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Reviews For: ETON E5 with SSB

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : ETON E5 with SSB
Reviews: 36MSRP: 169.95
Description:
The Etón E5 is the a world class portable radio covering AM, FM and shortwave. It features dual conversion AM/SW circuitry for exceptional sensitivity and image rejection. It offers S.S.B. - Single sideband reception. It has an amazing 700 channel memory capacity with memory scan and auto tuning storage. The 24 hour clock features alarm and sleep timer functions. Tuning is via auto-scan, manual scan, conventional tuning knob or direct keypad entry. FM stereo is supported to the mini earphone jack. The LCD display can be illuminated one of three ways. In Normal Mode pressing any button activates the display. While plugged into the AC outlet the Always-on mode illuminates the display whenever the radio is turned on. In Manual Mode the dial will light for 15 seconds when the light button is pressed. Other refinements include: Local/DX Switch, Wide-Narrow selectivity and external SW antenna jack.
The E5 operates from four AA cells (not supplied) or via the supplied AC wall adapter. The supplied AC adapter can also recharge NiMH AA cells (not supplied) while in the radio. (Do not attempt to recharge other types of AA cells). This radio also includes a multi-language Owner's Manual, wrist strap, protective case, wire antenna and ear buds. 6.675 x 4.125 x 1.125 inches 12.2 oz (168x105x29mm 346 g). One year limited warranty.

Product is in production
More Info: http://www.etoncorp.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00364
N3OJD Rating: 2007-06-27
Brilliant Upgrade to the '1103 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Grundig G5 and Eton E5 appear to be identical units. This review is based on the radio marked Grundig G5.

This "new" radio is actually an upgrade to one of my favorite small portables the Degen DE1103 or Kaito K1103. The '1103 is a great receiver with a few flaws and those have been addressed for the most part in the E5/G5. The strange volume control has been replaced by a conventional two button up/down slew set up. Not my favorite but a big improvement. And the odd digital-analog slide rule dial has been replaced by a straight digital readout with easy direct key entry of frequency now possible.

Craig at Kiwa can install or provide an audio upgrade and with that done, you've got one of the best if not the best sounding radio of its size. The upgraded audio is easy listening even on SSB and with headphones, the FM is up to Bose quality. It's a real pleasure.

If you're not familiar, check the reviews of the '1103 to learn about its features. It's really a packed very effective little radio.

Two small dings for the E5/G5: I'm still not crazy about the slew volume controls but the AGC is so effective I seldom have to touch them and secondly the texture on the case of the radio is a bit odd, with a sort of very fine slightly velvety texture to it, but I assume that will wear off with time.

Overall it's a thoughtful improvement to an already great radio and the KIWA upgrade is strongly recommended.
N3KMJ Rating: 2007-05-20
Excellent portable with some unexpected surprises Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Let me start by saying I've never been a big fan of Grundig/Eton products. Those I have owned previously were returned within days or sold at the next hamfest; mainly due to poor performance, cheap construction and a general lack of "wow" factor. I have owned MANY receivers over the past 20 years and the majority have been Sony, Panasonic or Sangean, so I have a lot of reference points to compare the Grundig G5 against. This radio was the last chance I was going to give this its company given the excellent reviews of the Degen DE1103 and I wasn't going to attempt a leap of faith by purchasing one on eBay or online to find out I bought another piece of junk. I notice the local Radio Shack carries the G5, so I set out to put my hands on one before making the investment, and if I decided I didn't like it I could promptly return it. Keep in mind, I went into this endeavour very skeptical and was expecting the worst, and I'm going to cover a few surprising things that no others have mentioned.

