Date
1 - 18 of 18
From the 2021 Ultralight Radio Shootout-- XHDATA D-808 Full Review
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For those of you not on Facebook, there will be a 2021 Ultralight Radio Shootout completed soon, providing extensive reviews of the XHDATA D-808, the Radiwow R-108, the C. Crane Skywave, the Tecsun PL-330 and the Tecsun PL-380.
Although the 27.2 cubic inch size of the XHDATA D-808 model places it outside of the "official" Ultralight Radio guidelines it is still a very popular AM-FM-SW-LW-AIR band portable providing excellent value for the $100 price-- and was included in the full article as a "reference model." Read the full details on this popular model in the full 6-page review posted at the following link, which is an excerpt from the full Shootout article to be published soon https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/8y6855bnfmy45rnk46mzr7hb4pwjz8u8 Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA) |
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Paul Blundell
Thanks Gary, looking forward to your full shootout. For those of you not on Facebook, there will be a 2021 Ultralight Radio Shootout completed soon, providing extensive reviews of the XHDATA D-808, the Radiwow R-108, the C. Crane Skywave, the Tecsun PL-330 and the Tecsun PL-380. |
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hamrad45
Awesome review. Do you mind if I show a quick look at your review and my YouTube channel and then give my subscribers the link to it?
Tom Stiles (YouTube channel "hamrad88") |
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On Mon, Mar 1, 2021 at 12:36 PM, hamrad45 wrote:
Awesome review. Do you mind if I show a quick look at your review and my YouTube channel and then give my subscribers the link to it?Thanks Tom, I would be highly honored to share this XHDATA D-808 review with your subscribers, as well as the full 2021 Shootout review later on. Your interest is greatly appreciated! 73, Gary DeBock (N7EKX) Puyallup, WA, USA |
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Dave613
Thanks for the great review, glad you highlighted the possible design plagiarism (I feel less guilty about owning the 808 since I also have the CC Crane original...). One thing I noticed is you wrote that your radio did not have squelch on Air Band; mine (bought about 18mo ago) actually does.
On my example: Hardware: squelch available on all bands (including air); Manual: states squelch only available on air. A bug on my example is that this sequence leaves the backlight on even with the radio off and keyboard lock activated:
The battery is large but obviously will eventually discharge in storage if you activate the KB lock and expect the light to go out after a delay, something to be aware of when travelling. Thanks again for sharing the review! |
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hamrad45
Thanks. Just uploaded a quick video on your great article. Have a great day.
Tom Stiles |
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Paul Blundell
I have just had a chance to read this in fully, an excellent review Gary. I have posted a link on my blog to it: https://ultralightradiodxing.blogspot.com/2021/03/link-from-2021-ultralight-radio.html Paul For those of you not on Facebook, there will be a 2021 Ultralight Radio Shootout completed soon, providing extensive reviews of the XHDATA D-808, the Radiwow R-108, the C. Crane Skywave, the Tecsun PL-330 and the Tecsun PL-380. --
Paul |
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On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 10:48 AM, Dave613 wrote:
Thanks for the great review, glad you highlighted the possible design plagiarism (I feel less guilty about owning the 808 since I also have the CC Crane original...). One thing I noticed is you wrote that your radio did not have squelch on Air Band; mine (bought about 18mo ago) actually does.Hi Dave, Hmm-- very interesting! My D-808 manual says nothing about a squelch capability, so apparently not all D-808 manuals are created equal. I'm current on an ocean coast DXpedition and unable to investigate further, but the 2021 Shootout article will be updated to include your information. Thanks! Gary DeBock (in Manzanita, OR, USA) |
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On Tue, Mar 2, 2021 at 11:32 AM, hamrad45 wrote:
Thanks. Just uploaded a quick video on your great article. Have a great day.Thanks Tom (and Paul), Your interest is appreciated! 73, Gary |
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Zacharias Liangas
Hello Gary I just entered to this group
My proposal: tit is better to post your files in pdf form for security reasons Here is my report /review for the XHdata 808 with a few interesting opinions after along test before giving it back - I was not impressed for its ...sound https://zachs-radiopage.blogspot.com/2020/11/808-xh-data-important-notices.html |
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Dave613
The D-808 manual is obviously a place where some cost savings were made, e.g. mine refers to a Charge button to enable battery charging, there is no such button on my example of the radio, just plug in and it charges.
