Tag Archives: Jock Elliott (KB2GOM)

Nutty Idea XHDATA D-220 DX Contest Results

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

In the run-up to the Nutty Idea XHDATA D-200 DX Contest, I really thought that sorting through the data might take a while. Why? Because I heard from so many people who said they had bought the D-220, were pleasantly surprised at its performance, and thought the contest sounded like fun.

But it turned out not to be so . . . only two “official” entries were received, plus an email from a ham radio friend who participated.

So I thought I would like the participants speak for themselves.

Don

First setup. I used a trimmed printer label and pen on my D-220 to mark the SW bands and key frequencies – so marks on WWV, CHU, FT8 on 7, 10, 14, 18 and 21MHz (nice I could hear them all) and some marks of the key SWL bands. I spent Friday trying to do everything indoors on my second floor and Sat outdoors. Of course, waiting for station IDs became the big roadblock. I didn’t get a lot of time over the weekend with events so I did what I could.

Identified Stations:

WWV 10 and 15 MHz (680 mi)
CHU 7.9 and 14.9 MHz (850mi)
WRMI on 17.5-18MHz (1410 mi)
WWCR on ~5.9 MHz (700 mi)
WGN Chicago – 720 kHz (350 mi)
KBGG Des Moines – 1700 kHz (240 mi)
KCNZ Cedar Falls – 1650 kHz (180 mi)
??Radio Exterior de Espana?? – I think so but couldn’t be sure 16m band

Friday evening – all times local CDT in midwest:

41m band – 3 stations – 2 in Spanish, 1 in english (no IDs)
49m band – two religious stations and one hispanic (that was 2-3 kHz above the 2 english stations – no IDs)

Saturday – started a more systematic approach.

really tried hard to hear WWV on 20MHz scanning down a bit from 21MHz FT8 – nothing
pretty sure I got Radio Exterior de Espana – but not sure
hear loud stations in the 31, 25, 22 and 16m bands but only a couple of IDs – noted above
heard a ton of MW stations but only picked out a few with IDs – noted above

Here are some key observations:

1. As a simple portable, the D-220 is a nice, very lightweight travel companion. FM and MW are sufficient for listening to games or music. I would definitely take it on a bike trip or camping or even to a game.
2. Headphone plug on the side??? Why?? Not good for a pocket or case. Should be on the top.
3. Outdoor use is moderate to excellent – performance improves dramatically. MW at night seems very good as does SW. This really is an outdoor portable with just the whip!
4. SW noise level is very good. Much better than Retekess or others.
5. SW overloading from MW is bad in the city yet just touching the whip with a finger removes it completely (changing impedance, grounding and antenna characteristics) allowing for clean SW.
6. FM audio sounds good but bass is severely attenuated. Hooking up the headphone jack to a stereo demonstrates how much low frequencies are cut whereas other cheap portables have great lows.
7. Audio tuning bandwidth drowns out stations close to each other if one is more powerful – fine tuning isn’t an option.
8. Tuning is general takes patience and a very sensitive touch to change the frequency.
9. SW is doable outdoors – need some testing with antenna mods – but the whip would give you some of the big SW guns.

All-in-all I was generally pleased with the radio at its price point and portability.

*****

William, KR8L

MWBC = 5, DX = 130 miles (WSM)
FMBC = 10 , DX = 50 miles (WCIL)
SW SFTS = 3, DX = 900 miles (WWV)
SWBC = 6, DX = 8000 miles (RNZ)
Amateur (CW) = 4, DX = 1010 miles (K1YAN)
Amateur (AM) = 2, DX = 1110 miles (W7YO)

Fun! Heard a lot more but no ID due to language and time constraints.

*****

Lou, KD2UHG (via email)

I could not spent as much time as I would have liked scanning the waves. I was picking up more SW then I imagined possible. Most noteworthy was the Music Through The Decades. From Akron Ohio, and Radio Romania. I heard all of the usual Christian preachers. Brother S was booming from Florida.After receiving the 220, I also bought the 219.

*****

So, thank you Don, William and Lou for your participation and your comments.

I hope William’s observation sums it up for all of you: “Fun!”

Special Update to A Nutty Idea XHDATA D-220 DX Contest

30 Replies

Originally, the XHDATA D-220 DX Contest was intended to be on shortwave, but prompted by a question from Dennis, K2DCD, I consulted with Thomas (our Maximum Leader) and he said “I say with a radio this basic, simply go for anything and everything logged.”

That makes sense and sounds like pure, unadulterated DXing pleasure.

So here are the new rules:

You must use a D-220 with native (built-in) antenna (no hooking it up to your two-mile-long Beverage antenna)
No use of other radios or SDRs as “spotter” radios.
You must ID off the air.
Any band the D-220 receives.
Any location.
Contest starts 6 pm your local time on Friday, August 16, 2024 and it ends at 6 pm your local time on Sunday, August 18, 2024.
Log the time, the estimated frequency, the station ID and what you heard.

