Eton G4000a Am Fm Shortwave Radio Operation Manual

							G4000A
OPERATION MANUAL
www.etoncorp.com
AM/FM/SHORTWAVE RADIO 
						

							TABLE OF CONTENTS
2
G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
3
QUICK SETUP ........................................................................
YOUR RADIO ATAGLANCE ..........................................................INITIAL SETUP .......................................................................
SUPPLYING POWER AND USING EXTERNAL ANTENNAS .....................
GENERAL RADIO OPERATION........................................................
SHORTWAVE RADIO OPERATION .................................................
STORING STATIONS INTO MEMORY ................................................
USING THE CLOCK, ALARM, AND SLEEP TIMER FEATURES ................
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SHORTWAVE ..................................
GETTING STARTED WITH SINGLE SIDEBAND (SSB);
MARITIME  & AERONAUTICAL WEATHER AND 
COMMUNICATION FREQUENCIES; HAM RADIO 
COMMUNICATION FREQUENCIES; TIME SIGNALS..........................
TECHNICAL INFORMATION .........................................................
INDEX TO THE RADIO’S CONTROLS .......................................
SERVICE INFORMATION .........................................................
ONE YEAR  LIMITED WARRANTY  ..............................................1
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31323334 page•  From the United States: (800) 8722228
•  From Canada: (800) 6371648
•  From Everywhere Else: (650) 9033866
•  Email: [email protected]
•  Internet: www.etoncorp.comDO YOU NEED HELP? 
Here’s how to contact us: 
						

							G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
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• A 23 foot “reel” antenna for shortwave reception
• Earphones
WHAT’S INCLUDED WITH THE
G4000A?
• Owner’s Manual
• Warranty card
•  A Grundig AC adaptor for use on 110120 VAC 
outlets in the Americas
2YOUR RADIO ATAGLANCE
4
BUT PLEASE READ THE REST OF
THE MANUAL LATER!
1. Insert batteries or connect the included 
AC adaptor.
2. Set the DX/LOCAL switch to DX (left side 
of radio).
3. Turn the SSB switch OFF (right side of 
radio).
4. Fully extend the telescopic antenna.
5. With the radio off, press and release the 
AM button once.
6. Immediately press and release the 
STEP  button. “10KHz” now appears in 
the right side of the display, and will 
disappear in a few seconds. (See page 
6 for more information about this 
procedure.)
7. Turn the radio on by pressing the ON/OFF
button.
1QUICK SETUP 
						

							G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
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HOW TO USE THE INCLUDED
“REEL” ANTENNA AND THEEXTERNAL ANTENNA SOCKET(left side of the radio)
The SW EXT. ANT.Socket is for shortwave antennas.
Use it with the included “reel” antenna. Always
fully unroll the “reel” antenna and place it as high
off the floor as possible, next to the windows.
PROFESSIONALLY ENGINEERED
ANTENNAS
Professionally engineered, outdoor shortwave
antennas, available through specialized retailers,
can also be used. Use the 
SW. EXT. ANT. Socket
mentioned above. The socket is a 1/8 inch mono
socket, used in conjunction with a 1/8 inch mono
plug, such as the plugs often used for mono ear
phones. If you would like advice about shortwave
antennas, please call Etón technical support at 
18008722228 for U.S. and 18006371648 for Canada.
HOW TO INSTALL BATTERIES
Install six AA alkaline batteries. Follow the diagram
imprinted on the back of the radio near the battery
compartment. With the radio face down and the
battery compartment toward you:
•  The flat ends () of the bottom batteries go 
toward the left.
•  The flat ends () of the top batteries go toward 
the right.
AC ADAPTOR USE
The Grundig adaptor supplied with this product is
only for use in the Americas, where household AC
voltage is 110120 volts AC. Do not use this adap
tor in countries with household AC voltage of 220
240 volts AC.
USING YOUR GRUNDIG AC
ADAPTOR
1. Plug the adaptor into a household outlet.
2. Insert plug into the radio’s DC 9 V socket.
NOTE:when using the adaptor, it is OK to leave
batteries in the radio.
4SUPPLYING POWER AND USING EXTERNAL ANTENNAS
6
3INITIAL SETUP
IMPORTANT! SETUP FOR NORTH
AMERICAN USE
If you do not live in the United States or
Canada, the radio is set up at the factory for
the 9 kilohertz spacing used for your AM
(MW) stations. This part of the initial setup
can be ignored.
North America’s AM stations are exactly 10 kilohertz
apart. At the factory, the radio is set up for the 9
kilohertz spacing of stations in Europe. To changethis to the 10KHZ spacing:
1. With the radio OFF, press and release the AM 
button once.
2. Immediately press and release the STEP button.
“10 KHz” now appears in the right side of the
display and will disappear in a few seconds.
This change will be permanently in the radio’s memory
as long as batteries are not taken out for a period of
ten minutes or more.
When traveling outside of the Americas, use the
same procedure as above to set the spacing back to 9 kilohertz.
ADDITIONAL SETUP 
INFORMATION
1. On the right side of the radio, set the SSB switch 
to the OFF position. This feature is described onpage 24.
NOTE:the FINE TUNING control, on
the right side of the radio, is only activated and
needed when the G4000A is in the SSB mode.
You do not need to use this control when listening
to regular AM, FM, and shortwave broadcasts.
On the left side of the radio, set the DX/LOCAL
switch to the DX position. DX allows for maximum
sensitivity, the preferred position.
  
