Europe's Premier Medium Wave DX Club
RECEIVER REVIEW: GRUNDIG YB400
Year Introduced: 1994 (NA-centric PE version 4th Q 1998) Power: 9 vDC (6 AA), AC adaptor optional (included in PE version) Size: 180 x 120 x 37 mm Weight: 600g Price: US$149.95, CAN$250, £105, A$400, £120.00, €195 Coverage: 144-351 kHz, 520-1710 kHz, 1.711-30 MHz, FM 87.5-108 MHz
Value Rating star:
This review was compiled independently. The Medium Wave Circle and Radio Netherlands has no financial connection with R.L. Drake, the manufacturer of this receiver.
Reviewers: Jonathan Marks, Diana Janssen, and Willem Bos.
The Yacht Boy 400 was launched at the end of 1993 in North America. In fact at £105 across Europe, the Yacht Boy 400 turns out to be a great value package. Our example is clearly made for Grundig in the Peoples’ Republic of China. Grundig has designed the unit and supervised the quality control. The Yacht Boy 400 looks like many travel portables. At 180 by 120 by 37 millimetres, the set is about the size of a paperback book, it works off six penlight batteries and weighs 708 grams with batteries.
Despite a rather clumsy instruction booklet literally translated from German, if you practice a little, the Yacht Boy 400 is extremely easy to use. You simply tap in the desired frequency and press a button. Two buttons allow you to shuttle up and down the dial and on shortwave you can flip between 5 kHz steps and 1 kHz. The radio offers two bandwidths, and both filters have a good shape factor for a portable radio. The speaker is closely matched to the cabinet, so the radio sounds much richer and fuller than competing sets from Japan.
The radio turns out to be sensitive, without serious problems of overloading here in Europe. You can store up 40 stations in the memory and using a separate set of up-down buttons you can flip through the active memory channels with ease. Like most radios, the set will scan through the dial stopping at stronger, listenable signals.
Clearly some compromises have had to be made to keep the price down. You can receive signal sideband using the radio, but clarification of either the upper or lower sideband is by means of a thumbwheel rather than the push of a button. The radio also has no synchronous detection, but the sharp bandwidth filters in Grundig, which come out at 5.5 and 3 kHz at -6dB, are a strong plus point.
FM coverage is between 87.5 and 108 MHz, with stereo possible if you connect the pair of earphones. The sensitivity on FM is about right for Europe… may be a little too sensitive for cities in North America where the FM dial is crowded. You can connect an external antenna for areas where shortwave signals are relatively weak. The radio is supplied with a washing-line antenna, though you don’t really need it in Europe. The dial light can be illuminated for bed-side listening, the set has two clocks for keeping track of both local time and UTC and a recessed lock switch to prevent accidental battery drain when the radio is put in a suitcase. We got just over 20 hours of listening from a fresh set of alkaline batteries, listening for periods of an hour a day. That’s not bad, but running the set off the mains is a lot cheaper. A mains power supply is not included as part of the package though.
In short, Grundig has made a superb portable. They would do well to re-write the instruction manual and supply more up to date schedule information… the one packed with our radio was clearly compiled nearly four years ago. Overall, this set is a good value, and it sounds very good.
The Grundig Yacht Boy 400 won the 1994 World Radio TV Handbook Industry Award for Best Shortwave Portable.
In North America, Lextronix released the titanium-coloured finish YB-400PE (Professional Edition) in the fourth quarter of 1998. Electrically, there is no difference between the YB-400 and YB-400PE. A Grundig-brand AC adapter is included, as are stereo ear plugs, wind-up antenna, a re-written owners manual and vinyl carry case. The out-of-date schedule information has been dropped in lieu of sources of information on broadcasters and schedules.
This review first appeared on the Radio Netherlands website.
