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Grundig Mini 300-- Mini AM Performance
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Hello Guys,
The Grundig Mini 300 is one of the Ultralight
radios to be reviewed in the upcoming 2009 Shootout, and is an analog AM-FM
radio with 7 shortwave bands, using a somewhat erratic digital readout system.
It retails for around $35 in the USA.
Prompted by a request on the dxer.ca forum for a
Mini 300 alignment procedure, I went ahead and performed one early, peaking
the loopstick and 1400 kHz trimmer (in the dubious hope of improving upon AM
performance that was absolutely abysmal). The alignment made a marginal
difference in the unit's high-band sensitivity, but this model is obviously not
designed for any type of AM-DXing, and there's no way to cure a total
turkey by giving it a minor tweak.
Shortwave listeners may be attracted to this
unit because of the 7 bands and compact size, but AM-DXers should save their
money, and avoid this model. It puts the thrill back into receiving your
locals. Further details (and denigrations) are upcoming in the Shootout.
73, Gary
DeBock Stay up to date on the latest news - from sports scores to stocks and so much more.
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Hi John,
Well, you may be right about hearing Pyongyang-657
on an E100 Slider in Maine :>) , but sometimes even I wonder about the
"ethics" of making Ultralight radios ultra-competitive. The latest E100
hotrods certainly make it easy to clean up on transoceanic DX, but
that probably isn't the main interest of the Ultralight enthusiast
group, who properly concentrate on using "basic" receivers. I will accept
100% of the blame for this vanity trip.
Anyway, you don't need to worry about using your
hard-earned money, to purchase multiple pocket radio lemons (to pioneer an new
class of Ultralight Turkey DXing). I already use my $$ to purchase these
Turkeys periodically for Shootouts, and would be thrilled to ship the entire
Turkey Farm to you, postage paid. I would even give you a money-back
guarantee, that if you are not completely disgusted with the performance of
any Turkey, I will cheerfully pay the postage for you to return it to me.
73, Gary
In a message dated 2/2/2009 7:08:31 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
jcereghin@... writes:
Stay up to date on the latest news - from sports scores to stocks and so much more.
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John Cereghin <jcereghin@...>
Gary, you just gave me an inspiration for a new UL DXing sub-section- Turkey Farm UL DXing. Anyone can pull in North Korea from Maine on an E-100 with a slider (ho hum!) but can I pull in a 50kw blowtorch at 100 miles at night with a UL off the turkey farm? THAT would be impressive- hi!
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But I don't want to waste my hard-earned money pioneering this, tho. John Cereghin Smyrna DE
On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 12:37 AM, <D1028Gary@...> wrote:
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John Cereghin <jcereghin@...>
Gary,
I actually played with a mini-300 a year or so ago at a local Radio Shack, but fortunately, I had the good sense to put it back on the shelf. Now I am a complete technical n00b and I don't know which end of a soldering iron to hold, but even I could figure out it was a turkey when I saw I could dial the entire AM band in a half-turn on the tuning dial. Gobble gobble. But it would be interesting to see which UL is the All Time Worst. :evilgrin: John Cereghin Smyrna DE --- In ultralightdx@yahoogroups.com, D1028Gary@... wrote: Slider in Maine :>) , but sometimes even I wonder about the "ethics" of makingcertainly make it easy to clean up on transoceanic DX, but that probably isn't themain interest of the Ultralight enthusiast group, who properly concentrate onusing "basic" receivers. I will accept 100% of the blame for this vanity trip.money, to purchase multiple pocket radio lemons (to pioneer an new class ofUltralight Turkey DXing). I already use my $$ to purchase these Turkeysperiodically for Shootouts, and would be thrilled to ship the entire Turkey Farm toyou, postage paid. I would even give you a money-back guarantee, thatif you are not completely disgusted with the performance of any Turkey, I willcheerfully pay the postage for you to return it to me.sub-section- Turkey Farm UL DXing. Anyone can pull in North Korea from Maine on anE-100 with a slider (ho hum!) but can I pull in a 50kw blowtorch at 100 miles atnight with a UL off the turkey farm? THAT would be impressive- hi!bands and compact size, but AM-DXers should save their money, and avoid thismodel. It puts the thrill back into receiving your locals. Further details(and denigrations) are upcoming in the Shootout.and so much more_ (http://aol.com/?ncid=emlcntaolcom00000022) .scores to stocks and so much more. (http://aol.com?ncid=emlcntaolcom00000022)
