| LRDHEAT |
Rating:      |
2007-06-21 | |
| good radio |
Time Owned: N.A. |
Although the sensitivity off the whip is better than portables such as the Eton 5 and Sony 7600GR, the increase in sensitivity is not at all like a night and day difference. If you are expecting this to be the case, you may come away disappointed. The audio is not as full as, say, an Eton 350DL.
What the Eton 1 offers to me is a greater degree of control over the signal that I am interested in. The 7Khz and 4Khz filters are good for voice on am mode. The sync detector is much better at holding lock than the Sony 7600GR (The Eton can lock on most signals, even weak ones, and hold lock). I find that the 2.3Khz filter used in ECSS reception is amazingly clear in the audio! This same filter is quite harsh and muffled in the am mode. I find, as result,that ECSS reception with the 2.3 Khz filter is sometimes more desirable than am or am using the sync with the 4 or 7Khz filters. The passband option in SSB mode in a crowded ham band can allow a listener to choose the best sounding portion of the single side band while moving away from an interfering signal. Doesn't happen a lot, but a nice tool when needed. I also like the ability to move along in, and display frequency at 10 Khz (.01 Mhz)resolution. When tuning into stations not operating at an even xxxx.00 Mhz, I don't have to worry about a fine tuning knob that I then have to find a reference station in order to retune the fine tuning to a zero offset position!
Although the medium wave reception is off of the whip, the sensitivity is better than the Eton 5, Sony 7600GR, and Eton 350DL. The whip does not allow the operator to null out competing stations on the same frequency. The Eton 1 really shines on choosing the appropiate choice of upper or lower SSB ECSS reception of a weak station 10 KHz away from a local. It's neat to be able to accomplish that.
Haven't had the set long enough to see how long the batteries last. It uses the entire 23 bar signal strength meter (which is an outstanding signal strength meter, by the way) to display the battery depletion...useful. I have to comment that my new Sony 7600GR is excellent on batteries...the battery low display finally came on when the AA 1.5 volt batteries dropped down to 1.1 volts...the set was still operating like a champ.
I would have to imagine that the Eton 1 would be a joy to work with a nice antenna! |
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| SWLGREG |
Rating:      |
2007-03-24 | |
| Really Good Portable |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I was a bit skeptical of purchasing the E1 after reading the reviews so I thought long and hard before buying it. I was surprised to find a local outlet (Michigan) selling the radio for $389.95 (new) so I took the plunge.
Without re-hashing what others have written, here are a couple of thoughts:
1. The E1 is very sensitive to RF interference so I had to put it away from the other radios in the shack.
2. I eventually bought the stand from Universal radio so the E1 could remain upright at a slight angle. This provided a better view of the display.
3. I teamed up the E1 with the GAP Hear It and a Palstar SP30 speaker which I already owned.
The result is a terrific sounding radio which rivals desktop rigs I've owned in the past. For $389, the E1 is a really good value.
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|
| KD6JBF |
Rating:     |
2007-01-17 | |
| very good receiver |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Have had this unit for about 3 wks, and works about as well as advertised! The speaker does a great job with both music and speech, and is very pleasant to listen to for long lengths of time. The display and tuning are great, and the options to tune stations is also very good. Reception of SW stations is good, and sensitivity seems to be very good too. Unfortunately, as time marches on, with the drive for DRM in Europe and several of the major SW broadcasters either stopping their transmissions entirely or going to DRM, not sure how much lonnger routine analog broadcasts will continue; of course, they will still be around for years, but this compares with our current TV broadcasts, with the transition from analog to digital transmissions. So, they only "drawback" would be the lack of DRM in this radio. Certainly satisfied with the radio's perfermance and characteristics. |
|
| KE5LDO |
Rating:  |
2007-01-08 | |
| BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
1. Would not keep memories longer than 4 days
2. Sent to factory TWICE in the first 5 months! repairs did not last. memory constant loss and had to reset each week at least once for it to work
3. LCD kept going out.
4. Vendor very helpful, gave me 85% trsde in on a new ICOM R-75.
Very satisfied now, and will recommend NOT BUYING THIS RADIO!
5. Buy a Icom R-75. you will not regret it.
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|
| KB7SSU |
Rating:  |
2006-12-08 | |
| High Noise - Low Sensitivity - Returned |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Unfortunately the performance of this radio was a big disappointment for me. High noise floor, abysmal sensitivity on the wip and long wire. After tuning around and finding very little reception, I double checked the DX switch and antenna switch to insure that all settings were correct. They were. Then I kept switching from a clip on wire to the WIP, no improvement. Also ran it on batteries as the wall wort had a lot of hash..still no receive improvement.
I thought perhaps the bands were dead so I flipped on my 746 and found all type of activity. Again finding nothing on the E1, I turned on my trusty Grundig G5 and again found all type of activity. The G5 was absolutely out performing the E1 on both SSB and SW AM!! By leaps and bounds.
So I go back to eham.net and read the reviews on the E1. Its like I have a totally different radio. My unit was hardly able to pick up major AM broadcasters and could not dig out robust ham signals from a high noise floor. Weak ham signals were completely lost in noise. Performance was terrible even late at night where SW AM Asian activity is booming.
