| N2QZY |
Rating:     |
2003-03-11 | |
| Excellent for a portable |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
this is my second review of my YB 400PE ,after having it for a week and useing it quite a bit.this little radio has quite a bit going for it.all tests were with the ac adaptor and useing the built in whip.on the FM band the yb400pe performend very very well, not a bit of overloading or bleed thru.THE MW BAND, during the daytime i heard what was there from local up to75 miles away.NIGHT TIME,no problems what so ever,audio is very good to excellent.SW BAND,this is where it really shines,excellent sensitivity,very good image rejection,and selectivity for a portable radio.i don't hear any circuit noise from the display or the radio it self.when you use the key pad to enter a frequency with in 3 seconds you'll hear a little blurp,its the phase lock loop circuit kicking in thats why ther radio has good stability rock solid.i haven't used the reel antenna or ear buds that come with it, but for get about 75feet and longer for a antenna it will over load just like any other radio including the not so mighty 2010.i'm changing my rating to 4.9,my only con is the display i wished it was bigger.grundig tells me this model may be replaced next year.my swl club {www.angelfire.com/mo/mvswlc.html }ya all have good day.god bless
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Earlier 4-star review posted by N2QZY on 2003-03-06
I just bought my YB400PE,from radio shack,so far i just love the radio,from reading the reviews on this site,perhaps there were some defective radios.Shit happens,now to my radio,the sound is surperb for its size. senitivety and selectivety,are in line with its class,useing just the whip,i hear very well ,here in herkimer,ny.my only bitch is the display i wish the numbers were bigger and a better light.a note on the sony 2010 may you for ever rest in piece.it was junk. |
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| JLL711 |
Rating:  |
2003-03-01 | |
| Radio Yackkkk |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have owned other shortwave recievers to include the Grundig 700 and a Panasonic 2200. I went to Radio Shack and decided to buy the 400 for portability. When I took the 400 home and set it up, the legendary Grundig sound was not there. In fact it could not pick up my favorite A.M. talk station. All I heard was static! After years of listening to the wonderful sound coming from my Grundig 700, this "door stop" was a total let down. When I returned it to Radio Shack, what jerks. Customer statisfaction is not their best strengths. I finally convinced them that I was serious and that I wanted my money back. This will be the last time I buy anything at Radio Shack. |
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| WB8CAC |
Rating:      |
2003-02-28 | |
| Everyone should get one! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Some of the earlier reviews say some not overly flattering things about this receiver. Yes, there are things about it that might be better, but it's not a $4000 desktop radio. You can now get them for around $100 many places, and at that price, you just gotta get one.
After 35 years as a ham, and nearly 40 as an SWL, I've played with a bunch of receivers. This one makes a fantastic general purpose portable rig. For casual Listening to some of the higher to medium strength broadcasters, it gives relaxing armchair copy of news and other programing from around the world.
Tonight I used mine to monitor a SSB net on 75 meters that I didn't have time to go to the shack and check in to. Even using the stock telescoping antenna, I got reasonable copy on most of the stations from around the state.
True, the SSB tuning is not the easiest due to the tuning steps and fine tuning control, but it's usable(and don't forget inexpensive)
If you're working on your code speed for an upgrade, you can listen to the W1AW practice sessions easily from many location without an external antenna. Otherwise there are always plenty of CW stations to listen to on your lunch break using this little beauty.
The manual is great, the audio is, while not going to impress a stereo freak, for the most part very acceptable.
Using an external antenna REALLY makes it fun to operate, even though very strong signals tend to overload it a bit.
Bottom line: Fun, Cheap, get one.
Bob WB8CAC
http://www.qsl.net/wb8cac |
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| N2DY |
Rating:      |
2003-02-24 | |
| Great for the Price |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| My YB 400 has been all over the world. It is easy to fit in the smallest briefcase. Sensitivity is excellent for a radio of this caliber, even on the built in whip. I have used mine on SSB to listen to amateur stations on various bands and it works well. It's not an Icom 756PROII or a Drake R8B but it can hold its own with other portable SW receivers. It's not quite up to the Sony 2010 (which I have owned) but it is cheaper and quite a bit smaller, a big plus these days while traveling. The reviewer who received nothing but noise must have received a defective unit. Comparing it to the Sony should have yielded minor differences. I would recommend the YB 400 to anyone who needs a small well-featured receiver. |
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| K8NWX |
Rating:      |
2003-02-24 | |
| Wonderful Receiver |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
After reading the last review, I just had to say that they should probably blame Radio Shack for giving them a dud radio (I've never gotten anything but junk from Radio Shack). I bought a new Grundig YB400 PE on the internet for $112 plus shipping. It has been fantastic. With the whip alone, I could pick up over 50 DX stations while sitting in my living room, plenty of U.S. AM stations, and lots of ham CW and SSB. I never had a single complaint. Hook up the included external antenna, and it will reach even further (although I don't know how much further you want to go than Asia).
