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Reviews For: Grundig Yachtboy 400

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Grundig Yachtboy 400
Reviews: 67MSRP: 199
Description:
100 Khz - 30 Mhx portable receiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.grundig.com/produkte/highlights.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00673.9
N4MJG Rating: 2023-11-13
updat as of nove 2023 great radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
UPDATE as of nov 203


when i brought it use from our local hamfest i brought it fot 45.00 i find not bad but does not tune the band but works fine only 4 band fm mw lw sw when got i heard 160 meter cw is like wow i hear cw lol no wonder i heard cw on 160 meter band ! a keeper for sure !

73
Jackie




BACK IN 2017 I BOUGHT THIS LITTLE WAVE RADIO SOMETHING TO TAKE WITH ME ON CAMPING TRIP !

DUE TO MY HEALTH PROBLEM THAT DON'T STOP FROM LISTENING TO THIS RADIO IT PICK UP 160 METER FIRST TIME I EVER HEARD 160 METER I NEVER WOULD THOUGHT NEVER PICK UP 160 METER BEFORE I REALLY ENJOYED LISTEN TO THIS RADIO AS LONG I HAD


73
Jackie
N4MJG







I brought this march 11,2017 find this radio black radio for $45 at local ham fest !

I have always wanted one for awhile to take with me at the inn or camping out ! or if power goes out at home.

takes little get use to it and to understanding the radio ! I also pick up morse code which is great !!

I see the radio been out since 94 not bad for this radio it's a keeper for me !!

73
Jackie
N4MJG
Been Hamming since 2001
KC9EE Rating: 2017-12-09
Very capable portable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I'm actually on my third YB400. First two succumbed to hard drops on concrete by other people.....long story. These receivers were great company to me for many years while I travelled out of town during the week. I have also taken them with me to the Caribbean and Florida while on vacation. Coolest experience with my YB400 was while in Aruba I was monitoring an Aruba station working the CQWPX CW contest and actually heard my station back in Illinois work him which I was controlling remotely via TeamViewer and Pignology K3ui. I still regularly drag it out onto the patio while I'm grilling dinner. My Grandfather got me interested in SWLing. I think he would have been very fond of this receiver.
KC0EKQ Rating: 2017-02-16
It works just fine Time Owned: more than 12 months.
One of my very first 'modern', contemporary manufactured SW receivers, purchased waaaay back in the early '90s, this little guy worked and works just fine for its price point, and even more so for its much lower resale prices.

It was the first receiver I used with a dedicated SSB mode and though it was touchy, I was able to use it pretty well very quickly, and I don't recall it getting too drifty most of the time. Certainly, having long since used much better and pricier receivers, I now consider the YB400's SSB to be worse than mediocre, but not worse than its average used price would promise.

FM sounded nice for such a little radio, and MW/SW AM signals were clear and mostly crisp and intelligible, no worse than on most portables of its size and retail point. In fact it sounded better than the Tecsun 600 I had for a while (which certainly had better SSB but was still not great).

It's not a powerhouse performer, it's not even a decent DX machine, but it's just fine for SW b'cast listening, AM/FM bands and if you don't mind twiddling with a little finesse and patience, amateur SSB can be enjoyed to some extent, too.

Certainly performs well for its current price range.
N4YX Rating: 2012-10-20
Three Thumbs Up Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had three of these including a silver PE for many years and they work great. Bought 'em all used for very little $. Performance to price ratio is high. Now they aren't meant to compete with high priced pro-grade receivers so one must adjust his/her expectations accordingly.
KB0LPI Rating: 2010-02-18
OK Choice if SSB not required Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This review is for the almost identical G4000A.
I also own an E5,7600GR, and KA1103, so this review will focus on where the G4000A falls short or exceeds these models.

Pros:
*Sensitivity/Selectivity on SW/BCB/FM matches or exceeds the previously mentioned models.
*Sound from the built in speaker is richer and fuller.
*Has a non-radio (beep) alarm with snooze
*Push button frequency step control. (7600GR also has additional buttons for same function.)
*Memory system is easy to set and use. (but only 40 presets.)
*Volume control feels smooth and is easy to set anywhere from silent to loud.

Cons:
*SSB
*SSB
*Did I mention SSB? CW was a warbled mess, and SSB voice took forever to tune in a signal that was easy on the other radios, to only halfway intelligible on the G4000A. For an SSB radio I'd rate it 1/5 if I was being generous.
* Overall Control quality. The buttons and switches feel sloppy and cheap compared to the other radios. They work, but don't inspire confidence.
* requires 6 rather than 4 batteries.

So... Buy this radio if you are looking for BCB/SW unit to put on your nightstand with a beep alarm, and use a few memories.

Do not buy this radio if you want to monitor SSB/CW ham transmissions, if you plan to operate mainly on batteries, or have hundreds of presets.



