{"id":59938,"date":"2024-06-12T05:53:56","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T09:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=59938"},"modified":"2024-06-12T06:37:51","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T10:37:51","slug":"xhdata-weather-radio-d-608wb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/06\/xhdata-weather-radio-d-608wb\/","title":{"rendered":"XHDATA Weather Radio D-608WB"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review By Robert Gulley, K4PKM<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is my first experience with an XHDATA radio, and my initial impressions are quite positive. This weather radio has an impressive set of features and appears to be built quite solidly. I say “appears” because I have not done (nor intend to intentionally do) a drop test! But my sense of the radio is that it can withstand some knocking about while still functioning (but please do not test this theory! YMMV!).<\/p>\n

\"Standard<\/a>

Standard torch but with 3 brightness levels<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

From the manufacturer’s site, here is a listing of features:<\/p>\n

Features & Specifications:<\/p>\n

FM: 64-108 MHz \/ 76-108 MHz (Stereo at Earphone Out)
\n87-108 MHz \/ 87.5-108 MHz
\nMW:522-1620khZ (9K Steps) \/ 520-1710 KHz (10K Steps)
\nSW: 1711-29999 KHz (5K Steps)
\nATS Scanning with Auto Save
\nNOAA Weather Band with Scanning Alert Mode
\nVF\/VM Tuning Modes
\nBluetooth Playback & Calling
\nMemories: 100 AM \u2013 100 FM \u2013 300 SW (Add Automatically or Manually)
\nClock with Alarm & Sleep Timer
\nTF Card Playback (Supports Up To 32 Gb Card)\/Prev\/Next Track\/Loop & Fast Scan Modes
\nFlashlight with 3 Brightness levels
\nFlip Up Lighting Panel with 3 Brightness Levels
\nEarphone Jack 16 \u2013 32 ohms (Stereo)
\nSOS Alarm Button
\nEnhanced Audio with Ported Enclosure
\nLock Mode
\nBattery: Li-ion 18650 3000 mAh (Charges via USB C Port, Crank, Solar Panel)
\nLow Battery\/Charge Indicators
\nUSB Output for charging Cell Phones
\nReset Button
\nDimensions: (Approx) 6\u201d W x 3\u201d H x 1 \u00be\u201d D<\/p>\n

\"Solar<\/a>

Solar cells with a twist – the cells along with the LEDs can be rotated up and down<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"LED<\/a>

Three brightness levels for these LED lights – a nice touch!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let me start with the items that impressed me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Weight. This is not a typical light-weight radio. It feels solid, has some bulk to it, and I like the feel. It weighs in at 11.5 ounces, which is comparable to the two other solar powered weather radios I own, which come in at 12 and 12.25 ounces respectively.<\/li>\n
  2. This radio has both a torch and an LED panel, each with 3 levels of brightness. While you will not light up a room with either, they are both quite sufficient for their intended purposes. The LED is particularly useful to light up the immediate area around the radio, and on it’s brightest level puts out a good amount of light. Being LEDs, the power drain is very reasonable.<\/li>\n
  3. The radio is powered by multiple sources of course, as is typical with today’s weather radios, but a unique feature compared to my other radios is an articulating solar cell (and LED) panel. This allows you to follow the sun for quite a while as it rotates in the sky.<\/li>\n
  4. The antenna, while not very long, is very solid and should last a long time if not subject to abuse (and looks to be easily replaceable if something does happen).<\/li>\n
  5. The battery is easily accessible and replaceable with the now-common 18650 rechargeable battery. (As an aside, for those who, like me, prefer to charge batteries outside<\/em> a radio when possible, there are charging units available from the usual sources if you want to minimize heat and charging wear-and-tear on your radios and flashlights.)<\/li>\n
  6. The ATS function works quite fast on FM, finding 21 stations in my very rural area just off the built-in whip antenna<\/li>\n
  7. Keypad layout is minimal and functional. For those wanting a direct-entry frequency keypad, this radio is not so equipped. However, running through the memory channels is easily done, without multiple menu hoops through which to jump.<\/li>\n
  8. Tuning is both a blessing and a curse (see cons below for the negatives) – the tuning can be accomplished at two different speeds, allowing for a slow tune and a bigger jump depending on how fast you turn the tuning dial. This can be particularly useful with SW, but also when manually scanning the MW band or when finding tracks on a memory card.<\/li>\n
  9. The crank can be extended as a stand at a few different angles. I am not sure if this was intended, but it works nicely!<\/li>\n
  10. When in SW mode, the band is displayed as you tune (i.e. 41mb, 25 mb, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"Crank<\/a>

