Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding radio...
Review: Worth the purchase price, a modern masterpiece. If you enjoy radio, don't hesitate, get one of these.
Rating:
Summary: Needs an external antenna
Review: After ten years with my Realistic DX-370, I decided it was time to upgrade and chose this radio because it is supposed to be one of the best and I wanted to be able to hear some of the additional bands this receives. Initially, I was disappointed. I live in a high-rise building and I discovered that my little Realistic received the same stations this much more expensive radio receives within the apartment. Still, this radio does have inputs for large external antennas, which the smaller radio does not have. I'm hoping to be able to hook up to an antenna and receive more stations. If I can't, then this radio may well have been a waste of money. I give it four stars because it does have a good, clear speaker, the antenna connections, and a few other little "bells and whistles."
Rating: 
Summary: A gift from the gods of geekdom
Review: Before I say anything, premit me to state that the term "portable" here is used in a very general sense. Yes, it has a handle and you can pick it up and carry it, but it is a VERY LARGE radio! Not the type you'd carry with you for casual listening.
Now, with that out of the way, I cannot say anything but praise about this big, beefy piece of technology. It is very easy to operate (with 30 presets!) and has a built-in clock with 24 hour display. The sound quality is very deep and rich, not what I would normally expect from a shortwave radio.
The moment I had it out of the box, I turned it on and the preset frequency (5,000 kHz) brought in WWV so strong and clear, it was as if it was broadcasting from the other side of the wall.
Within minutes, I had Radio Habana Cuba, CBC, VOA and the BBC tuned in without difficulty.
In short, it's wonderful! And worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: I love DXing
Review: Better then the reviews, blows away my Yacht Boy, designed by Drake and built by Tandy for Grundig USA. No complaints, need to spend three times as much for anything better and they aren't portable.
Rating: 
Summary: Generally a disappointment
Review: For what is supposed to be a world class receiver, I found the overall reception weak. Perhaps the problem is being located in a big city, with interference from buildings, jets, etc., but the Grundig people should really let the potential consumer know that the good reception best occurs when the user lives in a rural area. I find that when I take the radio to a remote area, the reception is excellent, but living where I do, I am frankly disappointed. The radio does have a nice design and overall "feel" but maybe is best for small town users and Europeans
Rating:
Summary: I Want This Radio
Review: I used to own the Satellit 500 series radio several years ago and it served me fairly well for a portable radio. However, it did not perform well when pulling in weak signals and you had to be very patient when tuning into sideband frequencies throughout the various ham bands. Some of the features I liked about the 500 series was it had RDS, lots of memory provided you bought the chips to put into the radio, and alphanumeric tagging of names and so on. One of the problems with this radio that really turned me off was when tuning to shortwave frequencies such as 25, 60, 80, or 120 meters the frequencies tended to drift at any given moment regardless of the time of day. The AGC didn't work very well either. I've seen the 800 Millenium series in person and it is a big (BIG) radio but I am impressed with it although it does not have RDS capability, lots of memory, and alphanumeric tagging like the 500 series but I don't mind that. I highly suspect the makers of Grundig are more concerned with signal and modulation performance as opposed to a lot of electronic gadgetry. Quality is another factor when buying any shortwave radio and the Satellit 800 series seems to be built with excellent quality. Some argue this radio is expensive but you have to ask yourself what do you really want from a shortwave radio?
Rating:
Summary: Grundig
Review: I wondered if by throwing a lot of money into a radio if I couldn't get stations which I could only slightly hear with my smaller radio. I was right - this Grundig sucks those faint stations out of the air like nothing I've ever run across before. But it's a lot of money! There's space on it for three exterior antennae. I've built and attached two antennae, but the built-in whip antenna does extremely well too. Hell of a radio, but did I mention that it's a lot of money?
Rating:
Summary: Grundig
Review: I wondered if by throwing a lot of money into a radio if I couldn't get stations which I could only slightly hear with my smaller radio. I was right - this Grundig sucks those faint stations out of the air like nothing I've ever run across before. But it's a lot of money! There's space on it for three exterior antennae. I've built and attached two antennae, but the built-in whip antenna does extremely well too. Hell of a radio, but did I mention that it's a lot of money?
