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Re: Tecsun DR-920 (aka Grundig G1100/Eton E1100) Cheap on Ebay
Hi
Huelbe,
Well, that is
disappointing. It sounds like Eton/Grundig is going backwards, if they are just
rebadging a year and a half old radio.
However, perhaps
the sensitivity is just a matter of inaccurate out-of-the-box alignment, and can
be fixed by following some basic steps such as Gary DeBock has described.
Even many of the popular SRF-59 radios have not been well aligned from the
factory.
Hopefully the
selectivity can be remedied with a replacement filter, although it may be more
effort than it is worth, on such an inexpensive radio.
BTW, the auction
number I listed at first was wrong. The correct Ebay auction item number to
check is: 370045350485. Or, you can just search for all auctions by
"Trinityforevertrading".
73,
Guy
Atkins
Puyallup, WA
USA
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CORRECTION: RE: Tecsun DR-920 (aka Grundig G1100/Eton E1100) Cheap on Ebay
Sorry...I gave the
wrong auction number. The correction one is:
370045350485
Guy
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Re: Tecsun DR-920 (aka Grundig G1100/Eton E1100) Cheap on Ebay
huelbe_garcia@...
Hello Guy, friends.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
When you said "DR-920" I immediatelly thought, "oh no!" I have checked the site: DR-920 is physically the same G1100 receiver from Grundig/Eton site. An search though Internet came a few pics of E1100, identical to G1100. About DR-920 I bought one about 1.5 years ago and now it's my dad's radio :). It's full analog, has a frequency meter and clock. It's not PLL/DDS. Its sensitivity is weak to poor, but its selectivity is horrible! You can listen a strong station as far as 30 khz away from its nominal frequency. Still, it's a nice gift for your dad who listens only to local hard-news stations :) So, assuming DR-920 = G1100 = E1100 (and I am confident they are the same receiver), I don't think they are a replacement for E100. Huelbe. Brazil
----- Original Message -----
From: "Guy Atkins" <dx@...> To: <ultralightdx@...> Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 1:23 AM Subject: [ultralightdx] Tecsun DR-920 (aka Grundig G1100/Eton E1100) Cheap on Ebay For those interested, the E100's replacement, the E1100, is available in a Tecsun-badged version from Ebay seller "Trinityforevertrading". The price is $12.99 with $13.00 shipping from Hong Kong. Check out auction #250238926506 for an example of one of this seller's auctions for the DR-920. The auction says this model is the same as the Grundig G1100, which is the same thing as the new Eton E1100. The seller says "we have a lot in stock". The price certainly is low enough to be painless, in case this model turns out to be a dog! Perhaps we ULers will get lucky and find this to be a nice model. I wasn't aware that an ultralight is defined as less that 20 cubic inches in mass, and with a single bandwidth, until John Bryant pointed it out recently. This Tecsun/Eton/Grundig model fits both requirements with a 15.19" cubic inches measurement, and a single bandwidth. 73, Guy Atkins Puyallup, WA USA www.perseus-sdr.blogspot.com ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links
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Tecsun DR-920 (aka Grundig G1100/Eton E1100) Cheap on Ebay
For those interested, the E100's replacement, the E1100, is available
in a Tecsun-badged version from Ebay seller "Trinityforevertrading". The price is $12.99 with $13.00 shipping from Hong Kong. Check out auction #250238926506 for an example of one of this seller's auctions for the DR-920. The auction says this model is the same as the Grundig G1100, which is the same thing as the new Eton E1100. The seller says "we have a lot in stock". The price certainly is low enough to be painless, in case this model turns out to be a dog! Perhaps we ULers will get lucky and find this to be a nice model. I wasn't aware that an ultralight is defined as less that 20 cubic inches in mass, and with a single bandwidth, until John Bryant pointed it out recently. This Tecsun/Eton/Grundig model fits both requirements with a 15.19" cubic inches measurement, and a single bandwidth. 73, Guy Atkins Puyallup, WA USA www.perseus-sdr.blogspot.com
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Re: New Eton E100 Article Posted
Dennis Gibson <wb6tnb@...>
Its big brother the E10 is excellent. At times Fry's has sold refurbs
on their web site for $29.99. That's where I got mine. It has a few almost indistinguishable scratches on the display. The IF shift feature is really clever and makes it more like dual conversion but it is single conversion. At full price ($130.00) I don't think it's a good value because for $20.00 more you can get an Eton/Grundig E5/G5, which has SSB. The E10 does not. --- In ultralightdx@..., "John H. Bryant" <bjohnorcas@...> wrote: (pre-production version)
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Re: Eton E100 "Equivalent"
John H. Bryant <bjohnorcas@...>
Brett,
I'm the wrong person to ask.... Gary and the Technical Committee (Gil, Kevin S., Joe) are the ones that rule on such. The E100- was actuaqlly just a cubic inch over the 20 cu./in. general size limit and has neither a switchable pre-amp nor switchable IF filters, either of which would tend to rule out a candidate radio.... So, the E100 is likely fairly unique. The among things that have been on the market for a while. The new E1100 hasn't ben tested or evaluated for inclusion in list of Ultralights. It doesn't have direct 10-pushbutton frequency entry, but may be quite similar, otherwise. I hope so. It retails for just $60 as opposed to the $100 pricetag for the E100. At 01:30 PM 4/26/2008 -0400, you wrote: John,
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Laredo log
lrdheat
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
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Re: New Eton E100 Article Posted
Brett Saylor <bds2@...>
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New Eton E100 Article Posted
John H. Bryant <bjohnorcas@...>
Gary DeBock and I have combined our efforts and produced an illustrated article that covers both disassembly and alignment of the Eton E100. Its replaced my recent disassembly-only article on the first page of the Ultralight files area of dxer.ca.
