By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM
Size matters . . . especially when it comes to antennas. In general, the more aluminum or wire you can get up in the air (presuming, of course, that it is properly designed), the more signal you are going to pull in. A radio friend has a 560-foot loop erected on his property, and its performance is, well, impressive.
I’ve had my share of high-performance antennas over the years, and I enjoyed them.
Lately, however, I have yearned for simplicity. So when I encountered the phrase “Ultralight DXing” a couple of years ago, it had a kind of magic allure to it.
At first, I was intrigued: “What the heck is that?” I wondered. After poking around on the internet, I discovered that at the heart of ultralight DXing was the notion of having a whole lot of fun trying to hear distant radio stations (usually on the medium wave band) with tiny, shirt-pocket-sized radios.
Gary DeBock got the whole ultralight DXing thing rolling in 2007. He already had deep experience in DXing, having worked 144 countries as a ham radio operator with a 1-2 watt transmitter he had built. That was his apprenticeship in radio propagation. Then in 2007, he wondered if it would be possible, using his skill and knowledge of propagation, to hear Japanese and Korean broadcasters from his home in Washington State using – wait for it – a cheap pocket radio: a Sony Walkman SRS 59. At 1 am on an autumn night, he put propagation and operating skill to work and heard a couple of medium-wave stations from Japan and one from Korea.
In November 2007, he posted his results on the internet and got a lot pushback, the upshot of which was: “How could you possibly do this?”
To which he replied (in essence), “Try it and see for yourself.”
Some people did try for themselves, some with notable success. For example, one DXer from Canada logged 300 stations in 30 days. The idea caught fire, and ultralight DXing was born, concentrating on medium wave stations because there are lots of them to DX. (Ultralight DXers have their own forum, which can be found here: https://ultralightdx.groups.io/g/main )
In the intervening years, ultralight DXers have experimented with exotic antennas and achieved some astonishing results, but for me, the soul of ultralight DXing is simplicity: a tiny radio, a pair of headphones, and a comfortable place to sit.
In 2021, DeBock published an “Ultralight Radio Shootout,” and when I encountered it online, I saved it (I’m a bit of a pack rat with interesting files). Earlier this year, I was rummaging through my computer when I rediscovered the Shootout and found that DeBock thought very highly of the XHDATA D-808.
Now, here’s the weird part: strictly speaking, the XHDATA D-808 is not an ultralight radio. A radio must be no bigger than 20 cubic inches to be considered an “official” ultralight radio. The D-808 is actually around 27 cubic inches.
Curious, I contacted the XHDATA folks, asking if they would like to send me one for review, which they did, without charge.
The D-808 measures just under 6 inches wide, 3.5 inches high, and 1.25 inches deep and weighs about a half a pound. It receives: FM: 87.5 – 108 (64-108) MHz, LW: 150 – 450 kHz, MW: 522 – 1620 kHz (9k Step) 520 – 1710 kHz (10k step), SW: 1711 – 29999 kHz (including single sideband), and AIR: 118 – 137 MHz. It is powered by an 18650 battery that can be recharged by a USB cable.
Others have written extensively about the D-808, but my overall verdict is that it is indeed, a neat little radio for listening in general. Because it has a larger internal ferrite rod “loopstick” antenna, it can do a better job of pulling in faint medium wave stations than some of the “official” ultralights with smaller internal antennas. In addition, the D-808 has a longer telescoping antenna that makes it easier to hear faint shortwave stations.
On the face of the D-808 are 24 buttons that control various functions, and they pretty much “work as advertised.” There is, however, one small issue that some users may find confusing. Just below the orange power button is a circular button marked SSB. Push it, and it engages single-sideband mode and can be used on medium wave as well as shortwave signals. Below that button, in tiny orange letters is an indication: USB/LSB. It refers to the INFO button below, NOT to the SSB button above. If you press the SSB button, hoping to switch between upper sideband and lower sideband, it will not work, and you will think the radio is broken (I spent several minutes searching the manual, trying find out what was wrong). When SSB is engaged, press the button marked INFO between to switch between sidebands, got it?
