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| Reviews Summary for Grundig Satellit 800 |
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Reviews: 54
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Average rating: 4.1/5
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MSRP: $699.95
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Description: The Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium gives you the ultimate in features, performance, convenience, and sound. It's incredibly powerful. Technologically sophisticated. Yet easy and intuitive to use. Whether you're an experienced shortwave listener or a newcomer to the world of international broadcasting, this is the radio to get. Your ordinary shortwave receiver doesn't have features like:
Synchronous detection to improve the purity of shortwave and AM reception. This helps clarify fading signals and reduce interference from adjacent frequencies.
AGC- Automatic Gain Control. The onboard microprocessor monitors signal strength, adjusting gain up or down to compensate for atmospheric and other conditions. It's like an onboard radio engineer. Choose either fast or slow AGC mode.
Excellent sensitivity and selectivity. The Satellit 800 Millennium receives stations most radios can't, including weak daytime shortwave signals.
Three built-in bandwidths for shortwave, using electronically switched IF filters: 6.0, 4.0 and 2.3 KHz.
You aren't limited to shortwave signals. The Satellit 800 Millennium is the ultimate portable AM/FM radio, too. Enjoy FM stereo with headphones. Listen to the VHF aircraft band from 118 to 137 MHz. Many of the same advanced features which enhance shortwave broadcasts do the same for AM reception, too. Listen to distant AM stations at night without fading. Pick out those weak stations on adjacent frequencies.
Enjoy legendary Grundig audio quality from the 4" built-in dynamic speaker. Adjust the sound with bass and treble controls - tailor it to your room or your taste.
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GW4JPC
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 15, 2006 14:39
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Great receiver of its' type
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had read a little about this receiver and had been aware of the earlier Grundig models.When I saw one going on eBay I thought I would give it a try. After all you can never have too many receivers!
My first impression was 'what a lump for a portable',the Satellit 800 is certainly no fly-weight.The controls are correspondingly big, no tiny little buttons and knobs here. The display too is big and very easy to read giving frequency,BC band, mode, bandwidth and clock information.
Tuning is via up and down buttons or a tuning knob and there is the option of direct frequency entry via a key pad.The buttons don't have a very positive quality feel to them,but function well. I think that there may be long term reliability issues with these buttons, but there again my JRC NRD525 has a somewhat touchy key pad. The usb/lsb button on my 800 is very touchy. It seems to bounce so that it can take two or three attempts to select the desired sideband. Once selected,SSB quality is excellent even though the tuning steps are a chunky 100Hz, similar to my Sony ICF2001D.
AM quality is fine and the AM SYNC mode seems to work although not as obviously good as the ICF2001D. You hardly notice it working, but it seems to reduce the fading distortion by a worthwhile degree. It does not hunt and retune as the sync detector on the AOR AR7030 does.
The three available bandwidths of 6,4 and 2.2 kHz are adequate for casual listening. It would be interesting to hear this radio tweaked with some after market filters.
The FM broadcast band works well, sound quality through the built in speaker is good and very good through the supplied Grundig stereo headphones.Sound quality via the stereo speaker output on the rear of the radio is also very good.
Airband works, but there is very limited activity where I live so I can not comment on the 800's efficiency on this band.
The synthesizer tuning steps are audible at times on AM and SW and there are a few birdies and other spurious hash to be heared, but overall I find this a very pleasant radio to operate. It is not a top notch communications receiver, more of a jack of all trades but a master at none.If you need a genuine communications receiver then look else where. The overall sound quality, ergonomics and ease of operation make me rate this radio so highly. It is just a very nice tool for cruising around the bands and it plays music at decent quality too. What a fun radio.
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KB2NAT
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 11, 2005 12:58
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Well worth the money!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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With over three years use on the 800, I have had a chance to compare it with my Zenith Transoceanic, a Sangean 808, and a Yaesu Ft-897. The tone compares well with the Zenith 7000 and the filters, etc. work perfectly. There is no wobble with the tuner knob/shaft and the sensitivity is very good. The controls are easy to learn and it's fun to use. I would pay twice the money if the case were half-sized and metal. Nice features are the stereo audio output and the stereo line outputs. The unit is not quite as sensitive as the Yaesu, but not that far off, either. Nitpicking? Small chirps in the tuning which don't affect real-life receiving and the airband which I knew was only going to be average. It continues to be an excellent unit and well worth what I paid. My only suggestion is that you buy it from Universal, Grove, or a ham outlet that's reputable. You will not regret purchasing this receiver...especially if you throw a wire out the window and connect it to one of the antenna inputs.
