Category Archives: Portable Radio

Rediscovering Simple Radio Joy with the XHDATA D-219

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by Thomas (K4SWL)

It’s been a long while since I’ve written a receiver review. Years ago, I cranked them out several times a year and genuinely loved the process–evaluating performance, quirks, economics, and overall user experience. Writing reviews is, to this day, one of my favorite things to do.

But over the past four years, my reviewing work shifted more toward amateur radio and portable operations, especially as my QRP activities ramped up. And as many of you know, the SWLing Post now has an incredible group of contributors who regularly write thoughtful reviews, taking some of the pressure off of me.

So when my contact at XHDATA reached out a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to try two new color variants of their ultra-affordable D-219, I surprised myself: instead of passing it along to one of our contributors, I decided I wanted the chance to revisit the world of simple, inexpensive portables firsthand.

Why? Because I’d been hearing surprisingly positive things about this little radio—and because it reminds me of the DX-397, a tiny analog portable I used for years after working at RadioShack right out of college.

This review, then, is less about testing a product and more about rediscovering the joy of having a simple, super-basic radio at hand.

Disclosure: XHDATA is a generous long-time sponsor of the SWLing Post. They sent both of these D-219 radios free of charge. Honestly, I don’t know many companies that would send out a sub-$20 product as a review loaner–it probably costs them more in shipping.

As always, I’ll be gifting these units back out once I’m finished. And in this case, I’ll also be buying three more myself for Christmas gifts… one of those, I’ll keep.

Design & First Impressions

Let’s be clear: the D-219 is a simple radio. It looks like something straight out of the mid-1990s, with:

  • an analog tuning dial
  • band-switching sliders
  • a dedicated on/off switch on top
  • a small, lightweight plastic enclosure

But inside, it’s very much a modern radio. The D-219 is based on the Silicon Labs Si4825-A10 DSP chip, meaning that although tuning feels analog, you’re actually listening to a DSP-based receiver stepping through the band in predetermined increments.

XHDATA sent me two new color options: off-white and light silver-green. Both look great in person.

Using the D-219 Outdoors

I used my truck tailgate to hold the D-219 while stacking firewood.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of work outside—stacking firewood, yard projects, general winter prep. The D-219 became my little companion radio during all of it.

I mostly listened to:

  • Mediumwave
  • A bit of shortwave
  • and FM radio

Audio Quality

The audio surprised me. It’s a tiny speaker, so don’t expect brilliant fidelity, but it’s perfectly listenable and cuts through outdoor noise when the volume is up.

Performance

FM performance is excellent—far better than I expected. I have a handful of “benchmark” distant FM stations that many small portables struggle to hold onto. The D-219 locked onto them easily. DSP chips often shine in FM, and this was no exception.

Mediumwave was the biggest surprise. I have a regional AM station–WTZQ 1600 kHz–that I enjoy during the day, especially around the holidays. Only about half of my small portables receive it well enough to be pleasant.

The D-219 locked it in better than most of my other inexpensive portables.

That alone impressed me.

Shortwave performance is quite good for the price. Sure, it lacks an adjustable filter, and tuning steps mean you don’t get that smooth, fluid band-scanning experience like a proper analog receiver. But overall, it works pretty well.

On 31 meters, for example, tuning felt natural and not cramped–something many ultra-cheap shortwave radios struggle with. It helps that the selected shortwave bands have enough tuning bandspread that you don’t have to use micro adjustments during tuning (I’m looking at you, XHDATA D-220!).

Back in the Cold War era, when the bands were jammed shoulder-to-shoulder, a radio like this would have been harder to use. But today, with fewer simultaneous signals, it’s totally workable.

Real-World Utility

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, I’ve become even more vocal about keeping at least one AM/FM/SW radio as part of your personal preparedness kit. The D-219 checks many boxes:

  • Runs on AA batteries
  • Very low power draw
  • Lightweight and pocketable
  • Small enough to disappear into a backpack or glove compartment

I’ve been using mine heavily for two weeks on a pair of Eneloop rechargeables and haven’t had to recharge yet.

Two of the D-219s I’m buying will be stocking stuffers for my daughters, just so they always have a reliable source of news and info while at university–even if the power or internet goes down.

Why This Radio Works

The band spread is generous compared to the D-220

I’m sure own more than three dozen portable radios here at SWLing Post HQ—from high-end benchmarks to tiny ultralights. Normally, I advocate for buying a good-quality receiver instead of “throwaway” electronics.

But I don’t think the D-219 is a “throwaway” radio; being based on the Silicon Labs DSP architecture, it doesn’t have an insane component density–inside, its board is almost roomy. Looking at it, I think I could make modest repairs myself as long as the chip still functions.

Sometimes simple designs translate into long life rather than an early landfill destiny. Of course, only time will tell, and I will post an update if my radio experiences any issues.

