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Reviews For: Grundig Satellit 750

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Grundig Satellit 750
Reviews: 64MSRP: 300
Description:
The Grundig Satellit 750 with Advanced DSP technology is an exciting portable that brings the world to you! You will get complete coverage of all long wave, medium wave and shortwave frequencies as well as FM (stereo to the earphone jack). Plus the Satellit 750 also receives the VHF aeronautical band (117-137 MHz). Your shortwave coverage includes the reception of the single sideband (SSB) mode allowing the reception ham radio operators, maritime and shortwave aeronautical stations. You can select either wide or narrow selectivity to reduce co-channel interference. You can tune your favorite stations by the conventional tuning knob, quick keypad entry of via the 1000 memories. And you will enjoy the fidelity you have come to expect from Grundig enhanced by separate bass and treble controls. The radio features both an Earphone Jack and a Line Output Jack. Long distance Medium wave (AM band) reception is possible because of the built-in rotatable, directional ferrite antenna. External antennas may also be attached. 14.65 x 7.24 x 5.75 inches. There is even a USB (5V) outlet for MP3 or mobile phone charging function
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.etoncorp.com/product_card/?p_ProductDbId=351064
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00643.9
DEANO Rating: 2009-12-05
FAIR TO MIDLAND IN THE $200 PRICE RANGE Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My initial purchase of the Grundig Satellit 750 resulted in a defective product due to the fact that it had that "motorboat" sound on the AM(medium wave) band which I've read about on other reviews. Furthermore, the radio was almost completely "deaf" on this same band. However, since I liked the design of the radio, I decided to return it for an exchange via Universal-Radio, Inc. On my second try, the radio works pretty much as promised. To me, the audio is only fair and not in line with the "real" Grundigs of the past. My CC Radio 2 has better audio. One thing I cannot understand is why the designers decided to include that incessant "beeping" for practically every function it performs.(i.e."BEEP" when you change bands; "BEEP" when pushing the light or "sleep" button; "BEEP" when it changes meter bands; "BEEP" when you change the tuning steps etc.) WHY ?? I can't believe it was put there to assist the visually impaired.Am I missing something here ?! Anyway, after consulting with the poorly written manual and deriving no solutions, I contacted the Eton Corporation and was told that there was no way of disabling the "beeps".Therefore, I guess the only way to alleviate the problem is to perform a "beepectomy"(snip-snip).Otherwise, the radio is fairly sensitive on all bands; although, the aircraft and longwave bands are essentially useless. I can't fathom why a scan funtion cannot be used on the aircraft band, similar to that of a scanner. SSB, in my opinion, is fun to use. And, I do like the lighted dial and it's related options. Overall, I have to say it's okay, but not worth the $300 price tag. $199 would be more in line with it's quality and performance. Speaking of quality,I do believe that most of the problems the other consumers are having are essentially related to quality control issues and not operator errors. I just hope that these Chinese components hold out. I've had my Panansonic RF-2600 for almost 28 years and it still performs like the first day. We'll see. I agree with another reviewer in that you should "count your blessings" if you should stumble on a unit free from the quality control issues.
AD4C2006 Rating: 2009-11-26
Lot to wish in this receiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been a ham all my life and by my hands hundred of good receivers has passed from the tube era to today solid state ones.So I do have some experience in HF receivers.
Been a former owner of a Grundig Satellit 800 few years ago and having sold it (Big mistake on me) I thought that buying this S750 was going to be equal or even better that former S800.What a false statement.!! Grundig went backward designing this "toy" receiver.
I got it day before yesterday and it took me just 4 hours to realize that is away from been a professionally designed receiver.
For SW listeners who only are interested in AM receive,that's ok but I wanted something better.
First of all is lacking sensitivity on FM and AM SW with the whip antenna extended all the way out.I could not pickup FM stations from Miami that is only 50 miles south from me when I remember with the GS800 all of them came trough very strong,also on SW either AM or SSB it has low sensitivity,I had to use all the time an external dipole to hear some stations on 40 and 20M during the day,and now come the worst,when I heard a strong station with a signal of more than S9 on SSB they all sounded distorded on the speaker because the AGC level is not enough to handle strong signals,If you try to reduce the RF gain using the RF control even at minimun the signal received will sound distorded.
The VFO tunes khz by khz so that means is kinda difficult to look for SSB stations which freq are in between Khz,only using the plus minus SSB knob you will find their voices but sometimes you are at the wrong side of the passband and they don't sound clear.
The radio is a good looking pretty one but it don't work as I expected to work.
Onlything I found good is that the audio quality is great.
This receiver needs to be redesigned specially in the area of AGC.
End of the story,I sent it back to the store the next day I received it.I will buy something more professional like an Icom R75 even If I have to pay more but this $300 receiver is not for the serious sw listeners.

