TECSUN PL-230
Digital PLL Shortwave Receiver

Have you searched endlessly for a review of this radio only to come
up empty handed? Perhaps you were up late one night on Ebay, and saw
one of these radios staring back at you and were wondering...."Should
I buy it? Is it junk? Has anyone else purchased one?" Well I
wondered the same thing. And searched the web endlessly only to find
a few commercial reviews (which I rarely trust) and the occasion
comment in a newsgroup. But in the end the radio was so pleasing to
the eyes....I had to have one.

As with most if not all Tecsun brand radios they have to be purchased
off of Ebay, as they are generally sent directly from Hong Kong to
your front door. Have no fears. The vendor I used...e-mailed me back
in excellent english, answered every question I had about the radio,
and as promised he sent the radio AIR MAIL directly from Hong Kong to
my front door. (He stated that 99 percent of the time the item would
arrive within 10 days, and it did...even over the busy Christmas and
New Years holidays.)

NOW on to the review. My first concern was that the radio looked
similar to the old Grundig YB-500. Trust me. While the exterior may
look the same, internally it is quite a different beast; if what I
read about the 500 in PASSPORT magazine is true. The Grundig YB-500
was considered a poor performer. So do not confuse the two. In
addition there is a Grundig YB-550, which is in fact the same radio as
the Tecsun PL-230. Made at the same plant in Hong Kong. I prefer the
Tecsun PL-230 version better, and here is why. Whenever you buy a
radio from Tecsun directly, your getting the latest version of that
radio. So any modifications and upgrades are always included.
(Unlike the grundigs which may be bought in big lots and then sit on
store shelves for months. This radio had a freshness date (date made)
of November 11 2003. Only a month old. (On my Tecsun BCL-2000 there
were in fact some modification to the radio...that had not been
implemented on any but the latest Grundigs. This included a drift
fix, and off button modification) In addition my Tecsun PL-230 comes
with rechargeable batteries, that are actually recharged by the radio.
(When I read the YB-550 manual it claims you can't charge the
batteries in the radio) I quote directly from the document -

"USING RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES: Rechargeable batteries must be charged
in their own charger. They will not charge inside the YB-550."

As I said the PL-230 DOES CHARGE your rechargeable batteries inside
the radio. So this is definitely an improvement. Granted the radio's
AC plug/Charger is designed for the Chinese 220v outlets, but have no
fear....both Tecsun radios I purchased were sent to me with a USA 110v
converter. *FREE* (a 10-15 dollar value) My third reason for buying
Tecsun is price. I have bought two radios new on Ebay from a Tecsun
distributor and both were anywhere from 40-60% cheaper than their
Grundig doppelganger. (even after you factor in shipping from Hong
Kong). So in review....

WHY BUY TECSUN OVER GRUNDIG
1) You always get the latest version of the radio (with any upgrades
or improvements) Not one that has been sitting on a store shelf for a
6 months- a year.
2) With the PL-230 the rechargeable batteries are recharged inside
the radio. (The YB-550 does not have this feature.)
3) Price (Tecsun radios are always cheaper, even after shipping from
China.)

WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY

The radio comes with one PL-230 PLL dual conversion receiver. (I
emailed the seller, who said he believed it to be dual conversion, so
if it is single I apologize.) An AC Battery charger (which you can
also use to run the radio off AC power. A very nice carrying case. A
pair of earbuds (earphones, which I haven't used), 3 rechargeable
batteries, a number of manuals (all in Chinese, so download a copy of
the YB-550 manual from Grundig, it works exactly the same). A reel
external shortwave antenna. And a neat little radio stand, so you can
set up your radio on the table at a comfortable angle for viewing. I
would rate the amount of extras that come with the radio as -

EXCELLENT

QUALITY OF THE PL-230

The quality seems to be at par with most other Grundig products.
Comparing it with my Grundig YB-400. (the older pre PE version) the
radio seems to be of similar stock. I purchased the black model, and
the plastic seems just a little lighter, and slightly thinner than the
old YB-400. But not by much. I think the radio will hold up well
when traveling the world with you, assuming you don't drop it. The
lighter plastic may be due to the fact that the radio seems to be
designed to be very lightweight, and travel friendly. But in any case
it appears to be a tad less sturdy. As portables go, I would still
rate the construction as -

VERY GOOD

PL-230 SENSITIVITY

I buy shortwave radios for shortwave performance. I could care less
about FM and AM reception to be honest. But in any case the FM
performance is very good. I have heard a few complaints about AM
reception, and I'm not sure why. The AM band seemed to be quite
satisfactory to me. Not nearly as good as my BCL-2000, but certainly
equal to the YB-400 in a side by side comparison. Now for shortwave.
I set both radios on the kitchen table, side by side....and started
tuning the shortwave bands. The YB-400 has for years been considered
an excellent value, for those in bad reception areas, as it is one of
the most sensitive portables you can buy in its price range of
$149-199 dollars. So I am using it as my benchmark. (NOTE: both
radios were being tested off the whip antenna) (IN ADDTION: PASSPORT
has always rated the YB-400 very well in sensitivity.)
In my comparison I found that the PL-230 was almost always 1 signal
level higher than the YB-400. If I was tuning the BBC at a signal
strength of 3-4 on the YB-400....it was always 4-5 on the PL-230. I
spent at least two hours comparing the two. And found that in all
cases the radios were either at a dead heat. Or the PL-230 would edge
out the Yacht Boy just slightly.
So I would rate the sensitivity on this radio as -

