I think that this is one of the best videos I've seen in a very long time because there is a pretty substantial price difference between the two units and so since there's really not a difference between them except cosmetics I would go with the the less expensive model because to me that makes sense and if you're saving money and still getting the same quality for the unit then that's a very very big accomplishment there's so many radios out there to from so these shootouts really help a lot of people out so I would give this video a 10 out of a 10 and wanted to say thank you it was very informative and it's helped me make a decision on which one of those shortwave radios to buy so I just wanted to say very well done and thank you
Thank you so much for your kind comment Jerry, I really appreciate it! I am very glad the video helped you to make a decision about which radio to buy. Just keep in mind that the D-109 does not cover air band and does not have SSB, but if you don't use those, then it sounds like it might be a very good choice for you.
Strictly listen to shortwave radio so basically that was what I was really interested in between both of these units and you said that they were both the same in a world full of dishonest people trust is a precious commodities that's very rare I thought based on what you had to say I could make an intelligent decision that was based on what your experience was based on the truth of what you were saying and I believe that in the future you could go somewhere I hope that you continue to do what you're doing and as you do that and help other people make wise decisions that good works always are rewarded and so I again wanted to say thank you
@@jerrytoro4739 Thanks Jerry, I think for regular shortwave listening both these radios are equally good, but the D-109 definitely has a better speaker. There is one small flaw on some of the D-109s, although I did not really experience this on mine. Some people find that when you add an external antenna on SW, the radio overloads, so the signal becomes very distorted. This is something that does not happen on the D-808. With a short wire (3 metres), or the whip antenna, the D-109 works just as well as the D-808.
Thank you for your comment! I don't know where you are based, but maybe if you are able to go somewhere a little higher and with less RFI you will also get lucky... I got a comment from someone in France a few days ago who lives in Paris, but he went to a slightly elevated and quiet place some way outside the city and picked up almost 200 stations during an auto scan with his XHDATA D-109. So I think there are still many stations to find 😀
Thanks for the time to do this, I have the D109 and really enjoy it, although the front end does overload a bit. I use a wire on the ceiling of a bedroom with about 2 turns of wire total and seems to work very well for me....thanks again. PS I'm looking for another radio maybe ill look at the D 808....
Thank you for your comment Joseph! Yes, some people do seem to experience a bit of overloading on the D-109. It seems to happen when there are many very strong FM signals in an area. I am lucky, I haven't experienced overloading on mine. But, as you, say, it remains a really enjoyable radio, and very sensitive on SW. The D-808 is a good choice! I just don't like the page memory system on the D-808, but you get used to it.
In the evenings 567 from Cape Town is loud and clear on my D-109, here on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia (Swakopmund). FM reception is also very very good I think.
Thanks Robin! I agree, this radio has very nice reception on all the bands, it is really great on shortwave also. I don't know if you do SW listening, but with this radio you can really have fun on SW.
Nice looking radios. After I bought two of the highest rated AM receivers for 100 or less I stopped using my smaller ones. The little Tecsun PL-330 is amazing because it allows the use of external AM antennas. I have bad electronic interference in my camper and it allows me to listen to shortwave an AM. I also plug my external outdoor wire antenna into my AN-200 loop to listen with my other receivers. It`s also amazing to plug in to the PL-330.
I like the Tecsun PL-368 for the same reason, it allows two different ways to use an external AM antenna. I use an external wire antenna for AM by overriding the internal ferrite antenna. I think it works the same way on the PL-330, you press and hold the number 3 button to switch between the whip and the ferrite for AM. So I switch to the whip, attach a long wire, and then I really pick up nice signals on AM! It works very well this way. And it also allows me to plug in my AN-200 loop, the AM antenna plug at the top of the PL-368 works for that. But, as I told you before, I am longing for the day when I will be the proud owner of one of the CC radios. Some day when I get the chance to travel abroad I will look for one, as the Amazon shipping to South Africa is just way too expensive on the CC radios. I suppose it is because they are big and heavy. I would also like to try the Sangean PR-D4.
@@swlistening The Sangean is less expensive but just as good. Is has great features like AM auto tracking and bandwidth control. If you wear headphones the lower bandwidth filters sound much more bright than they do using the speaker.
