XHDATA D-808 receiver: unboxing and first impressions, with a brief overview of features
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- Hi there, here are my initial impressions of the XHDATA D-808 and a an overview of the main features/ controls. This receiver was recommended to me by my good friend Thomas Brogan and when the UK price reduced to around £60 just before Christmas, I decided to treat myself. Here is the unboxing and an overview of the main features etc. I read somewhere this radio utilises the same DSP receiver chip as the Eton Satellit - and a few others of course, so potentially this is an excellent receiver for the serious DXer, for very modest money.
Thanks for watching.
Nice little radio. Thanks for sharing and 73!
A pleasure my friend. 73! Clint
Thank you for this video, On the strength of this, I bought one of these back in July and after my ICF2001D, it is my go to radio for DXing. It is great for SW and surprisingly good on MW. Tonight I was listening to TWR Armenia on1577am, here in Eastern Scotland. It has a good battery life and can be charged from the average Android charger. Also it is good as a local radio. Its only shortcoming is LW, which as others have noted, is quite weak but it does get R4 on 198 and usually RTE 252. While staying with friends in East Sussex, I almost thought that I was receiving Latin America on 252. Well, what I as really receiving was Radio Algerie Chaine3 with a program of Latin American music!
My pleasure Jim. You're right about the relative weakness of the D-808 on LW, although my unit is apparently slightly better than others - comments regarding this were sent to me on the basis of some reception videos in Zurich earlier this year. Ah yes, Chaine 3 on 252 is a decent catch - I hardly ever hear them - RTE dominate that frequency from the UK most of the time. 72! Clint
I just ordered one a few days ago, I saw the price drop around the holidays, I had to download the Aliexpress app for me to buy, that was the only way to buy it lol. I wound up paying USD $65.98 with Free shipping. I'm looking forward to playing with this radio also. Thank you for sharing. Have a great week Clint. :)
Hi Danny my friend, I hope you're well. Hey, wow, you got a great price for yours - congrats! I started testing mine last night and it was superb! Always a pleasure my friend - you have a great week also. 73! Clint
Hi there, just ordered one for £65 from Amazon. Looking forward to trying it. Seems very good value!
You won't be disappointed Laurence - it's an amazing little radio. 73
The backlight is so bright on mine, I've had to put some red tape over it for evening use. My only complaint about the radio.
Hi there, so that's not too bad of a problem to have! Happy Holidays! 73!
Seriously folks, if you are weighing up this or that, or still undecided as to whether you should get one of these little beauties, my advice to you is BUY NOW.
Feels great in the hands, looks cool, sensitive as hell on MW, SW and FM (with a loft antenna plugged in, it takes FM ext. too) I even get the LW stations my car picks up, admittedly you have to turn the volume right up, but I rarely bother with LW. No big deal.
My God, seriously in love with mine. So much so that I shall be keeping a little eye on supplies and if they appear to be getting thin on the ground, i will buy a spare one. Phenomenal radio, especially for just £70.
You should be an agent for XHDATA lol! Or....are you?? 73! Clint
lol ABSOLUTELY not, but I do like the radio, as you can see. It is just so good for the price and size. So handy, but cuts the mustard too. Great videos, btw.
I don't understand why the price went up?
I think you'll love the D-808, Clint! I'm beginning to prefer mine to the C. Crane Skywave SSB. Amazing SSB performance in the D-808 for ~$69 USD! I do wish the Fine Tuning and Volume wheel locations were swapped though. Having volume on the right side seems more natural to me. 73, Guy
I there Guy, thank you very much - yes I tested mine last night with a longwire for a couple of hours and it was superb. I agree, the volume should be on the right hand side, but for the money I can live with that! 73! Clint
Great review, thanks. May well buy.
Another great video of a fine radio. Keep making these videos and I will be very pleased. Nearly as good as using a radio itself. Thanks mate.
Hi there Mark, thank you for your kind words! I'll keep trying! 73! Clint
Lovely jubbly, are you certain the antenna input will work on FM though ? Thought it would only be for SW...Thanks for review, it's only £51 incl shipping btw on AliExpress!
Yep. That's what it says on the box. £51 is a really good deal! 73!
