Thanks for the video. Got a Barlow Wadley from my uncle. Unfortunately he is quite deaf. It is very difficult to receive anything with it. The repair is not supposed to be easy either... Happy new year from switzerland. 🍀🍀🍀 🇨🇭
Hello, and Happy New Year. Being from Tennessee in the US I have always wanted a Barlow Wadley . I have never seen one in person. I have read about them for years and knew they were Great Radios . I do have Yeasu FRG 7 that works on the Wadlow loop and I enjoy if a lot. Enjoyed the video my friend.
Thank you Duane, and happy new year to you too! I see Barlow Wadleys for sale relatively often here in South Africa. It is unfortunate that it is such a heavy radio, shipping from here to Tennessee would be quite expensive. I have heard of the Yaesu FRG 7, and that it also uses the Wadley loop, so I guess it must be a really wonderful radio, just like the Barlow Wadley!
@@swlistening I had an FRG7 until a few years ago, I made the mistake of leaving the antenna (long wire) connected to go and have supper, during supper we had a very bad lightening strike, it fried my FRG7 completely it also fried one of my son's amplifiers, so the lesson here is to DISCONNECT antennas if you are not using the radio.
@@robertvandervelde60 Robert, this is a good reminder, I sometimes forget to unplug my antennas (mostly the MLA30+). I must make a mental note to always pull out the antennas when I am done with my DXing!
Great video of a receiver that was built in South Africa with a comparison test with receiving signals from South Africa. Fantastic. *I wish you a happy new year and lots of luck and health for 2025* 🍸🍾🥂
@swlistening brother I got a .....G.A 800 active loop antenna as an additional christmas present I'm using it in the house at the window done a test there on the pl330 without it and just the stock antenna 24 s/w stations wit it 60 s/w stations so far so gud be actually handy antenna to take out and about going to see what it's like on ssb now cheers Ged ..
@swlistening I think the mla 30+ waay better this would be more for if u hadn't access to connect to your mla but be interesting to take it on road trips ..Iv picked up a first time Capture there earlier cfrx Toronto 6070khz using my vertical antenna out in garden really enjoying using the pl660 ssb bfo is a great addition..the whole radio is such an up grade from the pl 330 which is also a loveli little radio ..have you heard about the tiny radio called SI47320 iv bought 1 suppose to have ssb on it too only 35euro on Ali express for that price I will let u know what it's like be couple weeks till diliverd..Cheers Ged .
@@corpo33 Thanks for your comment Ged, I looked at some videos of the GA-800 now, and I see that it is quite small indeed. Perfect for travel. Very nice catch on CFRX Toronto for you! Not one that I think I will ever catch, although I keep trying 🙂 I have heard about the SI47320 radio, it offers SSB at a very reasonable price. I will appreciate it very much if you let me know how it performs when you get yours!
Lovely sound from the Barlow, best wishes for 2025 Andre & to all radio fans out there. Today in the UK, Radio 4 are celebrating 100 years of The Shipping Forecast with some interesting programmes.
Thank you Lew, and best wishes to you too! The Barlow Wadley does sound good. It is quite amazing, after so many decades. Thanks for the tip about Radio 4. I tuned in to Radio 4 now on my smart speaker and there is a programme called The Shipping Postcards, very interesting!
Great you are able to tune in, some excellent programmes today. I keep my eye out for vintage radio like the Barlow but many are out of my budget. A Qodosen 286 is definitely on my wish list though Andre!
@@lew9223 There is a Barlow Wadley for sale on Facebook Marketplace here at the moment, in working condition, with a second one in non-working condition also part of the deal. The price is $55. But, alas, these radios are too heavy to ship overseas from here, shipping will be extraordinarily high to the UK. The Barlow Wadley weighs 4 Kg (8.82 lb) without batteries.
Hello Andre, Happy New Year and thanks for all the great uploads this year.👍 The audio on the Wadlow sounds nice and crisp.👍 one of my favourite CB radios is my Teabury Stalker 9fdx. It is over 40 years old and the receive on ssb is beautiful and crisp. It is also rock steady on frequency. Tne older radios were beautifully engineered. Happy New Year to everyone and 73s, John.
Hi John, thank you for your comment and your kind words! Happy new year to you too! The Teabury looks like a very solid radio, I looked it up now to see what it looks like. You are right, these old radios were engineered very well.