@@swlistening The CCrane EP PRO is the best AM receiver sold today because of the AM fine tuning knob and the external antenna ports for both AM and FM. It has super FM reception as well. I`m in a very rural area but when I take it outside the entire FM band is full of signals and when I change the position of the whip antenna a different station comes in. I can pick up a New Orleans FM station from 170 miles away.
@@baneverything5580 This is probably top of my wish list, but if I recall correctly it has an analogue display? Not digital? So, might be a bit difficult to identify the exact frequency of stations I catch on MW. Still possible, of course, just not as immediately apparent as with a digital display.
Hi Andrei. At 1:50 you said 576 kHz is Radio Pulpit. It sounds like Radio Veritas (Catholic Station) BTW, congrats on the success of your channel. You offer a great variety of radio content. All the best.
Thank you, you are right, it is Veritas indeed. Sadly that station ended its MW transmissions some months ago, just out of the blue. I never heard an announcement or anything, one day it was just gone. Thank you so much for your kind comments about my channel, I am very glad that you like the content.
Interesting video, nice to see some MWDX, not many of us left! The D-109 is a model I haven’t bought, just seemed much the same as what I already own. I wish Xhdata had done something a bit different with it like a double ferrite or something. Have you tried the little Sangean DT-250? Excellent on MW considering it’s size. Thanks for the video. 73 Franco
Thanks Franco. I haven't tried the little Sangean, sounds like a nice radio! The D-109 is an enjoyable radio, but for MW the D-808 is definitely much better.
I reckon the sensitivity, selectivity etc is about the same. The main difference on the videos to me is clearly the speaker. I've noticed on other reviews of the D109 the same thing. I find my 808 great on MW but plugging in Sony headphones makes all the difference. I find my Tecsun S2000 best MW DXer because of the large rotatable ferrinte bar on top.
Thanks for your comment Rob! I think the speaker on the D-109 does make quite a difference, but MW reception on the XHDATA D-808 is definitely better. The Tecsun S2000 looks like a great radio!
Hello, SWL, as I enjoyed your MW tests in regards to the battle of the XHDATAs D-808 Vs. D-109! I personally own the Sihuadon D-808 and I am very pleased with its performance! I know that the new XHDATA D-109 had some initial SW input difficulties from 17.000 MHz to 20.000 MHz I believe? Thank you, SWL, as your MW video test comparisons between the XHDATA D-808 Vs. D-109 were both helpful as well as entertaining! 73s & Good DXing indeed, my friend. Thank you...
Sure, I am glad you enjoyed this video! You are correct when you say there were some frequency input issues with the first version of this radio. Those issues have been fixed though, I had one of the radios with the issue, and received a free replacement from XHDATA, one without the issue.
Thank you, Andre I am impressed by the D-109. When the D-808 was launched, one of its advantages was the longer ferrite antenna for MW. I have not heard much hype about the capacity of the D-109's ferrite antenna, but it does seem very capable.
I did read somewhere that the D-109 has a smaller internal ferrite antenna than the D-808, but I haven't been able to conform that anywhere. It still seems to do well!
@@swlistening BTW, thank you for frequency 531 from Maun, Botswana. We had loadshedding one evening so I tried it, and I could hear it very well, right on the coast in Cape Town, even "behind" the curtain of mountains. Very chuffed!
@@johanleroux179 Sure! Do you know the 1350 kHz frequency for Radio Botswana? It comes from Tshabong in the Kgalakgadi area. Perhaps you can pick that one up also? And there is another one, 648 kHz, from Mopipi, almost right in the middle of Botswana. There are a few others also, don't know which ones you have tried yet? You can try 972 (Gaborone) and 1215 (Mahalapye) also. I usually pick all of them up at night.
Hello SWL. Den D-808 besitze ich bereits und finde ihn nicht so aufregend. Er hat viele Extras aber bei der Empfinlichkeit auf MW ueberzeugt er mich nicht. Deshalb bin ich noch am suchen nach etwas Besserem. Danke auch dass du auf Kommentare antwortest. Das ist sehr hilfreich einschliesslich der Erfahrungen der andern Comments.
Danke für deinen Kommentar. Ich denke, es ist schwierig, ein wirklich gutes Kofferradio für MW-DXen zu finden, die internen Ferritantennen sind einfach zu klein. Ich habe sehr gute Dinge über den Sangean PR-D4 gehört, aber ich besitze keinen. Sie sind hier in Südafrika schwer zu bekommen, ich habe keine Verkäufer gefunden, die in mein Land liefern.
