The guy who started Qodosen and designed this radio has more than twenty years in radio design. He worked for Redsun and then Tecsun and designed many of the radios that listeners are familiar with, including C.Crane radios. I like this radio so much that I bought two of them. They cost me a bit more to get them up here in Canada…..but definitely worth it. Very happy. 😃
I own one of the earlier versions of The Qodosen which is called the QODOSEN SR-286. The SR-286 is also the more pricier model because the Qodosen SR-286 is sold for 150 Euros while the DX-286 is sold for 79.99 dollars. All the Qodosen SR286 and DX-286 has the TEF6686 car audio chip which is very sensitive. With the TEF6686 chip you can pick up Shortwave stations all accross the world and i highly recommend the Qodosen DX-286 and SR-286 Thanks for this review Eric!
Greetings from Ireland! I can recommend this little radio. Living in the middle of Ireland (Athlone). I normally receive 3-5 FM-stations more or less. With this radio I have 7 Stations perfectly and receive Northern Ireland AND 2 stations from Scotland! On FM!! This is unheard of! This radio is not only very sensitive, but it also is very good at separating signals! Highly recommended! An absolute steal for that price!!!😊 One tip: this radio seems to need a counterweight to function fully, so when you are programming and searching for stations HOLD THE RADIO IN YOUR HANDS! It will use you, your body as counterpoise and you will find loads more than if you stand the radio on the table and not touch it! Love your channel!
This is a very good radio, on all the bands. On FM, it's incredibly sensitive and selectice, picking up feint stations in the middle of powerful stations. Among all my radios, it's the one working the best on MW. On LW, it's very good as well!
I did a side-by-side, 286 vrs. Tecsun PL660. Identical long-wire antenna was used. The 286 recieved more stations across every band and where the Tecsun might get a weak signal the 286 was much clearer to listen to. Quite an amazing radio in a little package.
Wow! That is DAMNED impressive! Even on automotive radios, I've encountered wide swaths of geography in the mountains where, like you said, there just isn't anything to tune in. I'm as shocked as you are! And mid-band WBCQ on a stick in the middle of the day, coming in THAT strong? Holy crap! I think I have a future purchase planned!
Everyone is talking about this one! I got the DX-286 a week ago and still on the learning curve. You have to get it away from interference to get the best AM performance out of it. Not many radios out there can pick up AM using only the telescoping antenna like this one can.
@@josheverett2253 Not just the ferrite antenna. With this Qodosen DX-286, you can switch between the internal ferrite antenna and whip extension antenna. I bought one, and like it so much that I bought a second one for a spare. We really have to sit down and read the manual carefully. Fantastic radio.
I think you'll really enjoy this radio! I love mine. Fantastic for DXing. I've gone through AM and FM and was very pleased. Shortwave is next. I don't think I have but one longwave station, at the Burlington, NC airport . But who knows maybe I'll get more with this radio.! ❤
I am impressed with the AM, I usually can't get any AM where I live. I used to listen to AM all the time until I moved to the mountains, I can not listen again
This little beauty is a very, very sensitive receiver on AM, FM and SW. I bought one from Amazon arms like it a lot. Mine didn’t come with a battery, so I bought two of them. But… GOOD NEWS… if you want one- and you should- Amazon is now selling these with two batteries included! No more excuse now not to buy one. 😊
Eric, that's a nice little radio with some thought put into that AM receiver. Not every radio is capable of picking up the lower power signals. Well done, Eric...
Thanks for the review! A really good test for any am medium wave receiver is to tune to 530 and listen for Havana,Cuba if you can pick that up from the Eastern US then you've got something.
@davidsheedy5793 You might be interested to know that the guy who designed this Qodosen DX-286, and the previous Qodosen SR-286 also designed many of the best C.Crane radios, as well as some Tecsun and Redsun and Eton radios. He has more than twenty years in radio design.
I had such a blast roaming through Radio Shack stores as a child into adulthood. I could purchase necessary connectors, buy radios, speakers, remote controlled cars, etc. I always left with something :)
@@wesoblander3648 Radio Shack was a great place to buy radio related items and equipment all the way through the mid 1980s or so. It was especially good up until the late 1970s!
SW along with SSB CB and Skip is the info way to go. I did though buy a SW/FM/AM , 2 different modes of light, has a solar recharging capabilities. With that said, once the unit is recharged , can recharge my phone and run a tablet off it .
People complain about shortwave a lot. But I think theres a way to make it interesting: yea there are a lot of religious broadcasters and if thats not your thing, heres how to make it a game within a game... A lot of these religious broadcasters rent air time on transmitter services in different parts of the world, so when you log one, find out where that transmitter site is and use that as a DX beacon for further tuning, or try to capture all transmitter sites. Also, from experience, if you wanna kill the vibe of a great party, mention any of this. :) I love the case for that radio.