Happy new year, Andre, the thiny DX286 is simply awesome.. 🤔 it sounds as good as your Barlow Wadley.. BTW an excellent radio with large speakers,. This kind of radios are "a must" for radio lovers :-)
Thank you Pedro, and happy new year to you too! The Qodosen certainly has nice sound. I agree with you, it really adds value to one's collection if you are able to acquire one or two classic radios like the Barlow Wadley, or the Hammarlund :-) I was very lucky to find these two in good condition.
@@swlistening Totally agree André,. I Have the Panasonic DR-48 and the Philips D2999, both classics and decent desktop receivers,.. the perfect companion of good and small portables like Qdosen 286. I also Have Sony 7600GR, .. a pleasure to use their Sync. detection, one of the best in portables, sure you are agree too :-). Have the 501x,. great receiver but Sync detect. is awful .. PL880 and PL660 are very good portable radios too. As stand alone SDR I am really glad with my original russian DSP2, (bought to developers before this sad russian invasion of Ukraine) ..excellent sdr receiver. The Three Wise Men will bring in the bag a RADDY RF919.. really impatient to check if this wide range and plenty of antenna inputs radio will meet expectations.. I Hope so!. Have a great day..
@@pruebasytecnica You have a really terrific radio collection Pedro, some expensive sets there 🙂 I agree with you on the 7600GR, for sure. The Raddy RF919 seems to get very good feedback from users also, it looks like a very nice receiver. I found a Philips D2999 for sale here on Facebook Marketplace some months ago, I was very excited and called the guy immediately when I saw the ad. But the radio had just been sold, about an hour before my call! I really enjoy comparing reception on older receivers with newer ones, and comparing analogues to DSP-based receivers. There are always small differences, but each type of receiver has its plus points.
@@swlistening Hi André. for sure you will have better luck next time picking up your favorite radio,. you know, sometimes this is as exciting as fishing !. Nevertheless your Hammarlund tube radio is literarily a gem., a great enjoy for your ears!. And I agree with you that comparison performances between old and recent radios could be so exciting ,. although many times the result of the match remains 1 - 0. Hope Santa Claus will bring you another toy for the collection !🎅🌠🎄
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Thank you for the great information you produce Andre it's very much appreciated. My son and I picked up a station from Bechar Algeria on Christmas night on 9500 khz it was a really strong signal here in NW Pennsylvania. Lately nhk Japan and radio romania have been coming in good. Take care, Jeff
Thank you Jeff, and happy new year to you and your family! It's great to hear that you picked up Algeria, lately it has been much weaker here at my location than usual.
Thanks Rob! Are you moving to Cambodia, or visiting for a holiday? I went there many years ago, to Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap. A very interesting country and Angkor Wat is just incredible to see.
@swlistening Hi André. Moving there for the rest of my life. I’m 73 now, had quadruple bypass open heart surgery. Not a lot of years left. Spent four months in northern Thailand one year. And two months in and around Siem Reap another year. Yes, Angkor Wat Archeological Park is amazing. I then took the Giant Ibis bus to Bangkok and spent four days there seeing amazing temples and markets and enjoying the food before flying back to Canada. Tired of Canada and the freezing winters and outrageous costs for everything now. The country is going downhill. Freedom is less also. It’s not the Canada I grew up in. I’m not the only one getting out. Take care André. My Qodosen DX-286 is going with me 😃 ✈️ 🌴 🌴 🌴 ☸️ 🇰🇭 🇹🇭 🇱🇦 🇱🇰
@@robertwilliamson922 Hi Robert, I think it is a good place to live. Certainly less expensive than Canada, and the weather is nice and warm! I hope you will be happy there. DXing should also be interesting in a whole new location 🙂
A bit late to the party, but here's wishing Andre and everyone here a Happy New Year 2025! 🎇🎆🎊🎉🎁🖐📻🎁🐶 🐱🌍 It's great to see the Barlow Wadley back in the loop again, ever since it was overshadowed by the mighty and legendary Hammerlund valve receiver. 😀 Well, I don't really know how to rate shortwave radios based on their anti-fading properties, but traditional analogue radios that were made in the 1970s have a better overall performance compared to post Millennium designs made by Chinese manufacturers. In the good old days, radio was still the BIG thing next to television. The Cold War was still going on, which led the West and Eastern Bloc governments spending a lot of money and resources on shortwave broadcasting. Electronics manufacturers may not had access to simplified and "short cut" components like modern DSPs and radio-on-a-chip solutions, but they spent a lot of R&D into making radios that are robust, long lasting with a particular attention to quality. Raw materials, transportation and logistics also cost a lot less in those days. More importantly, there was more than enough worldwide demand which made shortwave radio manufacturing a highly lucrative business. Consumers