I posted a few weeks ago that I was looking for a small SW radio (post
below). I don't believe anyone mentioned the Grundig YB-550 in any of
the responses but it has many of the features I'm interested in plus
some I didn't think about such as an external antenna jack, fine
tuning, and a local/dx switch. I can't find any reviews so I assume
it's a new model. Here's the best site I've found on it:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...able/0550.html

Anyone have any thoughts on this model? I should add that my main use
will be MW-FM listening and I'm hoping that I can get better
sensitivity/selectivity with a shortwave than I can with my existing
small portables. It will also serve as my travel SW radio so I no
longer have to lug around my heavy old RS DX-440 which has served me
faithfully since 1988. While at home I'll still be using this radio.


(ulTRAX) wrote in message . com...
I'm shopping for a small SW radio. Here's what I'm looking for. I know
I probably can't get all I want. But if I could, I don't care what I
pay. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

==MUST HAVE==
Size in 3"x6"X1" range
Digital tuning with memory.
A sleep function...
Alarm clock
SNOOZE BUTTON!!!! (this has been a hard feature to find)
Runs on AA batteries.
Full SW coverage... to 30MHz
Good sensitivity and selectivity
Tone control

==WOULD LIKE==
Bass and Treble controls
I'd prefer it NOT be painted faux metalic. Stuff always wears off.
FM stereo, though headphones.
BFO
Narrow/Wide filter

On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 04:06:36 +0000 (UTC), Tom Betz
wrote:

Speaking of small, inexpensive pocket radios, has anyone here
gotten their hands on the Tecsun R19?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5720591252&category=15 051

I can't seem to find any reviews -- but it looks very interesting.

And with the yellow case, it would be hard to misplace!

Where's Judah Smith when we need him?

In article ,
Tom Betz wrote:

Speaking of small, inexpensive pocket radios, has anyone here
gotten their hands on the Tecsun R-919?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5720591252&category=15 051

I can't seem to find any reviews -- but it looks very interesting.

And with the yellow case, it would be hard to misplace!


I found a lot of reviews in Chinese but below is all I could find in
english.
*
http://www.radio-forum.com/shortwave..._with_external
_antenna_357311.html

Date: 24 Mar 2004 07:50:59
From: Jay Heyl
Subject: Miniature SW receiver with external antenna

In article , says...
Hi,

I'm looking for a miniature shortwave receiver for use in central
europe. My criteria is:

Must be small and light
External antenna for improved reception
Digital tuning
Battery and AC power
Speaker

Does anyone have any ideas? All I want to do is listen to the BBC
from
a hotel room on a set small enough to carry around in a rucksack
without being too heavy.

From what I've heard of reception in Europe, an external antenna may
well be a detriment to good reception of the BBC on a portable.

I won't suggest it as competition to the Sony recommended by others,
but
the Tecsun R-919 fits most of your criteria. It's small and light, yet
still pretty sturdy. It comes with a 5-meter "antenna" with a clip on
one end that will attach to the whip antenna. It's analog tuning with a
digital display. Runs for a very long time on 2 AA batteries. (No AC
power.) It has a small speaker that puts out a surprisingly big sound.
Tuning it on SW can be a bit trying due to the ratio on the tuning
dial,
but it's usually not difficult to get centered on the big broadcasters.
Oh, yeah, what's probably its best feature is the $30 price tag. It's
far from a great radio, but for $30 it's not bad at all. And if it gets
lost or stolen, you're not going to cry about it like you would with a
$400 Sony.

-- Jay

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

On Sat, 06 Nov 2004 22:16:19 -0600, Dyuob Poltice
wrote:

On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 04:06:36 +0000 (UTC), Tom Betz
wrote:

Speaking of small, inexpensive pocket radios, has anyone here
gotten their hands on the Tecsun R19?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5720591252&category=15 051

I can't seem to find any reviews -- but it looks very interesting.

And with the yellow case, it would be hard to misplace!

Where's Judah Smith when we need him?

Like many he probably gave up all hope of finding radio posts on this
group. Now, ed-op aside, it looks like a Grundig radio I've seen at
the price of $39.95 and is indeed probably the same radio.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...able/3300.html
My "radio intuition" tells me it will probably pick up the major
broadcasters, have images and not be too selective; didn't find any
reviews of it though. However, at under $20 it might not be bad for a
'walking around' radio.
Howard

I have the actual Grundig YB550. It's got nice features and it's not a bad
radio to go to sleep listening to, but it's not very sensitive. (I use it
whenever my DE1103 is getting recharged).

I would recommend a DE1103 or DE1102 over the Grundig. Or get all three and
see which one you like best.

Tom Betz wrote in message .69...

It looks like it's a Tecsun PL230 with a few slightly different
buttons. And a considerably higher price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15051&item=5729757 831

Thanks for that link. I had been searching eBay for info on the Tecsun
230 and didn't find any. I also found more info on the web including
the review at radiointel which brings up the question whether it's
dual conversion or not. It say: "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.)"

Does anyone know for sure?

"lsmyer" wrote in message ...
I have the actual Grundig YB550. It's got nice features and it's not a bad
radio to go to sleep listening to, but it's not very sensitive. (I use it
whenever my DE1103 is getting recharged).

I would recommend a DE1103 or DE1102 over the Grundig. Or get all three and
see which one you like best.

I have looked at the DEGEN 1102 and it's almost worth it just for the
cool cobalt backlighting. But I'm looking to replace a radio I have so
it it has to have a snooze button. The DE1103 is a tad too big to fit
in a pocket. But you raise a good point... at these prices, why not
get a couple!