AD4C
Lake Worth/FL
KWV8DA Rating: 2009-10-18
awful QC/ eton no help Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
radio was fine for about 50 days and then started to lock-up on the keys, alarm would go off night and day, light would come on for no reason. also this radio does not receive ssb signals sent by am.
sounds like a motor boat. it did receive ssb signals well that are sent by ssb. when listening to radio off whip, and putting a wire ant. in connector, it would increase the ant. signal without switching to ext. ant. no 12hr. choice for clock. signal meter dark and hard to see. eton wanted me to pay s/h to have repaired, said it would take at least a couple of months. i bought the 750 from a famous brick and mortar radio store, and they did not want to stand up and replace it. after i sent them a "notice of tort" they gladly gave me a free return slip, all my money back, and let me keep the free gift(an200 ant.) they had no faith in sending me another one for fear it would not work well either. eton is an awful corp. to deal with !
great looking, great sound for music is what i will remember. for the few who got a good one,
count your blessings.
KB0XR Rating: 2009-09-09
I'm not thrilled with mine Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've been buying SW radios since 1958 when I got a Hallicrafters S38DB. Lots of them thru the years although I still love the S38 for what it is and what it isn't.

I played with the 750 at a "Ham" store during a recent promotion. A no sales tax event. Anyway, I must have gotten wrapped up in the "Excitement" that day cause I ended up buying one to use in the den at home.

Now after several sessions with it, I find the excitement wore off rapidly.

Pro: nice audio tone. Memory management nice after reading and re reading the LOUSY manual. Good looking in a military sort of way. Good MW reception. Small footprint on the desk. Very easy on batteries. Fairly sensitive on the SW bands-apparently deaf on LW although there is not a lot to listen to in the midwest. Line out jacks are nice. Mine runs through a Cambridge Soundworks AM/FM receiver.

Con: Volume control on the wrong side for a right handed listener. BFO must be manipulated for sideband rather than a simple USB/LSB control. Movable MW antenna is nice but mine is scratchy during movement. BNC connectors for SW coax requires adaptors unless you already use BNC on your antenna coax. BNC for a hobby type receiver? RF gain appears to be dead through most of its travel. Lots of images in MW band. Stations show up in multiple places on the "Dial".

I'll probably keep it. Would I buy one again? No. I'd spring for the extra bucks and buy the E1.
FM5GB Rating: 2009-09-08
good little radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I brought mine back from Canada a month ago; I've been amazed by the quality at such a good price (299 canadian $).
I've been inactive on ham bands for about 18 years; my last rig was Icom IC 761.And as far I remember it did'nt sound that better but cost ten times as mutch 20 years ago.
The Satellit 750 :
- is rock stable
- is easy to use
- has excellent audio.
- has not a single birdie on the whole coverage
- shows no noticeable spurs or intermods even on crowded broadcast bands with strong signals...
- has some BFO pulling affecting audio on very strong signal (can be corrected using the attenuator)

I'm feeding it with a 2 x 15 metre V-shaped dipôle through 50 ohm coax.

