wrote in message
oups.com...

Lucky wrote:

It's a solid radio and you can appreciate it's quality in comparison
to
other Chinese
made radios.

That's good to hear.


I never had a Sat 800 or even listened to one, but from the couple people
who do own both say the E1 sounds much better then the 800 and they like
it
much better.

I don't find this hard to believe. The 800's sound is good, but some of
its predecessors certainly had better sound.


My few beefs are NO carrying handle. What were they thinking? If it's a
portable, how are you supposed to carry it around comfortably?

I think the trend is to classify receivers as 'portable' or 'tabletop'
based on their performance rather than their size. This is a misleading
use of the term 'portable', but it explains why a behemoth like the
S800 is called a 'portable' while a sleek little racehorse like the
HF-150 is usually termed a 'tabletop'.

Also, I would
have liked to see an adjustable stand on back of the radio for different
angles of viewing. You see the display can be adjusted for contrast, but
you
lose readability from certain angles.

This means you must manintain a certain line of sight setup so you can
read
it properly all the time especially the smaller print labels near the
very
bottom of the display. Or, you can just keep the radio in an upright
postition eliminating this slight oversight.

Now, there are only 2 little rubber feet towards the back of the radio to
keep it from slipping. Why they didn't put rubber on all 4 feet doesn't
make
sense. The cost must be under 1 cent when bought in bulk.

Hmmm. These do sound like slightly annoying shortcomings, but you can
probably find ways to compensate for them.


I need to run over to Rat Shack to pick up the Pal adapter so I can check
on
the sensitivity of the rig. ECSS is fine except for the 5 to 7khz offset
for
the stations I listened to.

I would be more concerned about this. I'd find out what this is about
before your 60 day trial period is up.

The double sync sideband works very well. It's
comparable to the Lowe 150s implentation of it but I would say the Lowe
does
a better job of it.


This doesn't surprise me, but the comparison is probably unfair to the
E1. Despite its hefty pricetag and its many features, I don't think it
was intended to rival receivers like the HF-150.



Aagin, I have only spent one night with it and didn't read the manual
completely yet. I was out all day on friday and was kind of tired when it
came to reading and comprehension of the info. I will read it all today
and
tomorrow. The manual also comes on a CD. Oh, they give you pre printed
return lables if you want to return the radio for almost any reason.

Here are your choices:

1] Defective
2] Unwanted gift
3] Quality
4] Changed Mind
5] Damaged
6] Wrong size
7] Wrong Color
8] Arrived too late {much too late
9] Not Item Ordered
10] Other reason and you explain why

So as you can see they give you 60 days and don't care why you don't want
or
like it. I'm very, very pleased with that. But, I looks like this is the
Sharper Image's policy only.

Ok guys, off I go soon to pick up the Pal adapter. Everyone have a safe
and
happy day.

Lucky

It's hard to argue with this return policy. If you decide not to keep
it, you should have no problems.

Steve


Hi guys!

OK, I finally picked up the Pal connector. My local Rat Shack was out of
stock and I didn't get a chance to get it all together till today. I used RS
part # 278-265B { F to Pal} which is the needed adapter and the other end of
it is a female coax. I would have had to use too many other adapters to get
a PL-259 or SO-239 going, so I just bought part #278-255B { Phono to F}
which is a male coax to RCA female plug.
Why? My antenna ends in a RCA male plug. I like it that way. If I want to
use a PL-259, I just add on my RCA to SO-239 and I'm all set for a different
radio.

The way I did it, you only need to use 2 adapters. The Pal, and the F to a
RCA jack. Plus, my balun ends in a male BNC, so I used a female BNC to
female RCA. Now I can just add the balun when needed in a snap. I like RCA
plugs. So easy to use.

I'll tell ya, this radio is very very good. The sync detector works like a
charm. The DSB {Double sideband} also is extremely good. Actually works. If
that doesn't do the job, just go USB or LSB sync.The PBT is excellent. It
can measured and adjusted in tiny increments till it sounds just the way you
like it. They did a great job here.

Add the bass and treble controls and the choices of 4 or 7 kHz bandwidths,
and you just have a superb setup. If you can't get this rig adjusted to your
personal liking, you have a problem not the radio.I tried external speakers
ONCE, but enjoy the internal speaker better so far. You get used to the
ergomonics pretty quickly just like any new radio.

Now, I thought perhaps the external antenna setup would fix the ECSS offset
problem completely, but it didn't. BUT, it's not off as much as it was.
Still, it's not a big issue. It may be that this radio is just more
sensitive.

I definitely recommend this radio for the true hobby enthusiast. Now, the
price is up there at $500, but you know what? I think it's worth it. Don't
forget you always have the option of using it as a satellite receiver also
if you ever choose to.

I think they should have made 2 models.
One for $350-$400 without the XM components and $550 for the XM model.
Why should I have to subsidize XM users needed parts if I don't want XM sat
radio?

That's the only catch with this radio. At least you don't have to buy the
$50 XM antenna if you don't want XM. Other then that, you'll really like it.
As a portable,
IT CAN'T BE BEAT. In fact, it's too good to take outside.

Tonight I'll do more sensitivity testing and fill you in. I'm liking this
radio more and more daily.

Lucky