ULTRAX,

Grundig Yacht Boy 550 PE "INFO" at GrundigRadio.Com (ETON Corp.)

Grundig Yacht Boy 550 PE "Over View"
OVERVIEW= http://tinyurl.com/q6rl
http://www.grundigradio.com/asp/products.asp?action=overview&productname=yb550

Grundig Yacht Boy 550 PE "Spec Sheet"
SPECSHEET= http://tinyurl.com/2nbkf
http://www.grundigradio.com/asp/productspecsheet.asp?function=specsheet&productnam e=yb550

Grundig Yacht Boy 550 PE "Owner's Manual" {MISSING}
MISSING= http://tinyurl.com/2jn8j
http://www.grundigradio.com/asp/productownersmanual.asp?function=ownersmanual&prod uctname=yb550

Under the 'Customer' [Support] Button: there is an Option
"Download Manual".
DOWNLOAD= http://tinyurl.com/2ht2l
http://www.grundigradio.com/asp/downloadownersmanual.asp

* Download Owner's Manual *
"YB 550PE" - PDF File Size 649K - [Download]
Grundig Yacht Boy 550 PE 'Owner's Manual'

NOTE: All owner's manuals are saved as PDF files that can be
read using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If You do not have this software
installed on your system, you may download it from Adobe's Website
READER= http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Check-Out the "Grundig Yacht Boy (YB) Radios" eGroup on YAHOO !
YACHT-BOY= http://tinyurl.com/2e7np
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grundig-Yacht-Boy-Radios/

CONSIDER: The Tecsun PL-230 Radio which is the OEM Model offered
For Sale on eBay.

NOTE: The Tecsun PL-230 is similar to the Grundig YB-550PE and
is considered a very sensitive radio with good sound and
user-friendly interface.

The Tecsun PL-230 comes with with:
- Leatherette Radio Case
- Stereo Earphone
- Three 1100 mh Rechargeable Battery
- Reel-Up Antenna
- AC (220VAC to 110VAC) Adapter & Battery Charger
NOTE: Since the Adapter/Battery Charger works only in 220VAC,
a 110VAC Input 220VAC. Output Transformer is provided FREE to
buyers in the USA and Canada so that the Adapter can work
properly with the 110VAC Mains.
REF= http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5712765077
IMHO: What you SAVE in the Cost of Buying Batteries for the
Radio over 2-3 Years can pay for the Radio.

Another Tecsun Radio to Check-Out on eBay is the Tecsun PL-550
which is a AM/FM-Stereo/Shortwave Digital Radio
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5730606575

Also take a look at these two Degen AM/FM-Stereo/Shortwave Radios
are listed on eBay.
* DEGEN DE-1102 Digital World Band Radio
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5714351475
* DEGEN DE-1103 "SSB" Digital World Band Radio
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5728477708

All the above eBay Chinese made Radios come with:
- 1100 mh Rechargeable Batteries
- AC (220VAC to 110VAC) Adapter & Battery Charger


hth ~ RHF
..
..
= = = (ulTRAX) wrote in message
= = = . com...
I posted a few weeks ago that I was looking for a small SW radio (post
below). I don't believe anyone mentioned the Grundig YB-550 in any of
the responses but it has many of the features I'm interested in plus
some I didn't think about such as an external antenna jack, fine
tuning, and a local/dx switch. I can't find any reviews so I assume
it's a new model. Here's the best site I've found on it:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...able/0550.html

Anyone have any thoughts on this model? I should add that my main use
will be MW-FM listening and I'm hoping that I can get better
sensitivity/selectivity with a shortwave than I can with my existing
small portables. It will also serve as my travel SW radio so I no
longer have to lug around my heavy old RS DX-440 which has served me
faithfully since 1988. While at home I'll still be using this radio.


(ulTRAX) wrote in message . com...
I'm shopping for a small SW radio. Here's what I'm looking for. I know
I probably can't get all I want. But if I could, I don't care what I
pay. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

==MUST HAVE==
Size in 3"x6"X1" range
Digital tuning with memory.
A sleep function...
Alarm clock
SNOOZE BUTTON!!!! (this has been a hard feature to find)
Runs on AA batteries.
Full SW coverage... to 30MHz
Good sensitivity and selectivity
Tone control

==WOULD LIKE==
Bass and Treble controls
I'd prefer it NOT be painted faux metalic. Stuff always wears off.
FM stereo, though headphones.
BFO
Narrow/Wide filter
..

(ulTRAX) wrote in message

I also found more info on the web including
the review at radiointel which brings up the question whether it's
dual conversion or not. It say: "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.)"

Does anyone know for sure?

The Owners manual I downloaded doesn't say whether the YB550 is dual
conversion... and the address they gave to write for additional info
is not active. So I'm assuming that if it
were dual conversion, they'd have mentioned it and there would not be
so much confusion. Does anyone know for sure?

I see my legacy as the frugal radio reviewer lives on. =) And you
were right, I have given up all hope of finding anything radio related
here....heheheh

Dyuob Poltice wrote in message . ..
On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 04:06:36 +0000 (UTC), Tom Betz
wrote:

Speaking of small, inexpensive pocket radios, has anyone here
gotten their hands on the Tecsun R19?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5720591252&category=15 051

I can't seem to find any reviews -- but it looks very interesting.

And with the yellow case, it would be hard to misplace!

Where's Judah Smith when we need him?