This is the man from South Africa.
My channel is about all things radio, especially shortwave and medium wave radio listening. This is a fun hobby that helps you escape from digital overload. There is something incredible about picking up real radio waves that travel to your location from very far away. Any basic radio with SW and MW coverage is good enough to get started.
On my channel I post reviews of receivers and recordings of interesting SW and MW signals. I also do many comparisons, to give you an idea of what different radios can do before you make a purchase.
I DO NOT earn money from ANY of the links posted on my page, and I never will. I prefer to remain objective and not be influenced in any way in my reviews. I don't think you can be fully objective if you earn money from inks to retailers selling the very same radios you review. I simply provide the links as a service to help you find a seller.
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Hi Andre, thanks for an excellent podcast. Fortunately, here in Australia, FM is still going strong and many AM stations that have converted to FM have been replaced by other groups using the former frequencies, especially in the major cities. DAB is restricted to major cities and DRM has only been in test mode. Of course, this could change in years to come. In New Zealand, from what I understand, tested both DAB and DRM, but closed it down, due to lack of interest. Some AM and FM continue there as well. Anyway, wishing you the very best. Rob in Melbourne Australia.
Easy catch from here in France, but this is a really nice and clear catch from down there in SA! Congratulations. Never heard their English program myself. Mostly targeting English-speaking African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda etc., I guess.
Hey André, this was a comparison we hoped for indeed, that I haven't done myself yet. Thanks for this. These two are quite close indeed, but the D-368 is helped by its immensely superior loudspeaker, its more readable display and overall better build quality. I've recently seized an opportunity to buy a D-328 that missed from my collection of radios 😉and I like it a lot too. It has a very nice shiny black casing, USB C too and it's the same great performer for a very cheap price. Even the "Q" has a run for its money here, I would go as far as saying it was a little bit noisier!
Someone testing the hemisfere for athmosferic conditions whit traditional music😂
Thanks Andre for a Very enjoyable video ! I have wanted this radio for some time but because I didn't like the reviews I didn't get it. But now I hearing Good reports on the new model I might get the new Texsun . Good show my Friend.
The kenwood r1000 is superb on ssb, something must be wrong with yours. Thanks for the interesting video! 73
Hi cool channel
Thanks!
At this absolute-minimum cut-throat price level it will be hard to find a true winner. Both technologies have their advantages, and in general use each of the advantages may decide what you receive best. In principle a DSP-based radio will offer way better near selectivity. I.e. when there is a stronger station adjacent to the one you are listening to, the DSP-based radio will receive it much better because the filters are way better. Those "coils" offer a sloped filter and that is what results in that gradually stronger signal when you tune. May sound "easy to tune" but in fact it is a bad filter that will not cut away nearby interfering stations as well as a DSP does. However, the broadband selectivity of a DSP-based radio will be worse a that low price point, because there is no filtering ahead of the electronics at all, i.e. all signals go into the radio processing hardware, and it could get overloaded e.g. when you live near to a transmitter that works on a completely different band than you listen to. At a slightly higher price-point, the DSP-based radio have switched analog front-end filters that pass only the band you listen to and then the DSP part cuts the one station out of that band. Radios that do that will always outperform an analog radio without problem.
Since I was a young kid I loved antique radios and shortwave. When I got older I learned how to fix them up. I have many radios am/fm,shortwave ham and military. I hardly listen to them at all anymore. Due to deregulation in the US almost all stations are piped in via satellite or internet. Anywhere you go itts for the most part the same music and same government propaganda psa. The one local that plays a few good songs has gliches during ever song. Drives ne nuts. Back in the day they would have been en shut down.They have killed radio and they are getting the last few kicks in before the heartbeat stops. Thanks for covering whats left on shortwave.
Hmare pas hai sr .
XHDATA D219 RADIO best ❤❤
I agree, very nice radio!
Hi Andrea, Which type of wire you use on your external antenna? how long the wire is? where it is attached outside? and which jack you use for it?