Playing around with the D-808 on a rainy Saturday morning, I found that it is a “hot” receiver – for its size – on medium wave, shortwave, and FM. Using the UP and DOWN buttons to search for stations, and I found that it would, indeed, find interesting stuff to hear that I could not hear so readily on “official” ultralight radios with smaller antennas. It’s a small, fun radio that virtually begs me to find a comfy chair, clap on the headphones, and tune around to see what’s out there.
Having said that, if this were a trip to Santa’s lap, there are a couple of things I would change about the D-808. The first is the soft muting that occurs between tuning steps, which is accompanied by a mechanical “clunk, clunk, clunk” at each step in both the main and fine tuning knobs. It’s like driving down a highway with expansion cracks or tar strips every 20 feet . . . it’s annoying. My personal preference is for smooth, continuous tuning, and, even when a radio has jumps between tuning steps, it is possible to deliver a smooth, “clunkless” tuning experience such as in the CCrane EP-PRO or the Tecsun PL-880. You can, however, get around the clunking by directly entering the frequency you want using the keypad (be sure to press the FREQ button first) or by using the UP and DOWN seek buttons to search for stations . . . the radio simply quiets itself until it find the next signal. Second, while the D-808 seems to just sip power from the 18650 battery, I prefer portable radios that are powered by AA batteries, since they are so readily available in so many places. In the grand scheme of things, that is a relatively minor consideration.
Bottom line: the D-808 packs a whole lot of fun and pleasing performance into a package that can be slipped into a jacket pocket. Even more important, it delivers the simplicity of an ultralight: a radio I can grab, kick back in an easy chair, slide on the headphones, and tune around for a bit of radio fun, and I can heartily recommend it.
My main complaint about this radio is there is no way to scan thru the ATS presets other than pressing “page” then the 0 thru 9 button, i.e one at a time. Very tedious. Just about any other radio lets you simply turn the tuning dial to run thru the presets.
Ken K,
Yes, and some radios will let the listener run a scan on stored memory channels. My Tecsun PL-880 will stop at each memory channel for a couple of seconds. It does not, however, automatically stop if it detects activity.
Cheers, Jock
Hi Jock, I always enjoy your postings. Keep ‘em coming.
Regarding the D-808, its certainly useful to review radios in retrospect that have been out for a while. It’s a fine little package at a good price with SSB. I must have SSB.
Regarding memory, it is what it is. As I have said, memory is a feature of diminishing returns. The more stations you have in memory, the less convenient it becomes.
Bob,
Thanks for the kind words. I agree about SSB, and, if this were a trip to Santa’s lap, I would like a function that would allow me to set a squelch level on SSB memory channels and then to scan them to see if there is any activity there. Both my Tecsun PL-880 and Grundig Satellit 800 have rudimentary scan functions, but that consists of simply stepping through the stored memories and stopping for a few seconds at each one.
I would love to be able to load up the transatlantic flight controller frequencies and have a radio cycle through them and unmute itself when it finds something.
Cheers, Jock
I have had one since they came out. They had to reship from another country to the U S. originally, forgot why. I really enjoy it. One odd note I haven’t seen anyone mention, since I’m also into hotrod flashlights lol, is if it has lvp-low voltage protection for the 18650 or if it requires a protected battery. It came with a button top but don’t recall it stating it had lvp. Does anyone know?
Jeremiah,
Sorry, I don’t know.
Cheers, Jock
MW DX’ing wasn’t ever my cup of tea. After reading this report I went this morning, at 0600am to the sea side, 400m from my place with the D808.
The only interesting station I could hear quite well was CyBC rik3 on 603KHz from Nicosia. 365Km and 50Kw away.