Even the 1KHz tuning step on shortwave is not hard to manage; for sideband receiving just leave the BFO control knob on the 12 o'clock position and tune in a signal (most operators like havin' no fraction of KHz on their transmit frequency), then slightly ajust the BFO if necessary. A breeze!
Tuning in signals on AM-MW is also very nice using the rotatable ferrite rod (even some strong LW stations from Europe can be heard here in the Carribean in the late evening!)
I would like to know the third order IP of this little rig (probably not bad !)Where could this info be available ?

Sure a good buy !

N0CEK Rating: 2009-03-19
S-750 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It amazes me that anyone would give this radio a review of less than 3.

Have had mine for one week now and it performs Very well. Yes if you want to nick pick you can find areas that could be better.

Over all its just what I wanted and expected. It is a good receiver with excellent sensitivity, and selectivity. Audio quality on AM and FM are real good. SSB works great, if yours doesn't work as good as a HAM receiver you have a defective radio.

Controls and features to my mind are adequate. Small rig dictates small control knobs. no problem to me but may put off others.

I keep my radio in the narrow filter setting which seems to have better AGC action on AM signals.

The AM and FM audio quality is very listenable even on music.

I thought this radio was pricey at $300 to $400, anything under $240 seems fair price to me, and that is how I am rating this rig.

Overall I am pleased with my unit, and am glad I got it at a really good price. I will use this rig as bedside table top and camping radio.

I own and compared this radio with a Grundig S-800, 350DL, Sony 7600GR, Sansung 909, GE superradio, and Zenith 3000-1. Using whip antenna only.

KB6HRT Rating: 2009-03-12
GOOD RADIO Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I brought one about 6 weeks ago and tested it about a week, It worked about average for its price range. Compared to the Grundig 800 it is easer to use, I think the Grundig 800 is a better radio overall. Do like the sleep timer on the 750 though an the direction AM antenna. Tone is just average on most stations.......KB6HRT
WINGNUTER Rating: 2009-03-11
Grundig Satellit 750 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Gruding 750
I received my setup March 11 I was able to capitalize on the 220 deal shipped that Amazon is currently having.
I really have to say that when I put this radio side by side together with the Degen 1103 the DE1103 is overall slightly better in regards to AM FM ANS SW freq generation. Slight buzzing on some SW stations 750. I then connected my DE 31 to the extended whip and immediately notice a reduction in the buzzing sound. I was listening to SW 9640 at 31 meters Barcelona playing an Italian team in soccer very good signal today around 2:30pm. Still Degen outperforms. What I noticed is that Depending on what is connected other radio cell phones other external devices, do have a substantial effect on 750 receiver quality.
I have yet to use the aircraft freq this will count towards my final rating on eham.net.
So far I am pleased with the radio for the 200 range. The one great part of this radio is the military look let’s face it. It got the Look. I will post some more results as I spend more time. I am hoping to at least Equal the Performance of my Degen 1103. My primary listening is SW. Today I was also listening to a scientific discussion on why Whales beach themselves. definitely cool! WHAT I DO NOT LIKE IS THAT FACT THAT MY DEGEN CAN CHANGE FREQ EXAMPLE 88.01,02,03,04,05,06…….71,72,73,74,75.
And the 750 goes increments like 106.10, .20, 30, 40, 50.
CAN THIS BE CHANGED?????? On the 750?
I believe this is a big limitation on this one. Especially when trying to fine tune those hard to reach stations.
Any help would be appreciated. Please share you set up with me thanks
Bests,

KB3RPI
WA6PHN Rating: 2009-02-22
This radio is worth considering Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I finally took the plunge and had to find out for myself about this nice looking radio. People complained about SSB reception and the Filters. I was glad I made the decision to purchase this radio as my radio has none of these issues with a serial number in the 1400's! A QSO was going on this morning on 3872.00. I turned on my Yaesu HF rig to verify the this was exactly 3872.00 LSB. To start the comparison against several other radios, I placed the ETON E-1 on 3872.00 and hit LSB and bingo, audio was fine as you would expect it to be. Time for the Sony ICF-2010. Same results, first I hit the USB and audio was weak but audible, hit the correct LSB setting and audio was loud and clear.