						

							G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
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DIRECT FREQUENCY ENTRY
If you know the exact frequency of the station 
you want to hear, directly enter it using the keypadand immediately press the 
FREQU./METERbutton.
Pressing the FREQU./METER button finalizes the
entry. Be sure to include the decimal point in FM
frequencies. Any kind of frequency may be enteredregardless of what kind of frequency you are
presently tuned to, e.g. you can enter an FM 
frequency even if you are presently in shortwave.
AM STATION EXAMPLE:to tune the frequency
810 kilohertz in the AM band, press 8 1 0 , then
press the FREQU./METER button.
FM STATION EXAMPLE:to tune the frequency
105.7 megahertz in the FM band, press 1 0 5 . 7,
then press the FREQU./METER button. Be sure to
include the decimal point in FM frequencies.
SHORTWAVE STATION EXAMPLE:to tune the
frequency 5975 kilohertz in the shortwave 49 meter
band, press 5975 then the FREQU./METER button.
HOW TO USE THE
STEREO/MONO SWITCH (left
side of the radio)
For true stereo reproduction in FM, select STEREO
when you use earphones or headphones. When
STEREO is selected, and the broadcast is in stereo,two circles appear above and to the right of the 
frequency in the display. Use the 
MONOposition
whenver reception is poor or marginal.
HOW TO USE THE TONE SWITCH
Experiment and let your ears judge which position,
HIGH or LOW, you like best.
GENERAL RADIO OPERATION continued
8
5GENERAL RADIO OPERATION
HOW TO TURN THE RADIO ON
AND OFF
Press the ON/OFFbutton.
HOW TO LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL
AM STATIONS
1. On the G4000A, the AM broadcast band is 
called medium wave. When you are listening to AM,
the letters “MW” appear in the display.
2. Press the 
ON/OFFbutton to turn the radio on.
3. Press the
AMbutton several times, until MW 
appears near the center of the display.
4. If “STEP” appears in the display, press the 
STEP
button to choose 10 KHz tuning rate.
5. Automatically tune using the 
AUTO TUNING
button. The radio will automatically stop on stations.
A quick pressandrelease tunes upfrequency; a long
pressandrelease tunes downfrequency.
6. Manually tune using the 
TUNINGbutton.
HOW TO USE THE WIDE/NARROW
SWITCH (left side of radio)
Experiment with this switch and let your ears be your
guide. WIDE gives the best audio fidelity; NARROW
best minimizes interference from other nearby stations.
This switch is used for AM, shortwave, and longwavelistening.
HOW TO LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL
FM STATIONS
1. Press the FMbutton.
2. Automatically tune using the 
AUTO TUNING
button. The radio will automatically stop on stations.
A quick pressandrelease tunes upfrequency;
a long pressandrelease tunes downfrequency.
3. Manually tune using the 
TUNINGbuttons.
  
