Grundig G6 Aviator Buzz Aldrin Edition AM/FM, Aircraft band and Shortwave Radio, Black

What a pleasant surprise is this "little" radio. I found the Grundig G6 when I was looking for a small radio that that would provide quality reception and could pack easily and go along on trips. When I first saw the G6, I was skeptical that it could receive much, but I decided I would take it home and give it a try. The store manager where I purchased it said I could return it up to thirty days after purchase if I was not satisfied.

At home I have been using the larger pricier Eton E1 and Sony ICF-SW55 radios for much of my shortwave listening. Both of these radios have many customizable features. Both are very sensitive and selective providing clear reception of a multitude of worldband programs.

Once I got the G6 home, it immediately exceeded my expectations. The actual listening performance of this small unit rivals my other radios. In a side by side comparison, I can pull in world band programs nearly equally well. The customizable features on the G6 are fewer than on the bigger rigs, but the options given are completely adequate (ie a audio hi/lo tone switch instead of variable treble & base dials; a 24 hour clock format instead of a choice of 12/24 hour formats, etc.), and the reception on this radio is loud and clear. As you would expect, the audio fidelity from the small speaker in the G6 does not match my larger radios, but when using headphones, I can scarcely tell the difference. The owner's manual for the G6 is short and to the point for each operation and function.

It is exactly what I was hoping to find. I am keeping it.

Moreover, I am so pleased with the G6, I have just ordered one for my grandson. Because of its simplicity and solid performance, it will be a great introduction to worldband radio for him. He will likely enjoy listening to lots of clear international broadcasts without the "interest killing" hissing, crackling and fading so common in competing units at this price point.

The one I got is defective and I have to return. The Shortwave does not work at all and it can not save any FM frequency.

I really enjoy my little radio. It is indeed high quality: sound, construction and looks. I fully agree with the other reviewers although I would not have given it a one out of five. That was too harsh but on target with the words.
If the manufacturer wants to sell an aircraft and SW radio and does NOT include the antenna in the price, you must question the manufacturer's integrity. I know the antennae are in the $25 price range but is it reasonable to sell an AM/FM radio for $99 and subsequent to the sale tell you that you will need to buy another accessory?
Please keep in mind that I like my radio and previous and subsequent comments are intended for my actual feelings about the product.
The size is too big unless the antenna is included. It is too big to fit in a shirt or jacket pocket. It is too heavy to use in the same places. The carrying case has been made for the radio only and not to hold the earbuds or SW antenna.
Retool the carrying case to accept the earbuds and antenna with an included antenna (with instructions). Retool the unit itself to permit easier carrying. Then call it G-8 (Olympocs edition) and go for it.

For $100, I didn't expect much from this radio and figured it would simply be an experiment at purchasing a Chinese-made product that appeared to have some decent design/operating qualities. When I received it, I was initially impressed but was quickly irritated regardless of any good qualities it may exhibit.

The good: Tiny and ultra portable. Carrying case, AC adapter, carrying strap included for an ultra-low $100. Plenty of information on the dial including signal and battery strength, frequency, time, band, and other settings. Quite complete in terms of useful information. Several tuning options including the two-speed slewing dial. Radio lock, light, antenna jack, stereo, etc. There's a lot here in a little package. Also, the FM, AM and SW performance is quite good for a tiny radio. It picked up all the stations I expected to find and they came in well with little to no drift. I was easily adding presets for all my favorites such as Radio Australia, Radio Netherlands, etc. All in all, a surprisingly good performer well worth the $100.

The bad: Unfortunately, the only reason to buy the G6 is to also get the AIR band which is not included on the similar G5 although the G5 is another $50 more. While this should be *good* it ends up being *bad* because, while the AIR band does indeed receive AIR traffic fairly well, it also produces FM bleed-through at many points along the full AIR band range. Slewing through to see what's out there only frustrates you as you continue to pick up FM along the dial. Some stations come through quite clearly and are easily identified. Even AIR frequencies that are constantly receiving AIR traffic but also pick up the FM bleed-through are a chore to listen to because, as the AIR traffic broadcasts and temporarily mutes the FM, as soon as the AIR is done transmitting, the FM picks up again. Completely useless unless the frequency you want is not near the FM bleed-through locations.

I should have shipped this directly back to Amazon as a defective product but instead contacted Eton and they authorized a return. They said the radio was indeed defective and sent a replacement. Much to my surprise, the replacement had the same flaw. So I am out the $100 to Amazon and $8 in shipping the first one back to Eton and am left with a radio that was SPECIFICALLY bought because it had an AIR band that fails to work correctly on that very AIR band. I have contacted Eton again to tell them the replacement is as faulty as the original but that I was not going to pay to ship it back again for a replacement. I am awaiting a reply.

Regardless of the other good features and performance which would earn it 4 or 5 stars, this one only gets 1 for the good but loses everything else due to performing so poorly on the one feature that is its main selling point.

If you want this one for the AIR band, forget about it. If you want it for the AM, SW, and FM and do not intend to use the AIR band, then you may be happy with the product. Otherwise, you might be better off with a G5 even though it costs more.

UPDATE: Here's the official reply from Eton regarding the second poorly functioning unit:

"As the G6 is designed, it picks up most airband traffic. That is certainly true in our area where it picks up traffic from the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose airports. Yes, there are some images, but their interference is minimal.

The G6's airband circuitry is working as well as it can. To eliminate these images would take circuitry that is far more expensive than can be incorporated into a radio of this type, driving the price up too dramatically for the unit to sell. At $100, this unit is a bargain. If you need a radio with no images, a high quality scanner must be used. High quality scanners utilize triple conversion circuitry in air band, thus eliminating images."

So this essentially admits there's a designed-in flaw that prevents the AIR band from performing properly or at least as it should and it's covered under the "what do you expect for $100" excuse.

Kudos to Eton for making at least one attempt at satisfying their customer but anti-kudos for hiding under the cover of low-cost and not attempting to make things right.

Though I found the instructions reasonably clear the actual operation of the radio can seem somewhat complex, a problem familiarity will remedy. Also, due to its compact size I found its speaker to be a bit small but capable of excellent sound reproduction non-the-less. Other than those small difficulties I have found the radio itself to be everything I had wanted in this portable a package including AM,FM,SW and aircraft bands along with 99 available programmable station settings and 3 programmable alarms for travel or shared wake-up times. I am more than pleased with my purchase and appreciate the quality of construction and attention to detail.