I use speaker wire, it is 10 metres long. It runs from my study out of the window along the wall of my garage, and is attached to the eaves. I just clip an exposed bit of the wire to the whip antennas of my radio, with a crocodile clip. But you can also attach it to a 3.5mm mono plug and then plug it into the antenna jack on the Qodosen.
MW or AM we call here in Malaysia is death but I can receive a few Thailand MW station at night.
There is another viewer on my channel who is also in Malaysia, in KL, and he has mentioned in the past that there are very few MW signals on Malaysia. That's really unfortunate.
K6 = Aurora somewhere near my latitude of 54N... except I've never been lucky enough to see an Aurora 😂 But may try for a radio aurora on FM & maybe on 2m, just need to sort out a mess caused by strong winds yesterday & today, both my 3el Quad for the FM band and my large loop antenna are unoperational due to a pear tree branch fallen 😣 lots of pears were growing on it, all green yet, all wasted 😭 We are in quite a ridiculous situation indeed, as we've seen so many new shortwave radios popping up on the market, right in time for major broadcasters cutting their shortwave schedules significantly 🤦 the only explanation I can think of is... somebody's preparing for a war 😳 But thanks for the 6145 Bolivia tip 👍 been missing those Latin stations, it seems as if three Brazilians (well, four, but the 4th one is on 19m only) and that odd Colombian on 4940 were all that's left, and it really felt empty-ish 🙄 But at the moment, I'm listening to Radio Rebelde on 5025 kHz out of Cuba, via a KiwiSDR in Florida, and they're doing non-stop Olympics coverage 😀 they're literalky skipping from discipline to discipline, they left a China vs Canada volleyball match at 21:20 in the 1st set & went on with swimming 😆 I'm streaming it also, so you can rewind & look it up 🙂 Plenty of stations are carrying the Olympics, both on SW & MW. Both REE & RFI are on it, which makes me happy 😃 and I think I should catch something on CNR1, particularly in 1300-1500 UTC hours. And you, André, if you're still interested in chasing Australian stations, ABC Local Radio carries the Olympics for hours every day, and for them it happens right throughout the skywave hours. So you can try e.g. 558 Wagin, 594 Horsham... But not 720 Perth, as ABC Local stations in some capital cities don't carry it & proceed with normal programming, due to the sublicence they acquired from Channel 9 TV. The same sublicence also prohibits them from streaming the Olympics online! So those very same local stations that do carry the Olympics on MW, also have regular programming online.
Hey Arnie, maybe you will be lucky this time round with the aurora! With the previous G3 storm in May we even had auroras here in South Africa, the Southern Lights. Mostly red colours, some people thought there were bush fires (very common in our wintertime, when the grass is dry) when they saw it. Unfortunately it wasn't visible in Johannesburg, only further south from here. Pity about your pear tree branch and all the lost pears! I have a very small garden, I have only two fruit trees, a lemon tree that bears huge numbers of lemons twice a year, and a calamansi tree in a pot by the front door, don't know if you know calamansi? Like a small lime. This one took years before it started bearing fruit, but now there are. The lemon tree has so many fruits that I usually preserve some in salt. Delicious! True what you say about the strange radio times - new radios but fewer stations. But I think there are still enough stations around to motivate people to buy new radios. About the Olympics, interesting what you say about the Australian stations, I will try for them over the weekend if I can stay up very late my time, I think that will be my best chance. Haven't had luck with Australian stations in the past yet though. I noticed over the past few days that there is good Olympics coverage on shortwave also, on BBC, VOA, also REE and RFI. More like wraps of the day, not live, but still interesting.
So what's the difference between Tecsun S-2200 and S-2000? It looks the same
The new one seems to be much more advanced, has several bandwidths, no soft muting and triple conversion. From what I have read, it seems to be completely redesigned on the inside, basically an entirely new radio. It's just the outside that still looks the same as the S-2000.
The electronics have been completely switched out for all new technology. Much as I would love to have one, far too expensive for me.
@@RJDA.Dakota Same here, far too expensive for me.
