Mine should only be a week or so away. I hope I get a good example with no issues.

 

 

 

Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2021 at 7:02 PM
From: "Paul Blundell" <tanger32au@...>
To: main@ultralightdx.groups.io
Subject: Re: [UltralightDX] Retekess V-115 FM/AM/SW Radio Review – July 2021

Thanks for the information, it matches much of what I have found so far.

 

Paul

 

On Sun, 25 Jul 2021, 11:34 Mark Roberts, <markrobt@...> wrote:

This radio originally came out as the Tivdio V-115 and has gone by numerous other names. This page has extensive information about this model: https://www.qsl.net/n9ewo/v115.html

 

I have a Tivdio V-115 - the AM and FM performance is so-so, with odd digital noises popping up here and there. On the other hand, the recording function does a very good job, better than comparable products from Tecsun, though not as good as a separate, dedicated recorder such as one of the Tascam models. The speaker sound is surprisingly good for a radio of its size. The user interface is quirky and you can't press the buttons too fast, otherwise the radio will just ignore you.

 

On Thu, Jul 22, 2021 at 5:00 PM Paul Blundell <tanger32au@...> wrote:

 

 

First Impressions:
I recently ordered the Retekess V-115 FMAMSW Radio off eBay, for under $30 it seemed like good value and the built-in recorder to an SD card seemed like a feature I could make use of.
Physical – The radio is fairly small / light and seems to be built as well as you would expect for a radio at this price point.
Usage – from my testing so far, it seems to work as I would expect and pulls in signals “barefoot” as well as my Teac PR130. I feel so far that my Digitech AR-1733 still has the edge in RF performance.
Issues – So far, I have found a few issues. The tuning modes are that you either manually enter a frequency via the keypad or you use the auto tune modes, you can’t scroll from frequency to frequency, say from 531kHz to 540kHz, you need to either enter each frequency or use the auto tune modes, these only work on the strongest signals so for serious DXing, this is a huge disadvantage. The display backlight is VERY bright which means it is not easy to use in bed, it lights up the whole room, this reduces the “wife approval factor” as it looks like aliens are in the room. I have also noticed that the buttons are hard to press and have a noise with them, this also makes bedtime use less than ideal. The recorder works well but names the files RAD001, RAD002, this means I need to keep a record of what frequency each recording relates to.

Overall, I am on the fence with this so far, while it has some good features, the tuning mode is going to be harder to use and the file name for the recordings is a pain.

 

 

 

 

Just in time for the Rockwork Cliff DXpedition in a couple of weeks, the new Kiwi SENZ sports network is the replacement for the old TAB Trackside network. It starts operations on July 19th, and the list of frequencies and locations is attached. The FB home page is at (20+) SENZ | Facebook

Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)

This radio originally came out as the Tivdio V-115 and has gone by numerous other names. This page has extensive information about this model: https://www.qsl.net/n9ewo/v115.html

I have a Tivdio V-115 - the AM and FM performance is so-so, with odd digital noises popping up here and there. On the other hand, the recording function does a very good job, better than comparable products from Tecsun, though not as good as a separate, dedicated recorder such as one of the Tascam models. The speaker sound is surprisingly good for a radio of its size. The user interface is quirky and you can't press the buttons too fast, otherwise the radio will just ignore you.

On Thu, Jul 22, 2021 at 5:00 PM Paul Blundell <tanger32au@...> wrote:

 

First Impressions:
I recently ordered the Retekess V-115 FMAMSW Radio off eBay, for under $30 it seemed like good value and the built-in recorder to an SD card seemed like a feature I could make use of.
Physical – The radio is fairly small / light and seems to be built as well as you would expect for a radio at this price point.
Usage – from my testing so far, it seems to work as I would expect and pulls in signals “barefoot” as well as my Teac PR130. I feel so far that my Digitech AR-1733 still has the edge in RF performance.
Issues – So far, I have found a few issues. The tuning modes are that you either manually enter a frequency via the keypad or you use the auto tune modes, you can’t scroll from frequency to frequency, say from 531kHz to 540kHz, you need to either enter each frequency or use the auto tune modes, these only work on the strongest signals so for serious DXing, this is a huge disadvantage. The display backlight is VERY bright which means it is not easy to use in bed, it lights up the whole room, this reduces the “wife approval factor” as it looks like aliens are in the room. I have also noticed that the buttons are hard to press and have a noise with them, this also makes bedtime use less than ideal. The recorder works well but names the files RAD001, RAD002, this means I need to keep a record of what frequency each recording relates to.

