Image: jontabor.tk
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Jon Tabor, who writes:
I’m new to SWL, but found your site a few months ago, and have been loving it ever since.
I recently picked up, for about $11 off eBay, a cheap MW/SW/FM radio called the VITE VT-111, which appears to be a rebadged (updated?) Basbon DS-858, which I know you’ve seen before.
Okay, it’s not a great radio, but it was $11! I know, I know, it’s a terrible way to get started in SWL, but did I mention it was $11?
Anyway, I opened it up and found some differences between the photos you posted of the Basbon, as well as what appears to be an I²C bus in there; I’m not familiar with I²C busses, but I thought maybe some of your readers might find it interesting to see the guts of this radio and how it differs from the Basbon, or at least see the insides of yet another cheap radio.
Image: jontabor.tk
Here’s the link:
http://jontabor.tk/wordpress/?p=31
Thank you for sharing, Jon!
You’re reminding me that I have a VITE SRW-710S sitting on the shelf and must review it soon. One reader was curious if its on-board recording feature would be effective on shortwave. We’ll soon know!
I have A Vite VT 111,bought it used at a flea market,for $2.00,all i had to do was clean the case,the battery connectors,and tune the RF for AM,FM & SW and it picks up great on all bands! had it for 5 years,and still playing great! not a bad deal for $2,00!
My guess for the i2c..It’s for communicating with the LCD.
Here is a copy/paste of the mini-review I posted for the Vite SRW-710S I posted on Amazon. Note – another Amazon reviewer reports that the headphone jack broke after the first use!
The radio I received turned out to be the Audiomax SRW-710S, so I will assume the Vite model and the Audiomax version are very similar if not identical in performance. I’m a big fan of recordable radios (they were meant to be!), so I had to try this one out. My very initial impression, when I felt the loose-fitting buttons, was that this would be a disappointment overall. Not so. While this radio has its quirks (as any radio), it’s really quite an amazing multi-functional device. Radio Performance – AM broadcast band is slightly disappointing. All my local stations come in very well, but for long-distance listening it takes a strong signal to give you enough volume. You can do some nighttime DX listening if the signals are strong enough, and here’s a tip: weaker stations can take several seconds to fade up to listenable level. Probably DSP action there. Keep in mind – this is a tiny radio and for the price we shouldn’t expect perfection. I will repeat it: I DO receive a fair number of long-haul AM stations at night. FM Reception – Quite good! The 710S receives my weaker stations in addition to the blowtorches. Sometimes I have to shorten the antenna quite a bit to lessen overload. This is normal with a portable radio. Shortwave Reception – Shortwave performance is better than I’d expected. Moderate to strong stations come in very clearly, with a few exceptions: on some frequencies I get loudly squealing “birdies”, or spurious signals. With time they sometimes fade away, and they pop up infrequently, but this has happened for instance on 7.315 MHz, when I tried to listened to the Voice of Vietnam relay. On the plus side, I’m getting less AM station bleed-through on shortwave on the 710S than on most other DSP portables I’ve used. All in all, this radio does keep me entertained.
Recording – the 710S is working flawlessly as a radio recorder. Just press REC for a second or so and you’re recording at the volume level you’ve set the radio at. Press again to end recording. Playback is crystal clear to my ears, at least through the speaker. Recording off the air is the main reason I bought the 710S, and I’m very happy with the performance there. You can also record off an external source using the Aux-in jack, while you listen through the 710S’s speaker.
I did as others advised and bought a higher-capacity BL-5C battery for longer use-time.
I’m glad I bought this radio!
Wait – I want to add that the little stand attached to the lanyard actually works very well. It fits snugly into the back of the radio and sets it up nicely on a table.
The first VT-111 I bought was surprisingly sensitive on MW…the second was significantly poorer…
Had one from EBay just a few weeks ago. Not bad sound for FM. Small and easy to carry around. Not battery hungry. But the MW is plagued with birdies and motorboat noises. Display illumination is very very very poor, not even useful at very dark nights. Ergonomics are not the best, MW sensitivity is medium low. SW sensitivity is low, LW sensitivity is null, completely deaf. FM is good.
One of the most annoying things is that even some Ebay sellers say or suggest this device can recharge NIMH batteries, in fact it doesn’t, so be advised.
Thank you for your feedback, Pedro!
I like the reviews where the reviewer “pops the hood” and looks inside. $11 is a realistic price for it. You were not taken, and you provided good insight on it.