						

							G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
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For example, the 19 meter shortwave band encom
passes the frequency range of 15100 to 15600 
kilohertz. The band chart on the back of the
G4000A shows the frequency range for each band.
HOW TO ENTER A SHORTWAVE
BAND
EXAMPLE:To enter the 25 meter band:
1. Press 2 5
2. Press the 
FREQU./METERbutton.
HOW TO TUNE AROUND IN A
SHORTWAVE BAND
AUTO TUNING:The radio will find stations for you
within the shortwave band you have entered. In
shortwave, this feature only works within the short
wave bands shown on the back of the radio (see
the chart titled “SHORTWAVE BAND AUTO TUNINGRANGES”).
HOW TO LISTEN TO SHORTWAVE
STATIONS
If you already know the specific frequency of a
shortwave station, enter it, using the direct frequency
entry technique described earlier. For a complete list
of shortwave frequencies, use the major shortwavepublications mentioned on page 23.
Even if you do not know any specific frequencies of
shortwave stations, you can find them by going into
a shortwave band and tuning around, as described
below.
WHAT IS A SHORTWAVE BAND
If you have ever listened to AM or FM radio, then
you already know what a band is. The AM band is
5301600 KHz; the FM band is 88108 MHz. A
band is simply a frequency range where stations are
located. When you look for stations in these
“bands”, you simply tune around until you find a
station you like. Shortwave is similar, and the short
wave bands have names like 25 meters, 31 meters,
49 meters, etc. These are abbreviated 25m, 31m
and 49m. Just like in AM and FM radio, one simply
gets into the shortwave band and tunes around,
looking for stations.
6SHORTWAVE RADIO OPERATION
10
GENERAL RADIO OPERATION continued
HOW TO USE THE STEP BUTTON
In AM (MW), SW, and LW (see below), the STEP
button provides selection of the best tuning steps,
in kilohertz. This button is not functional in FM. The
tuning step rate is indicated in the lower right of
the display, e.g. “STEP 5”. Use these guidelines:
• AM (MW):10 KHz in the Americas; 9 KHz 
outside of the Americas
• LW (longwave):9 KHz for broadcast stations.
Note: You will probably not hear any stations in
the Americas, as LW is not used for broadcast
stations. It is used in Europe and other parts of
the world for broadcasts to those areas.
• SSB:1KHz
HOW TO USE THE LOCK BUTTON
When lock is on, the word LOCK appears in the
upper right area of the display. Using this feature
has no effect on alarm functions.
When the radio is on: Pressing the 
LOCKbutton
locks all keys except the 
ON/OFFbutton and the
SNOOZEbutton.When the radio is off: Pressing the 
LOCKbutton
locks all keys. This will keep the radio from acciden
tally turning on when packed in a briefcase, etc.
When you want to listen to your radio, press 
LOCK
and then the ON/OFFswitch.
HOW TO USE THE AM BUTTON’S
LAST STATION MEMORY FEATURE
Pressing the AM button over and over steps
through the last station tuned in MW, SW and LW.
HOW TO USE THE VOLUME
CONTROL KNOB
Use this to control the loudness of the radio.
HOW AND WHEN TO USE THE
RESET FEATURE
If the radio operates erratically, gently poke an
opened paper clip into the RESET hole on the front
of the radio. Normal operation may be restored.
Note that this procedure erases all memories andresets the clock 
						

							G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
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4. Immediately press the STOREbutton. If the 
display flashes, it means that a frequency is
already stored into this memory. To overwrite it,immediately press 
STOREagain. If you do not
want to overwrite it, start over and use a different
memory.
HOW TO ACCESS WHAT YOU
HAVE STORED INTO MEMORY
1. To access one specific memory, e.g. memory 25,
press 2 5 then press either 
MEMObutton
2. To review all filled memories, press either 
MEMO
button repeatedly.
3. To scan filled memories, press either 
MEMO
button for about one second, and then release it.
Scan starts. To stop scan, press any button.
HOW TO ERASE THE CONTENTS
OF A MEMORY
Enter the memory’s number e.g. 2 5 , then press
FREEtwice. To store a station into memory, you must be tuned
to that station. Then you must decide which of the
40 memories to store it into. Follow the easy steps
outlined below.
HOW TO TELL WHICH MEMORIES
ARE EMPTY
• To determine the next available memory, press 
the 
FREEbutton once. The memory number 
is shown in the lower right hand corner of the
display.
•  To see all availably memories, press the 
FREE
button repeatedly. The empty memory numbers
are shown in the lower right corner of the display.
HOW TO STORE A FREQUENCY
INTO MEMORY
There are 40 memories. Here is a specific example.
To store BBC’s evening frequency to North America,
5975 kilohertz, into memory 32, do the following:
1. Press 5975
2. Immediately press the 
FREQU./METERbutton
3. Press 3 2
7STORING STATIONS INTO MEMORY
12
MANUAL TUNING:Use the regular TUNING buttons
to go up or down frequency. Be aware that when
using manual tuning, it is possible to tune right out 
of the shortwave band you have entered. You are in
the band as long as the band’s number, e.g. 25m, is 
in the display.HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST
SHORTWAVE BAND TO TUNEAROUND IN
This information and much more can be found 
in the section titled MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
SHORTWAVE.
SHORTWAVE RADIO OPERATION continued
SHORTWAVE BAND AUTO TUNING RANGES:
90m: 32003400 KHz  22m: 1360013800 KHz
80m: 35003800 KHz 20m: 1400014350 KHz
75m: 39004000 KHz  19m: 1510015600 KHz
60m: 47505060 KHz  17m: 1806518170 KHz
49m: 59506200 KHz  16m: 1755017900 KHz
41m: 71007300 KHz  15m: 2100021449 KHz
40m: 70007099 KHz  13m: 2145021850 KHz
31m: 95009900 KHz  12m: 2489024990 KHz
30m: 1010010150 KHz  11m: 2565026100 KHz
25m: 1165012050 KHz  10m: 2800029700 KHz 
						