Thanks for yet another informative podcast, bru! 🌍👍 I've told you about the Tecsun S-2200 in my previous email. Good to know that it'll be launched later this year. As long as it doesn't cost as much as a Sony Xperia 1 VI or a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, I'd say the S-2200 is still within my budget. If Tecsun intends to follow its predecessor's footsteps the company will produce a version for the international export market and one for the domestic China market. The latter is almost always cheaper of the two versions. However I won't get one that soon as the first batch will probably have teething problems like the Choyong LC-90.😊 As for the D-220, good to know that the XHDATA company has launched a new product. I'd take the D-219 or D-368 any day. I only have to glance at the tuning dial to know that this not an ideal analogue radio for SWL'ing - it's more like an FM radio with the AM bands thrown in. Still, it's better than most FM radios that don't even have a shortwave band as well known electronics manufacturers like Panasonic and Sony have long omitted SW bands from their portable or kitchen radios.
Indeed, I remember you mentioning the S-2200 in an email. I'm not so sure if I will buy one, the price is really high for me. The D-220, as you say, looks more like a MW and FM pocket radio, with SW added on. Might still be a fun little radio.
@@swlistening Yes, the single shortwave band frequency range puts the D-220 into a general purpose radio category. This is why analogue dial radios divide the SW spectrum into several bands, depending on the range of the frequency dial. Small pocket radios generally have 7 to 12 shortwave bands so that the listener can manually scan the stations with precision. The XHDATA D-219's short travel FM band makes precise tuning to a station in a crowded FM band can be difficult. I can only imagine navigating through the narrow bandwidth SW stations on the D-220. 😨 That reminds me, I have not bought anything related to SW radios throughout this year. Time to snag the Tecsun R-9700DX on the next monthly sale! 😀
@@StratmanII Let me know when you see the Tecsun R-9700DX on sale! I think that looks like a very nice radio. By the way, I am finally taking the leap to buy the PL-680, will buy it later today from anon-co. Finally made up my mind that it is the radio I want to buy right now 😀
Thanks Andre for another awesome radio report as world situation shows the need for radio now more than ever! 73! Have a great day!
Thank you! We will always need radios :-)
Great Video! Hello From Wyoming, USA!!
Hi there, and thanks!
It's to bad you could not have listened to shortwave bands in the 1970s like I did! The bands were loaded in those days....BBC...Radio Moscow....Hilverson Holland.... Germany...France...and many many others. I had huge books full of all the QSL cards I received with radio station reports I made with my GE 12 band radio I received for Christmas in 1971. Not much on Shortwave these days..it is a lot cheaper to go on line instead of building an expensive tower and transmitter.
Hi Ron, I was a teenager in the 1980s, I still remember shortwave from those days. I was a keen SW listener at that time, like you! I used a very simple radio with just one SW band that only covered 19 metres up to 60 metres, if I remember correctly. The 31 metre band and 49 metre band were absolutely packed with signals. Do you still have your QSL cards? I think those are quite collectable now. I remember all these stations you mention, and so many more. Do you remember Radio Peace and Progress from Russia? Those days were great for DXing. I had some pen pals through the pen pal club on Happy Station (Radio Netherlands), and to this day I am still friends with one of them, in Germany. The good old days!
Yes the good old days of SWL listening! I remember listening to the fall of the Berlin Wall on my old 1950s Hallicrafters tube radio!
There is a G3 solar watch for the 30th could see a kp 6-7
Thanks Keagan, so it has been upgraded since I checked. Looks like we will have some blackouts this week.
@swlistening yeah last time it was that high we seen the northern lights all the way into Oklahoma. It was wild and had several storm chaser friends say they could hear the power lines making Noises. Was really surprised we didn't lose out Star Link connections has it transmission is 10-12ghz
@@box420 Yes, I remember that, just two months ago! The Southern Lights were even visible here in South Africa. Unfortunately not where I am in Johannesburg, but further south towards Cape Town many people saw them. The pictures were amazing.
Thank you once again for these reports. They’re very informative.
My pleasure, glad you like them!
Thanks for another great vlog.👍
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing this information I find it very helpful
Thanks Michael, glad it was helpful!
