Grundig M100 Portable Radio
By: Eton Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 17
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 On: 2007-12-23
I purchased one of these radios to listen to AM talk radio while commuting. The AM reception is good but not great. It takes some getting used to the backwards tuning dial which goes high to low which is the opposite of most other radios. What I like best about it is that it is very small & sturdy. I believe I have had the same batterys in it for over a year now and have not had to replace them. It does not get heavy use as I said earlier the reception is not what I had hoped but still gets several hours every week of play time.
 On: 2007-12-05
I AM A RADIO BUG,AND MUST TELL YOU THE GRUNDIG M100 IS A NICE LOOKING LITTLE RADIO,ITS PERFORMANCE IN SHORTWAVE AND IN AM IS VERY BAD, NOW IT SELLS FOR $19.00 AT RADIO SHACK IT IS WASTE OF MONEY,I OWN $9.99 POCKET RADIOS FROM OTHER BRANDS AND THEY OUTPERFORM IT HANDS DOWN,GRUNDIG USED TO BE A VERY GOOD BRAND OF RADIOS I OWN SEVERAL OLD MODELS AND I JUST LOVE THEM,SINCE THEY ARE MADE SOMEWHERE ELSE OTHER THAN GERMANY,QUALITY IS DOWN
 On: 2007-09-29
Ive had this radio for three years, and it still works great. I use it every day at home and I travel with it. Its not much bigger than the original Ipod + case. If you are an NPR fan, get it. I dont use the short wave. People who gave this radio low marks may be radio snobs who expect a ton out of this tiny little thing. For AM/FM, its great.
On: 2007-09-09
A great little radio. I used it on my flight from AZ to NH. The FM and AM came in just great. Not sure about the shortwave as I wasnt able to pick up anything. But then again, I didnt really try. I like the small size. Fits in my jacket pocket. A smart looking radio. Price is reasonable.
CON: The ear plugs are useless. Will not stay in the ear.
 On: 2007-09-05
The Grundig Mini 100PE is a surprising little radio. Now, its certainly not a professional-grade all-encompassing shortwave set, but I doubt anyone would really expect it to be at such a small size and price. It is however, a fun little radio in a pocket sized package. The old-school tuner is somewhat touchy yet still altogether functional. The FM stereo reception is remarkably good when using earbud phones, and the included ones arent bad. The small speaker sounds, well, like a small speaker, but again, not too bad considering its diminutive size. The little leather pouch adds a nice touch of class, and its refreshing to find batteries included in this day and age. If you wanted to try out world band radio, or introduce a young person to it this M100 PE would be a painless place to start. Some complaints have been made about weak reception, but here in the middle of Michigan (out in "the boonies") I can clearly pull in even weak broadcast-strength community radio stations from 60 miles away in the middle of the day (...and Radio Marti and Vatican Radio on the shortwave band). You would have to be unrealistic to expect much more at this size and cost; its a neat little unit.
 On: 2006-02-20
The radio is one of seven Grundigs that I have owned.The radio has great reception and has a nice speaker with great fm reception.My problem with the mini 100 pe has been the front plate soon fell off along with the dial marker froze so you never know where you are on the am or fm.About a month ago the radio was DOA because the wire going to the battery came loose. I fixed the radio but I have a long history in radio repair..I like grundig but this 100 pe has not met my reasonble expectations of performance.
On: 2005-10-21
This was my very first shortwave radio, and Im glad it was, because it triggered an excitement and a love of shortwave in me that has now taken me through two more Grundig models, as I now feel confident in "stepping up" my SW investment.
Pros: The size and feel of the unit is without pair. Even my Grundig G1000A, which is only slightly bigger, doesnt have the same pleasing compactness in your palm. The look of the unit is pleasing, and you can tell it is well made. The small size of the speaker belies its surprising power, and with headphones, the stereo sound is stunning. If youre expecting pocket-radio sound in this unit, youll be pleasantly taken aback! Reception and sensitivity are quite good, and most of the biggie SW stations can be brought in with ease. The portability to quality ratio is truly the selling point of this model. Its small enough to fit into a shirt pocket, yet the dials, display, and speaker are all very adequately sized and conveniently placed!
Cons: Far fewer of these than pros. For starters, the only thing I find truly lacking here is that theres no digital tuning (the G1000A has spoiled me), but with practice, you shouldnt miss it too much. Plus, its kind of fun searching for that elusive station, if youre in the right mood for the old timey radio feel. Second, and not surprising at all, it wont wow you with its power or pulling in of distant, weak stations. This is a very inexpensive radio, worth every penny in my book, but if your primary concern is the shortwave band, Id recommend a different unit. Dont get me wrong, because this IS a great shortwave model, but in the end, its the versatility of the AM, FM, and SW together, with just average performance in each category, that makes it so a charming radio that so many folks will love.