VERY GOOD to EXCELLENT

PL-230 SELECTIVITY

Crosstalk is not a problem with this radio. It does an excellent job
of tuning in a selected frequency and allowing you to hear even the
weakest stations, even if they are sitting next to a more powerful one
3 to 5 kHz away. The default filter is very close to what you get in
selectivity when the YB-400 is set to its WIDE filter setting. FM and
AM seemed to be at par with the YB-400, and selectivity on SW is rated
as -

VERY GOOD

PL-230 AUDIO QUALITY

This radio is small, which already puts it at a disadvantage in the
audio department. Small speakers often produce small sound. Happily
the radio does provide a HIGH/LOW tone switch. Very much like the
YB-400. As stated above the audio is very similar to a YB-400 on the
WIDE setting. In fact when I was comparing the two I left the YB-400
set to the WIDE filter. The audio is good for the size of the radio.
And very pleasing with a good set of headphones on the LOW setting.
It is very close to the YB-400's sound quality, but the speaker size
just makes the sound slightly less full, rich and mellow. However, it
does have very good volume, and is quite good if your working in the
kitchen or garage and need some room filling sound.
There is one additional item that needs mentioned in the sound
department. AUDIO HUM. Most digital PLL shortwave receivers have
this. And it often makes listening to weak stations very difficult,
as their sound is drowned out by the HUMMING of the internal circuitry
in the radio. This is not a problem for the PL-230. It is one of the
quietest PLL digital radios I have ever tried. There is really no hum
at all. (On batteries) Where as the YB-400 always had some audible
HUM in my opinion. So for listening quality on weak signals the
PL-230 always beats out the YB-400. Now when you use a walwart/AC
plug with the PL-230....there is a very slight hum, it helps to move
the radio away from where it is plugged in. But the HUM is very
slight. And weak signals can still be heard well above it.
While on straight audio comparisons the YB-400 and PL-230 are close.
I have to give it to the YB-400...as it has a bigger speaker...and a
richer sound. The PL-230 still does quite well for its size. And
there is no HUMMING...I rate the audio as -

VERY GOOD

A FEW ADDED FEATURES NOT MENTIONED BEFORE

*TUNES: FM: 76 -108 MHz
MW/AM: 522 -1620 KHz
SW: 1711 – 29999 KHz
*Adjustable Auto off Timer
*Alarm clock function
*Save up to 200 Frequency Memory locations
*Display light
*FM *Fine Tuning knob for tuning 1 kHz at a time
*DX/Local switch
*External antenna jack
*Lock switch to prevent accidental power on's and off's
*Direct frequency input via front keypad
*Can use rechargeable or standard AA batteries

DIMENSIONS OF THE PL-230

Dimensions: 5.7 x 3.5 x 1.2 inches / 145 x 87 x 31 mm.
Battery: Uses 3 AA size 1.5V. Battery.
Weight: approx. : 225 g. / 8 oz. (without battery)

The radio is very light and only uses 3 batteries as opposed to the
YB-400's 6.

THE BEAUTY IS NOT SKIN DEEP

Obviously from the above information this radio is an excellent
receiver for the price. But physically it just looks cool too. The
vertical layout of the radio is a very nice change. And the radio is
designed in such a way as to be small without looking cheap. It looks
like something a secret agent might carry with him as he travels the
globe, and the design is very hand-held friendly. In the looks
department this radio is one of the nicest looking modern portables I
have seen.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER

The buttons all seems a little stiff. And the tuning up/down buttons
get tedious to push over and over when trying to bandscan. Granted
the radio has an auto-scanning feature. But the ear is always
superior to electronics when it comes to scanning for weak signals.
So bandscanning with this radio is not as pleasurable as say with a
TECSUN BCL-2000. What adds to this is the CHUFF CHUFF noise that
comes with all PLL digital radios. That little silence when you
change the frequency does get annoying. But that is not an issue with
just the PL-230....rather with all PLL tuned radios. I find that I
use the fine tuning knob to actually bandscan through certain areas I
know are full of stations. But it is slow, and still makes the CHUFF
CHUFF noise. So if you just like scanning around the dial to see
what's out there, you may find this radio rather frustrating. In
which case I would strongly suggest the Tecsun BCL-2000. No CHUFF
CHUFF, and it is a bandscanners dream.
I should also mention that this radio has NO SSB. No lower or upper
side band support at all. Which is disappointing. As I think, since
the fine tuning knob is already there, it would have taken very little
to add a switch for USB/LSB. So this radio is a broadcast SW radio
only. NO HAMS will be heard on this jewel. Just know that going in.
I personally find that listening to HAMs occupies only about 10
percent of my overall shortwave listening time. So for me it is no
great loss. And of course I have a YB-400 and a DX-394 for that if I
get really desperate. If you're simply into broadcast
listening...I.e. BBC, Radio Havana Cuba, Radio Japan, etc....this
radio is just what you want. Tecsun seems to really gear their radios
to making the broadcast listening experience the best.

IN CONCLUSION

For the price this radio is an excellent buy. You won't be
disappointed as long as you know what you are getting going in. The
radio itself is an attention grabber. And people will ask you "Where
did you get that cool looking radio?" The sensitivity in the SW
department really impressed me. And I might include the fact that I
often use it around a ton of computer equipment (monitors, UPS, CPU
towers, printers, etc.) and I get very little interference, if any
from those devices. So it is nice if you plan to use it in an office
environment. I find it to be ever enjoyable to use, and the sound
while not as rich as bigger radios, is quite pleasant for the size,
either through the speaker or headphones. Get yourself a good
shortwave frequency guide, and this radio is a dream to play with.
So if you want a small, rechargeable GRUNDIG YB-400 at almost half
the price, but minus the SSB support, this is it. It's a Grundig
YB-400 mini-me.

