Joe Analssandrini wrote:
Dear Mike,

I always thought the Grundig Satellit 800 was a "steal" at its list
price ($499.00) when it was NEW. There was, and still is, nothing in
its price class that offered its combination of performance - both in
sound and reception quality, flexibility, and ease of use. Only its
quality of construction was somewhat lacking. That said, after almost
six years (and two trips to Drake - one "major," one "minor"), it still
soldiers on, used every day. Connected to a Wellbrook ALA 330S (mounted
in my attic atop a Radio Shack rotator) it offers about 95% of the
performance of my AOR AR7030 Plus (though, of course, it's that last 5%
that really counts when the going is tough).

At $200 - $300, it is almost a "no-brainer" to buy. Even if there is
something wrong with the radio (what do some of these eBay sellers DO
to their equipment anyway?), and as long as the defect(s) is/are minor,
Drake can put the radio in like-new condition for very little
(relatively-speaking) money.

There's still no SW radio offering its capabilities at anywhere near
its price.

I do not think that these prices will last long. In a relatively short
time, especially if there are no other comparable radios offered (let's
hold our breath for the Degen DE-1108), I believe the price of the
Satellit 800 will go up, possibly way up.


Well, eventually the average price may indeed go up. The problem is
that the multitude of quality control issues with the Satellit 800 gave
it the reputation of being a lemon. And that reputation does persist.

For the features and performance offered, the Satellit 800 is a steal
at some of the prices they're going for nowadays. I had sworn I'd
never buy one after reading complaint after complaint on this problem
or that. But when I found one for sale at the $200 range, I went for
it. And it's worth that. I knew that there was the chance that it'd
have some defects/quirks. And it does, indeed (the most annoying
problem being that theres some back-frequency jumping occasionally when
the tuning knob is being turned clockwise). And, after a bit, I
suppose I'll send it to Drake for whatever work is required. And it'll
be worth it, I'm sure, because this is such a darn pleasant radio to
listen to!

I never saw the need to get a Sat 800 because I've got a decent SW8
which is very similar to the Sat 800 in terms of features. But the low
price prompted me to buy. And I have to say that, the handful of
problems aside (and I'll eventually get this unit serviced by Drake;
it's worth it), the Sat 800 is a very nice radio. One of the most
pleasant sounding sets out there.

Of course, to some extent, my unit has confirmed what I had heard:
that this radio is a box full of problems. But, heck, the complainers
had failed to mention what a nice radio this is to listen to on an hour
after hour basis.

Anyway...my opinion...there it is.

junius