There are no prizes, just bragging rights.

Feel free to report in lavish detail on your experience during the contest . . . especially if you had fun!

A Nutty Idea

16 Replies

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

Official Disclaimer: “Yes, XHDATA is a supporter of the SWLing Post but this is my own crazy idea, and we aren’t getting any commissions from the sales. XHDATA doesn’t even know we’re doing it!”

It’s all Robert Gulley’s fault. He had the temerity to post an article about the XHDATA D-220 entitled “A Throwback to a Simpler Time” — I read it, was intrigued, and ordered one.

It arrived today, and, by golly, it actually works. I snapped a couple of AA cells into the battery compartment and discovered immediately that it appears to have a pretty hot FM receiver section. Then I tried medium wave and pulled up several of the local AMers. Then, the acid test: shortwave. Robert Gulley was right: “you will want to turn the dial slowly, very slowly.” But, sonuvagun, if you use a safecracker’s touch, you will actually discover and receive distant shortwave stations on that dinky telescoping whip antenna . . . with an exceedingly inexpensive radio.

So here’s my Nutty Idea: How about an XHDATA D-220 DX contest?

Rules:

You must use a D-220 with native antenna
No use of other radios or SDRs as “spotter” radios.
You must ID off the air.

As Thomas, our Maximum Leader, put it: “It’s so insanely cheap, it’s a great way to have everyone on a level playing field. Well, unless someone gets the yellow version which we all know has special powers.” (Yes, I bought the yellow version.)

Further, I proposed we kick this thing off at 6 pm your local time on Friday, August 16, 2024 and it ends at 6 pm your local time on Sunday, August 18, 2024. You log the time, the estimated frequency, the station ID and what you heard. There are no prizes, just bragging rights. The object: to have fun!

So, whaddya think?

Or should I go back to the home and start taking my meds?

Weird question . . . from the old retrocrank

27 Replies

The Grundig G3 sported a Dual Conversion PLL Digital tuner with smooth tuning and no discernible muting between frequency steps.

Like some others of my age (roughly) who have posted here, I vastly prefer radios that do NOT mute between tuning steps . . . that provide smooth, continuous tuning.

So, does anyone know of any true, new, currently in production, radios with an analog receiver? Could be AM, FM, and/or shortwave?

And, if there are any, obviously I am interested in the ones that you think work well.

Cheers, Jock

Checking out the XHDATA D-808

48 Replies

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.

Check out the XHDATA D-808 at XHDATA.

Check out the D-808 at Amazon.com (affiliate link).

The Joys of Traveling Light

12 Replies

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

I had intended to travel light; I really did . . . but I betrayed my best intentions.

Instead of a “minimal” radio go-bag, I had stuffed a small cross-body bag with: a ham radio handi-talkie (a Yaesu VX-6R) with high-performance antenna, extra batteries for the handi-talkie, a car plug-in adaptor for the handi-talkie, a scanner (Uniden 436) with high-performance antenna, extra batteries for the scanner, a CCrane Skywave SSB, and a CCrane CC Buds Solo In-Ear Single Earbud.

But when I got near the shore of Lake Ontario, what did I actually use . . . what gear brought me the most radio joy? The CCrane Skywave SSB and the Solo Earbud. In particular, during the early morning hours with sweltering heat, epic humidity, and threatening severe thunderstorms, I found myself happily listening to a trio of NOAA weather radio stations, one of which included a marine forecast for Lake Ontario, and all of which helped us to plan our activities.

Then, at 2130Z, on June 21, I took a crack at hearing the 2024 BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica. Here’s my report:

Listening from Sodus, NY, near the shores of Lake Ontario, on a barefoot CCrane Skywave SSB, AM mode (tried SSB, it didn’t help). No recording.

9585, 9870 — heard nothing.

11,685 — very difficult copy, surging static. Could hear male and female voices but couldn’t discern what they were saying, occasional music (?)
Around 2140 — child’s voice saying “we miss you.”
Music at end.

So would it have been easier to copy the Midwinter Broadcast with my Big Gun SW receiver and the 50-foot horizontal room loop? Of course.

Was it fun to try anyway with a shirt-pocket-sized radio and a dinky whip antenna? Absolutely.

Sometimes traveling light delivers fun despite its limitations.

Checking out the CCRadio SolarBT

13 Replies

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

The syllables coming through the headphones were unknown to me. Clearly it was a language, but not one that I knew. So I logged it: 2/18/24, 1101Z, 1660 kHz, unknown language, orchestral music. (I later found out it was a Korean language station from New Jersey.) Then I moved on down the band.

Next stop: 1650 kHz, male voice French. Then: 1630 kHz, pop music, followed by “Arabic sounding music” on 1610 kHz, and so on down the medium wave band. It was a pre-dawn morning, and I have had a great deal of fun, creeping along in 1 kHz increments using the 2.5 kHz bandwidth, turning the radio from side to side in my hand, trying to tease out distant stations, and hoping to hear my first transatlantic DX.