Hello friend, can you tell if this radio works directly connected to a cell phone charger, without his own battery?
It does, but there's too much electrical noise to operate it effectively. 73s, Clint
It will only work with the battery my friend, no usb power for AM of course it will work beautifully only on FM with no interference, for all else it is the battery only for shortwave, MW and LW. It is also the same chip as the Pl 880, and a nice rundown Clint. I know you trust me Clint, and let me change the subject if you can manage to take your Perseus with you to Brazil that would be a major first for any channel, forget your little Eton this time Sir, and take the little XHDATA and Pl 880 and you are sorted, remember never use the usb to power the radio my friend, it's battery only and you will be surprised. 👍Tom. PS very humbled by the mention Sir.
Hi Tam, thank you for the heads-up. Yes, I've tried this radio on AM. SW and FM whilst it's charging and you can forget listening to anything, except on FM. Lots and lots of electrical pick-up. However, that's not a problem. Otherwise, it's exactly as you said - bloody brilliant lol! I'm definitely going to take the PL-880 with me when I go back to Brazil, but I can't decide whether to take this as well, or take an RSP1A? Hmmmm decisions decisions! 73 my friend! Clint
Oxford Shortwave Log Sorry for the late reply Sir, that is quite a decision you have to make, just let me know because I have one more recommendation for you, it's a must have cool boys toy, and would be ideal for slipping into a shirt pocket for the office 👍 Tom. LOL.
Hey, what's the other recommendation???!!! Now you've got me thinking lol. 73! Clint
Oxford Shortwave Log OK Clint, I am not what you would call a fan of DAB, but I love listening to The BBC World Service on DAB and also Classic FM. Now no ifs or Buts yes you could use your phone, but it will not compete with this bad boy. I use cheap Tecsun freebie headphones on this and the sound is incredible actually I have never heard FM this good on a radio, it was a present from my son and I love it. You need to get one of these little beauties Clint ,it is on a short term offer at reduced price just now on Amazon, imagine this playing through your fabulous Bose headphones Clint. 👍 Tom. ua-cam.com/video/nzkpI93ABWk/v-deo.html
I like the radio but I'm put off by the battery configuration. I like a 4 AA battery situation and have never had these kind of batteries in any of my radios. Great review. Cheers from Florida USA. Thanks 😎👍📻
Hi there Rick, many thanks for your nice comments! 73! Clint
Exactly would be better 4 AAs probably internal space problem to keep the radio in small case
Thanks for your review. I must point out that D808 is more sensitive than AR1780 radio. I have both radios.
Thank you for that information Piran. 73! Clint
Great review, Clint! Thanks for sharing. Seems like the D-808 is one of the best equipped DSP portables to date, even including RDS, making it interesting for FM DXing. The AM bandwidths seem well chosen (better than on the PL-880). The sound seems pretty good for the size. 73, Matthias
Hi there Matthias, thank you very much! Indeed, it's fully featured - with RDS, excellent selectivity and sensitivity. It's basically identical to the Eton Satellit - but for £60, what a bargain! Well spotted too regarding the audio - it's very good for it's size. 73! Clint
Indeed an incredibe bargain, Clint! I've just ordered one for €70. 73, Matthias
Certainly Matthias! Congratulations on ordering one - you got a great price at 70 Euros! 73! Clint
Thanks, Clint! Indeed the price is hot and I'm looking forward to the radio. 73, Matthias
Definitely Matthias! We will all be excited to see what you can hear with this great little radio! 73! Clint
i noticed that when its got its charging cable in i cant rx anything on mw lw and sw
Same with mine Ray, definitely no DXing when it's charging my friend. 73! Clint
Is a mishmash from Tecsun's models 3XX, 660, and Eton G3 as I see, but it's not so bad
Actually I think it's an Eton Satellit with 'different clothes' lol. But a very good receiver for modest money. 73! Clint
I really don't like nothing of this new products, I had to buy a Tecsun PL660 because I wanted to hear SW and better MW, but I have a Sanyo M9935 from 1983 (boombox) and it was really way better, but for now it's broken, I watched Grundig Satellit 500 or 700 and I guess is much better, also it has RDS for FM captions, and Tecsun still does not have it, only some Eton's or this white label... maybe nothing in Europe will do another model with a consistent level... also Tecsun only has a model who can record FM or radio in a mid quality way... Sangean ATS 909 is other way but very expensive and I'm afraid of receptions in all bands so PL660 was the average model but I want RDS not only from my SDR USB Radio or from old smartphones... quality of product sometimes is very bad, if it has a rubber cover it's very bad, plastic cover is average...
