Interesting review, Paul.  I wonder how this one would perform in a lower signal area like North America.  Also, it’s kind of a shame that MW doesn’t extend to 1700 kHz.

On Sun, Feb 12, 2023 at 4:38 AM keith beesley via groups.io
<keith1226@...> wrote:

"Dear customers,

We received your question,

Because D-219 is a pointer tuning radio,

So there is no very strict 10kHZ or 9kHZ, you just need to adjust it through the roller."

I wonder if this means that each step of the encoder is 1 kHz?

That would be pretty rare, particularly in the new "sub-$10
Ultralight" category.

Someone here has one, right? Should be easy enough to tell when tuning.


--
Peter Laws | N5UWY / VE2UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!

Don't expect a 1 kHz step encoder in a receiver in that price class.

I guess "a pointer tuning radio" means good old analog tuning.

73, Rémy.

On Sun, Feb 12, 2023 at 11:23 AM Rémy Friess <rfriess@...> wrote:

Don't expect a 1 kHz step encoder in a receiver in that price class.

I guess "a pointer tuning radio" means good old analog tuning.

In a sub-US$10 receiver? I'd be shocked. Interested, but shocked.

--
Peter Laws | N5UWY / VE2UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!

On Sun, Feb 12, 2023 at 3:12 PM Peter Laws via groups.io
<plaws0@...> wrote:

In a sub-US$10 receiver? I'd be shocked. Interested, but shocked.

https://youtu.be/Y7B6ytWYbss?t=707

Cued to where the unboxer starts to tune through the MW band. I hear
steps, but they sure aren't 9 or 10 kHz ... at least to my ear. The
(actual) lowest common denominator between 9 and 10 is 1 so maybe?
Maybe not. I think for US$7, I might just have to get one and see for
myself.

--
Peter Laws | N5UWY / VE2UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!

Lol! US$11.38 with shipping.


Had enough cashback on a credit card that I didn't even spend "real" money.



--
Peter Laws | N5UWY / VE2UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!

On 12/02/2023 23:38 NZDT keith beesley via groups.io <keith1226@...> wrote:

 

 

 

Dear group, 

 

I contacted them re 9k or 10k spacing, and received the following answer: 

 

"Dear customers,

We received your question,

Because D-219 is a pointer tuning radio,

So there is no very strict 10kHZ or 9kHZ, you just need to adjust it through the roller."

 

Keith Beesley

Seattle WA USA

On Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 02:07:40 PM PST, John A. Figliozzi <jfiglio1@...> wrote:

 

 

Interesting review, Paul.  I wonder how this one would perform in a lower signal area like North America.  Also, it’s kind of a shame that MW doesn’t extend to 1700 kHz.

 

John Figliozzi

Halfmoon NY

 

On Feb 11, 2023, at 4:57 PM, JAMET Paul <paul.jamet@...> wrote:

Hello Keith,

 

It's a good question, indeed.

 

In the small manual that you can download:

https://cdn.shopifycdn.net/s/files/1/0670/0443/2702/files/D-219_Manual.pdf?v=1673918869 

 

you will read: AM:522-1620 kHz

 

I take it that means " suitable for Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania ".

 

For more detail, contact : xhdatacn@...   ;  someone will answer you

 

Then, please, share the answer. Thanks and kind regards.

 

Paul JAMET

L'Isle-Adam  -  France

 

---

De: "keith beesley via groups.io" <keith1226@...>
À: "main" <main@ultralightdx.groups.io>, "main" <main@UltralightDX.groups.io>
Envoyé: Samedi 11 Février 2023 22:40:56
Objet: Re: [UltralightDX] About the recent XHDATA D-219

Merci, Paul, 

 

Does MW have the capability to tune in 10 kHz steps, or only 9 kHz?

