Hello. I've been hanging around for a little while browsing the NG,
reading opinions about different radios lately. I'm in the market to
get a radio that will primarily be used for AM DX'ing. I've got only
$100 to spend and I wanted to hear from those who had both the
Superadio III and the Grundig S350. I know in a sense this is comparing
apples to oranges, but I've heard many good things about both radios.

I know this is a shortwave group, but I figured if I chose to get the
S350 that I could listen to shortwave. I've done research on both
radios and know what they have and what they don't have. Some of these
questions have a couple parts to them. Here are the questions I have:

1) How is the sensitivity on both radios on both AM and FM? Is one
radio a good deal more sensitive than the other, or are they fairly
close?

2) How is the selectivity on both radios on both AM and FM? Is one
radio a good deal more selective than the other, or are they fairly
close?

3) How good is the quality on both radios? I mean such as the "feel",
the knobs, the switches, etc.

4) I live on the east coast and I primarily listen to 650 AM WSM, and
mostly to the Grand Ol' Opry. One of the main reasons I'm getting a new
radio is because my basic (VERY basic) radios drift on 650 AM, very
badly. How would both radios handle 650 AM WSM, if anyone listens to
the station?

5) How good is the S350 on shortwave? A little drift doesn't bother me.
I can put up with even a tad of moderate drift.

6) I've heard that the S350 could be found some places selling for $50,
does anyone know of any online resellers that are selling the S350 for
$50 EXCLUDING eBay? The reason for asking is that if I could find one
for $50 or $60 I could then afford to get both radios.

7) I've also heard of one main problem with the SRIII. I've heard that
the dial is very inaccurate. How true is this and it is a huge problem
and can it be fixed?

8) Overall, with all things considered, if you could get either radio,
which one would you choose and why?

I also know that these radios don't have presets, PLL and other extras,
but that doesn't bother me. I've also considered other radios in the
price range and it came down to these two, mainly because they're both
analog radios, which I like better than digital. I also realize the
S350 has analog tuning with a digital readout.

I'm sorry for all the questions but I figured this was the best place
to come to ask this question. Thanks for reading. :-)

Jim

Dear Jim,

You're not going to like my answer as it does not truly address your
questions, but, owning all three versions of the GE Superadio and
appreciating their positive attributes, nonetheless I have "retired"
all but one which I sometimes use strictly for local FM (performance of
which is very good). I do not own a Grundig S350 but, having seen
several in local stores, I am not impressed. Personally, I would never
buy one (even with its fantastic looks and sound quality). In my
opinion, it is more style than substance.

The radios are probably "okay" for MW ("AM") DXing but if you can just
"swing" a few dollars more you could buy a radio which is far better
than both: the Sony ICF-SW7600GR which you can find for about $130.00
(from J&R Music World, among other dealers). You would find that this
radio is just as sensitive on MW's as either of the two you mention
and, with its digital readout and, especially, its synchronous
detection circuit, it just "blows" away those other two. No kidding.

You're correct that "memories" are of little importance to many of us,
but PLL is not an "extra." It is a virtual necessity for DXing.

You asked about selectivity: the Sony is FAR better that either the GE
or the Grundig even though those two have two "bandwidths." The Sony's
synchronous selectable-sideband circuitry allows you to eliminate
selective fading distortion (which, have you ever noticed, ALWAYS
occurs during station ID! ;-) ) and to also pick the sideband with less
interference. (For example if you lived near New York which has a
strong station WFAN on 660 kHz and you want to listen to WSM 650 kHz,
you would get a lot of "splatter" from 660 on 650 making listening
difficult if not impossible with the GE and the Grundig. However, with
the Sony, you could switch in the sync circuit to LSB on 650 and
virtually eliminate 660. This is an example only; I do not live near
New York nor have I presonally every tried that particular frequency,
but I have done the same thing with other stations.)

