Eton E100 AM/FM/SW Radio
Out of stock |
Similar in Personal Radios
- Display: LCD
- Tuning: Digital
- Type: Portable
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Eton's E100: A Gem Among Small Multiband Radios
Pros
Outstanding FM and shortwave reception, exceptionally convenient and easy to use, pleasant sound quality
Cons
Medium wave (AM) reception not as strong as on larger portables, but still acceptable
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Eton E100 offers great reception, exceptional convenience and ease-of-use as well as great sound for a radio its size. This is a radio that's truly a joy to use.
There are radios that are well designed, there are radios that are conveniently small, and there are still other radios offer great performance. The Eton E100 offers all three of these desirable qualities, and it offers some features I've never seen in any other radios.
Smaller Than You Think
This is a small radio. Looking at a picture of it, you don't realize how compact it is. To visualize its dimensions, think of a 3" x 5" index card: Its length and width are very close to that, and it's an inch or so thick.
Capabilities
The E100 is an AM-FM-shortwave receiver that offers continuous, uninterrupted coverage of the shortwave spectrum, from 1710 kHz to 29,999 kHz. This is an important point, because many small portables offer coverage that's limited to the popular "meter bands." As these bands have grown more crowded with international broadcasters, it seems that an increasing number of shortwave signals are heard at frequencies outside the meter bands. Full coverage as you get in the E100 ensures that all such signals are accessible.
The E100 also offers alarm and sleep functions, memory storage presets for 200 frequencies, a bright and clearly-visible display backlight, and four ways to tune stations: direct keypad entry of the frequency, manual scanning by momentarily pressing the up and down buttons, automatic seeking by holding down the up or down buttons, and manual fine tuning by rotating a knob on the side of the radio.
These four tuning methods offer the user a high degree of flexibility and make for a very versatile radio that a broad range of listeners would find highly satisfactory: Casual listeners who just want to type in a frequency or seek a station automatically can do so, while those wanting to work their way slowly up and down the bands to look for new signals can do that, too.
The E100's LCD display is easy to read and includes clever icons that indicate such functions as sleep mode. A signal strength meter indicates battery life when the radio is off. When the radio is off, the time is displayed in large numerals, while the alarm set time is in smaller numerals at the upper-right corner of the display. When the radio is turned on, the current time moves to the upper-right corner, while the frequency is shown in large digits.
Reception
A lot of little radios are easy to tuck in a coat pocket or carry-on bag, but in terms of radio performance, they're marginal. That is what sets the E100 apart from the pack: Here's a little radio that really pulls in shortwave and FM signals, and performs reasonably well on the medium wave (AM) band.
Comparing the E100 to a Grundig Satellit 700, I was surprised that shortwave performance was as good and in a few cases better on the E100 than on the much larger Satellit. Particularly on the higher daytime frequencies, such as the 16 meter band, the E100 pulled signals a little stronger and clearer than the Satellit. I was amazed.
Medium wave (AM) performance was better on the Satellit, and this is due no doubt to the E100's small size, which means its internal AM ferrite bar antenna is very short. While medium wave performance is not a "standout" area of this radio, it's not bad: The weakest and most distant stations are just a little weaker on this radio than on one of the larger radios with a much bigger internal antenna.
FM performance on this little radio was outstanding. It pulled clean signals from stations 70 and 80 miles away - stations that some other radios do not even receive weakly. The FM performance of this radio would probably by itself be reason enough for some people to buy it if they wanted a very small radio that offered excellent FM sensitivity.
Sound Quality
The sound is surprisingly good for a radio this small. You have the impression when you hear the E100 that you're listening to a larger radio than what you are. The volume is controlled by a thumbwheel control on the side of the radio, and there is also a "high/low" tone control to adjust the sound quality. Of course, the "low" setting for the tone control can help suppress static when listening to weak AM signals.
FM stereo sound is available through the 1/8-inch headphone jack, and stereo earbuds are supplied with the radio to allow owners to take advantage of that feature.