This is why I’m comfortable giving them to my daughters as everyday radios. And frankly, I’d much rather they lose or break a $13 D-219 than my old Panasonic RF-65B, PL-660, or ICF-SW7600GR–some of my most cherished (and irreplaceable) legacy portables.

The D-219 is also a perfect glove box radio. One to grab and listen to when you’re waiting on your spouse/partner to finish a yoga class, or waiting on your kids at schoool.

In Summary

If you’re looking for a true benchmark portable, obviously, this isn’t it.

But if you want:

  • a fun, capable, ultra-affordable little radio
  • something to give as a holiday stocking stuffer
  • a simple preparedness radio that uses AA batteries
  • a pocketable MW/FM/SW companion
  • a “leave-it-in-the-car” radio

…the XHDATA D-219 genuinely delivers for well under $20 each.

And as someone who hates e-waste and often avoids ultra-cheap electronics, I’m betting this radio will age better than most. Its internal design is refreshingly simple and built around the reliable Si4825-A10 DSP chip. There just isn’t much inside to fail.

For the price, performance, and sheer fun factor? The D-219 is a solid option.

Purchase options:

Paul Reviews the Radtel RT-880G

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by Paul Jamet

Looking for a versatile radio?

Which radio listener hasn’t dreamed of owning a portable multi-band receiver allowing them to explore the widest possible radio spectrum?

For nearly a year now, walkie-talkies have appeared on the market which, beyond the classic VHF–UHF functions, also allow listening and transmitting on CB (27 MHz) as well as listening to LW/MW/SW bands (LSB/USB/CW). The RADTEL RT-860 has won over those who have tested it.

Read here: Dan Reviews the Radel RT-860

The arrival of the Quansheng TK-11 — available in three versions — has caused quite a stir on social networks. Then, almost at the same time, the RADTEL RT-880 and RT-880G (G for GPS) appeared, also sold under other names such as iRadio UV98.

Among all these available models, I chose — as a radio listener, especially when I’m traveling — the RADTEL RT-880G. My choice is explained mainly by its antenna connectors (SMA-Female and SMA-Male), its large color display, its GPS module, its thousand memory channels, and the possibility of simultaneously monitoring three VHF/UHF frequencies. This device is highly customizable, but its user manual would deserve to be much more detailed and explicit.

The RT-880G comes with a “standard” 18 cm antenna for VHF-UHF bands, which is also used for FM station reception. I haven’t yet tested the device on the 27 MHz (CB) band, for which a dedicated antenna is preferable. No antenna is provided for LW/MW/SW listening.

For listening to LW/MW/SW bands, the device is often shown with small donut-type loop antennas (10 cm diameter).

However, for easier transport, I simply chose this small telescopic SMA-Male antenna, 48 cm long (weight: 20 g): to which it is possible to clip a wire antenna, such as the SONY AN-71, which can prove very useful.

I also used an antenna normally intended for CB, the ABBREE 27 MHz telescopic antenna (130 cm), admittedly heavier (weight: 78 g) and bulkier, but which gives very good results for the HF band.

The purpose of this contribution — which concerns only listening — is to arouse curiosity among mobile (or stationary) listeners, to invite those who own this walkie-talkie to come here and share their experience, and to collect your comments. It is therefore not a full review of the RT-880G, but simply an illustration of what it offers for listening to LW/MW/SW bands.

For LW/MW/SW bands, the RT-880G allows you to set the:

  • step to 1 – 5 – 10 – 50 – 100 – 500 – 1,000 – and 9 kHz],
  • bandwidth [0.5 – 1.0 – 1.2 – 2.2 – 3.0 – 4.0],
  • AGC (Automatic Gain Control)
  • BFO – (Beat Frequency Oscillator) – used for fine tuning SSB reception (the minimum step being 1 kHz).

Sample Recordings

Local park where some of the recordings were made.

Here are a few audio files that will help you form an opinion.  The recordings were made with a smartphone placed near the receiver.  The recordings were made using a smartphone placed near the receiver. The sound quality is quite good, even surprising. Continue reading →

Retekess V112: An Ideal Ballpark Companion

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The Retekess V112 takes in the scenery at a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game in Allentown, PA

by Aaron Kuhn

In my previous post for SWLing Post, I suggested the characteristics of an ideal ballpark radio and considerations for radio selection. While researching that post, I came across the Retekess V112 which ticked a lot of the boxes I recommended – compact, cheap, unobtrusive.

The Retekess V112 has indeed turned out to be a compact, affordable, and unobtrusive companion for enhancing the game-day experience at the ballpark. Priced at a consistent $15.49 on Amazon [SWLing Post affiliate link] for over a year now, this little red (or Gold) radio has exceeded my expectations.