Great radio. i have the TECSUN PL 990X and I think on internal antenna that one has it beat . 18650 is world wide standard battery . Lots on SW to listen to. Just what frequency and what time. Their is stuff to hear on long wave but lots digital and need right antenna for LW. I can hear 60 KHZ WWVB hear in NY on my Icom 7300 with loopstick antenna for LW. Yes theirs car radios with SW band. not many.
I should have pulled the switch. I finally decided to buy this radio. It would have been a luxury, but you only live once. Now it's out of stock at Amazon and eBay sellers are asking over $100. You snooze, you lose.
So you wanted to come to my farm unannounced? This is why I like my privacy and don't give out where I live. not saying you're one, but there are many people who are a bit crazy and would do harm to others.
@@FarpointFarms I have no interest to come to wherever you are. Not at all. Given I live in the Carolinas I was just curious where you were. Maybe you are in NC and maybe not. I really don't care. All I know you are lying and/or a fraud. There is no Farpoint Farms. Maybe you have a real farm someplace and maybe not. Good luck to you. I stop following individuals when I find out they are lying.
@@FarpointFarms I have had no intentions on coming to where ever you are. Not interested. Real farmers that I know show off their farms on the internet. If you want privacy do not post on on a public forum like You Tube. I was suspect years ago as your voice does not sound like a real Carolinian. All I know given what you confirmed there is no Farpoint Farms. I will no longer follow you. Good luck to you and your You Tube business based on a lie.
Have this radio, not really a “prepper” radio with that 18650 battery which most new radios have. It has a crappy battery life, I had to buy a 18650 charger for this. Other than that, it’s a great radio
The crap battery life is because it used a car stereo IC, so "amps" was never a concern for Philips/NXP who designed the chip. One will also note the SR/DX 286 gets a bit warm on its back after not much long.
@@FarpointFarms A follow up-I had the DX-286 with the whip antenna and amp on for the comparison, outside of course. I live in southern NH and have good reception. I've been Dxing for 55 years and about 30 years ago picked up Detroit , Chicago, Atlanta and numerous others on a GE Superadio III. My first catch was WWVA in Needham MA in 1970 where I grew up. Great video!
China is producing some quality shortwave radios with a lot of features like SSB and USB for ridiculously low prices. At the price point there's nobody that compete.
We have to give them credit for taking the time to work on creating these radios. I have not been able to find any US companies investing in SW radios. If there is one, please let me know.
@@FarpointFarms US and Japanese companies alike have seemed to abandon shortwave. I've tried to find them, but the only equipment I can find is from the mid 90s, and it's ridiculously expensive on the secondary market.
I am convinced that these brand names are generated randomly by a script. As to the rechargeable battery, I am sure someone could 3-D print a clip on adapter to strap double A's to the outside.
Great video.
Thanks!
The guy who started Qodosen and designed this radio has more than twenty years in radio design. He worked for Redsun and then Tecsun and designed many of the radios that listeners are familiar with, including C.Crane radios. I like this radio so much that I bought two of them. They cost me a bit more to get them up here in Canada…..but definitely worth it. Very happy. 😃
The designer is an artist, this radio has some of the best reception that I have had on any radio
I own one of the earlier versions of The Qodosen which is called the QODOSEN SR-286. The SR-286 is also the more pricier model because the Qodosen SR-286 is sold for 150 Euros while the DX-286 is sold for 79.99 dollars. All the Qodosen SR286 and DX-286 has the TEF6686 car audio chip which is very sensitive. With the TEF6686 chip you can pick up Shortwave stations all accross the world and i highly recommend the Qodosen DX-286 and SR-286 Thanks for this review Eric!
Thanks for sharing what you know about the differences. It is good info
The Qodosen DX-286 is a very sensitive DXer of a radio!
Greetings from Ireland! I can recommend this little radio. Living in the middle of Ireland (Athlone). I normally receive 3-5 FM-stations more or less. With this radio I have 7 Stations perfectly and receive Northern Ireland AND 2 stations from Scotland! On FM!! This is unheard of!
This radio is not only very sensitive, but it also is very good at separating signals! Highly recommended! An absolute steal for that price!!!😊 One tip: this radio seems to need a counterweight to function fully, so when you are programming and searching for stations HOLD THE RADIO IN YOUR HANDS! It will use you, your body as counterpoise and you will find loads more than if you stand the radio on the table and not touch it! Love your channel!
