Grundig G8 Traveller II question

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Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby kal » Mon May 08, 2017 9:53 pm

I have a G8 that I use every day. I listen to it through earphones.

Yesterday an unusual issue cropped up. The volume through the earphones peaks at level 5, which is just audible. Any level higher than this does not change the output volume. The volume control works fine without the earphone plugged in.

However, to add another oddity, on FM, the same issue exists, although for a couple of stations, one being 101.1, the volume levels work fine with the earphone.

I've tried different and new earphones. The problem is not with the earphone but with the G8 itself.

I wonder if anyone has a suggestion?

BTW, I've tried the pin reset but I've not tried a reset where you leave the batteries out for a number of hours.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby tuned » Tue May 09, 2017 11:39 am

The jack for the earphone has probably gone bad somehow would be my guess.
But I'm sure there are some real engineers here that might have a better answer.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby jon » Tue May 09, 2017 1:28 pm

I remember talk, 20 or more years ago, of limiting the audio levels to headphone jacks to protect the ears of Minors.

Given Germany's, and now Europe's (EU), strong focus on consumer protection of all kinds, I could see this being a regulatory thing.

I was not aware, however, of any products that actually implemented such Limiting.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby kal » Tue May 09, 2017 1:48 pm

And I'm not saying it is in this radio. Besides, I have used it daily for many years.

Having said this, the G8 is no longer available. Anyone care to offer a replacement suggestion. It must have a sleep timer (e.g. plays 30 minutes, then shuts down).
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby jon » Tue May 09, 2017 4:13 pm

Two features of the G8 that will help make the best decision: do you want Short Wave and Portability (i.e. - battery-operated)?

If you don't need either, I strongly recommend the Sangean HDR-18, as it remains the only radio I've ever owned that operates in an area not far from several 50KW AM transmitters without those stations showing up on frequencies other than their own. Images is the term most commonly used in DX circles. As stated on radiojayallen.com, the HDR-18:
...fully realizing the potential of what DSP can offer without digital artifacts which marred so many earlier (and some current) DSP radios’ AM reception.

I'm a little wary of the HDR-16 as a portable alternative because of Jay Allen's comment about its much shorter internal AM antenna reducing the sensitivity.

Other than that, I've been impressed with C. Crane radios, but have had a lot of trouble with them in an area with lots of local 50KW AM transmitters.

The radiojayallen.com site really is a good place to start for the same class of radios as the G8. Only important thing to note is that he lists many radios that are no longer being manufactured.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby kal » Tue May 09, 2017 5:05 pm

Basically I want the same form factor as the G8. I've already ruled out its successor, the Eton III, as it apparently eats through batteries in short order.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby jon » Wed May 10, 2017 9:15 am

If you don't need Shortwave, but do want the same form factor, I think you'll love the Sangean HDR-16. Not as wide, but the same size otherwise.

Big two for me are the AC Adaptor does not cause any amount of RF noise if kept at least 12" from the radio, so you may want to use it instead of batteries sometimes. And the AM reception in urban areas is head and shoulders above anything either Radiofan or I've ever seen (other than the related Sangean radios) below the $500 mark, especially the Image Rejection (locals coming in on other frequencies). FM is great, too.

As an added bonus, it does HD well on AM and FM.

I don't normally DX with two receivers in the room, but when I recently got the two Cuban stations on 530 KHz, reportedly only 10KW and 5KW, I found the HDR-18 better to listen on than the CCRadio-2E, which gets top marks from Jay Allen on radiojayallen.com. To date, I've never found a situation where the CCRadio-2E was better on AM than the HDR-18.

The HDR-16 uses the same technology receiver.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby kal » Wed May 10, 2017 10:28 am

Thanks for all the input here. And a special thanks for pointing me to the radiojayallen.com web site. Just wonderful. And the owner is very helpful.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby Louis » Wed May 10, 2017 4:34 pm

I purchased the Sangean WR-2 a few years back which is in the same family as the HDR-18. My experience with AM radio reception hasn't been very good with the built-in antenna. I only receive the local 50KW stations on the unit regardless if it's day or night. The unit is in a corner with south and east facing windows and the AC adapter is far away from the unit. I don't receive any electrical noise on the frequencies, but I'm just not receiving any stations except for 1130, 980, 650, 550, 1040, 1410, 730, and a few ethnic stations. Even KVRI is barely audible. FM reception requires an external antenna to pick-up anything beyond the strongest nearby stations. The sound quality of this radio is amazing on AM and FM, and I love the vintage appearance and form factor. But I didn't find reception to be one of it's strongest attributes.