Overall, I am on the fence with this so far, while it has some good features, the tuning mode is going to be harder to use and the file name for the recordings is a pain.

 

First Impressions:
I recently ordered the Retekess V-115 FMAMSW Radio off eBay, for under $30 it seemed like good value and the built-in recorder to an SD card seemed like a feature I could make use of.
Physical – The radio is fairly small / light and seems to be built as well as you would expect for a radio at this price point.
Usage – from my testing so far, it seems to work as I would expect and pulls in signals “barefoot” as well as my Teac PR130. I feel so far that my Digitech AR-1733 still has the edge in RF performance.
Issues – So far, I have found a few issues. The tuning modes are that you either manually enter a frequency via the keypad or you use the auto tune modes, you can’t scroll from frequency to frequency, say from 531kHz to 540kHz, you need to either enter each frequency or use the auto tune modes, these only work on the strongest signals so for serious DXing, this is a huge disadvantage. The display backlight is VERY bright which means it is not easy to use in bed, it lights up the whole room, this reduces the “wife approval factor” as it looks like aliens are in the room. I have also noticed that the buttons are hard to press and have a noise with them, this also makes bedtime use less than ideal. The recorder works well but names the files RAD001, RAD002, this means I need to keep a record of what frequency each recording relates to.

Overall, I am on the fence with this so far, while it has some good features, the tuning mode is going to be harder to use and the file name for the recordings is a pain.

Nice set up Paul, I'll have to take a pic of mine sometime this weekend if I can, we'll and compare notes.

 

Alex N8UCN

"The Ear of the Cin-Day Corridor!!!"

 

Thanks for the reply :

Yup I finally got that figured out after several hours of Regret ? and the radio got here 3 days after the tassle thingy .

So far it seems good on SW at least around the 5000"s as for LW &Mw it's pretty dead but I think I just need to find the antenna setup that works well with it .
The swivel on the antenna was very tight and even though I was very careful i busted the thing off today so Iv'e been trying a few things today ,I have an idea to hook up and old loop stick I have ,but don't have any idea how to attach it to the SMA connection yet ,I'll have to try a few things .

I'm  kinda disappointed by the hash the screen put's into it but i guess being small/cheap that's to be expected.Maybe someday there will be a 4" screen version with full features ? 

We can only hope ,I might try to get one of the real Russian ones soon .
Dean

I am going to give a close eye to your software, Paul. Maybe could be translated into Spanish and be offered for Spanish MW stations, which is the largest network remaining in Europe. 

Something interesting with the UL DXing Index is the possibility to check the real capacity of our ULR and small portables to receive a signal. We could set that 'this or that receiver' is able to achieve the ### UL DXing Index. Also make a comparison in between them. 

Any of you are interested to send me his/her 5 best UL DXing Index by this coming Monday? With that I will produce the first Log chart to be shared here. 

¡Buen DX! 

Enviado desde Yahoo Mail con Android

El jue., jul. 22, 2021 a 7:28, Paul Blundell

<tanger32au@...> escribió:

I have not updated the "public" version as yet, I want to make sure this new feature works before I publish it, it should only be a day or so as I have already added 25% of my loggins using it with no issues so far.

Sorry but it is Windows only.

On Thu, Jul 22, 2021 at 2:00 PM Frank Standford <dxer2k1@...> wrote:

Where do I find this to use? Can it run on a MAC or PC only?

 

 

Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2021 at 10:30 AM
From: "Paul Blundell" <tanger32au@...>
To: main@ultralightdx.groups.io
Subject: Re: [UltralightDX] Introducing the ULR DXing Chart-Index

I have just updated MWDXerDB to include this and have started to add this index against all my loggings, this might take a while.

 

 

On Thu, Jul 22, 2021 at 9:26 AM Paul Blundell via groups.io <tanger32au=gmail.com@groups.io> wrote:

Thanks for that, I am really excited about this. I will be updating my log file to also include this information.