* For Radio Romania I don’t need to go anywhere.
adid,
Thanks for your report.
Cheers, Jock
This is a wonderful post. I have an XHDATA D808 and I use it almost everyday. One drawback that I have felt is – this radio doesn’t allo2 you to delete a saved station from the memory. This shortcoming is not a big turn off but it makes the everyday tuning experience unpleasant (at least). Let me explain how..
1. I used ATS in SW. Now all the stations are saved at sequential numbered memory and pages.
2. This also included a lot of stations which I don’t want.
3. Now I want to save some frequencies which I do want to “actually” listen.
4. Only way I can do is, I can overwrite the memory station numbers with new frequency.
5. Suppose that I overwrite and save 20 new stations, still there are 80 stations are left saved which I can’t remove.
I tried contacting XHDATA, I searcbed everywhere but no luck. I cant remove those 80 unwanted saved stations.
Nachinketa,
Thank you for report. I did not notice that you can’t delete memories, but you can overwrite them.
I wonder what happens if you run the ATS again?
Cheers, jock
If you run ATS again, every saved station is overwritten again. So you would have 99 stations saved which are scanned recently.
I also tried to scan the radio by folding off the antenna. I though that may be, if there aren’t any station available, I will have blank stations in my 99 memory places.
This too didn’t work. If there aren’t any reception, the radio doesn’t replace the memory saved frequencies.
I think now, I am stuck with those 80 unwanted station.
This radio has brought me a lot of surprises and joy.
I can guarantee that no other radio can compare with it at the same price.
The air band is very interesting and the SSB function is absolutely powerful.
The reception ability is very strong. I can hear the band clearly even in the mountains.
The sound quality of the speaker is very perfect. I believe it can beat most radios on the market.
Cheers, Jock
Andy,
I’m glad you are enjoying your D-808.
cheers, Jock
Something about the D-808 you might want to add.
It really hears the FM Broadcast Band extremely well.
The Whip is good, but if you really want to DX with it hook it to an external antenna designed for or measured to the frequency you are monitoring.
I use a old set of Analog TV Rabbit Ears measured near the frequency I am listening to.
Formula: 234/ f MHz * 12 = Leg of each ear in Inches. Most rabbit ears are 300 ohms, so a 300-75 ohm Balun is needed to hook it up to the D-808.
With the Rabbit Ears sitting on top of a 5 foot bookshelf I have heard on FM Stations on Tropo 250 miles away.
I also now have a FM Turnstile (90’s Radio Shack) in my attic about 20 feet high. Talk about hearing “Es” openings this Spring and Summer, very well. The D-808 de. codes RDS which is a great help, although I find my Cheap SDR and software does a better job since you can see PI-Codes. Still the D-808 receive audio is great. I have heard many clear ID’s with it.
I feel sorry for all my other portables I own. The D-808’s are now in charge. 🙂
73 Art K7DWI in North Texas
Art,
Interesting!
How do you make the actual connection to D-808 . . . through the antenna port? If so, what connector do you use?
I have a pair of old TV rabbit ears!
Cheers, Jock
Search EBay:
3.5mm / Balun Plug to Screw Terminal / 75-300 Ohm /Transformer /
It is plugged into the External Antenna Jack like you would for a Longwire.
My demo on how well this works.
https://youtu.be/69Hz1wwREFg?si=J5gt1VHyvuL8vIMA
73 Art
Art,
A good idea.
The reason why most rabbit’s ears antennas are shown as a ‘V’ shape is because of the very old cartoons were drawn TV when monochrome TV started.
The polarisation of the transmitter antenna and the receiving antennas should be identical for maximum signal.
For horizontally polarised signals the two rods should be in a straight line parallel with the horizon. This makes it more directional in the horizontal direction allowing you to maximise signal strength by making the rods at right angles to the signal from the transmitter.
For vertically polarised signals it should be vertical with respect to the horizon. This makes the antenna omnidirectional. This is why vehicle radios were vertical rods. I doesn’t matter if you turn a corner!