PS. I live in a very poor reception zone in the United States. Deep
in the Southwest. So for all you people living in bad SW reception
locations....I feel your pain. This radio is a good choice.

PROS
Lightweight, great for traveling
Very Sensitive
Cool Looking
Nice audio for the size
Rechargeable batteries that recharge in the radio

CONS
No SSB support
Bandscanning is a pain
Audio could be a little fuller, but size makes that difficult
Buttons are a little stiff
Manuals are all in Chinese (but English are available for the YB-550)

FINAL RATING 1-10 (1=poorest/10=best) IN PORTABLE SW CATEGORY

BUILD QUALITY = 7.5
SENSITIVITY = 9
SELECTIVITY = 8
DESIGN (LOOKS) = 9.7
AUDIO = 8
AMOUNT OF FEATURES =7.8
FUN FACTOR = 7.5
VALUE FOR PRICE = 9
OVERALL RATING = 8.3

Reviewed by: Judah Smith )

Thanks for the informative review. I've been waiting for one. I do have to
disagree with a few of your statements though:
1. My YB400PE makes NO audible PLL noises.
2. All PLL radios do NOT chuff. Only cheap ones do.
3. There is MUCH more on SSB than hams!

Other than that, I think your review was XLNT and MAY add one to my
collection...



"Judah Smith" wrote in message
om...
TECSUN PL-230
Digital PLL Shortwave Receiver

Have you searched endlessly for a review of this radio only to come
up empty handed? Perhaps you were up late one night on Ebay, and saw
one of these radios staring back at you and were wondering...."Should
I buy it? Is it junk? Has anyone else purchased one?" Well I
wondered the same thing. And searched the web endlessly only to find
a few commercial reviews (which I rarely trust) and the occasion
comment in a newsgroup. But in the end the radio was so pleasing to
the eyes....I had to have one.

As with most if not all Tecsun brand radios they have to be purchased
off of Ebay, as they are generally sent directly from Hong Kong to
your front door. Have no fears. The vendor I used...e-mailed me back
in excellent english, answered every question I had about the radio,
and as promised he sent the radio AIR MAIL directly from Hong Kong to
my front door. (He stated that 99 percent of the time the item would
arrive within 10 days, and it did...even over the busy Christmas and
New Years holidays.)

NOW on to the review. My first concern was that the radio looked
similar to the old Grundig YB-500. Trust me. While the exterior may
look the same, internally it is quite a different beast; if what I
read about the 500 in PASSPORT magazine is true. The Grundig YB-500
was considered a poor performer. So do not confuse the two. In
addition there is a Grundig YB-550, which is in fact the same radio as
the Tecsun PL-230. Made at the same plant in Hong Kong. I prefer the
Tecsun PL-230 version better, and here is why. Whenever you buy a
radio from Tecsun directly, your getting the latest version of that
radio. So any modifications and upgrades are always included.
(Unlike the grundigs which may be bought in big lots and then sit on
store shelves for months. This radio had a freshness date (date made)
of November 11 2003. Only a month old. (On my Tecsun BCL-2000 there
were in fact some modification to the radio...that had not been
implemented on any but the latest Grundigs. This included a drift
fix, and off button modification) In addition my Tecsun PL-230 comes
with rechargeable batteries, that are actually recharged by the radio.
(When I read the YB-550 manual it claims you can't charge the
batteries in the radio) I quote directly from the document -

"USING RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES: Rechargeable batteries must be charged
in their own charger. They will not charge inside the YB-550."

As I said the PL-230 DOES CHARGE your rechargeable batteries inside
the radio. So this is definitely an improvement. Granted the radio's
AC plug/Charger is designed for the Chinese 220v outlets, but have no
fear....both Tecsun radios I purchased were sent to me with a USA 110v
converter. *FREE* (a 10-15 dollar value) My third reason for buying
Tecsun is price. I have bought two radios new on Ebay from a Tecsun
distributor and both were anywhere from 40-60% cheaper than their
Grundig doppelganger. (even after you factor in shipping from Hong
Kong). So in review....

WHY BUY TECSUN OVER GRUNDIG
1) You always get the latest version of the radio (with any upgrades
or improvements) Not one that has been sitting on a store shelf for a
6 months- a year.
2) With the PL-230 the rechargeable batteries are recharged inside
the radio. (The YB-550 does not have this feature.)
3) Price (Tecsun radios are always cheaper, even after shipping from
China.)

WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY

The radio comes with one PL-230 PLL dual conversion receiver. (I
emailed the seller, who said he believed it to be dual conversion, so
if it is single I apologize.) An AC Battery charger (which you can
also use to run the radio off AC power. A very nice carrying case. A
pair of earbuds (earphones, which I haven't used), 3 rechargeable
batteries, a number of manuals (all in Chinese, so download a copy of
the YB-550 manual from Grundig, it works exactly the same). A reel
external shortwave antenna. And a neat little radio stand, so you can
set up your radio on the table at a comfortable angle for viewing. I
would rate the amount of extras that come with the radio as -

EXCELLENT

QUALITY OF THE PL-230

The quality seems to be at par with most other Grundig products.
Comparing it with my Grundig YB-400. (the older pre PE version) the
radio seems to be of similar stock. I purchased the black model, and
the plastic seems just a little lighter, and slightly thinner than the
old YB-400. But not by much. I think the radio will hold up well
when traveling the world with you, assuming you don't drop it. The
lighter plastic may be due to the fact that the radio seems to be
designed to be very lightweight, and travel friendly. But in any case
it appears to be a tad less sturdy. As portables go, I would still
rate the construction as -