Cool comparison Andre, keep it up 👍 For the most part I haven't noticed any difference between the two XHDATAs, except maybe on the lower end of MW. Your Radio Botswana 531 kHz reception seemed a bit more noisy on the D-109, idk, perhaps just a bit more internal noise there on that one? 🤔 But up in the band, this difference vanishes. 1377 is an interesting channel; it sounds to me like crying for an external antenna 😂 although I tell you what, I managed to catch Radio Free Africa one day in March 2021 on an SDR & a passive Airspy YouLoop in the kitchen! That was during auroral conditions though, but nevertheless it's one of the easiest African stations to grab from Europe. (Although 1116 Djibouti has been performing quite well lately) As for the naZi ruZZian (sorry, we're neighbours of both this country and Ukraine, so we know what those putinist zombies are up to) station on 1413, I wouldn't be driving conclusions as to which radio was better, even with the same loop, based on a few-minute snippet of two different signal peaks. At 8650km, DX signals tend to come & go, and one peak can be stronger than the other. I'd try to observe each radio for an extended period, maybe even over a few days to account for variable propagation, and then draw conclusions. But as I said earlier, I wouldn't expect too much of a difference between the 808 & 109 on 1413. Cheers & 73 🍻
Thank you so much for such a long reply Arnie! I agree with you, I don't see much of a difference between the two. They both seem to be quite good. Most of the weaker signals I picked up in this test improve significantly when I use my AN-200 loop antenna, but for this test I really wanted to see what these radios can do with their own internal ferrites. The Radio Free Africa one on 1377 was a bit of a bonus, I really don't pick that one up often. I am going to try for 1116 Djibouti, thanks for the tip! Haven't picked up that one yet. I think you are right about 1413, I should do an extended test at some point and see what happens. But, as you say, there will probably not be much of a difference. The MW performance on the D-109 is really interesting to me, I think I read somewhere that the internal ferrite antenna is smaller than the D-808 one, so it is quite interesting to me that on many signals these two radios are pretty much the same when using their internal antenna only. Just out of curiosity, are you more into MW DXing or SW? Or both? For me it's both, but what I like about MW is that there are still many surprises to be had. On SW I seem to mostly pick up the same signals, with occasional surprises.
@@swlistening I can't help with the D-109 ferrite rod length. Perhaps if it is shorter, then its longwave performance would be worse than D-808's - that said, the D-808 is rather deaf on LW... I listen to both MW & SW but I think you're right, MW can often offer something surprising, be it pirates, a new Middle Eastern, or faraway DX on external antennas. That said, high SW bands have become interesting with high solar activity, and I'm really looking forward to these bands to keep open overnight now that we're into spring - well, 20m & 19m likewise 😉 although that's gonna compete with FM DX from May 🤭
With loop test D 109 is little bit better, otherwise they are same reception. But speaker sound and voice clarity is better in D 109. Anybody intrested in mw more than other band, D 109 is great value for money. I think half the price of D 808.
I agree, Mohammed. I think rhe D-109 is terrific value for money. As my video shows, it seems to be very similar to the D-808 on MW, sometimes even better than the D-808.
Yeah if you don’t need SSB then the 808 is more $ than it is worth. 108 has air. neither has BT. I use BT for MP3s, I just don’t know how anyone finds these limited interface TF players at all useful. Most won’t even reliably play tracks in alphabetical order (they use the filesystem order which is hard to control).
I very rarely use my air-conditioning, it is not so hot where I live. But, yes, I would swith them off if they were in the same room as where I was listening, they would probably cause a lot of interference. Maybe just test it, see if it makes a difference or not. If no difference when off, just leave them on.
Not any that I own, but the bigger Tecsun radios like the PL-990 and the PL-880 also have SSB and use the 18650 battery. The XHDATA D-109 does as well, but no SSB.
@@swlistening Ok then. I see you tried picking up CapeTalk. That was nice! It is sometimes even hard for me to pick up Radio Pulpit. I am happy to see it got picked up.
@@FamtechVideos It is fine for DXing and some music listening in the background. It is very clear sounding, but of course the speaker is very small, so the sound quality is not excellent. It is really quite OK though.
@@marcuskeulertz5852 Marcus, the Buffalo Express people have an import licence, so they take care of the taxes. I assume it is included in the delivery fee.
