{"id":55847,"date":"2023-02-20T10:27:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T14:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=55847"},"modified":"2023-02-20T10:27:07","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T14:27:07","slug":"paolos-review-of-the-eton-elite-satellit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/paolos-review-of-the-eton-elite-satellit\/","title":{"rendered":"Paolo’s review of the Eton Elite Satellit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Paolo Viappiani, who shares the following guest post:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

ETON Elite Satellit: an expensive flop\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n

by Paolo Viappiani, Italy\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

After various and sometimes conflicting announcements that have created strong expectations in radio listening enthusiasts, ETON has recently launched on the extra-European market (basically in the United States) what should have been its “top of the range” portable, the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> model . Aesthetically (and also functionally) inspired by the previous E1<\/i><\/b> model, the new portable radio should have been free from the defects of its predecessor, in particular as regards the “sticky” coating of the plastic case but also with respect to other technical drawbacks repeatedly reported by users (display contrast and shading, etc.).<\/p>\n

The new Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> was announced to look practically identical to the E1 model and to use the same cabinet, but with various additions and improvements: RDS, FM-HD reception, Air Band, etc. A frequency resolution of 10 Hz in the shortwave bands, a PBT (Pass-Band Tuning<\/i>) facility, a large LCD display with the possibility of changing its background color were also provided.<\/p>\n

It is therefore obvious that its release was highly anticipated, and the resulting expectation gave rise to numerous pre-orders of the radio in the United States, where the main distributor was (and still is) the well-known Universal Radio<\/i><\/b> company owned by Fred Osterman [1].<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the initial boom in sales of the ETON Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> was followed by many return requests due to the poor performances of the radio and the numerous defects encountered by users, also reported in a lot of videos and negative reviews on the Internet [2].<\/p>\n

Fred Osterman himself, disappointed by the performance of a radio that he should have sold as an excellent portable, began to test the individual devices in his own laboratory and to return to ETON all the units that did not meet the declared specs (basically the vast majority of those received for sale) [3]. All this caused great confusion at ETON, which was forced to somehow remedy its errors (mainly due both to a very approximate alignment of the circuits and to an almost non-existent final quality control).<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, despite the precautions adopted “hastily” by ETON, most of the “overhauled” devices that were returned to Universal Radio<\/i><\/b> continued not to comply with the specifications, so that Fred Osterman, who is a good technician and a very honest dealer, decided to cancel most of the orders received and to sell the very few radios found to be in good working order within the United States only, (see again note [3]). I myself placed an order from Universal Radio for an ETON Elite Satellit on August 8, 2022 (Order ID: #8992932, retail price $599.99 plus shipping and import customs duties), but Fred was forced to \u201cdrastically cut\u201d the orders received and to cancel mine too, due to the impossibility of satisfying the many customers on this side of the pond. However, my desire to have an example of the ETON Elite Satellit in my hands, in order to be able to see, test and judge the new radio it was really great, and great was also the wish to realize if the many negative impressions circulating on the web were or were not justified and true.<\/p>\n

So I decided to look for other ways to buy the “latest cry” of ETON. The opportunity presented itself to me, almost unexpectedly, by visiting the American site of Amazon [4].<\/p>\n

The purchase and the arrival of the radio;<\/i><\/b> my <\/i><\/b>first impressions\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I therefore ordered an ETON Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> portable radio on the Amazon.com website on January 17, 2023 at the price of $698.16 (including shipping and customs duties). I report in Figure 1 the screenshot concerning my order #113-3575479-2262609 which, as it appears, was delivered to me on January 23, 2023, after only five days; this demonstrates the truthfulness of my statements.<\/p>\n

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Figure 1: A Screenshot of my Amazon.com order dated January 17, 2023.<\/p><\/div>\n

The shipment was delivered to me by UPS courier in the usual Amazon packaging in a plastic bag (Figure 2).<\/p>\n

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Figure 2: The UPS label and the Amazon plastic bag.<\/p><\/div>\n

