TRRS

After years of looking for a Grundig 800 radio, yesterday I finally found one in near mint good for a super price.
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Remember, I am no expert so take everything you see with that in mind.
Thanks for watching.

[@papakrampus3062]

As a follow-up to those viewing this vid since its posting 8 years ago, and it's hard to fathom that 8 years can pass so quickly, wondering if Tom ever secured his OEM Grundig 9 volt DC AC power adapter, well he did because I was able to get ahold of one and sent it his way. Keep up the great work Tom. Live long and prosper!

[@hamrad88]

Thank you very much and have a great day.

[@alphabeets]

Yep, that’s the key. Those lightweight power supplies use switching instead of a transformer. The switching radiates a LOT of RF noise. Don’t use them. Use only LINEAR type power supplies with radios.

[@user-pl5dq1kf6z]

I have never had difficulty finding a good and suitable adapter. I picked one up at a thrift store for $3.00

[@migi5374]

That is what ALL S meters should look like, large clear & white background & possibly backlit. Wanting an S 2000. So for a crunch more I can get this. It has airband ! Congratulations 🎊

[@Greg-et2dp]

Tom's radio room show your utube videos are awesome my friend

[@OxfordShortwaveLog]

Thanks for sharing. What a great (and very imposing!) radio. 73s, Clint

[@hamrad88]

+Oxford Shortwave Log It's not the greatest receiver but it is very unique.

[@hdofu]

I still remember the first time I laid eyes on the model I passport to world band radios... and then a few years ago finally procuring one....its such a beast for a portable being bigger then many tabletop units, and yet it still looks classy today

[@hamrad88]

I looking for one for years and finally found a super deal on this one locally. Very happy with it.

[@ricktemmen6272]

Just caught this video. What a cool story. I have a Realistic DX-440 made by Sangean and it takes 6 D cells as well. I always use the 9 volt AC adapter. Those batteries would make it weigh a ton lol. Thanks for the video. 😎👍📻

[@nyte_owlshortwavelistening9793]

A super nice portable. Great audio too. Congrats on finding it, 73 john

[@hamrad88]

+nyte_owl shortwave listening Thanks, John.

[@kissingbanditt]

congrats on your new radio...its gorgeous...thumbs up!!!!!

[@hamrad88]

+Theo T Thank you. It is very unique and I have missed getting 3 of them in the past because I was to slow to react or could not justify the cost.

[@elzebub007]

Had one of these and loved it, was condensing my collection and sold it, very sorry I did, it was a very good performer. Nice pick up!

[@hamrad88]

+elzebub007 I have done that before. my old R1000 comes to mind. I loaned it to a friend and he died and I could not recover it.

[@tommybewick]

Looking forward to hearing you tune the bands on this beauty in the future, nice find 📻👍

[@hamrad88]

+Tom k2bew Plan to do some testing videos soon.

[@tristanjohn2626]

Instablaster...

[@1fanger]

Hey, Tom, good haul, there, on the 800! Radio Shack used to make a universal power supply for DC use, It had a switch on it to change the voltage, don`t quote me on that, (I don`t have mine anymore), and the end of the power cord had 4 different sized plug ends on it. That unit was a BIG one, probably 3 inches square.

[@hamrad88]

+1fanger I have some like that but mine are from China and are poor quality. I have a ton of laptop supplies and thinking about converting one but I have to be extremely careful.

[@KB2CWN]

Excellent Tom....Good luck with it!

[@hamrad88]

+KB2CWN Thank you.

[@NSNorfolk]

Great radio! Its essentially a Drake SW-8 in different cabinet.

[@JROrg2009]

+NSNorfolk Actually, it's not. The basic IDEAS and features are very similar, but the circuitry is an association of two superb Drake engineers, Grundig involvement and Tecsun had the contract for assembly. Most who have both or have tested will say that the Drake SW-8 and post 2003-2004 Sat 800's are similar performers.

[@MikeNHOC]

Congrats on your "new" radio Tom! It looks pretty awesome!