MW has been terrible here above the Arctic Circle for the last week or more. There’s too much solar activity and nothing much apart from the strong Iranian stations are making it through. The band has seen a very high background noise level. The new Techsun radio is in older JRC territory in price terms. I would be nervous going for it over a JRC knowing how good they are but let’s see how the reviews go.
Hi Matt, I can really see the seasonal difference here on my side also. Now that it is winter here, the MW band has just come alive. But my winter is very short, so I have a very short gap actually for my MW DXing. It is such a difference when compared to summer. I have exactly the same experience as you when it is summer here, far fewer signals and often very noisy. Only the strong signals come through. I agree with you about that new Tecsun, I don't think I will buy it. What you say about the JRC radios is very true, those are top quality radios. Much better to buy one of those in good working condition than this new Tecsun.
Thanks, Andre...for these podcasts. I gather putting them together takes time and effort. It's appreciated. You're mentioning LM Radio brings back many memories for me, and I guess for many other people. I am from South Africa, 72 years old now...and grew up with radio since a young boy...and I still love all things radio. 73
Thank you so much for your comment Howell. Yes, LM Radio is a real part of our history here. I was a bit too young when the original LM Radio was on the air to know that one, but I love the relaunched version.
I’m not even from South Africa, but back in the day I used to love listening to Springbok Radio. It used to be on shortwaves, at 4810, and also 11710. Good times.
@@RJDA.Dakota Interesting! Springbok Radio was a public radio service here, and was started by the public broadcaster to compete with LM Radio. When LM Radio closed down in the 1970s, Springbok Radio became very popular.
Will wait 5 years on the 2200x for reviews and debugging, if I ever buy it . A SDR on a computer would be a better option at that size. BTW, wait 5 years on vehicles, appliances, expensive items, for recalls and reviews
That sounds like a wise decision James, to wait five years. I will do the same, or maybe even longer 😀
I really enjoy your broadcasts…..a breath of fresh air! Please keep them coming!
Thank you so much Norm! I will.
I'm not surprised that radio still rules the media. It's easily accessible and relatively affordable. MW radio is a good medium. LM Radio is a favourite for me
I agree, here in South Africa internet access can be quite unaffordable for people who rely on mobile internet via their phones. Radio is by far the most accessible medium.
is LM the Zim station that runs in Gauteng too?
@@chrisg1234fly It used to be based in Mozambique, but now they have two stations. One in Maputo, called LM Radio Mozambique, and one in Gauteng, simply called LM Radio. The Gauteng one has studios and a transmitter right here in Gauteng. The "old" LM Radio did, indeed target Zimbabwe (Rhodesia back then) and South Africa.
Thanks for your efforts.
Sure, Richard, thanks for your comment!
Having just bought a D-219, now I think I want a D-220! 😁 I'm strictly motivated by nostalgia because it comes in green, and my first radio -- a Zenith R-100 "Zenette" -- was green and about the same size. The fact that almost 17 MHz are packed into less than three inches of dial can't possibly be a good thing, can it? And then I can hear my wife saying, "Another radio?!?!?!". (She's really very good-natured about these things and completely supports my hobby purchases. Also, I have reminded her that "You can never be too thin, or too rich, or have too many radios." 😎) Shortwave has been terrible today. I ended up sitting outside and seeing how many medium wave stations I could log on my PL-990X with the whip antenna. 🤒
Even me, I also want that one. It just looks nice and, indeed, has a hint of nostalgia to it. Looks like the old-time pocket radios. $16, not too much... Why not 😀
🗼📻🫶
Clear reception without any overloading from tons of ruZZian OTH radar signals on almost all SW bands and CRI broadcasts from 500 kW txs.
Thanks! These are both very clear.
I caught them in English on 2 June at 1816Z on 17600 kHz. First and last time I have heard them in English and could hardly believe it was Ifrikya FM!
Hi William, thanks for your comment. Their English programmes seem to appear quite randomly, it seems to be the luck of the draw whether you will English or not :-)
@@swlistening Hey, I just bought an XHDATA D-219 for $8.78. I actually heard Ifrikya FM on it this afternoon (but not in English).
@@WilliamParmley Great buy William, it's a very nice little radio.