							G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
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HOW TO SET THE SLEEP TIMER
Press the SLEEPbutton over and over. Each press
changes the amount of time the radio will play before
shutting off automatically, 60 through 0 
minutes.
HOW TO USE THE DIAL LIGHT
(button on top of radio)
The LIGHT button causes the display to be illuminated.
After 10 seconds, or when the LIGHT button is
pressed again, the light will go out.
USING THE CLOCK, ALARM AND SLEEP TIMER FEATURES
14
8USING THE CLOCK, ALARM AND SLEEP TIMER FEATURES
HOW TO SET THE CLOCK
This can be done with the radio on or off. The
G4000A’s clock is a 24 hour clock only, e.g. 6’oclock
in the morning will read as 6:00; 6 o’clock in the
evening will read as 18:00. There are two clocks,
TIME I and TIME II. Select one or the other by pressingthe 
TIME 1/2button. TIME I or TIME II shows in 
the display at top center. Set the time using the
examples below.
EXAMPLE 1:If it is 06:00 hours press 6 . 0 0,
then immediately press the TIME 1/2 button.
EXAMPLE 2:If it is 15:32 hours press 1 5 . 3 2,
then immediately press the TIME 1/2 button.
HOW TO SET THE ALARM CLOCK
The alarm time is shown in the upper left corner of
the display, under “ON TIME,” when the radio is off.
To set the alarm to activate at 6:30:
1. Press 6 . 3 0 (be sure to include the decimal point)
2. Immediately press and release the 
ON TIMEbutton.
3. Select the alarm mode using the 
AUTObutton.
HOW TO CONTROL THE ALARM
CLOCK
• Press the AUTObutton several times while 
looking at the upper left corner of the display.
•  The “musical note” symbol wakes you to the 
radio playing the last station it was set to.
•  The “bell” symbol wakes you to a beeper sound.
•  When both symbols disappear and :— appears,
THE ALARM IS DEACTIVATED.
HOW TO USE THE ALARM
CLOCK’S SNOOZE FEATURE(button on top of radio)
Once the alarm has activated, you can get 5 minutes
more sleep by briefly pressing the 
SNOOZEbutton.
You can repeat this as many times as you like.By pressing the 
SNOOZEbutton for more than 
2 seconds, you can completely shut off the alarm.
continued 
						

							NIGHT BANDS CHARACTERISTICS
19m Summer months.
22m Summer months.
25m   Best 2 hours before/after sunrise/sunset
31m Good all night everywhere
41m  Good all night in Eastern North America;
varies in Western North America
49m  The best night band everywhere.
NOTE:Getting close to a window may substantially improve your reception.
G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
17
America. These bands may be extremely good
around sunset and sunrise too. Best bands are
BOLD.
EVENING LISTENING
This is the best time to listen, because the broad
casters are deliberately transmitting to North
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SHORTWAVE continued
16
9MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SHORTWAVE
Listed below are the characteristics of the major
shortwave bands. Follow these guidelines for best
listening results. Because shortwave signals depend
on such factors as the sun, the ionosphere and the
earth itself, signals cannot be heard on all bands
throughout the day. Some bands are best during
the daylight hours, and some are best at night.
If the term “band” is new to you, please read the 
section titled, “WHAT IS A SHORTAVE BAND?”on page 11.DAYTIME LISTENING
Shortwave listening is generally at its poorest during
the daylight hours of about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Themajor reason for this is that the broadcasters are
not transmitting to North America at thistime. Theyassume that we are all either at work or at school,
and are not able to listen during the day. If you
want to try daytime listening, use the guidelines
below. You will have some success, but not nearly
as good as during the late afternoon and evenings.
The best bands are 
BOLD.
DAYBANDS CHARACTERISTICS
13m  Results vary. Worth trying.
16m Similar to 19m.
19m  The best daytime band.
22m Similar to 19m (fewer stations).
25m Best around sunrise/sunset.
31m Similar to 25m. 
						