    I am not sure if this was intended or not, but the crank can act as a stand<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

    Less impressive (but see conclusions):<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Tuning can be slightly erratic, making bigger jumps at times than intended. This can happen in slow mode (one click of the tuning wheel at a time), or it can happen when the tuner switches between slow and fast mode and you didn’t think you were turning it fast enough for the switch. On the plus side, there is one arrow displayed when tuning in slow mode, and two arrows when in fast mode, so it is easy to see when it has switched modes.<\/li>\n
    2. There are rubber strips glued into slots on the bottom of the radio to give it a little more resistance to sliding, but I feel it makes the radio slight more unstable – you may disagree since the effect is minimal.<\/li>\n
    3. Soft muting when tuning – I know this is a biggie for many folks, so I mention it (again, see conclusions)<\/li>\n
    4. No SSB (not that I expected it).<\/li>\n
    5. Three NOAA stations come in for me which is typical, but I do have weather radios which can receive 4 well enough to copy, so not quite as sensitive. However, two or more is adequate to catch weather forecasts for your area in case your closest station is down for some reason<\/li>\n
    6. ATS on SW and MW was not impressive – perhaps moving too quickly? Many stations come in with good audio, but the scan did not find them. Again, YMMV.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"USB<\/a>

      On the side are the input and output USB connections, along with the TF card slot.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

      Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

      I find this to be a good radio for its intended purpose – a Weather Alert radio with solar, lights, and multiple charging power options for operating, and an option for charging small devices if needed. This is not, nor should it be compared to, stand-alone shortwave radios. This is a bonus, and it works well for AM shortwave stations. That it does not have SSB is not an issue for me – I have plenty of radio options to enjoy during a power outage which are capable of SSB upper and lower sidebands.<\/p>\n

      The soft muting will no doubt bother some, but again, this is is primarily a weather and emergency radio, not a radio designed for pleasurable shortwave listening. As for the audio itself, the speaker produces a good clean sound, and there is even a type of bass boost which helps the audio even more. AM, FM, and SW stations sound good, and I find the audio to be quite strong out of this compact unit.<\/p>\n

      A replaceable\/removable battery is a real plus for me both in terms of charging and for popping in a fresh battery while charging a drained battery. I like having backups for my backups, so this is right down my alley.<\/p>\n

      The unit is a good size, compact but solid, and has all the useful controls easily reached\/manipulated. The antenna is solid, the LED lights are a nice touch, and it is a radio I believe could be counted on when needed. (Oh, and it is reasonably priced as well!)<\/p>\n

      As always, these are my personal, honest opinions. While the XHDATA folks approached me for the review and sent a unit to me free of charge, I always call it as I see it, good or bad.\u00a0 I happen to think this radio is a keeper!<\/p>\n

