Xhdata D-808. Tested. BEST value SSB portable radio you can buy.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Having watched the video back i noticed that a made a least couple of errors such as the definition of DSP. Now i do know what DSP is but Iam sure someone will pick up on these blips. No excuses but when i made this video is suffering from a nasty head cold, like my head was stuffed with cotton wool. Thankfully it cleared in a couple of days.

[@StratmanII]

You had a cold? I never noticed you had one. Get well soon, Fred! 😀 BTW, not sure if you have already checked out the Tecsun PL-330, but it's actually less expensive than the D-808 for an SSB featured, small form factor radio. The current production units are fitted with the USB-C charging port.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

@@StratmanII Thanks. I might approach Tecsun next year and see if they would like some reviews. I own the 600 series radio and i quite like it.

[@Auntystatic]

yeah I did notice at 15:00 ish while doing the tuning you did not notice in the display it says fast, slow and stop when you pressed the tuning knob in, thanks for the review, its not for me the muted tuning is a deal breaker

[@AEZAEZEL-187]

I have the XHDATA D-808 Shortwave radio with USB-C charging cable. It is a small chinese DSP radio which locks good on shortwave frequencies. I don't know much how it performs on SSB but i really don't know anybody who listens to QSO of HAM operators or CW morse code. But is is a good quality product that is fairly priced. I bought it for 78 euro's but now there is a black friday deal on Amazon and you can pick one up for 66 euros! The Radio has a Si4735 DSP chip! Thanks for the video FRED!

[@willytee585]

Ordered one of these today from Amazon in the black Friday sale 👍 ideal to throw in my suitcase to take on holiday 😊

[@CraigR-j3b]

Had one of these for about a month and I really like it. Just over 60 quid from xhdata direct. Take it in my camper van and once you get the hang of it you can almost use it with your eyes shut. Great hf reception with a 25 metre long wire. It's a good thing 👍

[@johnnorth9355]

Great review and you cover all the main features.Airband works well - I can get planes into Heathrow from 60 miles away with good conditions. The Audio can be greatly improved by plugging a better speaker into the headphone socket (I use a bluetooth sender). I do not use the dB meter - too much scrolling/flashing of digits in my eyeballs for my liking . For travel it can't be beaten as the price means it's not a disaster if lost or stolen. 73

[@ianwatkins9602]

Good idea using an external speaker

[@lioii]

I've been a ham since 2004 and an SWL since the late 1970's and for the price this radio is nothing short of remarkable. From my current location in West France I can easily hear Shanwick/Gander/Santa Maria on SSB on the whip antenna without any difficulty at night. For HF listening this portable radio, priced at under €100, is a revelation. One thing the reviewer could do with understanding is that the bandwidth will influence the received tone as well as rejecting interference from adjacent stations...

[@beesprojects2692]

I just went on XHDATA’s website and ordered 3 of these for $62.98 “bucks” ($50.10 quid) a piece on sale with 10% discount code and it also came with 3 free D-220 radios as well. Will be giving as gifts for Christmas. Can’t wait to try them out.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Nice deal. Hope you like the radio.

[@paul.steckler]

In the US, at least, the Tecsun PL-330 is priced a bit less than the D-808. It's also an excellent SSB-capable radio.

[@twatmunro]

Fingers crossed we'll get a side by side that compares the two. I've been trying to choose between them for some time now.

[@elmofeneken4364]

Enjoyed your very informative review of the D-808. Learned a lot about this radio and by the way I have the Tecsun 330 which doesn't have AIRBAND but a good little unit.

[@lkjwertz]

1458 kHz is Lyca Radio. Thanks for the video.

[@alanslade2319]

Hi Fred I think for what you pay for it is amazing for all what It does. So much and works great. So I'll be investing in one. Thanks for the review. Alan.💯👍

[@silvafox8371]

Very thorough and concise review Fred thank you , really pretty good unit , very tempted to purchase

[@NJF60]

Hello and thanks for the comprehensive review. I have one, new version model, for over a year and a half. Very pleased so far with the D808 and for the price it can’t be beat. I live in the USA. Selectively and sensitivity is outstanding. Air band, MW and FM, excellent. It is a great receiver to experiment with different antennas. BTW, I agree with you about a tone setting, that would have been nice to have, but not a deal breaker for me. Take care… Happy Holidays!

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Thanks for sharing

[@andynew2]

Love the 808. The airband is actually extremely sensitive on just the whip antenna.

[@DifferentGearTV]

First thing I did when I got mine was turn the beep off. Second thing I did was turn the beep back on again.

[@philiplines6429]

Great but I wish I understood half of the technical stuff however loved it.

[@geez-hd6dn]

Sold my one as I didn’t like the muting chuffing while tuning.