In my lap was a radio that very much resembles a brick, but a very elegant designer brick. In the words of the instruction manual: “The CCRadio Solar is likely the first emergency radio that doesn’t look like one.” The folks at CCrane sent me one for review without charge.

The CCRadio SolarBT measures 6 inches wide by 3 inches high by 2.5 inches deep and weighs just a bit over a pound with batteries installed. Most of the SolarBT’s case is white polymer, but the bottom, top, and sides are covered with a gray rubberized “skin.” The end effect is a solidly built unit that is pleasant to view, easy to handle, and won’t readily slide off a slippery surface.

The CCradio SolarBT can receive AM (MW) band from 520 to 1710 kHz, FM from 87.5 to 108 MHz (76-108 MHz in expanded mode), and 7 NOAA Weather Radio channels from 162.400 MHz to 162.550 MHz. In addition, the SolarBT has a wealth of other interesting capabilities, and we will get to those in just a bit.

Clearly, the CCrane folks are serious about this radio’s emergency capabilities. There are five different ways of powering the SolarBT: (1) an 18650 Li-ion 3.7 volt rechargeable battery which provides around 50 hours of playing time (the manual advises fully charging the internal battery before use), (2) 3 AA batteries (not included, but good for about 40 hours of playing time. The manual warns: don’t use Lithium batteries), (3) a 110 mA solar panel (park the radio in a sunny window to keep it trickle charged), (4) a wind-up dynamo generator (300-500 mA at about two rotations per second. 90 seconds of winding will power the radio for 8-13 minutes or will charge your cell phone enough to make a few quick calls), or (5) a 5-volt DC, 1000 mA micro USB cable or optional AC adapter.

On the left of the front panel, you’ll find a 2-inch, 3-watt speaker. To the right of that is an LCD panel which serves as information central for the SolarBT. The display’s backlight will stay illuminated for about 10 seconds after each button press; you can set the light to stay on continuously if the SolarBT is plugged into continuous power. To the right of the display are a couple of up and down tuning buttons. Press quickly to advance to the next tuning increment. Press and hold to automatically tune to the next strong station. Hold continuously to cycle through the entire band.

Below the display are 5 memory station buttons that have some additional functions we’ll get to in a while. To the right of the memory buttons is the volume knob.

The top of the radio is dominated by a solar panel that, if exposed to direct sunlight for 8 hours will provide 10 to 14 hours of playing time at medium volume. Surrounding the solar panel are 4 buttons: one for power, one for the flashlight, one for changing radio bands, and one for BlueTooth functions. At the extreme back edge of the top is a fold-out telescoping antenna for FM and weather band reception. Inside the case is 10-centimeter a ferrite bar antenna for AM reception (by comparison the ferrite bar inside a CCrane Skywave is 7 centimeters).

CCrane’s attention to detail is evident: the button for the flashlight glows in the dark (very handy if you awake to find the power is out), and the instruction manual is very informative and well-written. In fact, it’s been my experience that CCrane consistently delivers the best-written user manuals in the radio business. Well done!

On the left side of the case is the LED flashlight. On the right side is a soft rubber hatch that provides access to a jack for auxiliary input, a radio power/charging jack, a switch for selecting between the 3 AA batteries or the 18650 rechargeable battery, an earphone jack, and a standard USB port that can be used to charge your cell phone.

On the back of the SolarBT is the fold-out crank for the dynamo generator and a hatch for accessing the 3 AA batteries and the 18650 rechargeable battery. That’s it.

Judicious pressing of the memory buttons provides access to the clock and alarm functions, to selecting 9 or 10 kHz AM band tuning steps, to designate clock or frequency while listening to the radio, to select 1 kHz running steps on the AM band, and to choose among 3 different bandwidths for the AM band: 6 kHz, 4 kHz, or 2.5 kHz. The manual will tell you how.

Yes, you say, but how does it perform? Bottom line: just great.

The SolarBT may be small, but, in my opinion, it punches above its weight and provides excellent sensitivity for its size on the AM, FM, and weather bands. You might buy it as an emergency radio, but my guess is that you will soon discover the joy of DXing with it.

I would be remiss if I didn’t add the following. Normally, I “play radio” using headphones to help compensate for a hearing deficit. Lately, however, I have been listening to the NOAA Weather Radio on the CCRadio SolarBT through the speaker, and I have found that the sound coming through the speaker is very pleasing indeed.

A final note: I did not test any of the Bluetooth connectivity because at present I do not own any gadgets that would connect through Bluetooth.

Bottom line: I liked the CCRadio SolarBT a great deal and can happily recommend it. You might buy it as your emergency radio, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself using it for general listening or for DXing distant stations.

Click here to check out the CC Radio Solar BT at C.Crane.