Raddy RF919 Teardown and Hardware Review

[@m4rkb0y]

Brilliant teardown, very informative. Regarding the external ferrite antenna, my guess is this is for the convenience of not having to turn the whole radio rather than performance. Sounds daft maybe but... it is convenient!

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thank you for the kind comments 🙂. Good point about the convenience of the rotating ferrite antenna. Unfortunately we don’t have MW/AM broadcasts here. Thanks for watching!

[@dxace1]

Thanks for this video. What I notice is the description on the Silicon chip for adjusting soft muting. We have been trying to determine to what extent Hanrongda has sought to reduce soft muting. Eliminating it altogether would be preferable.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thanks for watching and for your comment. As I discovered while making this video, the radio IC used for the shortwave band is the well-regarded Si4735. This chip is also used in several other popular low-cost portable radios, including the ATS20+ and the XHData D808. Therefore, there should be no reason why this IC can't be programmed to apply soft muting in the same way as those other radios, which, in my opinion, is quite acceptable.

[@kenharvey9714]

This Guy is a genius. As far as the external ferrite rod antenna goes, I see no disenable improvement on medium wave, but a massive difference for long wave, which was very poor before. Radio 4 on 198khz was unbelievably weak here in the west mids.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thank you! ☺️ unfortunately we don’t have any MW or LW stations where I live, so could not test it. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@godfellas483]

Great video mate! I plan to re-watch it again...I did like the 320, and now I think I like this radio even better! I'm nowhere as skilled a tech as you, but I like to watch videos like this. I like the twin ferrite bar antennas. Makes the external antenna inputs look less gimmicky IMHO. Also a better speaker. 2 displays are also a plus. I don't need a flashlight. Some people will disagree. I wonder how long the included batteries last with 2 displays? I may soon find out! Thanks again...keep up the great work...😎

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thanks for the compliments! With regard to the Battery life, I think it would depend on how long they are configured to stay on. The timeout can be set in the setup menu. I may test the current consumption and report back. Thanks for watching!

[@TheBronk9]

Great to watch an expert who knows what they are doing. I have always been interested but only now have the time.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thanks for your comment 😊. Glad the video was useful to you and that you now have more time!

[@phoebus]

@@ElectroBananasYT I always take pictures before I take something apart, but I suppose you can always refer to your video if some of the labeling comes off.

[@Kw1161]

Thanks for helping make my Raddy R-919 a little more understandable, especially that top jack. Good to see inside the little beast without violating my warranty…😂! 73! Have a great day!

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thanks for the comment! Glad that you found the video useful. 73

[@shanescustomwelding]

Thanks for an awesome informative down to the point video. Also very ASMR and relaxing I might add. Im ready to hit the purchase now button, but im curious as to weather or not the soft muting has been addressed on the new outgoing models? Im not going to attempt to upgrade the FW myself. Me personally id like to see the muting gone all together, I enjoy surfing the bands by ear. Thanks again, 73 KD0OOP

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thanks for the feedback, really appreciated ☺️. Yes the latest models are shipped with the latest firmware that makes the muting issue a little better. You may want to buy direct from Raddy to ensure you are not buying old stock that may not be updated. Have fun with it! 73

[@johnmackey2889]

there's a squelch problem on uhf not shutting off fast enough. it makes listening to local police and fire not very good. my mla30+ seems to work fine on am and sw.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Hello John, thanks for your comment. Not heard of the squelch issue before. If you have a short clip of the issue, feel free to email it to me, would be most interested to see what you are experiencing. Thanks for watching

[@fasopysecond5245]

Hello ElctroBananas ! I've just bought myself that radio, I'm absolutely new to using such radios, I've got a basic understanding of it, what ressources would you recommend me for this one ? I've heard you saying its documentation isn't the best... I love its retro look (I say retro as I'm in my early 20's haha!) Regards

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Hello and welcome to the hobby! I would recommend functional reviews of this radio by Paul at youtube.com/@om0et?si=1x1QbijscanZQjmc

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Paul has a number of great videos that will help you with understanding this fascinating hobby. Another recommendation is youtube.com/@techmindsofficial?si=r5ekgBZeRZbuHerR

[@walleyvideo8297]

Very good video. I learned much by watching. When I have to fix a piece of my equipment in the future, I will think of this video.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thanks for the kind comment. Glad you found it useful.