The man from South Africa introduced me to Ifrikya FM, but I happened to catch an English broadcast way before he did! 📻😀 17600 kHz is fairly easy for me to remember without having to store it into the receiver's channel presets. I usually tune to Radio Thailand's English programme @ 7475 kHz first as it has a short 50 minute broadcast. When the transmission ends, I'd switch to Ifrikya FM. If I'm lucky, I'd be listening to an English broadcast instead of Arabic. Even then the propagation conditions vary from one week to another; on a good early morning the station comes in loud and without QRM. 🗼🌍........🌏📻
Very interesting that you have heard them in English already! For me this was the first time, although I knew that they do transmit in English at times. Do you perhaps remember the times when you heard them in English? Would be interesting to see I there is some kind of a pattern.
@@swlistening I remember it was a discussion on the current events in Sudan, with a female as the radio journalist and a man as the interviewee. I'd say every 10 times I'd tune into Ifrikya FM, 8 times the language would be either in Arabic or French. The week before was another programme in English and I thought I just lucked out as the listening conditions were optimal _and_ it so happened Ifrikya FM had an English broadcast hour (or two). I think it was between 2000-2200 UTC. The S/N ratio is usually poor at my QTH, despite using the 100-foot external wire antenna and mini balun, with my Megaloop MLA-30+ faring slightly worse due to its indoor location. I'm okay with this, considering that I am at a huge disadvantage compared to your location and elevation. I seldom explore the higher bands after 10 pm (local time) as most of the broadcasters targeting my region would be clustered at the lower HF bands. So, when I first learned from your channel that Ifrikya FM was transmitting at 17600 kHz, I tuned to that frequency and to my surprise it came in loud and clear (although it wasn't in English on my first time). According to Copilot, Ifriyka FM broadcasts in English on Wednesdays and Sundays, but Microsoft's AI has also been known to make mistakes. 🤔
@@StratmanII Thanks for this. I know some people have reported English programmes between 1800 and 1900 UTC, similar to my own experience. So sometimes it seems to happen later as well, based on your experience. It seems to me that it is worth monitoring Ifrikya FM at various times for possible English programmes.
The D-219, D-608WB and D-109 are the only three radios which I bought after watching the SWL King's channel. Sadly, I have been unsuccessful in trying to influence him to buy the PL-330, PL-660 or the really awesome ATS-25 AMP. 😥 I've already purchased the Tecsun PL-368, XHDATA D-368 and the Retekess V-110 long before discovering this channel, so they don't count!😀
You have succeeded in influencing me 😀 My current to-buy list, in no specific order, includes the PL-680, PL-330, a Gospell DRM radio and an SDR. I'm still thinking about the ATS.
@@swlistening Trade secret: The ATS-25 AMP is one of those industrial looking, and project receivers that many people dismiss because it doesn't resemble anything like a conventional looking D-808, PL-330 or a SR-286. It took me almost three months to master all of its features and I was discovering something new about it every night, for the first 30 days! Price wise, it costs less than a Qodosen TEF 6686. If you're able to look past its biggest flaw - the detachable whip aerial and plug in a good external antenna (MLA-30+ or long wire stretched outdoors) the ATS-25 will make you smile each time you fire it up. I would describe this receiver like a modern day Kenwood desktop communications receiver that you can literally place on the palm of your hand but it's best hooked up to an external antenna. 📻☺️ The visual presentation of its color LCD display is outstanding and you can configure the display to show different color schemes and even a virtual Grundig-esque, retro analog frequency dial if you wish. As a presentation tool, you can display the ATS-25 tuned to Radio Ifrikya FM on 17600 kHz in different ways each time you upload a video. Your channel viewers won't get bored every time and it also makes a great conversation piece! 😄👍🏼 I would not travel with the ATS-25 unless I'm prepared to bring along an external antenna and set it up each time, unless I just want to listen to local FM stations. This is why I liken it to a desktop shortwave receiver. The only hi tech and more sophisticated looking receiver that is better than the ATS-25 is the Malahit DSP2 clone standalone SDR, but it costs about 4-5 times as much. The ATS-25 spoiled me for months because I started to neglect even my prized Tecsun PL-990. So, why is the ATS-25 not noticed by newbie DX'ers, you ask? It's because it doesn't look like a traditional D-808, for example. People are generally afraid to try something new that they're unfamiliar with. 😄
@@swlistening _"I'm still thinking about the ATS"_ Well, in case you don't like the ATS-25 AMP I'll gladly buy it from you at a fair price, my friend! I don't mind having a preowned but well cared for unit though, as long as it has a valid Harduino license. It's a really fun radio for the price. I hope you take PayPal!🙂
@@StratmanII I do take PayPal 😀 But I don't even have the ATS-25 yet, still thinking about whether I want to buy one or not. It's a possibility, one day. But I have other radios that I want now, quite specifically the PL-680. I feel I want to try out another true analogue radio.