First Impression: While at Radio Shack I was surprised at how small the G5 really is. I was expecting something along the size of the Sangean ATS909 (DX-398) but it's more comparable to the ATS-606AP (DX-399), just slightly larger. The build quality is above average for a portable in this price class and it has a nice heft -- overall it doesn't "feel" cheap. The casing has a very unusual and unique coating giving it a rubberized texture that minimizes any chance of it slipping out of your hands. The buttons, knobs and switches have a solid feel and aren't loose like other portables I've owned. The backlight is cool blue and very bright, one of the best I've ever seen and on par with my Icom 746Pro. It appears it's LED which will consume far less battery power and is a well thought out engineering design that others should follow. Being in a mall reception was horrible and that was expected. However, I wanted to experience the non-muted tuning and lack of "chuffing" that everyone raves about. Sure enough, the G5 tunes like a REAL communications receiver. Exceptionally smooth and comparable to radios costing hundreds more. I was convinced and pulled out the cash.

Down to the Nitty-Gritty: Once I got home I ran the G5 through it's paces for nearly 4 hours straight. The manual is poor but is enough to get you started, and you're going to need it to understand the less then intuitive memory system compared to other radios. Firstly, don't be deceived by the alphanumeric tagging feature. You can ONLY name pages, not individual memories. This was a disappointment but not a deal breaker. Using the telescopic whip yielded above average results and directly connecting my G5RV to the external antenna jack only slightly overloaded the front end. Switching on the attenuation cleared everything up nicely and it performed well beyond what I was expecting. The receiver front end is extremely quiet, comparable to or better then my Sangean ATS909, yet it cost half as much. Although I did notice some fairly strong synthesizer noise in the AM broadcast band and approximately 5-10 birdies in the SW spectrum. The noise in the AM broadcast band can be eliminated by using an external antenna. The narrow filter works exceptionally well and doesn't distort or muffle the audio as with some Sony or Sangean units. Audio from the internal speaker is rich and full, even better with headphones. One VERY EXCELLENT design feature that I discovered by accident and have never found on any other radio is the internal ferrite bar antenna is deactivated at 3000Khz rather then 1750Khz. This allows listening to the 160M amateur band without having to use a gigantic longwire or dipole, although its bandwidth drops off sharply at about 2100Khz, so you'll need at least some type of external antenna to hear anything worthwhile between 2100Khz and 3000Khz. No biggie.

This is the first radio that has impressed me in years in terms of price and performance. It's a very good value at $150, if you can buy it for less your stealing it. I like it so much I want to buy another and will probably sell off a couple of my Sangeans that are now overshadowed by the Grundig G5's excellent features, quiet receiver and above average workmanship.

PROS:
- Price/Value/Size
- Above average build quality
- Very smooth tuning with no muting or "chuffing"
- Superb narrow filter
- Internal ferrite bar antenna functional to 2100Khz
- Big and very well lit display
- Great battery life
- Good audio
- Sensitive, low noise front end without overload
- SSB performance very good

CONS: (but could be improved on)
- Synthesizer noise in AM broadcast band
- Funky memory system
- No alpha tags for individual memories
- No dedicated USB/LSB modes
- Up/Down volume control could be a bit more linear instead of being coarse steps.
- Poor manual
TOBYDOG Rating: 2007-05-05
My favorite receiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I own a total of 12 portable SW receivers ranging from a massive Zenith TO 7000Y to a tiny Grundig Mini World 100 PE. My most recent purchase was a Grundig G5 (= Eton E5) on EBay for about $80 including shipping. In a few short days it has become -- along with the great old TO 7000Y -- my favorite receiver.

In my MW sensitivity tests the G5 finished in a virtual tie for first with the Kaito KA 1103 and the TO 7000Y. In my SW senaitivity tests it finished a close second to the KA 1103. But in terms of features, versatility, build, ergonomics and ease of use, the G5, in my opinion, beats out a very capable KA 1103 as a mid-sized, moderately priced portable multiband receiver. It sounds great, feels great and looks great as well -- like driving a fine automobile!

As for comparing the G5 to the Zenith 7000Y, it's like comparing an apple to a watermelon. Different sizes, different eras. Granted, the G5 isn't a legend, but it's a darn good portable!

