Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

The Grundig Satellit 800, like all SW radios, is not perfect. But at
its price level, it is by far the best receiver available. It offers
FM and portability which other communication receivers do not. It is a
much better radio for program listening than the stock ICOM R75, the
SW receiver closest in price, which must be modified by "third-party"
companies (or yourself at your own risk) in order to function
properly. The sound quality in all modes is very good.

That said, it is apparent that the quality-control problems have not
been solved, Eton's spokesperson(s) to the contrary. There are two
solutions: one is to return (and keep returning) defective units until
you get one "right;" you must insist that the company pay for return
shipping (inquire about this before the purchase) or buy it locally.
(If you purchase one from Universal Radio, they will test it for you
on request before shipping; this ensures that your particular unit is
satisfactory.) Second is to buy a Drake-refurbished unit as available.
Not only is that cheaper, you know it will be "right." Several
companies offer this.

I have an early-production (May 2000) model which I purchased new from
Universal Radio; it arrived in June 2000. It operated satisfactorily
until last year when the encoder started to "go." I sent it to Drake
who repaired the encoder and totally refurbished the radio, bringing
it up to current standards. The price was $109.00 including all
shipping and packaging. I thought that, given the amount of use the
radio has had, this was quite reasonable, though I feel that the
"refurbishing" shouldn't have been necessary. (I had violated one of
my own rules: never be the first kid on your block to buy a new
product. Let others be the guinea pigs.)

I would like to mention the battery "problem." I use the radio almost
exclusively on batteries due to local electrical noise prevalent at my
location. The solution is to buy NiMH "D" cell batteries (I got mine
from C.Crane Company) and use a recharger (I also purchased mine from
C.Crane). These batteries last 30 - 40 hours and can be recharged many
times. If you buy two sets of betteries, as I did (quite expensive as
a one-time purchase, but far cheaper in the long run), you will always
have battery power. When I sent my radio to Drake for
repairs/refurbishing, I asked that the battery indicator be set for
1.2V rechargeable batteries as opposed to 1.5V alkalines. They did
this for me.

This radio is superb for program listening and is an excellent DX
machine. This past winter I was able to clearly listen to Morocco on
5980 kHz which is right next to the BBC powerhouse. This is very good
performance. (The ICOM R75 is a better DX receiver, but not in stock
form. Certain factory options must be purchased and, after the
required "third-party" modifications, which must be put off until the
warranty expires, are effected, the price is much higher than the
Grundig. Plus the audio, therefore, the recoverable signal, is not as
good. This makes the ICOM much inferior for program listening.)

Want better sound? Run the Satellit through your stereo system. The
sound will then be as good as your system can make it.

I use an AOR WL500 Active Window Loop with my Grundig receiver. It is
much superior to the whip, though the whip is satisfactory for
outdoor/portable use. On MW I use a Justice antenna indoors and a
Select-a-Tenna outdoors.

The Satellit is not my main SW radio, but I do listen to it
extensively, especially on my deck or in my yard, or for program
listening to powerful stations. I also do some Dxing with it, both on
SW and MW. It could easily be someone's exclusive SW radio as,
considering the price, no apologies for performace are necessary. I am
very glad I purchased it.

I hope this has been of some help to those owning or contemplating the
purchase of a Satellit 800.

Lawrence

Jeff Seale wrote in message news:5Z2ec.8398$wP1.26196@attbi_s54...
Jim Hackett wrote:

Although, you COULD put a 12 volt motorcycle battery into the Sat 800. The
handle would probably break when you try to lift it

I just run mine off the 'mains'. I put batteries in it though for when
bad stuff happens (power outage, severe weather, etc.)

Jeff Seale
Louisville, KY
Satellit 800, YB-550PE