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Reviews For: Grundig Satellit 800

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Grundig Satellit 800
Reviews: 65MSRP: 699.95
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.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00654.1
ENIGMA Rating: 2002-11-02
weak Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just received my satellit 800, I bought it because it is suppose to have exceptional AM reception. Well I could tune in exactly one station, this thing is weak, it is worthless. I am sending it back. The antenna does not swivel.
They say it is the most powerful portable radio ever, well they lied. Buyer beware!
WMBRADY Rating: 2002-08-17
I Love It Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This radio fills more of my "needs" than any other. I bought it to replace/suppliment my venerable ICF 2010. I have owned a number of radios and none recieved as well as the 2010 until the 800. In fact, it beats the 2010 for utility reception. I love the ergonomics and all the little features like the "go back" to the last freq. tuned.
I have to admit that the first unit (reconditioned from Universal) was sick and the replacement just died after 8 months. But I am considering buying a "third generation" unit anyway. The only model that I see that I would rather own (perhaps) is the new Ten Tec 350. But that costs 3x the price.
N4YMQ Rating: 2002-06-27
Yuck! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My FRG-7700 lost its power supply board, and being doubtful about finding parts, I picked up one of these babies. PASSPORT said that all the old junk was gone, and that TecSun had solved their QC problems. They gave it a very high rating.

My unit goes back to the store tomorrow - what a hunk of junk!
*Totally swamped by local AM, even with a toroidal BC filter in line.
*Air band is a Joke.
*Volume control does not go down to nil. The lowest volume setting is too loud for comfortable bedside listening.
*On the whip all I can hear is the power supply.

I'm very disappointed. It sounds like, the reviews that there are good examples out there, but does the manufacturer really expect us to do their QC for them?

PS - It is quite possibly the ugliest radio I have ever seen.
K6ZZZ Rating: 2002-06-04
Who's Your Daddy??? Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Since I have had my S-800 (01-2001), I have found very few problems. There are some irritating elements of the radio, but I would like someone to show me a radio that doesn't.

Some of the things that I would like to see different for changed:

I wish the squelch worked outside of the Air Band.

I wish the modes were selectable...as in being able to select FM while in the 10 meter band.

And I wished the radio would scan from the VFO.

But all & all...I have one EXCELLENT radio here, and I doubt that I will ever get rid of it. I have a 204' G5RV hooked up to it and I can hear stations all over the place.

Sync Detect is a dream...and sometimes a lifesaver when you don't want to miss something.

AM broadcast is really nice to use at night...I have a new found hobby of trying to pull out new stations from all over the US and Canada

The FM band is so-so, as long as you have an antenna...but I rarely listen to FM broadcast anyway, so I kinda biased on that topic.

The air band falls under the same catagory as FM...I hardly ever listen to it.

The bandwidth filters do a pretty good job.

I like my "Big Daddy Radio"...and have no plans to part with it.

MMRTOM Rating: 2002-06-04
Overall no problems Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I agree with the other reviewers on this site. It certainly sounds like the quality control is nonexistent. I am one of those users for whom this unit represents a return to a hobby and interest not pursued since I was a boy.
This radio suits my needs entirely. I was lucky and have a perfectly functioning set which I bought from The Sharper Image. Maybe that's the key to buying this unit, get it from a retailer which gives you a no questions asked return period.
Being a neophite to short wave I did wish an operation manual came with the set as I was unclear about some of the operations of the controls however an e-mail to Grundig was returned promptly with all of my questions answered.
So if you're a hard core radio person maybe this is not the unit for you. But if you're an everyday aging baby boomer who think it's cool rediscovering short wave, this may be the set you are looking for.
MIKER1 Rating: 2002-05-30
Ideal Receiver for the Casual SW/MW/FM Listener. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When I was first bitten by the shortwave bug in the early 90's, I read about and tried many receivers but none combined all the features in my "wish list" for the ideal radio. I think a lot of SWL's have felt this way at some point.

