{"id":65548,"date":"2026-03-10T09:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=65548"},"modified":"2026-03-10T09:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:01:54","slug":"xhdata-d-221-a-d-220-now-with-weather-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/xhdata-d-221-a-d-220-now-with-weather-band\/","title":{"rendered":"XHDATA D-221: A D-220 Now with Weather Band!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Robert Gulley K4PKM<\/p>\n

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 the NOAA weather radio coverage, and the elimination of the FM2 band geared toward a broader world-wide FM band coverage.<\/p>\n

\"D-220\/D-221<\/a>

The D-220 (Left) and D-221 (Right) compared for size. (I like the Red!)<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

I was definitely interested in a weather band version of the D-220, especially since I was very impressed with the D-220 before the addition of this new feature. Within a few days I had a pre-release red(!) copy of the radio.<\/p>\n

Here is how I described the D-220:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe radio is small, 5\u201d tall, 2-1\/2 inches wide, and about 1 inch thick, very reminiscent of my first transistor radio in the (ahem) 1960s. It has an analog tuning dial, volume control, and slider switch to go between FM1\/2, MW, and SW. It also has a headphone jack. It takes 2 AA batteries (very old school!), and, unlike my transistor radio of old, has a swing-out stand. That\u2019s it. And, interestingly enough, that\u2019s all it needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The stand is a nice feature, and the AA battery makes a solid snap in place<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

As I already mentioned, the FM2 band has been replaced by the FM weather band, and reception quality is good. I am able to pick up three NOAA weather stations in my rural location, and that is quite acceptable. Any weather radio should be able to pick up at least two stations so that if one goes down, you can hear another station. Three stations or more is the gravy on top.<\/p>\n

As with the D-220, the D-221 is simple to operate (no manual needed!), no menus, no bells and whistles, just the basics. Like its predecessor, for some, the tuning dial will be an aggravation as the tuning dial is very sensitive. It takes a light touch and has to be turned very slowly on the AM\/FM\/SW bands to avoid skipping over stations. I find it is still relatively easy to tune, even with my wide fingers. (The weather band is very easy to tune because of wide spacing between station frequencies.)<\/p>\n

\"D-@@!<\/a>

While the Tuning Dial is very sensitive, I had no problem selecting stations, just as with the D-220<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Again, like its predecessor, the tuning dial is very firm and crisp tuning between stations, even on a very crowded FM band or on a tight SW band covering 5.6 to 22MHz.<\/p>\n

AM and FM reception deliver a surprising number of stations, and even shortwave reception was better than I expected. \u00a0The antenna is solid and unlikely to break except by rough handling, something many small radios overlook.<\/p>\n

As for the sound, it remains very clear in this model, with the same oversized speaker producing loud but clear audio. As I have noted with other modern radios I have reviewed, one of their advantages is smaller components, which in turn, allows for bigger speakers.<\/p>\n

Pros <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Great sound<\/li>\n
  2. Solid antenna<\/li>\n
  3. Impressive reception on all bands<\/li>\n
  4. Weather Band!!<\/li>\n
  5. Analog dial tuning, solid and easily turned slowly (see Cons)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Very tight tuning dial with little space between stations (see Pros)<\/li>\n
    2. Loss of FM\/2 band and addition of weather band means this is basically geared toward American listeners, but the D-220 is still available and should be for a long time I suspect.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

      This is another solid little radio you can carry in a shirt pocket or jacket pocket easily, and is powered by the always available AA-sized batteries. The addition of the weather band really makes this a great carry around radio, especially if you live in parts of the country where it\u2019s a good idea to keep abreast of what the weather is doing, as I do.<\/p>\n

      Here is a note I received today regarding the availability of the Radio on Amazon with a discount for Thomas\u2019 readers (U.S. Amazon):<\/p>\n

      We\u2019re excited to let you know that the new XHDATA D-221 Red is now available on Amazon US.<\/p>\n

      We\u2019ve prepared an exclusive 20% discount code for your followers:<\/p>\n

      Discount Code: JYDB92HE<\/p>\n

      Promo Link:<\/p>\n

      https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/promocode\/A10CAFMYYAK8K0<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      A big thanks to XHDATA for supporting Thomas’ Blog and readers!<\/p>\n

      73, Robert K4PKM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      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 the NOAA weather radio coverage, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":65549,"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":[3],"tags":[11055,11056],"class_list":["post-65548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-am-fmsw-wb","tag-pocket-portable"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/D-221.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-h3e","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62440,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/radio-deals-the-xhdata-d-808-and-d-220-via-prime-spring-sale\/","url_meta":{"origin":65548,"position":0},"title":"[Updated] Radio Deals: The XHDATA D-808 and D-220 via Prime Spring Sale","author":"Thomas","date":"March 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Please note that two excellent shortwave portables are on sale during Amazon\u2019s Prime Spring Sale: XHDATA D-220 ($9.95 on sale) \u2014 A compact, ultra-affordable pocket radio. XHDATA D-808 ($87.55 on sale) \u2014 A feature-packed portable with SSB, air band, and great performance. The D-808 remains a favorite among SWLing Post\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\/2018\/03\/XHDATA-D-808-Front-Angle.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/XHDATA-D-808-Front-Angle.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/XHDATA-D-808-Front-Angle.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/XHDATA-D-808-Front-Angle.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60463,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/steffen-shares-some-xhdata-d-220-tricks\/","url_meta":{"origin":65548,"position":1},"title":"Steffen shares some XHDATA D-220 tricks","author":"Thomas","date":"August 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steffen Schultz, who writes: Hello Thomas, As a regular reader of your blog, I was fascinated by the reports on the XHDATA D-220 [affiliate link] and ordered a black one. I was not disappointed. Of course it's not a DXing machine, but finally we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"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":60370,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/a-band-aid-for-the-xhdata-d-220\/","url_meta":{"origin":65548,"position":2},"title":"A Band Aid for the XHDATA D-220","author":"Thomas","date":"August 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor, Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post: A Band Aid for the XHDATA D-220 By Bob Colegrove In the olden days of analog radios, we would have generated a graph plotting frequency against a 0 to 100 linear bandspread scale. That permitted determination of a\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\/2024\/08\/Fig-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Fig-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Fig-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Fig-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Fig-1.jpeg?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":65548,"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":60337,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/special-update-to-a-nutty-idea-xhdata-d-220-dx-contest\/","url_meta":{"origin":65548,"position":4},"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 "Contests"","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":60243,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/xhdata-d-220-a-throwback-to-a-simpler-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":65548,"position":5},"title":"XHDATA D-220 – A Throwback to a Simpler Time","author":"Robert Gulley","date":"July 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Robert Gulley XHDATA recently contacted me about a new portable radio, saying \u201cXHDATA is planning to launch a new portable radio, the D-220, which has good reception and excellent sound quality. Not only can it receive FM\/MW\/SW bands, but the price will be surprisingly good value.\u201d Okay, well that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"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":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65548","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=65548"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65556,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65548\/revisions\/65556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}