[@hamrad88]

+Mike Notarnicola Thank you and thanks for stopping by. Tom

[@Greg-et2dp]

Tom's radio room show I learn lot from you about bying quality shortwave receivers and antenna for shortwave receivers and what to lisn to on shortwave and ssb

[@reeltoreelrules]

always wanted one of these, but could never afford one. I just got a vintage Zenith B600 Trans Oceanic radio. needs the dial string replaced, but plays and works well. I love it

[@hamrad88]

Thanks for your comments.

[@ezl7052]

Nice find Tom and it also took me a year to find one of these on Ebay. The radio has been running almost 24/7 off/on for over a year between storms. Fellas can't compare the radio to the usual Ham gear since most Ham gear doesn't have FM and the Aircraft Band. I wouldn't call it a portable radio either because of size, it's a desktop radio. Thanks for the video.

[@hamrad88]

+Dennis Petersen You are very welcome.

[@gortnewton4765]

Very nice radio, nice find.

[@hamrad88]

Thanks

[@billknn]

Thanks for the nice video. The 800 is my preferred receiver for casual program listening due to the room filling audio from the radio. It's pleasant to listen to. I've tried several different speakers but I end up preferring the built in speaker. A couple of minor tips: There are actually 2 clocks, one for UTC and one for "local". You can select which one to display when you hit the button or shut it off. The clip antenna connectors on the rear are for a Hi - Z longwire antenna for SW. If you hit the "SW Band" button, you can use the up/down arrow keys to step through all the shortwave bands. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure. 73, Bill

[@hamrad88]

+billknn Thanks for your comments.

[@keithlealable]

Bought this 800 new in 2000 for $500. Moving around too much, gave it to my Grt Grandson a few years ago. He wasn't using it last year and I wanted some night time talk shows on AM, so borrowed it back. Had same trouble with power supply. Originals were like hens' teeth. Ended up with that same loser you bought. Sent it back to Amazon & finally got a "MyVolts, made in China, 9V 2500 ma. Works fine. (Might have got it from Ali Express).

[@hamrad88]

Thanks for the report. I was very fortunate and one of my subscribers sent me one of his spares that worked perfect and still going strong. Have a great day.

[@SpectreOZ]

You've gotta' love it when a plan comes together! :D

[@hamrad88]

+SpectreOZ Seldom happens for me but this was one.

[@SpectreOZ]

+hamrad88 Conditions were favourable and sweet lady luck was on your side... enjoy!

[@marc1178]

Got the same radio. The sound blows away almost every other SW set made. I also like how you can quickly flip through the presets.

[@hamrad88]

+Marcus Scarrow Thanks for your comments. Tom

[@stevengroberts8565]

Same issue with the modern day equivalent which is the Tecsun S2000, The unit only uses 5 volts, and over here it is just as difficult in trying to find a 5V DC outlet that wont interfere with the SW reception.

[@KB2CWN]

Lesson learned, stay away from Raovac batteries and whenever you purchase a radio, always buy brand new batteries for it. Try not to mix and match. If you buy Duracell they all should be the same. Same with Energizers. Food for thought Tom. Best 73

[@hamrad88]

Thanks

[@ezl8002]

Hi Tom, I've been going through some older videos from you on the equipment and this radio needs a "Linear Power Supply" to work properly. These darn switching power supplies wreck any kind of AM/Shortwave and even VHF listening. I run my Satellit 800 radio until spring and take it offline so there is no lightening that can get into it. My radio is about as old as yours and is still ticking along. My radio came off of Ebay and it had no power supply also. Like you said, it is a collector's item but will still keep up with the current technology. Audio is superb and try listening to stereo FM with a pair of headphones and you will be surprised how good it works. A person could patch in and feed the stereo audio to a power amp and it will sound really good. This is one radio I got off of Ebay that was well worth the money. I have currently seen a few going well over $400 so they are getting rare and are collector items. Thanks for your old review enjoy the NOSTALGIA! 😀

[@hamrad88]

Yes, I was fortunate that one of my viewers sent me the correct power supply.