Inside the envelope was a cardboard box containing the radio, in understandably less than perfect conditions (Figure 3).<\/p>\n

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Figure 3: The cardboard box of the ETON Elite Satellit.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Figure 4: The contents of the radio box.<\/p><\/div>\n

Once the package was opened, the contents of the box looked like in Figure 4: two shock-absorbing spacers held the device in position (inserted in a plastic bag) and its AC power supply (into a white box, and obviously with a 117V input voltage). There was also the “User Guide” in a paper version and a “mini-guide” to listening to short waves; completely absent was the CD that used to be enclosed in the box of the previous E1<\/i><\/b> version of the radio.<\/p>\n

Continuing with the operations, I came across a sort of brown plastic cover intended for the protection of three sides of the radio (front, top and back) which can be held in position by some magnets and is provided with two circular holes in correspondence with the tuning knobs and volume of the radio (Figure 5).<\/p>\n

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Figure 5: The ETON Elite Satellit radio and its “case” (?)<\/p><\/div>\n

I omit to make comments on this “protection”; I only say that in my opinion it is useless (and ugly too) and I believe that the gentlemen of ETON could have wasted their energies otherwise; but maybe someone likes it too\u2026<\/p>\n

Figures 6 and 7 show the front and back of the portable radio as soon as it has been removed from the protective plastic bag. Note the almost identical appearance of the cases of the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> and of the previous E1<\/i><\/b> model.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Luckily enough, the case of the Elite Satellit<\/strong><\/em> (incidentally this radio is built in China, while the E1 was built in India instead) does not have that bad feeling of a “sticky” object to the touch that negatively characterized the previous model; however, handling the new radio, the lack of robustness of the case itself is clearly perceived: it seems to be made of cheap “plastic” (not of the high quality previously advertised material). And it’s quick and simple to verify it: just try to extract the fragile rear folding support (an operation that you will certainly try to do with absolute delicacy and as infrequently as possible in order to prevent its breakage).<\/p>\n

On the back of the device (Figure 7) the four magnets intended to hold the unusual folding case in position are shown, while Figure 8 shows the upper side of the device, where the whip antenna and the Light and Snooze\/Sleep switches are placed.<\/p>\n

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Figure 6: The front panel of the Elite Satellit is practically identical to that of the E1.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Figure 7: The back of the radio shows the four recessed round magnets for holding the brown cover.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Figure 8: The top side of the ETON Elite Satellit.<\/p><\/div>\n

Some remarks\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

A careful eye will certainly notice some discrepancies between the radio described in its user manual [5] and the real device: first of all, it should be noted that while on page 3 of the aforementioned manual the two selectors on the left side are indicated as “HF Antenna Internal\/External Switch<\/i>” (n. 26, top) and “FM Antenna Internal\/External Switch<\/i>” (n. 27, bottom), in the radio itself the upper selector is used to select the battery type (rechargeable Ni-Mh or normal Alkaline) and the lower one selects the internal whip antenna or the external one for all receiving bands (Figure 9).<\/p>\n

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Figure 9: The left side of the radio with the various switches and sockets.<\/p><\/div>\n

And, just as we are in there, it should also be noted that the external power socket in the ETON manual is specified as \u201cExternal 5VDC Power Socket\u201d (page 3, #29), while it is marked as \u201cDC IN 6V\u201d in the actual unit.<\/p>\n

The serial number of the radio appears on an adhesive label applied to the outer rear cover of the battery compartment (Figure 10); incidentally, my copy has the serial number 1022005546.<\/p>\n

By opening this cover, you can access both the actual battery compartment and an area where there is a potentiometer for adjusting the contrast of the display and a small multi-pole connector (which undoubtedly it is also used to update the software <\/i>of the radio); no mention is made about it in the manual however. Thus, not being able to view (due to the lack of specific instruction), the firmware version of my unit, I am not given to know whether or not it has been updated to the latest version v1.0.5 [3].<\/p>\n

