Help picking which radio to buy.
 

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out which intro radio to purchase. I've used the
Passport Guide reviews and checked out some reviews online and there
is a lot of conflicting viewpoints.

Locally I can purchase the below radios at about the same cost $100.

I'm looking for a portable radio that has very good reception and is
relatively easier to use. I can live with it lacking in the user
interface area if it receives well. I don't want something that is
lacking a key feature that forces me to buy another radio.

I will be listening to FM, MW and SW with the radio.

Thanks for the advice.

KA 1101, 1102, 1103
Eaton E100
Eaton E10
ATS 404

Alex

Help picking which radio to buy.
 

schrieb:

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out which intro radio to purchase. I've used the
Passport Guide reviews and checked out some reviews online and there
is a lot of conflicting viewpoints.

Locally I can purchase the below radios at about the same cost $100.

I'm looking for a portable radio that has very good reception and is
relatively easier to use. I can live with it lacking in the user
interface area if it receives well. I don't want something that is
lacking a key feature that forces me to buy another radio.

I will be listening to FM, MW and SW with the radio.

Thanks for the advice.

KA 1101, 1102, 1103

The 1102 reportedly isn't overly hot on MW, I guess the smaller ferrite
rod shows. The 1101 apparently won't be any different. The 1103 seems to
be better on this band (in both sensitivity and selectivity), if not too
much out of the ordinary sensitivity wise; SW sensitivity is said to be
very good, same goes for FM. It also has the most advanced concept (dual
conversion 55.845 MHz / 450 kHz, the lesser models have to make do with
10.7 MHz / 450 kHz; also the FM frontend is better).

Eaton E100

= Tecsun PL200. Does not really compete here. It's a very small set with
decent performance, but single conversion units like this have their
limits.

Eaton E10

= Tecsun PL550. I think they're better now (implementing some changes
taken over from the better-performing PL350), but the first samples
weren't too hot. I'm not quite sure why Tecsun sticks with single
conversion sets; I mean, some frontend tuning does have distinct
advantages, but decent image rejection isn't too easy to achieve that
way.

ATS 404

This is almost uniformly regarded as a piece of poo, performance wise.
It's pretty much the circuitry of the lesser ATS-303 and 305 models of
days gone by spiced up with a more comfortable interface. Sangean wise,
the PT80 would be more like what you're looking for, but somewhat out of
your budget. (Over here, the rebranded Grundig YB80 is more
competitively priced and can already be obtained for ~100 EUR online.)

Other models worth looking at:
Grundig G4000A (the ex-YB400PE, presumably unchanged internally)
KA2100 (a nice allrounder with excellent FM, very good MW and good SW
reception in an oldfashioned but actually practical format - portable it
is, but not a compact travel companion; I have written a fairly long
review of a rebranded RP2000, which is the same receiver without the
presets and apparently also without a display light related bug)

You may also want to check out the Amazon sale of Sony's ICF-SW7600GR,
I'm not sure how long this will be around.

Oh, and do try finding a quiet (RF wise) universal wallwart for powering
the set (unless you're getting the KA2100, which also has mains input) -
it does aid reception via the telescopic antenna quite a lot, and mains
power is cheapest anyway.

Stephan
--
Home: http://stephan.win31.de/
I once saw a webpage that said "this page best viewed by coming over to
my office and looking at it on my monitor.'' You don't often see honesty
like that. [Seen on Head-Fi]