were critical of the radios that were produced in that era, as are smartphones and mobile devices today. Unfortunately the rise of the Internet and virtually low cost streaming and broadband services have caused shortwave receiver manufacturing to become nothing more than fulfilling a niche hobby. Electronics companies like Panasonic and Sony have easy access to the latest digital and analogue components but neither are interested in making shortwave radios as the economies of scale are no longer lucrative. The global demand simply isn't enough for these electronics giants, paving the way for smaller brands like Tecsun, Degen, Eton, C Crane and XHDATA. Unfortunately none of these companies are as innovative as Sony, so what we have today is a "take-it-or-leave-it" situation. It's actually a double edged sword. If Sony still made something like the Tecsun PL-990 or the Qodosen DX-286, fewer of us hobbyists could afford a Sony product. Tecsun and the manufacturer of XHDATA radios don't have to spend money on global advertising, marketing, setting up regional headquarters and service centers or provide costly after sales service - which is why their radios are very affordable. ☺📻
Thank you, and happy new year to you too! You make a very interesting point about the big multi-national manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic with their R&D teams and international presence. Of course all of that costs money, and that is why their radios were more expensive than what we pay for radios now. Quality products, but expensive. The Chinese companies now are often small, and can afford to produce radios at lower prices. Labour costs in China are probably also a bit lower than in Japan. But I think we do get some interesting innovation out of China, the Qodosen is one radio that comes to mind!
@@swlistening All good points there, Andre! 🙂 Labour costs are A LOT cheaper than Japan. You won't see Chinese branded things that are made in Japan but you will easily find Japanese branded products that are made in China! 😎 Back in Feb 2020, I visited Fukuoka and was surprised to see an AIWA branded portable shortwave radio at the electrical appliance section of the BIC Camera store. It had Japanese characters printed on the exterior, so I examined the radio and found that it was made in China. I wasn't into shortwave listening at the time but years later I found out that the AIWA shortwave radio was actually a rebranded Tecsun PL-380! 📻😳 Very few electronics items are natively made in Japan these days. If it's manufactured in Japan, the product will usually be a high end model catering for a niche demand.
@@StratmanII Very interesting about the AIWA radio! I think it would be interesting to visit Japan now again and have a look around at their radios and whether, perhaps, there still are some made-in-Japan SW or MW radios... I am sure they will have at least one or two, for all the people who listen to Radio Nikkei's domestic SW service.
@@swlistening I'm afraid there are no more "advanced" radios sold by Sony, Andre. All that's left are one or two portable CD players with AM/FM (no SW) and the ICF-506, which is a small AM/FM radio. In fact I'm envious that you were able to get your hands on an ICF-J40, which I think is an African market Sony radio. 🙂 The golden days of sophisticated Sony and Panasonic radios ended by the late 90s but you can still find pre-owned receivers on the Bay with varying asking prices, depending on the popularity and demand for the model. You may find a New Old Stock Sony with a Nikkei radio dial at one of the hundreds of second hand electronics dealers in downtown Akhihabara in Tokyo, but I don't think Sony made special Nikkei tuned radios after the Millennium. I'll just hazard a guess that Sony and Panasonic had to make at least 3,000 units of a single radio model before it goes on sale. I doubt these companies made their own plastic cases for the radios - they submitted blueprints to a third party plastic factory which molded the outer cases. The molding company also had to churn out thousands of cases and I doubt it will accept a single "special order" request. Even if a hundred customers pledged to bring back e.g. the classic ICF-SW55 or the ICF-SW77, I don't think Sony is able to honor that request. 😐
Happy new year Andre I was surprised at the Tecsun fading out so much was it being overloaded the Barlow is a nice old radio and holding up nicely, I noticed on a recent video you had a RTL-SDR V4 have used one a couple of years back V3 but wasn't very impressed but looking at collection of SDR videos I decided to give it another go and ordered V4 same as you it arrived today so the next task was to find a good software I used to use Airspy but settled for SDR++ similar and has good reviews installed it still playing around with settings and so far impressed done comparison checks with the radios and pleased to say this come out on top so I wounder if you have used the RTL V4 yet if so what do you think and what software did you chose I would like a bigger screen as I only use a 15 inch laptop that is about 8 months old and windows 11 so might get a 24inch monitor people were commenting about drivers not working but thankfully it worked ok did download Zadig- usb driver app anyhow Andre speak soon...