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Figure 10: Opening the outermost rear cover gives access to the actual battery compartment and the serial number of the radio can be read.<\/p><\/div>\n

With regard to the manual, both its incompleteness and the presence of various incorrect or obsolete indications should be noted (just to name one, on Page 17 “Suggested References” the reading of the volume “Passport to World Band Radio<\/i><\/b>” is recommended, but that book is out of print and it \u00a0hasn’t been published for over a decade). Another “gem” that can be seen is the incorrect indication of the various selectivity positions of the radio, which are not reflected in the use of the same and which once again demonstrates a very small effort by the compilers and correctors.<\/p>\n

In any case, reference must also be made to this booklet to know the specifications of the radio (which are also summarized on the receiver box and in the Data Sheet<\/i> downloadable from the Internet [6].<\/p>\n

In my opinion, another inconsistency of the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> is represented by the presence of the “Equil<\/i>” control (first potentiometer at the top left of the front panel, see Figure 7) which replaces the “Squelch<\/i>” control of the old E1<\/i><\/b> radio. It is an almost useless level regulator for “external sources” (I would like to know how many people will use this radio to listen to CDs or to something else… wasn’t it better to use that space by inserting an AGC time-constant<\/i> selector?).<\/p>\n

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Figure 11: The label that appears on one side of the box seems to have been superimposed to a previous one.<\/p><\/div>\n

A little mystery concerning my unit concerns the label applied on one side of the box (Figure 11): upon careful observation it can be seen that it has been superimposed to another one carrying a different numbering. Maybe it’s a radio “refurbished” by the manufacturer after some “return” due to specifications not met? Hmm\u2026<\/p>\n

Some comparisons with the previous E1 model\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Thanks to the contribution of my friend Gigi Lombardo from Bassano del Grappa (VI), who has the internal photos of the ETON E1-XM, and to the contributions of Noel that appear on the SWLing.com<\/i><\/b> website [7] I was spared the operations of opening my receivers and I am able to show some comparison photos and some comments anyway.<\/p>\n

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Figure 12: “Open” view of the ETON Elite Satellit: note the three main printed circuits used and their positioning.<\/p><\/div>\n

Figure 12 shows the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> split into its front and rear “shells”. The two printed circuits relating to the Display Board<\/i> and the Control Board<\/i> are fastened to the front shell, while the actual Main Board<\/i> is installed on the rear one. On the Display Board<\/i> please notice the absence of any metal shield on the back of the display, while a shield was instead present in the E1 model (see Figure 13).<\/p>\n

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Figure 13: Internal view of the front shell of the old E1: note the presence of a metal screen located immediately behind the display.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Figure 14: Comparison of the component side of the Main Boards of the old E1 (above photo) and the new Elite Satellit (photo below); note the Murata IF filters in the E1 and the small ferrite antenna in the Elite Satellit.<\/p><\/div>\n

Figure 14 shows a comparison of the component side of the Main Boards<\/i> of the ETON E1<\/i><\/b> (above photo) and the ETON Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> (photo below). Note the Murata<\/i><\/b> IF filters used in the E1<\/i><\/b> model, evidently it was still equipped with conventional (analog) medium-frequency circuits. In the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b>, on the other hand, selectivity is digitally obtained via DSP circuits.<\/p>\n

In the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> model there is also an item that I sincerely didn\u2019t expect: a small ferrite antenna for LW and MW fastened to the upper part of the Main Board<\/i> (Figure 14 below). However, a lack of care can be seen in the impregnation of the two coils, which are also visible in the same Figure.<\/p>\n

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Figure 15: On the Elite Satellit Main Board there is an empty space marked with the writing: \u201cQ12 DAB Module\u201d.<\/p><\/div>\n

