On Thu, 3 Apr 2014, homepc wrote:

I have a Tecsun BCL 3000 that I use mainly for AM DX listening at the kitchen
table. For the past 6 months the tuner for AM and SW bands occasionally goes
berserk displaying numbers at random in the frequency tuning window. After a
bit of playing with the tuner, usually fast tuning from one end of the dial
to the other several times, resolves the problem for a short while. This
problem aside, it's been a great little radio.

I am not experienced at fixing things like this so I won't even attempt to
open the case. I called a local radio shop and they advised that it wouldn't
be worth the repair cost.

So I'm looking for a fair replacement. The Source ( Canadian Radio Shack )
has a Grundig GS450DL radio onsale for $79.99. I've read reviews crucifying
the model and others praising it's merits for a radio in that price range. A
similar model sold bearing the C Crain badge also has both very bad and good
reviews.

There was a model in the same form, I guess the GS350, that had analogue
tuning. Fussy as analog ever was, and I seem to recall talk of too fast
tuning, and it drifted. I seem to recall it was also single conversion
with a low IF, so image rejection wasn't great.

I haven't seen a clear description of how the 450 differs. It might just
be cosmetic, or it might actually have improved what was wrong.

The problem is, if you look at the reviews at The Source, many may sound
great, but then it turns out people have no experience with other
shortwave radios. Or the people may not even be using it for shortwave,
just a radio a bit more expensive than others, so the reviews are good for
local needs.

In view that I can get a 3 year warranty for $20 extra, would the Grundig
GS450Dl be a wise purchase, so should I be looking at other models? Any
suggestions?


The extra warranty won't mean a thing if the radio itself isn't that
great. It looks physically good, but you need to look deeper.

I was tempted to buy one last year, because they were having a refurbished
sale and it was down around $50 at the time, but I missed that chance, the
stock gone before I got around to it. I was imply curious, and with a
gift card hanging around, it was tempting.

The problem is, The Source has pretty much dropped shortwave radios now.
So the most easy to access source is very limited. As the models
they carried were discontinued, they stopped adding newer radios.

There are companies in Canada that sell shortwave and amateur radio
equipment, and they are bound to have a better selection. I don't have
names handy, but I think one is in BC, and another in Toronto.

While I haven't seen any in a few years, I've accumulated quite a good
collection of shortwave radios from garage sales and rummage sales in the
past decade or so. I had never seen any until about 2007, when I found a
Grundig Satellite 500 at a rummage sale, and then kept finding them. Some
simply, like an old Radio Shack analog portable, or the Grundig mini 300,
but also a Grundig Satellite 700 for $2.00 at a Rotary Club sale, and a
SOny SW1S (the really small one) for ten dollars.

For a period I was seeing ads for shortwave radios in the local Craig's
List, but it's been a while there too, almost as if the old radios had all
come out of the closet already. Though someone is still trying to sell
their used GS350 or GS450 for $90, and keeps relisting it since clearly
nobody is buying at that price.

Michael