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| Reviews Summary for TECSUN BCL-2000 |
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write your own review of the TECSUN BCL-2000.
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KF9Z
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 10, 2006 08:02
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Cheap? Indeed...but very good!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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How can you knock this radio? Who pays $100 for it? I bought mine on eBay new for $59 and $15 to ship. That makes it 25% less than the other reviewer. For $75 delivered it is a fantastic radio. It has some of the best RX audio I have heard on any portable. It does drift a little on SW but once it warms up >1hr or so it is spot on. I can honestly say for the price this is a fantastic radio. The RX audio alone is worth $75 shipped to your door. It is a nice but somewhat wide receiver on SW but what do you expect for only $75? There are trade-offs and again...the RX audio is outstanding for the price. If you do casual listening like I do while camping or in the garage or BBQ'ing this is a great knock-around radio with EXCELLENT RX AUDIO! Is it perfect? Surely not...is it excellent for the price? You bet. If you expect solid performance for this price-point you and outstanding RX audio you will not be unhappy. If you go in expecting Sony IFC-2010 performance you will be disappointed.
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RADIOHIGHFREQUENCY
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 15, 2004 08:06
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Super Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Tecsun BCL-2000 'Broad Cast Listeners Radio for AM, FM, and International Shortwave Broadcast Listening. Basically a GE Superadio designed for BCL with the Shortwave Bands Added and Expanded Features. Therefore Knowing what the Tecsun BCL-2000 is and judge the Tecsun BCL-2000 accordingly: IMHO, I would 'rate' the Tecsun BCL-2000 as a Big 5.0 on eHam for what it is designed to do for the customer it is intended to satisfy. The Tecsun BCL-2000 is a Volks-DX-Radio for the average Broad Cast Listener who would enjoy the GE Superadios and the CCRadios; with the Option to Listen to the Shortwave Bands.
Having both the GE Superadio III (Analog Varactor Tuning) and the CC*Radio+Plus (Digital PLL Tuning). The Tecsun (Super Radio) BCL-2000 has Digital LCD Display and True Analog Variable Capacitor Tuning. All three radios are single conversion. The Tecsun BCL-2000 has the right features that are a mix and a match between the the GE Superadio III and the CC*Radio+Plus. Plus the Tecsun BCL-2000's Price Point of about $75 is just about right for a radio tha fits a 'niche' between the GE Superadio III ($40) and the CC*Radio+Plus ($160).
WHAT - IT - IS !
* Standard Tecsun BCL-2000 Features:
+ AM Band (Separate AM Tuner)
+ Hi-Sensitivity
+ FM Band & AFC (Separate FM Tuner)
+ Two Tuning Speeds: Normal & Fine
+ Quality Sound
+ 192mm/7.5" AM/MW Ferrite Rod Antenna
+ Wide & Narrow AM Band Width Filters
+ Digital Frequency Display
+ Clock & Alarm & Sleep Timer
+ External AM & FM Antenna Inputs
+ RF Gain Control
+ Styling: New Retro-Mil-Aero-Look
= = = AC & DC Operation
= = = Medium Price US$75
- NO Memories
# Extra Features:
Normal Broadcast SW Listening (AM Mode)
Low Pass Filter?
Comparable Radios Designed for BCLs:
* GE Superadio III
+ AM Band
+ Hi-Sensitivity
+ FM Band & AFC
+ Quality Sound
+ Two Speakers & Cross Over Network
+ Low Price ~US$60
+ Single Conversion
+ 200mm/8" AM/MW Ferrite Rod Antenna
+ Wide & Narrow AM Band Width Filters
+ External AM & FM Antenna Inputs
= = = AC & DC Operation
- One Tuning Speed
- Analog Dial / Varactor Tuning
- NO Memories
- NO Clock & Alarm & Sleep Timer
- NO RF Gain Control
- Styling: Old Analog Radio Look
# Extra Features: NONE
* CC*RadioPlus+
+ AM Band
+ Hi-Sensitivity
+ FM Band & AFC
+ Tuning Know & Up Down Buttons
+ Human Voice Sound Quality
+ Single Conversion
+ 200mm/8" AM/MW Ferrite Rod Antenna
+ Digital Frequency Display
+ Memories: AM=5 & FM=5 TV=5 WB=5
+ Clock & Alarm & Sleep Timer
= = = AC & DC Operation
+ External FM Antenna Input
- External AM Antenna Input
- One Tuning Speed
- Wide AM Band Width Filter (Only)
- NO RF Gain Control
- High Price US$160
- Styling: Common Modern Digital Look
# Extra Features:
TV Channels 2-13
WX Band
WHAT - IT - IS - NOT !
The Tecsun BCL-2000 is NOT designed to be is a 'Shortwave Radio' with AM & FM Bands thrown in for those times when you are not listening to Shortwave Broadcasts or to the Ham's on SSB or CW.
