Eton Elite Field Radio with AM/FM, Shortwave, RDS, Bluetooth, Digital Tuning, Treble/Bass Control, 50 Memory Stations, External Antenna, Rich LCD Display, Retro Tabletop Design

I bought this radio while drunk-shopping on Amazon. The next morning when I got the "it has shipped" alert, it was my intention to send it back as the last thing I need is yet another radio but, since the seller shouldn't be held hostage to my whims and irresponsibility, I opened the radio to give it a fair try-out to make a proper decision. I'm glad I did as it's a really good one and I will be keeping it. I paid $80+$5 'tax'.I'll be comparing this to my Tecsun PL-880 as that is considered a very good receiver and has served me well, although at nearly twice the cost. MW (AM) and SW are pretty much neck-and-neck in reception with the Eton, maybe, having the slightest advantage over the PL-880. Obviously, the Eton does not have SSB and the PL-880 does. That's okay. I have other radios (Alinco SR8T, PL-880, GE 7-2990A) that cover that spectrum should I choose to venture off into the side band world which is mostly just boring old guys rattling on incessantly about their radio equipment and complaining about new Ham's. The Eton has a wide band/narrow band switch and with the bass and treble controls, you can really dial in the sound for your ears which is great for someone with tinnitus and deafness at 8 kHz (wear ear plugs, kids). I'm near Dallas/Ft. Worth and we have one of the largest markets in the world so there is no shortage of stations, close or far, to try and search for. Unfortunately, my physical location and the radiant barrier in my house causes SW to be hit-or-miss but, still, the few stations I can get came in as well as possible using the stock aerial. I haven't tried it with a long wire yet although I did connect it to my outside GMRS base antenna got a few of the closer SW stations in a bit clearer so the antenna connection does work.FM reception is fantastic with this radio, easily surpassing the PL-880. In scan, the PL-880 has a tendency to stop on dead-air stations which the Eaton filters out. I didn't even extend the aerial, just raised it into position, and it was pulling in stations very well. Connected to my external GMRS antenna about 18' in the air outside my house caused the Eton radio to pull in crazy amounts of FM stations. It's quite the FM DX'er.The bluetooth connection on the Eton is quite nice. Presently I have my iPhone paired streaming a station. No problems, it hooked right up and sounds great. It only receives, not transmits.The instructions on the Eton were just fine and easy to read. About 10 minutes of unpacking, and scanning the little manual and I felt like I was a pro with this radio.It runs on 4 D batteries so with moderate volume control and reduced bass response, they should last for a very long time. I don't have a time frame on this one, yet, but in my GE which uses the same 4D setup, the batteries went bad before they went dead, probably about 8 years. Of course, when not in use I do not store alkaline's in any equipment, leaving them in a container beside my radio which was fortunate since they started leaking. I, typically, don't like digital displays as they trickle-drain batteries but this Eton seems to be okay, completely blacking out the screen when not in use - as long as you flip the 'display off' switch on the side - although you can still faintly see the time and battery meter. Time will tell how long a set of batteries last. It would be nice to be able to charge a set of rechargeable batteries though the radio if plugged in with the wart but not so with this radio. The PL-880 uses a single 18650 battery recharged though the side with a 5v wart or battery back.The tuning on this radio is a bit clunky and annoying. The knob does not have a recess for your finger allowing you to be able to spin without your finger slipping off when using fine tune and the fast tune is just meh. It some sort of geared mechanism but not very smooth and can be a little jerky. It appears the best way to tune this radio is by using the up/down arrows (hold for 1 second and let go). Also, it doesn't have a continuous scan, stopping on every station and forcing you press the arrow again to start a new scan. The PL-880 has a 5 second hold on the scan and moves to the next station.This radio has 10 presets per selection. Really? 10 presets? There is also no auto search (which why would there be with just 10 presets?) so if you take it to a new area, you can't automatically scan the waves and load the stations in that area.I really like this radio as it feels good in the hand and it sounds fantastic. An included protective case would be nice although I see the one for this radio is here on Amazon for an additional $40+. I do recommend this radio, highly.

This is one fantastic radio. I have many radios, mostly for AM Dxing, and all have there positives and negatives, and this radio is no different in those respects.I purchased this radio based off reviews that stated this was the portable radio to get for FM Dxing. Well, the good news is, this machine is absolutely incredible for FM reception. For all of you out there, looking for a portable FM DXing machine, look no further. This beats both my CC radio 3 and CC radio EP pro. The 48" dipole antenna definitely helps pull in those distant stations.For AM, it's just OK (to be fair, I have not spent much time on the AM with this radio, as the FM is just that good). It still does a good job on medium wave, but there are other units specifically made for AM reception, that will do much better.On shortwave, this radio does a fantastic job. It's definitely above average for a portable shortwave radio.Sound is fine, but lacking in low end bass. You will be treated to mid bass, but for anything lower, forget it. Highs are crystal clear, and has no problems with voice tones. The radio comes with a very unique speaker design. I would have much preferred the old fashion 5" driver, but Eton decided to go this route, possibly for weight savings. My only gripe is I wish it had a more powerful amplifier. I have found myself at full volume, and and wanting more audio output. This is one area I think Eton could be improved upon.The aesthetics of the radio are very nice. The layout is clean, the knobs and switches are positioned well. My only gripe is the power button needs to be pressed twice. This may be a feature, in case you accidentally hit it when fiddling around (which I have done a few times).It has many features I have not tried out yet. I do like the fact it has connections on the back for external antennas.My radio did come with a bit of minor damage during shipping. The speaker grill has a small indent from rough handling. Very hard to see, so I'm keeping it.

I had purchased this really very nice radio in October 2021. On unpacking it, I found it solidly built, apparently well made and excellent sound quality. The reception was also very good. Despite its larger than expected size, I was pleased, until both the backlight and the tuning knob failed within about 2 weeks of each other in January 2022. Eton was initially responsive and at my expense I sent the radio to them. After a little bit of prodding from me, Eton notified me that the radio was defective and reminded me about the significant supply chain shortages. OK, I decided to be patient. After 2 months, I sent out two emails over a 2 week period politely requesting an update. No response from Eton.I've been using the Sony ICF-506 Analog Tuning Portable FM/AM Radio of which I haven't had any issues with.