Grundig G4000A AM/FM Shortwave Radio
By: Eton Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 25
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 On: 2008-05-09
I bought the G4000A from Amazon last year. Had no problems with the Amazon transaction, a good thing.
The other reviews cover things nicely. A very solid performer, great audio quality, nice looking, decent performance, easy to use.
One weakness, though, is the telescopic antenna mount. The up-and-down mount is of flimsy design and if the antenna is rotated, the mount can actually break free of its guiderails inside the radio. Once this happens, additional rotation can disconnect the antenna from the radio.
Shoring up the guiderails is not so difficult, and it can be done (I did, with excellent results), but this design issue should not exist in the first place.
This review may be no longer pertinent since the G4000A is no longer in production, but for those who wish to pick up a used one, it is something to keep in mind.
 On: 2007-10-27
This radio performs exactly as described. I am very happy with these features:
> A good FM travel radio with plenty of volume for outdoor use
> Real synthesized digital tuning with PLL
> Many presets, all usable for LW, MW (USA Broadcast Band), SW, or FM
> Wake-up beeper (doesnt only use the radio as the alarm sound)
> Continuous short wave tuning to 30 MHz, with excellent rotating scanning within AM, FM, and named bands
> Included external antenna definitiely maximizes DX reception
> Comes with beginners guide to LW, SW and SSB
> EVERYTHING needed comes in the box - terrific!
 On: 2007-08-23
My regular 8 band radio receives more Short Wave stations than this G4000A. I could not able to listen to SW bands,even through auto tuning. But FM and AM bands are good, The sound clarity and noise filtering is excellent, my need was to listen to SW stations, Within 3 days I returned this radio to Amazon.
On: 2007-08-04
I have been listening to shortwave off and on for a couple of decades. I had two other shortwave radios before this one, both still in use. Three years ago I moved 200 miles away from my favorite AM radio station and I have been unable to pick it up (AM 810 in San Francisco) on any of my radios. I looked for a current radio that boasted excellent AM reception. The reviews for this radio said it had the best AM reception of several enthusiast-class radios.
I have been using this radio several weeks now. It performs well overall but I still cannot receive the 810 AM station very well. Interestingly enough, the AM radios in both of my cars pull in the station quite well in the driveway, but inside the house, it is almost all static.
On: 2007-07-23
This model used to be called the Yacht Boy 400 Professional Edition (YB400PE.) Its quite sensitive off the whip. Fully extending the supplied reel antenna improves performance even more for MW and SW. The speaker has superior sound for its size and price range - excellent clarity - it can fill a room nicely. Tuning can be done in 1 kHz and 5 kHz. SSB can be fine-tuned perfectly, thanks to the continuous BFO knob. The narrow/wide filter is good. 40 memory slots is a good deal too. Very nice performance on FM, MW, and SW. The display light is a little dim and doesnt stay lighted. The construction is solid and dependable.
Its probably outclassed by the new Eton models (I have an E1) but its a surprisingly good little radio that performs beyond expectations.
On: 2007-05-23
My intended use for this radio is as a travel & RV camping source for primarily AM & FM reception. I chose this specific radio following good reviews regarding reception, smaller size, included protective case & high quality speaker output. I have been very pleased with my purchase on all of these aspects. Expect top notch reception, often without raising the antenna. Speaker output for this size of radio is very respectable & I personally appreciate the push button tuning with the Memo, Tuning & Auto Tuning features.
The stability of the narrow radio size is not the best, however I added some stick-on small rubber pads along the outer edges of the bottom of the radio & have improved this situation to a very acceptable level & it still easily fits the protective carrying case. The radio requires 6 AA batteries & I have found that using re-chargeable gives a long play time.
On: 2007-05-12
Product was as described. Service was quick and convenient. Recommend this seller highly!
On: 2007-04-10
I finally decided to buy the Grundig G4000A I was really surprised for the excellent reception on Shortwave, AM and FM but especially for the powerfull sound of the speaker A++++++++ I can pick up stations on shortwave band from Los Angeles CA, South America, Mexico and from all over the world. Even on AM band at night I can pick up stations from 1500 miles away. This is the best radio for your money and size.
On: 2007-01-29
for the cost, this is an excelent buy. I had one before for many years and wanted the same model. Good sound and it draws in far away stations clearly on the am bands. The push button dailing is great for night time in bed. Buy it, you will be happy you did.
On: 2007-01-08
I liked this little Radio. I was quite happy with the 4000, but its deffinately over-priced in my opinion, it should be more in the $59 to $79
range, not so much for performance, but rather for durability. The sound was phenominal, as was the "pick-up", the 4000 pulled in just as well as my table unit, at first. However, my 4000 did not even last a year until it started dying... I opened it up to troubleshoot it, and when I saw the guts and how it was thrown together... I just threw it away, the hard antenna is junk, youll need to use the soft one that comes with it, it lasts forever on a set of batteries, has great sound, and like I said I was very happy with it, until it quit on me... about 8 months, but I listened to it everyday. I would have no problem getting another one, but I think Ill try something else this time.