You know, I have tried many times, but so far very little success with Latin America. On SW I have picked up a couple of signals from Brazil, but that's all so far. I think I need to try for MW signals around 2 or 3am my time, when it is night time in Latin America. But I am usually in bed at that time 😀
@@aishwaryap I don't actually know exactly how it works, but it does ... Many of the portable radios now work like this, the Tecsun PL-330, the Tecsun PL-368. There is no BFO knob, but you can hear SSB by fine-tuning until the signal is clear.
Definitely, the sound is much better! In my view the D-808 is better on AM, it has a much bigger ferrite antenna. But I think the D-109 is as good as the D-808 on shortwave, perhaps even slightly better.
It is hard to say which is better, they are so close. I think in some cases the D-808 was better, and on some signals the D-109 was better. The D-109 did much better than the D-808 when I was using the loop antenna, it seems to work better with the loop.
I think that this is one of the best videos I've seen in a very long time because there is a pretty substantial price difference between the two units and so since there's really not a difference between them except cosmetics I would go with the the less expensive model because to me that makes sense and if you're saving money and still getting the same quality for the unit then that's a very very big accomplishment there's so many radios out there to from so these shootouts really help a lot of people out so I would give this video a 10 out of a 10 and wanted to say thank you it was very informative and it's helped me make a decision on which one of those shortwave radios to buy so I just wanted to say very well done and thank you
Thank you so much for your kind comment Jerry, I really appreciate it! I am very glad the video helped you to make a decision about which radio to buy. Just keep in mind that the D-109 does not cover air band and does not have SSB, but if you don't use those, then it sounds like it might be a very good choice for you.
Strictly listen to shortwave radio so basically that was what I was really interested in between both of these units and you said that they were both the same in a world full of dishonest people trust is a precious commodities that's very rare I thought based on what you had to say I could make an intelligent decision that was based on what your experience was based on the truth of what you were saying and I believe that in the future you could go somewhere I hope that you continue to do what you're doing and as you do that and help other people make wise decisions that good works always are rewarded and so I again wanted to say thank you
@@jerrytoro4739 Thanks Jerry, I think for regular shortwave listening both these radios are equally good, but the D-109 definitely has a better speaker. There is one small flaw on some of the D-109s, although I did not really experience this on mine. Some people find that when you add an external antenna on SW, the radio overloads, so the signal becomes very distorted. This is something that does not happen on the D-808. With a short wire (3 metres), or the whip antenna, the D-109 works just as well as the D-808.
So many short wave channels available, I'm jealous.
Good video, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your comment! I don't know where you are based, but maybe if you are able to go somewhere a little higher and with less RFI you will also get lucky... I got a comment from someone in France a few days ago who lives in Paris, but he went to a slightly elevated and quiet place some way outside the city and picked up almost 200 stations during an auto scan with his XHDATA D-109. So I think there are still many stations to find 😀
Thanks for the time to do this, I have the D109 and really enjoy it, although the front end does overload a bit. I use a wire on the ceiling of a bedroom with about 2 turns of wire total and seems to work very well for me....thanks again. PS I'm looking for another radio maybe ill look at the D 808....
Thank you for your comment Joseph! Yes, some people do seem to experience a bit of overloading on the D-109. It seems to happen when there are many very strong FM signals in an area. I am lucky, I haven't experienced overloading on mine. But, as you, say, it remains a really enjoyable radio, and very sensitive on SW. The D-808 is a good choice! I just don't like the page memory system on the D-808, but you get used to it.
I have been using the D-808 during the last year and it's an awesome radio with an outstanding sensitivity
Thank you Vinsu, it really is a great radio, especially when considering the price and everything you get for that.
In the evenings 567 from Cape Town is loud and clear on my D-109, here on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia (Swakopmund). FM reception is also very very good I think.
Thanks Robin! I agree, this radio has very nice reception on all the bands, it is really great on shortwave also. I don't know if you do SW listening, but with this radio you can really have fun on SW.
Nice looking radios. After I bought two of the highest rated AM receivers for 100 or less I stopped using my smaller ones. The little Tecsun PL-330 is amazing because it allows the use of external AM antennas. I have bad electronic interference in my camper and it allows me to listen to shortwave an AM. I also plug my external outdoor wire antenna into my AN-200 loop to listen with my other receivers. It`s also amazing to plug in to the PL-330.