* Sangean ATS-505P
* Grundig Yacht Boy 300PE
* Sony ICF-7600GR
* Grundig Yacht Boy 400PE
* Sangean ATS-909
THE BOTTOM LINE: The Tecsun BCL-2000 "Fits-In-A-Niche" between the GE Superadio III and the CC*RadioPlus+ in Features and Price. It Is a Broadcast Listeners Radio: Nothing More and Nothing Less. The Tecsun BCL-2000 may be what everyone was 'hoping' a GE-Superadio-IV was going to be. Tecsun GEM China may have got the jump on GE-Thomson CE (FR). Possibly the Next Generation of SUPER RADIO a "Volks-DX-Radio" for the Average BCL who enjoys DXing. BottomLine: Clearly the Grundig S350 is the "Best Value for the Money".
~ RHF
-o/m- Tecsun BCL-2000 "Super radio" eGroup at YAHOO ! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Grundig-S-350/
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WPE9JRL
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 21, 2004 22:58
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Fun Band Cruiser - With Limitations
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Bought my BCL-2000 with 110-Volt to 220-Volt adapter shipped to my door thru an eBay seller for $78.00. Serial tag shows a manufacture date of early 2004. Manual is entirely in Chinese, it will go into a file along with all of the other radio manuals in English - that I never read!
What the radio IS NOT: It is not a communications-grade receiver, it is not a "high-end" radio. Do not compare this radio to anything Panasonic, Sony, Drake, etc. The radio does not cover the entire expanded AM Band, it stops a 1630 KHz. It does not have a BFO (others, stop complaining about this...it is a cheap radio!). It is not a perfect radio by any means.
What the radio IS: It is pure fun to operate. It has beautiful tone and sound for a single 4-inch speaker/driver. It absolutely shines on FM reception. It does have some weak but annoying birdies at the bottom end of the MW Broadcast Band (a real bummer but you can live with it).
It is abolutely fun to sit and tune in the world
easily while just using the built-in whip, sitting on my patio. It is a fun, cheap radio.
It compares favorably to my GE SuperRadio II on MW, a surprise.
Keywords on the BCL-2000 are printed right on the front panel of the radio below the model number, it reads: ENJOY BROADCASTING. This radio will allow you to enjoy it as long as one does not demand the performance of a set costing multiples of the price of the BCL-2000. It is an amazing little radio for the money and I am totally pleased with its performance. I anticipate hours of casual listening with the set.
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VR2XMQ
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Rating: 1/5
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May 1, 2004 03:56
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It Sucks!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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This is not an expensive portable, and it has attempted to mimic the ever popular Panasonc RF-2200 but does not come anywhere clsoe. It sucks. The performance in mediocre, the only thing going for it is the FM band where it does perform. SW is poor, MW is dreadful. The timer is a real drag, and the tuning is super flimsy. It only looks good. No BFO which is really stupid considering.
Cannot compare against the Sony 5800W, 5900W, 6000L, Panasonic RF-1150, 2200, 2600 etc.
This is the worst portable for a long time!
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OLDSEAROCK
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 22, 2004 21:26
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A no brainer!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This isn't a $300 radio.
I bought this radio new off ebay for less than $75, shipping included. The unit is much nicer than I had expected!
Reception is excellent and the sound is better than my Icom R-75 before I added a Radio Shack speaker.
The reason I bought this radio was for my garage. My Realistic DX 440 has just about bit the dust (after nearly 20 years of excellent service) and after reading several reviews I decided to give this radio a try.
Now, I'm the guy who tunes into one station and leaves it there. I can see where some folks might hate the tuning knob/lack of "search or scan" features - but to me, I don't need them.
There are no scan features nor keypads on this radio. It's a tuning knob or nothing. As someone who was raised on an old tube-type Hallicrafters set, this is not a problem.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, well made radio with great sound and good reception then this is your ticket.
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JUDAH_SMITH
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 11, 2003 15:26
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BUY A TECSUN BCL-2000 NOW!!!!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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TECSUN BCL-2000 (Released in America as Grundig S350)
This radio is fantastic. I have owned a FRG-7, DX-160, DX-394 (fully modded), Grundig YB400 (fully modded) and a number of other receivers. For the price and what it does this radio is a 5. The value for performance is off the charts. In fact in retrospect I would have been willing to pay twice what I did for this radio.
For listening to broadcast Shortwave stations, or AM radio stations the sensitivity and selectively is great. And the audio is rich, warm and pleasing.
It is an analog radio with a digital readout....so it has no audio hiss....and perfect for bandscanning. No chuff chuff noises and the like. Also since it does have a digital readout, you always know just what frequency your on. (now granted you may find the signal sounds better (tuning by ear) 2-3 khz from where your suppose to be, but this is an analog tuned radio...a little variation comes with the territory...sometimes I find BBC sounds better at 5977 when it is actually broadcasting on 5975...but it doesn't hinder my ability to find the station The station is still on 5975...it just peaks at 5977....plus 8 times out of ten it sounds great exactly on the mark) What do you want, you got to give up a little accuracy for great reception and sound....who cares! Its 2 khz for cryin' out loud!