Thanks for sharing! I am glad to hear that you like it so much
This is a very good radio, on all the bands. On FM, it's incredibly sensitive and selectice, picking up feint stations in the middle of powerful stations.
Among all my radios, it's the one working the best on MW. On LW, it's very good as well!
Well said!
For me the AM was the best- it is very hard for me to get anything on AM. I was able to get all kinds of stuff
I did a side-by-side, 286 vrs. Tecsun PL660. Identical long-wire antenna was used. The 286 recieved more stations across every band and where the Tecsun might get a weak signal the 286 was much clearer to listen to. Quite an amazing radio in a little package.
I will have to check it out to see the comparison
How did it compare to the PL-660 on SW? Did the lack of synch make any difference?
Wow! That is DAMNED impressive! Even on automotive radios, I've encountered wide swaths of geography in the mountains where, like you said, there just isn't anything to tune in. I'm as shocked as you are! And mid-band WBCQ on a stick in the middle of the day, coming in THAT strong? Holy crap! I think I have a future purchase planned!
I was very impressed with it, usually I can not get any AM reception where I live. The closest station is about 20 miles away and very low power
Thanks for the review. I ended up ordering one ,so will get it in a few days .
I hope you will like it as much as I did
That seems to be an impressive little radio! Thanks for the video
I was pleasantly surprised with the reception it got.
@@FarpointFarms 690 AM Bristol VA.
Everyone is talking about this one! I got the DX-286 a week ago and still on the learning curve. You have to get it away from interference to get the best AM performance out of it. Not many radios out there can pick up AM using only the telescoping antenna like this one can.
Ferrite Antenna
Agree on the learning curve, the AM reception is great
One can use the attached telescoping antenna, the ferrite antenna or an external one of choice.
@@josheverett2253 Not just the ferrite antenna. With this Qodosen DX-286, you can switch between the internal ferrite antenna and whip extension antenna. I bought one, and like it so much that I bought a second one for a spare.
We really have to sit down and read the manual carefully. Fantastic radio.
Got one 4 months ago! Great radio!
Cool, thanks for sharing that
I think you'll really enjoy this radio!
I love mine. Fantastic for DXing.
I've gone through AM and FM and was very pleased. Shortwave is next.
I don't think I have but one longwave station, at the Burlington, NC airport . But who knows maybe I'll get more with this radio.! ❤
I am impressed with the AM, I usually can't get any AM where I live. I used to listen to AM all the time until I moved to the mountains, I can not listen again
This little beauty is a very, very sensitive receiver on AM, FM and SW. I bought one from Amazon arms like it a lot. Mine didn’t come with a battery, so I bought two of them. But… GOOD NEWS… if you want one- and you should- Amazon is now selling these with two batteries included! No more excuse now not to buy one. 😊
Good to know! Thanks!
Eric, that's a nice little radio with some thought put into that AM receiver. Not every radio is capable of picking up the lower power signals.
Well done, Eric...
I was very impressed since it is so hard to pick up AM signals where I live.
Thanks for the review! A really good test for any am medium wave receiver is to tune to 530 and listen for Havana,Cuba if you can pick that up from the Eastern US then you've got something.
Thanks for the tips!
great video, C Crane makes some sensitive radios too...
That is good to know, I might have to see if I can review some
@davidsheedy5793 You might be interested to know that the guy who designed this Qodosen DX-286, and the previous Qodosen SR-286 also designed many of the best C.Crane radios, as well as some Tecsun and Redsun and Eton radios. He has more than twenty years in radio design.
2024, who miss Circuit City or radioshack?
I miss RadioShack, not so much for Circuit City.
I had such a blast roaming through Radio Shack stores as a child into adulthood. I could purchase necessary connectors, buy radios, speakers, remote controlled cars, etc. I always left with something :)
We had Dick Smith & Tandy here in Australia, both had much CB & Ham gear back in the day.
The Shack was great back in the day.
Thanks for all your great videos.
@@wesoblander3648 Radio Shack was a great place to buy radio related items and equipment all the way through the mid 1980s or so. It was especially good up until the late 1970s!
SW along with SSB CB and Skip is the info way to go. I did though buy a SW/FM/AM , 2 different modes of light, has a solar recharging capabilities.
With that said, once the unit is recharged , can recharge my phone and run a tablet off it .
That is a smart way to go. Having that back up recharge source can really come in handy
People complain about shortwave a lot. But I think theres a way to make it interesting: yea there are a lot of religious broadcasters and if thats not your thing, heres how to make it a game within a game... A lot of these religious broadcasters rent air time on transmitter services in different parts of the world, so when you log one, find out where that transmitter site is and use that as a DX beacon for further tuning, or try to capture all transmitter sites. Also, from experience, if you wanna kill the vibe of a great party, mention any of this. :) I love the case for that radio.