Thank you Stephen, and happy new year to you! I am no expert in this, but my guess is that analogue radios, perhaps, handle fading slightly less well than the modern DSP radios. The Barlow Wadley has so little fading because of its triple conversion Wadley loop system, which is way too complicated for me to understand, but it clearly works. That is one of the reasons why the Barlow Wadley was so popular. I have an RTL Blog V4, yes, but I haven't been able to use it yet. My personal laptop is a Chromebook and the SDR apps for Chromebook that I tried don't seem to work on my Chromebook. I do have another laptop that is in for repairs, when I get it back I will try my V4. It is good to hear that yours works well!
@@swlistening H, there again Andre I'm like you slightly radio literate lol. going back to SDR and software I did quite a bit of searching SDR console looked good but I just lost patience with drivers etc so changed tack and downloaded SDR++ no problem it looks fine and there is plenty of settings but not to complicated its up to you what to download but I would seriously consider SDR++ Think it comes with the drivers but as I mentioned you can download from Zadig if you get stuck, I'm hearing things perfectly that the Tecsun struggles with Don't know why I didn't get one sooner and SSB is a pleasure to listen to none of that warble effect just make sure its compatible with your computer Andre I'm sure you will enjoy it...
@@stephenwright8103 Thanks Stephen, I will be sure to check out SDR++ when I get my laptop back from the repair guy. Thanks for the tip, it sounds like easy-to-use software, which is exactly what I want!
@@swlistening Morning Andre it does what I want and I'm sure you will be satisfied I was up till late trying all the shortwave bands and happy with the results at this time listening to 40m ham the SSB is so clear and you can record stations. they talk of some snowy conditions coming so more time on the radio lol, when you get this it will keep you occupied for hours...
@@stephenwright8103 Sounds like you had a fun evening! I am looking forward to trying out mine. The repair shop that has my laptop is closed now, for Christmas and New Year. They only reopen on the 6th of January.
XDATA D-808 HAS A PUNCHIER SOUND, MUCH BETTER FOR dxING, OTHERS HAS A BASS SIDE TONE GOOD FOR SHORTWAVE PLEASURE LISTENING BUT NOT FOR THOSE HARD TO CATCH FAINT SIGNALS.
![TECSUN PL-680 the new 10 year old analog radio [In depth look]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Do-Y_R2eF5A/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for the video.
Got a Barlow Wadley from my uncle.
Unfortunately he is quite deaf. It is very difficult to receive anything with it. The repair is not supposed to be easy either...
Happy new year from switzerland. 🍀🍀🍀 🇨🇭
Happy new year to you Tinus! Unfortunately it is true, the Barlow Wadley is quite hard to repair.
Hello, and Happy New Year.
Being from Tennessee in the US I have always wanted a Barlow Wadley . I have never seen one in person. I have read about them for years and knew they were Great Radios . I do have Yeasu FRG 7 that works on the Wadlow loop and I enjoy if a lot.
Enjoyed the video my friend.
Thank you Duane, and happy new year to you too! I see Barlow Wadleys for sale relatively often here in South Africa. It is unfortunate that it is such a heavy radio, shipping from here to Tennessee would be quite expensive.
I have heard of the Yaesu FRG 7, and that it also uses the Wadley loop, so I guess it must be a really wonderful radio, just like the Barlow Wadley!
@@swlistening I had an FRG7 until a few years ago, I made the mistake of leaving the antenna (long wire) connected to go and have supper, during supper we had a very bad lightening strike, it fried my FRG7 completely it also fried one of my son's amplifiers, so the lesson here is to DISCONNECT antennas if you are not using the radio.
@@robertvandervelde60 Robert, this is a good reminder, I sometimes forget to unplug my antennas (mostly the MLA30+). I must make a mental note to always pull out the antennas when I am done with my DXing!
Andre, wishing you a happy new year in advance from France, glad i found you on here.......happy SWL'ing in 2025.
Thank you Anthony, glad that you are enjoying my channel. Happy new year to you too!
@@swlistening Thankyou....Baie Dankie !
@@AnthonyJones-vk6xq Groot plesier!