Their language roster seems to be just about as random & irregular as on Radio Algeria International, which, contrary to its name, operates mostly domestically on FM, but also from some 3 high-power MW transmitters on 531, 576 & 891 kHz. Once I heard them in English, the other day in Spanish (that one was on FM via Sporadic-E), but some 90% of time I just hear them in Arabic. And their programming is soooooo boring I'm never in a mood to really monitor them 😂
The language roster does seem to be really random, you never know what you will hear. I quite like their music sometimes. Interesting that you mention Radio Algeria, that was the station that I heard before Ifrikya FM arrived. Back then there was a lot of uncertainty, whether Ifrikya FM would replace Radio Algeria or whether both would be on air. Now we know that Radio Algeria is no longer on SW, it is only Ifrikya FM. You are lucky to be able to hear some Radio Algeria on FM! Great catch all the way over in Poland.
Arnie, I'd be over the moon if I could tune in to a foreign country's medium wave broadcast in English! Lucky you! 😀
@@swlistening what was relayed on SW from Algeria before Ifrikya FM came to life was Radio Coran, or Holy Quran Radio. I can still hear it on 702 MW relayed by Radio Laghouat (a regional station, 10kW transmitter) after 22:00 UTC, but that's about it. RAI is yet a different station, it's never been on SW in my living memory.
@@StratmanII we used to have a few. CRI via Lithuania, Voice of Russia, even BBC World Service itself 24h on 648 kHz, and part-time on 1296 (not to mention their relays in Moscow & Sankt-Petersburg on 1260 kHz that were closed some 15 years ago, guess as part of a slow elimination of "foreign agents" from russian infosphere, despite years of opening-up earlier, even in the first years of Putler. Also add some daily evening news on Radio Slovenija 1 918 kHz and CRo Plus on 1071 kHz to that, which we lost with the stations closing on MW in September 2017 & Dec 31 2021, respectively. Still going is Radio Poland via Lithuania on 1386 kHz, but that's at like 2-3pm, so it doesn't travel too far most of the year... And I think Ukrainian Radio still has some war updates in a few languages during its nighttime relay also on 1386 kHz, but I'm afraid English is only once a week, if at all 😥
@@ArnieDXer True, now that you mention it I remember that it was usually a Holy Quran relay. It was always listed as Radio Algerienne. So yes, not RAI indeed.
Andre I wonder if they are giving an English broadcast due to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris year? I have heard their French broadcasts on 9455 KHZ when WRMI was off the air due to hurricane damage last year. Whatever the reason, it is nice to hear another English Broadcast that is not China…😂..or Brother Stair (Old BS) as I call him. 73! Have a great day!
It's very nice indeed to hear something new in English! I don't think it's necessarily related to the Olympics though, Ifrikya FM is known for using various languages. It's just that I have never heard them in English, but some other people have commented here that they have heard English before. Their English transmissions seem quite random though.
Thanks Andre for another comparison video…I have too many radios already so I will try to hold on to my wallet…😂! 73! Have a great day!