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Values in Radio
Review: I've seen some of the reviews mentioning that the radio is expensive. "Expensive" is a relative term. Amazon's current price is $455 and change. This could be considered a lot of money (and, of course, it is), yet, when comparing this radio to others of equal calibre, the price is relatively "cheap."
It depends what you want from this piece of electronics. Note that it is extremely versatile: it can be used as an FM tuner in a stereo system (and its stereo FM section may well outperform the one in your receiver; its AM section certainly will).
The sound is really outstanding, certainly the best "built-in" sound of any short wave radio.
It even comes with a pair of high-quality headphones.
It is "portable" at least around the house or yard; don't try to take it on an airplane or even in your car unless you are alone! Yes, as others have stated, it is big, but I do not regard that as a disadvantage. The sound quality alone justifies the size, not to mention the pleasure derived from operating a radio with large, well-spaced controls and an LED-illuminated "control panel" that can be read by me even without my eyeglasses! (For airplane travel, you want a small portable radio.)
The sensitivity of this radio is outstanding. My particular unit measures 0.4 mcv for 10 dB S/N. I do not believe any currently available small portable short wave radio comes even close to that figure. Selectivity, with its three built-in IF filters, is equally outstanding. Image rejection (very important) is excellent.
Tuning is very versatile: a large, easy-to-operate knob (which does not "mute" the radio while tuning), 5 kHz "slewing" buttons, and 70 memories, which are, in fact, separate from the variable frequency "oscillator," in effect giving the radio two tuners. (You must use these tuners to really appreciate them.)
The synchronous selectable sideband circuit (sounds complicated, doesn't it? It's not. It is quite easy to understand once you have read the comprehensive and easy-to-follow instruction manual) makes listening to AM and SW signals, which are subject to "selective fading distortion" (sounds like the announcer has a very bad cold - I'm sure all of you have experienced that phenomenon) a positive pleasure. That form of distortion (very common) is completely eliminated by this circuit. A number of short wave receivers have that circuit, but very few work as well as that of the Satellit 800.
Most people use the built-in antennas which are, in fact, very good. I recommend a new purchaser use these antennas to become familiar with the receiver. If these are satisfactory, well then, nothing further is necessary. But note that the radio can handle three (3) "outboard" antennas: two for AM/SW and one for FM. There are many suitable antennas available for purchase which will enhance the listening experience. Remember, the antenna is actually more important that the radio! The antenna must be "matched" to the particular receiver.
I own a very expensive short wave receiver; it cost over four times the price of the Satellit 800. I also own a very sophisticated (and expensive) antenna which I use with that expensive radio.
Yet when I hook my Satellit 800 to that antenna, I get AT LEAST 95% of the performance of the expensive radio.
In that light, the Grundig Satellit 800 is NOTHING SHORT OF A BARGAIN!
I cannot recommend this radio too highly.
Rating:
Summary: If You're Serious About Shortwave, This Is The One For You.
Review: The Grundig Satellit 800 combines top-notch performance with ease of use, and a price that can't be beat. A superb performer on shortwave, this radio will allow you to listen to all of the major shortwave stations, and also bring in many of the smaller, lower-powered, and harder-to-hear stations. This unit has superb audio, good sensitivity, and mulitple selectivity settings. Another plus is that the radio is easy for beginners to figure out, yet has enough features (memory presets, timers, scanning functions) for fussy listeners like me. Nice big digital display and controls, too. Though nominally a portable, it's one big, butch radio: as big as a microwave oven and absolutely eats batteries. You'll want a permanent place in your home for it, and mostly run it off A/C power. If you live anywhere other than the eastern part of North America or Europe, you will need to put up an external antenna. It's well worth it, though; with a proper antenna this radio will bring you the world. The FM tuner is very good; mediumwave AM performance is also better than average, although there are other models you should consider if long-distance AM is your primary interest. Airband reception is only fair; I don't know why it's a feature of this radio. The Sat 800 did have some quality control problems in the beginning (2000) those seem to be resolved now. For this price, you will not find a better performer on shortwave. If you spend any time at all tuning the shortwave bands, this is your radio.
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