Eton Mini AM/FM/Shortwave Radio, 2 Pack Price: $44.99 Shipping Options:: $5 Standard Shipping Estimates: Ships in 3-5 business days (Thursday, Nov 16 to Tuesday, Nov 21) + transit Condition: New
I grew up with shortwave radio, and I still have three or four that I listen to - including the the first SWR that I received as a kid decades ago, now repaired many times over - but it’s getting harder to find stations nowadays what with the internet and “social” media and all. Radio Moscow is kaput. The BBC World Service no longer broadcasts to North America. Passport to World Band Radio ceased publication several years ago. QSL cards are a thing of the past. It’s sad…
From Eton spec sheet:
“Batteries die frequently - As with any battery powered device
the batteries will eventually become discharged. Different use
cases will cause the batteries to drain faster such as listening to
music at high volume or using the display’s backlight at its full
brightness for extended periods of time. We advise our
customers to set the display at the lowest brightness to prolong
the life of the batteries. To do this, press the HOUR/DISPLAY
button while the radio is off to set the display brightness. This
will set the brightness of the clock while the radio is on but not
in use.”
When I was Coast Guard Commsta Honolulu (call sign NMO), I was the QSL clerk. Use to get QSL requests all the time. Our card had a pic of a Hawaiian sitting on the beach with ear phones on, hand key and a xmitter outside a grass hut.
But on the other side, I have a grundig satellite 750 that I use a lot in the summer. Sit out on my deck and copy code (wife thinks I’m insane) and listen in on voice transmissions. I’ve been playing with SDR setups to copy weax facsimile transmissions off satellites and HF range. When the bar got lowered and CW was pretty much dropped from the requirements just to get in the door, that was (imo) the demise of amateur radio. Now, people just want to buy a cheap handheld and use repeaters. Yep, sad, but it can be a costly hobby if you want to transmit. If you just want to listen, SDR is the way to go.
These radios are “ok” but not something I would buy and expect to tune in the world. They don’t even have weather bands so for emergency use, they are not top choice. Just a thought.
They seem to be using “AM” and “FM” to refer to the MF AM and VHF FM broadcast bands. What modes will this work with? J3E supressed-carrier single sideband would be nice.
This model doesn’t have it. Though not listed as an option, it will scan. It’s a “hidden” features not in the manual but documented in various YouTube reviews.