[@alphabeets]

Yep, that’s the key. Those lightweight power supplies use switching instead of a transformer. The switching radiates a LOT of RF noise. Don’t use them. Use only LINEAR type power supplies with radios.

[@afleak]

I own a mfj 4230mv power supply for use with ham radio (many other brands are available). It is variable in voltage, has a detent for 13.8 volts but can be easily adjusted to much lower voltages. It is rf clean, can supply up to 25 amps continuous and has a voltage and amp meter built in. I made up cables for it with many different plug styles and use it for a power source when i can't track down the wall warts I need.

[@hamrad88]

+afleak (KD0YTE) Thanks for your input. I have several commercial power supplies I could use but they take up a lot of room.

[@jjarratt]

The batt indicator is flashing because the battery level detection circuit was not adjusted at the factory. The adjustment can be made by someone with a variable DC power supply and a little technical skill. The adjustment sets the indicator to come on at about a battery level of 6.4 volts DC. The info on the adjustment is available on the Sat 800 forum in Yahoo groups.

[@hamrad88]

Thanks

[@Greg-et2dp]

Toms radio room show your new Grundig satellite 800 mw lw fm air sw ssb 6 band disktop receiver is awesome my friend

[@garyk4017]

I have a Sat 800 also. It's a great radio. It has the best sync detector among all of my radios. Using the sync and slow AGC can make a distorted signal with severe selective fading sound immensely better.

[@hamrad88]

+Gary K This was the first radio besides my Sony's that the sync detector actually improves reception.

[@garyk4017]

+hamrad88 Yes, my radio with the second best sync detector is the Sony ICF-2010. If the Sony also had slow AGC, it might equal the Sat 800.

[@JROrg2009]

Tom, on the power supply issue, one MUST use a transformer-based (aka linear) AC adapter, 9V @1000ma (or better), center positive. There's good quality "universal" transformer AC adapters on eBay. I have two OEM ones and one of the "universals" and all work fine. Using a switching or other "inappropriate" AC adapter is asking for terrible RFI/EMI noise, poor reception, etc. With the LCD panel + S meter light on, the Sat 800 draws about its name...750 to 800ma.

[@hamrad88]

+Joseph Rotello Thanks for the good information.

[@WvhKerkhof]

Sounds as new man!

[@hamrad88]

Thanks

[@bheeman12]

i bought one recently, which came with 9 Volt 1.0 Amp AC adapter (Chinese) and it seems to work fine. When I read through the manual of Sat 800 I found out that the AC adapter is supposed to be 9 Volt 1.5 Amp. I bought a new one with 1.5 Amp ( Indian) and found this too works fine and it is cheaper than the one which came with the radio, I didn't find any difference between the two as far as the performance is concerned. The original (so called) adapter is of good quality and heavy as compared to the new one which is very light and cheap..hope none of them will affect the radio.

[@hamrad88]

I got one with the radio which was not the original and the seller told me it would not work on SW which it didn't. I bought another one which someone recommended and same problem. I hooked the radio up to my laboratory supply and set it to 9V and it works great.

[@nickmad887]

thanks Tom

[@skrads]

Just got one from eBay, a march 2004 model year. I love it. Always wanted one. I believe mine came with the original heavy 1 amp class 2 power supply. Model sy-0901. So far works great! Thanks for the video. What kind of antenna do I need to get the most out of it? I live in a city townhouse with a roof deck. Radio is in my office just below roof deck.

[@hamrad88]

I use a G5RV dipole antenna but it is 102 feet long. A short dipole can be used or an end-fed antenna. At least 25 or more is best. The key is to use shield coax cable to bring the signal from the antenna into your office. I have reviewed some kits that I got from Ebay seller that worked quite well however they were 40 feet or more but can be shorten.

[@Richard2003]

I found a perfectly working one 2 years ago on a local flee market site. $200 with the box . It sits on a table in my living room.

[@hamrad88]

+Richard2003 Good catch but I paid a lot less for this one.

[@jonathancopeland6083]

Real nice radio

[@hamrad88]

+Jonathan Copeland Thank you.