[@ItsRael108]

I used a 7600d for years

[@simonwinwood]

❤ great review. cheers

[@S.B.photos]

Great video Fred. 👍

[@quadmods]

Thanks for this video. I was looking for just such a radio. 👍

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

My pleasure!

[@ditto1958]

I have a D-109WB that I bought for less than half the price of a D-808. I like my D-109WB a LOT. The D-808 gets almost unanimously highly positive reviews, so I’m thinking if it’s better than my D-109WB, it must be really, really good. 😊

[@StratmanII]

To be fair, the D-808 has been around for several years, while the D-109WB just came out in 2023. If you spot a D-808 with a white backlit LCD that's the first generation D-808 predating 2021. 📻

[@ditto1958]

@ True. But it’s also $40.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

The 109 WB looks a fine radio. I guess its all about SSB. For broadcast SW the 109 does the job.

[@LamarFaciane]

I'm down with the beeps as a Casio watch nerd. I like the feedback 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@billmorrison4746]

Nice portable to stick in the rucksack, I was willing you to stick it on 27555 usb and 277812fm 😊

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

I had poor skip conditions for this video but there is an update 11m SSB video coming on weds.

[@StratmanII]

I have no idea how long XHDATA intends to hang on to this rather dated design, seeing that it's been around since 2018. This is the company's one and only SSB capable shortwave model and I was hoping that XHDATA would come up with a complete redesign of the D-808 by 2023. The changes made to the D-808 are internal and no new features were added since this model was first introduced. However it appears that the current version is slower to load the SSB micro code compared to earlier versions. Some trivia for those new to the D-808: - the speaker grille isn't as sturdy as it looks and can easily be dented. - the battery power meter stays on 3 full bars for a short while and drops down to 2 bars for most of the time. - earlier production models emit a faint buzzing sound whenever the buttons are depressed and held. Switching between AM and FM bands resulted in an audible pop, which sounded louder on headphones. - the analogue potentiometers used for the volume and fine tuning controls are prone to premature wear. - the numbers shown on the display when the BFO clarifier is used are arbitrary and don't represent any unit like Hertz. - the battery compartment is quite tight fitting and is designed for non protected, button top 18650 cells. - XHDATA now sells the D-808 in an all black colour. Previously if you wanted the black one it would have the Sihuadon brand.

[@paul.steckler]

XHDATA has been releasing new models fast and furious. In the past week, they've introduced the D-221 with the NOAA weather band for the North American market. The recent models, like the D-219 and D-109, have been inexpensive. It would be great if they added something in a fancier market segment.

[@StratmanII]

@@paul.steckler Yes, they have! It seems that the inclement weather conditions in North America have made affordable, NOAA WB capable receivers an indispensable tool in the absence of wireless broadband and fiber optic Internet services. I wouldn't be surprised if XHDATA took note of the market potential and rushed the D-221 to market. It wouldn't be particularly difficult for their design team to delete the OIRT FM band from the D-220, which was useless in North America anyway and replace it with the NOAA weather band. Tecsun already has several SSB capable receivers in the market. I don't know why XHDATA is still clinging to the long-in-the-tooth D-808 as its only shortwave radio with single sideband mode. The D-808's partition styled, paged memory is a nightmare and a messy way of storing frequencies. 📻🙄

[@ronleblanc9832]

Great coverage but why don't they throw in 6 meter band on any short wave radios ?? And will a loop work on a short wave antenna clipped with an alligator clip

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Yeah thats a good point.

[@DavidUKesb]

Hi Fred. Would you recommend a passive loop for this radio? Cheers.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Yes a passive loop will work although you will get less signal gain compared to a long wire.

[@DavidUKesb]

@@CB-RADIO-UK Many thanks.

[@deandaniels203]

Hi Fred, how do you think the xhdata D-808 would fair against the tecsun pl 368 or the qodosen 286.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Hi. Cannot say about the Tecsun as ive not get that radio. Is a different radio than the 286. The 808 is far better on SW as it covers SSB. The 286 however has exceptional FM sensitivity far better than the 808 or any other radio ive tested.

[@fhwolthuis]

13:01 it says BW 😉

[@RaymondJones-d8z]

Hi there a great budget ssb radio

[@alanbourn4039]

I've had two of these radios, both went faulty inside of Amazon's return times I returned both.! It's a shame coz I liked what it did.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Thats a pity.

[@gobstoppa1633]

excellent reception, but no bass.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Yes its not made for music I am afraid.

[@jerryeinstandig7996]

my 808 seems insensitive on SW band day or night. instruction book type way too small to read.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Yes the book is very small.

[@Ian-lp1pr]

Can't be doing with muted tuning.

[@georgezama]

I suppose that you don't buy a radio like this to listen to music!....

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

I think there are better sounding radios for music alone.

[@fhwolthuis]

Nice radio. @TE. here on KZbin published a "what's inside" video yesterday. Interesting