Unboxing and Accessories (and what to replace):

While the physical packaging is a distant memory to me, the V112 comes with earbuds, a neck lanyard, and a Micro-USB charging cord.

  • Earbuds: While included, the provided earbuds are notably uncomfortable and were quickly relegated to the recycling bin. My ears are not your ears of course, and they might be salvageable with interchangeable eartips if you have some lying around, but it’s highly recommended to bring your own comfortable earbuds or headphones. This is especially important as the headphone wires double as the antenna, and reception can vary significantly between different pairs of headphones based on the cable. My older Apple EarPods offered good comfort and reception, while Sony MDRE9LP’s performed poorly. Experimentation of pairing the radio with low-cost IEMs would be an interesting project.
  • Neck Lanyard: Surprisingly, the neck lanyard is the hidden gem of this package. It allows the radio to hang around your neck, keeping your hands free for hot dogs and foul balls.
  • Micro-USB Charging Cord: While USB-C would be a welcome modern update, the included Micro-USB cable is understandable given the radio’s price point and older engineering. It’s hard to complain about the cable-port standard chosen when they give you the cable you need, and you probably have multiple other Micro-USB cables kicking around in storage boxes and drawers already.

Portability and Power:

  • Size and Weight: The Retekess V112 truly shines in its portability. Weighing 45 grams (0.1 lbs) and measuring 3.3 x 1.8 x 0.5 inches, it’s so small and lightweight that it’s easy to forget you’re carrying it, and easy to lose it in your pocket (like I have done multiple times!) This weight is even more impressive given the battery is built-in. I like to leave my earbuds plugged into it and wrap them around the radio body for transport, producing a tidy, tiny package of everything I need.
  • Battery: Battery life is another strong suit – I have yet to accidentally run it down, even forgetting to charge between games. I typically throw the radio on a battery bank on the way to the game, or shortly before the game, and have never run down the 500mah battery. I can’t find a stated battery life, and due to my experience really can’t estimate a runtime besides “long enough for extra innings.”

Features and Functionality:

  • Antenna: While relying on the headphone cable for an antenna does impact reception, it eliminates the bulk and vulnerability of a traditional antenna whip. This helps to make the radio instantly pocketable and prevents accidental seat-neighbor-pokes or damage. There’s nothing fancy such as selectable bandwidths to really help you out here, so you’re either going to have usable reception or you won’t.
  • Power/Mute Button: The power button cleverly doubles as a soft-mute, perfect for cutting out commercials between innings. A quick button tap when the last batter is out mid-inning mutes until you see the next batter up, and returns the previously set volume quickly.
  • Keypad Lock: The keypad lock function is invaluable for setting the desired volume and then tossing the radio in your pocket or letting it hang from the lanyard without accidental button pressings changing stations or volume.
  • Presets / Direct Frequency Entry: The lack of a number keypad for direct frequency entry is a minor inconvenience and my only real complaint, but in reality it’s lack of preparation. The radio does offer presets, making it easy to save your preferred stations before heading to the game – as long you remember to do so.

Future Wishlist:

If any radio manufacturers are out there listening (get in touch, Retekess or Tecsun!) I still think there’s a few features that would make an even better ballpark radio as discussed in my article from last year:

  • Bluetooth Headphone Support: There are a number of small radios on Amazon that advertise themselves as having “Bluetooth”, but when you dig deeper the feature just turns the radio body into an external speaker to your phone/tablet/laptop. The exception to the rule is the Prunus J-618 which claims actual bluetooth headphone support. Bonus points to manufacturers – allow two sets of paired headphones to be driven simultaneously. Finding comfortable Bluetooth earbuds is way easier these days at retail than finding a pair of wired earbuds, and you probably already own a pair to your liking.
  • Replaceable Parts: Implementing Bluetooth headphone support is going to require the move to an external antenna, and with that I’d love to see an antenna that can be easily replaced if it snaps off / is broken. I’m pro-repairability on electronics, so it would be great to see parts kits available at a small cost up-front with the radio to increase the likelihood the device lasts for years. Think antennas, plastic trim/doors, clips, lanyards, etc.
  • Selectable Bandwidth: I’d pay a little more for a radio that has a selectable bandwidth feature on both FM and AM. Legible commentary for a ballgame doesn’t require a very wide bandwidth, and this would go a long way towards turning an unstable/fringe signal into something more enjoyable. I’ve made use of bandwidth selection on Tecsun radios at the ballpark in the past and this is a sorely missed feature.
  • USB-C Charging: It’s 2025 – the world has moved to USB-C. Any device worth its salt these days should include a USB-C charging port, with actual proper USB-C PD support – none of that hacked up USB-A to USB-C junk.
  • Multiple Mounting Options: The lanyard on the Retekess V112 is great, what would be even more fun is some kind of clip that could attach to a stadium cupholder, or be attached to a seat in some fashion. Being able to strap a radio somewhere with bluetooth headphone support would be the ultimate convenience.

