Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adid, who shares two inexpensive mods he made on his XHDATA D-808 shortly after taking delivery of it in 2018. One is simply clear tape over the display to protect it from scratches. The second is applying three tiny drops of glue which create tactile points on the keypad for nighttime operation.
Thanks for sharing these, Adid!
I discovered the fine tune wheel was broken off the encoder. Real piece of junk. I took a nail shank and pressed through a hole drilled in the knob and the encoder. epoxied it in and it seems to work now although it wabbles as it is rotated.
Not sure why you’d use tape … there are other inexpensive [commercial] products available that are specifically made to protect screens that are static and not adhesive. Or just keep the protector that’s already on the new radio when you open the box.
And if you want tactile keys, buy a “sticky” G3, G5, G6 : – ) Or … maybe not …
The “fine tune” for SSB does not work on mine, at one time it did but stopped working for unknown reason. Has anyone found this problem? Is it a “three stooge finger poke” to get access to secret menus to diagnose software? I like the sand grains on the keyboard idea!
Does the fine tune dial work in other modes? If it does I would suggest that you try reseting the radio with the reset hole on the bottom of the radio. Also, the r/shortwave subreddit is a great place for questions like these. Good luck!
Some tape adhesives will dissolve plastic.
Instead, I mask off the perimeter of the display with painters tape & put a few coats of automotive wax on the lense. I have done this with dozens of displays w/o issue & it really protects the lense from light scratches. I even so this to my smart phone display & it helps a lot & makes it easy to slide fingers.
I would glue a sand particle to the keys. Much more tactile.
Still, don’t use water (tea- or coffee- spills) soluble glues. Key may never move again.
Just to make it clearer, the LCD sepia cover is to dim it at night. In daytime it flips up.
The clear glue is “silicon glue” (as it called in our DIY store) and the drop never fell off but bumps helps a lot.
Not sure I would go to the point of putting glue on the keys — the cover for
the LCD could be applied with any portable.
For tactile access in the dark. the front surface in smooth to the touch, The drops add a landmark,
Not needed on these Sangean radios. A tactile spot was provided on the No. 5 key on my Sangean ATS-909X in 2017: https://youtu.be/hTZ4YEB7Bhc and on my current Sangean ATS-909X2: https://youtu.be/h5Apjw035Xc
These mods will help explain … the radio is rather good by itself?