N0IKD Rating: 2010-01-08
Bought mine in 1994 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I guess I'd give my YB400 a 5 just because I've been using it almost daily for 15 years and it has served me well. Whether at home, in a motel room or in a tent while camping I've listened to the bands nearly every night. It absolutly isn't the best receiver I own but it is the most versatile and I can always find something to listen to on it. I bet I'm still listening to it 15 years from now too!
K0KZO Rating: 2010-01-02
Good general use portable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned mine for seven years. This radio has very good sounding audio. Not particularly good for surfing the bands because of the push button tuning and it's annoying to tune with headphones on. But for casual BCB on SW/AM/FM it's a good radio. Headphone L/R channels aren't balanced in my set until the volume is turned up high then it's too loud, so I have a little in-line volume control to compensate for it. Overall a good general use portable radio.

Doug NG0K
PINESTUMPSAVAGE Rating: 2010-01-02
Very Nice Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my Yachtboy 400 since 2003; bought refurbished from Universal Radio for $99.00.

I have used this radio at home and camping, with internal and external antennas, on MW, FM and SW bands; this radio has been great. It performs well beyond the expectations of a $99.00 radio. It's actually built in a manner that makes portability easy and safe for the radio. The earbuds, external antenna and carrying case included with the radio made the purchase even better.

The radio is great in every aspect with only a few exceptions. The audio is terrible with the built-in speaker. I use an external speaker with the headphone jack and it sounds much better. I am not too fond of the battery level monitor that shuts the radio off when it thinks the batteries are low.

Other than those two things the radio is a keeper even at full MSRP.
WA1UFO Rating: 2009-07-19
I like this little beast! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been a swl for 53 years and have owned many radios from 1926 models to present. I got my YB400pe 3 years ago and really enjoy it. Paid 149 at Radio Shack and it's worth every penny.Remember, it's not a 2 grand tabletop! I would never consider Degens or Kaitos because of a huge gap in coverage. This radio looks great and construction quality is good but not great. Refurbished units can be had for about 99 yankee dollars. Get one--you will like it.
K8AND Rating: 2009-03-29
Get One while they are still in good shape Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hello All,
I have used several portable radios in it's class and must say although the Grundig 400 is discontinued you can still find them on Ebay for
reasonable prices. I have used the KAITO 1103,SONY 7600GR and now have the G4000A which is
just like the 400PE but with a leather case.
I liked the KAITO but it had a VERY SENSITIVE front end and NON CONTINUOUS tuning across the entire spectrum of the shortwave bands. Although the Kaito 1103 charges
it's batteries inside the unit it takes at least 12 hours and while charging the charger/adaptor
introduces a nice "BUZZ" all over the bands.
The Sony 7600GR is nice but doesn't come with an AC power adaptor,no Signal strength meter and not as good sound from it's speaker. Is it really worth the Sync detection to sacrifice those?
For those who like to use a portable SW radio with AA batteries just go to your local Best Buy
and buy those Energizer rechargable batteries that come with a charger. They charge in 15 minutes in this charger unlike the 12 hours in the Kaito. I will list the Pros and Cons of the YB 400 as I see them..

PROS-
1.EXCELLENT sound from it's built in Speaker
2.Good reception across all the bands
3.Simple tuning and no band switching needed when tuning across the entire SW spectrum like the Kaito 1103
4.SIMPLE memory operation(No goofy pages to use)
5.Memory Tuning,Direct Entry,and auto tuning built in
6.Radio when new comes with manual,real antenna,and power adaptor.
7.Signal Strength Meter
8.Two times
9.Sleep timer
10.Good SSB reception,just takes a little patience
11.unlike the KAITO 1103 this guy has a DEDICATED volume knob,the Kaito you had to hit a button and then adjust the volume! Even with the New G5(I have not had) apparently does NOT have a volume knob,you have to adjust the volume with buttons!
12.well layed out keypad
13.Alarm clock to wake up to radio
14.Good location of the "LIGHT" and "Snooze"
button.
15.EXCELLENT SENSITIVITY
16.EXCELLENT SELECTIVITY



CONS:
1.a little large for a portable these days
2.No Sync detection
3.No Dedicated LSB/USB like the SONY 7600GR
4.No Tuning Knob.
5.Display light won't "stay on" but bright enough to see what your tuning in the dark. Light will stay on for 10 seconds and go off. If you tune the radio while the light is on by letting go of a button and then pressing the same button you originally pressed or another one in the ten second window the light will stay on.However if you are HOLDING DOWN a button while the light is on the light will go off in 10 seconds so if you want to have the light stay on you have to let go of the button and push it again in the 10 second window for it to stay on OR tap the light on button.



Don't let the poor reviews fool you. I consider this radio to be a favorite of mine and for me it's a little better then the SONY 7600GR

I liked the Sony but if you want to jog through more then 10 memories you have to change pages,the sound is FAIR at best from it's built in speaker and no signal strength meter.
It is a good radio though but I think you get more bang for the buck with a used Grundig 400.