KC2OYZ Rating: 2007-05-04
Buy the Sony SW7600GR Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been using a Sony SW7600GR for about 5 years as a bedside radio and occasional DX portable, particularly for BCB DXing. But I'm always on the lookout for something new and interesting, and the E5 (G5) was getting some very good reviews, so I decided to check one out.

The E5 is aesthetically pleasing and has many nice features that make it user friendly. But it terms of performance, at least on MW BCB, the Sony blew it away, particularly when using the sync lock.

If you're want a nice looking, quality built, user friendly radio, the E5 will not disappoint. But if your are interested in more serious dx'ing without shelling out $500, buy the Sony and you'll be glad you did. My E5 is going back.





NS6Y_ Rating: 2007-02-21
Very good SWL AM Medfer DX Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well, I think this radio is great! I can pick up beacons (it tunes a low band below the US AM band, down to 150kHz, and it actually will get stuff down there). It's a good AM DX'er, good battery life (I'm using Radio Shack NiMH batteries) good stable CW/SSB reception, good audio, good HF reception, all in all a great set.

Two small bugs - the overlay over the LCD that has some of the display "legends" is crooked, maybe sometime I'll open this up an streighten it. The VFO knob is a bit crooked, does not affect use, it's probably just a shaft encoder in there anyway.

The little "nibs" on the VFO knob allow quick scanning of the band better than any "finger dimple" could on a knob that size. There's a small dial on the right side that allows you to "dial in" SSB signals, so you can deal with USB and LSB.

I would highly recommend this radio for an all-around hears-a-lot set or for a gift for someone you want to introduce to SWL'ing. $140 is not too much for a kid's birthday or Christmas present, not these days.
KB0LPI Rating: 2007-02-11
Great portable receiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I need a choice between 4 and 5. I'd give this unit a 4.7

Receive quality is good even with the built-in whip across all bands. AM receives station from 1000k+ miles away despite 50kw powerhouse less than 50 miles away, 20kc away.

Build quality is solid. This feels like a serious listening unit.


GM20878 Rating: 2007-02-10
A Good Performer Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased from Nevada Electronics UK,this radio is one of the best I have come across, for performance, and value for money.
I have found it very sensitive on all bands using the whip antenna, but if you want a bit extra, use a long wire, it doesn't overload. It has good audio, not hissy like some of the Sony portables, it is certainly better than some of the desk-top receivers that I have owned, it is also very user friendly, SSB is easy to resolve,and with 700 memories plus alpha tagging more than enough for my needs.
All in all a very good well built radio.
This ones a keeper.
G20877 Rating: 2007-02-07
A Great Radio That Out Performs Sony Portables Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have owned this remarkable portable now for a few weeks and can't believe it's performance, purchased from Nevada Communications UK. I own other portables like Sony and the tests that I have run comparing the Eton against the Sony always favours the Eton. I was receiving VOA via their Botswana relay on 17Mhz with the Eton E5 when I switch on my Sony ICF-7600D I received nothing. With my Sony ICF-SW 7600 the station could be heard but weaker than the Eton and audio was not as good.

I would like to say that the Eton E5 is designed and built excellently...(well mine is), and comes with 700 memories with alpha-numeric tagging unlike the handful of memories on most Sony Portables. It can receive SSB and because it tunes 1khz it is very easy to resolve SSB with the clarifier. The radio can internally charge 4 NI-MH batts, and the radio can be used while you do so, The LCD is very easy to read and you can either show time or memory alpha tag with the current frequency there is also a S-meter. The backlight stays on for 15 sec when on batts and is either on or off when on mains. It automatically comes on when you operate the tuning wheel or buttons and the buttons illuminate also very useful.