      Cheers! Robert Gulley (All photos by the Author)<\/p>\n

      Click here to check out the XHDATA D-608WB on Amazon.com<\/a><\/strong>
      \n(note: this is an affiliate link that supports the SWLing Post at no cost to you. Thank you!)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Review By Robert Gulley, K4PKM This is my first experience with an XHDATA radio, and my initial impressions are quite positive. This weather radio has an impressive set of features and appears to be built quite solidly. I say “appears” because I have not done (nor intend to intentionally do) a drop test! But my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":59943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,3781,3,26,129,43,6578],"tags":[595,4085,5642,34,6581,10547,10548],"class_list":["post-59938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-am","category-fm","category-news","category-radios","category-reviews","category-shortwave-radio","category-weather-radio","tag-noaa-weather-radio","tag-reviews","tag-robert-gulley","tag-shortwave","tag-weather-radio-review","tag-xhdata-d-608wb","tag-xhdata-d-608wb-review"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/XHDATA-608.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-fAK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65548,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/xhdata-d-221-a-d-220-now-with-weather-band\/","url_meta":{"origin":59938,"position":0},"title":"XHDATA D-221: A D-220 Now with Weather Band!","author":"Robert Gulley","date":"March 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"By Robert Gulley K4PKM XHDATA recently contacted me about a new portable radio, the D-221, which will look very familiar, as it is based on the popular D-220 pocket radio. While not exactly listed as such, this is basically a radio intended for the American market with the inclusion of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"XHDATA D-221","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/D-221.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/D-221.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/D-221.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/D-221.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35251,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/quick-look-the-radiwow-r-108-a-new-dsp-shortwave-portable\/","url_meta":{"origin":59938,"position":1},"title":"Quick Look: the RADIWOW R-108, a new DSP shortwave portable","author":"Thomas","date":"December 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, I received a new portable shortwave radio by the post from China: the Radiwow R-108. The brand, Radiwow, was new to me, but I suspect they're linked in some way to the folks behind XHDATA. They contacted me around the Thanksgiving holiday and inquired about evaluating this new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Radiwow-R-108-Specs.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":64668,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/the-xhdata-d-219-shirt-pocket-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":59938,"position":2},"title":"The XHDATA D-219 Shirt-Pocket Radio","author":"Robert Gulley","date":"November 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The XHDATA D-219 is a shirt-pocket radio which performs quite well, especially given the low price point of\u00a0 ~$13. Paul Jamet has already done an excellent review of this radio (even the same color as mine!) which can be found here. I encourage you to check out Paul\u2019s excellent review,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"XHDATA D-219","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/DSC0234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/DSC0234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/DSC0234.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/DSC0234.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/DSC0234.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60276,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/the-xhdata-d-220-discount-code-is-here\/","url_meta":{"origin":59938,"position":3},"title":"The XHDATA D-220 Discount Code is Here!","author":"Robert Gulley","date":"July 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Folks! The promised exclusive XHDATA 40% off code is here! The Radio is available to pre-order at Amazon today, and is supposed to be in stock at Amazon.com on the 1st of August. The discount code is : 40D220NEW While the detail page shows a 15% coupon, ignore that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"XHDATA D-220 Portable","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55682,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/paul-explores-the-incredibly-affordable-xhdata-d-219\/","url_meta":{"origin":59938,"position":4},"title":"Paul explores the incredibly affordable XHDATA D-219","author":"Thomas","date":"February 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Paul Jamet, who shares the following article that was originally published in the Radio Club du Perche Newsletter. Note that Paul also includes information about the new XHDATA D-109 and an XHDATA sale in the addendum of his article! Let's discover the XHDATA D-219 by Paul JAMET\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Deals"","block_context":{"text":"Deals","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/deals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2023-02-10_RFA_Korean_18-Jan-2023_SWL-Post.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2023-02-10_RFA_Korean_18-Jan-2023_SWL-Post.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2023-02-10_RFA_Korean_18-Jan-2023_SWL-Post.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2023-02-10_RFA_Korean_18-Jan-2023_SWL-Post.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2023-02-10_RFA_Korean_18-Jan-2023_SWL-Post.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2023-02-10_RFA_Korean_18-Jan-2023_SWL-Post.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63665,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/xhdata-d-219-a-classic-budget-shortwave-receiver-in-fresh-new-colors\/","url_meta":{"origin":59938,"position":5},"title":"XHDATA D-219: A Classic Budget Shortwave Receiver in Fresh New Colors","author":"Thomas","date":"August 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Paul Jamet, who shares the following article:\u00a0 The XHDATA D-219 Receiver Gets a New Look by Paul Jamet Two and a half years ago, I shared my enthusiasm for an XHDATA receiver, the D-219, first launched at the end of 2022: Read: Paul explores\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/D-219-Colors-Paul-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/D-219-Colors-Paul-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/D-219-Colors-Paul-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/D-219-Colors-Paul-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/D-219-Colors-Paul-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59938"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59971,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59938\/revisions\/59971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}