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| Review Summary For : Grundig Yachtboy 400 | |||
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| Reviews: 67 | MSRP: 199 | ||
| Description: 100 Khz - 30 Mhx portable receiver | |||
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| # last 180 days | Avg. Rating last 180 days | Total reviews | Avg. overall rating |
| 0 | 0 | 67 | 3.9 |
| Rating: | 2023-11-13 | ||
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| updat as of nove 2023 great radio | Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. | ||
| UPDATE as of nov 203 when i brought it use from our local hamfest i brought it fot 45.00 i find not bad but does not tune the band but works fine only 4 band fm mw lw sw when got i heard 160 meter cw is like wow i hear cw lol no wonder i heard cw on 160 meter band ! a keeper for sure ! 73 Jackie BACK IN 2017 I BOUGHT THIS LITTLE WAVE RADIO SOMETHING TO TAKE WITH ME ON CAMPING TRIP ! DUE TO MY HEALTH PROBLEM THAT DON'T STOP FROM LISTENING TO THIS RADIO IT PICK UP 160 METER FIRST TIME I EVER HEARD 160 METER I NEVER WOULD THOUGHT NEVER PICK UP 160 METER BEFORE I REALLY ENJOYED LISTEN TO THIS RADIO AS LONG I HAD 73 Jackie N4MJG I brought this march 11,2017 find this radio black radio for $45 at local ham fest ! I have always wanted one for awhile to take with me at the inn or camping out ! or if power goes out at home. takes little get use to it and to understanding the radio ! I also pick up morse code which is great !! I see the radio been out since 94 not bad for this radio it's a keeper for me !! 73 Jackie N4MJG Been Hamming since 2001 | |||
| Rating: | 2017-12-09 | ||
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| Very capable portable | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| I'm actually on my third YB400. First two succumbed to hard drops on concrete by other people.....long story. These receivers were great company to me for many years while I travelled out of town during the week. I have also taken them with me to the Caribbean and Florida while on vacation. Coolest experience with my YB400 was while in Aruba I was monitoring an Aruba station working the CQWPX CW contest and actually heard my station back in Illinois work him which I was controlling remotely via TeamViewer and Pignology K3ui. I still regularly drag it out onto the patio while I'm grilling dinner. My Grandfather got me interested in SWLing. I think he would have been very fond of this receiver. | |||
| Rating: | 2017-02-16 | ||
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| It works just fine | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| One of my very first 'modern', contemporary manufactured SW receivers, purchased waaaay back in the early '90s, this little guy worked and works just fine for its price point, and even more so for its much lower resale prices. It was the first receiver I used with a dedicated SSB mode and though it was touchy, I was able to use it pretty well very quickly, and I don't recall it getting too drifty most of the time. Certainly, having long since used much better and pricier receivers, I now consider the YB400's SSB to be worse than mediocre, but not worse than its average used price would promise. FM sounded nice for such a little radio, and MW/SW AM signals were clear and mostly crisp and intelligible, no worse than on most portables of its size and retail point. In fact it sounded better than the Tecsun 600 I had for a while (which certainly had better SSB but was still not great). It's not a powerhouse performer, it's not even a decent DX machine, but it's just fine for SW b'cast listening, AM/FM bands and if you don't mind twiddling with a little finesse and patience, amateur SSB can be enjoyed to some extent, too. Certainly performs well for its current price range. | |||
| Rating: | 2012-10-20 | ||
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| Three Thumbs Up | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| I've had three of these including a silver PE for many years and they work great. Bought 'em all used for very little $. Performance to price ratio is high. Now they aren't meant to compete with high priced pro-grade receivers so one must adjust his/her expectations accordingly. | |||
| Rating: | 2010-02-18 | ||
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| OK Choice if SSB not required | Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. | ||
| This review is for the almost identical G4000A. I also own an E5,7600GR, and KA1103, so this review will focus on where the G4000A falls short or exceeds these models. Pros: *Sensitivity/Selectivity on SW/BCB/FM matches or exceeds the previously mentioned models. *Sound from the built in speaker is richer and fuller. *Has a non-radio (beep) alarm with snooze *Push button frequency step control. (7600GR also has additional buttons for same function.) *Memory system is easy to set and use. (but only 40 presets.) *Volume control feels smooth and is easy to set anywhere from silent to loud. Cons: *SSB *SSB *Did I mention SSB? CW was a warbled mess, and SSB voice took forever to tune in a signal that was easy on the other radios, to only halfway intelligible on the G4000A. For an SSB radio I'd rate it 1/5 if I was being generous. * Overall Control quality. The buttons and switches feel sloppy and cheap compared to the other radios. They work, but don't inspire confidence. * requires 6 rather than 4 batteries. So... Buy this radio if you are looking for BCB/SW unit to put on your nightstand with a beep alarm, and use a few memories. Do not buy this radio if you want to monitor SSB/CW ham transmissions, if you plan to operate mainly on batteries, or have hundreds of presets. | |||
