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[IRCA] Grundig G8 is a Rebranded Tecsun PL-300WT
Hello All,
In what must be one of the classic advertising gaffes in radio history,
despite the Eton Corporation's Austin Parker insisting in an email to Paul
(_texnote@xxxxxxxxxx (mailto:texnote@xxxxxxxxx) ) that the new Grundig G8 has
no DSP chip, the radio is in fact a clone of the new Tecsun PL-300WT, with
identical circuitry and operation-- including the innovative DSP chip.
Furthermore, despite the bizarre size and weight differences mentioned in the
Amazon and Eton/Grundig promotions, the G8 has exactly the same size and
weight as the PL-300WT, and has identical labeling (except for the Grundig
moniker).
Since Amazon.com is selling the Grundig G8 at $50 with free shipping, DXers
considering a purchase of this innovative model can save the $25 shipping
cost of a PL-300WT by ordering the G8 directly from Amazon, and receive the
black-colored G8 (with a rubberized finish, unlike the PL-300WT) within
about 5 days. Both user reports on Amazon are full of praise for the G8,
presumably because neither user is aware that both AM and FM bands benefit
tremendously from the superb DSP chip, from Silicon Labs.
My G8 arrived from Amazon after a delay of 5 days, and had very good AM
performance out-of-the-box. In comparison with an aligned PL-300WT, there was
no observed AM sensitivity difference on either high or low band-- but of
course that didn't stop me from aligning the loopstick. As received, the
loopstick coil was pinned up against the left plastic bracket (as in all
PL-300WT's so far), but in the case of the G8, this was indeed the exact coil
position to maximize AM sensitivity. There appeared to be much less wax
securing the coil to the ferrite bar (as compared to the PL-300WT), which made
the alignment go much faster than in the PL-300WT marathons. Although my
particular G8 was the first of these models to be received with the AM
loopstick coil exactly matched to the DSP varactor for peak AM sensitivity, it
remains to be seen whether this was just a lucky occurrence, or whether G8
models in general avoid the AM sensitivity variations of the PL-300WT.
The G8 owner's manual is perhaps the only drawback of ordering this
low-cost alternative. Instructions are very basic, and there is no table of
specifications. G8 owners would be much better off downloading the PL-300WT
owner manuals posted on the Ultralightdx Yahoo site by Steve Ratzlaff or Mike
Schuster, rather than relying on Grundig's brief English-French-Spanish
booklet.
In summary, the Grundig G8's availability for a shipped price of $50 is a
tremendous value for AM DXers, providing DSP-enhanced selectivity
unprecedented in Ultralight radios. The opportunity of avoiding the slow, expensive
shipping from China is a bonus.
73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA)
**************Dell Days of Deals! June 15-24 - A New Deal Everyday!
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ad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B215692145%3B38015538%3Bh)
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