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Reviews For: Grundig S350 AM/FM/SW World Receiver

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Grundig S350 AM/FM/SW World Receiver
Reviews: 72MSRP: 100.00
Description:
Continuous coverage from 2.3 to 27.41 mHz shortwave; medium wave band; FM band
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.grundigradio.com/asp/Product.asp?productname=s350&function=overview
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00723.6
K4VU Rating: 2004-07-24
A very nice little rig -- couldn't put it down. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My wife is a nighttime AM broadcast junkie. And every night for the past few months (since moving to VA), she has complained that all she can pick up on her clock radio is baseball and second-rate, right-wing talk shows (personally, I love baseball, so don't know what she was complaining about there). Her birthday was coming up, so rather than watch her suffer, I looked around a bit, and ordered one of these little babies for her.

After reading the reviews here, I expected that it would sound okay, but not have much sensitivity anywhere but AM. Well, maybe I'm just easier to please than most (er...doubt it!), but my expectations were pleasantly exceeded. It comes in a nicely styled case, with a big two-speed, tuning dial (great for sleepy hands), and a nice, big digital readout. The sound coming out of the speaker was the fullest, richest sound I've ever heard come out of a portable receiver before. Pretty soon, I found myself sitting in the chair fiddling around in the shortwave bands. It was quite sensitive, with no birdies or other QRM'ish noise to speak of (folks who experience that with this rig should cut their nearby TV off for a while). Just with the whip antenna, I was picking up all sorts of stuff that I could hear with my Grundig Yacht Boy 400 (circa 1996 model).

AM BCB sensitivity was, just like everyone says, one of the best features of this little rig. And they were right. Very hot -- don't even need to make use of the external antenna jack, unless you are into some serious BCB dx'ing.

The main downside: like most analog gear, it'll drift a little bit when first turned on (5 khz during the first 30 minutes). However, this was like a flashback to my childhood, when I used to work 40m CW (x bound!) as a novice using a DX160 receiver that drifted like crazy. After years of stable PLL circuitry, the experience of drift almost brought me to tears -- and ended with me boring my wife with stories from 'the old days' (and I'm only 40). Anyway, after about half an hour, it settled down to about 1 kHz or so an hour.

Anyway, $100 bought me a great little radio and made my wife very happy (when she finally got to play with her new rig, that is :) ). Sure, you could get something better, but not for under $300.
W6CJ Rating: 2004-07-17
Adequate Kitchen AM/FM Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Eton Corp and Grundig may wish to listen up:

To anyone looking for a shortwave broadcast receiver, I suggest you look elsewhere and figure on spending US $250 or more for something passable. The SWBC performance in the S-350 is poor. I regard my S-350 as a good battery AM-FM portable that has some SWL "thrown in".

While using the telescoping antenna, and tuning the SWBC bands for the big stations (Deutsch Welle, R. Nederland, etc..) I noticed a lot of images, "phantom" stations on dial frequencies where no SWBC stations should be. Also noticed RTTY and other data signals where they shouldn't be on the dial as well. (Note- this is an AM-only receiver, no SSB/CW/Data). You can hear SWL on it, kind of.

Wire antenna... The S-350 has terminals for an unbalanced wire antenna and ground. I found that on AM (medium wave) or shortwave, the use of the wire NEVER in any case improved reception but made it worse. The S-350 has passable sensitivity, but selectivity is terrible. Connect an outdoor or indoor wire antenna, with or without ground, and the weak signal you were hoping to dig out will be buried even deeper in distortion, intermod and images. I wonder about trying an extremely selective wire antenna tuner or tuned medium-wave loop for these design problems.

That leaves the AM (medium wave) and FM bands.
AM reception, with the internal loopstick antenna in the S-350 is better than many vehicle radios and fancy stereo tuners costing a lot more than US $99.
I understand the S-350 loopstick antenna is larger than in many radios. I find that turning the radio can help bring in a weak station or null out an adjacent AM station that is "splattering" the weak one you are trying to hear. In my S-350 I heard a few heterodynes around the 600-800 kHz area, and an image of a 1580 Khz station "blowing away" a station on 670 kHz I was trying to pull in. From my powerline cursed indoor listening post in Los Angeles, at night I was able to hear AM stations in Window Rock, Pheonix, San Diego, Las Vegas, Utah, Colorado, Central and Northern California.