Happy new year to you André and to all of you guys here.
May 2025 bring you a lot of joy with our hobby.
Thank you Alain, and happy new year to you too!
Great video of a receiver that was built in South Africa with a comparison test with receiving signals from South Africa. Fantastic.
*I wish you a happy new year and lots of luck and health for 2025* 🍸🍾🥂
Thank you so much for your kind comment. Happy new year to you!
Happy new Year brother from Ged in Ireland cheers for your help and kind words throughout the year .
Thanks Ged, and the same to you! Glad I could help sometimes :-)
@swlistening brother I got a .....G.A 800 active loop antenna as an additional christmas present I'm using it in the house at the window done a test there on the pl330 without it and just the stock antenna 24 s/w stations wit it 60 s/w stations so far so gud be actually handy antenna to take out and about going to see what it's like on ssb now cheers Ged ..
@@corpo33 Hi Ged, this sounds like a great antenna! I wonder how it would compare to the MLA30+?
@swlistening I think the mla 30+ waay better this would be more for if u hadn't access to connect to your mla but be interesting to take it on road trips ..Iv picked up a first time Capture there earlier cfrx Toronto 6070khz using my vertical antenna out in garden really enjoying using the pl660 ssb bfo is a great addition..the whole radio is such an up grade from the pl 330 which is also a loveli little radio ..have you heard about the tiny radio called SI47320 iv bought 1 suppose to have ssb on it too only 35euro on Ali express for that price I will let u know what it's like be couple weeks till diliverd..Cheers Ged .
@@corpo33 Thanks for your comment Ged, I looked at some videos of the GA-800 now, and I see that it is quite small indeed. Perfect for travel.
Very nice catch on CFRX Toronto for you! Not one that I think I will ever catch, although I keep trying 🙂
I have heard about the SI47320 radio, it offers SSB at a very reasonable price. I will appreciate it very much if you let me know how it performs when you get yours!
Happy New Year ..Thanks for all the helpful information throughout 2024.
My pleasure Dougal, and thank you for the wishes. Happy new year to you also!
New year greetings to all out there, 73's
Thank you Robert, and the same to you!
Happy new year. Your channel has certanly grown a lot in 2024. Well deserved.
Thank you so much for the kind words, and happy new year to you too!
Happy New Year! Srećna Nova Godina!
Thank you Goran! Happy new year to you too!
Lovely sound from the Barlow, best wishes for 2025 Andre & to all radio fans out there.
Today in the UK, Radio 4 are celebrating 100 years of The Shipping Forecast with some interesting programmes.
Thank you Lew, and best wishes to you too! The Barlow Wadley does sound good. It is quite amazing, after so many decades. Thanks for the tip about Radio 4. I tuned in to Radio 4 now on my smart speaker and there is a programme called The Shipping Postcards, very interesting!
Great you are able to tune in, some excellent programmes today.
I keep my eye out for vintage radio like the Barlow but many are out of my budget.
A Qodosen 286 is definitely on my wish list though Andre!
@@lew9223 There is a Barlow Wadley for sale on Facebook Marketplace here at the moment, in working condition, with a second one in non-working condition also part of the deal. The price is $55. But, alas, these radios are too heavy to ship overseas from here, shipping will be extraordinarily high to the UK. The Barlow Wadley weighs 4 Kg (8.82 lb) without batteries.
Hello Andre,
Happy New Year and thanks for all the great uploads this year.👍
The audio on the Wadlow sounds nice and crisp.👍 one of my favourite CB radios is my Teabury Stalker 9fdx. It is over 40 years old and the receive on ssb is beautiful and crisp. It is also rock steady on frequency. Tne older radios were beautifully engineered.
Happy New Year to everyone and 73s, John.
Hi John, thank you for your comment and your kind words! Happy new year to you too! The Teabury looks like a very solid radio, I looked it up now to see what it looks like. You are right, these old radios were engineered very well.
It's clear that old is gold
Happy new year 🕛
Happy journey uncle andree
Thank you MIthun, and the same to you!
Happy new year, Andre, the thiny DX286 is simply awesome.. 🤔 it sounds as good as your Barlow Wadley.. BTW an excellent radio with large speakers,. This kind of radios are "a must" for radio lovers :-)
Thank you Pedro, and happy new year to you too! The Qodosen certainly has nice sound. I agree with you, it really adds value to one's collection if you are able to acquire one or two classic radios like the Barlow Wadley, or the Hammarlund :-) I was very lucky to find these two in good condition.