I should also mention that an E100 just went for $46.00 Friday night on ebay (to one of us, I hope) and there are several others available on the auction site, too. If I remember, they start at a slightly higher price, but still at a real discount from suggested retail price. This wonderful little radio has been discontinued by Eton, so if you think that you would like to have one, NOW IS THE TIME John B. + Flocka Ultralights Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA Rcvrs: WiNRADiO 313e, Eton e1, NRD-535(kiwa-mods) Antennas: 700' NE/SW mini-Bev, Wellbrook Phased Array (pre-production version)
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Re: Laredo log
John H. Bryant <bjohnorcas@...>
Richard,
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Great going with the SRF-59. The KCBS logging at 1500 miles with KTRH Houston and KRMG, Tulsa as QRM is particularly fine. I imagine that Tulsa protects Houston and vice versa, so Tulsa might not have been much of a problem, but I bet that Houston was. Keep up he good work. John B.
At 07:26 PM 4/25/2008 -0700, you wrote:
On my SRF-59:
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Laredo log
lrdheat
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
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April 20 Grayland, WA Ultralight DXpedition
Hello Guys,
Thanks to all who have commented on the
unidentified 531-DU station heard on the SRF-T615 last Sunday at Grayland,
Washington. Actually, for a one-night DXpedition this late in the season,
the total results on the stock Sony SRF-T615 were much better than
expected.
Checking into Room 10 of the Grayland Motel around
10:00PM, it was quickly apparent that this small room in the center of the
building was far from an ideal DX location. Loud TV heterodynes covered
the band, and QRM from wild weekend parties covered the audio frequencies.
Serious consideration was given to taking some radios and a flashlight to the
beach, prior to sunrise. Attempts were made to get some rest before 3 AM
(1000 UTC), but whenever sleep was near, the QRM from Rooms 9 and 11 suddenly
increased in intensity. Right up until 1200 UTC, the TP carriers (in
between the TV heterodynes) were very anemic. 738-Tahiti was nowhere near
audio level. It seemed like the trip would be a lesson in
humility.
Suddenly around 3:15 AM (1015),
everything seemed to change. Rooms 9 and 11 suddenly went
quiet, with no more TV heterodynes (or loud AF QRM). The
Japanese powerhouses (594, 693, 747, 774 and 828) suddenly boomed in like
locals, with the Koreans (972 and 1566) following them. Just before
sunrise, VOA-1575 in Thailand made an appearance. Despite the shaky start,
the logbook was filling up with stock SRF-T615 TP receptions, and various mp3
recordings were made. It turned out to be a very exciting and
successful Dxpedition, even if the 531-DU station didn't ID,
during the 5 minutes the SRF-T615 received it.
The final Ultralight TP log, all on the stock
SRF-T615 was
:
531 UNID Looping DU direction, fair audio (repeated songs
with no breaks), heard at 1308, gone by 1315
594 JAPAN Tokyo JOAK strong Japanese talk 1245
693 JAPAN Tokyo JOAB fair with NHK program 1220
747 JAPAN Sapporo JOIB fair with Japanese talk in KXL-750 slop, 1122
774 JAPAN Akita JOUB extremely strong with Japanese talk and TIS
signal, 1200
828 JAPAN Osaka JOBB weak audio at 1050, strong NHK program at
1215
972 S. KOREA Dangjin HLCA fading in shortly after the Japanese with
Korean conversation, 1236
1566 S. KOREA Jeju HLAZ good signal with FEBC Japanese-language
program, 1239 (mp3 recorded)
1575 THAILAND Ban Rasom VOA briefly fading in with Asian language
program around sunrise, 1246
Two ICF-2010's were used as "spotting receivers,"
one a stock unit, and one having a 19.5" transplanted loopstick. The
"monster 2010" was responsible for catching the DU opening at 1303 (with weak
audio on both 531 and 612), when the stock unit had only weak
carriers.