[@jerseyjeeper1575]

Top notch tear down.Thanks!

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thank you very much!

[@rusliyusof4881]

It would be interesting if there is a review and teardown on the Xiegu X6200. Tks.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

I would like to review one myself 😅

[@jerseyjeeper1575]

You can get the V1.707 firmware, it mostly fixes the muting issue. The issue with bricking is when people don’t properly format the memory card as fat32. 706 was the one people had issues with, not 707. It the same radio as the ZHIWHIS ZWS-c919. They will supply the firmware when the radio is bought through them. Raddy I think got burned by people not doing the upgrade correctly and it seems they won’t provide the firmware, even though the new version is out. Same chips, same radio. Your risk as they say. I had no issues. 73

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Hello there, thanks for the comment. Yes, I am now on 707. These different branded versions are all manufactured by HanRongDa, so all essentially the same radio. 73

[@ClareBarrington]

I had two radios bricked by trying to upgrade and my cards were formatted correctly as FAT32. I followed their instructions to the letter, but they still bricked. I was reviewing the radio and made RADDY aware of the issue.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

@@ClareBarrington Thanks for sharing. Did Raddy eventually resolve your issue?

[@ClareBarrington]

@@ElectroBananasYT Yes they did - I have had good customer service from them. Cheers!

[@ditto1958]

This radio and its little brother are interesting, but tbh I have no idea who should buy one.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Depends how serious you are about radio. Also look at the Xhdata D808 or the Qodosen DX286. The 320 is fun, but not a great radio by any means.

[@phoebus]

Yes but did Raddy send you the radio knowing you were going to take it apart? I won't be buying one until they ship it out without muting and it doesn't sound like it does well on MW either with lots of spurious sounds.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Well they would have surely seen that I like to tear things down in my previous videos!

[@thedancingalien7766]

There Goes The Warranty Journey To The Bottom Of The Rig

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Ha ha, well, what to do? I can’t resist opening these things up!

[@n1kkri]

Would like to see a similar video with one of the clone RF919. Curious if there is any difference.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Hi, thanks for the comment. I don’t think they are really clones (one company attempting to copy the design of another). I suspect that they are all manufactured by HanRongDa (HRD) in Shenzhen ( SHENZHEN HANRONGDA ELECTRONIC CO). Resellers like Raddy order the radios from HanRongDa to their respective branding requirements (colour, brand name, logo, Bluetooth ID etc). So they will be identical inside. One exception is Retekess (They brand the radio with model number TR113) who request HanRongDa to fit a different battery type (3600mAh polymer instead of the usual 2x2500mAh Li-Ion 18650s) to meet the requirements of the countries that they sell / operate in. Thanks for watching

[@Altoid777]

Great video. Could you do a complete teardown on the new Tecsun S 2200x. I am torn between getting the Raddy RF-919 and the Tecsun S 2200x. I really like the extended specifications of the Raddy but I am concerned about its build quality and durability. The Tecsun seems to be a higher build quality but its specifications are limited compared to the Raddy....Life's full of tradeoffs...Thanks

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thank you for your comment. I would also love to do a similar review of the S 2200x. Unfortunately I do not have access to one at the moment. I understand your dilemma on choosing a radio. No single radio seems perfect! In the end, I think you need to consider what features you will really use. Thanks for watching 😊

[@KentandHanni]

Having seen in side it and how its built it looks like a £50 toy radio.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Some parts and construction techniques are low cost, agreed. Especially the switches and the decision to solder wires directly on to the tracks of the PCBs rather than use connectors. That was a surprise. I think a lot of cost comes from the amount of manual labour needed to put this together - the whole rod antenna assembly and antenna tuner must take considerable time to construct. Having said all that, I think the PCB assembly and rotary encoders, displays and speaker are all good. Thanks for the comment and for watching.

