Grundig M300 World Radio, Black

by Grundig

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 2.5 x 4.5 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000XA2XJS
• Item model number: M300
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,223 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 16, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

When you are crisscrossing the globe, you do not want to haul extra weight or worry about power adapters. That is why the lightweight, battery-powered Grundig M300 is the ideal choice for the world traveler. Though this radio is small, its sound is mighty. You get AM and FM reception, plus access to seven shortwave bands, so you can keep up-to-date wherever your travels take you. The LCD display, clock, and built-in alarm help keep you on time, no matter what time zone you are in.

Lightweight Long-Range Flexibility.
The Grundig M300 brings you coverage of medium-wave and shortwave frequencies, as well as FM bands. Specifically, it covers three frequency ranges. The 520kHz to 1710kHz frequency range grants access to the entire AM band. Seven shortwave bands (49, 41, 31, 25, 22, 19 and 16 meters) provide coverage to almost all North American shortwave broadcasts. This far-reaching frequency range puts you in touch with news and entertainment from across the world. The 88MHz to 108MHz band covers traditional FM radio, and the M300 passes its stereo signal through to the headphone jack. A high-quality internal ferrite bar antenna provides AM coverage, while the telescoping antenna pulls in FM and shortwave signals.

Convenient Controls and Features.
The Grundig M300 combines its sensitive analog tuner with a classic dial knob and a digital display. This display shows frequency, time, sleep time and symbols for the sleep timer and alarm activation. Two AA batteries provide long-lasting power to the unit. Weighing in at only 4.5 ounces, the Grundig M300 is the perfect travel companion for travelers who want to keep in touch.

What's in the Box?
The Grundig M300 comes with a protective carrying pouch, earphones for private listening, and a belt clip.

Product Description

When you are crisscrossing the globe, you do not want to haul extra weight or worry about power adapters. That is why this lightweight, battery-powered radio is the ideal choice for the world traveller. Though this radio is small, its sound is mighty. You get AM and FM reception, plus access to seven Shortwave bands, so you can keep up-to-date wherever your travels take you. The LCD display, clock, and built-in alarm mean you will be on time, no matter what time zone you are in.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Grundig Mini300 - Not Bad For the Price, But Expect Weaker Reception, January 25, 2009

By 

Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Grundig M300 World Radio, Black (Electronics)

Grundig's M300 World Radio has been updated with some improvements and may meet your needs for a portable radio with some basic shortwave functionality. There are actually two versions of this radio and I own them both. The original version I bought here from Amazon has a shiny plastic surface and comes in a wider variety of colors. The newer version has a matte surface that seems to have a rubber coating. I saw one on sale at a local retailer and picked it up to see if there were improvements. Well, other than not slipping out of your hand as easily, they seem to have little enhancements. But at least this way you know if you got an old version or a newer one. Even at the *old* product page many people discuss having received a newer model, so be aware of that.

The Grundig M300R Mini300 Handheld Shortwave Radio (Metallic Red) has come along with me on trips for going on two years. It is very good for certain things but do not expect very strong reception on any of the bands. If you need an FM radio for use on the go, and don't plan on tuning too many different SW stations, this is the radio for you. At the prevailing price the SW and AM bands are virtually icing on the cake. The main usefulness of the shortwave radio bands is in picking up some of the major stations like Radio France and BBC News.


PROS:
+ Tucks away for compact storage and portability
+ OK short wave reception for larger broadcasters
+ Decent FM reception for most local stations
+ Improved body adds a little durability to the device
+ Takes two AA batteries and has no trouble with rechargeable batteries
+ Has good battery life given the performance
+ Standard 3.5mm connector for headphones
+ Included speaker is another nice extra for tuning, listening or as a backup
+ Max speaker volume is quite loud
+ Included case and buds are nothing to write home about but they are nice extras for back-up
+ Alarm and sleep timers are nice features in this class of device
+ Equipped with 7 short-wave bands (49, 41, 31, 25, 22, 19 and 16 meters)
+ Included 12 hour clock is also a nice extra (Military clock would have been a nice extra)
+ Very good value considering the list and selling prices (good as a spare unit)

CONS:
- Tuner has relatively low accuracy and no auto-scan, making it hard to get stations you tuned before
- Screen doesn't display *which* SW band you are in, meaning you have to *know* what to tune it to
- Long and non-bendable antenna makes it harder to maneuver while in use
- No station pre-sets means you can't *save* the stations you find
- Very easy to lose a station signal with minimal movement
- The tuner dial is too soft and tends to drift; a digital tuner would have been better
- Build quality is somewhat flimsy so handle with care; mainly good for indoor or stationary use
- Once you change your batteries you will have to do the set-up over again
- AM Reception is really lacking, though all bands could use improvement
- Included travel case works, but it's made from a cheap vinyl
- Clock only shows time while radio is off
- Buttons can be difficult to press accurately
- Somewhat dim read-out screen


The instructions will guide you through when and how to get the best signals. Or course that will vary depending on where you are and what stations you are trying to access. In general both AM and shortwave broadcasts seem better later in the evenings and at night. FM is better all around but the AM was not as good for me as they advertise.