I wanted a fairly large stable chassis with a BIG, backlit LCD display, a sizeable front-facing speaker with a strong audio section, FM as well as MW/SW, an SO-239 antenna hook-up, RCA audio outputs for recording to a VCR, big number and function keys, ease of use, handy memory function keys as well as a big old-fashioned tuning knob, with the external antenna connecting to the MW section if I chose, SSB, sync detection, etc, etc.

I wanted all the best features and none of the weaknesses of the Lowe
HF-150, Grundig Satellit 700, and the Drake SW8 combined in a layout like the old Grundig 650, except all digital, please. And for less than a grand, by the way. After I few years I gave up looking.

Then they built it.

Sure, it's a Chinese Lextronix and not a real Grundig.

And it's a clownishly big cheap plastic box that looks like it should say "Fisher Price" on the side.

And the quality control from unit to unit is simply non-existent.

And my $400 refurb crackles a little when I turn the volume knob.

And you're not lugging this monster on any trips.

And that big tuning knob is way too lightweight and cheesy, and sometimes wobbles a bit.

But... If you get one that's not a lemon, it combines the features, convenience, and useability of a consumer electronics product with the esoteric features of a communications receiver, and all at a breakthrough price. It's a day-in-day-out SW/MW/FM workhorse that'll likely make you store away or even sell off your other receivers, as I did.

This rig divides reviewers more than any I've ever seen, and along almost religious lines. Larry Magne of "Passport" raves about it as if they have finally built "his" receiver. Tom Sunstrom of Radio Netherlands, like so many others, writes with an almost physical disgust towards the unit and clearly considers it a shoddy rip-off posing as a real receiver. Yet both men are excellent reviewers who have seen all kinds of rigs over the years.

Larry Magne aside, I notice that more serious, experienced DX'ers who have used real communications rigs generally pan the 800. Novices, and casual or "program" listeners like myself tend to like the unit, perhaps because it's more like a consumer product than a specialty rig.

I know the build quality is a little cheesy and the units vary way too much, but I have to give the Lextronix Satellit 800 a "5" for finally filling out my wish list at a great price.

Sorry if I ran a bit long here, folks.

REALSHAME Rating: 2002-04-05
Don't waster your money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The same radio I wrote about on March 18th was returned to R.L. Drake for repair and came back still with parts not replaced and functions still not working.
If you get one of these radios and you need service, don't hold your breathe too hard thinking R.L. Drake will care. I will never buy a Drake just for the fact that I have been given the run around with the Grundig SAT 800.
I write a letter of concern regarding my findings with the repair work and all I get is Grundig North Americas address and telephone numbers as a reply from R.L.Drake
SO MUCH FOR CARING. It's their PLL electronics inside that Grundig, I think their some what responsible to make good.
"Let the buyer beware"
K2KOQ Rating: 2002-02-20
Good, could be better Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I agree with reviews here BUT

Why the loud buzz when tuning aircraft band? Makes aircraft band unusable

Why no noise blanker?

Needs 2 speed AGC

Really does not need to be that big.

Other than that nice radio, for the price.. and it DOES sound good.
K9VA Rating: 2002-02-20
nice... but Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought this to replace a RF-2900. The rx is great for the digital tuner, synch AM and audio. It is a big lug of a rx, and does not have the friendly intimacy of my old RF-2900.

gl -Kurt
800RULES Rating: 2002-01-25
Grundig Millenium 800 - A cut above the rest Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased the "800" about three months ago.
Time to upgrade from the Radio Shack 398.
Always wanted a Satellit but my other half always had the last word.
I love the Large Portatop design. The audio is
superb. I have a 50' longwire driving it, and the reception is excellent. No overdriving from the antenna, but with some other models the hum and overload are apparent.
I am impressed with the design as far as ease of operation, and the telescopic whip antenna rivals some longwire antennas.
As far as the down and dirty work of DX'ing, I was very impressed with the synchronous detection on the unit. It was able to pull in the weaker signals for better audible sound, and the speakers dynamic range does help quite a bit in determining what station you are listening to.
Well the 800 is easy to operate, the manual is easy to understand. Sure its a bit bulky, but I keep that one on my desk at home, and never had any intention of carrying it around everywhere I go. Serious listening. Yes. It does provide that.
Great idea to provide quality headphones. Give Grundig credit for that in a big way.