Grundig M300BL Mini300PE Handheld Shortwave Radio (Metallic Blue)
by Eton
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Grundig M300BL Mini300PE Handheld Shortwave Radio (Metallic Blue)
Customer Review: Decent, but has limitations
Summary: 3 Stars
The Grundig Mini 300 PE Shortwave Radio is a really small, compact and nice looking radio but tends to lack in quality when it comes to reception especially SW frequencies. The AM and FM stations work decent if the signal is coming from a powerful station but does not always get great reception from weaker stations or under certain weather conditions. The tuning dial is very sensitive and can be difficult to exactly get the station you want. Obtaining a shortwave radio station can be very frustrating due to the sensitivity of the tuner causing the station to drift in and out. You definitely need to have the antenna out as far as possible to assist with reception.
The radio comes with a clock, alarm, sleep functions, LCD screen, protective case and ear buds. I have found that I tend to only use the clock and protective case. The protective carrying case is very nice and comparable to many cell phone cases. It is important to know that this is an analog radio with a digital frequency display. The LCD screen is nice, but again, it is sometimes difficult to tune into a station. The tuning dial is very sensitive especially to movement. The sound quality is not bad for a small radio. When you get in a station you will be able to clearly hear what is being said with little interference or distortion.
This radio is best used as a back up radio. Weighing in at less than 5 ounces it is small enough and light enough to throw in a Bug Out Bag. I would use this as an emergency back up radio to hear any breaking news from a local AM or FM station when you need to know what is happening in a local or national emergency. Don't maintain high expectations from the shortwave bands. When used for this purpose I think you will generally be satisfied with this radio and it can be a great addition to your kit.
Overall, this is a low priced radio with limitations but serves a purpose. You won't be too disappointed if you know the limitations and have appropriate expectations of the radios capabilities. Keep one in your bag with a set of extra batteries and you should be good to go.
Customer Review: Very Nice Indeed!
Summary: 4 Stars
For the size and price, this radio provides outstanding shortwave reception. I compared it against an old Realistic DX-440 and a Sony ICF-7601, and was able to pull in most of the frequencies that were received on the larger radios with equal clarity and sound quality. The analog tuning knob is firm and tight, but it takes some practice to coordinate your finger movements with the digital readout (which really flies if you have jumpy fingers!). The Mini 300 comes with two generic alkaline batteries, which is always a nice touch in this "batteries not included" marketplace. Plus they throw in a cellphone style, neoprene carrying case that is adequate and functional. The shortwave/FM telescopic antenna comes out about a foot and appears to have excellent sensitivity. The speaker produces a bold sound relative to its size, which is not hollow or shrill like many radios of comparable dimensions, and equally important, it fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. The unit comes with a pair of standard earbud earphones, and the clock/sleeper features make this a very attractive piece of equipment.
Initially, I questioned the performance in the AM mediumwave band. Since most of my radio time is spent DXing distant AM channels, I was concerned that while the stronger stations came in loud and clear, bringing in those distant signals at night "seemed" to be a problem. Not so! Most nights I can pick up stations like WHAS in Louisville, or WBBM in Chicago which is about 800 miles away! It's all a matter of getting a feel for that small tuning knob.
Overall, in my opinion, this is an outstanding radio. If you're looking for something pocket-size that's strong in the seven supplied shortwave bands, as well as great FM and AM signals, this is an excellent choice.
Customer Review: Didn't live up to the hype
Summary: 3 Stars
I've gone through a few radios over the past couple of summers... all I want is to listen to the Cubs game when I'm out and about.
I had recently lost my Sony, which was may favorite. It was the dark grey little digital one with a few presets, and a belt clip. So, upon looking for a replacement, I decided I wanted:
a) Another pocket-sized radio
b) digital tuning, can't beat that
c) This time, I wanted a speaker as well, so I can kick back with it at the park or the beach.
Well, after scouring through the reviews here, the Grundig looked like the best choice. It had great reception, a long extendable antenna, and "digital tuning"
The only problem is... the digital tuning on this device may as well just be analog, cause you still have to slide that wheel up and down... and it won't stay locked on your station. SO, what's the point? To me, digital tuning means two buttons for up and down, and a third button to "hold" or "lock" all the other buttons, so you don't have to worry about accidentally changing stations.
Plus, the power button on my particular model didn't work very well. I had to press it like 5 or 6 different times before it worked.
Anyway... very disappointed. A cheap $10 Sony, or Panasonic pocket radio could accomplish the same thing.
Customer Review: Very nice little radio
Summary: 4 Stars
I just needed a small inexpensive radio with a good stereo headphone jack to listen to at work that had better reception than my iRiver music player and this guy fit the bill perfectly. Amazon carries suprisingly few compact FM radios with digital tuning that aren't garbage. No matter, this is exactly what I needed.
Reception was far better than my music player, even with the antenna unextended, and the battery life is phenomenal. I've had this for a few months, listening to it on average a few hours a week and I am still on my first pair of batteries.
My only complaint with it is as others have noted, that the tuner and volume knobs are hyper-sensitive. The full range between the volume being barely audible to too loud occurs over like an eighth rotation of the knob. And fine tuning stations is a chore because it will go from 101.10 MHz to 101.15 MHz pretty much just from breathing on it (it has 0.05MHz digital tuning resolution). Since the tuning knob is on the side, it gets budged slighly every time you remove it from the included sleeve so you need to re-fine-tune it to receive your station everytime you take it from the sleeve which gets kind of frustrating.
Overall a quality radio with many features that belie its low price. Four stars based on its FM tuner capability alone.
Customer Review: Good in a pinch, but not much else
Summary: 3 Stars
The small analog Grundig M300BL has been described by radio experts as "Cheap and Cheerful" and I fully agree (given that it is available in so many different colors). I call it the AM/FM/SW radio for the masses which is still good if it gets new people interested in this great hobby! Its tuning dial is way way too hard to carefully adjust even with a digital frequency counter readout. Only a very small amount of turning of the dial corresponds on this unit to a great change in the tuned frequency. The tuner dial setting is also easily lost either due to signal fading which is common especially as the temperature changes or when it is inadvertently bumped. Volume levels are great with the small speaker or using earphones as is its battery life, but quality reception is lacking. I quickly returned it. For only a very few dollars more (and at some sites it is even the same price), the KA11 by Kaito is far superior in my opinion since it is an extremely small, but a fully PLL synthesized, digital tuned am/fm/sw receiver, has 1000 presets that can even be loaded automatically, comes with a charger/adapter and gets much better reception without any signal fading. Both units can very easily just be thrown in a bag and taken camping, fishing, etc. or kept around in case of an emergency situation.