73, Gary DeBock
.
. Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos.
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Re: E100 may be On The Way OUT!
Dennis Gibson <wb6tnb@...>
Fry's isn't selling any E10's on their web site. I really didn't need
another radio but last November when they were selling them for $29.99 on their web site I couldn't resist. After that they raised the price to $39.90, still a great deal. It was a refurb but not advertised as such. That really didn't bother me; mine has a few very minor scratches. I didn't think I'd ever buy a single conversion radio but the very clever IF shift really works. I have a local on 1490 (one mile away) and it moves the image from 580 (listenable station there) to 590 (no signal there). Images of really strong SW stations are very weak; definitely unexpected in a single conversion radio. SW reception is excellent off the whip and it handles an indoor wire with no problems. The wide filter is too wide but it makes for great fidelity on strong stations. A couple of oddities. What's with the antenna trim? Why is it needed? Also the 1100mah AA NiMh (no, that's not a misprint) batteries. They were .70 VDC upon arrival and the radio wouldn't charge them. There are quite a few postings on Eton/Grundig Yahoo Groups from people who had the same experience. I charged them outside the radio the first time around and they've been fine ever since. This might seem like an unfair comparison but I put it up against my Kaito KA1103. The Kaito is a little more sensitive but the E10 is pretty damn close. I don't think the E10 is worth full price, which is $130.00. For another $20.00 the Eton E5/Grundig G5 are supposedly as good as the KA1103 (almost identical circuitry and both are built by Degen/Kaito) and have SSB reception (the E10 doesn't). The E10 has exceeded my expectations. The build quality is excellent. I think it will replace the KA1103 as my travel radio. 73 --- In ultralightdx@..., "Guy Atkins" <dx@...> wrote: of good things going for it. The radio has TWO bandwidths, including a verystores (I don't know if they are available on the Fry's Web site for that price).
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Re: E100 may be On The Way OUT!
John H. Bryant <bjohnorcas@...>
Guy,
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Thanks for the Heads UP on the refurb E10 at Frye's for $30. That is a great price for a nice radio. Unfortunately both the selectable filtering and the size rule it out of the Ultralight category, as you suggest. The E100 was really a slightly modified Tecsun PL-200, so Eton was really at the mercy of Tecsun (a giant Chinese electronics mfg.) as to when to discontinue the E100. I just found this morning that the E1100 $60 replacement radio is also a dressed up Tecsun. Both have about the same case as the E100, but without numeric keypad entry. The E1100 may well be an excellent Ultralight... and the E100 was one of the few with direct numerical entry, so maybe all is not lost... if the E1100 measures up. Time will tell. John B.
At 07:58 AM 4/23/2008 -0700, you wrote: Don't forget the similar, but larger E10 model, which is a hot performer also. It's size perhaps takes it out of UL status, yet it has a lot of good things going for it. The radio has TWO bandwidths, including a very effective narrow filter (actually there are two narrow filters to choose from in addition to wide...one is 455 kHz IF, so it's a candidate for a mods). Factory refurbs of the E10 are selling for $29.99 at Fry's stores (I don't know if they are available on the Fry's Web site for that price).
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Re: E100 may be On The Way OUT!
Don't forget the
similar, but larger E10 model, which is a hot performer also. It's size perhaps
takes it out of UL status, yet it has a lot of good things going for it.
The radio has TWO bandwidths, including a very effective narrow filter
(actually there are two narrow filters to choose from in addition to wide...one
is 455 kHz IF, so it's a candidate for a mods). Factory refurbs of the E10 are
selling for $29.99 at Fry's stores (I don't know if they are available on the
Fry's Web site for that price).
73,
Guy
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Re: Get yourself an SRF-59 (or a spare) for $9.99!!!
Dennis Gibson <wb6tnb@...>
Very interesting. This radio has been out for quite some time. Some
refurbs are units there's nothing wrong with; the customer didn't like it but it can't be sold as new. Other refurbs were returned because there was a problem. Refurbs are supposedly brought up to factory spec. Richard Berler wrote: There is a store in downtown Laredo, TX selling refurbished 59s...my small sample suggests that the refurbished units are not brought up to intended specs...i tried a nearly deaf unit in the store, and took another unit. It is of average sensitivity (clearly could still benefit from an alignment), and has a scratchy sounding tuning thumbwheel. I'm guessing that the "refurbished" 59's are not getting a thorough check out.
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Re: E100 may be On The Way OUT!
Hello Guys,
This was very surprising news, but it now seems a
reality. The E100 was the best digital Ultralight I've ever tested for
selectivity, and its sensitivity (after full alignment, which always improves
the low band greatly on those models with a movable loopstick coil) is
superior to any other Ultralight on the high band, and just a shade lower than
the SRF-T615 on the low band.