[@johnjon1823]

Ever wonder which chip, when it receives the special signal sent during war, will render the unit inoperable? Because it is in there, you can be sure.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

I suspect it’s the linear voltage regulator. I’ve never trusted them; I always get the feeling they’re up to no good-especially the ones without a heatsink. They’re even worse than the old BC109 transistors-very dubious characters.

[@steiservice]

exellent description.....!!

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thank you for your kind comment.

[@davidgreedus7483]

Been a somewhat a communications radio to me was to much bass so i took out the base reflex at the back and now you can here clearer speach on SW/AIR/HAM/ETC., i know you have heavy bass FM if i want to listern to FM i use my HanRongDa HRD-A320 better still home stereo amp.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

That is an interesting idea, Thanks for sharing. I guess it comes down to personal choice. I actually quite like to hear the low frequency sounds. Happy listening!

[@phoebus]

Isn't there a EQ choice for "voice"?

[@phoebus]

I have a RF320 that overloads on strong MW stations any suggestions on how to fix it?

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Hello, sorry I don’t have solution for that off the top of my head. I don’t see the issue as we don’t have MW broadcasts where I live.

[@corpo33]

I was going to ask my wife to get me one for Christmas there 219euro on the Raddy site do you think they are worth the money i have tescuns xhdatas and the lastest qodosen and a couple of decent sonys but i like the look of these but i dont want my wife wasting her money if they are not worth it.thanks Ged .

[@ElectroBananasYT]

If you want UHF all the way up to almost 1GHz, then I would consider it. But do note that the build quality is lacking in areas like the switches.

[@corpo33]

@@ElectroBananasYT cheers for the reply I have been reading that the build quality not great im torn between the tecsun pl 660 the 680 or the 880 .

[@dwheat9003]

Citizens Band is mess on my TR-113 and fails to work properly. Scanning for signals it just blows right by those, if I jog the tune button to say 27.1250 Mhz or just manualy enter it then it will pick up a transmission but only with squeltch at zero. It worked fine on Citizens Band for about 5 days then it started not working correctly. Not happy with this, notbwell made.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Hi, sorry to hear you are having issues. Did you get in touch with Retekess? Strange how it used to work. Hope you get it resolved.

[@dwheat9003]

@ElectroBananasYT Yes, it solved nothing.

[@PeoterRhubarb]

@@dwheat9003please email me.

[@BarefootBeekeeper]

I'm sending mine back. Despite the audio quality and frequency range, it's not well designed or well made.

[@fjdkfdfjdf33]

the internals aren't so well done. not at all reassuring. looks like it's just waiting to break.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

I think the switches, small case screws and the wiring of the loop/rod antennas are the key negative points for me. Other items were okay. Thanks for the comment

[@ditto1958]

Looks like a 7th grader built a Heathkit in shop class.

[@paulladdie1026]

Hello, my Raddy RF-919 which I have owned for a month has developed a fault, I had the main screen backlight set to permanently on for a while, it began to flash for a while and now does not work on the default green setting, it does however work when set to one of the other 6 colours, I was wondering if the backlight uses small smd LED's for each coulour, or if it is some kind of electro luminescent backlight panel. I.E. is it fixable?

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Hello Paul, that sounds frustrating! Is it not under warranty? I did not open the display backlight system, however I expect it will be LEDs. May just be an issue with a back connection or solder joint on the green LED chain. So probably fixable.

[@paulladdie1026]

@@ElectroBananasYT thanks for your response.

[@VroomvroomNY]

Thats some poor quality for a 250-300 dollar radio!

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Thanks for your comment. Yes the switches and interconnection techniques look surprisingly cheap. I think a lot of the cost is the labour required to put this thing together- there is a lot of hand assembly required.

[@MySteaming]

Looks like it's been made in a shed by an amateur. Awful quality. Thanks for the Heads Up. I definitely won't be buying one of these.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Yes the soldering and switches are surprising at this price point. Glad the video was useful 😊

[@zbigniewrichard8291]

All design, no substance. The allround hand soldering is appaling.

[@ElectroBananasYT]

Yes, the soldering was quite a surprise!