Disappointed I returned the unit to the Good Folks at Universal radio. They accepted the return without a blink, Thanks Universal! Their assessment was that the unit was working fine. Perhaps I have some unusual RF in my house, but the G5 was not affected by it. I think there is a few other reviews indicating poor performance in certain environments especially on the wip. I foolishly sold a perfect SW77 to finance this purchase and well got left in he cold regarding a laptop potable. It’s a nice setup with neat features but the bottom line is its useless if I cant hear anything. A much different experience than most reviews here -I know. Be sure to buy from an outfit that will accept your return…Perhaps I got a Lemon.
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|
| N3JEF |
Rating:      |
2006-11-16 | |
| WOW....What a receiver! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
My first E1XM was purchased Dec.'05 from J&R in NYC. I purchased the unit new, to be used as a tabletop receiver attached to a 100' exterior longwire. With this set-up, I didn't miss the lack of a ferrite rod; the E1 performed better than all my other units with ferrite rods. That said, when using the whip alone for AM, FM & SW, I was not disappointed.
In Central PA we have a lot of mountains and valleys (I live in a valley) and this set-up performed very well. AM & SW sensitivity and selectivity were impressive. The E1's combination of 3 bandwidth filters, selectable sync detector (fabulous), passband tuning, fast/slow AGC, amplification, treble, bass, squelch and memory system made this unit a real joy to operate. It made all the other general coverage receivers I own seem, at best, second rate. I know...for the price it should do just that.
Well, a few weeks after purchasing the unit the batteries began to leak (recall). The unit was sent to Drake for a quick repair. A few weeks after the unit was returned to me the CPU began to freeze-up and wouldn't return to normal. I advised ETON Customer Service that I wanted a refund and they quickly obliged (I have nothing but respect for the reps at ETON...first class people).
I went three months without an E1 and I began to really miss it. I own many portable general coverage receivers and two amateur tranceivers but I really missed the E1. All the functions mentioned by me and so many others as well as its ease of operation; it really was a joy to operate. It's memory system is second to none. So, in April '06 I purchased a reconditioned unit (Drake sticker) at a reduced price from J&R and I've been a happy man ever since. I also added XM (both the Audiovox CNP2000 & 2000H are required) and two Bose speakers. The many inputs and outputs make the E1 quite adapable to your audio preferences. I use the E1 daily: AM, FM, SW and/or XM. No problems here. WOW...What a receiver!
Regards,
Jeff
N3JEF |
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| 4NRADIO |
Rating:      |
2006-11-16 | |
| Poised to replace the Sony ICF-2010 as THE portable rx to own |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I can echo all the positives and few negatives on this fine receiver.
KB3GGC mentioned the lack of a spinner or finger detent for ease of tuning the Eton E1. I have added a self-adhesive "finger dimple" from www.fingerdimple.com to the E1's knob, and it's a quick and perfect fix to the problem.
Be sure to order the gray color dimple; it is fairly close to the gray shade of the Eton's case, and looks good. The cost is a very reasonable $6.00 US. for two dimples, USA postage included.
If your Eton E1 needs the frequency display/alignment tweaked to be "spot on", please see my instructions in the archived messages of the Eton E1 YahooGroup. It's a simple fix that doesn't involve opening the case. Do a keyword search for "alignment" and look for postings by the user "Thinkdx". |
|
| LEN |
Rating:      |
2006-10-20 | |
| Excellent radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
E1 Comments
I recently purchased an E1 from Ham Radio Outlet in Sunnyvale, CA. My first impression, after scanning the medium wave band for a few days, was that the sensitivity was poor. The radio buzzed and hummed whenever my hand approached the tuning knob and drove me nuts. i finally realized that i was picking up radiated noise from my power line (even when operating on batteries).and transferring it to the radio. My indoor environment is terribly noisy. I took the radio out to my front yard together with a C Crane plus portable and compared them. The noise level dropped like a rock and the E1 matched the CC Plus station for station for pickup except that the E1 has much superior sound quality. Additionally, the internal ferrite antenna of the C Crane required me to continually turn it at right angles as I tuned from sation to station while the E1 just sat in the most comfortable position for me. So, for a reasonably quiet environment, the E1 is superb. Inside a noisy home, you have a problem. I would like to see slightly bigger soft key buttons; they are realy tiny. |
|
| AVD |
Rating:      |
2006-10-15 | |
| The valid sensitivity of a whip. |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I do not have cheapie S-350. Therefore I can not directly deny the previous author. But in comparison with portable ATS-909, DE-1103 and E5 at work from batteries on an internal whip, E1 confidently wins on all ranges, but especially on FM.
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by AVD on 2006-01-17
Soon three months as I have this receiver.
Great Radio and I do not return it. Why? I do not refuse to pay $500 for a radio that has a display that looks like an Etch-A-Sketch drawing!
AVD
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| DORPMULLER |
Rating:   |
2006-10-12 | |
| Really poor whip sensitivity |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I don't know if others have had the same problem. Sensitivity on the internal whip is abysmal. My cheapie S-350 blows the balls off the E1. Not only that, but if I use the unit on batteries, whip sensitivity is nonexistent. An (E.G.) S9 signal will drop right into the noise when I pull the AC adapter. So as a self-contained portable, it's useless. Otherwise, with AC and an outside wire, it's everything that others have stated here. |
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