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Claudio Leite
The Mini 300 is indeed dreadful on MW but surprisingly got me one
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station I couldn't receive on any other portable, a Cuban on 1380 with Radio Rebelde. It came in in well one night and nothing else picked it up. The awful, slippery dial may be its worst feature, though it is of some use while scanning the SW bands. I've also been using it to test MW box loops since it's the only radio I have that truly goes from nil to a strong station. * John Cereghin (jcereghin@gmail.com) wrote:
Gary,
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Hello Andy,
After a full disassembly and alignment of my
Grundig Mini 300 (procedure details available on request), I am convinced that
there's no way to make this Turkey perform well on AM. Tecsun apparently
tried to copy the SRF-59 series analog design for the AM section (if you take
off the back panel, the circuit board looks almost exactly like an SRF-59
board), but lacking Sony's CXA1129N IC chip, the result was a miserable
failure. Peaking the loopstick coil on 600 kHz helped a little, and
peaking the 1400 kHz trimmer on the tuner assembly also made a slight
difference, but collectively they just made an awful AM radio a little less
awful. Even after alignment, the Mini 300 still can't receive any of the
fringe test stations used for Shootouts here, and the jittery digital readout is
pretty much of a joke. The tuning "resolution" down to the half kilohertz
level is profoundly amusing, considering that the radio's sensitivity and
selectivity are really hopeless for serious DX .
Shortwave listeners might find this model
acceptable as a cheap, stripped-down travel radio, but AM-DXers who are serious
about DX should seriously consider something else, in my opinion. This is
a classic AM Turkey, possibly the worst AM performer in Tecsun's
entire lineup.
73, Gary DeBock
In a message dated 2/3/2009 8:33:12 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
jamminpower@... writes:
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wpe2bsw <dkucij@...>
I like the idea of a "turkey" category. I picked up a China Orange Eton Mini 300 at the LLBean
outlet store for $20. a couple of years ago. I've had more than the equivalent of 20 bucks worth of fun playing around with it. Sometimes I find stations on my R-75, then go see if I can dig them out on the Mini 300. And in last fall's Ultralight Follies contest, I didn't do too badly with it either. I heard around 80 stations with out spending time looking for locals. It may not be a DX machine, but it can provide the unexpected catch that makes DXing fun. Nick WPE2BSW/1 Vermont
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James A. \(Andy\) Moorer
Just FYI folks, these units seem to have some QC
problems that may be causing some of the issues people are seeing. I have
several of these (for dubious reasons). I can line them up side-by-side and tune
in the same station. About 1 in 3 of them will bring it in loud and clear. About
1 other in 3 will hardly get it at all. Go figure. Other units (like the e100 or
the SRF-59) are hardly different in performance from one to the next,
but the Grundig Mini 300s have a lot of variability. I have one of
them that out-of-the-box will not even operate properly - you put the batteries
in and the radio comes on but the LCD is blank - and the power button does
nothing. Everybody should call up and complain.
----- Original Message -----
From: wpe2bsw
To: ultralightdx@...
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 9:07
AM
Subject: [ultralightdx] Re: Grundig Mini
300-- Mini AM Performance
I like the idea of a "turkey" category. I picked up a China Orange Eton Mini 300 at the LLBean outlet store for $20. a couple of years ago. I've had more than the equivalent of 20 bucks worth of fun playing around with it. Sometimes I find stations on my R-75, then go see if I can dig them out on the Mini 300. And in last fall's Ultralight Follies contest, I didn't do too badly with it either. I heard around 80 stations with out spending time looking for locals. It may not be a DX machine, but it can provide the unexpected catch that makes DXing fun. Nick WPE2BSW/1 Vermont
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