VERY GOOD

PL-230 SENSITIVITY

I buy shortwave radios for shortwave performance. I could care less
about FM and AM reception to be honest. But in any case the FM
performance is very good. I have heard a few complaints about AM
reception, and I'm not sure why. The AM band seemed to be quite
satisfactory to me. Not nearly as good as my BCL-2000, but certainly
equal to the YB-400 in a side by side comparison. Now for shortwave.
I set both radios on the kitchen table, side by side....and started
tuning the shortwave bands. The YB-400 has for years been considered
an excellent value, for those in bad reception areas, as it is one of
the most sensitive portables you can buy in its price range of
$149-199 dollars. So I am using it as my benchmark. (NOTE: both
radios were being tested off the whip antenna) (IN ADDTION: PASSPORT
has always rated the YB-400 very well in sensitivity.)
In my comparison I found that the PL-230 was almost always 1 signal
level higher than the YB-400. If I was tuning the BBC at a signal
strength of 3-4 on the YB-400....it was always 4-5 on the PL-230. I
spent at least two hours comparing the two. And found that in all
cases the radios were either at a dead heat. Or the PL-230 would edge
out the Yacht Boy just slightly.
So I would rate the sensitivity on this radio as -

VERY GOOD to EXCELLENT

PL-230 SELECTIVITY

Crosstalk is not a problem with this radio. It does an excellent job
of tuning in a selected frequency and allowing you to hear even the
weakest stations, even if they are sitting next to a more powerful one
3 to 5 kHz away. The default filter is very close to what you get in
selectivity when the YB-400 is set to its WIDE filter setting. FM and
AM seemed to be at par with the YB-400, and selectivity on SW is rated
as -

VERY GOOD

PL-230 AUDIO QUALITY

This radio is small, which already puts it at a disadvantage in the
audio department. Small speakers often produce small sound. Happily
the radio does provide a HIGH/LOW tone switch. Very much like the
YB-400. As stated above the audio is very similar to a YB-400 on the
WIDE setting. In fact when I was comparing the two I left the YB-400
set to the WIDE filter. The audio is good for the size of the radio.
And very pleasing with a good set of headphones on the LOW setting.
It is very close to the YB-400's sound quality, but the speaker size
just makes the sound slightly less full, rich and mellow. However, it
does have very good volume, and is quite good if your working in the
kitchen or garage and need some room filling sound.
There is one additional item that needs mentioned in the sound
department. AUDIO HUM. Most digital PLL shortwave receivers have
this. And it often makes listening to weak stations very difficult,
as their sound is drowned out by the HUMMING of the internal circuitry
in the radio. This is not a problem for the PL-230. It is one of the
quietest PLL digital radios I have ever tried. There is really no hum
at all. (On batteries) Where as the YB-400 always had some audible
HUM in my opinion. So for listening quality on weak signals the
PL-230 always beats out the YB-400. Now when you use a walwart/AC
plug with the PL-230....there is a very slight hum, it helps to move
the radio away from where it is plugged in. But the HUM is very
slight. And weak signals can still be heard well above it.
While on straight audio comparisons the YB-400 and PL-230 are close.
I have to give it to the YB-400...as it has a bigger speaker...and a
richer sound. The PL-230 still does quite well for its size. And
there is no HUMMING...I rate the audio as -

VERY GOOD

A FEW ADDED FEATURES NOT MENTIONED BEFORE

*TUNES: FM: 76 -108 MHz
MW/AM: 522 -1620 KHz
SW: 1711 - 29999 KHz
*Adjustable Auto off Timer
*Alarm clock function
*Save up to 200 Frequency Memory locations
*Display light
*FM *Fine Tuning knob for tuning 1 kHz at a time
*DX/Local switch
*External antenna jack
*Lock switch to prevent accidental power on's and off's
*Direct frequency input via front keypad
*Can use rechargeable or standard AA batteries

DIMENSIONS OF THE PL-230

Dimensions: 5.7 x 3.5 x 1.2 inches / 145 x 87 x 31 mm.
Battery: Uses 3 AA size 1.5V. Battery.
Weight: approx. : 225 g. / 8 oz. (without battery)

The radio is very light and only uses 3 batteries as opposed to the
YB-400's 6.

THE BEAUTY IS NOT SKIN DEEP

Obviously from the above information this radio is an excellent
receiver for the price. But physically it just looks cool too. The
vertical layout of the radio is a very nice change. And the radio is
designed in such a way as to be small without looking cheap. It looks
like something a secret agent might carry with him as he travels the
globe, and the design is very hand-held friendly. In the looks
department this radio is one of the nicest looking modern portables I
have seen.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER

