Eton E10 AM/FM Shortwave Radio

by Eton

Product Details

Product Manual [660kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.3 x 4.5 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006G0IHI
• Item model number: E10
• Batteries: 4 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,721 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 17, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Amazon.com Review If hearing broadcasts from around the world is your thing, the E10 from Etón just might be the tool you're looking for. While the radio doesn't have the powerful features and reception of its big brother, the E1XM, the E10's scaled-down feature set and size make it simpler to operate and carry. The E10 has a few surprises, too, like an intermediate frequency (IF) set control, an antenna trimmer, and a bandwidth control -- features you'd expect on a much larger tabletop unit.

Simple to operate and carry, the E10 is great for tuning in the world wherever the notion strikes you. View larger.

On the left, connectivity, tone control, and antenna gain settings. View larger.

On the right, tuning and antenna trim. View larger.

Design and Controls
Measuring 7.5 x 4.5 x 1.25 inches, and weighing 1.3 pounds, the E10 is certainly in the compact radio category. Thankfully, the same rubberized coating that graces the exterior of the E1XM has been applied to the E10, giving it a stout and rugged feel. Most of the action can be found on the front of the unit, where you'll find a direct frequency entry keypad, as well as buttons for auto-scanning, up/down station selection, band selection, memory control, IF set, bandwidth, and slow/fast tuning. Meanwhile, power, sleep, and timer buttons are arrayed above the E10's speaker.

On the left side of the E10 you'll find a 3.5mm connector for an external FM or shortwave antenna. Etón generously includes a handy retractable antenna that can be plugged in here to enhance signal reception -- although there is a telescoping antenna on the top of the unit. In addition to a power port and stereo headphone jack, the side of the radio also sports an antenna gain switch that lets you choose between DX, normal and local modes, allowing you to tone down excessively strong AM or shortwave stations if need be. One curiosity is the "tone" switch, which lets you choose between bass and treble, but provides no adjustment for either one. We assume the switch is intended to enhance the lower or upper music ranges when selected, but the difference between the two settings wasn't that noticeable.

Three dials on the right side of the unit control manual tuning, antenna trim and volume. The knobs have a nice smooth action, but a note of caution here: The knobs can be easily -- very easily -- plucked from their posts. If you tend to jostle your gear around, you may find yourself looking for a lost knob.

In addition to AC power, the the E10 can run off of four supplied Ni-MH AA cells. These are automatically recharged when you plug the unit in. Of course, you can also use non-rechargeable AA cells in a pinch.

LCD Display
The E10's backlit display is crisp and clear, with a clean layout that makes it easy to control the radio's tuning, clock, and timer functions. A separate space in the upper right corner is provided for the clock display so you can view the time and tune the radio at the same time -- a nice touch. Selecting shortwave meter bands is a breeze with this display, as you just push the meter band button until the meter you want is displayed on the screen. The radio's memories are easy to browse and recall on the display, as well.

A retractable metal "foot" on the bottom of the E10 keeps it upright when you place it on a level surface. View larger.

Another interesting feature of the E10, and one that depends on the display for its functionality is the system set codes system. Using specific codes, you can modify the E10's factory settings via the display and the numeric kaypad. Some of the options include changing the tuning steps for AM, changing the clock format, and altering the FM frequency range for different geographic locations.

Tuning Options
Tuning the with E10 is pretty straightforward. The radio tunes MW (commonly known as AM), FM and shortwave signals, and you can choose from manual, auto-scan, direct frequency entry, or fine tuning modes. If you're new to shortwave, auto-scan will quickly become your friend. With it, we quickly made a lot of discoveries, and heard stations from all over the world -- although our limited language skills made it difficult to always know exactly to whom or what we were listening! We found the manual, up/down button press tuning the most laborious, but we liked the fine tuning accuracy made possible by the E10's tuning knob. With it, very meticulous tuning is possible, thanks to selectable fast or slow tuning modes.

We didn't have a chance to test the E10's two interference reduction methods -- the IF set control and the bandwidth selector -- but advanced users will surely find these functions highly useful. Another feature for advanced users, the antenna trimmer, effectively "matches" the antenna to the tuner for optimum performance in shortwave mode.