FM reception (mono with the S-350 internal speaker) seems OK. The audio quality of the speaker is better than many nightstand/kitchen or AM/FM/SWL portables I have seen, including the Sony ICF2010. (Why can't someone put good audio in general coverage or SWL receivers?) There are jacks on the S-350 for line level input to a stereo amplifier, though I haven't tried this. I may try driving a set of amplified computer speakers for fun. I've also found that turning on the stereo switch created some interference in some of the shortwave frequencies.

A little about the controls. The tuning knob has some backlash. The RF gain control seems to be either minimum or maximum- no smooth adjustment. The wide/narrow helps in some situations on the medium- or shortwave bands.

So... anything I like about the S-350? It has an easy-to-see lighted dial, long battery life, OK-to-good AM/FM reception. It's a good radio to have around for power outages or earthquakes. It might be a good radio for an office where AM reception is difficult. As a nightstand radio, it is easy for a half-asleep person to use without knocking the radio over or hitting the wrong control (like my ICF-2010).

Jay, W6CJ
Los Angeles

----------------------
Earlier 4-star review posted by W6CJ on 2004-05-15

Reading these, and other reviews, I decided to purchase an S-350. My wife and I needed a simple Medium Wave (AM) and FM portable, with some shortwave AM capability.

First the disappointments (minor):
In the medium-wave (AM) band, I heard some heterodynes which fell on a few stations I wanted to hear. In my radio, the problem occurred in a few places between 540 and 800 Khz. Being a commo dude, I could tell these heterodynes are internal and not an antenna or interference issue. I'd like to hear about any fixes and have also emailed the US distributor for assistance. I also noticed some "mixes" or images of SW signals on SW frequencies they are not really broadcasting on.
What should I expect for USD $100 in a single-conversion radio? Fewer heterodynes or "birdies" maybe.

Finally the good parts:
For our purposes, occasional listening, news and long battery life in emergencies this is a good radio. It is easy for a non-techie to operate. The display is easy to read. The S-350s AM, whether MW or SW, sounded better than a Sony ICF-2010. I hope this radio sparks a new design trend in SWL and GC receivers- good audio quality! (I don't know why the designers of the $500-$2000 button boxes put in crystal filters, IF-DSP, AF-DSP, SAM, bandpass and then feed it through a mediocre audio stage to a tinny speaker) MW reception in the 350 is better than many battery portables, good for digging out weaker MW stations or for reception from indoors.

I'm giving my S-350 radio a "4" only because of the birdies- I like the rest of it (control layout, audio, battery life) and feel it was worth the $100.
N3KMJ Rating: 2004-06-28
Returned the next day Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
When I bought this radio I knew beforehand what I might be getting myself into, but I wanted to experience for myself why it's been getting so many good reviews. I purchased the Grundig s350 at Radio Shack for $99+tax. The reason I did this rather than buying a Tecsun on eBay is I could return it if I didn't like it...and I sure am glad I did. Try returning your Tecsun to China for a full refund.

I wanted a mid-size/large radio just for shortwave BCB listening, SSB and DX performance didn't matter, so the Grundig s350 is about the only affordable unit available that fit this criteria. Single conversion is "OK", since I've used several radios in the past that were adequate for this purpose. A larger speaker with adjustable tone controls would be nice and the s350 has them. However, this radio is HORRIBLE on shortwave. The front end is so wide imaging can be heard throughout it's entire tuning spectrum. I'll give them a point for the narrow filter which is quite effective, but it's an absolute necessity to make reception anywhere near bearable on the shortwave bands. The big tuning knob is nice and sliding through the bands without digital chuffing is a pleaseure we all enjoy, but whomever at Eton engineered the internal tuning mechanism must've been retarded or is doing drugs. It's the most spongy, twichy back-lashing tuner I've ever tried.

Commercial AM reception is quite good. ONLY because stations are spread 10khz apart in the US. If they were any closer it would suffer the same overloading and imaging as shortwave. But I didn't buy it for this purpose, and if I did I would've saved myself $50 and bought a GE SuperRadio. The build quality is adequate for the price and I like the layout and design, it kind of reminds me of radios from the 70's. But it's obvious they're putting garbage in pretty packages these days.

Listen up Grundig/Eton...There's plenty of people like me who would gladly pay $50-100 more for the s350 if the following two items were redesigned.

1. Dual conversion reciever. Or *at least* start over from scratch from the one you're now using and make it useful on shortwave. I have 20 year old single conversion radios that mop the floor with your s350. Heck, I've owned some regenerative receivers that have narrower front ends than yours.