@@swlistening Totally agree André,. I Have the Panasonic DR-48 and the Philips D2999, both classics and decent desktop receivers,.. the perfect companion of good and small portables like Qdosen 286. I also Have Sony 7600GR, .. a pleasure to use their Sync. detection, one of the best in portables, sure you are agree too :-). Have the 501x,. great receiver but Sync detect. is awful .. PL880 and PL660 are very good portable radios too. As stand alone SDR I am really glad with my original russian DSP2, (bought to developers before this sad russian invasion of Ukraine) ..excellent sdr receiver. The Three Wise Men will bring in the bag a RADDY RF919.. really impatient to check if this wide range and plenty of antenna inputs radio will meet expectations.. I Hope so!. Have a great day..
@@pruebasytecnica You have a really terrific radio collection Pedro, some expensive sets there 🙂 I agree with you on the 7600GR, for sure. The Raddy RF919 seems to get very good feedback from users also, it looks like a very nice receiver. I found a Philips D2999 for sale here on Facebook Marketplace some months ago, I was very excited and called the guy immediately when I saw the ad. But the radio had just been sold, about an hour before my call! I really enjoy comparing reception on older receivers with newer ones, and comparing analogues to DSP-based receivers. There are always small differences, but each type of receiver has its plus points.
@@swlistening Hi André. for sure you will have better luck next time picking up your favorite radio,. you know, sometimes this is as exciting as fishing !. Nevertheless your Hammarlund tube radio is literarily a gem., a great enjoy for your ears!. And I agree with you that comparison performances between old and recent radios could be so exciting ,. although many times the result of the match remains 1 - 0. Hope Santa Claus will bring you another toy for the collection !🎅🌠🎄
@@pruebasytecnica Thank you Pedro, I am hoping for many more radio discoveries this year! I hope you will also find something new and interesting 🙂
Andre thank you for all the information you share with us happy new year
You're welcome Michael. Happy new year to you too!
Hello Andre sir,Happy New Year 2025! May your dreams and goals come to life this year🎉
Thank you Harpreet, and happy new year to you too!
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
Thank you for the great information you produce Andre it's very much appreciated.
My son and I picked up a station from Bechar Algeria on Christmas night on 9500 khz it was a really strong signal here in NW Pennsylvania.
Lately nhk Japan and radio romania have been coming in good.
Take care,
Jeff
Thank you Jeff, and happy new year to you and your family! It's great to hear that you picked up Algeria, lately it has been much weaker here at my location than usual.
Thanks Andre and Happy New Year
Thank you Dan, and the same to you!
Hi all, best wishes for 2025, like good health, safety, prosperity and good DX.
Thank you, and the same to you!
Happy New Year to you and your family André… from Rob in Canada. (But flying to Cambodia this year). 🎉
Thanks Rob! Are you moving to Cambodia, or visiting for a holiday? I went there many years ago, to Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap. A very interesting country and Angkor Wat is just incredible to see.
@swlistening Hi André. Moving there for the rest of my life. I’m 73 now, had quadruple bypass open heart surgery. Not a lot of years left. Spent four months in northern Thailand one year. And two months in and around Siem Reap another year. Yes, Angkor Wat Archeological Park is amazing. I then took the Giant Ibis bus to Bangkok and spent four days there seeing amazing temples and markets and enjoying the food before flying back to Canada.
Tired of Canada and the freezing winters and outrageous costs for everything now. The country is going downhill. Freedom is less also. It’s not the Canada I grew up in. I’m not the only one getting out.
Take care André. My Qodosen DX-286 is going with me 😃 ✈️ 🌴 🌴 🌴 ☸️ 🇰🇭 🇹🇭 🇱🇦 🇱🇰
@@robertwilliamson922 Hi Robert, I think it is a good place to live. Certainly less expensive than Canada, and the weather is nice and warm! I hope you will be happy there. DXing should also be interesting in a whole new location 🙂
I thought the XHDATA sounds clearest and most consistent, but all four do the job nicely. Happy New Year and looking forward to more videos in 2025!
Thanks Jeremy! I think in terms of clarity the D-808 does perform very well indeed. Happy new year to you too!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ANDRE and all my fellow viewers!
73!
Thank you, and the same to you!
Happy New Year, Andre!
