Grundig G1000A AM/FM Shortwave Radio

by Eton

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000AHEMT
• Item model number: G1000A
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,060 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 2, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Amazon.com Review If you're looking for a solid pocket radio, and you think you might enjoy tuning in broadcasts from around the globe, then the Grundig G1000A World Receiver might be the choice for you. This radio doesn't have all the features of its big brother, the G2000A, but it does offer a convenient, pocket-sized way to bring clear AM/FM, and limited shortwave radio reception anywhere you go.

A convenient, pocket-sized way to bring clear AM/FM, and limited shortwave radio reception anywhere you go. View larger.

Easy-to-use controls... View larger.

...And very compact. View larger.

Design and Controls
Measuring 4.5 x 3 x 1 inches, and weighing a mere seven ounces, the G1000A is certainly in the pocket-sized radio category. The front of the unit features push-button controls for the time, alarm, and sleep settings, and a slide-switch for selecting AM, FM, or shortwave bands. All of these controls, as well as the LCD display, are arranged to the right of the G1000A's built-in speaker.

On the left side of the G1000A you'll find a 3.5mm connector for headphones and a DC jack power port. Grundig has included a set of earbud-style earphones for private listening right out of the box, or the small, built-in speaker on the front of the device allows you to share broadcasts with other listeners. In addition to the power port and headphone jack, this side of the radio also sports the volume control dial. The right side of the unit features the tuning dial and the power switch. Both the tuning and volume dials have a nice smooth action, but a note of caution: The dials can be easily moved from their position. This is less of an issue with volume control, but for fine-tuning reception, you might find yourself re-tuning stations if you bump the tuning dial. The G1000A also features a telescoping antenna on the top of the unit that extends to over 19 inches for FM and shortwave reception, and there is a built-in ferrite bar antenna for AM reception. In addition to AC power (not included), the G1000A can also run off of two supplied AA batteries.

LCD Display
The G1000A's display is crisp and clear, with a large-type layout that makes it easy to control and view the radio's tuning, clock, and timer functions. The display has icons that indicate when the alarm and sleep functions are turned on -- a small loudspeaker and a bed, respectively. And as you flip through bands, the display indicates AM, FM, or shortwave selection. You can also press the light button on the front of the device for viewing the display in the dark. However, the light feature shuts off automatically after a few moments and the button must be pressed again for further illumination.

There is one minor downside to the display: you cannot see the time of day when the radio is turned on. The time is only displayed when the unit is powered down. Nonetheless, important data, such as band and tuned station, is easy to read, and the size of the radio certainly outweighs the limited information presented on the LCD display.

Tuning Options
Tuning the G1000A is very straightforward. The radio tunes MW (commonly known as AM), FM, and shortwave signals. If you're new to shortwave, you'll have to take your time to find just the right frequency, as the G1000A does not offer an auto-scan function. Yet, even with our limited knowledge of shortwave broadcasts, we made several discoveries, and heard stations from around the world. Unfortunately, given our limited language skills, we did find it difficult to always know exactly to whom or what we were listening! Even though the tuning dial is a simple, traditional design, meticulous tuning was easy and reliable.

After a little research and a good amount of time spent playing with the tuning options, we did discover that our best opportunity for tuning shortwave broadcasts was in the evening. AM and FM broadcasts sounded strong and clear, day or night, and we enjoyed listening to the radio on the bus and at the park.

Pros

• Compact and pocket-sized
• Simple easy controls
• Fast, accurate shortwave tuning

Cons

• Too easy to bump the tuning dial and disrupt the frequency
• Light function shuts off automatically after a few moments

What's in the Box
G1000A radio, earphones, 2 AA batteries, and carrying case.

Product Description

This has been Factory-Refurbished to perform as if it were new. It is sold with a Grundig 1 Year Warranty.