If you have interest in this model, it's
recommended that you act quickly to nail one down, even at the price of $80 to
$100. They are fully worth it, and the Ultralight enthusiasts may not
see another such full-featured pocket radio for a long time to come.
It's a shame they are being discontinued, as I
personally had plans to hot-rod this model with super loopsticks, as an ideal
digital DX platform. It also has a 455 kHz IF, which makes it suitable for
conventional IF filter selectivity modifications. Along with the highly
competitive SRF-T615, its value as an Ultralight DXpedition portable is
unsurpassed. So if you would like one of these exceptional units, it's
time to search around.
73, Gary Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos.
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E100 may be On The Way OUT!
John H. Bryant <bjohnorcas@...>
Like Gary,
I can't decide just which radio I'd take with me on a DXpedition if I could only take one.... I love my T615.... However, as an all-around radio that I use to DX and to set on my desk to listen to.... and prop by the bed at times, the E100 wins hands down. I love that radio. After Dennis mentioned having trouble finding one locally in Washington, I wondered once again at the great deal that Gary and Robb got on those two units that they bought ($27!) Now why would a good company be selling a $100 radio for $27? I went on line to buy mine about 6 weeks ago and didn't find that $27.00 deal, but I saw several outlets had them for $39.00. I got one of those... still, a great deal for a $100 radio. With Dennis looking for one and me about to recommend an E100 (has SW, too) to friend Kirk Allen, I decided to look on line. A lot of things have changed in 6 weeks since I last looked. I could Google only one $39.00 deal and that was at Overstock.com.... when I went there, it was marked "temporarily out of stock." Yeah, right. There were very few places left that had E100 at any price.... and showed them in stock. There were a couple of places, ebay stores and Amazon stores that seemed to have them at about $65 to $75. I did notice that two were being auctioned on ebay... one had a "Buy It Now" button for $49.95 for a NIB unit. I bought it.... I really wanted one totally stock unit and, as I say, I love this radio. Anyway, I went to the Eton corporate site and they showed the E100 in their gallery of Past Models!!! They show a $60 E1100 now in the Line that looks exactly like the E100, with the numerical entry pad removed and few to no memories, apparently. It did show four outlets where you could buy the E100... J&R, Universal SW, National Geographic and some sports/outdoor store. I went to two of them and they were "Temporarily Out of Stock." Universal seemed to still have them for $100, but I wonder. So, if you want to join the ranks of the E100 owners, it looks like you better get busy John B. Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA Rcvrs: WiNRADiO 313e, Eton e1, NRD-535(kiwa-mods) Antennas: 700' NE/SW mini-Bev, Wellbrook Phased Array (pre-production version)
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Adding an External Antenna to an Ultralight.
John H. Bryant <bjohnorcas@...>
I've now "successfully" added an external antenna port to the SRF-39FP, my DT-200VX and my E100. In each case, the units seem to work marvelously well with the external antenna, but each also seems to have picked up a bit of some sort of distortion when the receiver is used without the external antenna plugged in.... The audio seems muddy/dirty and I'm not certain that the sensitivity matches stock, either...... yet everything is better than good with the external antenna hooked up.
My goal was a means of attaching an external antenna that would: 1. Give me full effect of whatever external antenna was attached 2. Suppress or bypass all of the RF crud that is normally flying around in the shack when I DX... computers, TVs, digital read-outs, etc. 3. Let the radio operate normally when an external antenna was not in use 4. Either did not modify the radio at all or was easily reversible If I had to give up one of those goals, it would be #3.... I don't mind having these radios as specialist DX machines, but I'd rather not. The new distortion seems worst on the E100, though at least a bit of weirdness is apparent in all three models. As I thought about this, it also occurred to me that I'd not adequately tested the Gil Stacy approach of using a coupling coil on a tuned ferrite boosted bar (see his article at dxer.ca.) I've got a 12" x .75" version of the Booster Bar and I think that I'll put together a small one like Gil's and attach pick-up coils and BNC connectors on both. That would then give me five different things to test. I think that I'll delay my testing until I get out to the NW where I can test their performance in a strong RF environment (my house near Vancouver, BC) and at Grayland. So, the "Rest of the Story" will be done sometime in early June. In the mean time, I'd love to hear from anyone else who has tackled this problem. John B. Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA Rcvrs: WiNRADiO 313e, Eton e1, NRD-535(kiwa-mods) Antennas: 700' NE/SW mini-Bev, Wellbrook Phased Array (pre-production version)
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Disassembly of E100
John H. Bryant <bjohnorcas@...>
I've posted the illustrated disassembly instructions for the E100 that I promised on the second page of our Ultralight Files on dxer.ca and put a copy on our files for this e-group, too. I think that you'll find them very helpful (iffin you have an E100) , as a couple of the moves are counter-intuitive.
John B.
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