Though this radio rates above average in all areas, I recommend it most strongly for those of you who have never owned a shortwave radio. This is a fantastic model for getting acquainted with SW. The antenna is good, the tuning, size, and layout make it intuitive and fun, and best of all, a small shortwave guidebook/directory is included, compliments of Grundig. If youre new to shortwave, you CANNOT GO WRONG with the Mini 100 PE. If youre a seasoned vet, this will be a very nice backup SW, FM, and AM pocket radio for you when youre on the go. The bottom line? Wherever you are in your shortwave journey, you cant lose with this one. Go for it!
On: 2004-06-23
This is a neat product idea, it has AM/FM and shortwave. Unfortunately it also had a major problem. If you move while listening to the radio you will lose reception. This is especially true on AM and Shortwave. I try to use this radio while mowing the lawn and walking the dog, and I have to keep my fingers on the tuner at all times, constantly adjusting it. I would recommend buying a different radio with a digital tuner (thats what I am shopping for now).
by: lordhoot On: 2004-06-01
I supposed location is everything. Up here in Alaska, I found this radio to be rather limiting if not almost useless. Reception proves to be very weak, tuning isnt the most exact science here and quality of this radio wasnt very high. I brought this radio from REI and within a year, the speaker cover fell off (they were just glued in) and my tuner dial fell apart. Needless to say, this wasnt Grundigs finest effort.I did get good AM/PM reception within the city limits but I can do that with almost any radio. SW modes were limited, even on a clear nights, on top of a mountain. Its a weak radio, probably good in a very civilized part of the world but worthless out where you really need it. Small size is nice but why carry a radio around if you cant pick up anything once the city lights are no longer in sight??
by: lordhoot On: 2004-05-31
I supposed location is everything. Up here in Alaska, I found this radio to be rather limiting if not almost useless. Reception proves to be very weak, tuning isnt the most exact science here and quality of this radio wasnt very high. I brought this radio from REI and within a year, the speaker cover fell off (they were just glued in) and my tuner dial fell apart. Needless to say, this wasnt Grundigs finest effort.I did get good AM/PM reception within the city limits but I can do that with almost any radio. SW modes were limited, even on a clear nights, on top of a mountain. Its a weak radio, probably good in a very civilized part of the world but worthless out where you really need it. Small size is nice but why carry a radio around if you cant pick up anything once the city lights are no longer in sight??
On: 2004-05-15
This radio is very small less than a size of a pack of cigarettes. This is my first Grundig radio I have purchased. Even if the performance was not great I thought it might be fun to own as a novelty item. The leather carry case is a nice touch as are the ear buds and shortwave manual. The speaker is so tiny about an inch or so. The speaker does not produce enough volume unless the radio is close to your ears, even then the fidelity is not very good at all. The best aspect of the radio is the FM reception while using the ear buds. The stereo effect makes for fun listening to music stations. The AM reception on my radio is poor. I live in the countryside and can only really hear one station clearly. My other radios pick up loads of AM stations at my location. Its very strange I took the battery cover off and placed my hands on the batteries and the volume goes up on the AM stations. The shortwave reception was better however and this radio is touted as mainly a shortwave radio. The reception on shortwave is passing but not as good as my Sangean SG 622. Compared to the Sangean SG 622 the volume is lower and there is more signal fade on the weaker stations. One review in here stated the reception was close to a Sangean SG 622 which is not true at all. The Sangean SG 622 has superior reception compared to this radio, however the Sangean SG 622 is also about 3 times the size of this radio! This radio is a fun novelty item because of its mini size but do not expect much from it performance wise.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-09
We took this radio to Spain, and it was not only great-sounding with headphones and through the speaker, but it picked up lots of SW stations, including the BBC World Service both day and night, crystal clear even through the speaker. For so little money, how could one go wrong? When youre in a place where English language broadcasts are hard to find, this radio gets them for you. Plus the FM has great stereo separation, and the AM (especially in Europe where the AM sound is often of high quality) is nearly as good sounding as the FM. Even the shortwave sounds very good and clear (better sound than as my Sony ICF7600 if not quite as sensitive). Another advantage is that the analog dial will get the European / Asian / African AM stations correctly that an American digital radio wont get usually, because of the 9KHz spacing in the Eastern Hemisphere vs. 10kHz in the Western Hemisphere. The same problem is avoided with FM where in the Western Hemisphere all FM stations are odd decimals (97.1 MHz, 103.9 MHz, etc), while in the Eastern Hemisphere, FM Stations are both odd and even (97.0 MHz, 103.8 MHz). This was the most useful thing, other than my camera and ATM card, that I brought to Europe.
On: 2004-04-08
We took this radio to Spain, and it was not only great-sounding with headphones and through the speaker, but it picked up lots of SW stations, including the BBC World Service both day and night, crystal clear even through the speaker. For so little money, how could one go wrong? When youre in a place where English language broadcasts are hard to find, this radio gets them for you. Plus the FM has great stereo separation, and the AM (especially in Europe where the AM sound is often of high quality) is nearly as good sounding as the FM. Even the shortwave sounds very good and clear (better sound than as my Sony ICF7600 if not quite as sensitive). Another advantage is that the analog dial will get the European / Asian / African AM stations correctly that an American digital radio wont get usually, because of the 9KHz spacing in the Eastern Hemisphere vs. 10kHz in the Western Hemisphere. The same problem is avoided with FM where in the Western Hemisphere all FM stations are odd decimals (97.1 MHz, 103.9 MHz, etc), while in the Eastern Hemisphere, FM Stations are both odd and even (97.0 MHz, 103.8 MHz). This was the most useful thing, other than my camera and ATM card, that I brought to Europe.
