Grundig Globe Traveler G3 AM/FM/Shortwave Radio with Aircraft Band, Single-Side Band, Radio Data System and Synchronous Detector

Tags: Aircraft, AM/FM/Shortwave, Band, Data, Detector, Globe, Grundig, Radio, SingleSide, Synchronous, System, Traveler

5 Responses to “Grundig Globe Traveler G3 AM/FM/Shortwave Radio with Aircraft Band, Single-Side Band, Radio Data System and Synchronous Detector”

1. 
   C. MacGuyer
   on Mar 4th, 2010
   @ 6:13 am: 

   I’m a collector of portable shortwave radios.
   
   For its size, I find the G3 the best you can buy.
   
   The E1XM is the best, but not very portable, and all radios have some issues.
   
   The G3 is sensitive, selective, and sounds very good.
   
   The back lit display is outstanding with with a power blue color.
   
   I also like the G6 for its diminutive size, sound, and generally good reception.
   
   Both these Grundigs can charge rechargeable (NIMH) batteries while onboard.
   
   Another good radio is the Kaito KA1102. All the above radios are SSB capable.
   
   I also like the Sony ICF-SW7600GR but it does not recharge batteries, and its sound needs improvement as does its display. Don’t get too excited about the synchronous detection circuitry as few radios have one that works really well. The E1 however is the exception as it’s designed by R.L.Drake and repaired there also.

   The price of the KA1102 is very reasonable and comes with rechargeable batteries.
   
   If you can erect/build an outside antenna, and serious about SWL, for the price, the E1XM is the one to own. XM radio is also very entertaining for about $15 a month. The Grundig G3 is more expensive than the G6 or KA1102. I like the ergonomics of the controls and the firmware logic of the Grundig more than the Kaito/Degen design. The Grundigs also have a tuning wheel which may be old school, but still adds to the overall functionality of Shortwave Listening.
   Rating: 5 / 5

2. 
   NathanBrazil
   on Mar 4th, 2010
   @ 9:08 am: 

   I am a collector of radios, I have over 200 in my collection starting in the 1920’s to today. Lets deal with complaint number one, the sync is bad, poor would be a better description. This discription will also apply to almost any radio under $1000.00. The SYNC on this radio performs as well as the Sony 7600GR which is not very good either. I personally have found this feature to be of dubious value.

   Now to the good stuff:

   The SSB feature on this radio is the best I have seen on any small portable radio. You can select either USB or LSB and it also allows fine tuning via a tuning knob. A great inprovement over the G6. The aircraft band works very well from my location ( about 10 miles from DFW airport). FM stations come in very well up and down the dial. The local AM stations come in great, even in my office building.To be fair I live and work in Dallas,Tx and there are many AM and FM stations close by.

   The shortwave performance seems very good as well, on a par with My favorite portable radios the Sony 7600GR,ICF-SW100E, Grundig Yachtboy 400, DEGEN 1102 and ATS 909. The radio itself is quite small, smaller than the 7600GR. It feels like it is well made, only time will tell for sure about that. It also has RDS capability. I have not found any stations to test that feature on yet. The radio also has a line in/out connection, this is a bit unusual for a small radio.

   The internal memory store is easy to use. I really like this while using the aircraft band.

   All of my testing has so far been using only the built in whip antenna.
   Rating: 4 / 5

3. 
   Bill Lowe
   on Mar 4th, 2010
   @ 11:51 am: 

   Given to me as a Christmas gift replacing an older, similar-size radio that had died, the G3 has proven very enjoyable so far. Let’s be clear: my main use of it is for shortwave listening. The AM and FM reception I’ve logged so far is average to slightly above average. As someone who worked in broadcasting for nearly 50-years, I don’t spend a lot of time listening to the drivel on those airwaves today. And let’s face it…you can’t expect a radio of this size to sound anything like a much larger set with multiple speakers! So it’s okay for casual AM and FM.

   The real reason you should have something like this is straining those shortwave broadcasts out of the ether and doing so without breaking the bank. In that regard, the Grundig does pretty good, even with its on-board whip antenna. I have augmented that by installing a random length wire up near the ceiling in my small listening room. Connecting it with an alligator clip to the antenna has GREATLY improved reception of shortwave.

