No, thank you- that guy’s videos are long and negative. But yes, two excellent radios. I’m pretty sure I don’t want a big clunky radio like the Eton, and it costs too much. The XHData is a good deal I think at around $100, but I don’t think it’s the one for me right now. In reviews I have read, it seems to perform really well on AM, FM and SW.
Choosing my next radio (?)
- Thread starter ditto1958
- Start date
Ahh OK - I have only seen one that fits all your wants for the 100 price! Must be missing some
Which one are you thinking?
A short 8 minute video is too long when you've spent over two weeks asking people for help? Uh, okay.
Perhaps I was a little brusk, but I have watched more than a few of his videos and for some reason he just rubs me the wrong way. He seems to have one of the most popular YouTube shortwave channels, and is apparently respected, but he is also extremely negative, even with radios he likes, to the point where it’s difficult to figure out if he recommends a product or not.
So, bottom line is that I have watched and read many reviews on both the XHData radio and the Eton one. Again, thank you for suggesting the video in your post. I’m sure many people will find it helpful, just not me.
manticore
Member
I have spent a lifetime looking for the ideal portable shortwave receiver, as have many others. I have even kept a few I really like such as my Sony ICF-2010 (great sync lock on ssb), CCrane Skywave (original - no ssb, but has air & weather band coverage) & Tecsun PL-880 (outstanding fidelity), for the reasons I have listed. Being a ham radio op, whenever I wanted to do some serious swling I would simply turn on the Yaesu FTDX-3000 rig and have a ball, but I still wanted outstanding performance in a portable package. As a result I have bought more than my fair share of garbage chinese portable receivers and they are just that, garbage.
Fortunately last year I found the perfect portable, I purchased a Belka DX directly from Alex over in Belarus. I purchased the 1.5 mhz to 30mhz version without a speaker, that uses stereo earbuds. The sensitivity is on par with my Yaesu FTDX-3000 & it is fully adjustable, the bandwidth is also fully adjustable, and it's an All-Mode receiver. The radio has 4 butttons and 1 knob that functions as a 5th button when pressed. The 4 page manual is not needed as this is the most intuitive receiver I have ever used, you'll know the radio inside & out after 5 minutes in your hands. Cost about $150. All this in a package smaller than a deck of cards.
I know $150 is quite a lot when you are just starting out but you will spend more than that on $15 to $45 junk radios in no time at all. Save your money and purchase a Belka DX and stop wasting money on garbage chinese radios. Check the reviews on eham.net & you'll see there is not a better general coverage receiver. You cannot purchase a better receiver for less than $500usd + and it fits in your pocket. The sooner you stop looking, the more you start listening.
73 W1CAL
Fortunately last year I found the perfect portable, I purchased a Belka DX directly from Alex over in Belarus. I purchased the 1.5 mhz to 30mhz version without a speaker, that uses stereo earbuds. The sensitivity is on par with my Yaesu FTDX-3000 & it is fully adjustable, the bandwidth is also fully adjustable, and it's an All-Mode receiver. The radio has 4 butttons and 1 knob that functions as a 5th button when pressed. The 4 page manual is not needed as this is the most intuitive receiver I have ever used, you'll know the radio inside & out after 5 minutes in your hands. Cost about $150. All this in a package smaller than a deck of cards.
I know $150 is quite a lot when you are just starting out but you will spend more than that on $15 to $45 junk radios in no time at all. Save your money and purchase a Belka DX and stop wasting money on garbage chinese radios. Check the reviews on eham.net & you'll see there is not a better general coverage receiver. You cannot purchase a better receiver for less than $500usd + and it fits in your pocket. The sooner you stop looking, the more you start listening.
73 W1CAL
Wow! That was some review. I went to eHAM.net and check the review... ALL 5 STAR! Amazing for such a cute little receiver.
From Earlier post "Looks like a Xhdata d-808 is one of the few choices"
I have heard a lot of good things about that Belka-DX!
I've seen this "radio" mentioned before but it misses the mark for me. You have to ad an antenna and speaker to use it, the battery might not be replaceable (I haven't seen this mentioned beyond it containing one) and the cost is high enough to make regretting buying it hurt more if it turns out you don't like it.
Plus there just doesn't seem to be much on SW that you can't get on AM. I can hear all the religious, foreign language and conspiracy broadcasts I want on AM radio now, where's the benefit to spending $150 on this?
I agree. I’ve posted about this before, and have tried to say pretty much the same. Perhaps if I were younger, I’d try to get into tinkering with the insides of radios. But where I am in life, I want more of a “finished product”, as well as a radio that sounds good, and is a good radio to listen to on AM, FM and SW.
I do DX-ing, but I also use the radios I have for listening to news, talk, sports and music.
No one should be offended, I’ve seen and read enough about the Bella that I know how capable a radio it is. It’s just not what I want/need.
That's what I was trying to say. I've got enough radios that I can easily use now to listen to the things I want to. The far away stations I listen to now are AM or FM, I'd listen to SW more if it were easier and had more programs that were appealing to me and instead like to see what I can tune in during a quick scan of the dial now.
Whenever I get around to admitting that I’m collecting portable SW radios rather then just buying them for need, I’ll probably have to spring one. Who knows, perhaps I’ll really like it.
I'll await the "Choosing a fourth radio" thread when you change your mind
Blackswan73
Active Member
As a very satisfied owner, I can heartily recommend the Belka. It rivals the performance of many Desktop receivers and high end portables, in a shirt pocket size. It operates somewhat similar to the Lowe desktop receivers from the UK, in that it is a menu driven design that allows the elimination of numerous front panel controls. Reception is excellent. I never could believe how good it is until I bought one
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Perhaps
I think I just need to accept that I am collecting radios 🙂
Blackswan73
Active Member
Welcome to the club lol. At last count I had over ten, but I have to admit my main go to receiver for indoor listening is my Drake R-8. It has been said that if you can’t hear it with a R-8, you can’t hear it.
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Probably waaay out of my price range but are
they currently being made?
Blackswan73
Active Member
The Drake R-8 series was discontinued around 30 years ago and about 15 years ago Drake dropped out of the radio business altogether. But you can find used receivers in good condition for around $500 or so. That might sound like a lot for a thirty year old radio, but to put it in perspective, it retailed new in the late 80s for around $800. That would be the equivalent if around $2000+ in today’s dollars. I bought mine earlier this year off eBay for $450
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