My pleasure. If my budget were unlimited, I would have had a whole library full of radios. Like you, I have to hold on to my wallet sometimes 😀
Only someone like Todderbert (you may have seen his radio reviews and band scans on YT) is someone who has "too many radios". Try 400 plus. 😀 📻 x445
I often receive this station clearly on SW. Reception is generally better on clear days but always intelligible. I’m not far from Liverpool in NW England, QTH code 1083LL. This video has reminded me to listen more to the station. Keep up the interesting work Andre!
Thanks Ian. It is also one that I receive fairly often, but reception does differ, sometimes it is a lot clearer than in this video. Nice that you can hear it near Liverpool!
One of my favourite stations on shortwave nice capture chief .
Thanks Ged! I like this station also, some nice music sometimes.
Interesting to see the VOA did not cut anything of its programmes to Zimbabwe. I did check the HFCC schedule the other day, and indeed, some services have suffered drastic cuts. VOA & RFA combined Chinese programming had been reduced from 20h/day to just 5.5 (and 5 hours on weekends). But Radio Marti also saw zero cuts 🤔 As for VOA English, rather than 14:00-22:00 UTC, their schedule is now 15:30-20:30, so for example, this Monday I checked 15580 kHz to see the broadcast start in the middle of Border Crossings, in the middle of a song 🤡 Now André, can you confirm the same cuts to 909 kHz from Botswana? I'm also curious to see if 1431 Djibouti and 1530 Sao Tomé were affected - apparently 1530 does turn off @ 20:30 UTC now too, but I wonder about 1431. And also 1557 from Taiwan - RTI used to relay Radio Free Asia in Chinese here @ 19:00-22:00 UTC. But RFA no longer broadcasts on SW (in Chinese) @ 17-21 UTC, so I'm wondering whether the 1557 relay had been cut to a single hour at 21:00 UTC too? Unfortunately this frequency is blocked here, we have Nasha Lenta broadcasting to naZi ruZZia via Lithuania - an independent station so very welcome in fact.
Hey Arnie, yes, those RFA cuts are quite severe. I wonder why they are doing it. Surely they know how strong China is on shortwave... About 909, I checked it tonight and it ended at 20:30 UTC, same as 1530, I checked 1530 also. 909 was never on until 22:00 though, they always ended transmission at 21:00. So now it ends 30 minutes earlier. I do recall hearing 1530 until 22:00 before, so the cut there is more severe. 909 is also mainly aimed at Zimbabwe, so I guess, like with the other Zimbabwe transmissions on shortwave, the MW one remained more or less the same as before. I'm not sure about the start time though, will have to check that. I have noticed, however, over the past few weeks already that sign-on was later than usual. I seem to recall 909 used to start transmissions when it was still light here, late afternoon, around 14:00 UTC or so. Now it seems to start at 15:00 UTC. But I will check it. 1431 is, unfortunately, always a hard catch here for me. I did not hear it tonight. Will keep checking.
Three great performances 😊
Thanks Marcos, I agree!
Andre's location in Johannesburg probably accounts for at about 40 percent of his amazing success rate in catching DX signals that most of us aren't able to. 🌍📻😎There are many variables that can affect the performance of a shortwave radio. Living on a high elevation above the sea level really helps, because you get a better line-of-sight with ground signals, reduced ground absorption plus the fact that the ionosphere is also closer to you. 😀 Other factors include how much of the radio's antenna is exposed to the sky and being away from local radio frequency interference. Living in a tall building surrounded by other buildings puts you at a disadvantage unless you have an outdoor patio with a clear, unobstructed view of the sky. The radio itself doesn't account for much of a difference unless its it is poorly designed from the beginning. The actual performance of a shortwave radio is the total sum of all these different parts. You can buy a Qodosen DX-286 that Andre has, but if you happen to be in a less ideal environment that DX-286 won't pull in the same stations with the same S/N ratio as he does. 📻☑
My location certainly helps a lot :-) I agree with you about most radios performing relatively similarly in good conditions and on strong signals, I have found that myself in various comparisons. I do think some radios are better at noise filtering, the Qodosen is a good example, so that helps quite a bit, even if you live in a noisy environment. And that helps with hearing weak signals.