On: 2007-01-04
One of the best radios, very clear reception of local stations, high quality sound.I use it also to listen to music stations. Picks up a lot of shortwave frequencies, although some of them not as clear. Digital tuning makes it easy to find stations. The price was good also, some stores charge like $50 more.
 On: 2006-12-14
I have owned many radios and purchased this received short wave stations and to get better reception for local stations. This radio did neither. This radio performed worse than a $10 cheapy radio which received station more easily and much clearer. I returned this radio shortly after trying it. What a waste! Do not buy this piece of junk!
On: 2006-12-08
It is a solid little radio and has held up well through no small amount of abuse on my part. It is fairly user friendly, but could stand to be better, thus only 4 stars. But once you use it a little bit you dont stumble around with the features.
On: 2006-11-22
I needed a new clock radio, but I hate the tinny sound produced by most offerings. Why not, I thought, invest a bit more money and get a radio/clock? Something I could run on AC but could take with me and use battery power. AM/FM with a backlight and an alarm and sleep function would be perfect, I thought, and I came close to buying a Degen, even thought about the more expensive Sony.
This G4000A is sleek, just big enough to make its presence known on my bedside table, but small enough to leave room for the lamp. The build quality is just fine-light enough to make it truly portable, yet just heavy enough to balance the antenna if laid down using the back support. The case is awesome, a throwback to the days of real leather cases (this one is vinyl) and compliments the set. Controls are easy to use, and dang! This set is not hard to setup or change things like memory stations, time etc. Shortwave is fine for my purposes, and the tuning steps are selectable in digital and there is a dial for fine tuning.
AM/FM reception is great, but the tone button effects little change. This is a great radio for the house, to take on vacation, anywhere. It is my new radio/clock and for the price I paid ($99.00 Cdn) I couldnt have asked for more. All needed accessories are included. Buy a better antenna if you need one.
I love it.
 On: 2006-11-16
As soon as I received this radio I tried it out by turning it on and pulling the built in antenna up. The base felt flimsy and after a few tries the antenna base broke inside the radio. I am looking to return this item as it is not designed right.
I cannot comment on the reception as the antenna is broken!
Overall, its a nice looking unit but they cheaped out on the materials.
On: 2006-11-05
This was a replacement of an identical radio I got over 10 years ago. Even though there has been a lot of progress in electronics, I find it a very reasonably priced reliable appliance.
On: 2006-09-21
Trusting to insightful reviewers here, I purchased a Grundig G4000A with a few clicks. I supposed that my Dads Grundig of the 50s wouldnt be dupiclated in a G4000A; but, all I wanted was quality reception and a nice sound. My radio provides neither. Yes, its a nicely finished set and all its options work. Thats about the best of it. My night stand holds a $10 Sony clock radio that puts the Grundigs reception and sound quality to shame. A standby battery operated radio is a must in South Florida and this set will do that job nicely. I had hoped for more.
On: 2006-08-03
Been a licensed ham for 15 yrs and i am amazed at what this little radio can do !! Very sensitive reciever with nice quality sounding audio on fm. SSB is not the greatest but useable. Big value for a smalll price.
On: 2006-07-16
I purchased this as a gift for my father, it played well as an AM FM radio, but not as a shortwave radio. My father was disappointed, so I returned the radio. The radio is presently enroute back to amazon (the first item I ever returned!). I have been a loyal amazon customer, so hopefully my reimbursement will come back to me with ease.
On: 2006-06-04
I was looking for a portable shortwave receiver that was fairly small ,durable and worked well . I found it in the G4000A . Its not as fancy as alot of shortwave receivers on the market today but I have had alot of enjoyment with it in the last few weeks . The good points on this product are the protection from the case provided , receives well with the portable antenna provided , good seperation of signals , the tuning and of course the book that comes with it . The not so good points are the whip antenna scares me sometimes when I pull it out to extend(it makes a noise and feels like it might break) , it doesnt receive signals as well on the whip as some other radios do and I wish it had more memory for all the different shortwave stations I listen to .