Another beauty of the radio is that you can supply it with certain
accessories as money allows. To get even better "sound," the Sony's
weakest point, you can buy a cable from Radio Shack to run the sound
from the line output through your stereo system. Very inexpensive. Then
the sound is limited only by your stereo. Or you could buy an amplified
(computer) speaker set, a somewhat more expensive option. To improve
the MW reception, you can buy a Select-A-Tenna (or the similar Terk)
which works inductively (does not require any wire hookup); putting the
Select-A-Tenna and the Sony ICF-SW7600GR on an inexpensive "lazy susan"
you can really "null out" co-channel interference and/or boost
reception of very weak signals. (Note that the Select-A-Tenna would
also work well with the GE and the Grundig and you CAN attach a
moderate long-wire antenna to the GE and, within reason, it works well
with little overloading. I do not know how the Grundig would work with
a long-wire on MW. You CANNOT physically attach a long-wire or other
antenna for MW reception to the Sony, but, as the Select-A-Tenna works
so well, that is unimportant, in my opinion. The Sony's antenna
connection is for short wave reception only.)

These "options," which, as I said, you could purchase at your
convenience, are not 100% necessary. You may find that, for your
purposes, the radio alone is all you need.

Plus, of course, the Sony is a very good performer on short wave even
with just its whip antenna. (A simple "clip-on" wind-up wire antenna is
packed with the radio and sometimes offers a bit of improvement in
reception of SW.) If you do decide to pursue short wave listening, the
Sony can handle a fairly good external antenna (especially good, though
sometimes hard-to-find is the Sony AN-LP1 "collapsible" loop antenna,
which works very well with the radio and is convenient for travel as
well).

It is my advice to you (for what it's worth) to try to save just a few
dollars more and buy the Sony. It is just a much better radio than
either the GE or Grundig and far more flexible in operation. I believe
the performance and pleasure you derive from it will more then make up
for any financial sacrifice you may need to make.

In addition, the Sony's quality of construction, at least in my
experience, is much better than either of the other two radios. There
is nothing that can be done to improve the GE's dial inaccuracy and its
mediocre construction quality may loom large. (The Grundig's
construction quality appears to me to be equally mediocre.)

Please pardon this long answer which didn't really address your
question. You can gather that I am very positive about the Sony
ICF-SW7600GR (and rather negative about the GE Superadios, with all
three series of which I have had extensive experience).

Frankly, I regard the Sony as the best small portable radio being
manufactured at the present time.

At its current price, it is nothing short of a bargain.

All my best wishes to you,

Joe

Check the thrift stores and junk shops and fleamarkets and local
newspapers online and offline in your area and you might find a better
radio for much less money.The second batch of GE Super Radios are not as
good as the first batch of them,or so I once read somewhere a few years
ago.I think the second batch of them are made in a different
country.Same as those windup radios that were originally made in Africa
and then they started building them in China and the quality went to
pot.
cuhulin

I want to thank you for your opinions so far. I wanted to clarify
something I mentioned earlier. I have looked at all of the options
everyone has mentioned, such as the Sony and the Degan,but I came to
the conclusion, based on what I will be using it for (which wouldn't be
too much), that either one of these would fit my needs. As for other
portables, I've looked into other portables, I'd just like to know
about these two from anyone who has them. :-)

I'd like to hear some more opinions about these two radios from anyone
who has either of them or both. Thanks again.

Jim.

Stay away from them selecatennas,they are no good at all.I know! I once
bought one from www.ccrane.com (ccrane is a RIPP OFF) and I bought
two radios from ccrane too.(That was about seven years ago) The first
radio I bought from ccrane when I also bought a selectatenna (the
selectatenna I bought back then cost about $57.00 and it did NOT work at
all!) was the one those kooks Art Bell and George Noory tout so much,the
Sangean one that has AM/FM/TV/Weather bands,it cost about $164.00 (a
cheap piece of over rated over priced piece of no good JUNK!) and I
bought a Sangean ATS 909 shortwave radio too.(another piece of over
rated over priced piece of junk!) I sent that JUNK! back to ccrane
company.(By the way,those Sangean radios are real good at loseing the
digital displays on them,or so I have read more than a few times before)
I have never owned a Sony 7600 GR radio before,but from what I have read
about them,I think next month,I am going to buy one from J&R.
cuhulin

OK, I agree the CCRadio we own did lose its dgital display a few years
ago, but Crane did good on it and was entirely polite about it. And this
was about 3 years out of warranty. I'd do business with them again
anytime. As far as Sangean products go, I am an true advocate, having
owned the CCRadio and before that a DX-440 (ATS-803-A) since 1989, which
has played at least 12 hours a day, every single day, and I take it
everywhere I go. Never had a single bit of trouble with it. I compare
these products very favorably with other recievers I own, which include
Yeasu FRG-100, FRG-8800, Lowe HF-225, and formerly owned a Kenwood
R-5000, so I do ave adequate basis for comparison, in other words, the
only junk I own is the GE Superradio III.. I am sorry your experience
(if indeed it is not just hearsay) has been different.