On: 2004-03-09
This is the only shirt pocket size shortwave radio worth buying. For this great price you get a pocket radio without any drift (meaning the station you listen to wont change to another station because of a loose or faulty dial), great stereo FM on headphones or ear buds (the buds that come with it are OK. Buy a better set and get ready for great sound), good AM reception, and Shortwave reception that is adequate for the big international broadcasts like BBC but poor for most everything else. The speaker is only good for talk radio. For music, this is a tinny and tiny speaker (about one inch wide). If you want a pocket radio that also gets BBC, Radio Canada, and Voice of America, this is the trick. Listen in on good earplugs and you will be happy with your purchase. It also has a good vinyl case. The radio looks sturdily built and will probably last for years.
On: 2004-02-21
The good news is that this uses AA batteries, none of those AAA batteries that have almost the same linear dimensions, but not nearly the same volume, and consequently dont play nearly as long as the AA batteries. The Mini World 100 PE is very small. You always have room in a pocket or book case. You now can take a radio absolutely anywhere. It clips to your belt with no inconvenience. The FM stereo sound through headphones is superb. I recommend this nifty receiver when you want to listen to local AM or FM. Finding a SW station on the puny, inaccurate frequency scales is excruciatingly difficult. This receiver may pull in the station youre looking for, but yous need Great Caesars Ghost to help you find it on the dial. My real need was for hearing the National Public Radio networks All Things Considered programs. This radio will go with me anywhere for that, but I kissed off the possibility of ENJOYING finding favorite SW stations.
On: 2003-11-02
me parece un milagro de la electronica muy pequeno y realiza tareas extraordinarias de sintonizar cualquier radio de todos los paises es muy bonito y funcional perfecto para el aficionado de ondas cortas
by: Anonymous On: 2003-10-13
The Grundig Mini has to be about as small and cheap as worldband radio gets, so I didnt expect much. The little radio delivers pretty well, though. Reception on all bands is better than I would have expected from such a small analog portable. I would put it roughly on par with the Sangean SG 622 (about the same price here on Amazon), yet the Grundig is small and light enough to fit in a shirt pocket.Sound from the radios internal speaker is plenty loud, but thin. Given that the speaker is little more than an inch across, thats understandable. Its fine for news and spoken word though, and the included earphones improve things greatly. Use them on any band, and the sound is better, and on FM you can listen in stereo. The Mini 100s small size is its greatest attribute, and also behind its only real drawback. The tuning dial and controls are TINY. My middle-aged eyes require that I go for the reading glasses to see the dial markings, and your thumbs best not be very big in order to use the thumbwheel volume and tuning controls. The radio is simple to operate, so the instructions are equally simple to understand. Grundig has also thoughtfully included a brief pamphlet that contains information on shortwave fundamentals and a directory of some of the major shortwave stations. (Voice of America, BBC, Radio Havana, et.al.) A belt clip, and even the batteries, are included. For the casual shortwave listener, or as a travelling companion, the Mini 100 PE is a good choice.
On: 2003-09-13
I am a relief fire lookout during the summer in remote southeast Oregon and I wanted a small radio, that didnt take up much room and was lightweight. I saw this and thought it might be fun to try the shortwave on the lookout at 7200+ feet elevation, although I mostly wanted it for FM radio stations. This radio works very well. It is exactly what I wanted. Sound is good, plus it is fun and interesting to listen to the shortwave channels I can receive. I can receive many AM/FM/shortwave stations at the lookout. I can also receive many stations at my home which is approximately 4250 feet in elevation. Great buy!
On: 2001-10-24
Despite all the talk about satellite and Internet radio, I had been hunting around for a small shortwave that could also handle FM stereo and was happy to come upon the Grundig 100 Mini PE Portable Radio. The 100 is the smallest world band receiver Ive come across, similar in size to Sonys Walkman-style radios. This is an analog, dial-driven set that can use either a built-in (mono) speaker or stereo headphones. It features six shortwave bands (49, 41, 31, 25, 19, 15 meter bands) plus AM and FM Stereo. The 100 has a telescoping antenna and is very compact, measuring only 4" x 2 1/2" x 3/4" in size. My set included earbud style earphones, a vinyl carry pouch, two AA batteries, a four page manual, and Grundigs shortwave listening guide booklet. Performance is an issue with this radio. Reception is reasonable for a receiver of this size, with many strong signals being heard at night, such as Radio France and Radio Havana Cuba. However, the 100 has no SSB or adjustable filters, even Am and FM can be spotty, and it is certainly no competition for a serious world band receiver such as the Grundig Yacht Boy 400. I recommend the 100 if you need a radio while travelling or commuting, or as a gift to introduce someone to world band.
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