I like the Tecsun PL-368 for the same reason, it allows two different ways to use an external AM antenna. I use an external wire antenna for AM by overriding the internal ferrite antenna. I think it works the same way on the PL-330, you press and hold the number 3 button to switch between the whip and the ferrite for AM. So I switch to the whip, attach a long wire, and then I really pick up nice signals on AM! It works very well this way. And it also allows me to plug in my AN-200 loop, the AM antenna plug at the top of the PL-368 works for that. But, as I told you before, I am longing for the day when I will be the proud owner of one of the CC radios. Some day when I get the chance to travel abroad I will look for one, as the Amazon shipping to South Africa is just way too expensive on the CC radios. I suppose it is because they are big and heavy. I would also like to try the Sangean PR-D4.
@@swlistening The Sangean is less expensive but just as good. Is has great features like AM auto tracking and bandwidth control. If you wear headphones the lower bandwidth filters sound much more bright than they do using the speaker.
@@swlistening The CCrane EP PRO is the best AM receiver sold today because of the AM fine tuning knob and the external antenna ports for both AM and FM. It has super FM reception as well. I`m in a very rural area but when I take it outside the entire FM band is full of signals and when I change the position of the whip antenna a different station comes in. I can pick up a New Orleans FM station from 170 miles away.
@@baneverything5580 I think I will like the Sangean.
@@baneverything5580 This is probably top of my wish list, but if I recall correctly it has an analogue display? Not digital? So, might be a bit difficult to identify the exact frequency of stations I catch on MW. Still possible, of course, just not as immediately apparent as with a digital display.
Hi Andrei. At 1:50 you said 576 kHz is Radio Pulpit. It sounds like Radio Veritas (Catholic Station)
BTW, congrats on the success of your channel. You offer a great variety of radio content. All the best.
Thank you, you are right, it is Veritas indeed. Sadly that station ended its MW transmissions some months ago, just out of the blue. I never heard an announcement or anything, one day it was just gone.
Thank you so much for your kind comments about my channel, I am very glad that you like the content.
Interesting video, nice to see some MWDX, not many of us left!
The D-109 is a model I haven’t bought, just seemed much the same as what I already own. I wish Xhdata had done something a bit different with it like a double ferrite or something.
Have you tried the little Sangean DT-250? Excellent on MW considering it’s size.
Thanks for the video.
73 Franco
Thanks Franco. I haven't tried the little Sangean, sounds like a nice radio! The D-109 is an enjoyable radio, but for MW the D-808 is definitely much better.
I reckon the sensitivity, selectivity etc is about the same. The main difference on the videos to me is clearly the speaker. I've noticed on other reviews of the D109 the same thing. I find my 808 great on MW but plugging in Sony headphones makes all the difference. I find my Tecsun S2000 best MW DXer because of the large rotatable ferrinte bar on top.
Thanks for your comment Rob! I think the speaker on the D-109 does make quite a difference, but MW reception on the XHDATA D-808 is definitely better. The Tecsun S2000 looks like a great radio!
Hello, SWL, as I enjoyed your MW tests in regards to the battle of the XHDATAs D-808 Vs. D-109! I personally own the Sihuadon D-808 and I am very pleased with its performance! I know that the new XHDATA D-109 had some initial SW input difficulties from 17.000 MHz to 20.000 MHz I believe? Thank you, SWL, as your MW video test comparisons between the XHDATA D-808 Vs. D-109 were both helpful as well as entertaining! 73s & Good DXing indeed, my friend. Thank you...
Sure, I am glad you enjoyed this video! You are correct when you say there were some frequency input issues with the first version of this radio. Those issues have been fixed though, I had one of the radios with the issue, and received a free replacement from XHDATA, one without the issue.
Thank you, Andre I am impressed by the D-109. When the D-808 was launched, one of its advantages was the longer ferrite antenna for MW. I have not heard much hype about the capacity of the D-109's ferrite antenna, but it does seem very capable.
I did read somewhere that the D-109 has a smaller internal ferrite antenna than the D-808, but I haven't been able to conform that anywhere. It still seems to do well!
@@swlistening BTW, thank you for frequency 531 from Maun, Botswana. We had loadshedding one evening so I tried it, and I could hear it very well, right on the coast in Cape Town, even "behind" the curtain of mountains. Very chuffed!