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1RADIOACTIVE
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 28, 2005 17:05
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Lots of big talk with little walk
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Having been an avid SWL for over 20 years, I guess you could say I've had my fair share of experience with various receivers, including the Kenwood R-2000, Yaesu FRG-100B, Sony ICF-2010, and Grundig Satellit 700. While I don't consider myself a technical expert by any means, I think that I have enough knowledge to at least recognize a winner from a loser.
After reading about and hearing all the hype surrounding the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium, I decided that it was time to treat myself to what I thought would be a very classy receiver and I eventually ordered one. When the radio finally arrived, I was like a little kid on Christmas morning who could hardly wait to get it out of the box. I fully expected this radios performance to dazzle me as I carefully set it up with the anticipation of getting my socks blown off. Well, it is now five months later, and here I am with this nice looking big radio on my desk. I honestly have to say, the Satellit 800 has me frazzled, not dazzled, and I still have my socks on. I've given it a sincere score of only 3 because I now believe this radio has been highly over rated and that its performance is not up to par as compared to many others. It's an ok radio, not a great one by a long shot, and I personally don't think it's deserving of such high marks. There are several very annoying quirks with this set, such as a very unstable tuning dial, a power transformer that produces excessive noise, and its ability to pull in signals being just average. The audio is pleasant enough, but it sure won't take any special prizes either. My old Satellit 700 portable actually beats them all!
Without belaboring the whole issue, the 800 is an impressive looking big radio that talks a good talk but really doesn't walk the walk.
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NH7PG
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Rating: 5/5
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May 18, 2005 18:09
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Very Special Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned Kenwood and Icom receivers, and the 800 is almost right up there with them. Of course an outdoor antenna is almost mandatory for good reception, along with a good ground. Make sure your 800 is well grounded, otherwise you'll be disappointed if you plan to do some serious shortwave listening. I found the 800's built in whip to be merely satisfactory, but it's no slouch on portable operation, and works best when the radio is grounded. I like the radio's beefy size, the large display, the incredible audio through its large speaker and the large tuning knobs. Easy to use. If Grundig had added passband tuning and notch filters, this radio would have been perfect. A station is only as good as its antenna. Build best antenna you can for this rig, and you won't be disappointed.
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K9KZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 31, 2005 17:59
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Nice!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have owned a lot of nice receivers. This one is very pleasant. I love the size. The built in audio is a real pleasure. The sync detector works great! This radio is so easy to use and has everything I want except RF gain and PBT. I bought mine new from Universal. Only problem I've found so far is the tuning knob wobbles. I will send it to Drake for the updates when I've played with it for a while. I was really sceptical about buying one of these huge radios but I am very happy with my purchase. I know some have had problems but this one works great. The sync detector is amazing and so effective. I would have really liked to see a new version of this radio with some improvements. It could have been a classic. Probably will be anyway.
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W7RBQ
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Rating: 3/5
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Mar 23, 2005 12:07
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A good, but not great, receiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Although the Satellit 800 is a good receiver, I was disappointed in its performance. All the hype surrounding it made me expect a really exceptional receiver...which it definitely is not. I purchased mine from Universal and they checked it out to make sure it was up to specs, and it does have its virtues. On the plus side, it has wonderful, warm audio. It can also handle quite a large external antenna. On the negative side, I find that my Sony 2010, when attached to a much smaller antenna, can hear things on both SW and SSB that the Satellit 800 can't. I've never thoroughly tested the 800 on MW because MW is of little interest to me. I can tell you, though, that on SW the 800 is not what the hype leads you to expect and is certainly not worth the hefty amount of money it sells for. It is a good receiver, but not a "great" one where reception is concerned.
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WA2JJI
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 20, 2005 08:54
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Outstanding
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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RADIOHIGHFREQUENCY said it all so i won't repeat. Excellent receiver - sorry the guy before me gave a 0/5 simply becuase of a shipping mistake. Anyway -- well worth the price I paid.
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KB2NAT
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 28, 2005 06:58
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Does What It Should
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I gave the unit a 5 (although 4.5 would have been more accurate)...not because it is the absolute best, but because it meets the parameters of what it should do for the cost. The bandwidth functions, tone, sensitvity, etc. are all excellent. The VHF frequencies aren't that sensitive, but I don't use it for that, anyway. For more money I could have bought a Drake, it would have had a stronger build, but would have performed the same. The FM section does well, also. I am very please with the unit because it has performed well with a large loop, long wire, etc. It's not as sensitive as my Yaesu, but I didn't expect that it would be. My unit is four years old and is still doing excellently. I also bought it from Universal Radio and that may have helped.