Think of it like a mini me version of an FRG-7 with a digital readout. Okay I know the FRG-7 is one of the gods of analog table top radios...but this is in that same category from a portable radio perspective.
Anyway- It is a very basic radio, but what it does it does well. I live in a very poor reception area....and off the whip-antenna what I receive with it is amazing. I originaly bought my YB400 for its sensitivity and rich audio as a portable. This radio smokes it. It is more sensitive on weak signals....and the sound is much better. In fact stations that would be unlistenable on the YB400 are quite pleasant on the BCL-2000. And although it doesn't have the digital synch feature for signal fading....I find that signal fading less annoying on it, than on my YB400 that has the digital curcuit to control it...perhaps because the audio is so pleasant to begin with. (by the way passport magazine gave the YB400 a very high rating in sensitivity and sound....so I can only imagine what this will get)
I bought mine on EBAY for $80-85 dollars BRAND NEW in the box, including shipping costs! A great deal! Especially when the grundig version runs at least $99 + shipping. And the Tecsun comes with a real wall plug, not a wall wart adapter. The seller even included a 110/220v converter FREE.
A great deal. NOTE: TECSUN BCL-2000 radios made after April 2003 will be the upgraded (2nd edition) of the radio. The upgrades include fixes to the drift issues everyone originally complained about....and a fix to the 90 minute auto shut off. Yes you can now use the power button to leave the radio ON forever (or until the batteries go dead! (just hold the power button down when you first power on, for a second or two and the 90 minute timer won't appear...poof) The 2nd edition of the Tecsun seems to be an improvement over the original Grundig s350...so at a cheaper price...I would go with the TECSUN. Other than the improvements they are the same radio.
The TECSUN comes in two colors....black and cherry red. Most everyone loves the red...except me....black is my color. But either one looks great, and is built well. (My wife even thought it looks cool.)
It's not made like a tank....but it will certainly last for years to come. And it LOOKS very classy
It has a great carrying handle. (feels like leather...but it isn't) And the batteries (4 D's) last literally forever even with the dial light on.
If you enjoy BBC, Radio Japan, RHC, RCI, etc....this is the radio for you. They never sounded so good for the price. I was listening to Radio Nigeria (out of africa) last night....which I can't remember ever hearing comfortably before in my location. When I did get it....it was always fading badly...etc (I'm in Las Cruces, NM USA...southwestern United States...a poor reception zone! One of the worst!) The station was very pleasant to listen to...
Okay and I have to tell this story- (no exaggerations here)
I work in a concrete & metal building....computer equipment is everywhere...as least three computers on my desk alone...and more than 100 around me on the 2nd floor I reside on. I have brought ever portable radio I have ever owned including the YB400, a YB300, a DX-398....etc. I could never receieve anything on SW or AM.....nothing. zero. ziltch! All I would get is interference noise from the machines all around....and no signal. I would walk outside the building....and everything was fine. So my building and all the equipment was a signal destroyer....inpenatrable by any radio I had owned to date. (and remember I am already in a bad zone for SW. And I was trying to tune in stations during the day.) I broaght my Tecsun BCL-2000 to work....I got stations on AM....(AM on all other radios was dead...DEAD...and filled with computer noises and hums) I receieved a number of fair stations on SW as well...which was also always completely dead! Both bands dead on any other radio....from that location....got signal with this radio. Enuff said....I was amazed! And you will be too.
Plus the radio is just fun to play with....especially if your a knob turner like me. And did I mention the very old-school look and feel. If your new to SW and looking for a first radio...BUY THIS ONE! Thinking back I wish it had been my first....I would have been so spoiled!!! If your looking for a new PORTABLE, buy this one! If your considering a YB400 (which is a great radio, especially because it has SSB) But if your not into listening to HAMs, CW...etc and really just want Broadcast stations on SW or AM THEN THIS IS THE ONE! If you like GREAT AUDIO from a portable SW receiver.....guess what.....BUY THIS ONE!!!
Don't let the made in china fool you....almost all radios are made in china now....and the Grundig S350 is made at the same plant in china. Chinese radios have improved soooo much over the last few years. Trust me it is a quality radio...
(The 2nd edition being even better than the Grundig version in my opinion....)
WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE....LOG ONTO EBAY AND BUY THIS RADIO! Now!!!! You'll thank me...(and no I don't make a dime off of any Tecsuns' sold....sadly)
P.S. And I don't want to hear any yap about how it doesn't work as well as your $500 to $5000 rig. Yeah and a Honda isn't as nice a Lexus....but its good for what you paid! For under $100, this SWR is the new standard I will judge all other radios by in that price range, for Broadcast Listening. In fact it is the standard I will judge all $250 radios by as far as sensitivity and audio are concerned. So don't whine about how your DRAKE Such & Such smokes it with your half mile wide outdoor antenna. Yeah yeah...we know your radio rocks. But this RADIO IS AMAZING!!
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