Convenience/Ease-of-use
Here's something I've NEVER found before on any radio, and it's an exceptionally desirable feature of the E100: You can change bands, tune stations, and adjust the volume with one hand only, and without looking at the radio.
Some people probably read that and thought, "A lot of radios offer that," but careful thought reveals that few, if any, actually do. With most small portables, if you have the radio sitting on a nightstand, you have to pick it up and hold it to use at least some of its functions, such as changing the volume or tuning a station. Often this occurs because some of the controls cannot be moved without making the radio slide across the table, or because the radio sits upright on the table and you cannot press the keypad buttons without supporting the radio from behind to keep it from tipping over. Of course, a completely analog radio with a manual tuning knob can be tuned without looking at it, but you can't usually find a particular station without at least glancing at the tuning indicator.
Now, enter the E100. You set it on a nightstand, support it by its rear stand that folds out from the back of the radio. It's now a perfect viewing angle for seeing the frequency from a bed or chair. Even better, you can perform all functions with pushbuttons on the radio's front, so you literally can reach over and key in a frequency, change bands, scan up and down, turn the radio up or down, or power it off or on, without looking at it. Some buttons are identifiable by shape, such as the power button and the up and down tuning buttons, while other buttons are easy to locate by their positions. Because the radio is highly stable on its stand, you won't knock it over by pushing buttons. Perfect for a dark room, and especially convenient in that you do not have to pick the radio up to do any of these things. (The volume thumbwheel is very easy to turn, so you can move it without causing the radio to slide on a table.)
Another nice design feature: The entire radio's surface has a somewhat rubbery texture, making it comfortable to hold and easy to hold on to without dropping.
Power
The radio is powered by two "AA" alkaline batteries or two "AA" rechargeables. Battery life seems good -- I am still on my original set of alkaline AA batteries that were provided free in the box with the radio. I'll probably switch to rechargeables when the provided alkaline batteries wear out.
A very handy power saving feature on this radio is its automatic sleep mode. When the radio is turned on, it is actually in "sleep" mode and will turn off after a predetermined time. The time can be set by the user -- mine came from the factory with the sleep timer set to 90 minutes.
To keep the radio on indefinitely, all that's necessary is to hold the power button down longer when turning the radio on: Pressing the power button for about two seconds cancels the sleep mode and will result in the radio staying on until the user turns it off.
To set the duration of play for the sleep mode, the user needs only to push the up and down tuning buttons within a few seconds of turning the power on and causing the radio to enter the sleep mode.
This is an excellent power saving system that will probably save many users money by prolonging battery life.
A jack for an external AC power supply is provided. Any power supply providing 3-volt DC output and the correct pin size and polarity would probably work fine. Eton does not supply an AC adapter with the radio. Some could see this as a disadvantage, but I prefer to use a small radio like this on batteries anyhow, especially since rechargeables are so common now.
User Customization
Several radio settings can be customized by the user. For example, the radio's FM coverage can be set to 88-108 mHz, as used in most of the world, or to 76-108 mHz, as used in Japan. Medium wave (AM) frequency spacing can be set to 10 kHz, as used in North America, or 9 kHz, as used many other places. The alarm can be set to turn on to the last station listened to, or to the station set in memory preset number one. The clock can be set to 24 hour or 12 hour mode, and the radio's circuitry can be adjusted for 1.5-volt alkaline AA batteries or 1.2 volt rechargeable batteries.
All of these settings are adjusted by selecting the appropriate system set code. The radio's instruction manual provides a list of codes and their functions. It's a convenient way of controlling the radio. Most people would probably never have to alter most of these settings, and if you did alter them you would probably do it once, so it's not like you have to remember the codes to make everyday use of the radio.
Owner's Manual
The owner's manual bears special mention because it's written very well. Often with small electronic devices the manual is poorly translated from another language, but not in this case. The most common questions are anticipated and answered, and each function is explained clearly and logically.
Accessories
As stated above, Eton supplies batteries with the radio, but an AC adapter is not included. A set of stereo earbuds is included, as is a soft vinyl carrying case for the radio.
