By Robert Gulley
XHDATA not too long ago contacted me a couple of new transportable radio, saying “XHDATA is planning to launch a brand new transportable radio, the D-220, which has good reception and glorious sound high quality. Not solely can it obtain FM/MW/SW bands, however the value might be surprisingly good worth.”
Okay, effectively that sounded considerably fascinating (particularly the bit about being “a surprisingly good worth”). So inside a number of days I had a pre-release copy of the radio after selecting the colour I most well-liked (black – what can I say, I’m a traditionalist!).
The radio is small, 5” tall, 2-1/2 inches extensive, and about 1 inch thick, very harking back to my first transistor radio within the (ahem) 60s. It has an analog tuning dial, quantity management, and slider swap to go between FM1/2, MW, and SW. It additionally has a headphone jack. It takes 2 AA batteries (very old style!), and, not like my transistor radio of previous, a swing-out stand. That’s it. And, curiously sufficient, that’s all it wants.
As my spouse and I prefer to say about life typically, “It’s what it’s.” And, not like life so usually, on this case that’s an excellent factor. The radio is straightforward to function – no menus, no bells and whistles, simply the fundamentals. You, an antenna, and a tuning dial.
For some, the tuning dial might be an aggravation, as a result of identical to my transistor radio of previous, the tuning dial covers loads of floor in a comparatively brief rotation. This implies it would be best to flip the dial slowly, very slowly. Whereas this doesn’t hassle me, I notice this might not be everyone’s cup of tea. To get the perfect reception out of this radio, you could flip the dial in millimeters, not even fractions of an inch.
Luckily, the tuning dial could be very agency and but responds effectively to a light-weight contact. I had no downside tuning between stations, even on a really crowded FM band or on a decent SW band masking 5.6 to 22MHz.
As for reception – effectively, I used to be relatively shocked by this little radio. AM and FM delivered many, many stations within the rural space which I name residence, and the largest shock was the shortwave reception. I waited till I had a storm-free night (not at all times simple this summer time right here within the Midwest), and fired up the radio anticipating to listen to among the extra highly effective stations, however not anticipating to listen to numerous stations 10MHz and under on such a small (10-1/2”) antenna.
Talking of the antenna, it’s stable and one of many higher antennas I’ve discovered on this dimension of radio. Sure, you possibly can break it I’m certain, however flimsy it’s not. The identical goes for the battery door, it closes with a powerful “click on,” and I don’t consider one may open it unintentionally.
As for the sound, it’s surprisingly clear, and loud. One of many benefits of contemporary radios is smaller parts, which in flip permits for greater audio system. This speaker punches above its weight class for each speak radio and music. Each sound good with an affordable sign.
Because the radio has not been launched to most of the people but, the XHDATA web site doesn’t have an inventory for the radio, and due to this fact no value info. Nonetheless, and this can be a bonus for these of you who’ve learn this far, Thomas’ readers might be eligible for a 40% low cost when the radio turns into accessible on the market from XHDATA, the present projection being someday in August. They’ll ship out a procuring hyperlink and low cost code when accessible.
Execs
- Nice sound
- Stable antenna
- Spectacular reception on all bands
- Analog dial tuning, stable and simply turned slowly (see Cons)
Cons
- Very tight tuning dial with little house between stations (see Execs)
- Not accessible fairly but
Conclusion
It is a stable little radio you possibly can carry in a shirt pocket or jacket pocket simply, and because it runs on AA batteries with no important draw of energy, ought to present hours and hours of enjoyment. The addition of the shortwave band, together with its respectable reception, is a pleasant bonus, particularly since I choose SW to most something I hear on MW and FM (wait, did I say that out loud? Oops!).
I believe this might be an excellent radio to place in your to-buy checklist, particularly with a 40% low cost!
73, Robert K4PKM