Using shortwave without a digital tuner, band display and auto-scan takes some basic knowledge at the very least and some patience as well. If you are a shortwave novice, you will need to study up a little to be able to pick up stations consistently. Very few people just want to search for random stations. The irony is that experienced shortwave radio enthusiasts may be disappointed by the relatively weak reception and lack of features. But they will do in a pinch. With 7 included bands, you can definitely pick up some stations. Knowing what stations you are picking up is the real challenge.

Even once you do successfully tune to a station, there is still some drift in the tuner. Stations go out of tune often and it's common to have to make adjustments. Very small turns of the tuner dial seem to equate to differences that are too large. If you plan ahead for travel or only listen to a few higher power broadcasts, you should be able to get enough stations to keep you busy.

The display has a few flaws. It will tell you when you are in FM or AM , but not what shortwave band you're tuned to. It only shows "SW" for shortwave. And it also won't display the time while the radio is turned on. This seems like a minor detail but when you are travelling having an extra clock is useful. It's also a pain when you are waiting for a program to come on the air and you have to choose between listening or seeing the time.

You can still at least see your band and tuned station, which for AM and FM are enough. Once again, you will need basic understanding of the shortwave bands before you can remember what the different ones mean and how to duplicate them.

The alarm does work, but I tend to be a heavy sleeper and it took a while to wake me up the one time I tried it. That's OK as long as you are travelling alone.

One of the things that is a clear plus for this unit is its portability. I have tucked this away in my travel bag with no problems, and I always keep some spare batteries just in case I need to use it. The small speaker on the body is not very clear but can certainly get louder than most people will need. This unit is ideal used with headphones, though the included buds are probably only good as extras.

The unit is less compact while in use because of the antenna, which sticks out a few inches to begin with. Note that AM reception uses an internal antenna but FM and shortwave reception use the antenna. It takes some getting used to the rather long antenna. Unlike many mid-sized models, this antenna extends straight up and cannot be swiveled or bent. It's almost two feet long. Therefore, it's only practical for places where you have plenty of clearance, like on a windowsill or out in the open. Sitting in a bus or train with low clearance will cut it close. If you are in a smaller area you may find it uncomfortable to maneuver the unit with the antenna fully extended. And if you want decent reception you need to fully extend it.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps the main consideration is that shortwave novices will have trouble tuning to the same stations consistently. So if you want to get a particular station while travelling, you will need to read a book on SW or look up some info and write down the frequencies before you go. With this analog and very drifty tuner, it is near impossible to tell what station exactly you are tuning to, much less to repeat that tuning.

It is hard to fault this unit too much considering how small, light and affordable it is. Granted it has its flaws. But they have added a number of small improvements and as long as you know your needs this might very well meet them.

As long as your expectations are reasonable, this is a very good value.

Enjoy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous little radio, March 16, 2008

By 

Marcus Aurelius Maximus Awesomus III "Maximu... (SF bay area, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grundig M300 World Radio, Black (Electronics)

BIG PROS: It's about the size of PDA only a tad smaller. The unit has a nice feel to the buttons with a very accurate tuner dial, I like the fact that it doesn't budge when placing or removing the radio in it's pouch so it can hold stations well. Seems very well built, has a VERY long integrated telescopic antenna and nice soft carrying pouch. Signal reception on local AM/FM stations is excellent with some SW bands received fairly clear but location is key too. Did I mention well built? I dropped it accidentally (DOH!) 5ft and it still works just fine, no cracks or serious scuffs surprisingly.

Now for a few minor CONS: the FM band isn't stereo. The LCD is a little smallish. the stubby antenna is part of the case and kinda takes away from it's compactness. There's no provision for radio presets because of the analog tuner and the headphones are Blah but for the price it's not really a big deal.

Bottom line: a good little take anywhere companion if you like to listen to the radio and like that SW stuff.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately terrible, July 16, 2009

By 

pd - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grundig M300 World Radio, Black (Electronics)

I own lots of radios (see my other reviews) and I had high hopes for this- Eton/Grundig have excellent reputations and I like some of their higher end units. This is very disappointing.

The biggest problem is that it doesn't stay tuned (a digital display doesn't mean digital tuning) rendering it functionally useless. If your station is super strong and it doesn't matter if it drifts from, say, 105.3 - 105.9 when you're trying to listen to 105.5 maybe it'll be ok for you. Then again, if your station is that strong, you could buy a $10 no-name radio. The size is nice, as is the very long extendable antenna. However, the name brand, nice list of features, flashy colors, and fancy packaging can't mask that this is essentially a cheap cheap radio not worth the shipping charges (I got mine with the remains of an an LL Bean gift card or It'd be shipped back).