Conclusion:

For under $17 delivered to your door, the Retekess V112 is a great investment for live baseball enthusiasts. This radio has consistently enhanced my enjoyment of baseball games with its portable size, performance, and ease-of-use.

At $25, the Prunus J-618 looks like it might be a contender to the Retekess V112 throne and is one I’ll likely be checking out in the future. The Tecsun PL-368 is an attractive proposition for a ballpark radio, but in my mind provides more radio than you need, at a price-point ($75-$100) where I’d be afraid of breaking it or misplacing it in a ballpark environment.

For what it is, I’m not sure there’s much else that can compete at this price with the Retekess V112 for a low-cost, turn-key solution to live baseball play-by-play.

Bob’s Radio Corner: The Last Radio I Really Needed

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My original PL-660 has high mileage but still
has its original kick stand and whip antenna.

The Last Radio I Really Needed

By Bob Colegrove

Like most folks, I have a favorite radio.  My favorite radio is the one I happen to be listening to at the time.  Each radio has its own attractions.  The fact that one particular radio is turned on indicates that, at least for the moment, it is my favorite.

I also have a special radio.  It is special because, ever since I bought it, there has never been a compelling reason to buy another radio.  That said, there is no accounting for irrational behavior which has subsequently caused me to buy several more radios, always with the hope that the next radio would somehow provide better performance than my special radio.

My longstanding experience has been with vacuum tube radios.  I have used multiband radio consoles.  I have used everything from a Hallicrafters S-38 to a Collins R-390A and most everything in between.  I tried a couple of analog, multiband, solid-state portables in the 1960s and ‘70s.  I bought a Sony ICF-2010 early on and still have two of them fully functional.  For many years, the -2010s were my go-to radios.

Then, I happened to read the review of the Tecsun PL-660 in the 2012 WRTH.  The price seemed reasonable, and I decided to buy one.  From the very beginning, I was not disappointed.  Selectable sidebands and synchronous detection – not a Sony, but very good.  Further, the -660 was notably smaller and packed quite easily.  I could include a pair of earphones, a length of wire and this radio, set up away from the shack, and operate.

So why is this radio special?  It is not perfect.  But for LW, MW, SW, and FM, there is nothing I can hear on any of my radios that I can’t hear on the Tecsun PL-660.  Reception seems to be especially sensitive and clear.

I must qualify the claim above.  Normally I use external antennas.  External antennas are the great equalizers.  Properly matched they make a radio perform at its best.  Radio reviews and comparisons will often include judgements about sensitivity.  Unfortunately, many reviewers do not specify the conditions under which they tested the radio.  The reader must assume that these judgements are based on the use of stock internal antennas — most often the LW and MW ferrite loop and the SW and FM whip.  For portable radios this makes sense, as internal antennas are paramount to the radio’s transportable versatility.

Not Perfect

I will spare everyone yet another review of a radio now in its adolescent years.  I merely focus on a couple of picks I have with the PL-660.  There are others which are well documented.

Birdies

Probably the worst fault with the -660 is birdies.  There are a few along the LW spectrum but the worst by far is one which generally appears between 950 kHz and 1000 kHz in the MW band.  I have read where this is traceable to the DC-DC converter but have never found a remedy.  This nasty signal is very rich in harmonics and will replicate through the entire SW spectrum.  Further, the fundamental birdie and its harmonics tend to slowly drift upward for about an hour after the radio is turned on.  The drift accelerates with multiples of harmonics.  For example, while the fundamental birdie is creeping up 1 kHz, the second harmonic will travel 2 kHz, the third 3 kHz, and so forth.  There are many harmonics where no harm is done; however, the 4th harmonic will blaze a trail squarely through the 80-meter ham band.  Wait a while and it will drift onward but ultimately stop at some equally inconvenient location.

Poor Encoder

The PL-660 tuning encoder, as with its cousins in the -600 and the -680, is … well, very poor.  From the get-go it will jump erratically forward or backward.  This becomes worse over time, particularly with any prolonged periods of disuse.  I have not determined whether this is dirt, poor contact, or just poor design.  I have found that vigorous exercise forward and backward with the tuning knob is the best temporary remedy.  This will generally bring the encoder back to tolerable performance.

Replacement encoders are available at modest cost.  I went this route as a last resort but managed to lay up my -660 for several months having failed to make the replacement work at all on the first attempt.  A few months later with renewed determination, followed by a series of deep cleansing breaths, I reopened the radio and discovered that my mistake was just a solder bridge between two of the encoder pins.  Note to self: For the future, this surgery should only be performed by people with good vision and steady hands.  After several months of storage there was unbounded joy when the 12-year-old -660 came alive and began to tune perfectly – well as perfectly as it could.