 

Thanks, 

 

Keith Beesley

Seattle WA USA

 

 

I have the XHDATA D-328, which likewise tunes from 520-1620 KHz. At night, with MW signals everywhere, I can tune slowly and hear a 'chuff' as the tuning jumps a few KHz. I have counted 121 chuff-channels as I slew fully across the band. Some quick and maybe accurate math says there should be 122 'channels' if the tuning is in 9 KHz steps. I think the D-328 is clearly fixed at 9 KHz. I have expensive radios, from which I expect a lot. But its fun to have a few cheapies which surprise by exceeding my low expectations. I can afford to lose it off the side of my kayak, or give it to an interested kid. When it comes to domestic North American MW, the wide bandwidth of the D-328 gives pleasant audio thru headphones, and good sensitivity. It's not a DX machine, period. An interesting observation: sometimes I will hear a station on chuff-channel n, and just as well on chuff-channel n+2. But not on n+1. I wonder if there's something AFC-ish in the chip which bumps the oscillator up or down to match the received signal, if it detects a difference of 3 or 4 KHz? The effect is a bit like FM tuning, where the signal is captured when you get close.

-- Gary KD1TE

I just got a D-219 this afternoon and have been wondering about the MW step too. At this point, all I can say is that the radio seems to work well on MW and that suggests to me a 10 kHz step. Perhaps they ship a different model to different markets. If anyone has a suggestion as to the best way to test it, please let me know.

In an attempt to answer the question of 9 vs 10 kHz spacing, I set up an analog signal generator near the D-219. I then tuned the radio to 17 places on the MW band where there was no strong signal. Then I tuned the signal generator to the frequency that seemed loudest for the radio. I measured the frequency with a digital frequency counter. I then computed the absolute value of the measured frequency to the nearest frequency for 9 kHz and 10 kHz spacing. The variation for 9 kHz was an average of 2.06, but it was 2.76 for 10 kHz spacing. That's one argument for the spacing being 9 kHz.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q6On6hYRBcy14v-1LVW5oXGJhmU7L08o0jbNOElEN7g/edit?usp=sharing

When I get curious about something, I've gotten into the habit of
writing it down. Saves me having to repeat the same operation
multiple times. :-) A couple years back (Google Docs tells me 2019)
I got curious about 9-kHz vs 10-kHz MW spacing after I realized that
there were some common channels. Until I wrote it out, I was not
smart enough to realize that 9 x 10 is 90 kHz and that there would be
common channels every 90 ...

Anyway, see the list at the link above. If the radio steps 9 at a
time, only starts to really matter (in ITU R2) for the channels where
the 9-kHz channel is 5 kHz away from the 10-kHz channel on either side
... and if the station on the 10-kHz channel is strong enough, you
might not even notice.

Regardless, for US$11.38, one will soon be on a slow boat to my house.
If nothing else, it gets given to a kid to let them listen to the
latest rock and roll on WLS at night.

Wait ... no ...


--
Peter Laws | N5UWY / VE2UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!

I do a bit of stuff for XHDATA with their Amazon pages and before Christmas I asked about the 9/10khz:

Another positive review:

REVIEW: XHDATA D-219 SHORT WAVE RADIO RECEIVER
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/15/review-xhdata-d-219-short-wave-radio-receiver/ 

73's

Liam- I just want to welcome you and I am glad to see your interest with lots of good questions. Any small radio can be helped by a tuned loop. The Tecsun/Grundig is quite inexpensive and if still available the TERK is nice to. Also you should look at the wide array offered by PK Loops if they are still in business in Australia. They have air core loops for SW too.  If your vision does not prevent winding loops Gary has made instructions for all sizes and now specializes  Ferrite Sleeve loops and adding much larger ferrite antennas to portables. As far as I know, only the PL-360 series and the PL-330 allow external MW antenna to plug in without modifications in or near the ULR size and price range. The PL-360 will actually tune a loop itself if the leads are very short. I have not tried that with the the '365 or '368, and I don't expect the '330 would. I use BOGs now at home.

I too have an R-75 radio.

FARMERIK / Rik