2. Get rid of that terrible inside tuning mechanism, radios with string and slide-rule tuning feel better and are less quirky than the one in the s350. I'm beginning to think half of the reason it drifts so much is because of this.

Fix these two things and you just might have something worth distributing to the masses.

In closing, here's how I'd rate it. If I'd bought the Tecsun for...let's say...$70 shipped I'd give it a 3. But for the Grundig at $99+tax I barely give it a 2. Even for casual shortwave listening this unit is a dissapointment and it's a shame because it has so much potential otherwise. If you've never owned any other receivers before, you may not know any better and think this thing is the cats meow. But myself, having tried it out for several hours, this radio makes me long for the label that says "Made in Japan".
STARLING Rating: 2004-03-17
Great value and fun Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
All I can say is Wow! What a great little portable shortwave receiver. Unlike the digitally-tuned Sony 7600, 7600GR and Grundig Satellit 800's I've owned and used extensively, this is one good analog radio that has restored my love of tuning shortwave. The marriage of an analog radio with a frequency-counter for tuning is a master stroke. I know Grundig didn't invent the concept, but the S350 is here now, unlike the old Panasonic. I never did like punching buttons, and I was never impressed with any automatic band scanning I ever tried. It just stops at too many signals that I'm not interested in, and it's slow enough to be frustrating. I also was never a big fan of chuffing through the bands. But I love to spin a dial, and the S350 gives me what I want. It has the Grundig sound, and it's solidly-built too, unlike other Eton/Grundig efforts of latter years. The S350 is now my favourite radio, the perfect marriage of analog and digital. Thank you Grunding! By the way, I almost bought the Tecsun version on ebay because I was afraid of getting a non-upgraded one, but as it turned out, my S350 seems to have the newer power-on switch with defeatable timer. I couldn't be happier with this purchase, and at that price.
SLAN77 Rating: 2004-01-10
Excellent Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I love this radio. I stumbled on this radio on a clearance shelf at a Brookstone Outlet, with no box for $50. Even though I didn't need another radio, I went ahead and bought it anyway, thinking I could always resell it later if I didn't like it. I could spend time retyping everything that the two posters in December 2003 said, but I don't see the need. I've owned a YB400 and currently have a Sangean ats-808a, yet this S350 has become my favorite. The batteries last a long time. Being d cells helps I'm sure. The speaker is much nicer than the vast majority of portables, with better bass and clearer sound. The radio picks up distant stations better, and has options that make it very attractive.