@@swlistening Bru, I was just thinking that you ought to add a disclaimer to your radio shootouts: "Your results may vary, depending on your location and listening conditions". 😀 Case in point: The Tecsun AN-200 inductive loop which I bought is the same model as yours, but I can only get two faint, distant MW stations from northern Thailand. 😐
@@StratmanII You make a good pint here! I think most regular SW and MW listeners know that reception depends on location, time of day and a lot of other stuff, like the type of building you are in neighbours, RFI. But new listeners might not know these things yet. That is one of the reasons why I always add the time of day and my location to all my videos, to show that whatever I am hearing, is valid at a certain time, in a specific location. But I might as well remind new listeners sometimes that they should keep in mind that my results are not necessarily what they will experience.
How does the 219 compare to 328
Unfortunately I don't have a 328, so I can't compare these two.
Analogue Dial radios are lovely to use but check out the Tecsun R9700 dx, it's even backlit and is wonderful to use at night in bed tuning around and it helps get me to sleep. A lot of these modern retros lack backlight. A great radio for Shortwave is the Tecsun PL-660 or PL-680, they have SSB which can be used to tune into the Amateur radio bands but SSB can also be used on commercial AM stations to reduce the effects of fading signals and to reduce or eliminate Noise or to pull out a weak station that is close to a strong station. Simply press USB or LSB, whichever has the best effect, tune the BFO until the sound is as natural as possible and you will soon be a pro DX'er with one of the best new pure Analogue radios with digital tuner you can still buy new today and much better than any DSP radio. As always, external antenna is Key, I use the Bonito Ma305 or my 134 foot long end fed half wave with 49:1 Unun the same as I use for transmitting on the Amateur bands. It would be nice to see these radios pure analogue rather than DSP which means the manufacturer saves money by having much less components and practically no inductors and coils to tune. Analogue means no muting weaker signals which can be turned off on more expensive radios but the firmware is set to have soft muting turned on on these radios.
Andre, the signals on the XHDATA D--219 are impressive as well! I have thie D-219!
Both these radios perform really well here.
Andre, as you know the XHDATA D-368 utilizes a silicon labs DSP chip!
Indeed! And the D-219 also uses a Silicon Labs chip, the Si4825.
After you told me you had ordered radios from China, i finally bit the bullet and ordered the 368 yesterday. Hope it arrives ASAP..😅. Will compare it with my tecsun 9700DX
That should be a very interesting comparison. Who did you order from, Ali Express? Or XHDATA itself?
@@swlistening xhdata itself. Aliexpress doesnt ship to India as there's no option for India there. Perhaps due to political situation.
@@anulearntech OK, I understand. XHDATA usually ships quickly and reliably, I have bought from them many times in the past. I hope you will enjoy the D-368!
Hi, André. Yesterday I bought the XHDATA D-368 and will get it around 7 August. Good performance though. 73😊
I think it's a very good radio! Really sensitive and not noisy.
@@swlistening Yes indeed, André, nice day to you.
Well, What about The Tecsun R-9700Dx how do you rate that ,your subscriber from india saying hi
Hi there, thanks for saying hi! I don't have the R-9700DX, not yet. But I plan to buy one in time.
Isn't the R-9700DX an analogue SW radio? So not DSP and no softmute.
@@hammockdweller Indeed, it is full analogue. Which is why I would like one 😀
I own the 9700DX. It's got great sound and catches a lot of FM signals provided there is no RFI interference because it's a RFI magnet. Compared to my noizzybox retro XXL, the XXL with its DSP chip ends up catching more stations on SW than 9700dx, but then there's lots of RFI in my house, so your mileage may vary. Barring this it has a great analog experience and switches to fm stereo even on weak signals. It's MW is average. But out of all of tecsuns analog portables, like 9012, 9010, 909 it's the most capable, albeit a bit bulky.
I have a 9700DX also . Great sound. Long battery life. It's very sensitive. I am comparing to radios I have owned over the last 30 years. Radio Shack/Sangean dx440, dx394, early kaito models, and a lot of no name $10-$20 short waves. The recent models are astounding. The xhdata 219 at $11 delivered has better reception than the chugging DX440. Politics be damned. I'm going to buy some chinese radios.