The buttons all seems a little stiff. And the tuning up/down buttons
get tedious to push over and over when trying to bandscan. Granted
the radio has an auto-scanning feature. But the ear is always
superior to electronics when it comes to scanning for weak signals.
So bandscanning with this radio is not as pleasurable as say with a
TECSUN BCL-2000. What adds to this is the CHUFF CHUFF noise that
comes with all PLL digital radios. That little silence when you
change the frequency does get annoying. But that is not an issue with
just the PL-230....rather with all PLL tuned radios. I find that I
use the fine tuning knob to actually bandscan through certain areas I
know are full of stations. But it is slow, and still makes the CHUFF
CHUFF noise. So if you just like scanning around the dial to see
what's out there, you may find this radio rather frustrating. In
which case I would strongly suggest the Tecsun BCL-2000. No CHUFF
CHUFF, and it is a bandscanners dream.
I should also mention that this radio has NO SSB. No lower or upper
side band support at all. Which is disappointing. As I think, since
the fine tuning knob is already there, it would have taken very little
to add a switch for USB/LSB. So this radio is a broadcast SW radio
only. NO HAMS will be heard on this jewel. Just know that going in.
I personally find that listening to HAMs occupies only about 10
percent of my overall shortwave listening time. So for me it is no
great loss. And of course I have a YB-400 and a DX-394 for that if I
get really desperate. If you're simply into broadcast
listening...I.e. BBC, Radio Havana Cuba, Radio Japan, etc....this
radio is just what you want. Tecsun seems to really gear their radios
to making the broadcast listening experience the best.

IN CONCLUSION

For the price this radio is an excellent buy. You won't be
disappointed as long as you know what you are getting going in. The
radio itself is an attention grabber. And people will ask you "Where
did you get that cool looking radio?" The sensitivity in the SW
department really impressed me. And I might include the fact that I
often use it around a ton of computer equipment (monitors, UPS, CPU
towers, printers, etc.) and I get very little interference, if any
from those devices. So it is nice if you plan to use it in an office
environment. I find it to be ever enjoyable to use, and the sound
while not as rich as bigger radios, is quite pleasant for the size,
either through the speaker or headphones. Get yourself a good
shortwave frequency guide, and this radio is a dream to play with.
So if you want a small, rechargeable GRUNDIG YB-400 at almost half
the price, but minus the SSB support, this is it. It's a Grundig
YB-400 mini-me.

PS. I live in a very poor reception zone in the United States. Deep
in the Southwest. So for all you people living in bad SW reception
locations....I feel your pain. This radio is a good choice.

PROS
Lightweight, great for traveling
Very Sensitive
Cool Looking
Nice audio for the size
Rechargeable batteries that recharge in the radio

CONS
No SSB support
Bandscanning is a pain
Audio could be a little fuller, but size makes that difficult
Buttons are a little stiff
Manuals are all in Chinese (but English are available for the YB-550)

FINAL RATING 1-10 (1=poorest/10=best) IN PORTABLE SW CATEGORY

BUILD QUALITY = 7.5
SENSITIVITY = 9
SELECTIVITY = 8
DESIGN (LOOKS) = 9.7
AUDIO = 8
AMOUNT OF FEATURES =7.8
FUN FACTOR = 7.5
VALUE FOR PRICE = 9
OVERALL RATING = 8.3

Reviewed by: Judah Smith )

First thank you for the positive comments on the review. =) I tried
to be as accurate as I could considering my experience with shortwave
radios.

In rebuff-

Thanks for the informative review. I've been waiting for one. I do
have to
disagree with a few of your statements though:
1. My YB400PE makes NO audible PLL noises.

Passport to world band radio has stated even in their review of this
radio that it has a high audible hum/hiss. Or more specifically,
quote "curcuit noise HISS" (see Passport to world band radio 2002
edition) My older YB-400 also has this same hum/hiss. And it I
believe most YB-400 owners would tell you they generally do have
audible curcuit noise...which becomes especially audible when you plug
it into a wall as opposed to batteries. If your doesn't, you have my
congratulations. (wanna sell it? hehehe just kidding) But in
generally I think you will find they do have a slightly louder curcuit
noise than other SW portables in their price range. And of course my
review is based off my personal experience.


2. All PLL radios do NOT chuff. Only cheap ones do.
I have to disagree, to an extent. But I guess cheap is a relative
term. I don't consider my Grundig YB-400 cheap (affordable, but not
cheap) within the category of SW portables. And it CHUFFS (i.e.
inserts a chuffing silence between frequencies). In fact every
digital PLL radio I have ever owned CHUFFED until you disengaged it.
(ussually through a mod) I think most owners of newer digital
shortwave portables (not high dollar tabletops/portatops, which my
review was not addressing) do chuff. Remember in my review I make
mention that this review address portable SW radios. I'm not
comparing this stuff to a DRAKE EXPENSO-9000. Now granted their may
be some portables that don't CHUFF that I'm not experienced with. (in
fact there probably are) But I doubt they are in the price range of
99-199. Which was the specific PLL digital radios I was speaking to.
Again my personal experience plays a part in all of this....and all
the ones I have played with CHUFF.

3. There is MUCH more on SSB than hams!

I agree. There is more. But it still only takes up about 10% of my
listening time. So to me I could easily live without it. And really
lets be honest generally most people use SSB to listen to HAMS. Yes
there are utility stations, ship to shore, beacons...etc...even a few
broadcasts are done in SSB....but for the most part the average person
will ussually use SSB for HAMs.

Other than that, I think your review was XLNT and MAY add one to my
collection...

Thank you so much. I know you can never please everyone with anything
you write up. But I'm happy you enjoyed it. Just thought I state my
feeling on some of your feedback. Or at least give you my humble
opinion as to why I wrote what I did. Thanks again! =) Have a great
day!!

What kind of warranty did you get with your radio? Do you have to
send it back to China for repair?