Now some reviews point out that the Eton is not very good on SSB this is somewhat true when used on it's whip, but if you connect a Longwire via the Ext Ant jack the performance is amazing. Can I just say that the provided external antenna is Rubbish use your own. On my 60ft Longwire I received VK1GG on 14mhz he was also audible on the whip but very weak, NOTE the Sony receivers could not receive VK1GG. Now my first concern when I had to use an external antenna was overloading the Eton E5 did not suffer from any overloading and this amazed me. The noise floor on the Eton is very low at times you would think it was squelched....this makes a difference when Dxing and leaves the Sony radios in its wake.

For broadcast band listening the whip on the Eton E5 works great, you just need the external antenna for SSB listening to improve reception.

I have up until now been using a Grundig Satelite 800 that cost me £250 second hand, now this receiver is allot better than the tabletop receivers I have used like Kenwood/Yaesu/Icom I have tried them all but the Grundig 800 beat them all. But my Eton E5 is a match for the Grundig only difference being superior audio on the Grundig and built in AM Sync. The noise floor on the Eton blows the Grundig away, the best point is the Eton E5 only cost me £89 NEW !

The Eton E5 is the next generation of portable radio with lots of functions and excellent performance at a realistic price.

If you are still not sure I have taken some video recordings of the Eton E5 in action and posted them on my website http://dxing.topcities.com/
KB1GHH Rating: 2007-01-30
Defective product...... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this radio at christmas time. There was a "special deal" going on and "I" got caught with a "bad one"????!! Sure,anyone can get a "bad one",right??!! I got an "E-5" AND a fr-200
"crank-up" radio for free. I should've seen the "fine-print"! A 40. dollar radio for FREE??
The radio ONLY produced FM-stereo. No AM and NO short-wave. NADA. If I loved stereo music I would've been happy 'cause it did that very well.
I wanted a decent HF-SSB portable....that's not too much to expect. All I can say IS "BEE-CAREFUL" on some of these "special deals". They MAY be better than they CAN BE.......
RayN
KB7SSU Rating: 2006-12-08
Like a Minature Tabetop Receiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the Grundig G5 version, this little Radio is amazing. I have had a variety of high end receivers Kenwood r 5000, Drake SW8, Icom R75 , JRC 535, also Portables such as the Sony 7600, sw77 etc so I have a good experience base to compare to.

This is one of the finest little radios I have ever owned. Audio is superb, The noise floor on AM and SSB is extremely low. It does not give off the hissy/hash which causes listening fatigue that the Sony portables have. Somehow the noise has been largely eliminated but the sensitivity remains. My main radio is an Icom 746, but the little Grundig is a perfect bedside companion. While obviously not comparable to a 746 in weak signal reception and QRM defeating features, at bedside I do not find myself wanting for the big radio features. With the 7600 and even the fine SW77 I always felt like I was listening to compromised portable performance, with the G5 its like having a miniature 746!

For example one of my hobbies is trying to pick up marine SSB, The 700 channels on the G5 really helps in storing the unintuitive marine frequencies. Also Marine SSB is a finicky hobby, signals are generally weak and frequencies have to be sat on to find activity. Well the little G5 performs admirably here, the only portable I have had where I can consistently pull out weak marine SSB traffic... amazing! Plus all of this is performance on the WIP!

FM performance is also a pleasant bonus. FM is rich and well balanced. The unit runs forever on 4 rechargeables. The night light feature is a perfect balance for night use without inordinate battery drain. I only wish Eton/Grundig would build a bit of an enhanced G5 with Sync Detection however the AM reception is also robust and I don’t really miss sync, except when substantial fading occurs.

The filter selection feature is also very useful for a portable. Switching to the narrow filter improves many interference issues and helps avoid heterodynes, but still yields nice audible signals. This feature on both Sony’s often degraded the signal so much as to make it hardly worth using. This is by far the best portable radio buy I have ever experienced. In comparison I do not miss my SW77 and G7600 at all. Give this model serious consideration and a close look!