Obviously Grundig Satellite's are from 80s-90s, but sometimes there are people who refurbish them and sells it...
It's not so bad because I can get for example Gold 1548 MW sometimes, but it has near of it a saharaui transmission from north africa, on LW it's not so bad too (Tecsun PL 660)
Looking forward to a performance review and how it compares to other receivers of similar capability. 73's...Phil
Thank you very much Phil! First videos coming today - a bit later on. 73! Clint
👍 Very interesting video. Tks.
A pleasure, Sir. 73
Very tempting to get this radio, as it also comes with RDS for FM which will be useful the E Skip season. Also there is a modification that can be done to accept an external MW which is on ths shortwave blog site. The fact that it has the same DSP chip as the Eton Satellit is another thing that really interests me. Only issues I read is no attenuator but hopefully overloading should not be an issue as you say. Many thanks for sharing & 73s!
Do it lol!!!! Definitely useful for FM DXing with RDS......I will be giving it a go come the next season. Ooh, that modification to accept an external MW antenna sounds very interesting indeed. I think this is essentially the same receiver - the display is also identical - other than the way it's lit! My pleasure and 73! Clint
Hej Thanks for the video I am very interested in this radio I have read a lot about it on different forums like Swling Post. So it will be very interesting to see your tests of the XHDATA D-808 are also interested in the DIGITECH AR-1780 but cost a little more take care and have a nice weekend.
Hello Nils, thank you for your message. I have now started testing this radio and so far, it's just like the Eton Satellit but at a quarter of the price! I think it is actually the same DSP chip anyway. Incredible for the money. Thank you again my friend. 73! Clint
Did i miss the part you used the tuning knob?
Does it have RDS? Just wondering what the text on bottom of screen is? 73 Adrian
Yes it does have RDS....it's got everything except SYNC.....and all for 60 quid! 73! Clint
no problem with broken antenna foot, due to poor material quality?
No it wasn't that - not sure about the overall quality of this set, even if the performance is stupendous! 73
How does the analog volume stands over time? I had two Sony portable radios (both with analog tuning and volume controls) and both had
developed a problem with analog controls in approximatelly 1 year. The slightest touch in volume control drastically changes volume levels.
Same applies to tuning. I'm thinking about getting Retekess v115 due to its digital controls.
That aspect of this radio was fine. I see it a lot in older radios though - my Sony 2001 is a good example of that.
Nice Clint, been awhile since I said hello. I’m thinking about this radio as well.. Maybe for Christmas lol. Stay safe sir.
Hi there, thanks for dropping by Sir! Nice to hear from you. This is an excellent radio for sure - I have mine with me, here in the jungle. 73! Clint
Oxford Shortwave Yeah I’m gonna pic it up, Thx Clint you stay safe in the jungle sir. 73’s my friend.
Received mine today, all very very good... apart from LW :( Even with the wellbrook plugged in made no difference to any signals which were bad to begin with.. just 198 and that was it, I did see a mod to sort this deafness apparently not sure I will attempt it though :-/
Hi there, yes there is a mod, but I'm not going to bother attempting it - I've got other radios that work very well on LW. Otherwise, I hope you're enjoying the D-808. 73! Clint
lol it's the first time i see 73 at the end of a comment, 73!
Squelch also works on sw ?
Can you turn off those constant annoying bleeps that happen whenever you touch a button?
yes when it is off you long press number 5 and it disables the beep
It seems such a nice and strong radio. Nice review Clint. The only thing I dislake here is name of radio "XHDATA" come on? Sounds funny and not serious. And these days the price is $150 which is overpriced. For that money you can buy ETON Satellit. 73!