My Mods

One of the reasons why the Tecsun PL-660 is special to me is that it is a tangible link to my tinkering past.  In former times, much satisfaction was obtained by aligning RF and IF stages, restringing dial cords, and replacing leaky capacitors.  For most tinkers, the advent of large-scale, solid-state integration and surface-mounted components has made tinkering virtually impossible.  Detailed data are scarce, parts much more specialized, and soldering skills more demanding.

The PL-660 came along at a point where vacuum tube tinkering was still within recent memory and the skills for maintaining and modifying high-tech radios had not become so intimidating.  To summarize, with just a few exceptions, today’s radios are for all practical purposes unrepairable, unmodifiable, and therefore more readily disposable.  What a pity.  The term “parted out” has entered our vocabulary, whereby a defective radio is cannibalized to provide its serviceable vital organs to its remaining siblings.

Dynamic Squelch

Briefly, the Tecsun PL-660 dynamic squelch function automatically adjusts the signal threshold based on its strength.  Ostensibly, this helps prevent the radio from being overwhelmed by noise when no signal is present while still allowing strong signals to be heard.  The “dynamic” part of the term refers to the feature turning itself on or off as the situation demands.  The downside is twofold:  a) weak signals may be totally blocked with squelch engaged; and b) the feature may oscillate on an off as a signal fades and then gets stronger.  There are several demonstrations of this on YouTube.

In 2012, a Russian radiofile managed to identify the transistor that switched the feature on and off.  By the simple expedient of grounding one of its leads, it could be permanently turned off, eliminating its drawbacks.  An optional further modification provided for the tone control switch to be repurposed to manually enable or disable the basic modification.

The relatively simple concept turned out to be rather involved surgery requiring a large metal circuit shield to be unsoldered and removed to access the transistor.  The old Yahoo PL-660 Group was abuzz with interest at the time.  Many folks were doing the modification.  Had it not been discussed so widely, I would likely have ignored it.  But being a wild, impulsive 70-year-old at the time, I had to give it a go and fortunately was successful.

Disablement of the dynamic squelch required removal of a shield on PCB

External LW and MW antennas

I do not like to be limited by the lack of an external LW/MW antenna connection.  The PL-660 has no means to switch one on.  You can easily inductively couple an AN-100/200 or Terk Advantage loop and get good results, but I wanted more.  I took the classic approach of winding a 5-turn transfer coil around the ferrite bar.  Initially I simply connected this to a twisted pair which ran out the unused hole for the wrist strap.  The twisted pair was connected to a phone jack and dangled out of the radio like a pig tail.

Pigtail used the hole in the case vacated by the wrist strap.

Sometime after my mod, Geir Laastad, LA6LU, published a paper with a much more elegant solution.  He discovered that the PL-880 used a stereo external antenna jack, the center (ring) terminal was not used, and the cumbersome pigtail could be eliminated by connecting the added transfer coil between this center terminal on the jack and the radio ground.  This necessitated use of a stereo plug to mate with the jack for connection of a LW/MW external antenna, but the jack could otherwise be used normally for SW.  I found that Tecsun used the same stereo jack approach on the -600, -660, and -680, and was able to connect the transfer coil to each radio the same way.  Geir’s paper is at https://groups.io/g/Tecsun-PL-880/files/_Tecsun_PL-880_LW_&_MW_Antenna_Mod.pdf, but you may have to request membership in the group to download it.

Enlarged fine tuning knob

One of the weak features of the -600, -660 and -680 is the fine-tuning pot.  Zero-beating a signal is a bit touchy.  The problem is exacerbated by a mechanical detent in the control’s center of rotation, that is, the point where zero beat is likely to be encountered.  I found a foam, doughnut-shaped packing spacer from a spindle of CDs had just the right internal and external diameters to slip over the fine-tuning knob and provide some added gear reduction.  By pressing the foam against the case, the effects of the detent could be mitigated.

Well, unfortunately, CDs are going the way of cassette tapes these days, so the availability of the packing spacers may not be so good.  It may be within the realm of possibility to fabricate one.

Wrist Strap

My final alteration is not so much a modification as it is a simple omission.  On the first disassembly of the -660 I omitted reinstalling the wrist strap.  IMHO, this piece of ribbon is no more useful than fender skirts on a ’57 Chevy.  Besides, it’s usually in the way.  Sometime in the murky past, this appendage made its appearance on a small portable radio.  Since then, nearly every manufacturer has felt compelled to include one.  I envision someone grabbing the radio by the strap and sashaying down the street with it dangling precariously by one’s side.  I have tried to imagine how its purpose might be inverted into a safety feature – perhaps first looping the strap around the wrist and then grabbing the radio with the hand.  But somehow, I can’t imagine anyone going to that trouble.  Maybe I’m missing something.