Figure 15 shows a rather interesting detail instead: an area of the printed circuit of the Main Board<\/i> of the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> almost entirely empty and marked with the writing “Q12 DAB MODULE\u201d<\/i><\/b>. Evidently in the design process it was thought to equip the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> also with the possibility of receiving the DAB<\/i><\/b> mode, an intention which was later abandoned. Figure 16 shows a comparison of the “back shells<\/i>” of the two radios (the photo above shows the old E1<\/i><\/b>, the photo below shows the new Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b>). It should certainly be noted that for building the cabinet of the new radio the mold of the old E1 cabinet was used, even it was slightly modified. It is for this reason that the “small box” visible on the right is also present in the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> (in the E1<\/i><\/b> model it contained the “XM<\/i><\/b>” module, while in the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> it is completely unused).<\/p>\n

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Figure 16: Comparison of the front side of the Main Boards of the old E1 (photo above) and the new Elite Satellit (photo below); the inside of the rear “shells” of the two radios is visible.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Figure 17: The Control Board and the XM module of the old ETON E1 (see text).<\/p><\/div>\n

Figure 17 shows both the printed circuit of the Control Board<\/i> of the old ETON E1<\/i><\/b> (photo on the left) and the “XM<\/i><\/b>” module of the same (photo on the right). The latter is not used in the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> model and only an empty box remains in the new receiver case.<\/p>\n

The ETON Elite Satellit in practical use\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

At this step, having finished the various observations on the item that had just arrived, I tried to turn it on and I started some listening tests. As a matter of fact, I must specify that my tests have no absolute value (in this location I have neither good antennas nor suitable instruments), so that my evaluation of the performances of the radio is based exclusively on my experience and on the results of comparisons with other portables with similar frequency coverage (in particular with the SONY ICF-2001D <\/i>and with the Tecsun PL-660<\/i>, both of which I own). The listening tests were carried out using only the whip antennas of the various receivers (excluding comparisons in the Long and Medium Wave bands, since the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> is equipped with a very small internal ferrite antenna only, who knows why…).<\/p>\n

The various receivers were positioned on a table in an attic with a tiled roof on a wooden structure, in an old country house away from heavy traffic and various noises, and were powered by the AC mains using their original power supplies (the one of the SONY ICF-2001D is of the linear and stabilized type). Just for example, Figure 18 shows the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> receiver connected to the AC mains via the power supply supplied with the device (with a 230\/117 VAC transformer adapter inserted).<\/p>\n

The first impression I got when switching on the radio is that it is a rather “noisy” device even in the absence of signals; probably part of the noise is due to the display microchips that are not adequately shielded on the PCB back and to the lack of a shielding film on the front of the display itself. It would probably have been enough to attach a transparent conductive film connected to ground on it\u2026<\/p>\n

The various photos of Figures 19 to 22 show the radio display in the different possible colors during the tests on various bands; in my humble opinion, however, changing the backlight color of the display is a superfluous feature and it would have been preferable for Eton to have adopted a more modern display (perhaps a color LCD or TFT). Moreover, also the visualization of the spectrum in a convenient neighborhood of the received frequency would not have been bad in a radio of these claims and with a rather high cost.<\/p>\n

Another very serious drawback of this portable is the “muting” between the various tuning steps, whatever they are. But then, what’s the advantage of having a radio with 10 Hz frequency steps and resolution in Short Wave and also equipped with a Pass-Band Tuning<\/i> (that in practice is a Fine Tuning Control<\/i> however) if an annoying phenomenon always hinders the tuning operations?<\/p>\n

And don’t tell me that the muting could not technically be eliminated: gentlemen at ETON, I remind you that we are in year 2023!<\/p>\n

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Figure 18: The ETON Elite Satellit has been connected to the AC mains via its power supply and a proper voltage adapter.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Figures 19 and 20: Display of different colors during the tests on the various bands.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Figures 21 and 22: Display of different colors during the tests on the various bands (certainly the blue color makes the display readable with some difficulty).<\/p><\/div>\n