OK, now onto the Satellit 750. Placed the radio on 3872, hit USB, BFO set at 1 o'clock position, Normal, and audio was weak but audible, hit LSB and audio was strong and clear. The 750 acted exactly the same as the Sony did .....

This tells me that the 750 has absolutely no issues with SSB reception...

Naturally the operating instructions are not clear on the 1 o'clock position for SSB control. It came from the factory set at 1 o'clock. My Collins 75A-4 has a 1 o'clock position for LSB and a 11 o'clock position for USB, the 750 acts the same way... Since the 750 tunes in 1 KHz steps, you will need to tune the SSB knob at times, but the USB and LSB bandpass circuitry is fine. Yes they should have made the radio tune in 100Hz steps when SSB is on, but that is not the case. The E-1 does tune in 10 Hz steps so it does not need this. The Sony tunes in 100 Hz steps so you can get SSB Close but not exact.. For that reason the 750 is better than the ICF-2010... I used the narrow filter for these test.

OK, now to the issue of the wide filter... After playing with this for about 10 minutes on local AM stations and I mean STARING closely at the S-meter, I would say that the filter has a very slight kick up on the very edges, I mean out at 4 KHz offset. + or - 3 KHz the signal just rolls off, normal operation, as you hit 4 KHz on each end the S-meter might move up a tad, but at 4 KHz you are already loosing signal and reaching the end of the filter. But +- 2 khz the S-meter is flat.. If something is obvious, I do not see it. Tune in a station, S-meter is peaked , tune away either side and the s-meter will fall off as you hit 5 KHz in wide mode. I used the attenuator to keep the s-meter in its mid range.

I am not saying something is not present, but after close examination I see nothing that indicates a problem. I have the Scott and BR sports show on now, 1090, XX1090 San Diego, and have it in wide position for full audio... Sounds great!

OK, all this positive talk, must be something that concerns me, right?? I do have a concern about the battery cover. It does look very delicate, as does the entire radio. This is not a radio to drag off to the beach,,, This is not to say that the battery cover is not strong and one just needs to be careful. The E-1 battery cover has the same concern but so far after many battery changes, the Eton E-1 cover is still fine.

This radio is a fun to use. Keyboard entry is fast and flawless, can't say that about the E-1. E-1 needs to have the decimal pushed, 750 does not... I have not got into the memory or scan functions or timer mode yet.. That should be straightforward...


The Monitoring Times review is way out of line... He made non qualified assumptions with many parts of the evaluation. He was concerned it was only a dual conversion and not a triple conversion and might have issues with strong local signals. Here in San Diego, NOT THE CASE.... Plus with an RF gain and 3 position attenuator, you would never have an issue. With Zero attenuation and full RF gain and tuning around a 75K watt AM station, 690, no issues, and I was able to NULL out with the top antenna 90% of this powerhouse station.. Larry Van Horn has done a great injustice to this radio in Monitoring Times. I was skeptical, but had to just prove to myself, I am glad I took the plunge, this radio is not being packed up for return to Amazon... Now I have to figure out where it is going to go in the house. I honestly think it may replace the Sony ICF-6800W now sitting next to my Sangean WFR-1 WiFi radio.. You just have to love radios that have a real S-meter to use...
BARRYED Rating: 2008-12-28
Very good radio for the price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This radio has good to very good lw,mw and sw reception with just it's internal antennas.The rotatable lw,mw antenna is very handy for dx listening.The air band has weak reception and as a result an external antenna should be used for this band.The display is pleasant to look at with it's orange color when lit and the frequency number is easy to read from a distance. The seperate bass and trebell controls as well as the four inch speaker make this a nice sounding radio.The switchable narrow bandwith works well for dx listening.I would give this radio a four and a half out of five on here if i could.This is a good to very good radio for it's price.