The wrist strap on this Realistic 12-714 AM/FM pocket radio from 1984 is hard to ignore.

The reader may be aware of other modifications to the PL-660, but mine are limited to those described above.

Epilogue

The old -660 has never been coddled.  Neither has it been subjected to the same vicissitudes as a soccer ball.  It remains a relatively handsome, finely crafted instrument still capable of soldiering on in the frontlines of the DX battle.

Is my old PL-660 a better-than-average “creampuff” off the Tecsun production line?  Does that make it special?  During the three or four months it was laid up with the encoder problem, I took the precaution of buying one of the last production units – this on the chance it might be my only opportunity of having an operational PL-660.  The newer one looks like its predecessor; it operates like its predecessor, even to the extent that it has the same birdies and the erratic encoder.  It does have the added feature of dial recalibration – a feature totally unnecessary on the original PL-660.  Somehow, it’s just not the old PL-660.  That one is special.

Maybe you have a special radio.

Bob’s Radio Corner: Buttons, Knobs, and Switches

8 Replies

Source: The Great International Math on Keys Book, Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas, Texas, p. 4-7, 1976.

Pressing Buttons. Twirling Knobs and Throwing Switches

By Bob Colegrove

Move along.  Nothing informative to read here, just the wandering of an idle mind scheming with meandering fingers on a keyboard.  On the other hand, if your curiosity can’t be controlled, consider that a significant amount of enjoyment in this hobby is the mere operation of the radio – seeing what all the buttons, knobs, and switches do, both separately and in combination.  It’s always been this way.  Beginning in the Amplifiozoic Epoch there was continual rotation of the knobs.  This occurred before the discovery of ganged capacitors, when each circuit had to be tuned independently to resonate at the proper frequency.  Otherwise, nothing.

It could be quite confounding for a non-radiofile trying to break into the sport.  Just getting some sound out of a two-knob radio could be a challenge.  My late mother solved this problem on all our radios by painting a dab of red nail polish at the points on the dial where each local station came in.

The Complexities of Shortwave

Later, with the humble entry-level shortwave “set” there was conundrum in the way the bandspread interacted with the main tuning control, and the curious effect of the BFO switch.  Even the venerable Hallicrafters Company, which catered to the hams and SWLs of the time, recognized the problem. They tried to solve this by prescribing a default setting in installation and operating procedures for model S-40 receiver, The Hallicrafters Company, Chicago, USA, p. 4, 1946:

“NOTE. – Some of the control markings are in RED. This is an added feature incorporated for the convenience of the listener who is not familiar with radio terminology as an aid in setting the controls most used for the reception of standard broadcast stations.”

That was the nice way of saying it.  After many years, I still chuckle to myself thinking of an old ham radio mentor of mine who insensitively explained that the purpose of these markings was for certain members of the household who could not otherwise make the radio work.  On my S-40B, the “convenience” markings are white dots.

Modern Radios

Modern radios have many buttons, which can work in different ways.  A short press will do one thing while a long press will do something else.  Some buttons do one thing with the radio turned off and another thing with the radio turned on.  On many radios you can lock the buttons and knobs, in which case they won’t do anything.  You must get it right.

Hidden Features

Today, the possibilities with all these variables are boundless, even beyond the control of the manufacturers who incorporate the complex TEF6686 30-pin IC chips in their designs.  Qodosen has set the bar high by making a plethora of user-adjustable functions available on the DX-286.  An uncommonly informative 40-page manual has been included with each radio and is highly recommended as an essential tool to assist with its operation.

In recent years, Tecsun has capitalized on this by incorporating “hidden features” in some of their models; that is, their operation and even their very existence are not revealed in the manual.  In computer gaming parlance, these features are called “Easter eggs” for which one must hunt.  Originally, the inclusion of hidden features may not have been intentional, but with the introduction of the PL-880 in 2013 they became a veritable sensation, as testified by the countless owner postings on the PL-880 Yahoo users’ group of that time.  A prize of unbounded esteem and self-satisfaction went to the intrepid listener who discovered and solved a hidden feature.  This interest went on for several months as Tecsun tweaked the firmware and the “features” migrated somewhat.  But unfortunately, a spoiler has been introduced.  Hidden feature data sheets are now packaged with current models.  In case you are missing any, here is a sampling.

