{"id":427,"date":"2010-07-17T03:47:13","date_gmt":"2010-07-17T03:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=427"},"modified":"2011-12-05T13:43:23","modified_gmt":"2011-12-05T17:43:23","slug":"swlingcoms-radio-gift-buying-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2010\/07\/swlingcoms-radio-gift-buying-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"SWLing.com\u2019s 2010 Radio Gift Buying Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Update: Check out our new 2011 Radio Gift Buying Guide<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Would you like to buy a shortwave radio as a gift for someone, but you don’t know a thing about radios? \"gift_box_icon\"Or, are you thinking about buying a radio for yourself (cashing in a gift card, for example) but aren’t sure how much you need to spend to be satisfied with function and performance? Want a little help leaving a hint for Santa or Ms. Santa?\u00a0 If so, no worries:\u00a0 you’ve found the right place in this vast world wide web to answer your questions, or help you with that hint–just leave a link to this article somewhere that Santa can find it!<\/p>\n

Following you’ll find a few select radios I recommend based on best performance, lowest price, and ease of use. I’ve also included current pricing and made suggestions where these radios may best be purchased. Of course, radios are available at large internet retailers–occasionally for better prices–but I highly recommend you purchase from the manufacturer and\/or authorized retailer. Most radio retailers offer much better customer support in case you have a problem or question, or just need a little help getting started.<\/p>\n

This quick guide is basic, non-technical, and to the point. For more comprehensive reviews, please consult SWLing.com’s Radio Review<\/a>s page. Also, take a look at our new Radio Marketplace<\/a> page where we have pre-filtered shortwave radio eBay search results.<\/p>\n

How current is this information? This guide was last updated on: 6 December 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Best performance for price<\/h3>\n

I start with this category because I believe that if you’re going to the trouble of finding the right radio as a gift, you at least want one that will perform and give years of listening pleasure. \u00a0All of the following radios are sure to please those who are new to shortwave radio, and seasoned radio listeners as well. Most of these radios fall between the $100-150 price range.<\/p>\n

\"g4000a1\"The Grundig G4000A<\/a> ($99.95 US)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The G4000A is a great portable radio and I include it here first because it is a part of a special promotion continuing through the end of March 2010. The receiver performance is very good, and it has all of the major features one might expect in a radio in its price class. I owned a version of this portable for over ten years and\u00a0traveled with it extensively–it’s the perfect little travel companion, and it even has an alarm clock. But what’s really amazing about the G4000A is that it’s currently part of an exceptional package promotion by Universal Radio. If you buy the G4000A for $99.99, you also receive a free Grundig FR350 self-powered (emergency) shortwave radio, and a Grundig AN200 indoor antenna. I wrote about this special in a previous post if you want more info.<\/a> Suffice to say, this is the best\u00a0advertised deal for a portable shortwave radio I’ve ever encountered.<\/a><\/em> You could, of course, buy the G4000A for someone and give the two extras as gifts to others on your holiday shopping list–or, better yet, keep one for yourself!<\/p>\n