How does the $10 Clooblut RD218 stack up against the Qodosen DX-286? I was surprised!

[@lew9223]

Nice review Andre, looks like quite a lot of radio for little money, some nice functions too, also the on/off backlight & illumintaed buttons. I have this Clooblut in my AliEx Cart, thanks.

[@swlistening]

Hi Lew, this is a really surprising little radio! I use it every day when I go walking with my dog. Even with that tiny whip antenna it often picks up lots of stations during the walk. It is what I use now to give me an idea of propagation conditions and then I move on to one of my other radios like The PL-680 for more intensive DXing. I also really like the back-lit buttons, those are scarce now.

[@lew9223]

Hi Andre, the backlit buttons seal the deal for me, very handy feature on such a low cost radio. I am waiting on an ATS 20+ radio arriving from Ali, the price was too good not to take a chance on it. I'm a sucker for cheap chinese radios tbh, the variety available just now is amazing. All the best

[@davidrhodes9997]

I have the Clooblut. Its a great little am radio and works surprisingly well on SW too. The inbulit ariel is a bit short which limits its usefulness. However, as it doesnt have an upmarket frontend it will get overloaded with a long antenna. You have to experiment with the lenght of an attached arial. Too long and it will pick up extra rubbish. I usually use maybe a 6 foot aerial or so - it depends on the signal strength, time of day, other stations etc.

[@swlistening]

Hi David, I agree, this radio is really quite surprising on shortwave. I have used a 5 metre wire on it with great success, it did not overload. It's really a fun radio. Part of the fun is that you never really know what you will hear, you just need to scan the SW band very, very slowly and be surprised by what it picks up.

[@michaellogue2254]

Very impressive for $10.00. Thanks for showing us.

[@swlistening]

My pleasure Michael, thanks for watching!

[@PavelYonchev]

Thanks! This proves that no mythical radio receivers, which I have been convinced of many times!

[@swlistening]

I agree, Pavel. I am someone who will never buy a DSP-based radio that sells at $200 plus. I honestly don't know how it can be much better than something that sells at $80, or, yes, sometimes even $10.

[@Hunkiralyfi]

The Clooblut is surprisingly good - not only for the price. Most of the time Qodosen was more sensitive, plus not so noisy, and the sound was also easier to listen, clearer. But the Cloobut's sound is not bad either. In two cases that was even better. You mentioned one example already. The other example is the the recording about NHK on 11655 kHz, where Qodosen is more muffled than Clooblut. Very interesting comparison, keep it up 🙂

[@swlistening]

Thank you for your comment! The Clooblut was quite a surprise to me, it does pretty well here. Like you say, also on the NHK signal, it actually sounds better than the Qodosen. But I do find that with very strong signals, in general, there is usually very little difference between cheap radios and very expensive radios. All radios seem to do well on very strong signals :-)

[@johnbeckham1483]

Hello, Andre, how are you doing today? I really like your DXing videos especially with the Qodosen DX286 indeed!

[@swlistening]

Hey John, thanks! I will make many more DXing videos with the Qodosen DX-286, there are a lot of signals that I am still chasing. On MW and SW. And I keep trying for LW also! The Qodosen has really opened up a while new world of DXing for me.

[@barmaley-division]

It's a great comparison. No matter what someone might say, anything can be compared to anything else, depending on the hypothesis. DSP is DSP; the rest is optimisation. Yes, the RD218 may pick up some whistles and noises-the tails of neighbouring stations. Yet, the BW on the DX-286 was set to 4k, right? And on the RD218, it sounds wider, like 6k, which means it has "less focused" tuning. Personally, a radio that allows one-handed operations is much more comfortable for me to use. So, here's an unpopular opinion: based on multiple factors, the RD218 seems like a more preferable option. This is why we need such inequality tests. 👍🏻

[@swlistening]

Thanks for your comment! I think the bandwidth on the Clooblut might be 6 kHz indeed, as you say, it does sound quite a bit wider than the Qodosen, which was at 3 kHz or 4 kHz throughout. I like the Clooblut, it can do a lot. There are a number of cheap radios that perform quite well, this is one of them. For very serious DXing, digging out extremely weak signals that are still intelligible, I do prefer the Qodosen DX-286, it is just amazing when it comes to very weak signals. And, of course, for MW DXing, it remains unbeatable, in my opinion.