In the film "White Heat", the main character screams, "Look Ma, I'm on top of the world" before he explodes to death. You really don't have to go to such extremes if you've got the Eton Grundig G1000A AM/FM and Shortwave Radio. With Shortwave radio bands, you can stay on top of music, news, and gossip from many countries. It's like traveling thousands of miles and listening to local stations from your native countries. Except all you need is the Grundig G1000A to be on top of your world, while staying where you are.
Listen to the sounds of the world. Wherever you are, you'll never be out of touch when the GRUNDIG G1000A is your traveling companion. Compact yet powerful, the G1000A pulls in 8 bands of shortwave signals as well as AM and FM broadcasts. Features include backlit digital LCD display, radio alarm, sleep function and stereo headphone jack. It comes with a soft, protective carrying case. Built-in monaural speaker Stereo earphone jack for listening to FM Stereo 2 AA battery operation (batteries are not included) Optional AC adapter available 360-degree telescopic antenna Bands and Frequency Ranges - AM Broadcast 530-1721 kHz SW 25 meters 11.600-12.200 MHz FM Broadcast 88.00-108.00 MHz SW 22 meters 13.570-13.870 MHz SW 49 meters 5.950-6.200 MHz SW 19 meters 15.100-15.800 MHz SW 41 meters 7.100-7.600 MHz SW 16 meters 17.480-17.900 MHz SW 31 meters 9.200-9.900 MHz SW 13 meters 21.450-21.850 MHz Size - 4 1/2 W x 3 H x 1 1/8 D Weighs about 7 ounces

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot little radio, March 16, 2004

By 

Jmark2001 (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grundig G1000A AM/FM Shortwave Radio (Electronics)

This is one of the smallest shortwave radios in the world. It is THE smallest shortwave that I know of that has a digital readout. If you are thinking of buying one let me list the pros and cons:

Size: This really will fit in your pocket. It is a bit larger than an audiocassette in length and width and about an inch and a half deep.
Features: Sleep timer, alarm function, 12 hour (rather than 24 hour) digital clock, adequate back light (works well enough to see in a very dark room), larger digital display than most small radios (you won't need to put on your glasses to tune it), tuning light, FM stereo light comes on when you have headphones plugged in, excellent old transistor radio style fold over cover with holes to let the sound out, a bevel stand. The radio was easy to set up for time and alarms. The instruction manual was easy to understand. There is no adaptor but I can't imagine needing one for a pocket radio. Two batteries should last many weeks of heavy use. There is an on and off switch which is a plus as most radios use the volume dial for on and off.
Pros: Shortwave reception was tested after 7 PM when signals are strongest here in SE Florida. I was able to get all the big interanational broadcasts. BBC came in as clear as a bell as did Canada and Voice of America. I received lots of other broadcasts in various languages on the 19, 31, and 49 bands. I was happy with its SW capabilities. It won't do for chasing down weak signals but I am not into SW enough to bother with those. Please look up frequencies at a good SW internet site in order to find broadcast times and frequencies. If you are new to SW there is a learning curve as SW broadcasts change frequencies and signal strength throughout the day and night. It is a great hobby but a few quick lessons will make your introduction much more rewarding.
AM reception was slightly better than my other portable radios.
FM stereo through headphones was very good.
The speaker itself gives good sound. There are no bass or treble adjustments but the sound sounds equally balanced. The speaker will not fill the room with sound but this is a pocket radio not a desktop.
Cons: The volume dial is on the left side - not the most ergonomic site for right handed folks. The tuning is on the right side. This has a digital readout but an analog tuning dial. I like that as you can tune much more accurately than with analog displays (where you are never sure where you are tuning to). One problem with the G1000A that I bought is that the tuning was "drifty" on SW and AM. This means that I will tune to - say - 97.9 and it would slowly slide off to 97.6 sometimes. I would need to retune the station once in a while. It isn't a big deal and may be a result of being a new radio but it is a small negative.
Altogether, I am very happy with this pocket AM/FM/SW radio. It fits perfectly in my briefcase and I am happy with the performance. 4 stars!

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars, February 4, 2006

By 

Terry Stanard (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grundig G1000A AM/FM Shortwave Radio (Electronics)

I purchased this radio primarily for shortwave use about a week ago from Radioshack for $50, and it is my first. Other reviews are consistent with its performance in the AM/FM bands - strong and impressive. The shortwave reception is also good, but there are limitations which may or may not reflect the radio itself. It is important to read the introduction on shortwave featured in the instruction booklet, so you know where to start. Here are some other lessons learned.

I just returned from a business trip outside of Boston, where I was unable to tune any shortwave signals from my hotel room on a second floor near a window. I was listening at night and tried all 7 bands. At home, I was only able to tune two stations on SW1, also during a night time period. This was disappointing. However, last night I hit paydirt. I took the radio to a bedroom, on the second floor of our house, and found many stations on several bands. In addition to a number of US stations, I heard stations in Western Europe, Cuba, what I think was a Korean station, and also what sounded like Russian or some Eastern European language. Since our neighborhood consists of closely spaced houses, I guess I should not have been surprised by the poor first-floor performance. Not sure what the problem near Boston was.