A dealer's reputation and service is very important to me, so the few
extra dollars I pay to get a Grundig is well worth it. In the past,
when I have had a defective part, all I do is phone Eton Corp. and a
new part is on its way. Also, your unit could go dead in a few weeks
or arrive dead and then you have the added expense of sending it back
to China, or wherever, and wait weeks for a replacement. Then you
wind up paying more than you would have had you originally purchased a
Grundig. Another point - I DO listen to MW, and the Grundig versions
include the higher MW frequencies. And last....... IF you watch for
sales, you can get the Grundig models much cheaper. On December 19th,
2003, I purchased NEW (not refurbished) GRUNDIG PORSCHE G-2000A from
www.normthompson.com for $37.90 plus shipping, WITH FULL GRUNDIG
WARRANTY. They ran the sale for ONE DAY ONLY, like many internet
sites. I watch for these sales on a regular basis.

I have dealt with Eton/Grundig for well over 10 years and have always
gotten excellent service. To save a few dollars and get my radios
direct from China would be, to me, gambling.

It is your money. But I think calling it a gamble would be stretching
things quite a bit. I got a one year warrenty, full replacement. Not
repairs. And yes I do have to pay to mail it back. But in checking
shipping costs, if I mailed it back I still wouldn't break even with
what I would have paid to buy a grundig. And yes you can always find
that one-day amazing sale....(I bought a new grundig Traveller II once
for for $11) The difference with the Tecsun's is they are ALWAYS
CHEAPER (from Hong Kong). I was, and still am a Grundig lover. But
the two Tecsun's I bought have me believing in their products. In
fact the gentalman that sold it to me has 0 negetive feedback. I
contacted buyers from three different sellers (before I bought the
PL-230 and BCL-2000) to see what they thought of them. Not one said
they were in anything but perfect working condition when they got
theirs. And to date (according to the yahoo grundig yachtboy or S350
newsgroup) I have not seen one complaint posted of a Tecsun having to
be returned to Hong Kong due to defects.

I think the chances of you getting a bad one are very, very slim
indeed. And if you do, you'll still be paying less than what you
would pay for a Grundig to begin with.....

But you get all the additional improvements, features, and extras.

If you want to pay 50 to 60 dollars more for a few extra frequencies
at the top of the MW band, be my guest. Since I don't sell Tecsuns,
it doesn't make much difference to me either way....hehehe But
I'll pass on dropping the extra cash.

In the end, each person has to be comfortable with what they buy. So
I am not in anyway knocking what your saying. I am just extremely
satisfied with what I got, for the money I spent. In addtion, I
thought I might pass on my experience to other potential radio
buyers/listeners, who might be looking for a nice radio, at an
excellent price.

Thanks for reading my review. Have a great day! And most of all have
fun SWLing....

Sincerely
Judah


(Gary) wrote in message . com...
What kind of warranty did you get with your radio? Do you have to
send it back to China for repair?

A dealer's reputation and service is very important to me, so the few
extra dollars I pay to get a Grundig is well worth it. In the past,
when I have had a defective part, all I do is phone Eton Corp. and a
new part is on its way. Also, your unit could go dead in a few weeks
or arrive dead and then you have the added expense of sending it back
to China, or wherever, and wait weeks for a replacement. Then you
wind up paying more than you would have had you originally purchased a
Grundig. Another point - I DO listen to MW, and the Grundig versions
include the higher MW frequencies. And last....... IF you watch for
sales, you can get the Grundig models much cheaper. On December 19th,
2003, I purchased NEW (not refurbished) GRUNDIG PORSCHE G-2000A from
www.normthompson.com for $37.90 plus shipping, WITH FULL GRUNDIG
WARRANTY. They ran the sale for ONE DAY ONLY, like many internet
sites. I watch for these sales on a regular basis.

I have dealt with Eton/Grundig for well over 10 years and have always
gotten excellent service. To save a few dollars and get my radios
direct from China would be, to me, gambling.

LOL I don't think the Tecsun is any more likely to need service than the
Grundig version as they're both made in the SAME factory with the SAME parts
by the SAME people...



"Judah Smith" wrote in message
om...
It is your money. But I think calling it a gamble would be stretching
things quite a bit. I got a one year warrenty, full replacement. Not
repairs. And yes I do have to pay to mail it back. But in checking
shipping costs, if I mailed it back I still wouldn't break even with
what I would have paid to buy a grundig. And yes you can always find
that one-day amazing sale....(I bought a new grundig Traveller II once
for for $11) The difference with the Tecsun's is they are ALWAYS
CHEAPER (from Hong Kong). I was, and still am a Grundig lover. But
the two Tecsun's I bought have me believing in their products. In
fact the gentalman that sold it to me has 0 negetive feedback. I
contacted buyers from three different sellers (before I bought the
PL-230 and BCL-2000) to see what they thought of them. Not one said
they were in anything but perfect working condition when they got
theirs. And to date (according to the yahoo grundig yachtboy or S350
newsgroup) I have not seen one complaint posted of a Tecsun having to
be returned to Hong Kong due to defects.

I think the chances of you getting a bad one are very, very slim
indeed. And if you do, you'll still be paying less than what you
would pay for a Grundig to begin with.....

But you get all the additional improvements, features, and extras.

If you want to pay 50 to 60 dollars more for a few extra frequencies
at the top of the MW band, be my guest. Since I don't sell Tecsuns,
it doesn't make much difference to me either way....hehehe But
I'll pass on dropping the extra cash.

In the end, each person has to be comfortable with what they buy. So
I am not in anyway knocking what your saying. I am just extremely
satisfied with what I got, for the money I spent. In addtion, I
thought I might pass on my experience to other potential radio
buyers/listeners, who might be looking for a nice radio, at an
excellent price.

Thanks for reading my review. Have a great day! And most of all have
fun SWLing....