For the Tecsun PL-368 see https://swling.com/blog/2021/08/troys-tecsun-pl-368-hidden-features-quick-reference-sheet/

For the Tecsun PL-990 see https://swling.com/blog/2020/10/johns-pl-990-hidden-features-quick-reference-sheet/

For the Tecsun PL-880 see https://swling.com/blog/2019/10/40072/

For the Tecsun S-8800 see https://swling.com/blog/2018/08/bill-discovers-a-number-of-tecsun-s-8800-hidden-features/

SDR

The complexity of radio operation is compounded still further by the advent of SDR, wherein combinations of various hardware and software components result in a host of possibilities.  Features and their placement seem endless as they are distributed on multiple menus.  As my personal experience is limited to WebSDR, I leave the pursuit of this point to others.

Manual Power Generation

Finally, the inclusion of some elementary form of leverage and dexterity is present in some radios.  Isn’t the hand-powered crank on today’s emergency radio akin to the vintage treadle-operated transcription machine pictured at the beginning of this posting?  Perhaps we have come full circle.

Conclusion

Today’s radios are a sort of Rubik’s cube which can continually be manipulated to provide many hours of discovery and complement the listening and DXing experiences.  So, the next time you crawl underneath the headset and unconsciously tune to the object frequency, zero beat on the necessary sideband, and adjust the proper bandwidth and volume, reflect on all the time and practice it took you to develop this useful skill.

What’s in the Box? Bob Colegrove Investigates the Forgotten Extras of Your Radio

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What’s in the Box?

Itemized by Bob Colegrove

Not one to throw anything away, I tend to save ‘the box it came in’ for many new purchases.  The other day I decided to organize all my radio boxes.  Besides the radios themselves, they usually contain a selection of “goodies,” which can include, cases, power adapters, USB cables, batteries, earbuds, antennas, manuals, and so forth.

I generally do not use much that is included in the box.  Over time, however, some of the paraphernalia has gotten scattered around, and my recent effort was intended to corral and sort the accessories.  My experience is itemized below.

Cases

The cases are invariably the largest accessories in the box.  These are sometimes firm, faux-leather enclosures with a zipper around the edges.  I prefer the soft, pliable pouches which seem to function more easily and take up less space.

The Sony ICF-2010 and -2001D did not include cases.  To give the radio some protection during travel and storage, I fabricated a ‘sock’ out of an old bath towel and some hot glue.  The so-covered radio was then inserted into a travel bag along with earphones and anything else I needed.  This worked very well over the years; so well that I extended the concept for some of my smaller radios, which came with cases.

Homemade socks for a PL-880 and ICF-2010 could even be color-coordinated with the rest of your gear.

Power Adapters and Batteries

The following is not intended as the definitive treatise on power adapters and batteries.  Enough guidance has been provided by others.  The takeaway here is that, if you ever refer to the radio’s manual, this is the occasion to do so.  Ensure you know how your radio was designed and the proper way to power it.

In my collection of portable radios there are several combinations of power adapters and batteries.

  • Some radios came with power adapters and others didn’t.
  • Some radios came with batteries and others didn’t.
  • Some just came with USB charging cords.
  • Some were intended for both chargeable and nonchargeable batteries.  Others were intended only for alkaline, nonchargeable batteries, in which case the power adapter disconnects the battery from the circuit and is only used to power the radio.

An adapter might be used to power the radio, recharge batteries, or both.  It’s hard to believe in these days of switching power adapters that an adapter could ever be used to listen to AM radio, but that was the case with the Sony ICF-2010/2001D and Grundig Satellit 800.  These radios came with a more costly transformer adapter which produced very little discernable noise.  Manufactured in pre-rechargeable alkaline days; however, the adapter did not provide a battery charge function.  Over the years, I have mostly used these radios in-house.  They tend to be D-battery-hungry, and so they are usually powered via the adapters.

When Sony got around to producing the ICF-SW7600GR, they took a different approach.  They simply figured it was a small, portable radio, and would mainly be used with batteries.  So, there is a power port for an optional 6-volt adapter, but no included adapter.

The OEM batteries aren’t always the best, so I have an extra supply of rechargeable NiMH and lithium batteries which I cycle through my radios, and the originals are simply included in the rotation.  The NiMH batteries that came with the Tecsun PL-600, -660, and -680 only had 1000 ma capacity and tended to self-discharge quickly after a year or two of use.  However, they got you started.

I have always wondered about using NiMH batteries in radios intended only for alkaline batteries – mainly older ones.  There is a 20-percent reduction in voltage.  How does this affect the performance of the radio?  I suppose this can only be answered on a case-by-case basis.  As an example, I have used NiMH batteries in the Sony ICF-SW7600GR from the very beginning with no apparent degradation.  However, on the XHDATA D-219 and D-220, the difference is quite noticeable.  For some radios, the battery type is switchable, and one must be careful not to connect a power adapter to recharge alkaline batteries.

