Grundig YB 400PE AM/FM/SW Radio

Pros: Sensitivity, SSB. small size, quality
Cons: would like back lit buttons, hated earbuds - dog ate them anyway

Grundig Yacht Boy 400. Growing up in England I used to listen to shortwave almost exclusively and for years yearned after one of the huge Grundig Yacht Boy multiband receivers. When I was older I had almost forgotten about shortwave until a flyer from ...

Pros: Outstanding quality and features. Very portable. High fidelity sound from a small package.
Cons: Does not include aircraft band (not a big deal).

The Reviewer's Perspective:
I consider myself to be an amateur short-wave listening hobbyist. Thus this review is written from the perspective of never having used professional grade short-wave listening equipment. This review is based on the...

Pros: Rich clear sound, outstanding reception for the price, easy to use.
Cons: Noticeable circuit "hiss" on low volume, supplied headphones are poor

As a Canadian living near New York, I had two reasons to consider buying a battery operated shortwave radio. First, I wanted to be able to listen to news from my former home and second, I wanted to have a reliable battery operated radio in case of...

Pros: Versatile and compact
Cons: Antenna/case connection seems fragile

The Grundig YB 400PE is a nice radio, with many useful features. The radio has a very sensitive front end and produces nice sound, particularly through stereo headphones. The built in antenna is sufficient to pull in many stations from around the ...

Pros: Superior sound and now a great price if you find closeout stock.
Cons: Now discontinued, but that means there are bargains to be found.

I've had a YB 400 PE for some years, in addition
to a wide variety of other portable SW radios. This
Grundig has long had the reputation of having superior
sound quality and I've been happy with mine in that
regards. Some other models are more sensitive off their
attached whip antennas, but this is quite adequate in
most cases.

Please note that these are being closed out by some
dealers since the Grundig name has been replaced by
"Eton" and this model is now replaced by one with
the Eton name on it. I just bought 3 of these to
give as presents at only $56 each (that exhausted the
dealer's stock so that specific source is gone).

Pros: 30 pre-program channels, extra antenna, search button
Cons: lots of batteries, wire antenna not sturdy

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama I lived on an island in the middle of the caribbean in a hut with a dirt floor. I get great reception, especially with the extra wire antenna that came with mine. A couple of months ago the Yachtboy started acting up but I opened up the body and cleaned the inside and haven't had problems since. Besides this the wire antenna stopped working after receiving so much abuse. I really like the pre-progammed channel and search mode. Without a doubt my Yachtboy helped me survive two difficult years in the bush. For the price I'm not sure a cheaper radio wouldn't have done the job though.

Pros: SSB capabilities so emergency information can be heard when regular tv and radio don't work.
Cons: Display and lighting are a bit weak in the dark.

I bought the Grundig YB-400 Professional Edition or "PE" at a local Radio Shack. It comes with the AC Adapter / Wind up external longwire antenna / Ear Buds and a very well written manual.

This radio takes 6 AA batteries and usually lasts 24 hours on a set.The radio also covers SSB so amateur radio operators can be heard in emergencies such as the Blackout in New York a few months ago.

I bought this Shortwave receiver to use in the car while traveling and camping. And for receiving emergency communications in disasters when local tv/phone or radio is out.

As far as shortwave and SSB reception this radio would be hard to match and I highly recommend it!

AM and FM reception is average for a radio this size.