Home > Consumer Reviews > Grundig G1000A AM/FM Shortwave Radio

This is one of the smallest shortwave radios in the world. It is THE smallest shortwave that I know of that has a digital readout. If you are thinking of buying one let me list the pros and cons:

Size: This really will fit in your pocket. It is a bit larger than an audiocassette in length and width and about an inch and a half deep.
Features: Sleep timer, alarm function, 12 hour (rather than 24 hour) digital clock, adequate back light (works well enough to see in a very dark room), larger digital display than most small radios (you won't need to put on your glasses to tune it), tuning light, FM stereo light comes on when you have headphones plugged in, excellent old transistor radio style fold over cover with holes to let the sound out, a bevel stand. The radio was easy to set up for time and alarms. The instruction manual was easy to understand. There is no adaptor but I can't imagine needing one for a pocket radio. Two batteries should last many weeks of heavy use. There is an on and off switch which is a plus as most radios use the volume dial for on and off.
Pros: Shortwave reception was tested after 7 PM when signals are strongest here in SE Florida. I was able to get all the big interanational broadcasts. BBC came in as clear as a bell as did Canada and Voice of America. I received lots of other broadcasts in various languages on the 19, 31, and 49 bands. I was happy with its SW capabilities. It won't do for chasing down weak signals but I am not into SW enough to bother with those. Please look up frequencies at a good SW internet site in order to find broadcast times and frequencies. If you are new to SW there is a learning curve as SW broadcasts change frequencies and signal strength throughout the day and night. It is a great hobby but a few quick lessons will make your introduction much more rewarding.
AM reception was slightly better than my other portable radios.
FM stereo through headphones was very good.
The speaker itself gives good sound. There are no bass or treble adjustments but the sound sounds equally balanced. The speaker will not fill the room with sound but this is a pocket radio not a desktop.
Cons: The volume dial is on the left side - not the most ergonomic site for right handed folks. The tuning is on the right side. This has a digital readout but an analog tuning dial. I like that as you can tune much more accurately than with analog displays (where you are never sure where you are tuning to). One problem with the G1000A that I bought is that the tuning was "drifty" on SW and AM. This means that I will tune to - say - 97.9 and it would slowly slide off to 97.6 sometimes. I would need to retune the station once in a while. It isn't a big deal and may be a result of being a new radio but it is a small negative.
Altogether, I am very happy with this pocket AM/FM/SW radio. It fits perfectly in my briefcase and I am happy with the performance. 4 stars!

I purchased this radio primarily for shortwave use about a week ago from Radioshack for $50, and it is my first. Other reviews are consistent with its performance in the AM/FM bands - strong and impressive. The shortwave reception is also good, but there are limitations which may or may not reflect the radio itself. It is important to read the introduction on shortwave featured in the instruction booklet, so you know where to start. Here are some other lessons learned.

I just returned from a business trip outside of Boston, where I was unable to tune any shortwave signals from my hotel room on a second floor near a window. I was listening at night and tried all 7 bands. At home, I was only able to tune two stations on SW1, also during a night time period. This was disappointing. However, last night I hit paydirt. I took the radio to a bedroom, on the second floor of our house, and found many stations on several bands. In addition to a number of US stations, I heard stations in Western Europe, Cuba, what I think was a Korean station, and also what sounded like Russian or some Eastern European language. Since our neighborhood consists of closely spaced houses, I guess I should not have been surprised by the poor first-floor performance. Not sure what the problem near Boston was.

I like having the volume dial on one side of the radio, and the tuning dial on the other. That way, as you scan different frequencies, you can adjust the volume as the background noise increases or fades.

One thing I noticed was the digital display displays 0.5 incremental changes in the frequency, but I think it tunes more finely than this. I might hit a .5 mark, tune ever so slightly, and hear something different even though the digital readout does not change. Since it is an analog tuner, I suppose this makes sense.

Unfortunately, I had already grown impatient with the radio before the first positive experience described above. In haste, I decided to get a different radio instead, and just ordered a Kaito KA1103. For those considering several models, I will digress and share the results of a search for a portable SW radio with good sensitivity until $150 (street prices).

