Tag Archives: Shortwave Radio

The XHDATA D-808 shortwave portable: A variation of the Digitech AR-1780?

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ivan, who shares the following:

In December, sales of this radio will begin. The seller promises to put the price of 60 US dollars. Radio of a level not lower than Tecsun PL-660 for such a small price is great! There is a video review on YouTube. Unfortunately in Russian. There is no more information on this radio on the Internet. I myself found out by accident.

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thank you for the tip, Ivan! I’m guessing this is yet another portable based on the Silicon Labs SL4735.

The display looks like that of the Digitech AR-1780 and the keypad configuration is nearly identical–the only visible difference being the shape of the SSB button which is rectangular on the AR01780.

The Digitech AR-1780 keypad.

The XHDATA D-808 Keypad.

The power buttons are also in different locations.

AliExpress has the D-808 in their catalog, but the price is listed at $2,000 per unit (!!!) with no shipping to the US. Perhaps the pricing formula changes if you place an order within Russia?

UPDATE: Ivan adds, “I talked to the seller of Xhdata D-808 on Ali about the crazy price claimed now. The seller replied that the price will be quite different and much more humane than what is now.”

Again, thanks for the tip, Ivan!

Post readers: If you have the XHDATA D-808, I’d certainly welcome a review. Please feel free to contact me about submitting one.

Airspy HF+ SDR Now Available to Order

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As reported recently on the SWLing Post that the Airspy HF+ would be available “really, really, really soon”, the rumor has become reality–this new SDR receiver is for sale on Airspy’s main sale site www.Itead.cc.

The direct link for purchase is: https://www.itead.cc/airspy-hf-plus.html. The price in US dollars is a very reasonable $199.00, considering the high performance evident by the few test units “in the wild” recently.

There was an initial $50-off coupon code available first come, first served this morning for the first 100 orders. These were snapped up quickly; I was fortunate to make it into that limited group and I saved $50 each off a couple of HF+ units. My intent is to pair them up for full coverage of the medium wave band–while recording I/Q WAV files)–using two receiver “instances” within Studio 1 or SDR-Console software. (The alias-free bandwidth of the HF+ is a modest 660 kHz, a trade-off this receiver makes to deliver high performance at a low price.) I expect a EXTIO DLL file to be available soon for use in EXTIO software like Studio 1 (or the EXTIO version of SDRuno which I also use).

I plan to be comparing the HF+ to my current Elad FDM-S2 SDR; based on specs and early user reports, it should be a tight race.

UPDATE: I’ve learned that the shipping timeframe for the HF+ is the beginning of December (approx. three weeks). There is also a U.S. distributor who is kindly offering a similar $50-off deal: https://v3.airspy.us/product/airspy-hfplus/

Simon Brown, author of the popular SDR-Console software versions, closely compares the Airspy HF+ ($199 USD) against a RFspace NetSDR ($1449 USD w/o options): http://www.sdr-radio.com/Radios/Airspy/AirspyHF

Who else is planning on an Airspy HF+ purchase? What are your monitoring interests you plan to use it for? Please comment below and share your thoughts with other SWLing Post readers!

Guy Atkins is a Sr. Graphic Designer for T-Mobile and lives near Seattle, Washington. He’s a regular contributor to the SWLing Post.

Purchasing the Digitech AR-1780 directly from Jaycar

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Last week, I posted a review of the Digitech AR-1780–a compact receiver that is only sold in Jaycar retail stores throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Since I live in the US, I purchased my AR-1780 via an Australian distributor on eBay.

Several SWLing Post readers discovered direct orders can be placed with Jaycar, thus taking advantage of Jaycar’s sales.

A couple weeks ago, Post reader, Paul, shared his correspondence with Jaycar where they implied an order could be placed via email directly with a Jaycar representative. I reached out to this representative for clarification because I felt uneasy about even suggesting that readers send credit card information over email. I asked if they had a secure order form. I never heard back from Jaycar and have been too busy to follow-up.

Turns out, SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, just placed an order for the AR-1780 via Jaycar and shared the details–all it takes is a phone call. Troy writes:

I ordered the AR-1780 from Jaycar.

I contacted them through their web site, exchanged emails with a Customer Service Supervisor and she told me that they actually have a toll-free U.S. number that goes to their Australian call center (staffed during their business hours)! FYI, it’s:

1-800-784-0263

I got it for $134 AUD or $103.40 USD shipped!

Thanks for sharing, Troy! A great option for ordering Jaycar products in the US.

If any Post readers in Canada have also successfully placed an order through this toll free number, please comment!

VORW Radio International’s Updated Schedule

Radio Romania International launches a weekly “experimental” show in Hebrew

PNG Minister for Communication wants to invest in shortwave

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(Source: The Post Courier via Bill Lee)

Minister for Communication, Information Technology and Energy Sam Basil wants all 22 provinces to have short wave frequency radio stations.

He said this during the Central Province assembly induction program last week Friday in Port Moresby.

“My role as the minister is to make sure that we go back to all the 22 provinces to make sure that we revive the radio stations,” Mr Basil said.

He said most of the radio stations currently using frequency modulation (FM) face the problem of signal loose in the rural settings as it is only powered by repeater and could not be able to penetrate when it meets obstacles.

“This is to ensure that people are kept informed and in tuned with the government of the day,” Mr Basil said.

[…]“I want to go short wave and we want to bring back to all the provinces capital in Papua New Guinea through National Broadcasting Corporation so that people in the mountains can have excess to communication,” Mr Basil said.

Click here to read the full article at The Post Courier.

Radio Romania International celebrates 89 years of broadcasting

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(Source: Radio Romania International via David Iurescia, LW4DAF)

Ten years after WWI and the unification of Greater Romania, the most efficient and popular means of communication was first introduced in Romania: the radio. On November 1, 1928, the newly founded Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation aired its first broadcast. From the very beginning the radio was described as a means of public information, education and entertainment.

This year Radio Romania celebrates 89 years of continuous radio broadcasting. Despite having to constantly adapt its editorial policies, the public radio survived each radical change on the political spectrum, from the interwar democracy to right-wing dictatorships around the Second World War, and from the communist dictatorship to the democracy restored after the anti-communist revolution of 1989. For years now the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation has been considered one of the most trustworthy and reputed media institutions in Romania, due to its large number of listeners.

Radio Romania addresses all generations and caters for all tastes, addressing society as a whole. It consists of channels with nationwide coverage, Radio Romania News and Current Affairs, Radio Romania Culture, Radio Romania Music and the Village Antenna, as well as regional and local studios, Internet platforms and a children’s and youth station. The Romanian public radio has started broadcasting abroad ever since the 1930s.

Today, Radio Romania International tries to keeps both international audiences and Romanians living abroad up to date with news from Romania and our traditional values. RRI broadcasts in 11 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Serbian, Spanish, Russia, Ukrainian and starting this year, Hebrew, as well as in Romanian and the Aromanian dialect. Its target audience virtually includes the entire world, from Alaska to Australia, from Argentina to the Russian Far East.

Nearly nine decades since its first broadcast, Radio Romania continues to innovate, to reinvent itself and to adapt to the ever-increasing market competitiveness and legislative changes. One such change was the recent scrappage of the radio license fee, traditionally covered by taxpayers, which now means the institution is fully funded by the state, amidst criticism from the political, civil and journalistic fields over editorial interference.

Similarly, other voices from outside or within the institution have over the years signaled controversial managerial practices of successive administrations. Thanks to its professionals, however, Radio Romania remains the leading media institution in the country to date. (translated by Vlad Palcu)

Click here to read this article at Radio Romania International.