Sincerely
Judah


(Gary) wrote in message
. com...
What kind of warranty did you get with your radio? Do you have to
send it back to China for repair?

A dealer's reputation and service is very important to me, so the few
extra dollars I pay to get a Grundig is well worth it. In the past,
when I have had a defective part, all I do is phone Eton Corp. and a
new part is on its way. Also, your unit could go dead in a few weeks
or arrive dead and then you have the added expense of sending it back
to China, or wherever, and wait weeks for a replacement. Then you
wind up paying more than you would have had you originally purchased a
Grundig. Another point - I DO listen to MW, and the Grundig versions
include the higher MW frequencies. And last....... IF you watch for
sales, you can get the Grundig models much cheaper. On December 19th,
2003, I purchased NEW (not refurbished) GRUNDIG PORSCHE G-2000A from
www.normthompson.com for $37.90 plus shipping, WITH FULL GRUNDIG
WARRANTY. They ran the sale for ONE DAY ONLY, like many internet
sites. I watch for these sales on a regular basis.

I have dealt with Eton/Grundig for well over 10 years and have always
gotten excellent service. To save a few dollars and get my radios
direct from China would be, to me, gambling.

I got a PL-230, and although it is a very impressive little set, mine is out
of alignment on FM and I have to tune 50khz up to get a reasonably
undistorted signal. I contacted the seller in China who was nice and polite
but only offered me $3 back and no exchange. I contacted Tecsun who
immediately contacted me back with a cheery letter promising to help, but
then disappeared. Two emails later, they still haven't helped.

For the money, it's still a great radio, but don't expect ANY help with it
unless you pay more to buy it from a US source with an exchange guarantee.

I also read a review of the Kaito 1102 with this same problem. Wonder it
that means anything?

If I could just get alignment instructions I could probably fix this myself.

John KB5AG


"Jim Hackett" wrote in message
link.net...
LOL I don't think the Tecsun is any more likely to need service than the
Grundig version as they're both made in the SAME factory with the SAME
parts
by the SAME people...



"Judah Smith" wrote in message
om...
It is your money. But I think calling it a gamble would be stretching
things quite a bit. I got a one year warrenty, full replacement. Not
repairs. And yes I do have to pay to mail it back. But in checking
shipping costs, if I mailed it back I still wouldn't break even with
what I would have paid to buy a grundig. And yes you can always find
that one-day amazing sale....(I bought a new grundig Traveller II once
for for $11) The difference with the Tecsun's is they are ALWAYS
CHEAPER (from Hong Kong). I was, and still am a Grundig lover. But
the two Tecsun's I bought have me believing in their products. In
fact the gentalman that sold it to me has 0 negetive feedback. I
contacted buyers from three different sellers (before I bought the
PL-230 and BCL-2000) to see what they thought of them. Not one said
they were in anything but perfect working condition when they got
theirs. And to date (according to the yahoo grundig yachtboy or S350
newsgroup) I have not seen one complaint posted of a Tecsun having to
be returned to Hong Kong due to defects.

I think the chances of you getting a bad one are very, very slim
indeed. And if you do, you'll still be paying less than what you
would pay for a Grundig to begin with.....

But you get all the additional improvements, features, and extras.

If you want to pay 50 to 60 dollars more for a few extra frequencies
at the top of the MW band, be my guest. Since I don't sell Tecsuns,
it doesn't make much difference to me either way....hehehe But
I'll pass on dropping the extra cash.

In the end, each person has to be comfortable with what they buy. So
I am not in anyway knocking what your saying. I am just extremely
satisfied with what I got, for the money I spent. In addtion, I
thought I might pass on my experience to other potential radio
buyers/listeners, who might be looking for a nice radio, at an
excellent price.

Thanks for reading my review. Have a great day! And most of all have
fun SWLing....

Sincerely
Judah


(Gary) wrote in message
. com...
What kind of warranty did you get with your radio? Do you have to
send it back to China for repair?

A dealer's reputation and service is very important to me, so the few
extra dollars I pay to get a Grundig is well worth it. In the past,
when I have had a defective part, all I do is phone Eton Corp. and a
new part is on its way. Also, your unit could go dead in a few weeks
or arrive dead and then you have the added expense of sending it back
to China, or wherever, and wait weeks for a replacement. Then you
wind up paying more than you would have had you originally purchased a
Grundig. Another point - I DO listen to MW, and the Grundig versions
include the higher MW frequencies. And last....... IF you watch for
sales, you can get the Grundig models much cheaper. On December 19th,
2003, I purchased NEW (not refurbished) GRUNDIG PORSCHE G-2000A from
www.normthompson.com for $37.90 plus shipping, WITH FULL GRUNDIG
WARRANTY. They ran the sale for ONE DAY ONLY, like many internet
sites. I watch for these sales on a regular basis.

I have dealt with Eton/Grundig for well over 10 years and have always
gotten excellent service. To save a few dollars and get my radios
direct from China would be, to me, gambling.

I have read where many users report this Fm Misalignment defect, and my
PL200 has the same problem. It would drive me crazy except I use FM very
little, but it almost seems to be the norm with these radios.

Jay
"john KB5AG" wrote in message
t...
I got a PL-230, and although it is a very impressive little set, mine is
out
of alignment on FM and I have to tune 50khz up to get a reasonably
undistorted signal. I contacted the seller in China who was nice and
polite
but only offered me $3 back and no exchange. I contacted Tecsun who
immediately contacted me back with a cheery letter promising to help, but
then disappeared. Two emails later, they still haven't helped.