@@johanleroux179 Sure! Do you know the 1350 kHz frequency for Radio Botswana? It comes from Tshabong in the Kgalakgadi area. Perhaps you can pick that one up also? And there is another one, 648 kHz, from Mopipi, almost right in the middle of Botswana. There are a few others also, don't know which ones you have tried yet? You can try 972 (Gaborone) and 1215 (Mahalapye) also. I usually pick all of them up at night.
I use the same loop like you do?? Very practical antenna
This loop antenna is really great. It helps me to pick up some really distant signals, sometimes quite clearly!
Good test example
Glad you liked it, thank you for watching!
Hello SWL. Den D-808 besitze ich bereits und finde ihn nicht so aufregend. Er hat viele Extras aber bei der Empfinlichkeit auf MW ueberzeugt er mich nicht. Deshalb bin ich noch am suchen nach etwas Besserem. Danke auch dass du auf Kommentare antwortest. Das ist sehr hilfreich einschliesslich der Erfahrungen der andern Comments.
Danke für deinen Kommentar. Ich denke, es ist schwierig, ein wirklich gutes Kofferradio für MW-DXen zu finden, die internen Ferritantennen sind einfach zu klein. Ich habe sehr gute Dinge über den Sangean PR-D4 gehört, aber ich besitze keinen. Sie sind hier in Südafrika schwer zu bekommen, ich habe keine Verkäufer gefunden, die in mein Land liefern.
@@swlistening Danke, den guck ich mir mal an. Werd mich mal informieren. Wenn der in eu zu kaufen ist, leite ich den auch gern weiter.
Cool comparison Andre, keep it up 👍
For the most part I haven't noticed any difference between the two XHDATAs, except maybe on the lower end of MW. Your Radio Botswana 531 kHz reception seemed a bit more noisy on the D-109, idk, perhaps just a bit more internal noise there on that one? 🤔 But up in the band, this difference vanishes.
1377 is an interesting channel; it sounds to me like crying for an external antenna 😂 although I tell you what, I managed to catch Radio Free Africa one day in March 2021 on an SDR & a passive Airspy YouLoop in the kitchen! That was during auroral conditions though, but nevertheless it's one of the easiest African stations to grab from Europe. (Although 1116 Djibouti has been performing quite well lately)
As for the naZi ruZZian (sorry, we're neighbours of both this country and Ukraine, so we know what those putinist zombies are up to) station on 1413, I wouldn't be driving conclusions as to which radio was better, even with the same loop, based on a few-minute snippet of two different signal peaks. At 8650km, DX signals tend to come & go, and one peak can be stronger than the other. I'd try to observe each radio for an extended period, maybe even over a few days to account for variable propagation, and then draw conclusions. But as I said earlier, I wouldn't expect too much of a difference between the 808 & 109 on 1413.
Cheers & 73 🍻
Thank you so much for such a long reply Arnie! I agree with you, I don't see much of a difference between the two. They both seem to be quite good. Most of the weaker signals I picked up in this test improve significantly when I use my AN-200 loop antenna, but for this test I really wanted to see what these radios can do with their own internal ferrites. The Radio Free Africa one on 1377 was a bit of a bonus, I really don't pick that one up often. I am going to try for 1116 Djibouti, thanks for the tip! Haven't picked up that one yet. I think you are right about 1413, I should do an extended test at some point and see what happens. But, as you say, there will probably not be much of a difference. The MW performance on the D-109 is really interesting to me, I think I read somewhere that the internal ferrite antenna is smaller than the D-808 one, so it is quite interesting to me that on many signals these two radios are pretty much the same when using their internal antenna only. Just out of curiosity, are you more into MW DXing or SW? Or both? For me it's both, but what I like about MW is that there are still many surprises to be had. On SW I seem to mostly pick up the same signals, with occasional surprises.
@@swlistening I can't help with the D-109 ferrite rod length. Perhaps if it is shorter, then its longwave performance would be worse than D-808's - that said, the D-808 is rather deaf on LW... I listen to both MW & SW but I think you're right, MW can often offer something surprising, be it pirates, a new Middle Eastern, or faraway DX on external antennas. That said, high SW bands have become interesting with high solar activity, and I'm really looking forward to these bands to keep open overnight now that we're into spring - well, 20m & 19m likewise 😉 although that's gonna compete with FM DX from May 🤭
With loop test D 109 is little bit better, otherwise they are same reception. But speaker sound and voice clarity is better in D 109. Anybody intrested in mw more than other band, D 109 is great value for money. I think half the price of D 808.