							G4000AOPERATION MANUAL
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WHAT COUNTRIES ARE HEARD
ON SHORTWAVE RADIO?
The next chart shows some of the countries targeting
North America with their broadcasts. Unless otherwise
noted, frequencies are for evening listening in North
America. Other countries do not deliberately target
North America, but can be heard anyway. Whether or
not a country can be heard depends on many factors,
including signal strength, your geographic location,
and the condition of the earth’s ionosphere.
Frequencies in 
BOLDare mainly used for the country’s
native language broadcast.
WHAT IS HEARD ON SHORTWAVE
RADIO?
•  International foreign broadcasts, many targeting 
North America
•  Long distance twoway amateur radio, maritime,
and aeronautical communications
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SHORTWAVE continued
18
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SHORTWAVE continued
The construction materials of some buildings simply
do not let signals in very well. Signals penetrate
wood frame buildings easiest, while concrete and
brick buildings usually block signals. If you are in a
building with one or more stories above you, signals
can also be impaired in strength. In such a situation,
position yourself, and especially the radio’s antenna,as close to a window as possible while listening.Below is a list of the shortwave bands used for
international broadcasts and their corresponding
frequencies. Since some radios show frequency in
megahertz and some in kilohertz, both are shown
here. The G4000A shows shortwave frequencies in kilohertz.
BAND  MEGAHERTZ (MHz) KILOHERTZ (KHz)
11m 25.6726.10 MHz  2567026100 KHz 
13m 21.4521.50 MHz  2145021850 KHz 
16m 17.5517.90 MHz  1755017900 KHz 
19m 15.1015.60 MHz  1510015600 KHz 
22m 13.6013.80 MHz  1360013800 KHz 
25m 11.6512.05 MHz  1165012050 KHz 
31m 9.5009.900 MHz  95009900 KHz 
41m 7.1007.300 MHz  71007300 KHz 
49m 5.9506.200 MHz  59506200 KHz
60m 4.7505.060 MHz  47505060 KHz 
75m 3.9004.000 MHz  39004000 KHz 
90m 3.2003.400 MHz  32003400 KHz 
120m 2.3002.490 MHz  23002490 KHz
COUNTRY BROADCAST
Australia (Radio Australia) 9580, 9860, 15365, 17795
Austria (Radio Austria International) 6015, 9655
Canada (Radio Canada International) 5960, 6120, 9755
China (China Radio International)  9690, 9780, 11680, 11715, 11840
Cuba (Radio Habana) 6060, 6080, 6180, 9510, 9820
Ecuador (HCJBvoice of the Andes) 9745, 11925, 12005, 15140
France (Radio France International)
5920, 5945, 9790, 9800
Germany (Deutsche Welle) 5960, 6040, 6045,6075, 6085,6100, 6120, 6145, 6185, 9515, 9565,
9535, 9640,
9545, 9650, 9670, 9700, 9730, 9735, 11705, 11740, 11750,
11810, 11865,13780, 15275, 15410, 17810, 17860
Holland (Radio Nederland) 6020, 6025, 6165, 9590, 9715, 9840, 9895, 11655
Japan (Radio Japan/NHK) 5960, 6025, 9610, 9680, 9725, 11885, 11895, 15230
Russia (Radio Moscow International) 7105, 7115, 7150, 7270, 9750, 9765, 11805, 11840, 12050, 15410, 15425
Taiwan (Voice of Free China) 5950, 9680, 11740, 11855, 15440
United Kingdom (BBC World Service) Morning: 5965, 6195, 9515, 9740, 11750, 17840
Evening: 5975, 6175, 7325, 9590, 9640, 15260