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

Amazing in the early 2000s, Grundig couldn't give those radios away, sending them off to a fire sale at Circuit City. The Eton E1 also ended up heavily discounted, and we will never see another super large radio again. But I guess like vintage wine, the value of the 800 and E1 have increased mega-fold.

[@JROrg2009]

+HamAndShortwaveRadio The post 2003 and 2004 Sat 800's perform not only within specs, their noise floor is lower, and they make fine, stable and accurate receivers. At the "current" asking prices, especially on eBay, a good well maintained unit is an excellent analog receiver.

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

+Joseph Rotello The 800 was the radio that bankrupted the original Grundig company, so many expensive repairs they had to cover under warranty. Yes, if you got a good 800, it was a good radio, and I hope Tom got a good one. The 700 as people have mentioned, was a great radio but if you factor in inflation, that would be a $1,000-$1,500 radio today.

[@JROrg2009]

+gps29070 Agreed, the EARLY Sat 800 units had QC problems, but no, the 800 didn't "bankrupt" anyone, including Grundig. The LATER 800 models, usually late 2003 onward to 2005 end-of-run were far better, most all easily met or exceeded specs, and as alluded to earlier here, were and continue to be very capable analog units. Thanks to people at Drake, including John Kriner and managers, the Sat 800 was improved and to this day John can take an older unit and bring it up to best operation. BTW, one should have seen the earlier, 2005, Tecsun assembly lines...an interesting sight to behold, much improved today.

[@SpectreOZ]

+HamAndShortwaveRadio ''The 800 was the radio that bankrupted the original Grundig company'' Well a new radio would certainly bankrupt me LOL

[@tmastersat]

Likely switching noise. Easy to build a noise free one

[@robertavery8897]

Other than size. What's the difference between the 750 and the 800 ?? Nice post !!!!

[@hamrad88]

+Robert P. Avery Sr. The newer 750 has a few more functions such as ATS.

[@hutch0791]

Tom great radio. Will this be your new goto radio or will you still use the 750.

[@hamrad88]

+Stephen Hutchison I will still use my 750 since the 800 is too big to fit on my desk. As I mentioned before the limited testing I did showed that reception wise they are about the same. I will find a place for the 800 in my workshop so it will be my main radio down there. Note my workshop is for electronics as I have given up on my woodworking hobby.

[@JROrg2009]

+hamrad88 Might one suggest placing both the S750 and the 800 on the same test of antennas...one will see or hear the Sat 800 lower noise floor, aside from the ability to user option the use of a very good set of filters and the AM Sync is second to almost if not none. Regarding 800's SSB, aside from the beauty (well, almost) of direct SSB tuning, the use of slow AGC makes SSB reception more of a dream than it used to be. Most 800 users find the air-band more sensitive, even performing well on the 800's amplified whip antenna.

[@saturn5tony]

nice sw radio Tom! Maybe the adapter is OK because it's a switcher, so make a circuit with a huge cap and filter it. That will clean the sw noise.

[@hamrad88]

+saturn5tony Thanks for the suggestion.

[@JROrg2009]

+saturn5tony Switching power supplies can and do generate rather tremendous amounts of hash...grouped under the heading of RFI / EMI via switching frequency and harmonics among other reasons. A "huge cap" would filter only any residual ripple, not RFI / EMI hash generated within the switching supply.

[@saturn5tony]

I agree with that, I do have years of experience with switchers, and I have found that the high frequency interference is predominate with those and its the requirement of the end type system to take care of it. I have a smaller SW here in my lab that is hit with switcher noise and I found that 22,000uf cap reduced it immensely, but notice I said reduced. A linear transformer based wall-wart is needed for maximum RFI rejection. Thank you tho for your input.

[@garyk4017]

Be careful with the polarity on a replacement power supply. Reverse polarity may damage the input voltage regulator.

[@hamrad88]

+Gary K I can relate to that. One time I was busy talking to someone and plugged in a universal power supply into a portable TV....smoke! TV trashed. Argh.