| Rating: | 2010-01-08 | ||
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| Bought mine in 1994 | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| I guess I'd give my YB400 a 5 just because I've been using it almost daily for 15 years and it has served me well. Whether at home, in a motel room or in a tent while camping I've listened to the bands nearly every night. It absolutly isn't the best receiver I own but it is the most versatile and I can always find something to listen to on it. I bet I'm still listening to it 15 years from now too! | |||
| Rating: | 2010-01-02 | ||
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| Good general use portable | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| I've owned mine for seven years. This radio has very good sounding audio. Not particularly good for surfing the bands because of the push button tuning and it's annoying to tune with headphones on. But for casual BCB on SW/AM/FM it's a good radio. Headphone L/R channels aren't balanced in my set until the volume is turned up high then it's too loud, so I have a little in-line volume control to compensate for it. Overall a good general use portable radio. Doug NG0K | |||
| Rating: | 2010-01-02 | ||
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| Very Nice | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| I have had my Yachtboy 400 since 2003; bought refurbished from Universal Radio for $99.00. I have used this radio at home and camping, with internal and external antennas, on MW, FM and SW bands; this radio has been great. It performs well beyond the expectations of a $99.00 radio. It's actually built in a manner that makes portability easy and safe for the radio. The earbuds, external antenna and carrying case included with the radio made the purchase even better. The radio is great in every aspect with only a few exceptions. The audio is terrible with the built-in speaker. I use an external speaker with the headphone jack and it sounds much better. I am not too fond of the battery level monitor that shuts the radio off when it thinks the batteries are low. Other than those two things the radio is a keeper even at full MSRP. | |||
| Rating: | 2009-07-19 | ||
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| I like this little beast! | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| I have been a swl for 53 years and have owned many radios from 1926 models to present. I got my YB400pe 3 years ago and really enjoy it. Paid 149 at Radio Shack and it's worth every penny.Remember, it's not a 2 grand tabletop! I would never consider Degens or Kaitos because of a huge gap in coverage. This radio looks great and construction quality is good but not great. Refurbished units can be had for about 99 yankee dollars. Get one--you will like it. | |||
| Rating: | 2009-03-29 | ||
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| Get One while they are still in good shape | Time Owned: more than 12 months. | ||
| Hello All, I have used several portable radios in it's class and must say although the Grundig 400 is discontinued you can still find them on Ebay for reasonable prices. I have used the KAITO 1103,SONY 7600GR and now have the G4000A which is just like the 400PE but with a leather case. I liked the KAITO but it had a VERY SENSITIVE front end and NON CONTINUOUS tuning across the entire spectrum of the shortwave bands. Although the Kaito 1103 charges it's batteries inside the unit it takes at least 12 hours and while charging the charger/adaptor introduces a nice "BUZZ" all over the bands. The Sony 7600GR is nice but doesn't come with an AC power adaptor,no Signal strength meter and not as good sound from it's speaker. Is it really worth the Sync detection to sacrifice those? For those who like to use a portable SW radio with AA batteries just go to your local Best Buy and buy those Energizer rechargable batteries that come with a charger. They charge in 15 minutes in this charger unlike the 12 hours in the Kaito. I will list the Pros and Cons of the YB 400 as I see them.. PROS- 1.EXCELLENT sound from it's built in Speaker 2.Good reception across all the bands 3.Simple tuning and no band switching needed when tuning across the entire SW spectrum like the Kaito 1103 4.SIMPLE memory operation(No goofy pages to use) 5.Memory Tuning,Direct Entry,and auto tuning built in 6.Radio when new comes with manual,real antenna,and power adaptor. 7.Signal Strength Meter 8.Two times 9.Sleep timer 10.Good SSB reception,just takes a little patience 11.unlike the KAITO 1103 this guy has a DEDICATED volume knob,the Kaito you had to hit a button and then adjust the volume! Even with the New G5(I have not had) apparently does NOT have a volume knob,you have to adjust the volume with buttons! 12.well layed out keypad 13.Alarm clock to wake up to radio 14.Good location of the "LIGHT" and "Snooze" button. 15.EXCELLENT SENSITIVITY 16.EXCELLENT SELECTIVITY CONS: 1.a little large for a portable these days 2.No Sync detection 3.No Dedicated LSB/USB like the SONY 7600GR 4.No Tuning Knob. 5.Display light won't "stay on" but bright enough to see what your tuning in the dark. Light will stay on for 10 seconds and go off. If you tune the radio while the light is on by letting go of a button and then pressing the same button you originally pressed or another one in the ten second window the light will stay on.However if you are HOLDING DOWN a button while the light is on the light will go off in 10 seconds so if you want to have the light stay on you have to let go of the button and push it again in the 10 second window for it to stay on OR tap the light on button. Don't let the poor reviews fool you. I consider this radio to be a favorite of mine and for me it's a little better then the SONY 7600GR I liked the Sony but if you want to jog through more then 10 memories you have to change pages,the sound is FAIR at best from it's built in speaker and no signal strength meter. It is a good radio though but I think you get more bang for the buck with a used Grundig 400. | |||
