New Firmware Update for Raddy RF919

[@davex142]

Brick here too… I am done with this one.

[@Kw1161]

Thanks Dan for the information so I won’t brick mine also…however, I would say if the radio no longer works,….your soft-muting issue is mute..😮! 73! Have a great day!

[@robmccarthy1018]

The muting between freq steps appears to be a characteristic of most DSP only receivers. The tuning as well as the signal processing is all done in the DSP chip. Other receivers such as higher end Tecsuns etc have a PLL circuit which tunes the radio then the processing is done separately or in the analog domain as far as I know. I have a pair of larger PLL receivers and the tuning is always smooth without muting. I also have several less expensive straight DSP portables of different brands and they all mute.

[@Gest-wg2yb]

Thanks for the info, probably saving a lot of people a huge headache

[@jerryhenley4533]

This is not the only flaw, the bandwidths and modulation schemes are not selectable and makes the bands unusable such as military air bands, weather bands etc. bandwidths too narrow for ham bands no modes selectable such as usb and lsb for 432 mhz 144mhz etc

[@HH-os7zh]

Thanks Dan. I got a link for the firmware on the Raddy page where the reviews are. I could not find the firmware or instructions with this link. I think Raddy must have pulled it, but that is a guess on my part.

[@kenharvey9714]

It's there on the Downloads page.

[@MaineCoon-o7r]

I tried to upgrade too. It started update and in a few seconds ... dead (bricked).

[@bigben099]

I just performed the firmware update to version 1.706 successfully. I used an old 4GB microSD card. I did a full format (not quick format) to FAT32 which took several minutes. Copied the update file to the card and got a good update. There is a new menu item in the system settings to enable muting. I'm listening to the 40m HAM band and the soft muting is definitely improved.

[@kenharvey9714]

So now you have the option to turn off the muting while tuning?

[@bigben099]

Yes. Version 1.706 adds an item to the system level menu to enable or disable muting while tuning.

[@RicardoSaramago]

Hi, was there a reply from Raddy on this? I just bricked mine as well, and I'm waiting for their reply... I'm sad I only found your video after I bricked my radio :(

[@jrbaretta]

DAN, A lot of viewers don't even know what muted tuning means. You take for granted they do but many do not. Explain what it means and how it is a disadvantage over tuning that is unmuted. And do a side by side comparison with your new Raddy that has muted tuning and any other shortwave radio you own that does NOT have muted tuning so viewers can also HEAR the difference. You need to do anew video to do this but it will be necessary for your two videos about this Raddy radio to make sense. Please do so, thanks.

[@jrbaretta]

Raddy is essentially selling a shortwave radio with a major DEFECT, what is known as, muted tuning, meaning you cannot hear what is being broadcast on all t he stations as you surf the channels when you tune the radio from frequency to frequency, whether you tune it manually with the fine tuning knob or when you press a button to tune the radio from frequency to frequency. You will see on the frequency meter as you do this a visual display that indicates the frequency strength of each individual through signals represented visually on the signal meter station or channel you surf through. But muted tuning means you will lose the audio momentarily so that the audio level drops off the board, as they say, completely, not allowing you to hear what is being broadcast unless you stop at any given frequency and stay there. Muted tuning can make it possible for you to inadvertently pass over channels or stations you might otherwise prefer to stay on and listen to. That this particular Raddy radio has this muted tuning is not a feature but a design flaw whereby the Raddy company should issue a recall and have their customers send the radios back to Raddy for a fix but Raddy will not do this unless forced to by either the US government or by a court ruling and neither one is likely to happen unless lawsuits are filed against Raddy and they will be forced to answer the lawsuits in open court or agree to an out of court settlement. Raddy has not been responsive enough to address customer concerns about this defect. They offer a quick-fix email link but so far, the half dozen people I've spoken to who have this radio and are stuck with this muted tuning defect have tried to follow Raddy's directions to correct this muted tuning flaw but this quick-fix does not work in actuality. At least not for the six people I spoke to. How many other Raddy customers have gotten similar run-arounds from Raddy, I don't know. But as I said in my prior comment below, Raddy is a company operating from Communist China and are likely owned the Chinese communist government or their military under the business banner they call, Raddy. And so far, from what I have seen of Chinese companies who produce products with defects, they always fail to correct problems or address customer concerns. Once they have your money, they could care less. In China, over the past 40 years, there have been a never-ending number of inferior shortwave radios being produced in China and sold from there. Only a few of them have had any merit. Most of these radios have come and gone because of inferior designs and built-in defects. Let's see what happens with this particular Raddy radio. Let's see if Raddy takes the initiative and accepts the responsibility it should and begin not only fixing these adios but all future models of this particular radio. They need a revised schematic upon which to base refute production of this radio. I personally will not buy this radio unless Raddy corrects the defect and markets all new versions of this radio with the problem of muted tuning eradicated. All such future models of this radio must then be sold with a new model number to reflect the fact the muted tuning defect has been corrected.