If you don't mind turning a dial, and I definitely don't, and if you don't mind a little bit of drift occasionally, then you'll love this radio.
JUDAH_SMITH Rating: 2003-12-12
TECSUN BCL-2000 IS AMAZING! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I love this radio! LUV IT!!! I wrote my 'real' review under the TECSUN BCL-2000 category...even though it is basically the same radio as the Grundig s350. The sensitivity is off the charts. The audio is so pleasing its a crime. And if you buy a TECSUN off EBAY (as that is the only place you can buy them in the USA) they are generally under 99 dollars. In addition any TECSUN BCL-2000 made after APRIL 2003 is a revised second edition of the radio....THAT FIXES AND NEARLY ELIMINATES THE DRIFT PROBLEM that both the TECSUN and the Grundig S350 had previously. (granted this is an analog tuned radio with a digital readout, so very mild drift is acceptable.) Also the 2nd edition corrects the AUTO OFF after 90 minutes problem. So if you want to leave the radio on forever, you can. Since ebay ussually has them for 20-30 dollars less (with shipping) than Grundigs at stores in the US....and since as far as I know only the Tecsun's have these upgrades....I would go with the Tecsun version. From what I have heard all the sellers carrying them have excellent feedback. BUY THE RADIO....it is a fantastic portable....and read my more extensive review under TECSUN BCL-2000. I have also heard there are some audio hiss issues with some of the Grundig S350's. Which of course effects weak signal performance. I'm not sure if that is true. But my Tecsun has no hiss...and weak station performance is GREAT! Plus it came with a free 110/220v converter so I could plug it directly into an outlet if I wanted. A function the grundig does not provide....you have to buy a wal-wart. I previously had one of the best (price vs performance) portables...the Grundig YB400. At the price this radio (BCL-2000) is selling for and the audio quality, and reception performance....this radio smokes it. And that is saying alot. But of course it is not for the HAM radio listener. No ssb. But that's not what I need anyway. It's designed for broadcast band reception on FM/AM/and SW and it does that exceptionally well.
WP4LDG Rating: 2003-12-07
Performance Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the tecsun version BCL-2000 [similar to the S350] and this is an oustanding portable.In MW the sensitivity [with its 8 inches ferrite rod] is better than the Sat 800 and DX-398,similar with the Sony ICF 2010 and CCradio plus.In SW [using its own whip] the sensitivity is very close to the Sony 2010 and Sat 800 and better than the DX 398.With its nice LPF and RF gain control you can use an external antenna without problems for SW and MW.A nice FM ant jack is included for a FM ext ant and you can select stereo/mono with a switch.In the lower right side panel you can find 2 RCA line out jack for your PC speakers or any other use. The tecsun narrow filter sound better than the Sony 2010 narrow filter because the tecsun audio is not "muffled" as the sony audio [in the narrow filter position].The tecsun sound [separate bass and treble controls] is better than the Sony and the DX-398.The new units [from 5 month ago]include the drift and 90 minutes aut turn off fixing.Batteries last for months in this portable and you can use AC or DC voltage in it [the S350 use an AC adapter 6V and the tecsun an internal transformer.An the best part is that you can buy a new one with all the upgrades for less than $85.00 in E-bay .
MANYRADIOS Rating: 2003-10-18
Throwback to the 70's Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is one cool radio, and it's priced right. At it's $99 price, it is definitely a "5". It does have its quirks. You have to deal with "drift", etc. When you get the hang of it, this is one cool radio. Not bad for MW DX'ing either.
KC2IGY Rating: 2003-10-09
A lot of fun for $99 or less Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
With all the radios I own, I usually don't get excited about a sub $100 receiver, but this radio is just plain fun to play with. It is by far the most sensitive receiver I own. Just using the whip, I can pull in stations my more expensive receivers don't hear. Using the low pass filter, RF Gain, and narrow filter, it's pretty easy to seperate all the signals this thing picks up. It also has excellent audio. Yes it's analog. Yes it drifts. But is still a great radio for the money.
KJ6MC Rating: 2003-06-10
The best radio that $100 can buy..and then some! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.

Pros: Incredibly sensitive, Great sound, Low price
Cons: Mediocre construction, no SSB/Sync, Tuning challenges

I picked up the Tecsun BCL 2000 from an Ebay auction, having been
drawn to the black color scheme. Once it arrived from Hong Kong, I
excitedly opened the box, and, in an attempt to avoid the scrutiny of
my ever-watchful wife (what, ANOTHER radio?), I set it up on my
garage workbench. Seeing that the supplied manual was written
entirely in Chinese, I was left to my own devices to get the radio
operational; This proved to be only a minor challenge. The control
layout made perfect sense, and within 30 seconds, it was up and
running.

Being about 0200 UTC, I tuned to 31 meters. With only the whip
antenna, I was expecting to faintly hear some major broadcasters, but
I was totally stunned: This little radio was pulling in signals, big
and small, with booming audio clarity!

Is it the ultimate receiver? For $100, of course not. It held it's
own with my SW77 and Grundig 800 on the lower frequencies in
sensitivity, with a sound fidelity better than the Sony, and equal to
the (much, much larger) Grundig Satellite 800 on most stations. For
weak stations under tough conditions, I'd take the Sony or the
Grundig...at four or five times the price. That being said, the
narrow filter position did a nice job of filtering interference
without overly muffling the audio.

It did a respectable job on medium wave. It's hard to tell with all
the local light dimmers that I have to put up with. The nod for
fidelity goes to the CC Radio, but not by much.

The down side? The external cabinet seems about average, although the
knobs are downright delicate. I'm worried that with one good twist,
they'll come right off. The antenna is solid, the battery life is
great. Tuning is an experience. It requires a delicate touch, and is
apt to drift. Hey, it's a $100 analog set for goodness sake!

Sure, no Sync or SSB, but for doing what it was designed to do,
namely, listening to Shortwave Broadcasts, it is an awesome box.

One final story. My technologically-jaded 15-year-old started playing
with the tuning knob, and after a short while, was hooked. Having
lived his entire life in a push-button-direct-entry world, he had
made an analog "connection" with this little radio, and couldn't take
his hands off it.

Like son, like father.