   The unit’s SSB feature only works so-so on shortwave but with the external antenna, I seldom need to use it anyway. Don’t know about the aircraft band since I have a hand-held transceiver for that sort of work. And, no, I don’t transmit at random. I have the transceiver because I’m a pilot and carry it as a back up when flying.

   Back to the subject…my biggest gripe about the Grundig is that the jacks and switch on the left side aren’t clearly labeled. Coupled with the fact that the directions contain no diagram pointing out what switch or jack is what, it means you’ve gotta pour through the directions to figure out that left side. Really minor problems, though.

   If you are new to shortwave, make sure you use the Internet or go to a book store and get a guide for shortwave broadcast schedules. That’ll insure that you are listening at the right times and to the right frequencies for broacasts aimed at your part of the world and in your language.

   Bottom line: A more than adequate radio for shortwave listening.
   
   
   Rating: 4 / 5

4. 
   David Borden
   on Mar 4th, 2010
   @ 12:07 pm: 

   I haven’t bought a shortwave radio since the my Icom R71A back in 1986 and the Sony ICF-35 whenever it came out, but I’ve handled many since then. I too am disappointed with the poor performance of the synchronous detector circuit, since that’s why I have been waiting for release of this radio. I do like the velvetized plastic case. I love that unlike the Sony ICF-SW7600GR, it comes with an AC adapter and can internally charge 4 NiMH AA batteries (batteries purchased seperately). I find the sound quality is far superior to the Sony 7600 and the sensitivity is on par or better than the Sony. Another fault is the owner’s manual states “The F1-7 buttons have dual functions when turned on and off, noted on the diagram under the G3’s rear tilt flap.” This did not exist on my radio. I called Etoncorp about this and they said it was a misprint carried over from the Grundig G5 radio – I don’t understand why this is not on the G3 because they are very similar radios. Altogether though, this is a very good radio for the price and size. It’s too bad Etoncorp apparently blew the synchronous detector feature, but if you really consider this a “gotta have” feature, plan on spending upwards of $400 on a larger radio.
   Rating: 3 / 5

5. 
   clyde
   on Mar 4th, 2010
   @ 1:39 pm: 

   I ordered the Grundig G3 because it’s the same radio as one I already own (the Eton E5) with a few new features. I got the Eton E5 as soon as they came out in early 2006, and it has been my main receiver for shortwave listening and mediumwave dxing (searching for distant stations). Synchronous detection was the new feature I cared about the most. For testing, I used alkaline batteries, the telescopic whip antenna for FM and VHF, the internal ferrite bar for AM (mediumwave), and two different wire antennas for SW.

   Pros:

   * In my experience, the G3 provides equivalent sensitivity for shortwave as my E5, and mediumwave sensitivity is slightly improved.
   
   * The G3 has a brighter backlight that more completely illuminates the LCD screen and looks great.
   
   * Memory pages can contain eight-character names; an improvement over the four-character names supported by the E5.
   
   * Audio from the speaker seems to produce more treble than the E5, which helps somewhat with clarity.
   
   * RDS works for 15 FM stations in my area.

   Cons:

   * Synchronous detection provided some benefit for mediumwave signals suffering from adjacent channel interference, but has provided no benefit for any of the shortwave broadcasts I tested with. In fact, activating synchronous detection on weak-to-medium strength shortwave broadcasts caused the radio to mute, emit a loud whining sound, and perform this cycle repeatedly. Sync detection on the G3 is a significantly worse implementation than can be found on the Sony ICF SW7600GR, which costs about the same as G3.
   
   * I found the VHF aircraft band to be useless because line-of-sight reception only allows me to hear planes, not ground-based crews at the international airport 10 miles away. I’d rather use websites that stream air traffic control channels so I can hear the whole conversation.
   
   * My radio has a strong burnt rubber smell that has persisted for weeks. The smell gets on my hands as well when I handle the radio.
   
   * The G3 is noticeably slower to respond to frequency changes than the E5 when entering a frequency via the keypad.
   
   * Sometimes when I press the “3″ on the numeric keypad, the radio interprets it as a “4″.
   
   * Watching a song title and artist scroll by while using RDS is kind of painful due to the fact that only eight characters can be displayed at a time. I’d rather go to a radio station’s website to find out what’s playing.

   Conclusion:
   
   Since synchronous detection does not help with shortwave reception and clarity, this radio is not an upgrade from the Eton E5 which I already own. I decided to return this product.
   Rating: 3 / 5