Thank you Jackie, and the same to you!
Happy New Year Andre!
Thank you Caroline, happy new year to you too!
Wünsche dir einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr 🎇 aus Hamburg Germany
Vielen Dank und das Gleiche wünsche ich Ihnen, ein frohes neues Jahr!
A bit late to the party, but here's wishing Andre and everyone here a Happy New Year 2025! 🎇🎆🎊🎉🎁🖐📻🎁🐶 🐱🌍
It's great to see the Barlow Wadley back in the loop again, ever since it was overshadowed by the mighty and legendary Hammerlund valve receiver. 😀 Well, I don't really know how to rate shortwave radios based on their anti-fading properties, but traditional analogue radios that were made in the 1970s have a better overall performance compared to post Millennium designs made by Chinese manufacturers.
In the good old days, radio was still the BIG thing next to television. The Cold War was still going on, which led the West and Eastern Bloc governments spending a lot of money and resources on shortwave broadcasting. Electronics manufacturers may not had access to simplified and "short cut" components like modern DSPs and radio-on-a-chip solutions, but they spent a lot of R&D into making radios that are robust, long lasting with a particular attention to quality. Raw materials, transportation and logistics also cost a lot less in those days.
More importantly, there was more than enough worldwide demand which made shortwave radio manufacturing a highly lucrative business. Consumers were critical of the radios that were produced in that era, as are smartphones and mobile devices today. Unfortunately the rise of the Internet and virtually low cost streaming and broadband services have caused shortwave receiver manufacturing to become nothing more than fulfilling a niche hobby.
Electronics companies like Panasonic and Sony have easy access to the latest digital and analogue components but neither are interested in making shortwave radios as the economies of scale are no longer lucrative. The global demand simply isn't enough for these electronics giants, paving the way for smaller brands like Tecsun, Degen, Eton, C Crane and XHDATA. Unfortunately none of these companies are as innovative as Sony, so what we have today is a "take-it-or-leave-it" situation.
It's actually a double edged sword. If Sony still made something like the Tecsun PL-990 or the Qodosen DX-286, fewer of us hobbyists could afford a Sony product. Tecsun and the manufacturer of XHDATA radios don't have to spend money on global advertising, marketing, setting up regional headquarters and service centers or provide costly after sales service - which is why their radios are very affordable. ☺📻
Thank you, and happy new year to you too!
You make a very interesting point about the big multi-national manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic with their R&D teams and international presence. Of course all of that costs money, and that is why their radios were more expensive than what we pay for radios now. Quality products, but expensive.
The Chinese companies now are often small, and can afford to produce radios at lower prices. Labour costs in China are probably also a bit lower than in Japan. But I think we do get some interesting innovation out of China, the Qodosen is one radio that comes to mind!
@@swlistening All good points there, Andre! 🙂
Labour costs are A LOT cheaper than Japan. You won't see Chinese branded things that are made in Japan but you will easily find Japanese branded products that are made in China! 😎
Back in Feb 2020, I visited Fukuoka and was surprised to see an AIWA branded portable shortwave radio at the electrical appliance section of the BIC Camera store. It had Japanese characters printed on the exterior, so I examined the radio and found that it was made in China.
I wasn't into shortwave listening at the time but years later I found out that the AIWA shortwave radio was actually a rebranded Tecsun PL-380! 📻😳
Very few electronics items are natively made in Japan these days. If it's manufactured in Japan, the product will usually be a high end model catering for a niche demand.
@@StratmanII Very interesting about the AIWA radio! I think it would be interesting to visit Japan now again and have a look around at their radios and whether, perhaps, there still are some made-in-Japan SW or MW radios... I am sure they will have at least one or two, for all the people who listen to Radio Nikkei's domestic SW service.
@@swlistening I'm afraid there are no more "advanced" radios sold by Sony, Andre. All that's left are one or two portable CD players with AM/FM (no SW) and the ICF-506, which is a small AM/FM radio. In fact I'm envious that you were able to get your hands on an ICF-J40, which I think is an African market Sony radio. 🙂
The golden days of sophisticated Sony and Panasonic radios ended by the late 90s but you can still find pre-owned receivers on the Bay with varying asking prices, depending on the popularity and demand for the model. You may find a New Old Stock Sony with a Nikkei radio dial at one of the hundreds of second hand electronics dealers in downtown Akhihabara in Tokyo, but I don't think Sony made special Nikkei tuned radios after the Millennium.
