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The Grundig Satellit 500 FAQ file

The famous Grundig Satellit 700 FAQ file exists on several sites on the web, but this is the only equivalent file for the earlier Satellit 500, with links to other useful information on this receiver.

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Version 1.1      July, 2002,

1. Introduction:

Welcome to the Grundig Satellit 500 FAQ file. This FAQ covers the questions most frequently asked regarding this receiver in terms of its capabilities and use.  It is intended to answer questions of interest to people considering the purchase of a Satellit 500, and those of us who have already purchased the radio, and are interested in learning how to use all its capabilities.  It is meant to supplement the Grundig operating manual, which was translated from the original German, and is a little tough to follow, Hopefully these instructions are a little clearer.  In the event that you are purchasing a used Satellit 500 with no manual, this file may help you out quite a bit.

 

2. Description & Specifications

The Grundig Satellit 500 is a portable world band receiver which offers advanced features such as a Digital function display, Synchronous Demodulation, dual IF bandwidths, switchable auto/manual AGC, separate Bass and Treble controls, provisions for External Antenna use, line level recording output and a relay switch that allows for the control of an external tape recorder.

Dimensions:

Length: 11.8"   (300mm)

Height: 6.7"    (170mm)

Depth:  2.75"   (70mm)

Weight:  4 Lb. (1.8 kg) (Without batteries)

Typical Used Price:  US $200-450, depending on condition & accessories. (With the existence of Ebay, typical prices no longer exist, the condition, included accessories, and who is bidding, will all affect the final selling price.)

Frequency Coverage:

International model:

AM:     148 kHz-353 kHz; 513 kHz-30,000 kHz

FM:     87.5 MHz-108.0 MHz

Professional model:

AM:     148 kHz-353 kHz; 513 kHz-26,100 kHz

FM:     87.5 MHz-108.0 MHz

Italian model:

AM:     148 kHz-302 kHz; 513 kHz-1,611 kHz, 3950-26100 kHz

FM:     87.5 MHz-108.0 MHz

(The frequency coverage is marked on the back, but if it is missing, you can check the model via the Test Mode, as follows: Switch off, key-in 050251, and press "Store". the display will show *INT, PROF, or ITAL. Switch off again.) Note that some German market 500's (the Professional model) from early 1990 have the reduced frequency coverage on the type plate, but also an orange label with a Grundig part number in the corner, stating that the coverage is full, in line with the relaxing of the permitted coverage in Germany. This sticker was applied at the factory, and is genuine.

 Modes Available:

Synchronous AM, LSB, and USB.

Broadcast FM (Stereo available via headphone jack)

Tuning Precision:

AM:                         1.0 kHz

AM Synch/SSB:      0.1 kHz

FM:                         25  kHz

Intermediate frequencies:

AM (Dual Conversion) 1st IF: 54.5 MHz, 2nd IF: 450 kHz

FM: 10.7 MHz

IF Filter Bandwidths: (Edge frequency to edge, not centre to edge)

Wide:           6.8 kHz (-6 dB)

Narrow:       3.8 kHz (-6 dB)

Audio Output Power:

1 watt on internal speaker

2 x 1.5 watts into 7.5 ohms with external speaker.

Power Requirements: The Satellit 500 uses 4 alkaline or Nickel Cadmium 4Ah Size 'D' cells.  According to Grundig, 4 AH Nickel Cadmium cells have a life of ~25 Hours per charge. Alkaline batteries have an estimated life of ~90 Hours.  When nickel cadmium batteries are used, they may be recharged via the included NR90 AC power adapter without removing them from the radio.  The NR90 adapter is switchable between 110Vac/220Vac operation and has provisions for standard US power outlets as well as those of European origin.  The Satellit 500 may also be operated or charged from any external 9-12 V power source. The connector is a 5.5mm barrel plug, negative outer contact, positive centre contact.

Headphone Jack: 3.5mm stereo jack plug, output is rated for headphone impedance from 32 - 2K ohms.

Memory: The Satellit 500 comes with 42 programmable memory positions as standard equipment. Early, ie/ before August 1990 "professional" models (German market only) and all later models came equipped with a 156 frequency, 40 broadcaster ROM table. Details of the frequency list can be seen by clicking here.

Non-ROM equipped radios can be converted by the reconnection of a diode. There are 4 diodes indicated in the picture below. Diode numbers on the board are 505 to 508. You can check which are connected by instigating the Test mode, see section 2, Description & Specifications. A second press of the "Store" button will display a series of "1"s & "0"s in the text area of the display. These represent the connection status of the 4 diodes, in the sequence B3, B2, B1, & B0. "1" is connected. "0" is disconnected. Apparently, all diodes were fitted, but the leads for some were cut as they progressed down the assembly line, depending on which market they were destined for. A full coverage, ROM enabled 500 should show X 1 1 0. The X represents the position of the 9/10 kHz switch.

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Photo by Adriano Tencati. Loudspeaker is visible between circuit boards.

B3 is the 9kHz/10kHz selection for MW in or outside the US, and this is selected using the switch in the battery compartment. (The switch is the silver object near the centre of this picture). B2 is the ROM table enabled diode, and so this needs to be connected to make the ROM table work. B1 is the Italian market frequency restrictions, and should be connected to disable the restrictions. B0 is the 26.1 to 30 MHz restriction, and should be disconnected to enable this section of the coverage. Make the connection temporarily to check that the change required takes place, then a small drop of solder should make it permanent.

3. User Interface:

3.1 Display

The Satellit 500 offers a large LCD interface for the user, and displays some or all of the following information when the radio is turned on:

 

Large 4 character alpha numeric display of station ID, for memory positions.