I agree, Mohammed. I think rhe D-109 is terrific value for money. As my video shows, it seems to be very similar to the D-808 on MW, sometimes even better than the D-808.
AND it has an onboard music player (for load shedding evenings!), and works as a bluetooth speaker too.
@@robintyson591 Absolutely! I have been using the Bluetooth a lot already to stream music when there is loadshedding. The speaker sound is quite good!
Yes! It works really well, helps me pick up some very distant signals that I cannot hear without the loop. And it improves weak signals a lot.
Yeah if you don’t need SSB then the 808 is more $ than it is worth. 108 has air. neither has BT.
I use BT for MP3s, I just don’t know how anyone finds these limited interface TF players at all useful. Most won’t even reliably play tracks in alphabetical order (they use the filesystem order which is hard to control).
Do you switch 9ff the air conditioner and ceiling fans too ?
I very rarely use my air-conditioning, it is not so hot where I live. But, yes, I would swith them off if they were in the same room as where I was listening, they would probably cause a lot of interference. Maybe just test it, see if it makes a difference or not. If no difference when off, just leave them on.
18650 is one of the best features. Are there any other radios with ssb and 18650?
Not any that I own, but the bigger Tecsun radios like the PL-990 and the PL-880 also have SSB and use the 18650 battery. The XHDATA D-109 does as well, but no SSB.
This was great! Have you tried doing one of these MW DXing with the Tecsun PL368?
Not yet, I might still do, but the Tecsun PL-368 is not that strong on MW, it is better for SW.
@@swlistening Ok then. I see you tried picking up CapeTalk. That was nice! It is sometimes even hard for me to pick up Radio Pulpit. I am happy to see it got picked up.
@@swlistening So Andre, is the speaker quality good on the PL368?
@@FamtechVideos It is fine for DXing and some music listening in the background. It is very clear sounding, but of course the speaker is very small, so the sound quality is not excellent. It is really quite OK though.
@@swlistening Ok. So what would you compare to the PL368 for shortwave, but with a nice speaker? The D109 maybe?
What type of battery uses the new XHDATA??
It uses the 18650 battery.
Interesting 🤔
Yes, I think the D-109 is surprisingly good!
test LW please
Unfortunately there are no LW signals that I can receive here in South Africa, so I won't be able to test LW.
I like it, where Did you get it??
I got mine directly from the XHDATA website in China, xhdata.com.cn
@@swlistening Did you pay any taxes when it was delivered??
The wave reception is very good for such a small radio.
@@marcuskeulertz5852 Marcus, the Buffalo Express people have an import licence, so they take care of the taxes. I assume it is included in the delivery fee.
@@marcuskeulertz5852 I am very impressed by the reception quality.
Latin America DX should be awesome from South Africa. Argentina, Uruguay maybe some caribbean MW stations.
You know, I have tried many times, but so far very little success with Latin America. On SW I have picked up a couple of signals from Brazil, but that's all so far. I think I need to try for MW signals around 2 or 3am my time, when it is night time in Latin America. But I am usually in bed at that time 😀
Does XHDATA D-808 has BFO ?
There is no BFO, but it has fine tuning for SSB signals, so you can tune into the signals very accurately.
@@swlistening Without RE-INJECTING the carrier how it will work ?
@@aishwaryap I don't actually know exactly how it works, but it does ... Many of the portable radios now work like this, the Tecsun PL-330, the Tecsun PL-368. There is no BFO knob, but you can hear SSB by fine-tuning until the signal is clear.
@@swlistening oh ok 👍
D-109 has a much better quality of sound. It also has much better AM reception.
Definitely, the sound is much better! In my view the D-808 is better on AM, it has a much bigger ferrite antenna. But I think the D-109 is as good as the D-808 on shortwave, perhaps even slightly better.
Lebih baik yang mana?
It is hard to say which is better, they are so close. I think in some cases the D-808 was better, and on some signals the D-109 was better. The D-109 did much better than the D-808 when I was using the loop antenna, it seems to work better with the loop.
They are just to damn small.
For me, small is good sometimes, nice and portable :-)