And Definately,most Definately,don't buy a Tiny Tenna unless you just
want to throw your money away on a two bit piece of JUNK! that does NOT
work at ALL.I Know! I have one right here and it did not work when it
got here and it still does NOT work at all either.I have never owned a
GE Super Radio or a Grundig Radio you speak of.I think it is best to
take Joe's advice about the Sony 7600 GR Radios.
cuhulin

Remember, on this group you are going to get all sorts of opinions - some
weird and some plain dead wrong. caveat emptor
I have a GE SRIII and can say without fear or favour that it will be the
most likely to get that faint MW station you are trying for.
I have owned many portables Sony 2010,7600 and various Sangeans, but on AM
MW the GE SRIII stands head and shoulders above the rest for getting that
really faint far off DX on AM MW.

I once got WWKB Buffalo NY on it without an external antenna and that
station is 8,000 miles away from this QTH!
I have only one AM MW station some distance away and the ONLY portable that
can pick up this station with listenable quality is my SRIII

Yes, the knobs are a bit wobbly and the tuning dial is very inaccurate, but
it does not drift and for getting that single station you are after it will
seriously outperform all the other portables on AM MW.

--
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
Icom IC-756 PRO III with MW mods
RX Drake R8B, SW8 & ERGO software
Sony 7600D GE SRIII
BW XCR 30, Braun T1000, Sangean 818 & 803A.
Hallicrafters SX-100, Eddystone 940
GE circa 50's radiogram
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop
http://www.dxing.info/about/dxers/plimmer.dx

wrote in message
oups.com...
I want to thank you for your opinions so far. I wanted to clarify
something I mentioned earlier. I have looked at all of the options
everyone has mentioned, such as the Sony and the Degan,but I came to
the conclusion, based on what I will be using it for (which wouldn't be
too much), that either one of these would fit my needs. As for other
portables, I've looked into other portables, I'd just like to know
about these two from anyone who has them. :-)

I'd like to hear some more opinions about these two radios from anyone
who has either of them or both. Thanks again.

Jim.

"John Plimmer" wrote in message
...
Remember, on this group you are going to get all sorts of opinions - some
weird and some plain dead wrong. caveat emptor
I have a GE SRIII and can say without fear or favour that it will be the
most likely to get that faint MW station you are trying for.
I have owned many portables Sony 2010,7600 and various Sangeans, but on AM
MW the GE SRIII stands head and shoulders above the rest for getting that
really faint far off DX on AM MW.

I once got WWKB Buffalo NY on it without an external antenna and that
station is 8,000 miles away from this QTH!
I have only one AM MW station some distance away and the ONLY portable
that
can pick up this station with listenable quality is my SRIII

Yes, the knobs are a bit wobbly and the tuning dial is very inaccurate,
but
it does not drift and for getting that single station you are after it
will
seriously outperform all the other portables on AM MW.

Concur. My Super Radio III is a ver sensitive receiver, especially for the
money. I cannot imagine how good it would be after a complete alignment.

The only drawback I've found is the poor filtering. I think there's a
business
opportunity for the enterprising, technically-minded individual who's
willing
to align the Super Radio III and install "tighter" filters, but the IF
bandwidth
issue is, in my mind, a nit to be picked.

I believe that it's a radio with outstanding "ears," and it performs
amazingly
well in a rural (i.e., RF quiet) setting.

73,

Steve Lawrence
Burnsville, Minnesota

Iffin a GE "super radio" (super,my ass!!!,I don't believe them radios
are super,Sears used to sell them and I tried one of them out,the Sears
saleslady went out in the parking lot with me at Metrocenter mall
www.metromalljackson.com and that super radio didn't show me ****! I
put it back on the shelf) turns up at the Goodwill thriftstore sooner or
later (that particular Goodwill thriftstore is only about seven tenths
of a mile South [[South is always best]] of my little doggys couch,there
are two more Goodwill thriftstores in the metro Jackson area) I can buy
that so-called super radio for about two dolllars.Those GE super radios
are JUNK,they were JUNK soon as they left the factory doors.
cuhulin