On 08/07/09 12:37 , weatherall wrote:
I spent a couple hours between last night and this morning trying out my
new Grundig G3, which I'm powering with four fresh alkaline batteries.
I also own an Eton E5 which I got three years ago. So, I've been doing
some comparisons between the E5 and the G3, but I should point out that
the E5 is a few years old so it's not a perfect side-by-side
comparison. With that said, here are my initial comments about the
G3:

* Sync detect functionality is poor, working best on only the strong
signals. Often, while the sync is activated, it will add squeal or
muting to the audio signal, which is worse than not using sync at all.

* While listening to a ham frequency last night, I struggled to clarify
the SSB signal with the BFO dial. Broadcasts were readable but
maintained a robotic quality regardless of my efforts.


This is not unusual. Undesireable, nonetheless, but not unusual.
An unstable local oscillator modulated by the micro variations in
supply voltage due to audio load will make some SSB signals
difficult to read. Too high an incoming signal can do the same.

BFO will not be as clean as, say, sync on in coming audio,
because the phase of the BFO is not fixed to the incoming carrier
frequency as it is with sync. So, you'll always have some of that
robotic quality due to the ill defined relationship between harmonics.

Reducing incoming signal levels can help. Which will be difficult
on your particular radio.



* VHF band is nice, but probably due to line-of-sight issues, I can
only hear planes and not the atc tower at KSFO.


Generally, you'll hear craft aloft before you'll hear ground
radio from the local FBO's or the tower. This is due, as you
suggest, to line off sight issues, in conjunction with low output
power. I hear planes from 75 miles way, here at the ranch. But the
closest tower is inaudible on the same frequency only a few miles away.


If you really want to hear tower traffic, do a websearch for Live
ATC.