I like having the volume dial on one side of the radio, and the tuning dial on the other. That way, as you scan different frequencies, you can adjust the volume as the background noise increases or fades.

One thing I noticed was the digital display displays 0.5 incremental changes in the frequency, but I think it tunes more finely than this. I might hit a .5 mark, tune ever so slightly, and hear something different even though the digital readout does not change. Since it is an analog tuner, I suppose this makes sense.

Unfortunately, I had already grown impatient with the radio before the first positive experience described above. In haste, I decided to get a different radio instead, and just ordered a Kaito KA1103. For those considering several models, I will digress and share the results of a search for a portable SW radio with good sensitivity until $150 (street prices).

Reviews for radios can be found at eham.net under "reviews" and "receivers general" There are select reviews on other sites such as radiointel.com. The top contenders in the $80-$150 category (street prices) are the Sony 7600, Sangean ATS909, Grundig YB400, and Kaito KA1103. The Grundig S350 is also popular, but I saw one at Radioshack and it is quite large. I read every review I could find, and narrowed the choices to the Kaito and Sony based on performance considerations. Then I phoned Universal-radio.com and after talking with a sales person, settled on the Kaito at $90 (they sell both finalist models). The Sony may have a slight edge holding a signal, and is reportedly built like a tank, but the Kaito is significantly cheaper (...). In addition, the Kaito comes with a charger, rechargeable batteries, and an external antenna. The Sony features none of these. Univeral radio told me the charge Sony does offer for extra money is junk, and they sold there own custom built units.

Another radio that made the shortlist is the Kaito KA1101. Several reviewers commented they really liked that model.(...)
I also learned recently there is a book called Passport to World Band Radio and is considered indispensible for learning what SW stations are out there and where and when to find them broadcasting. They also have lots of radio reviews. (...).

Here are some links you might want to check out:

Reviews
http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/8
http://www.radiointel.com/reviews.htm

(...)

If you are strapped for cash, also consider the Grundig FR200 and FR300(...). Both offer AM/FM. The FR200 offers SW1 and SW2 and the FR300 offers Weather bands. The tuners are analog and function well. These are considered 'emergency radios' and as such offer other things. In addition to radio functions, they can be charged using an attached hand crank (or run on AA batteries). The hand crank can charge cells phones (multiple adaptors included). The FR200 has a white LED flash light, red LED flasher, a siren, and also a weather alert. The latter is interesting. You can have the radio silent, but set on the 'alert' setting. If a weather alert is sent by National Weather Service, the radio will beep. Kind of cool. However, we found they issue these alerts 1-2 times a week, in response to what many people would not consider a real emergency (are wind gusts up to 25 mph an emergency?) So, I turn off the alert function unless I know there is the possibility of serious weather conditions.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If it is size that matters - this is your radio, August 24, 2004

By 

R. J. Lewis "coldwarkid" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grundig G1000A AM/FM Shortwave Radio (Electronics)

The G1000A is a good radio if you are looking for size and performance. I have owned at least 5 SW receivers over the years and the G1000A is by far the most compact. You can literally carry it in your shirt pocket.

My wish list would include a sensitivity switch that would lessen the tuners sensitivity. It is sometimes difficult to tune without having to move the adjustment knob ever so carefully. It would also be nice to have a few presets because of the tuning problem.

Although the G1000A covers most of the major SW bands, it does not cover the bands over 49 meters. This is problematic since quite a bit of ham activity is in the 50-90 meter range. Given the fact that it is a pocket radio, it is understandable that there are going to be limitations.

Reception is adequate for the price and size of the radio, although the 1000A is very suceptible to interference. Do not count on pulling anything but the most powerful of the international stations such as BBC, VOA, Radio Deutche Welle, and the like.

Grundigs choice of using AA batteries is a big plus. With the new AA NiMH rechargeables, there is no reason to ever have to buy disposable batteries. More consumer electronic items are now using AAAs, but they have to be replaced often due to their limited capacity.

I would give the G1000A a 3 star rating. It could have been engineered a bit better, but for the cost it is a good value.