A Diamond In The Rough
This radio has been out for a while, but I had not discovered this "diamond in the rough" until just recently. The great thing about this radio is it makes you want to use it: It fits into the smallest spaces, it's easy to carry, and it's exceptionally easy and convenient to use. Whether you're looking for a reliable traveling companion, or simply a radio that's nice to carry around the house, listen to in the garage while you work on the car, or play through headphones while you're out in the yard, you can't beat the E100.
Smaller Than You Think
This is a small radio. Looking at a picture of it, you don't realize how compact it is. To visualize its dimensions, think of a 3" x 5" index card: Its length and width are very close to that, and it's an inch or so thick.
Capabilities
The E100 is an AM-FM-shortwave receiver that offers continuous, uninterrupted coverage of the shortwave spectrum, from 1710 kHz to 29,999 kHz. This is an important point, because many small portables offer coverage that's limited to the popular "meter bands." As these bands have grown more crowded with international broadcasters, it seems that an increasing number of shortwave signals are heard at frequencies outside the meter bands. Full coverage as you get in the E100 ensures that all such signals are accessible.
The E100 also offers alarm and sleep functions, memory storage presets for 200 frequencies, a bright and clearly-visible display backlight, and four ways to tune stations: direct keypad entry of the frequency, manual scanning by momentarily pressing the up and down buttons, automatic seeking by holding down the up or down buttons, and manual fine tuning by rotating a knob on the side of the radio.
These four tuning methods offer the user a high degree of flexibility and make for a very versatile radio that a broad range of listeners would find highly satisfactory: Casual listeners who just want to type in a frequency or seek a station automatically can do so, while those wanting to work their way slowly up and down the bands to look for new signals can do that, too.
The E100's LCD display is easy to read and includes clever icons that indicate such functions as sleep mode. A signal strength meter indicates battery life when the radio is off. When the radio is off, the time is displayed in large numerals, while the alarm set time is in smaller numerals at the upper-right corner of the display. When the radio is turned on, the current time moves to the upper-right corner, while the frequency is shown in large digits.
Reception
A lot of little radios are easy to tuck in a coat pocket or carry-on bag, but in terms of radio performance, they're marginal. That is what sets the E100 apart from the pack: Here's a little radio that really pulls in shortwave and FM signals, and performs reasonably well on the medium wave (AM) band.
Comparing the E100 to a Grundig Satellit 700, I was surprised that shortwave performance was as good and in a few cases better on the E100 than on the much larger Satellit. Particularly on the higher daytime frequencies, such as the 16 meter band, the E100 pulled signals a little stronger and clearer than the Satellit. I was amazed.
Medium wave (AM) performance was better on the Satellit, and this is due no doubt to the E100's small size, which means its internal AM ferrite bar antenna is very short. While medium wave performance is not a "standout" area of this radio, it's not bad: The weakest and most distant stations are just a little weaker on this radio than on one of the larger radios with a much bigger internal antenna.
FM performance on this little radio was outstanding. It pulled clean signals from stations 70 and 80 miles away - stations that some other radios do not even receive weakly. The FM performance of this radio would probably by itself be reason enough for some people to buy it if they wanted a very small radio that offered excellent FM sensitivity.
Sound Quality
The sound is surprisingly good for a radio this small. You have the impression when you hear the E100 that you're listening to a larger radio than what you are. The volume is controlled by a thumbwheel control on the side of the radio, and there is also a "high/low" tone control to adjust the sound quality. Of course, the "low" setting for the tone control can help suppress static when listening to weak AM signals.
FM stereo sound is available through the 1/8-inch headphone jack, and stereo earbuds are supplied with the radio to allow owners to take advantage of that feature.
Convenience/Ease-of-use
Here's something I've NEVER found before on any radio, and it's an exceptionally desirable feature of the E100: You can change bands, tune stations, and adjust the volume with one hand only, and without looking at the radio.