I'll just hazard a guess that Sony and Panasonic had to make at least 3,000 units of a single radio model before it goes on sale. I doubt these companies made their own plastic cases for the radios - they submitted blueprints to a third party plastic factory which molded the outer cases. The molding company also had to churn out thousands of cases and I doubt it will accept a single "special order" request. Even if a hundred customers pledged to bring back e.g. the classic ICF-SW55 or the ICF-SW77, I don't think Sony is able to honor that request. 😐
@@StratmanII It's a real pity. I would have bought new Sony and Panasonic radios, even if they were a bit expensive.
Happy new year from malta
Thank you Adrian, and happy new year to you!
Interesting vid !
Thanks!
Nice old radio. On what year was produced this one? Happy new year! 🎉🎆
Happy new year Andrew! The radio was introduced in 1973 and produced until 1976.
Happy Hogmanay Andre. 73 M0PTP
Thank you, and the same to you!
Happy new year Andre I was surprised at the Tecsun fading out so much was it being overloaded the Barlow is a nice old radio and holding up nicely, I noticed on a recent video you had a RTL-SDR V4 have used one a couple of years back V3 but wasn't very impressed but looking at collection of SDR videos I decided to give it another go and ordered V4 same as you it arrived today so the next task was to find a good software I used to use Airspy but settled for SDR++ similar and has good reviews installed it still playing around with settings and so far impressed done comparison checks with the radios and pleased to say this come out on top so I wounder if you have used the RTL V4 yet if so what do you think and what software did you chose I would like a bigger screen as I only use a 15 inch laptop that is about 8 months old and windows 11 so might get a 24inch monitor people were commenting about drivers not working but thankfully it worked ok did download Zadig- usb driver app anyhow Andre speak soon...
Thank you Stephen, and happy new year to you! I am no expert in this, but my guess is that analogue radios, perhaps, handle fading slightly less well than the modern DSP radios. The Barlow Wadley has so little fading because of its triple conversion Wadley loop system, which is way too complicated for me to understand, but it clearly works. That is one of the reasons why the Barlow Wadley was so popular.
I have an RTL Blog V4, yes, but I haven't been able to use it yet. My personal laptop is a Chromebook and the SDR apps for Chromebook that I tried don't seem to work on my Chromebook. I do have another laptop that is in for repairs, when I get it back I will try my V4. It is good to hear that yours works well!
@@swlistening H, there again Andre I'm like you slightly radio literate lol. going back to SDR and software I did quite a bit of searching SDR console looked good but I just lost patience with drivers etc so changed tack and downloaded SDR++ no problem it looks fine and there is plenty of settings but not to complicated its up to you what to download but I would seriously consider SDR++ Think it comes with the drivers but as I mentioned you can download from Zadig if you get stuck, I'm hearing things perfectly that the Tecsun struggles with Don't know why I didn't get one sooner and SSB is a pleasure to listen to none of that warble effect just make sure its compatible with your computer Andre I'm sure you will enjoy it...
@@stephenwright8103 Thanks Stephen, I will be sure to check out SDR++ when I get my laptop back from the repair guy. Thanks for the tip, it sounds like easy-to-use software, which is exactly what I want!
@@swlistening Morning Andre it does what I want and I'm sure you will be satisfied I was up till late trying all the shortwave bands and happy with the results at this time listening to 40m ham the SSB is so clear and you can record stations. they talk of some snowy conditions coming so more time on the radio lol, when you get this it will keep you occupied for hours...
@@stephenwright8103 Sounds like you had a fun evening! I am looking forward to trying out mine. The repair shop that has my laptop is closed now, for Christmas and New Year. They only reopen on the 6th of January.
😀
XDATA D-808 HAS A PUNCHIER SOUND, MUCH BETTER FOR dxING, OTHERS HAS A BASS SIDE TONE GOOD FOR SHORTWAVE PLEASURE LISTENING BUT NOT FOR THOSE HARD TO CATCH FAINT SIGNALS.
I agree, it does have quite a crisp and clear sound, many people like that. Personally I prefer radios with a bit more bass.
SWL Contest start tomorow 01 January 2025, the goal is to listen MW and SW. Thank you and 73 de frank SWL F14368
Thank you for the reminder Frank. I will talk about the contest in my next podcast, first week of January/
Happy New Year Andre🎉
Thank you Richard, and happy new year to you too!