I don’t know what polarisation is used by North American FM stations. If the FCC viewed the TV antenna as the most likely antenna for FM then horizontal is best but for vehicles vertical is best. In some countries they use the transmitting antenna at 45 degrees to the horizon as a compromise and it is called mixed polarisation. If this is the case then you antenna should still be fully extended in a straight line but kept at 45 degrees to the horizon.
All the fields and hill-tops are to be filled with DX listeners at night, torches aglow, as they use certain sunrise times to catch signals.
Bill,
It sounds like you enjoy that early morning greyline DXing as well!
Cheers, Jock
DXing on AM is still a lot of fun to me some50+ years later. I never cease to be amazed at what you can pull in with even an inexpensive radio. The old Walkmans are particularly popular as they could really hear well, and of course, now are hotly sought after as “official.”
Great article, Jock!
Robert,
Thanks for the kind words. Yup, pulling in stuff with a teeny radio is great fun.
Cheers, Jock
If you run ATS again, every saved station is overwritten again. So you would have 99 stations saved which are scanned recently.
I also tried to scan the radio by folding off the antenna. I though that may be, if there aren’t any station available, I will have blank stations in my 99 memory places.
This too didn’t work. If there aren’t any reception, the radio doesn’t replace the memory saved frequencies.
I think now, I am stuck with those 80 unwanted station.
I like to use ATS (automatic tunning) to find stations. The way this radio stores and organize stations by pages, storing 10 stations per page makes it very inconvenient. CC Crane and Sangean do the same thing and that’s why I don’t use them. Tecun radios are my favorite mostly because how it handles the stores memories all in one page
Mac,
I use ATS to find stations sometimes as well.
I find that all radios have some advantages and some disadvantages.
Thanks for your comments.
Cheers, Jock
The new Qosoden DX-286 is stunning on MW DX performance and a steal @ $80 on Amazon.
Donald,
Yes, I understand the Qosoden DX-286 is a hot performer.
Perhaps I’ll get a look at one some day.
Cheers, Jock
The D-808 has a shockingly hot little receiver all the way down to around 200khz. In better propagation conditions (not now!) I can pull over 10 LW NDB beacons in at night from my Michigan location.
John,
Way cool!
Cheers, Jock
Thanks! The information about ultralight DXing is fascinating. It was hearing “DX” on my first receiver (a Zenith Royal 100) that led to a lifelong interest in SWLing and amateur radio. I still occasionally do a bit of medium wave DXing. I’ll have to measure the size of my CCrane Skywave SSB to see if it meets the ultralight specification! 🙂
By the way, the “DX” I was getting back then were clear channel stations in places like Chicago, Atlanta, and New Orleans. But to a Midwestern farm boy, that was exotic stuff!
William,
My understanding is that the CCrane Skywave SSB absolutely qualifies as an “official” ultralight.
Cheers, Jock
Definitely my favourite receiver. Hat tip for this review.
Carlos,
Thanks for the kind words.
Cheers, Jock
I have modified both the main tuner rotary encoder pot and the fine tune wheel, so now both of them turns smoothly without any torque resistance, so browsing the bands improves a lot.
And I agree the XHDATA-808is a great little radio. Only con is the LW band sensitivity.
Pedro,
I would love to know the details of how you did that modification . . . did you post it somewhere or can you explain it here?
Cheers, Jock
If you want to take a quick and cheap approach, at least with the rotary encoders, you can dismount them from the receiver board and use a small screwdriver/pliers to unclip the parts of the encoder housing. Inside there are a few layers and one has a copper ring with a couple of small bobbles that acts as a spring against the detent part of the housing. You can squash the bobbles flat and reassemble the encoder, and the detents will be gone. If that doesn’t work, go back to your plan of purchasing new encoders.
Please bear in mind that procedure is not for the faint of heart.