Customer Reviews

Grundig G1000A AM/FM Shortwave Radio

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Certainly one of the smallest digital display radios around. Very handy and very well built for the money. I have the Grundig mini 100pe that is cool but has no clock, so I was looking for something like the G1000. Very simple radio to operate particularly the clock, alarm and sleep functions are all easily figured out without instructions. That's something not possible on my YB400 or ATS909 :). The sound quailty is good for a radio this size, not a bose wave but better than you would think given the size of the miniscule speaker. AM & FM reception are very good, pulling in some of the weaker stations in my area with ease. Shortwave is OK for the big boomer stations and a few weaker ones, but the noise from being only a single conversion circut tends to drown out the really weak signals. Overall I like it, and certainly reccomend it as a great value for the money. If you can afford a more expensive and physically larger radio then get a YB400, ATS909, or a Soney7600gr. But if size conveniance and useability with good performance at a great price count, then buy the G1000.
By the way when I want to shove it in my pocket and go it's great because of the small size. But when I am at my PC like now, I plug it into my little Sony SRS-T33 active speaker system and suddenly I have a mini Bose wave radio + shortwave.

I just stumbled on the G1000A in a clearance bin at REI for $24.95, so couldn't pass it up. I'm pleasantly surprised to say the least. I have a Sony SW (previous version of the ICF-SW7600GR model) and have always been frustrated with its un-ergonomic button tuning. Having a tuning knob to quickly scan through stations while being able to see the exact frequency on the digital display is fab. The sound quality from the speaker on this cheap Grundig is better than on my $150 Sony.

Niggles: While the leather(ette?) case looks cool, it is a drag when you want to scan stations: it covers the display, so you have to open it to scan, then since it isn't attached to the radio, it falls off. Also, the battery door pops off too easily, but a peice of tape fixes that.

The Grundig G1000A is a great little radio. It is as sensitive as the YB300 in shortwave reception. AM performance is good. FM audio on hi-fi headphone sounds as good as my Sony walkman. The G1000A also sound warm and clear with its own speaker, better than the YB300. Since the G1000A only draws 22mA which is half of the current consumption of any PLL radio, the battery will last much longer than PLL radios like the YB300. It is a very small and light radio. The only disadvantage of this radio is the frequency coverage. Although it covers most of the international bands, it is still much narrower than PLL radios.

I was looking to replace an old grundig mini world 100 PE when I saw this number in the store. The price was attractive, and the in-store quick test i did seemed to indicate a good product. After I've had a few days to toy around with it, though, I have come to absolutely love it. The sound is decent, and the features are excellent for a radio of this size and price. I use it mostly for a travel radio, for hotels and B&Bs, as well as for camping or just sitting around the bonfire sw channel surfing. A great find!

My wife and I like to listen to AM talk radio and some FM as well, in the evenings. We are spending a lot of time at her dad's house doing some renovations on weekends. I got frustrated with the hassle of unplugging the hard to reach charger on the bedside radio and sometimes forgetting to bring the radio so I started shopping for a radio I could keep in the backpack. I wanted AM/FM and an alarm and a good brand. I like to buy things from people that have been making things for a long time, they tend to get more things right. I did not spend a lot of time on research and somehow I settled on the Grundig G1000A, I think it was the familiarity with the brand name, the shortwave capabilities and availability at a local Radio Shack store that made the decision for me. I really like the little thing. I am a long time licensed Amateur Radio Op and Electrical Engineer and I found nothing to make me unhappy with the radio. Scanning a shortwave band with the manual tuning knob is actually faster/easier/better than with the pushbutton scan feature on my Radio Shack DX 395 bedside radio. Sensitivity on the shortwave bands is just a tad less than the DX 395. The audio is pretty good through the tiny speaker, and really good with the included ear buds. The radio came with batteries, I thought that was a nice touch. Battery life is quite good. The leatherette case is a very nice touch, I can put the radio in it, put the whole thing in the box and put it all in the backpack and not worry about throwing the backpack around. The little radio is a good looking thing and that is something I appreciate. The Black on Silver motif is easy on the eye. Some of the lettering on the front panel is on the top of some plastic and it appears to "float" and produces a "3D" effect that is just nice. I can not express how I feel about stuff from Japan with black lettering on black plastic!! How stupid can a designer be?? This little radio gets an "A" for design all the way around, the tuning knob being on the opposite side of the volume knob makes the unit very easy to tune and adjust the volume and you can operate the band switch with your thumb at the same time. The frequency tends to drift a little bit, all analog tune radios have that problem, this is not severe at all, mine always drifts downward on the AM band so I tune a little above the frequency and can listen for hours without having to worry about it. You have to get the idea that you fine tune the radio with your ear, not by looking at the frequency display, small changes in freq. can be tuned with no change in the display since the display is really an add on.

I give this radio a "5" not on any technical matter but on the design and the fun factor. I have some fun with it listening to Shortwave and it works perfectly for the main reasons I bought it. Kudos to Grundig.

i have been searching for a good AM and Shorthwave pocket radio and i have found it. the AM pull is very good and the shortwave is surperb for its size. the price is very good and nothing in the range compares. buy it

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The AM tuner drifted considerably in the unit I received. If I tuned it to, say, 1130, in fifteen minutes it might drift to 1135. This made it inconvenient for listening to smaller stations, as it required regular retuning until it warmed up. I don't know if the FM and shortwave also drift, as I got tired of retuning and returned the unit.