Reviews for radios can be found at eham.net under "reviews" and "receivers general" There are select reviews on other sites such as radiointel.com. The top contenders in the $80-$150 category (street prices) are the Sony 7600, Sangean ATS909, Grundig YB400, and Kaito KA1103. The Grundig S350 is also popular, but I saw one at Radioshack and it is quite large. I read every review I could find, and narrowed the choices to the Kaito and Sony based on performance considerations. Then I phoned Universal-radio.com and after talking with a sales person, settled on the Kaito at $90 (they sell both finalist models). The Sony may have a slight edge holding a signal, and is reportedly built like a tank, but the Kaito is significantly cheaper (...). In addition, the Kaito comes with a charger, rechargeable batteries, and an external antenna. The Sony features none of these. Univeral radio told me the charge Sony does offer for extra money is junk, and they sold there own custom built units.

Another radio that made the shortlist is the Kaito KA1101. Several reviewers commented they really liked that model.(...)
I also learned recently there is a book called Passport to World Band Radio and is considered indispensible for learning what SW stations are out there and where and when to find them broadcasting. They also have lots of radio reviews. (...).

Here are some links you might want to check out:

Reviews
http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/8
http://www.radiointel.com/reviews.htm

(...)

If you are strapped for cash, also consider the Grundig FR200 and FR300(...). Both offer AM/FM. The FR200 offers SW1 and SW2 and the FR300 offers Weather bands. The tuners are analog and function well. These are considered 'emergency radios' and as such offer other things. In addition to radio functions, they can be charged using an attached hand crank (or run on AA batteries). The hand crank can charge cells phones (multiple adaptors included). The FR200 has a white LED flash light, red LED flasher, a siren, and also a weather alert. The latter is interesting. You can have the radio silent, but set on the 'alert' setting. If a weather alert is sent by National Weather Service, the radio will beep. Kind of cool. However, we found they issue these alerts 1-2 times a week, in response to what many people would not consider a real emergency (are wind gusts up to 25 mph an emergency?) So, I turn off the alert function unless I know there is the possibility of serious weather conditions.

The G1000A is a good radio if you are looking for size and performance. I have owned at least 5 SW receivers over the years and the G1000A is by far the most compact. You can literally carry it in your shirt pocket.

My wish list would include a sensitivity switch that would lessen the tuners sensitivity. It is sometimes difficult to tune without having to move the adjustment knob ever so carefully. It would also be nice to have a few presets because of the tuning problem.

Although the G1000A covers most of the major SW bands, it does not cover the bands over 49 meters. This is problematic since quite a bit of ham activity is in the 50-90 meter range. Given the fact that it is a pocket radio, it is understandable that there are going to be limitations.

Reception is adequate for the price and size of the radio, although the 1000A is very suceptible to interference. Do not count on pulling anything but the most powerful of the international stations such as BBC, VOA, Radio Deutche Welle, and the like.

Grundigs choice of using AA batteries is a big plus. With the new AA NiMH rechargeables, there is no reason to ever have to buy disposable batteries. More consumer electronic items are now using AAAs, but they have to be replaced often due to their limited capacity.

I would give the G1000A a 3 star rating. It could have been engineered a bit better, but for the cost it is a good value.

The Grundig G1000A is a great little radio. It is as sensitive as the YB300 in shortwave reception. AM performance is good. FM audio on hi-fi headphone sounds as good as my Sony walkman. The G1000A also sound warm and clear with its own speaker, better than the YB300. Since the G1000A only draws 22mA which is half of the current consumption of any PLL radio, the battery will last much longer than PLL radios like the YB300. It is a very small and light radio. The only disadvantage of this radio is the frequency coverage. Although it covers most of the international bands, it is still much narrower than PLL radios.

Certainly one of the smallest digital display radios around. Very handy and very well built for the money. I have the Grundig mini 100pe that is cool but has no clock, so I was looking for something like the G1000. Very simple radio to operate particularly the clock, alarm and sleep functions are all easily figured out without instructions. That's something not possible on my YB400 or ATS909 :). The sound quailty is good for a radio this size, not a bose wave but better than you would think given the size of the miniscule speaker. AM & FM reception are very good, pulling in some of the weaker stations in my area with ease. Shortwave is OK for the big boomer stations and a few weaker ones, but the noise from being only a single conversion circut tends to drown out the really weak signals. Overall I like it, and certainly reccomend it as a great value for the money. If you can afford a more expensive and physically larger radio then get a YB400, ATS909, or a Soney7600gr. But if size conveniance and useability with good performance at a great price count, then buy the G1000.
By the way when I want to shove it in my pocket and go it's great because of the small size. But when I am at my PC like now, I plug it into my little Sony SRS-T33 active speaker system and suddenly I have a mini Bose wave radio + shortwave.