[@barmaley-division]

Hey@@swlistening, thanks for checking that out! Yes, top use cases where TEFs are unbeatable by other portables are: (1) LW/MW sensitivity with poor antennas; (2) no SW mirroring on MW with whip or loop antennas; (3) somewhat better selectivity on SW with BW 6k+ (vs SI4732* @6k); (4) less or no FM mirroring on SW when there are strong local stations nearby (for my SI4732* radio I had to buy a bandstop filter) - these four points I was able to prove for myself. And (5) the TEFs should be able to work just fine with passive huge long-wire without being overloaded - this I cannot test. Best!

[@swlistening]

@@barmaley-division Indeed, I agree on all these points, especially the LW and MW sensitivity, and the fact that TEF6686 radios do not overload with external antennas. This has been shown by others already, and I also find no overloading when I use a long wire.

[@alexdx4872]

Nice comparison. The Rd 218 is not bad at all! It went really well for the price with the more expensive qodosen

[@swlistening]

Thanks Alex! The Clooblut is definitely a nice little radio.

[@thenightraven60]

I saw this review and on payday I got myself one. 10 quid well spent in my opinion.

[@swlistening]

I agree! It's a very nice little radio and surprisingly sensitive, even with the tiny whip antenna. Enjoy the radio!

[@Kw1161]

The little “Q” whip’s another challenger, but I wish the little “Q” was in the same form factor as the ClooBlut to make easier to carry around and tune one handed. 73! Have a great day!

[@swlistening]

A one-handed Qodosen would be very nice! There are some interesting TEF6686 radios on Ali Express now that seem to be made for one-handed use, like this new one: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007016295577.html But I don't know how they perform. Haven't seen any reviews yet.

[@remopkr198]

another great video man from south Africa proteas

[@swlistening]

Thanks Rafik 😀

[@andrewmcphee8965]

There is something disturbing to me about a radio named a 'Clooblut'. Sounds like a very undesirable medical procedure. Oh, and another fail...they use Comic Sans font for the text under the screen. What were they thinking? Thanks for the video Andre, always enjoy your work.

[@swlistening]

Thanks for your comment, Andrew. That's very funny, the name does sound quite a bit like an undesirable medical procedure! I teach my students that the one font they should always avoid in layout work is Comic Sans. I will use my Clooblut radio as an example in class of how not to do it, thanks for the idea :-)

[@lizhao-d9u]

This should be a cultural difference. RD218 is definitely not produced and sold by Americans. They don't understand the significance of using Comic Sans font. It's a mistake.

[@swlistening]

@@lizhao-d9u I think you are right, they did not realise the significance of using such a font.

[@prasadasgoa]

Why not make a comparison video between Quodosen and Tecsun PL-330?

[@swlistening]

Hi there Prasad, thank you for the suggestion. I do not own a Tecsun PL-330, but I do have the PL-368. I have already done several comparisons between the PL-368 and the Qodosen SR-286. Here are some: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXmlaauGj6enZtk and kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4qnmHVoiNJjkNk and kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ-sp6WAmdaafKM

[@StratmanII]

@@swlistening Here's hoping that you'll consider getting the latest Tecsun PL-330, Andre! 🙂The older versions like mine come with the outdated micro USB charging port - while the current production models are fitted with Type-C USB. I haven't read or watched comparisons of the 2024 edition PL-330 with its earlier production models, therefore I don't know how much improved the new PL-330 is other than having the Type-C port. For instance, the 2024 model Sihuadon R-108 not only is fitted with the modern Type-C USB charging port but the designers have also succeeded in getting rid of the annoying and loud popping sound when changing bands that plagued earlier versions. To me that's a very positive improvement, but not enough an inducement for me to upgrade to the latest R-108, since it's not exactly my favorite shortwave radio. Now, if someone is sponsoring me a second R-108 or PL-330, I'd really go for the 2024 edition PL-330! 😀📻❤

[@swlistening]

@@StratmanII Now that you put it this way, maybe I should get a PL-330. The 2024 edition sounds like a really nice update. Where did you see the 2024 edition for sale? The thing with these updates (like with the XHDATA D-808) is that you don't really know what you are getting until the radio arrives.