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CCZ
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Rating: 0/5
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Feb 28, 2005 05:49
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Shame Drake !
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I live in Brazil, where the offer of receivers is very limited and no manufacturers' service available. I have used SW radios for many years, mostly for program listening in different languages which I speak. From the Zenit TO I migrated to a family of Sony's and now I was considering a larger radio for better sound.
Living in Brazil, however, means no access to equipment for test or equipment sent back to seller if performance is not satisfactory. After a lot of consideration of the current performance of the Sat 800, I finally decided to take the risk, relying on recent reports of a good quality for the money and on Drake's reputation. I even called Drake's sales mgr in Canada (Steve), asking for advice re the S800's performance and he assured it to be OK, adding that there was no reason to spend more on an R8, considering my primary interest in program listening.
To be safe, I decided to buy direct from Drake.
A friend who was coming to visit me bought the S800 from Drake Canada in Nov 2004, and brought it with him.
When unpacking ... surprise ! Drake sold me a new S800 but delivered a Y2K model !
SW reception is non-existent ! Not even strong senders such as BBC or DW ! Searching the entire SW range with fully extended whip resulted in only one very weak signal from a local sender and another from Argentina.
I tried during the day and during the night, with similar results.
Shame to Drake, selling a 4 year old model as new, after all the trouble with the early versions ! I wrote Drake about it and never got a reply.
This is for the highly reliable Drake service !
Beware of Drake and the "revised" "renewed" Grundigs Made in China ! Worthless stuff for good money !
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RADIOHIGHFREQUENCY
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 21, 2004 23:40
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Great Shortwave & Broadcast Listeners Radio = Features & Sound
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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WHY DO I 'LIKE' THE GRUNDIG SATELLIT 800 MILLENNIUM ?
What Recommends the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium to a Radio Listener and Hobbyist.
+ Great FM Sound {Super FM Stereo Sound through External Speakers}
+ Shortwave Programming is Easy to Listen to for Hours
+ Digital Tuning and Display
(Manual Knob, Up & Down Buttons and Direct Key Board)
+ Big "LCD" {Liquid Crystal Display}
+ Big "S-Meter" {Analog Meter}
+ Three IF Filters 6 kHz, 4 kHz and 2.3 kHz
+ Dual Conversion (Two Ifs for AM/MW and Shortwave)
+ AM SYNC {Side Band is Selectable}
+ USL and LSB {Side Band is Selectable}
+ Seventy (70) User Programmable Memories.
+ Mega-Size Whip Antenna (Good Shortwave Reception off the Whip)
+ Separate External Antenna Inputs for AM/SW and FM/AIR Bands.
+ Good Layout and Ergonomics {Easy-to-Use}
? Size: BIG - But if you are a Senior Citizen with Big Fingers and Tired Eyes this is the Right Size Radio for You - IMHO :o)
All these are Great Tools for a Radio Listener and really help in doing some serious DXing.
NOTE: For an Instant "Boost" in AM/MW Reception and DXing simply add a Select-A-Tenna Model 541-M or a 'home-made' Two FootAM/MW Box Loop Antenna.
You may wish to take a look at the "Grundig Satellit 800" eGroup on YAHOO ! for more information and insight about this Radio.
eGROUP=> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Satellit800/
I would recommend that anyone interested in this Radio check-out this links for the Grundig Satellit 800.
http://www.grundigradio.com/_html/Products/Upcoming/satellit.htm
http://www.etoncorp.com/asp/dealerlocator.asp?productname=s800
http://www.rldrake.com/swl/Sat800mil.html
http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/satellit800.html
Or Call the Toll Free Numbers:
1-800-872-2228 (USA)
1-800-637-1648 (Canada)
Ask Grundig (ETON) where there is a Local Store near you that you can listen and get the feel of a Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium Receiver.
eHAM Reviews of the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium Receiver:
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1699
RadioIntel Review of the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium:
http://www.radiointel.com/review-sat800.htm
DXING.COM 'Modern Shortwave Receiver Survey' Report for the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium:
http://www.dxing.com/rx/sat800.htm
TBL: Do I 'like' the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium ?
YES - I own two of them; one for in-town where there is a lot of man made noise; and the other for up-in-the-hills-and-down-in-a-valley where it is very quiet :o)
Interested in Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antennas then Check-Out the "Shortwave Listeners (SWL) AM/FM Antennas" eGroup on YAHOO !
SWL-ANTENNAS=> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
~ RHF
aka: Radio High Frequency -&- Retired, Healthy and Free.
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