On: 2006-05-20
In this review Im comparing the G4000 to its sleeker, more attractive cousin the Eton E10, the Kaito 1103, the Kaito 1102 and the big Grundig S350 DL. Im even throwing in my Tivoli PAL and Tivoli Songbook. The winner? Much to my disbelief (Ive been a big fan of my Kaito 1103 for over a year with its strong FM reception)the winner is the G4000. As I turned the stations here in Los Angeles, I didnt have to budge the antenna and I got perfect reception--for even the difficult stations like 88.9. Both AM and FM were stronger than the Eton E10 and the Kaito 1102. The G4000 beat the Kaito 1103 for AM and at least tied for FM, maybe even better because like I said, the G4000s FM strength is so impressive I dont even have to adjust the antenna for what are usually hard-to-get stations. I cant even say this about my big reliable Grundig S350 DL. Plus the speaker on my G4000 is far better than its small digital PLL sythnesized cousins, the Kaito 1102 and 1103 and the Eton E10. The only radios I have that have a nicer sounding speaker are my Tivoli PAL (my best)and my Tivoli Songbook but those radios have, relatively speaking, inferior reception. Plus theyre fifty to sixty dollars more. On balance the Grundig G4000 is my best radio and I would argue the best radio for the money. Yeah, the Eton E10 is more attractive and has a better interface but its speaker isnt as loud and it costs 30 dollars more. If you can pick up a G4000 for a hundred dollars, as I did on Amazon with free shipping, youre getting a great deal.
Update: Gladly, I took my G4000 out of my office where the computer was creating a little interference, especially on AM. I love the G4000 so much Im now using it in my bedroom as a "clock radio." In my office, I put what used to be my clock radio, my Sangean WR-2, a bigger table radio which doesnt get interference.
Second update on 7-15-06: Side by side comparison of the G4000 with the Eton E10 shows that the G4000 blows the E10 away in AM. The E10 gets AM overload on 1150 AM and sounds cold and distant whereas the G4000 locks in on 1150 perfectly and sounds warm and full. The G4000 even gets better AM separation than my Grundig/Eton S350. Get the G4000.
On: 2006-04-22
This radio beats my other radios for AM reception, including the
Sony 7600GR. The 7600GR ranks 2nd. I also brought a Radio Shack DX396 for $45.00 and it ranks 3rd, and my Kaito 1103 ranks 4th. For SW reception it ties for 1rst with the DX 396. The FM is also
great, almost as good as the Kaito 1103. I also use this as my
clock radio. The timer is great because I can check to see how
much time I have left before shutoff. The dial light also gives
adequate light in the dark.
On: 2006-03-11
The only thing I wish they had included in this radio was vhf so it could monitor NOAA weather. Other than that I love it Im replacing an yb400 basicly the same radio, that was stolen when I was hospitalized for almost two months. Weather you believe in Carma or GOD you got to figure someone will pay for something that low.
On: 2006-03-09
I own a S350 Grundig and was looking for something smaller but did not want to compromise on sound quality. The G4000A has very good speaker audio quality, especially considering the size of the unit. The access to controls and their functions are readily mastered with just a cursory review of a very logical manual that is included. The radios ability to function as a clock/radio and still provide high performance in recieving SW,FM,AM and SSB makes it that much more valuable to me, as I travel extensively in my work. I work at many remote locations here in the States as well as overseas.
While there seem to be more feature laden units on the market, this radio has a feel of quiet competence that is refreshing. No myriad of buttons, just what you need that will enhance performance but not overload the user. With the ease of use, well above average audio, nice balance of tuning features, and multi functions of the clock, I definitely consider this radio an excellent buy for the money.
On: 2006-03-09
Excellent portable radio for Short Wave Listening! Excellent for AM/FM listening! It has all the features needed (ext. ant. jack, spkr. jack, etc.). I wanted a very nice portable radio to keep on my sailboat; the Grundig G4000A satifies my needs 100% . The Amazon price of $99 minus $30 credit (w/ new Amazon Credit Card) and the free S/H made it an unbeatable bargain in my humble opinion! 5 Stars +++++
On: 2006-01-08
I happened across the Grundig G4000A by chance. I had purchased another brand that appeared to have potential but was received defective and subsequently returned. I decided to give the Grundig G4000A a chance and it has earned a spot in my list of favorite radios.
The AM reception on the Grundig is simply outstanding; Im pulling in stations that only my larger and more expensive radios had been able to receive previously. My FM reception is also great, again "clearly" pulling in stations that none of my other radios can. This is most like due to the very long (36 inch) whip antenna and the large (6 inch) ferrite bar AM antenna.
The solid construction of the G4000A (inside and out) is well protected by the wrap-around case. The case allows for sound to pass through but you cannot see the controls and it does not have a cutout to accommodate the whip antenna, if you need to extend it. Many of my local FM favorites (within about 25 miles) come in clearly without extending the whip.
The sound produced by the G4000A is also quite nice, large-rich sound from the built-in speaker. The radio is very simple to operate, not too many whistles and bells, just a straight-forward strong-performing radio. It almost seems as if it was designed for/from another era, and thats not all bad.
All in all this is a wonderful radio for under $100 with free shipping.
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