Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Nick Booras, who writes:
I bought [an Eton Elite Satellit] on Amazon and received it today. Here is a link to my YouTube review.
I have made several radio videos on YouTube recently and your audience may enjoy them.
Click here to view on YouTube.
Many thanks for sharing your initial review, Nick! I look forward to seeing any comparison videos you might produce as well!
If you look at the Universal Radio, there is an accessory list
which shows the connector adapters, such as PAL, which is
a European system.
The Rheostat by the battery door, I believe adjusts the
brightness of the LED display.
My pre-order price with Universal Radio is $349.99 plus
about $10.00 for shipping. I pre ordered in March 2020.
I also have the the Eton E1XM model.
Look at the listing on Universal Radio for the accessories,
such as the PAL adapters, which are European.
The rheostat by the battery compartment, I think is a LED
brightness control
Did Eton do ANY testing on this radio? Or, did they just accept the shipment from China and send them right out to retailers? Just unbeleivable. …
Well done! Thank you for making this video – very informative (sadly!) Cheers!
What I find disturbing is that a brand like Eton can put a seemingly premium device on the market that is a total dud.
What happened to them? I’m really surprised!
Did they really not see anything or did they think that nobody will see anything?
Premium in looks only, I think they was trying to ride on the success of the Eton E1 (and even that was overpriced for what it offered).
In order for me to spend anywhere around $600 on a receive only radio it would have to be close to those SDR based Yaesu and Icom radios (just with no transmit, think of an advanced version of the Malahit SDR). Added fully adjustable filters (including adjustable notch filters), audio DSP to get the cleanest possibly signal, much wider frequency ranges. A full color touch screen with spectrum waterfall.
How long was the developing this only to come to market with yet another DSP based receiver. I mean for two years they could slapped together an SDR based receiver that would outperform what Eton chucked out in every way possible.
DSP is so limited in it’s capabilities.
It seems like they don’t care about quality and less about shortwave enthusiasts. Replicating the original E1 was likely to be unfeasible so they chose the easy way out by shoving a cheap DSP design into the E1 case and call it a day. I never believed Eton would come through with a solid and unique product and their blatantly misleading marketing has just turned people off their products.
The Sangean ATS-909X/X2 manages to combine a DSP chip with a PLL tuner to make for a nice experience with no muting. Sangean know what owners want from a modern, premium portable. I’m staggered Eton didn’t go down this route, especially when you consider this radio is a sequel to one of the greatest portables of all time, the E1. They must have known it would disappoint the vast majority of people who would consider buying this radio. It seems like a really cynical move by Eton.
It’s a shame that the Eton Elite Satellit is getting stuck with poor reviews. The overall form factor and display size seem excellent. I would appreciate it if the manufacturer took the feedback under advisement and fixed the problems. I will consider purchasing a later unit if the issues get resolved. I am saddened because I see a lot of potential in the receiver.
$700 bucks! Never.
If this radio receiver shows up on Amazon in a couple of years for sale at $ 79.00 then i might place an order. Until then ill enjoy my JRC NRD -345 HF Receiver as my ears to the world. Why would anyone pay $700.00 for this receiver ? That price is way to high.
Seems like Eton just repackaged the electronic guts from the smaller Executive Satellite and dropped them into the old e1 case.
Terrible move, and the price is ridiculous for what you get.
Eton should have just taken the plans for the excellent e1 out and remanufactured that unit, it is still very good today.
What a letdown. Early adopters have not only been burnt but deceived as well. What we have here is just another overpriced Chinese junk box receiver. Even a Tecsun H-501 does a better job than this trainwreck.
So it’s make a good parts radio for my OG eton e1?
My display is fading and the housing is showing some stress cracks from age…
I’d be tempted to just swap my guts into the new one and plug in the display…GTG
And the verdict = FAIL
I’ll stick with my PL-660
^––this. I keep shopping around for a better portable SW radio than my PL-660, and it’s just not out there.
Thanks for posting this review video. I’d been wondering about this new e1. Now I don’t have to wonder about the radio, I just wonder what the heck the manufacturer was thinking.
the way the audio mutes when turning the tuning knob is a deal killer to me, i like to spin the big knob listening for random stuff like being on a fishing expedition
The specs, filter options, the muting and the trademark AGC distortion on Gander Radio at the end of the video seem to indicate that this is just yet another Si473x radio, and the muting indicates that it’s not exactly the most sophisticated example either? That’s would be pretty hard to digest, the market seems to be more than saturated with radios of this kind to me. That would also mean that no update can possibly address any of the well-known inherent issues of the RF part as per usual.
Oh, it’s possible to make a pretty good Si47xx-based radio – the Sangean 909’s are testament to that (while not without their issues, mostly due to factors other than the chip used) – but you won’t be using it as the RF stage. Like those Sangeans and a few others, the RF section will be fairly traditional and the Si chip only used at IF…
I know, Ron! That’s why I’m surprised that they decided to skip the extra effort and put up with some extra backlash from the community. But maybe the rationale is that even with an added PLL/3rd mixer the radio wouldn’t score with the legacy audience (since that would still be basically yet another Tecsun), so they didn’t even try to please more demanding SWLs.