The E10's impressive memory system also deserves mention. With it, you can set up a huge catalog of stored frequencies -- 500 of them to be exact. Once stored, recalling all these memories is pretty easy, thanks to a straightforward on-screen interface that stores up to 50 memories across 10 memory "pages." You can also scan through your memories to rapidly find the frequencies that are currently broadcasting.

Pros

• Very compact, given the radio's features and reception quality
• Clear layout of functions on the LCD
• Fast, accurate shortwave tuning

Cons

• Knobs should be better secured to the unit
• Somewhat useless "tone" switch

What's in the Box
E10 radio, earphones, carrying case, retractable antenna, AC adapter/charger, 4 rechargeable batteries, and owner's manual.

Product Description

Imagine a radio that combines strong performance for fantastic reception and all of today's digital wizardry, bringing the world to your fingertips. The E10 is where intelligence meets performance.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Radio for the price, December 28, 2004

By 

Melvin Frohike "Radio Guy" (Area 51) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eton E10 AM/FM Shortwave Radio (Electronics)

I was looking for a high quality portable that I could use at work and that was light enough that I could carry around with me while walking.

I have had the E10 for about two weeks and am very pleased with it thus far. FM reception is very good -- it matches my Sangean ATS 818 easily. AM reception is also good (altough reception is compromised at work- but this is true of any radio). Shortwave is not quite to the same level as my Sangean but it still very good especially for the price and size. Sound is surprisingly good for the size of the speaker.

My biggest complaint with the radio is the small size of the buttons and controls. Even as small as the radio is, it is clear that they could have designed it with larger and more well spaced buttons.

The E10 comes with rechargeable NIMH batteries, the only drawback is that they only charge when the radio is OFF. The radio will work with standard AA batteries as well. An AC adaptor/charger is included. It also comes with ear buds (For FM Stereo) and a windup shortwave antenna. A carrying case is included (I use mine everyday).

If you like memory presets, you will love this radio. It has 500! (so far I have used only about 25 of them!).

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid well made radio- Improvement over old Grundig line, December 28, 2005

By 

Vince the Radioman (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eton E10 AM/FM Shortwave Radio (Electronics)

Hi , I'm Vince the radioman I've have a large collection of radios and I love to do compares and share my thoughts. The Eton E 10 ( along with the E1 and E100) is a vast improvement over to old Grundig line of radios. You can immediatly see and feel the difference in the quality of how the radio is made. It has a robust memory (500 presets) and complete functionality including wide/narrow band selection and an interference filter which seems to work well. The tuner sensativity and dynamic range are very good considering the price . It has an antenna trim feature which is a pleasure and not usually available on a radio of this price range.I enjoy AM DXing and have had good results, not quite as good as the SONY 7600 or the Sangean ATS909. The Sangean is priced way above the E 10 but the SONY 7600 is just a bit more but has SSB which the E 10 does not . The E 10s cosmetic design /sleekness is wonderful and as I've said earlier ...a well made radio!! The control buttons are a bit small and cause issues for those of us with large hands, but not a show stopper. My actual rating here is 4 and a half stars , I do really like this radio but its not a SONY , it does have some hiss and selectivity issues, but none the less a very good buy for the money .

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong AM Saves Me in My High-Interference Office, November 28, 2005

By 

M. JEFFREY MCMAHON "herculodge" (Torrance, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eton E10 AM/FM Shortwave Radio (Electronics)

I've toted several radios to my work office, which thanks to thick concrete walls and all sorts of electronic gadgets, is a high-interference nightmare for all my AM/FM reception needs.

The Eton E10 is strong on all bands at home but in my office it gets weak FM. However, its saving grace is its strong AM, which performs even better than my big Grundig S350 and my Kaito 1103.

So I'm using my E10 as my sole AM receiver radio and my Grundig S350 for my FM needs.

For home use, the best PLL dual-conversion radio with presets is hands down the Kaito 1103, which has jaw-dropping FM sensitivity and beats the Eton E10 easily in the FM department. But for AM my E10 has been my strongest performer.

Update: I've just compared the E10 to the less modern looking Grundig G4000 and I must say the G4000 is a better perfomer and has a better speaker and is thirty dollars less retail, so go for the G4000.