After reading several reviews, I recently purchased the CC Radio 2E from C. Crane and couldn't be happier. This handy radio pulls in a lot of AM stations including CFAX 1070, ESPN 710, 770, 930, 790, KPUG during the day and KGO 810 and many other stations at night. I have to rotate the radio a bit to find perfect reception sometimes but it's definitely better than the WR-2. FM reception is really good too as I receive most of the Victoria stations and even some from Seattle with the antenna fully extended. The radio even picks up a weather station from Environment Canada and NOAA and apparently utilizes the built-in alert feature for severe weather bulletins. It also has a VHF band, but I've heard nothing on it. One of my friends said I should be able to receive air traffic control, ham radio, and logging trucks but I've heard absolutely nothing. It's still a good radio and I highly recommend it if reception is important.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby kal » Wed May 10, 2017 7:09 pm

Am I missing something about the Sangean HDR-16? Jon above says it's the same form factor as is the G8. I see it described as 45 cm wide. That's half a metre. The G8 is on the order of 15 cm.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby jon » Wed May 10, 2017 7:17 pm

kal wrote:Am I missing something about the Sangean HDR-16? Jon above says it's the same form factor as is the G8. I see it described as 45 cm wide. That's half a metre. The G8 is on the order of 15 cm.

The Sangean site at http://www.sangean.com/products/product ... =196&cid=3 lists the HDR-16 in mm (divide by 10 for cm) as 260x136x63. Elsewhere I saw the G8 as (cm) 25x13.5x8.7.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby jon » Wed May 10, 2017 7:19 pm

Louis wrote:I purchased the Sangean WR-2 a few years back which is in the same family as the HDR-18.

Not sure if your particular unit is defective, or if the HDR-18 is a whole new generation of DSP receiver since the WR-2 -- the HDR-18 just came out last August -- but radiofan and I found the HDR-18 makes the AM band come to life most nights, even in fairly noisy (RFI) locations. As I said, I've heard 10KW and 5KW stations from Cuba here in Edmonton on 530. WBZ from Boston, XEB from Mexico City and about a hundred other interesting DX catches. Admittedly, I don't use it much in the day.

For best results, though, I find you have to wait several seconds on a given frequency before the DSP locks in on a signal. And it is important to rotate the radio for best signal, especially if RFI is a problem.

As I said, I have a CCRadio-2E and the HDR-18 always performs better on AM. Although the daytime was the most telling. 1180 was KOFI from Kalispell, Montana, on the HDR-18, all alone, though weak. No sign of KOFI on the CCRadio-2E, just a mix of two local stations.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby Louis » Wed May 10, 2017 8:30 pm

It's possible that I do have a defective unit. I've read a lot of good feedback on the HDR-18 and I've had really good experiences with Sangean products. I'll definitely keep this model in mind if I upgrade to HD Radio. Currently, the stations around here are using their HD sub channels to rebroadcast AM signals so it's not a compelling upgrade yet.

I do like the portability of the 2E so I can take it on camping trips. I'll try some of the DX catches that you recommended. If i catch anything on the VHF band, that will be cool too.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby kal » Thu May 11, 2017 10:59 am

Dimensions:

HDR-16: 42 cm
G8/Traveler III: 13.5 cm.

Definitely the Sangean is more than 3x as big as the Grundig/Eton unit.
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Re: Grundig G8 Traveller II question

Postby jon » Thu May 11, 2017 12:14 pm

Looks like my G8 information was completely incorrect. So, I have now gone to the Eton site and got the correct info.

My apologies for the mixup, as the other site showed the two radios as the same size, with the HDR-16 quite a bit thinner.

From the official sites, here is a comparison of dimensions, in mm:

Width: G8 is 136 mm; HDR-16 is 260 mm
Height: G8 is 87 mm; HDR-16 is 136 mm
Depth: G8 is 26 mm; HDR-16 is 63 mm

Sources:
G8 - http://www.etoncorp.com/en/productdispl ... raveler-ii
HDR-16 - Dimensions at bottom of page (in mm and inches) http://www.sangean.com/products/product ... =196&cid=3


Although it only earns a one and a half star rating on radiojayallen.com, I have been quite impressed with the CCRadio Skywave from an AM DXer point of view. Especially given the Ultralight Movement within DX circles that takes a radio of that size, opens it up, removes the internal antenna and wires in an external antenna. The CCRadio Skywave then gives amazing results in prime DX locations like the Oregon Coast cliffs. Personally, I did some DX with it here in Edmonton, with the internal antenna about a year ago, and was fairly happy with it.

In inches, here is a comparison of size:

Width: G8 is 5.3"; Skywave is 4.75"
Height: G8 is 3.4"; Skywave is 3"
Depth: G8 is 1"; Skywave is 1.1"
ref. - http://www.ccrane.com/Radios/CC-Skywave ... avel-Radio

The Skywave uses 2 AA batteries but also supports an optional (i.e. - not included) USB power source to save the batteries. AC adaptors for USB are easy to find and cheap, especially on eBay. But be sure to read the warnings in https://radiojayallen.com/c-crane-cc-skywave-radio/ which suggests ponying up the cash to buy the CCrane AC Adaptor as it is known to be quiet, from an RFI perspective.
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