Eton E100 AM/FM Shortwave Radio

Simple to operate and carry, the E100 is great for tuning in the world wherever the notion strikes you. View larger.

On the right, fine tuning, a keypad lock, and volume and tone controls. View larger.

On the left, an antenna gain switch, power input, headphone jack, and a handy strap. View larger.

On the left side of the E100 you'll find a 3.5mm connector for headphones and a DC jack power port. Eton has included a set of earbud-style earphones for private listening right out of the box, or the small, built-in speaker on the front of the device allows you to share broadcasts with other listeners. In addition to the power port and headphone jack, this side of the radio also sports an antenna gain switch that lets you choose between H/M/L, allowing you to tone down excessively strong AM or shortwave stations if need be.

The right side of the unit features a fine-tuning dial. This knob has a nice, smooth action, but a note of caution here: the knob can be easily plucked from its posts. If you tend to jostle your gear around, you may find yourself looking for a lost knob. In addition to the fine-tuning dial, this side of the radio also sports a key lock switch. The lock allows you tune a station, lock the radio, and listen without worrying about accidentally pressing a button or bumping a dial. This is a particularly handy function for a pocket radio. One curiosity is the "tone" switch, which lets you choose between high and low. We assume the switch is intended to enhance the lower or upper music ranges when selected, but the difference between the two settings wasn't noticeable. The E100 also features a telescoping antenna on the top of the unit that extends to over 20 inches for FM and shortwave reception, and there is a built-in ferrite bar antenna for AM reception. In addition to AC power (not included), the E100 can also run off of two supplied AA batteries.

LCD Display
The E100's display is crisp and clear, with a clean layout that makes it easy to control the radio's tuning, clock, and timer functions. A separate space in the upper right corner is provided for the clock display so you can view the time and tune the radio at the same time -- a nice touch for a pocket-sized radio. Selecting shortwave meter bands is a breeze with this display, as you simply push the meter band button until the meter you want is displayed on the screen. The radio's memories are easy to browse and recall on the display, as well.

A crisp, clear display and a keypad for direct frequency entry. View larger.

Tuning Options
Tuning the E100 is straightforward. The radio tunes MW (commonly known as AM), FM and shortwave signals, and you can choose from manual, auto-scan, direct frequency entry, or fine-tuning modes. If you're new to shortwave, auto-scan will quickly become your friend. With it, we quickly made discoveries, and heard stations from all over the world -- although our limited language skills made it difficult to always know exactly to whom or what we were listening! We found the manual, up/down button press-tuning the most laborious, but we liked the fine-tuning accuracy made possible by the E100's tuning knob.

The E100's impressive memory system also deserves mention. With it, you can set up a huge catalog of stored frequencies -- 550 of them to be exact. Once stored, recalling all these memories is pretty easy, thanks to a straightforward on-screen interface. You can also scan through your memories to rapidly find the frequencies that are currently broadcasting.

Pros

• Very compact, given the radio's features and reception quality
• Clear layout of functions on the LCD
• Fast, accurate shortwave tuning

• Knobs should be better secured to the unit
• Somewhat useless "tone" switch

Design and Controls
The E100's integrated speaker offers full-range sound while the digital frequency readout displays accurate frequency stepping for all three bands. Above the tuning information, the bright, backlit LCD screen also displays clock and alarm info. There's space on the display for FM stereo reception status, signal strength, and power level, as well. In addition to push-button tuning on the front panel -- including direct frequency entry via a numeric keypad -- there's an independent fine-tuning control knob on the right side of the device for really getting those hard-to-tune stations. You also get an antenna gain control switch, a rotary volume control, and a high and low tone control. A built-in telescopic antenna handles FM and shortwave reception, and there's a built-in ferrite bar antenna for AM.

Tuning and Bands
On the FM band, the E100 tunes from 87.0 to 108.0 MHz. AM and global medium wave tuning is supported between 520 and 1710 KHz, and shortwave tuning is offered between 1711 and 29.995 KHz. A 9/10KHz step size selector allows you to get correct worldwide medium wave (AM) reception. Meanwhile, an auto-scan function lets you surf stations quickly and 200 random programmable memories let you mark your best finds.

Connections and Power
The E100's stereo headphone jack makes it easy to listen to the radio in full stereo without disturbing others. The unit can be powered with an AC adapter (not included), or via two "AA" batteries.

Extras
The E100's digital clock can be set to display in 12 or 24 hour format. It also lets you wake up to your favorite station, while a sleep timer automatically shuts the radio off after a preset interval so you can drift off to sleep to the sound of the radio.

What's in the Box
E100 radio, earphones, carrying case, 2 AA batteries, and owner's manual.

Product Description
The kid brother to the acclaimed Eton E10, this shortwave radio packs lots of value and lets you listen to stations all around the world. The Eton E100 is a stylish, compact portable digital radio covering AM, FM and shortwave. You can store up to 200 of your favorite stations. The built in clock has two turn-on timers and a sleep function. FM stereo is provided to the earphone jack and stereo or mono my be switch selected. There is also a Hi/Low tone control. Other refinements include: tuning bargraph, keypad entry, backlit LCD and flip stand. The display can simultaneously show tuned frequency and time. This is a continuous coverage shortwave radio tuning AM, FM and all shortwave frequencies from 1700-30000 kHz. You can quickly change meter bands by just pressing "SW Meter Band" keys up or down. FM reception is 87 to 108 MHz. The E100 may be programmed to personal preferences and geographic location. The controls are easy to operate. Click here to view radio side panels. This is a very cool and compact radio at only 4.75 x 3 x 1.1 inches. It is silver in color. There is a 3.5 mm earphone jack and 3.0 VDC [ - ] input power jack.