[@StratmanII]

@@swlistening I noticed the latest PL-330 with the USB-C on my usual XHDATA online store on the Lazada platform. Lazada is very popular in Southeast Asia and most of its customers are from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and of course, Malaysia. AFAIK, the latest firmware for the PL-330 is still the 3306 from the year 2022. I presume that's the most stable firmware and Tecsun will only update the firmware if it's absolutely necessary, e g bug fixes. Avoid buying from sellers who advertise the PL-330 with 650 memories instead of 850 memories, since that radio will be from the older batches from many years ago. If the PL-330 is shown, or advertised as having the USB-C port then that's the current version. I doubt Tecsun will update the vertical format PL-368 with the USB-C port since this model is nowhere as popular as the PL-330. I mean, the company could do this upgrade exercise if they wanted to, but they're not confident switching to USB-C will pull in more sales of the PL-368. You and I bought the PL-368 as it looks futuristic and cool, but the majority of shortwave radio listeners don't share our enthusiasm. They prefer the conventional looking PL-330 as its buttons are spaced wider making them easier to operate, has a bigger and better sounding speaker and plus an easier to read, LCD readout. This is why Prasad asked if you could compare the Qodosen to the Tecsun PL-330 and not the PL-368. 😊 Now, if Qodosen had debuted their SR-286 looking like the Tecsun PL-368, how many people would really buy it? It's always safer to sell a rectangular shaped radio than a vertical one! 📻😄

[@StratmanII]

@@swlistening I wrote a very lengthy reply, but YT swallowed it again. It could have been because I mentioned "Aliexpress" and "Lazada" in it. 😞 To cut a long story short, any PL-330 that has the USB-C charge port is for 2024. 🙂

[@jamesglenn6461]

The xh 219 and coblut , work surprisingly well. I would rather take the 219 on a trip , leaving the more expensive units at home.

[@swlistening]

Hi James, I agree with you on that, sometimes it's nice to carry a cheap radio around, or travel with it. I go on daily walks with my dog and I now regularly take the Clooblut along, just to scan the bands while I'm walking, see what conditions are like.

[@eldontyrellcorp]

The clooblut is not that bad, honestly. Sound is not great, it's not as sensitive, but it catches a lot.

[@swlistening]

I agree. Quite a sensitive little radio, not the best, of course. But works nicely.

[@Numero-Deux]

Clooblut Lijiani , are they the same ?

[@swlistening]

Yes, they are the same.

[@ericbond5276]

I cannot get stoked trying to locate a far away station. This is the 21st century. If the BBC sounded static on those radios, those tech companies failed miserably. I like to listen to oldie stations on radiobox on my laptop.

[@nine7295]

It's a hobby. You don't get it.

[@ericbond5276]

@@nine7295 I do get it. I used to have a Panasonic Rf-3100. I used to listen to several world stations and collect the QSL cards and sometimes the souvenirs. I even got an LP from Radio Austria of a prog band. I had the radio from 1985 to early 2000s. I got bored with WB radio so I just listened to AM and FM. Yeah, for about 4 or 5 yrs. it was cool listening sending off reports with comments of certain parts of the program. I still have some of my QSL's and pennants. It was a hobby. Now, the tech got better so the radios should get better. Good day and happy DXing.

[@swlistening]

I agree with the other comment here, for many of us this is a hobby, that's why we enjoy it. The static noise, the weak-signal chasing, it is all part of the SW experience :-)

[@migsvensurfing6310]

Clooblut performs ok but does mix a lot of stations (hearing some that are not on the frequency). Qodosen wins.

[@swlistening]

No doubt about that, Qodosen wins :-) But the little Clooblut does quite well, I think, considering the extremely low price. I think it is a nice radio for people who just want to try out shortwave DXing without spending too much money.