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InhaltsverzeichnisPower supply, accessories, component layout, development, further information, grundig yacht boy 400 (new). Manufactured by Grundig, Fürth . The new variant of the Yacht Boy 400 appeared in 1994 and is a travel multiband radio with PLL synthesis and digital frequency display completely different from it's brother from 1980/1 carrying the same designation. Technical data
The Grundig Yacht Boy 400 from 1994 is a multiband travel radio, with 18 x 12 x 3,7 cm and a weight of 590 g, it has the dimensions of a pocket book and will find some space in your suitcase without problems. The Yacht Boy 400 in the new 1994 version is a PLL synthesized shortwave radio with digital frequency display. The set covers VHF / FM broadcast band, long and mediumwaves and the complete shortwave spectrum from 1,7 - 30 MHz . The tuning steps can be set to one or 5 / 9 or 10 kHz (shortwaves / long/mediumwaves Europe and USA). In the right part of the front panel, you find the numbered direct frequency entry keys, the UP/DOWN tuning pushbuttons (no rotary control) and several pushbuttons to operate the timer, change tuning steps, and so on - have a look to the user's manual to operate this microprocessor controlled little marvel. The display will show the operation frequency, the memory channel and the time of the internal quartz clock at the same time. You can set the timer to wake you up by radio music or a buzzer sound, but there is no socket to control a cassette recorder for automated recordings. The status symbols in the display are small and difficult to read, the dial illumination is poor and of little help in the dark. The Yacht Boy 400 offers 40 memory channels to store frequencies, for the different scanning modes, refer to the user's manual. The set is powered by six AA batteries for the radio, as their nominal power is 9 Volts, the low battery warning will only appear below 5 Volts, so the set can be operated from rechargeable accumulators with 1,2 V each. There is a connector for a matching Grundig external power supply, but be very careful not to use the center positive power supply from the Grundig Satellit 700, the plug will physically match the socket but the wrong polarity might damage your radio. The receiver comes with a ferrite antenna for LW / MW and a rotating telescopic antenna for shortwaves, the set offers an external antenna socket for a wire antenna - take care not to overload the receiver front end with a high gain active antenna. The set has a good sensitivity and for a portable an adequate selectivity on shortwaves, it tunes the complete shortwave band and offers simple single sideband capabilities good enough to hear some flight weather information channels and strong signal from radio amateurs. The background hiss of the synthesizer is audible and might impair the reception of faint tropical band and domestic shortwave signals, some splatter on frequencies in the neighborhood of your local mediumwave transmitter might harm reception on open mediumwave DX frequencies. In the FM band, the Yacht Boy has an excellent sensitivity and an acceptable selectivity with the standard SKM2N filter (-3/-20 dB: 230 / 600 kHz), this might be replaced by a neven more narrow FM filter. The set can receive in stereo mode, but you can enjoy the stereo sound only with headphones. The Grundig Yacht Boy 400 had a good price - performance ratio when it was new and is still an above average multiband travel radio with all useful features you need when travelling abroad (yes, I admit, I love to have an RDS decoder on the FM broadcast band included - but only very few sets have this option, like the Yacht Boy 500 ). Technical principleDouble conversion with PLL synthesis. The unit is equipped with semiconductors. Technical documentation
Grundig YACHT BOY 400 User Manual
Table of Contents
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Related Manuals for Grundig YACHT BOY 400 Summary of Contents for Grundig YACHT BOY 400
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Page 4: Your Unit At A GlancePage 5: display.
Page 7: Front Of Unit
Page 9: Top Of UnitPage 10: right side of unit, page 11: aerials, page 12: power supply, page 13: data protection (mains and battery operation), page 14: general operation, page 15: volume and tone, page 16: station tuning.
Page 18: Station Tuning With The Numeric ButtonsPage 19: entering a meter band.
Page 21: Storing, Calling Up, And ClearingPage 22: indicating free memory positions, page 23: going to sleep to music, page 24: the clock, page 25: automatic switch-on/wake-up function, page 26: wake-up with sound signal/date reminder, page 27: special functions on am, page 28: specification.
Page 30: Hints - Prescriptions
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Grundig YB-500 ©1999-2006 by Universal Radio Research. All rights reserved.
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