Some people probably read that and thought, "A lot of radios offer that," but careful thought reveals that few, if any, actually do. With most small portables, if you have the radio sitting on a nightstand, you have to pick it up and hold it to use at least some of its functions, such as changing the volume or tuning a station. Often this occurs because some of the controls cannot be moved without making the radio slide across the table, or because the radio sits upright on the table and you cannot press the keypad buttons without supporting the radio from behind to keep it from tipping over. Of course, a completely analog radio with a manual tuning knob can be tuned without looking at it, but you can't usually find a particular station without at least glancing at the tuning indicator.
Now, enter the E100. You set it on a nightstand, support it by its rear stand that folds out from the back of the radio. It's now a perfect viewing angle for seeing the frequency from a bed or chair. Even better, you can perform all functions with pushbuttons on the radio's front, so you literally can reach over and key in a frequency, change bands, scan up and down, turn the radio up or down, or power it off or on, without looking at it. Some buttons are identifiable by shape, such as the power button and the up and down tuning buttons, while other buttons are easy to locate by their positions. Because the radio is highly stable on its stand, you won't knock it over by pushing buttons. Perfect for a dark room, and especially convenient in that you do not have to pick the radio up to do any of these things. (The volume thumbwheel is very easy to turn, so you can move it without causing the radio to slide on a table.)
Another nice design feature: The entire radio's surface has a somewhat rubbery texture, making it comfortable to hold and easy to hold on to without dropping.
Power
The radio is powered by two "AA" alkaline batteries or two "AA" rechargeables. Battery life seems good -- I am still on my original set of alkaline AA batteries that were provided free in the box with the radio. I'll probably switch to rechargeables when the provided alkaline batteries wear out.
A very handy power saving feature on this radio is its automatic sleep mode. When the radio is turned on, it is actually in "sleep" mode and will turn off after a predetermined time. The time can be set by the user -- mine came from the factory with the sleep timer set to 90 minutes.
To keep the radio on indefinitely, all that's necessary is to hold the power button down longer when turning the radio on: Pressing the power button for about two seconds cancels the sleep mode and will result in the radio staying on until the user turns it off.
To set the duration of play for the sleep mode, the user needs only to push the up and down tuning buttons within a few seconds of turning the power on and causing the radio to enter the sleep mode.
This is an excellent power saving system that will probably save many users money by prolonging battery life.
A jack for an external AC power supply is provided. Any power supply providing 3-volt DC output and the correct pin size and polarity would probably work fine. Eton does not supply an AC adapter with the radio. Some could see this as a disadvantage, but I prefer to use a small radio like this on batteries anyhow, especially since rechargeables are so common now.
User Customization
Several radio settings can be customized by the user. For example, the radio's FM coverage can be set to 88-108 mHz, as used in most of the world, or to 76-108 mHz, as used in Japan. Medium wave (AM) frequency spacing can be set to 10 kHz, as used in North America, or 9 kHz, as used many other places. The alarm can be set to turn on to the last station listened to, or to the station set in memory preset number one. The clock can be set to 24 hour or 12 hour mode, and the radio's circuitry can be adjusted for 1.5-volt alkaline AA batteries or 1.2 volt rechargeable batteries.
All of these settings are adjusted by selecting the appropriate system set code. The radio's instruction manual provides a list of codes and their functions. It's a convenient way of controlling the radio. Most people would probably never have to alter most of these settings, and if you did alter them you would probably do it once, so it's not like you have to remember the codes to make everyday use of the radio.
Owner's Manual
The owner's manual bears special mention because it's written very well. Often with small electronic devices the manual is poorly translated from another language, but not in this case. The most common questions are anticipated and answered, and each function is explained clearly and logically.
Accessories
As stated above, Eton supplies batteries with the radio, but an AC adapter is not included. A set of stereo earbuds is included, as is a soft vinyl carrying case for the radio.
A Diamond In The Rough
This radio has been out for a while, but I had not discovered this "diamond in the rough" until just recently. The great thing about this radio is it makes you want to use it: It fits into the smallest spaces, it's easy to carry, and it's exceptionally easy and convenient to use. Whether you're looking for a reliable traveling companion, or simply a radio that's nice to carry around the house, listen to in the garage while you work on the car, or play through headphones while you're out in the yard, you can't beat the E100.