[@stevesweb]

I have updated mine and the new tone setting works as expected. However, the new mute setting doesn't make any difference. I have replied to Raddy but have not heard back yet. Mine did not brick and seems to be working fine other than the muting.

[@dxace1]

OK, thanks for this information....

[@eldontyrellcorp]

Where can we find the firmware ? I have googled but didn't find anything

[@kenharvey9714]

@@eldontyrellcorp Raddy web site. Downloads page.

[@soundhobo]

…the firmware instructions in the extended up to date pdf manual are contrary. It asks to rename the update file in two ways…in the literature it says RF919.upd but in the example screenshot it says RF919-ENG.upd. That stopped me in my tracks and I’ve emailed them but as yet had no reply.

[@eldontyrellcorp]

I have the Hangronda hrd-c919 version. I guess I can install the firmware on it as well ? As these are basically all the same rebranded radios.

[@kenharvey9714]

I have the C919 too, but don't think I'll risk it.

[@martinryan5069]

Thanks Dan

[@jeffgoudy9605]

I didn’t do the update , but my Radio will not turn on now with the button on the radio? Only way too turn it on now is with the app in BT?

[@Homer19521]

Hope they unbrick it for you. I am still hopingto see the updated Tecsun S-2000 this fall.

[@dxace1]

Hah hah -- that was supposed to be a state secret!

[@StratmanII]

That would be the Tecsun S-2200, unless its model number has changed. 😊

[@nathanpetrovski7525]

I haven't heard about that one. Where did you read about it?

[@mric883]

i brick mine too , nothing to do ?

[@BillboardPenguin]

I'll just stick with my Belka.

[@jrbaretta]

This model was rushed to market by Raddy with no after thoughts of whether or not the radio should be recalled to fix this widespread problem with their design, which they really do not want to admit to because if they did, it would cost them and money coming out of the pockets of Chinese businessmen from a Marxist, totalitarian communist nation like China just doesn't happen. This Chinese company invested a lot of money in selling this model, as they did last year with a smaller version of this model. The Chinese communists at Raddy don't want to lose their investment simply because they began manufacturing thousands of these radios that had a very serious defect that they should have known existed from day one but did nothing to resolve the problem, so Raddy simply dropped that problem into the lap of their customers and is continuing to do so at the present time, which is scary and tells you something about the mindset of the people who own and operate Raddy. I think this gives us a little bit of a window into the minds of the way the Chinese communists think and operate. This shortwave radio receiver should be recalled but unless Raddy is forced to by legal action or threat of a governmental body, maybe a consumer affairs type of agency, they will continue selling this radio in the hopes the majority of their customers will not realize what they have purchased is a radio with a substandard radio design internally, even though the radio looks great on the exterior. Raddy will not officially admit, nor will they issue a public acknowledgment that this radio should be recalled in order for the company to install a newer, improved design. They won't do it. The only thing that will cause changes to happen with the Raddy company is if this particular radio stops selling, especially on Amazon, because of these design flaws and the only way for that to happen is if the company receives enough honest and yet negative products reviews of this radio that will chase potential customers away. Raddy will then be left will a lot of unsold units which they will continue trying to sell, maybe at a discounted rate, maybe not but unless they advertise this particular model with the muted tuning problem having been resolved, I and many other radio enthusiasts will not buy this radio, though a friend of mine did and he is pissed off about this problem and says it is so unnecessary a problem to have in a shortwave radio in the 21st century. He said Raddy's designer for this radio was an idiot who should have known better. And let's face it, Raddy is ripping off Sony and Panasonic military-style shortwave radios of the latter part of the 20th century. He said Raddy should have known what they were doing but they made the mistake of trusting the wrong design engineer to dream up schematics for this particular radio design and they, Raddy, went with it, hoping to cash in on the popularity these type of radios enjoyed in the 1970's and early 1980's when Sony and Panasonic made them, though they were analog back then.

[@jrbaretta]

Either this will be a chinese fly-by-night japanese ripoff of 1970's sony radios or else raddy will be honest and fix these bugs if they want new customers long term.

[@PetrJanasek]

Hello, a radio with great capabilities LW MW SW (AM + SSB), VF UHF in FM AND DAB+ and for digital broadcasting is definitely NOT the model Raddy RF919 or Reketess TR113! They are just overpriced pieces of shit, bragging about their broadband reception from KW to SHF in advertising, but in reality they don't want anything at all on DW, on MW about half the stations and that's with noise, on SW so-so... Also control and switching functions it is demented compared to other normal receivers and scanners. On the other hand, the mentioned models abound with unnecessary functions and nonsense such as 7 colors of display backlighting, color VU meter of nf signal instead of proper S-meter, playback of songs from the card, etc., etc., which are absolutely irrelevant for a radio communication device, expensive radio for free! OK1XPJ

[@DinsDale-tx4br]

Raddy 1 - 1-billion Crowdstrike