I know what you mean Jean, the name is almost painful, but the performance as a function of price can't be beaten! You can buy it now for about 60 bucks in the US and £60 over here. 73! Clint
I tryst you Clint. I do not want to humiliate someone, and especially not some company that makes radio receivers. I cannot wait for your comment on the comparison with Eton Satellit. 73! Jean
Thank you Jean - that's very nice of you to say. A comparison with the Eton Satellit is a superb idea and something which I will be doing soon. 73! Clint
Dont give more that $60-70 it is not worth
Great radio for under 100 USD. Sometimes, the Chinese hit home runs!!!
Indeed Edward, this one is a £60 home run all day long lol. 73! Clint
Tivdio can do it for under $20. They just lack good MW reception.
It's nice. Too high price for it though I think. But definitely a neat portable.
Hey, it can be picked up for 65 bucks over on your side of the pond! I tested mine last night - it's an Eton Satellit in a different case. You need to get one now!! How's things otherwise? 73! Clint
hallo i just buy the radio xhdata can jou tell me please wat is the best to load the bateries
Use duracells or another alkaline battery. 73s
Hi Clint ,
Thanks for the unboxing . As it happens my de1103 died a couple of days back( after 11 years) which was my go to radio . I do have the tecsun 660 but not a big fan . With this one will it scan the air band or is it like the 660 manual tune only ?
It looks like the perfect replacement for the old 1103 .
It definitely scans SW, so I have no reason to think you can't scan Air Band. It's brilliant for the money..I think it's an Eton Satellit in different 'clothes'...and at 1/4 of the price! 73! Clint
Aeron will i am Please pardon the interuption Aeron to answer your question yes it does scan on the Air band, actually it will make your Pl660 redundant I have this radio and love it 👍 Tom.
Thank you Sir. 73! from your friend. Clint
I think they are cheap and the ergonomics are terrible! 73! Clint
Constant whining type carrier with mine on 96.7 Mhz oh dear :(
Oh dear, that isn't so good.....73, Clint
I have just got one of these, too and a very neat little unit it is.
I have not found a way to get FM on the SW band though so I can listen to CB radio on FM.
Surely this is possible? Any ideas anyone?
I bet it's not possible James - it wasn't designed with CB in mind. Shame. 73s, Clint
@@OxfordShortwaveLog Never mind - thanks Clint.
Biggest problems: display too bright and muting while going trough the radio frequencies
True!
I ordered one of these from Amazon and wasnt that impressed.I found the AGC a pain to start with,and its ability to pick up My local BBC station (BBC Radio Ulster) was mediocre to say the least.That and the tinny audio quality put me right off.Its now sitting repackaged,and ready to be returned.One thing though.I thought I had a faulty model,as it wouldnt turn on without the charger connected.Turns out there was a small piece of plastic between the batteries +ve terminal and the actual contact.I notice yours didnt have that problem.Not for me,but thanks for the review.
That's a shame Gerry. I do wonder if you had a 'Friday afternoon' model...because both of mine performed so well...one of the best portables I've ever owned. I think the underlying quality might be questionable though as my first unit failed when I was in South America. What will you go for next? Eton Satellit if I were you. 73s, Clint
Даже в рекламе показывают что необходимо удалить диэлектрик между контактом и + батареи!!! Хороший приемник;))
Why did this radio go from 60 to 140? Is it discontinued?
I think it became very popular when reception videos started appearing on UA-cam demonstrating how good it is. 73, Clint
👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌👌👌
Thanks! 73s
I believe it's far better than tecsun pl 880
I think they're about equal in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. Audio and build quality much better on PL880. 73
@@OxfordShortwaveLog pl880 is ver noisy on SW and dreadful syn detection
Also pl880 is not so good on ssb if you compare to 330
Yes but SYNC on all DSP radios is rubbish!
@@OxfordShortwaveLog What will you recommend pl660 pl330 I would like to buy tecsun one of these tecsun
Voice way too low had to turn the TV up to 65 or 70 just to hear you
Must be something wrong with your TV - no one else seems to have an issue - and it's loud on my laptop. 73
nothing good from that radio : very bad in LW and FM not terrible with HP very low
I take those points but on HF it's immense. One of the best ever. 73!