Incoming Radio: Grundig G4000A

Scarfed this up on eBay:

I guess this is a case of seller’s remorse and the “sharing the love” thing. I originally bought one in July of 2011, but I sold it during the great disgorgement a few years back, and I have been a bit sad about that one because while most of those radios were just accumulation, I actually used the G4000A for a number of years, and in fact mentioned it as my “main receiver” in an article here in 2011. I never wrote a piece dedicated to the G4000A, but I mentioned it rather often by way of comparison to something else.

This exercise in nostalgia led me to some old spreadsheets and old Amazon orders. I bought the G4000A in July of 2011 for $99.32 and subsequently bought a Tecsun PL-660 for $109.99 the following December. In 2025 money, they would be $142.44 and $157.84 respectively, rather a lot, I think. I’m guessing that the PL-660 took over the premier slot and this explains why the G4000A didn’t get an article. Assuming the radio works, that oversight will be remedied.

What am I going to do with this radio?

I only have one other dual conversion PLL radio, the Tecsun PL-660, and I want to compare those two, including on SSB, which both have. I’m rather interested in how it compares to newer radios as well. And when I say newer, this take into account that the G4000A is essentially the same radio internally as the Grundig Yacht Boy 400, introduced in 1994! This is 30 years old!

There are other G4000As on eBay currently under $50.

Update:

I’ve been reading the manual. It took me back to the days when radio manuals not only told you how the controls worked, but helped the reader get into the hobby of shortwave listening. I’m also very impressed with how the controls work. They’re well thought out.