Figure 23 shows my SONY ICF-2001D laptop during tests carried out \u201calongside\u201d or \u201cas an alternative to\u201d the ETON Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> radio. The various performance and listening tests, the results of which I report briefly in the next paragraph, were actually also documented via a number of videos (I do not wish to post them on the web, but I still keep them as a possible proof of my claims).<\/p>\n

Synthetic judgment and conclusions\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Based on what I have been able to deduce from the numerous tests I have conducted, I can safely conclude that this ETON Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> is one of the worst portables I have ever tried. This, if on the one hand surprises me, on the other it doesn’t plunder me at all: already in the past (at the time of the E1 <\/i><\/b>model) the ETON designers demonstrated their inability (or their lack of will) to solve the problems of a radio that should have been – like the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> today – the top of the top of the portable receivers. In brief, the problems I encountered in the various bands and in general are the following ones:<\/p>\n

– FM band:<\/strong> This is the only range in which the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> shows acceptable operation: the presence of the RDS, the (almost useless and malfunctioning) FM-HD mode and the demodulation capability of the FM-Stereo make up for the defects in terms of sensitivity on weak signals and S\/N ratio (there is definitely room for improvement).<\/p>\n

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Figure 23: Some photos of my SONY ICF-2001D during the various “comparison” tests I carried out.<\/p><\/div>\n

– LW-MW bands:<\/strong> here the lack of a good internal ferrite antenna makes itself felt (the existing one is really bad) and in a certain sense it prevents a correct comparison with the performances of the ICF-2001D and the PL-660; also the recent shutdown of the Italian RAI Medium Wave repeaters certainly does not help.<\/p>\n

In any case, it seems to me that I can argue a lower sensitivity than the other two portables and also a worse S\/N ratio, with the presence of spurious signals and various noises in the entire extensions of the two bands.<\/p>\n

– SW Bands:<\/strong> All the bands, from the lowest to the highest one, are characterized by the presence of a background noise capable of masking the weakest signals, and the selection of different pass-bands values or the use of the Pass-Band Tuning<\/i> (PBT<\/i>, that rather seems a Fine Tuning<\/i> control), are not always effective.<\/p>\n

In addition, a lot of spurious signals (due to the synthesizers and internal oscillators) arises at various frequencies.<\/p>\n

On AM signals, it is better to spread a pitiful veil on the effectiveness of the synchronous detector of this portable: in general it is preferable to directly choose the USB or LSB mode (notwithstanding the AGC distortion that arises) and to adjust the receiver tuning properly (if there weren’t that cursed “muting<\/i>” …) .<\/p>\n

For SSB signals, the demodulator behaves acceptably, always with the previously exposed limitations; unfortunately in the amateur bands the sensitivity is not excellent and the low S\/N ratio (together with a problematic AGC) prevents the reception of weak signals (at least with the built-in stylus, the situation could be different using a good external antenna).<\/p>\n

– AIR Band:<\/strong> Really I don’t know why they included this band… The fact is that, in the absence of suitable input filters, the coverage of this band is absolutely useless due to the generalized presence of intermodulations<\/i> by various signals present in the FM range, which in practice prevent the reception of even rather strong signals.<\/p>\n

Yet my location is quite close to an airport (Pisa): please consider that, while from the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> it was not possible for me to listen to any useful signal, as soon as the SONY ICF-2001D was turned on and switched to the “air band” (Figure 23 below ), its loudspeaker played excellent signals from various aircrafts.<\/p>\n

In conclusion:<\/strong> after having tried this new radio for a long time, I can only judge the Elite Satellit<\/i><\/b> unworthy of the “World Receiver” denomination and of the strong expectation that ETON had created in potential users before the release of this new and expensive product; furthermore, I note with regret that some current misleading advertising can deceive some enthusiasts who, perhaps convinced that they are getting hold of an excellent receiver, throw away their savings.<\/p>\n

I therefore agree with what appears in the videos currently present on the web [2] and I warmly invite ETON to remedy all the various defects reported by users.<\/p>\n

In practice, in my humble opinion, the following actions have to be done:<\/p>\n