Product Review: Eton S350DL Shortwave Radio

It's sad that listening to the world on shortwave radio hasn't become more than a fringe hobby in the United States. When I was a kid, my dad pulled a well-traveled Hallicrafters shortwave radio that he had built from a kit out of a box and set it up on a spare table in the garage. We strung up a simple copper-wire antenna out of a window, dug up a pair of beat-up headphones somewhere, and with a pencil and paper to record frequencies, my "listening shack" was complete!

I would sit for hours, or until bedtime, under the pale illumination of a single light bulb, mesmerized by voices captured out of the ether by that trusty Hallicrafters. Sometimes the reception was scratchy, sometimes clear as a bell, but it was always exotic, thrilling and, often times, even educational. I remember hearing a series of programs on Sigmund Freud, broadcast in English out of Germany; Spanish-language programs out of Mexico and South America; and it was a nightly ritual to get the news from the BBC in England.

You won't have to know a whit about electronics nor solder a single transistor into place to enjoy tinkering around with the Eton S350DL shortwave radio. An inexpensive, highly portable radio that looks good and is easy to use, the S350DL is a great choice for the new shortwave enthusiast or a solid tag-along radio for the seasoned DXer. The radio comes in your choice of black, silver or red finishes, and is styled like an old military radio, with pronounced front-mounted controls. The unit provides continuous shortwave coverage from 3 MHz to 28 MHz, including 13 international broadcast bands. It also includes AM and FM radio so that you can pick up local and regional broadcasts.

The S350DL features a large central speaker that sounds pretty good, with separate dials to adjust volume, bass and treble, and it includes a pair of standard RCA plugs to connect to tape recorder, or to a stereo for even better sound. A headphone jack allows for listening in private. Simple, well-marked switches pick the radio band (AM/FM/SW) you want to listen to while a prominent tuning dial and LCD read-out allow you to find the elusive frequencies that you're looking for. For the more technically-minded, the unit also includes a RF gain control with which to fine-tune station reception. A telescopic antenna works pretty well at pulling in distant signals, but the S350DL also includes jacks in the back to connect an exterior FM and/or AM/SW antenna for greater range of reception.

I picked my S350DL from Cabela's as a Christmas present for myself, but retailers like Radio Shack, Amazon.com and Universal Radio also stock this model. For an inexpensive receiver (around $100), I've been pleasantly surprised as to the consistent quality of long-distance reception. With a padded carry handle and adjustable strap, the S350DL is extremely portable, and the unit runs off both an AC adapter (which is included) or by four 'D' or 'AA' size batteries. It also includes a digital clock with an alarm which you can set to alert you to your favorite shows (like the nightly BBC news), and a sleep timer, so that you can fall asleep listening to the radio.

It's not the cranky tube-driven Hallicrafters shortwave that I grew up with, but the Eton S350DL performs well enough to get you (or your children) hooked on the joys of listening to shortwave radio.