Customer Reviews

Eton E10 AM/FM Shortwave Radio

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!).

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 .

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.

I have both the Sony SW7600GR and the Eton E10. The Sony has less noise through the headphone out compared to the Eton. You can verify this by turning the volume knob all the way down. There is considerably less background hiss with the Sony.

But once you turn the volume up, you can't really hear that much of a difference.

This is a bummer. And I also tested the Eton E100 as well. The same level of background hiss on both the E10 and the E100. Eton should really have used a cleaner headphone amp.

This Eton radio is the U.S. domestic version of the Chinese Tecsun PL-550 all-band pocket sized radio. The Chinese version is legended in the native language and utilitarian in appearance and less expensive. The Eton is, well, in English with slight curves. I have used and tested other Tecsun produced radios, including the PL-200 (Eton 10) and the Grundig eTraveller VII. This radio, like the other Tecsun models, has excellent frequency discrimination, as well as the ability to directly enter the frequency desired (if you know it), or scan through the AM, FM and many shortwave bands, find the stations you like and store their frequencies. Closely allied, for example, FM stations within 200 kHz (only the strongest will be heard on most commercial FM receivers) of each other, can be picked up with clarity, positioning the manuverable whip antenna. Very, very few radios, excepting expensive car radios, can boast such performance in the Unites States. Now on the market are other comparable radios, all made by Tecsun in China using the very same sophisicated reception circuitry regelated previously to expensive shortwave receivers. This model has other features as well: two preset wake-up times for programs from preselected stations, scanning of all bands for stations and an antenna trimmer which permits optimizing reception on weakly received broadcasts, some 500 station memories and special reception selectivity for shortwave stations whose frequencies are almost overlapping. For the price, this radio is simply an excellent value, but people wishing to receive shortwave broadcasts are warned: shortwave reception from this radio, and every other shortwave radio for that matter, of stations other than the powerful broadcasters, benefits enormously from the use of an external long wire antenna. Tecsun does provide a retractable wire antenna with the radio. Alas, as with almost all radios this size, there is no single side band (SSB) reception, an enhancement that, defying digital technology, actually requires listener intervention to optimize and has great potential, but has, for the present at least, been consigned to the province of the technical listener more interested in ascertaining distant reception than actual broadcast information. The Dalai Lama for all his 5,000 watts SSB from Tibet can not be heard on this radio. China Radio shortwave, at 150,000 watts conventiona AM shortwave, with Canadian relay stations, does just fine. Australian radio, at the same power, Radio Havana, Radio Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Netherlands, Sweden, India, Israel, etc., at lesser power, and some with and most without relay stations, are also heard clearly on the Eastern seaboard during their times of broadcast - usually in the early evening EST.

I have used SW radios for many years and by many manufacturers: Sony, Grundig, Sangean, Radio Shack (made by Sangean). This model by Eton stands up to them all, is elegantly designed, logical and easy to use, and has great sound.

The manual is short and sweet, and well written. Once you know the drill, all settings are easy and fast. Quite intuitive as well. There are an amazing 500 possible presets, though I can barely scape up 30 I would use regularly. Sound on all bands is rich. FM is superb. There is even 'antenna trim' usable on SW bands which is rare on all but the most expensive radios.

The design and feel is elegant and solid. All buttons and knobs have a positive, affirmative action. Two criticisms: the E10 goes through sets of four batteries in as little as eight hours, and the entire memory is wiped out when batteries get low.

But, all in all, a great radio for the price.

The Eton E10 is by far and away the best radio I've ever owned. I have 2 other shortwave sets, an Elgin R1750, and a GE 29907A World Monitor. Both of these are excellent sets, but Eton has taken radio to another dimension. It is light years advanced over my other shortwave sets in signal pull, amenities, and weight. This truly is one you can pack with you on any kind of trip, and the luxurious travel case helps protect this little jewel.
This unit has a solid feel about it. It includes a portable reel antenna, and has an antenna trimmer on the right hand side, which aids in getting the most signal possible. Make sure to read the manual because it has so many functions from sleep timers to digital programming of stations on sleep functions, that it does take awhile to get used to it. If you don't read the manual, you will never learn to enjoy all this radio has to offer.
I've pulled in radio Havana, Radio Netherlands, World Harvest Radio, the BBC, with the greatest of ease. By using IF filter settings and Narrow/Wide Bandwith you can pull in distant stations as well. I'd give this radio 10 stars if I could, but for sure, it is the best shortwave portable in this price range. Great job Eton, on making a great radio!

It's clear to me, in this size and price class [$100 - $200 Short Wave portable radios] SONY beats the "ETon" (Grundig spin off) radios hands down, imo. The SONY ICF-SW7600G/GR radios offer SYNCHRONOUS DETECTION plus SSB (LSB/USB), and high selectivity and sensitivity. I've had my SONY 7600G for years and love it. The no longer manufactured, SONY ICF-2010 semi-portable radio is even better! Of course, I don't expect any of these radios to perform like a Drake R8B. It important to note with the Internet age now highly developed, broadcast short wave radio has really taken a beating, esp. in places like the USA. Years back, for instance, the BBC and many other international SW broadcasters, offered a plethora of listening opportunities on SW radio frequencies beamed direct daily to North America and other targets all over the world. The majority of SW broadcast targets now-a-days are to the less technologically developed countries. This fact has likely impacted perhaps the public's perception of SW radio performance, esp. when someone new to SW buys a low price SW portable. These portable SW radios do OK in their performance/size/price bracket but cannot really compare with the much more expensive SW models. Expect to pay $1000 and up for a top notch radio.

I've had my E-10 for around nine months and have been most impressed by it's performance. My interests in radio pretty much revolve around A.M.(or medium wave) DX'ing and shortwave listening. It's performance on A.M. is on a par with the highly regarded Kaito KA-1103 which I received for Christmas this year. Shortwave performance is very close, however, the Kaito is superior in this area (and features SSB tuning as well)F.M.? The E-10 is well above average but falls short of the Kaito KA-1103. I've yet to see a radio that can equal the Kaitos performance in this area, but the E-10 is closer than most.Build quality,ergonomics,and appearance are second to NONE and better than MOST. The slightly rubberized texture of this set just plain feels good when handling and adds to the to the overall impression that this is a "Top of the line" portable multi band receiver even though it's moderately priced.It's LCD digital display is one of the largest and nicest I've seen,very easy to see and well lit with a pleasant orange backlight. Other amenities such as 500 plus memories,12/24 hour clock,I.F. shift and antennae trim which are both useful in Shortwave reception,local/dx switch and the internal battery charger for NICAD or NIMH batteries all add up to make this a radio I'm glad I purchased and often recommend to those needing a radio of this type.Even the accessories included with this radio such as the carrying satchel,earbuds,and reel-up shortwave antennae are top notch! Now, if you're wondering why, after all this praise I only gave it a four star rating,and not a five it's because Eton did not provide SSB tuning capability on this receiver. And it's a shame because it's shortwave performance is good enough to utilize it. In my opinion they shortchanged this otherwise exceptional radio. Hence they only "hit a triple"(which is way more exciting nonetheless, I'm a baseball nut too) and not a home run.

I've used this radio for a couple of years and am finally understanding all of it's capabilities. It's a very sophisticated little radio for someone who is still learning all the things technology is capable of. The sound is good and battery life is very good. If the batteries are charged to capacity I can use it for a week long camping trip without running out of power. My advice to anyone buying it is go for it, but DO NOT loose the Operation Manual. At some point you'll need it.