I don't think SW is dead, you just need to know what/where to look
@@FarpointFarms It can even boil down to reducing interference, if only broadcasters can peek over a noise floor in a receiver.
The case even has hinges
They really did take some pride in making this one
Great radio. i have the TECSUN PL 990X and I think on internal antenna that one has it beat . 18650 is world wide standard battery . Lots on SW to listen to. Just what frequency and what time. Their is stuff to hear on long wave but lots digital and need right antenna for LW. I can hear 60 KHZ WWVB hear in NY on my Icom 7300 with loopstick antenna for LW. Yes theirs car radios with SW band. not many.
There is a website that I go to from time to time that shows you what is playing and when. I like to see what I might be able to hear
I should have pulled the switch. I finally decided to buy this radio. It would have been a luxury, but you only live once.
Now it's out of stock at Amazon and eBay sellers are asking over $100. You snooze, you lose.
Be patient I am sure it will come back soon.
@@FarpointFarms It's back already.
I just got one from Amazon today. $79.99.
Did you write that opening jingle for your videos?
It was made by a fellow UA-camr Marky Shaw, Please check out this channel
Nice music
Thanks
is there a equalizer mode on the qodosen?
I can't remember, sorry
Choo-doo-sen.
Ah. Thanks! If there is one thing you can count on here at Farpoint, It's that I will mangle names.
is it scanning right by all the wwv stations or did you just not show it locking in on them?
I only picked out a few stations to share for the video. Sorry!
I did a Google search and there is no Farpoint Farms in NC.
How creepy. Do you internet stalk all your favorite channels?
@@FarpointFarms Not creepy at all. I am in the Carolinas and wanted to see your farm which apparently does not exist. How creepy? How fraudulent?
So you wanted to come to my farm unannounced? This is why I like my privacy and don't give out where I live. not saying you're one, but there are many people who are a bit crazy and would do harm to others.
@@FarpointFarms I have no interest to come to wherever you are. Not at all. Given I live in the Carolinas I was just curious where you were. Maybe you are in NC and maybe not. I really don't care. All I know you are lying and/or a fraud. There is no Farpoint Farms. Maybe you have a real farm someplace and maybe not. Good luck to you. I stop following individuals when I find out they are lying.
@@FarpointFarms I have had no intentions on coming to where ever you are. Not interested. Real farmers that I know show off their farms on the internet. If you want privacy do not post on on a public forum like You Tube. I was suspect years ago as your voice does not sound like a real Carolinian. All I know given what you confirmed there is no Farpoint Farms. I will no longer follow you. Good luck to you and your You Tube business based on a lie.
Have this radio, not really a “prepper” radio with that 18650 battery which most new radios have. It has a crappy battery life, I had to buy a 18650 charger for this. Other than that, it’s a great radio
The crap battery life is because it used a car stereo IC, so "amps" was never a concern for Philips/NXP who designed the chip. One will also note the SR/DX 286 gets a bit warm on its back after not much long.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the battery life, I have not played with this one long enough to test how longs it lasts.
@@FarpointFarms You should get about 15 hours on a XHDATA 18650 3000 mah unprotected button top. I've read the current draw is 190 mah.
I have no issues with battery life❤
@@hg-sx5nk The manual says that getting warm is normal, due to the high quality power demanding chip that is used.
Maybe I mentioned this before, my CCrane EP Pro is the only radio that comes close to the DX 286 for MW reception.
I have heard that from a few people
@@FarpointFarms A follow up-I had the DX-286 with the whip antenna and amp on for the comparison, outside of course. I live in southern NH and have good reception. I've been Dxing for 55 years and about 30 years ago picked up Detroit , Chicago, Atlanta and numerous others on a GE Superadio III. My first catch was WWVA in Needham MA in 1970 where I grew up. Great video!
China is producing some quality shortwave radios with a lot of features like SSB and USB for ridiculously low prices. At the price point there's nobody that compete.
We have to give them credit for taking the time to work on creating these radios. I have not been able to find any US companies investing in SW radios. If there is one, please let me know.
@@FarpointFarms US and Japanese companies alike have seemed to abandon shortwave. I've tried to find them, but the only equipment I can find is from the mid 90s, and it's ridiculously expensive on the secondary market.
I am convinced that these brand names are generated randomly by a script. As to the rechargeable battery, I am sure someone could 3-D print a clip on adapter to strap double A's to the outside.
Good idea of the 3d printing, I have looked at them before but I am not sure if I would get enough use out of one.
With removed battery it won't last long. Time needs to be reseted.
Good to know