For the money, it's still a great radio, but don't expect ANY help with it
unless you pay more to buy it from a US source with an exchange guarantee.

I also read a review of the Kaito 1102 with this same problem. Wonder it
that means anything?

If I could just get alignment instructions I could probably fix this
myself.

John KB5AG


"Jim Hackett" wrote in message
link.net...
LOL I don't think the Tecsun is any more likely to need service than
the
Grundig version as they're both made in the SAME factory with the SAME
parts
by the SAME people...



"Judah Smith" wrote in message
om...
It is your money. But I think calling it a gamble would be stretching
things quite a bit. I got a one year warrenty, full replacement. Not
repairs. And yes I do have to pay to mail it back. But in checking
shipping costs, if I mailed it back I still wouldn't break even with
what I would have paid to buy a grundig. And yes you can always find
that one-day amazing sale....(I bought a new grundig Traveller II once
for for $11) The difference with the Tecsun's is they are ALWAYS
CHEAPER (from Hong Kong). I was, and still am a Grundig lover. But
the two Tecsun's I bought have me believing in their products. In
fact the gentalman that sold it to me has 0 negetive feedback. I
contacted buyers from three different sellers (before I bought the
PL-230 and BCL-2000) to see what they thought of them. Not one said
they were in anything but perfect working condition when they got
theirs. And to date (according to the yahoo grundig yachtboy or S350
newsgroup) I have not seen one complaint posted of a Tecsun having to
be returned to Hong Kong due to defects.

I think the chances of you getting a bad one are very, very slim
indeed. And if you do, you'll still be paying less than what you
would pay for a Grundig to begin with.....

But you get all the additional improvements, features, and extras.

If you want to pay 50 to 60 dollars more for a few extra frequencies
at the top of the MW band, be my guest. Since I don't sell Tecsuns,
it doesn't make much difference to me either way....hehehe But
I'll pass on dropping the extra cash.

In the end, each person has to be comfortable with what they buy. So
I am not in anyway knocking what your saying. I am just extremely
satisfied with what I got, for the money I spent. In addtion, I
thought I might pass on my experience to other potential radio
buyers/listeners, who might be looking for a nice radio, at an
excellent price.

Thanks for reading my review. Have a great day! And most of all have
fun SWLing....

Sincerely
Judah


(Gary) wrote in message
. com...
What kind of warranty did you get with your radio? Do you have to
send it back to China for repair?

A dealer's reputation and service is very important to me, so the
few
extra dollars I pay to get a Grundig is well worth it. In the past,
when I have had a defective part, all I do is phone Eton Corp. and a
new part is on its way. Also, your unit could go dead in a few
weeks
or arrive dead and then you have the added expense of sending it
back
to China, or wherever, and wait weeks for a replacement. Then you
wind up paying more than you would have had you originally purchased
a
Grundig. Another point - I DO listen to MW, and the Grundig
versions
include the higher MW frequencies. And last....... IF you watch for
sales, you can get the Grundig models much cheaper. On December
19th,
2003, I purchased NEW (not refurbished) GRUNDIG PORSCHE G-2000A from
www.normthompson.com for $37.90 plus shipping, WITH FULL GRUNDIG
WARRANTY. They ran the sale for ONE DAY ONLY, like many internet
sites. I watch for these sales on a regular basis.

I have dealt with Eton/Grundig for well over 10 years and have
always
gotten excellent service. To save a few dollars and get my radios
direct from China would be, to me, gambling.

I just got one of those Grundig Porsche's. Didn't read any reviews
before buying it (my own dumbass mistake). DO NOT--I repeat--DO NOT
BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK RADIO!!! This radio is so retarded and was one
of the biggest wastes of money. You're lucky if you can even pick up
mexican radio at 3:00 in the morning. DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK!
EVER!

JH,

Yes it pays to do your Home Work FIRST !

A Brand Name Radio GRUNDIG with a Designers Name On It PORSCHE.

Simply translates to a basic traveler's radio with a certain style
(appearance) attributed to a designer.

Both Grundig North America (ETON Corp.) and Grundig AG (Germany)
offer this radio for sale.

Yes it pays to do your Home Work FIRST [.]

FWIW: Many Buyers who have done their Home Work and wanted a Unique
Looking Radio with the Qualities of the Grundig G2000A (YB-P2000)
are very happy with their choice and enjoy using their radio.

NOTE: F.A. Porsche designed the Grundig G2000A (Sold in the USA)
by ETON Corp. and the Grundig Yacht Boy P2000 (Sold in EURO-Land)
by Grundig AG (Germany).

CHECK-OUT the "Grundig Yacht Boy Radio" HOME WORK Zone !

ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN! The YAHOO! eGroup "Grundig Yacht Boy Radios"
that is Focused on Grundig's "Yacht Boy" (YB) Radios and is a Forum
for Grundig Yacht Boy Radio Owners and potential owners to post
Questions and Get Answers related to Grundig Yacht Boy (YB) Radios.

GoTo= http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grundig-Yacht-Boy-Radios/
= = = About 250 Messages Archived and almost 250 Members.


yilgybr ~ RHF
= = = Yes, I Love/Like Grundig Yacht Boy (YB) Radios.
..
..
= = = (Justin Hall)
= = = wrote in message . com...

I just got one of those Grundig Porsche's.

Didn't read any reviews before buying it (my own dumbass mistake).

DO NOT--I repeat--DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK RADIO!!!

This radio is so retarded and was one of the biggest wastes of money.

You're lucky if you can even pick up mexican radio at 3:00 in the
morning.

DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK!

EVER!

..