with its fast AGC is better than the YB400 with its slow AGC, because you can add a MW loop (Select-a-tenna, Terk Loop, or Radio Shack MW loop) and tune it successfully with a fast AGC. It's difficult to tune with the YB400's slow AGC, though sometimes you can turn the switch to local and disable the AGC temporarily to do it.

(Slow AGC gives you an edge in copying interfering morse code stations, however, because the louder station won't modulate the weaker one on the YB400, and it will on the Sony.)

For strong stations, pick the YB400 for the audio. For interference or AM distance listening with a MW loop, pick the Sony.

Hello radio lovers! I have a vast collection of radios and many many years of radio listening and purchasing experience I can do accurate compares which many find helpful. When I purchased this radio I so wanted it to be great like the old days of Grundig . Its not bad , but I wouldn't go out of my way to reccommend it over others . The Sony sw7600gr and the Sangean ATS909 are much better buys . Here's why , first off the Grundig YB400pe is generally not made very well . The poor quality of the body , the antenna and the sound are obvious upon first look and listen . The tuner sensativity on FM is good but AM and SW are fair . The side band set up is ok , others are better . One draw back is that it takes 6 AA batteries while the others take 4 .This makes the radio very heavy for its size . True that the Sangean 909 and the Sony 7600 are a little more expensive but worth it . You are getting a more durable radio with a much better tuner and better sound . So I guess to sum it up its not that this radio is so bad its that the others in its class are so good.

I've had my YachtBoy 400 for about a week now, and I love it! [the 400 is identical to the 400PE, but the newer PE comes with an AC adaptor.]

Within minutes of putting the batteries in the unit I was listening to stations from all over the world. To maximize your listening, especially as a newer listener, buy a good guide like Passport to Worldband Radio.

I have read all the reviews, and I believe the tone quality is better than the naysayers lead you to believe. The tuning is very simple, and once you try all the functions, the operations are intuitive.

I considered the Sony and the ATS-909 among others. I read hundreds of reviews, and I was convinced that the biggest weakness of the Yacht Boy is SSB reception. I have been satisfied with that feature on mine, and since it works ok for me, I'm not sure what the grumbling is all about.

If I had it to do all over again, which radio would I buy? This one. I'm perfectly satisfied with it.

By the way, if you have questions or ever need help, I have found that the Eton (Grundig U.S) customer service and technical folks are extremely helpful.

This was my first shortwave radio and it continues to perform wonderfully. Easy to connect an external antenna for even greater reception. You'll love all the little extras such as numeric keypad, SSB, 40 channel memory, and that convenient little light for bedside listening. I've taken this radio all over the place and it never lets me down. Highly recommended!

Over time I've owned a number of shortwave readios. This particular product is the best I've owned. Although it does not have a "tuning dial", it is not difficult to move through each readio band.

I appreciate the fact that the memory informs me that I'm entering a duplicate frequency. The only obscure feature is remembering how to switch from 10 mhz to 9 mhz when abroad. I did not have the manual with me when I was in Europe, and therefore was unable to switch the AM to 9mhz. Upon my return, I found that the power had to be "off" when making the change. Oh well....

This unit is worth waiting for.

This radio is easy to use, and sounds great. Coverage of the shortwave spectrum is very good. You also get sideband tuning, which you'll need if you want to hear HAM radio operators. Off the built in telescoping antenna I get more strong stations than I have time to listen to. With the supplied aux. antenna, reception is noticably improved. It comes with ear-bud headphones, AC adapter and the aux antenna. It also has AM and FM reception. FM is stereo with the headphones, and is very good quality. It has 2 built in clocks (believe me, you WANT that!!) 40 memories, and doubles as a clock radio small enough to use when traveling. This could be considered an entry level radio, but it is sensetive enough that you won't "out grow" it for a very long time.

I have own a YB 400PE for two years and it does an excellant job on shortwave. The 400PE can handle broadcast as well as SSB signals. Also, nice audio for a portable. All around excellant performer.