And of course you aren't going to get much with the Local / Distance switch in the local position. It's an attenuator switch. You only use it for "local" stations (hence the clever name).
Just a superb radio, and worth twice what you would pay for it. |
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| LISTENER |
Rating:  |
2003-02-24 | |
| Platinum colored junk |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Purchased this item from a local RadioShack dealer. All I could pick up was noise. I compared it to a Sony 2010, and the Sony did not have the noise problem and brought the signals in stong and clear. The Yachtboy 400 is great if you like to listen to noise!!! When I turned the Local/Distance switch to Local, it made the receiver deaf!!! You have to be sitting next to the transmitter in order to pick anything up!! Back to RadioShack this item went!! I think 2 cups and string would pick up more than this unit!!!! |
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| KD5UWG |
Rating:     |
2003-02-23 | |
| just wish it had squelch |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
i just wish it had a squelch control so that i didnt have to listen to the white noise in between transmissions on the ham bands any one know of a squelch circut i can build for it
kd5uwg
calvin rhoads
bat2888@aol.com |
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| TOMMYT |
Rating:    |
2003-02-23 | |
| Returned 400 |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have owned a Grundig 700 for 10 years and decided to buy a smaller unit, more portable. I went to Radio Shack and bought the 400. I guess that I was used to the 700's sound, but the sound from the 400 is ok--but that's all. Nice instructions--especiallly compared to the 700's manuals. Overall, I returned the 400 and will look for something else. |
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| ROGUE |
Rating:     |
2003-02-20 | |
| This Sucker Takes a Beating |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have been an owner of this radio now for over 4 years. I have taken it to 23 countries at last count, and this sucker runs top notch! I literally lay it out in the humid jungles, sandy beaches, bouncing train benches, hoods of moving jeeps (Fell-Off Twice in 4 Years), left in blazing Arizona 127 Degree (F)Sun, Norway's Snow, Thailands Jungles, St. Thomas water splashed boat decks, etc. You get the picture...
and she is now getting a bit tattered and tired...here in Arizona it costs about $135.00 or less...and I think I'll put this old gal to rest and (After i remove all of the sand and grit out of her innerds), get me a new one!
The only draw back is she burns through the "AA" batteries a bit too quickly, and they sometimes get a bit pricey out in the middle of no-where!
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| K8OSU |
Rating:      |
2002-12-16 | |
| Great for programs, weak for anyting else |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
For what I use my shortwave receivers for, which is international broadcast listening, the Grundig YB 400PE is a great radio. While not the most sensitive radio in its price class, it does well, and can make even weak stations listenable. It has excellent audio quality, and the selection of the wide and narrow filters were good. It lacks a sync detector found on the similarly-priced Sony 7600GR, but that is not a major issue, since the narrow filter setting seems to reduce a lot of the adjacent channel interference. Overall, it's a very listenable radio.
If you are interested in getting a radio for ham or utility monitoring, though, look elsewhere. This is not a radio that I would recommend getting if you want to listen to SSB. The Yacht Boy's performance on sideband is not very good, and I've found it almost impossible to make it listenable. I would recommend the Sangean AST-909/RS DX-398 if you're looking for a receiver with good sideband capability.
Quality control is an issue, and I've heard that some of the YB 400PEs are deaf right out of the box. And while quality control seems to have improved considerably over the past few years (my recently produced unit seems a lot sturdier than older ones), it still could be improved. If you buy one, I'd suggest purchasing one on a returnable basis so as to reduce hassles if you get a defective unit. Another good option, which may save you some money, too, is buy a reconditioned radio. I bought a recon from Universal Radio, and I've been quite happy with its performance. |
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