Re pricing: radiwow.com currently lists it as available for 75USD with free shipping (at least to Canada). I bought mine from that site, took a while to arrive but otherwise all was good. I think your review overall verdict is spot on; if you can live with the effectively non-existent warranty and sketchy manual then it's a lot of radio for 75US. Dave. |
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Paul Blundell
Thanks for sharing this and some interesting observations. Paul Hello Gary I just entered to this group |
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Les Rayburn
Welcome to the group.
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Quality control with any product is a challenge. It’s clear from reading your review that you received a “lemon” (bad sample) of the D-808. The unit that you received does not perform similar to what users here have experienced. For example, the DSP audio bandwidth settings are quite accurate with 4 kHz and 2.5 kHz being very close to exactly that when viewed on an audio waveform here. Performance wise, the XHDATA D-808 ranks among the best portables that I’ve ever owned. I’d recommend purchasing another one before giving up on this stellar performer. Best of DX to you. 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf NRC & IRCA Courtesy Program Committee Chairman Member WTFDA, MWC Perseus SDR, Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy + Discovery, SDRPlay RSP-2 Pro, Sony XDR-F1HD [XDR Guy Modified], Dennon TU-1500RD, Sangean HDT-1X, Ray Dees RDS Decoders, Korner 9.2 Antenna, FM-6 Antenna, Kitz Technologies KT-501 Pre-amps, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. “Nothing but blues and Elvis, and somebody else’s favorite song…”
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Chris Rogers
Hi Gary,
Thanks for the review. It is has been sometime since I have played with both the CCrane and the XH-Data. From what I can remember and correct me if I am wrong, the XHData suffers from the "soft mute" issue that can be distracting when scanning the bands looking for DX. If they both use the Si4735 chip it is a pity there isn't a mod to disable the soft mute on the XHData. |
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Zacharias Liangas
If someone looked my page on the bottom of the article i have two links of Gary's reports - both the supercahrging and the data analysis.
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Jorge Garzón <iberiaDX@...>
I do agree, Les. One of the awful things with Chinese electronic manufacturers is the lack of quality control. I had similar event with a Tecsum PL-330 and I give it back. It took more than two months to recover my money with Aliexpress, so I will never buy again via this Chinese trickster store. Additionally I will use purchaser benefits from Paypal like "shipment fees return" as part of its customer's services. 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) ..................................................................................
En miércoles, 3 de marzo de 2021 22:18:04 CET, Les Rayburn <les@...> escribió:
Welcome to the group. Quality control with any product is a challenge. It’s clear from reading your review that you received a “lemon” (bad sample) of the D-808. The unit that you received does not perform similar to what users here have experienced. For example, the DSP audio bandwidth settings are quite accurate with 4 kHz and 2.5 kHz being very close to exactly that when viewed on an audio waveform here. Performance wise, the XHDATA D-808 ranks among the best portables that I’ve ever owned. I’d recommend purchasing another one before giving up on this stellar performer. Best of DX to you. 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF 121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114 EM63nf NRC & IRCA Courtesy Program Committee Chairman Member WTFDA, MWC Perseus SDR, Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy + Discovery, SDRPlay RSP-2 Pro, Sony XDR-F1HD [XDR Guy Modified], Dennon TU-1500RD, Sangean HDT-1X, Ray Dees RDS Decoders, Korner 9.2 Antenna, FM-6 Antenna, Kitz Technologies KT-501 Pre-amps, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. “Nothing but blues and Elvis, and somebody else’s favorite song…”
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radiojayallen
I'm definitely a fan of the XHATA D-808. Although I don't like the fact they they capitalized (a nice way to say it) on C. Crane's R & D costs for their Skywave SSB, the fact is that the D-808 is a great performer in its size/price range and a great value. Although I don't like Soft Mute, at least it seems somewhat subtle here and I can live with it. But like the Radiwow R-108 in its category I think these are two little marvels.
Jay |
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This sounds like a great radio. How much of an issue is the size against the rules of this club?
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