Full review Qodosen DX 286 LW MW SW FM one of the best receivers available

Truly one of the best receivers out there

[@yogimew]

I bought this last year. I'd wish I have more time listening with this radio. It is an amazing machine.

[@dannyshortwave]

Yes I agree this is one of the best portables overall. I'm enjoying mine. Great radio on all bands especially FM band. I gotten new catches on MW with this radio also. Great review Gilles. Have a great day.

[@trustin.p9504]

Always good to see new radio come out on the market. Radio is alive and kicking.👍

[@NTPTM]

Hi, I agree with you. The release of a new radio that is as good as the Qodosen DX-286 is great. Take care and have a lovely day.

[@MrJspring]

I have the SR 286. It's a great radio. I like that one can adjust the sensitivity when doing a scan. Keep the manual handy--there are lots of features.

[@willythkid]

Just bought one, the reviews are good, price is good and it’s my first venture in this type radio, my dad was a ham op when I was a kid. His shack was in the attic and I was fascinated by it, I’ve always loved radio and I’m really looking forward to playing with this one

[@Bdub1952]

Thanks for the thorough review, Giles. I've had mine for 10 days now and I'm as impressed as you are. I've tested it with my end fed, my OCFD and my vertical, and it performs so much better than any Tecsun I own. The ability to turn off the pre-amp has really diminished the overloading problems I have with strong local AM stations on the SW bands. The FM is the best I've ever heard through my Sony MDR-7506 headphones. The best. Would I pay more for a version that included SSB and more AM/SSB bandwidth options? Absolutely. At $80US, this radio is already a steal. Would I buy it AGAIN for $120US if it had more bandwidth options and SSB? Absolutely I would. I hope you're listening, Qodosen.

[@Pelletgagecom]

I believe this radio is the best receiver for FM stereo audio quality on the market, bar none. Connect it to any decent pair of headphones or use a cable to connect to bluetooth speakers (like UBoom L) and listen carefully. No multipath, noise floor is excellent, good channel separation, and it makes weak signals sound solid. For me, this is MUCH more valuable than any SW capabilities.

[@billfargo9616]

Thank you for mentioning the external antenna connector, which are being scarce on portables.

[@donglocka1550]

Just got mine from amazon a few days ago. Still working my way thru the menus/options but VERY impressed so far.

[@NTPTM]

Hi Gill, thanks for your review of the Qodosen DX-286 and your videos featuring it. I bought the Qodosen DX-286 yesterday, so I'm looking forward to receiving the radio at my place in Sweden. The fact that it doesn't have an airband doesn't matter much; I have it in other radios, and I have a radio scanner that I usually use for the airbands. But I agree with you, Gill, it would have been nice if the Qodosen DX-286 went all the way up on the shortwave bands, and absolutely, it would have been so nice if the Qodosen DX-286 had SSB. So we'll see, but if we're lucky Gill, maybe the Qodosen DX-286 will come with SSB in the future. Otherwise, the Qodosen DX-286 seems to be a wonderful radio. I have seen many reviews of this radio and read on many different radio pages online, and the Qodosen DX-286 gets very good ratings and praise from many people out there. Take care Gill and have a pleasant day in Montreal.

[@davex142]

Great review, thanks a lot! I sat down with my SR 286 and DX 286 duo on the table in front of me and watched the review - fantastic! We truly live in great times with these little gems still being manufactured. 😉

[@MayanMe365]

Thanks very much. Ordered one encouraged by your prior band scanning videos

[@barryzoll9772]

Mine arrives tomorrow. Will check it out. Thanks for the video

[@stevenharper1356]

So looking forward to this review!!

[@ronaldgroves6350]

Here in the uk I am hearing ndbs on long wave using a few metres of wire in the daytime that are inaudible on my tecsun, sangean and xh data radios

[@Imoutanames]

Agreed!! Incredible Radio!! Thanks for the review....

[@adk5746]

Thanks Gilles

[@chuckdavis1323]

Great review 🎉

[@Kw1161]

Thanks Gilles I agree with your review although I have the older SR-286. That TEF6686 chip inside the QoDosen really makes it a DX machine. I do hope TEF designs another chip making it capable of SSB and NBFM. This would make it my go to receiver then. 73! Have a great day!

[@seanplynch]

Great review. For the form factor, if you had to choose between only this radio and the PL-990x what would you choose? As a ham I’m leaning towards the Tecsun due to SSB

[@remopkr198]

can't wait to get my hands on this one

[@johnbeckham1483]

It appears that the Qodosen DX-286 is a BIG WINNER! Thank you, Gilles! P.S. Lacks compete CB coverage & No SSB. Radio plays better when held by your hands due to conductance. Using an external antenna will both improve signal & eliminate the need for hand conductance. Battery not included...

[@billfargo9616]

If they are going to add SSB, they should also add DRM and other digital modes used on shortwave.

[@billfargo9616]

Manufacturers should provide access to the entire HF band if they want to call it shortwave.

[@pacoj2002]

Will Qodosen manufacture a receiver with same quality and ssb? It would be nice.

[@n1kkri]

Besides SSB, I would like the ability to upgrade the firmware for new features or fixes

[@VK5014SWL]

I would rather have a radio with SSB and a bigger telescopic antenna for the price. I don't think I'll purchase this one. However, I acknowledge that it is an excellent receiver for its intended purpose. Just is not my cup of tea.

[@n1kkri]

I think it's time to compare this radio to some of the other portables.

[@alexkanavos6470]

Since it has many different bandwidths on FM, can it also tune in SCA signals, or would additional circuitry be needed for that?

[@billfargo9616]

Does the external antenna connection work for medium wave?

[@hughdavis8769]

Do the buttons light up?

[@dave10524]

No SSB makes it pretty well just an AM/FM portable, I'll stick with the XHDATA D-808

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

it actually beats all the radios that have AM FM... for example if you DX FM or Mediumwave it is way more sensitive than d-808 ... the question really will be do you need SSB or not and if not then this is a better choice

[@dave10524]

@@OfficialSWLchannel I found the MW ferrite of the D808 to be excellent for MW DXing with a good null too , I understand it is a bit longer than other radios in its class, how does this compare ? don't really do FM dxing

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

If you do not do any FM dxing probably fine on the 808 .. the FM dxing is really making it better than all others

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

Why would I pay twice as much for this radio vs that of a Tecsun 330 and it doesn't even have SSB????

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

It is not twice the price in fact the 330 is more expensive and second if you are a real FM DXer it blows the 330 away by a longshot.. so all depends what you want to do

[@yihongwu76]

This radio copies the exact design from Sony ICF-SW1, one reason I will definitely not buy one.

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

really dont care about that personally

[@yogimew]

When I first saw this radio, I did not think of the SW1 right away. The size are a little different and the DX286 was made with a different purpose in mind.

[@any_username]

One reason I would definitely buy one is that it's a great design, and Sony will never resume producing their receivers-that's gone. So, in my opinion, it's really cool that Qodosen used that design as inspiration (it's not an exact copy, by the way).

[@jerrycupples318]

The Sony ICF SW1S sold for $350 in 1987. I owned one. That's equivalent to $950 in 2024 dollars. The SR/DX 286 is a MUCH better radio. It does have similar design elements to the Sony, as do radios like CC Skywave, Radiwow, etc. Since Sony long since abandoned that market, I can't follow the idea that anyone should look at the Qodosen as having done anything to infringe. It is a completely different circuit in every way. Incidentally, Sony used inferior capacitors - very few of those radios work more than ten years.