Earbuds

If you’re serious about radio, you have a good set of earbuds or headphones.  I would venture to say the supplied earbuds for each of my radios are still in the box in their original wrapping.  I don’t get along well with earbuds.  They are hard to install in what apparently are my constricted ear canals and are always falling out.  Several years ago I purchased a set of quality over-the-ear headphones.  Not the most convenient for travel perhaps, but great for reproducing sound and mitigating outside noise.  Grundig went so far as to include a set of over-the-ear headphones with the Satellit 800.

Antennas

Most new portables come with 20- to 25-ft long wire external antennas having 3.5-mm plugs for connection to the external antenna jack.  Sometimes a plastic ‘clothespin’ is attached to the remote end of the wire for mounting.  For convenience, some of these wires are contained in a tape-measure-style spool.  These antennas are quite useful for the non-tinker and traveler, as they provide a means to extend the range, particularly on shortwave.

The C. Crane wire terminal antenna adapter, included with the Skywave SSB 2, is a boon to anyone without a soldering iron or otherwise not inclined to use one.  Other manufacturers take note.  A #2 Phillips screwdriver, and knife to strip the wire insulation are all you need for extensive antenna experimentation.

Source:  C. Crane Skywave SSB 2 Instruction Manual, p. 30.

Sony packed not one, but two 3.5-mm external antenna plugs with each ICF-2010/2001D.  The concept was the same as the C. Crane wire terminal antenna adapter.  These had wire pigtails ending in screw terminals for an antenna and ground wire of your choice.

External antenna adapter (1 of 2) packed with the Sony ICF-2010 and -2001D

A caution here.  The RF amplifier for LW, MW, and SW on the 2010 is an unprotected FET (Q303), which is notorious for failing due to electrostatic discharge from an external antenna.  Early on, your author was twice bitten by this snake.  There may be other radios that suffer from this vulnerability.

Straps

The strap is arguably the least useful accessory included with any portable radio.  The Sony ICF-2010/2001D came with a very attractive blue over-the-shoulder web strap, which has become something of an “item” among collectors.  Mine have been bound up in their original wrapping and stored away for 40-plus years, and might yield the cost of a new portable radio should I ever decide to auction them on the Internet.  I have never used them on either of my 2010s simply because I can envision the priceless radio dangling pendulously at the end of the strap waiting to meet disaster through contact with an immovable door jam.

The same goes for smaller radios which almost always include an obligatory wrist strap.  Perhaps these should not be classified as accessories, as they are permanently attached to the radio.  I avoid using them for the same reason as sited for the 2010s.  Besides, they just get in the way.  These straps are usually anchored inside the case, but I can’t bear to cut them off; so, I have just lived with them.  In the few cases where I have opened the case, I have omitted reinstalling them.  Instead of having a strap, how about a collapsible “lunchbox” handle?  I can even envision one of these being developed into a dual-purpose handle/antenna.

Manuals

Don’t forget the manual.  We’ve gotten away from manuals.  People don’t use them, and they are a manufacturing expense.  Besides, you can find your answer on the Internet.

As a retired technical writer, however, I have a strong respect for a well-crafted technical manual.  Besides actually using them, I unconsciously evaluate them.  Unfortunately, most are written as an afterthought – an attempt to forestall customer enquiries.  “Read the manual.”  The problem is compounded by radios intended for a worldwide market, wherein the manuals are authored by writers who labor under the handicap of having English, French, Spanish, German, etc. as a second language.

There are also situations where the printing is too small or the fanfolds too inconvenient.  My standard practice is to download an electronic copy of each manual, print it out in 8 ½” × 11” format, and put it in a comb or 3-ring binder.  This is easier on aging eyes, and more suitable for adding my own notes.

…and so forth

Besides the common accessories described above, some unique items have been included over the years.  For example, Tecsun has packaged very nice 20-inch by 30-inch charts with some models.  One side contains a world map showing amateur call areas.  The other side is an enlargement of the radio with each button or control function described.

Going back a few years, Sony included a slick publication called the Wave Handbook with some of their radios.  These had convenient station vs. time charts for world band radio.  The charts were like those published in frequency vs. time format in Passport to Worldband Radio.  The booklets were published in several editions over the years, but obviously, these were time sensitive and became outdated rather quickly.  Still, they could pique the interest of folks new to SWLing.

Packaging

Finally, there is the box the radio came in and any accompanying wrapping.  The packrat DNA in me usually demands that I keep all this.  It can speed up the sale or otherwise increase the value of the radio, if you ever decide to sell it.

Which radio accessories do you use?

Would you like an option to buy the radio without any accessories?

Dan Reviews the Radel RT-860

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Van Hoy, who writes:

Because I [purchased a RT-470L last year], Radtel sent me news of their brand new RT-860. No need to mod the radio like a Quangsheng. It does LW/MW/SW with SSB/CW (rx only, of course) out of the box for less than $50! I just posted a short preliminary review of the RT-860 on YouTube:

Click here to view on YouTube.