{"id":60321,"date":"2024-08-03T06:53:34","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T10:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=60321"},"modified":"2024-08-03T06:53:34","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T10:53:34","slug":"a-nutty-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/a-nutty-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"A Nutty Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-60245\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg\" alt=\"XHDATA D-220 available in three colors\" width=\"659\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg 659w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01-300x246.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01-624x511.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Official Disclaimer: &#8220;Yes, XHDATA is a supporter of the SWLing Post but this is my own crazy idea, and we aren&#8217;t getting any commissions from the sales. XHDATA doesn&#8217;t even know we&#8217;re doing it!&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all Robert Gulley\u2019s fault. He had the temerity to post an article about the XHDATA D-220 entitled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/xhdata-d-220-a-throwback-to-a-simpler-time\/\">A Throwback to a Simpler Time<\/a>\u201d &#8212; \u00a0I read it, was intrigued, and ordered one.<\/p>\n<p>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: \u201cyou will want to turn the dial <em>slowly, very slowly<\/em>.\u201d But, sonuvagun, if you use a safecracker\u2019s touch, you will actually discover and receive distant shortwave stations on that dinky telescoping whip antenna . . . with an exceedingly inexpensive radio.<\/p>\n<p>So here\u2019s my Nutty Idea: <strong>How about an XHDATA D-220 DX contest?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rules:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You must use a D-220 with native antenna<\/li>\n<li>No use of other radios or SDRs as &#8220;spotter&#8221; radios.<\/li>\n<li>You must ID off the air.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As Thomas, our Maximum Leader, put it: \u201c<em>It&#8217;s so insanely cheap, it&#8217;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<\/em>.\u201d (Yes, I bought the yellow version.)<\/p>\n<p>Further, I proposed we kick this thing off at <strong>6 pm your local time on Friday, August 16, 2024 and it ends at 6 pm your local time on Sunday, August 18, 2024<\/strong>. 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!<\/p>\n<p>So, whaddya think?<\/p>\n<p>Or should I go back to the home and start taking my meds?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Official Disclaimer: &#8220;Yes, XHDATA is a supporter of the SWLing Post but this is my own crazy idea, and we aren&#8217;t getting any commissions from the sales. XHDATA doesn&#8217;t even know we&#8217;re doing it!&#8221; It\u2019s all Robert Gulley\u2019s fault. He had the temerity to post an article about the XHDATA D-220 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"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":[373,3781,433,3,43],"tags":[9323,5360,10579],"class_list":["post-60321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-fm","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-jock-elliott-kb2gom","tag-shortwave-contest","tag-xhdata-d-220"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-fGV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60337,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/special-update-to-a-nutty-idea-xhdata-d-220-dx-contest\/","url_meta":{"origin":60321,"position":0},"title":"Special Update to A Nutty Idea XHDATA D-220 DX Contest","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"August 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Contests&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Contests","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/contests\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"XHDATA D-220 Portable","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256-1024x668.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-e1722855811256-1024x668.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/D220-03-e1722855811256-1024x668.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60396,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/friday-is-the-day-for-the-nutty-idea-xhdata-d-220-dx-contest\/","url_meta":{"origin":60321,"position":1},"title":"Friday is the day for the Nutty Idea XHDATA D-220 DX Contest","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"August 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Here are the 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 \u201cspotter\u201d radios. You must ID off the air. Any band the D-220 receives. Any location. Contest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"XHDATA D-220 available in three colors","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60449,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/nutty-idea-xhdata-d-220-dx-contest-results\/","url_meta":{"origin":60321,"position":2},"title":"Nutty Idea XHDATA D-220 DX Contest Results","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"August 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Contests&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Contests","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/contests\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"XHDATA D-220 available in three colors","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/d220-01.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58736,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/taking-a-look-at-the-xhdata-d109-wb-a-sweet-spot-on-the-price-performance-curve\/","url_meta":{"origin":60321,"position":3},"title":"Taking a look at the XHDATA D109-WB . . . a sweet spot on the price\/performance curve","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"January 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM The XHDATA D109-WB is a small radio that hits a sweet spot on the price\/performance curve, delivering a lot of performance for not a lot of money (probably less than $60 US, depending on the source). The D109-WB measures 5.9\"L x 1.45\"W x 3.07\"H and weighs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","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\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-10.05.20.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-10.05.20.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-10.05.20.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-23-at-10.05.20.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60098,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/06\/checking-out-the-xhdata-d-808\/","url_meta":{"origin":60321,"position":4},"title":"Checking out the XHDATA D-808","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"June 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","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\/2024\/06\/XHDATA-D-809-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/XHDATA-D-809-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/XHDATA-D-809-1024x768.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62590,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/the-great-ats-radio-challenge\/","url_meta":{"origin":60321,"position":5},"title":"The Great ATS Radio Challenge","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"April 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Here is an idea thought up by a radio pal of mine, Andy, W2SRA. It\u2019s an exercise to get us operating our portable mutliband radios from manufacturers such as Grundig, Sony, XHDATA, Tecsun, Sangean, and so on. If you own a digital multiband radio that has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","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\/2025\/04\/ATS-challenge-001-001-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ATS-challenge-001-001-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ATS-challenge-001-001-1024x768.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60321","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\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60321"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60325,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60321\/revisions\/60325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}