 

Paul

 

On Wed, Jul 21, 2021 at 6:50 PM Jorge Garzón via groups.io <iberiaDX=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:

Hi Paul,
I am including the Excel spreadsheet to log the records. Feel free to use it and even add new lines.

The idea is to publish the results monthy in our e-groups and also in my blog. any other blog will be welcome to publish the chart with personal comments on the DX-listening made during the month, if any. This is also a personal tool to check conditions when DXing outdoors. All this info is valuable to be shared with other folks.

Saludos


Jorge Garzón Gutiérrez "IberiaDX" 
(EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL · BDXC Member 1409) 
QTH: IN83ag / 43º15' N · 03º56' W
Urb. San Roque 95, casa 5 (Villasevil)
39698 Santiurde de Toranzo (ESPAÑA - SPAIN)
..................................................................................
Blog: IberiaDX  · Twitter: @IberiaDX






En miércoles, 21 de julio de 2021 8:49:22 CEST, Paul Blundell <tanger32au@...> escribió:





Do you have a template file or spreadsheet to use for this? Where would be the best place to post results and will you also be adding these to your blog?

On Wed, Jul 21, 2021 at 4:24 PM Paul Blundell via groups.io <tanger32au=gmail.com@groups.io> wrote:
> This sounds really exciting, I wish you the best of luck with this. I will be interested to see how some of my loggings relate to this index score.
>
> Paul
>
> On Wed, Jul 21, 2021 at 4:15 PM Jorge Garzón via groups.io <iberiaDX=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
>> Contests and awards are some of the valid tools that radioclubs offer to promote the hobby and the joy of listening and/or transmitting. They are sill alive in the ham world, but have been vanishing little by little at our side of the hobby. 
>>
>> I am sure that we can awake some kind of activity to recover a kid of 'chart', not just with a competitive way to understand radiolistening, but also to share knowledge and promote DXing with our 'little ones'. 
>>
>> From the 'IberiaDX' group, we would like to propose an ULR DXing Log Chart to show the possibities in using ULR and small portables. So, that's why we launch what we call 'THE DXing ULR Index'. 
>>
>> This is a score log to be revisited monthly. The goal is to promote the listening skills and personal DXing challenges including the use of new antennas, or explore outdoors and find new listening spots to be used. 
>>
>> The DXing ULR Index will have two categories:
>> 1. ULR* and small portables** with built-in ferrite (MW-LW) or whip attached (FM-DAB). 
>> 2. ULR and small portables with external inductive antennas (MW-LW) or FM aerials connected to plug-in socket
>>
>> (*) ULR are non SDR receivers up to 328 cm3 (20in3).
>> (**) Small portables are non SDR receivers up to 500 cm3 (30.5 in3). 
>> There is a table of receivers sizes on the blog http://iberiadx.wordpress.com by clicking on the 'ULR DXing /DX de bolsillo' menu. 
>>
>> The way to calculate the right index is easy:
>>
>> DXing ULR Index=distance (in km) / txer power (in watts). 
>> Example 1: 2,000 km / 80,000 W = 0.025 Index= 0.025.
>> Example 2: 2,000 km / 1,500 W = 1.33.
>> Overall index: 0.025+1.33 = 1.355.
>>
>> The example nr 2 would be a best DX index. The different indexes will be added to get an overall score. The higher score will give us the best DXing and most effective DXer. Records would be published monthly in our groups and blogs. Of course this has no connection with the Awards Program and has to be seen as a new proposal to be added. 
>>
>> I would need some volunteers to build the first chart to be issued this coming august. 
>>
>> We could also propose national coordinators (if any) in order to check some records or to help with any doubt about the rules. 
>>
>> 73!
>>
>> Jorge Garzón Gutiérrez "IberiaDX" 
>> (EB7EFA · EA1036 SWL · BDXC Member 1409) 
>> QTH: IN83ag / 43º15' N · 03º56' W
>> Urb. San Roque 95, casa 5 (Villasevil)
>> 39698 Santiurde de Toranzo (ESPAÑA - SPAIN)
>> ..................................................................................
>> Blog: IberiaDX  · Twitter: @IberiaDX
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Paul
>
>
>
>


--
Paul








 

 

 

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Paul

 

 

 

 

 

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Paul

 

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Paul