Currently tuned frequency & either currently tuned band on SW (e.g. 6010 kHz & 49M) or memory position, or HA to signify a manually tuned frequency if outside a SW metre band, or on MW/LW/FM, or AS if auto-searching FM.

Currently tuned waveband.

Current time on selected clock, with indication of which clock it is.

Battery condition for first 10 seconds, then signal strength meter thereafter.

LSB, SYNCH, and USB.

IF Filter Bandwidth.

FM STEREO/MONO (Stereo indicator will only display if ext. speaker or headphones are connected.)

Memory or ROM table, if in use.

Automatic timer in use, with next switch on time displayed if radio is not switched on.

Sleep Timer in Use.

Lock, if engaged. (Clock not displayed if lock engaged while radio is switched on)

Frequency:  The Satellit 500 displays the currently tuned frequency to the nearest 1kHz (AM), 100 Hz (SSB or AM Synch) or 25kHz (FM).

Band: When tuned within an international broadcast or amateur radio band, the Satellit will display the currently selected band (in metres).

Time: The Satellit 500 has two internal clocks, one of which is displayed at all times, except when lock engaged while radio is switched on.  Press the TIME I or Time II button to choose which of the two clocks is displayed, and used by the timers.

Signal Strength: A 16 segment LCD is used to indicate signal strength, and battery charge status (for ten seconds following powerup).

LSB, SYNCH, USB: These indicators show the current mode of operation - Lower Sideband, AM Synch fine tuning, or Upper Sideband. If these indicators are all blank, current operating mode is AM Synchronous coarse tuning, (or FM, if tuned to the FM broadcast band)

IF Filter Bandwidth: This indicator shows the current IF bandwidth selected. WIDE bandwidth provides superior audio quality (more treble), while the NARROW bandwidth setting provides superior rejection of adjacent channel stations.

FM Stereo/Mono: Allows switching FM Stereo broadcasts to Mono mode.  This allows the user to override the default Stereo selection when receiving weak FM signals to improve reception when using headphones, or an external speaker. The Satellit only has one internal 4" speaker. Stereo signals are available via the headphone or external speaker jack sockets on the left side of the radio. The stereo decoder will not engage while only the internal speaker is being used.

Auto: This indicator shows when the radio is setup via the timers to automatically turn on and turn off.  This is useful for recording programs at odd hours with a separate cassette recorder via the LINE OUT Socket.

Sleep: This indicator shows that the sleep timer is active, and will shut down within the next hour. Check how long by pressing "Sleep" briefly.

 

3.2 Keypad

The Satellit 500 has the following Input keys:

Power On/Off

Numeric 0 - 9 for direct frequency entry

FM

AM

MONO/STEREO

Wide/Narrow IF Bandwidth

FREE

STORE

SYNCH

USB

LSB

MEMORY SCAN

SEARCH

SELECT

AUTO

SLEEP

TIME I

TIME II

A-Z/0-9

FREQ/m-BAND

MEMORY

CL

Power On/Off: This switch powers up and turns off the radio.

Numeric Keys: These keys are used for direct frequency entry (e.g. 5-9-7-5 FREQ/m-Band will select 5975 kHz).  The numeric keys may also be used to select a band of interest (e.g. 4-9 FREQ/m-Band will select the 49M band and tune to the mid-band frequency.) The numeric keys may also be used to select the desired station from the presets stored in the memory. (e.g. 3-4-MEMORY will select memory position 34, if occupied, "FREE" will display if it is unoccupied. 0-3-4-MEMORY will select the first frequency of ROM memory 34, if active on the model you have.) They are also used to enter times for the clocks and timers.

FM: This key is used to select the FM broadcast band.

AM: Select AM bands in the sequence LW -> MW-> SW ->LW -> MW -> SW  etc. though the first band you come to will be the last one used if you are moving from FM, or the next one in the sequence if you are in an AM band already. The last station tuned to in each of the 3 bands will be the frequency selected. You don't need to use this key if entering frequencies directly using the numerical keypad, the radio will automatically move to the correct band for the desired frequency.

MONO/STEREO: Used in the FM Mode to override the Stereo default and select MONO mode. The stereo decoder only functions if headphones or an external speaker are connected. Useful for improving reception of noisy stereo signals. If headphones/external speaker are connected, and mono is selected, "MONO" will appear in the display.

Wide/Narrow Bandwidth: Used to select between the Wide (6.8 kHz) and Narrow (3.8 kHz) IF filters. The Wide position improves the fidelity of the signal, while the Narrow improves rejection of adjacent stations (stations 5 kHz below or above the signal of interest) at the sacrifice of some fidelity.

FREE: Displays free memory positions in increasing sequence for as long as you hold down the FREE button.  If all memory spaces are occupied, FULL is displayed. Entering a memory number (to select the memory of interest) and then this button for a longer period of time will clear the space.

STORE: When pushed for a short period of time, after a one or two digit numerical entry, this button allows the user to store the current frequency to the current memory number selected. Pressing the button without a numerical entry will show any memory positions that the current frequency is stored in.

SYNCH: This button changes the tuning increment from 1 kHz to 100 Hz.

USB: This button switches the Satellit to receive Upper Sideband SSB communications, and changes the tuning increment from 1 kHz to 100 Hz.

LSB: This button switches the Satellit to receive Lower Sideband SSB communications, and changes the tuning increment from 1 kHz to 100 Hz.

MEMORY SCAN: Pressing this button allows the user to step through the frequencies stored in the memory.  If the ">" side of the rocker switch is selected, the radio will begin at the current selected memory, or the first occupied position if the "memory" flag is not shown in the display, and the memory number will increase with each press of the "MEMORY SCAN>" button.  If the " ................
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