[@AdamCSmith]

There isn't a continent on earth I've not received on my S800. A significant amount of my QSL card collection is here because of this radio. I've read all the comments and can say the Sync detector is one of the best ever. It separates this radio - even if just minutely - from those that have a useless Sync detector or none at all.

[@hamrad88]

+Adam C Smith Thanks for your comments.

[@AdamCSmith]

+hamrad88 Indeed. I recently relocated and you have prompted me to move my Satellit 800 out of the box ahead of most other things! I’m in an apartment so I’ll need to get creative with the antenna but I really should have this tank up and running. It is too beautiful to be hidden in a box.

[@hamrad88]

+Adam C Smith I agree it is an impressive looking radio.

[@tonysirna7713]

You and I ought to get together, cause I have one too! Unlike you though, my whip antenna somehow got top heavy, and broke! I am very disheartened about it, because I don't know what to do about an antenna! It's been a long time since I haven't heard the shortwave side of the radio. I've been using it as an AM only radio! As a person who is ecstatic about getting one, please let me know about what kind of an antenna system can I get to fix my monster radio!!! I will be forever indebted to you!!!

[@hamrad88]

Are you looking for an external antenna?

[@dalesworld1308]

Clip a long length of wire to the antenna stub.

[@migi5374]

Will the Eton 750 replacement work? They sell the them.

[@joestokesbary7343]

Monster indeed

[@hacktheplanet4636]

so are you going to tell us how much you paid or not?.

[@hamrad88]

$200

[@Radionut]

My story is similar to yours. I’ve always wanted one of these radios. I was looking on marketplace on Facebook and saw one and I said there’s no way it’s still available. I contacted the guy he said I was the first guy to contact him because the listing had only been on six minutes. Needless to say I said I will take it bring it to me if you can if not I will come to you. He said “no I will come to you because you were the first person to contact me and I am close anyway “ So please check my videos out of my new radio. Thanks for the great story

[@hamrad88]

Looks great. Good catch.

[@mattbrock1233]

Bought one today at an estate sale.

[@hamrad88]

Awesome. It needs a good ac adapter to use it on AC. Mine came with a cheap one and the noise was terrible. One of my subscribers sent me a good one with low noise.

[@hdofu]

Don’t know if you ever found a good ac adapter, I recently got one... I had one that I thought was fairly low noise, but found one that was advertised as actually for this radio and it’s made a world of difference all over am. Got it from the seller I got my passive loop for it, bigapple59

[@hamrad88]

Yes, one of my subscribers sent me one that works great. Thanks for your comments and have a great day.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

A great radio for sure. A real classic and a rare find. Maybe you could buy a regulated bench power supply if you cannot find a power adaptor to match the radio ?

[@hamrad88]

+fredintheshed1 I have about a half a dozen bench supply but they are too bulky.

[@kissingbanditt]

i might have 9v transformers, brand new.....well powersupplies..going to look and let you know tomorrow...will ship it to you for free, give me a day to look....i got like 10 of them in boxes, just not sure if they are 12v or 9v...gonna look....

[@hamrad88]

+Theo T Fantastic, that would be great. I have tons of 12 V supplies but only one additional 9V and it is not well regulated. I really appreciate your support.

[@Mikesorrento3344]

Tom, your shack looks exactly like mine. Crap, radios everywhere. Drives my wife nuts crazy. That's why she put me in the basement. Lie your videos. Nice radio.

[@hamrad88]

+John Rand You should see my workshop. :)

[@bobbader4789]

I have the 750 and want this bad! Talk me out of it..

[@hamrad88]

You need to find one.

[@JROrg2009]

Tom...congratulations on the Satellit 800. As a proud owner / user of two 800 units, I and all welcome you to the 800 Proud Owners Group for sure. A question(s) and an invitation: What's the unit serial number (battery compartment, right hand inside compartment), do you have the unit with the tuning knob mod (bearing inside knob), and would you welcome joining the Yahoo Satellit 800 Group ? It's over at groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Satellit800/info We all look forward to this initial and your ongoing in-depth appraisals of the Sat 800.

[@hamrad88]

+Joseph Rotello Thanks I will join the group.