XHDATA D-219. You cannot buy a cheaper SW radio.

[@corpo33]

I have bought 4/5 of these and have giving them for presents to people and I have 1 in my fishing bag I throw a long wire up in a tree and I pick up loads when the fish are not biting but what I wanted to say was that I bought one for my dad who was ill over the last year and was always in and out of hospital he loved this radio could even pick up decent amount of fm Stations even in the hospital surroundings gave him a lot of comfort sadly he passed just over a month ago and I put a fresh set of battery's in his radio just before we closed the lid so this radio has a special meaning to me ..But I just want to say thanks for your review ..Ged in Ireland 🇮🇪

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Hi Ged. So sorry to hear of your loss. My condolences to you and your family. My father passed a while ago and i was able to set him up with some PMR radios while he was too weak to get out of bed so i know what you mean.

[@corpo33]

@@CB-RADIO-UK brother appreciate the comment bk have a crackn evening..

[@georgebarnes8163]

Cheapest I have bought is the Silvercrest digital radio from Lidls, SW/FM/AM , model SWED101 B1. The radio comes with batteries, has a built in alarm clock and several memories for each band, all for £7.99.

[@Interestingness101]

The D-219 is worth every penny and is a great go anywhere Radio.

[@Tom-hb9sy]

I ordered one of these yesterday after watching this video not so long ago.... It was delivered today and the radio including delivery was under a tenner! My first sw radio at 36 years young and I have to say I think it's absolutely fantastic especially considering how little it costs. Went on a short walk earlier and sat on a bench on the top of a hill en route back home and picked up dozens of stations on sw and that was just using the telescopic antenna. 73's 😎

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Enjoy it

[@ditto1958]

Excellent video! I got one from Amazon a few weeks ago for about $9. Amazingly good for something so affordable. 😊 NOTE: US buyers, be sure you get the US version (it has 1710 kHz on the right side of the AM scale).

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Thanks for sharing!

[@szaki]

Uh, let me check mine! Yes, it has the AM 1710. 👍

[@gaoldias]

Fred, I have 2 of these (one with 9K and one with 10K steps on medium wave) On short wave, I find that the optimum wire length is about 4 to 5 meters. Beyond that, my copies overload quite severely. A 4 to 5 meter wire does improve reception quite a lot in my area in central Canada. Great review!

[@Dan40049]

It's a great radio I've had one for over a year now and have been using it for SW reception everywhere.

[@The.Doctor.Venkman]

For ten quid, you can't go wrong! Great for camping or outdoors. Thanks Fred!

[@F4LDT-Alain]

Excellent review as usual, thanks. The D-219 undoubtedly is among the very best SW radios you can get for this price. It never disappoints in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. It's not too prone to overloading when connected to a long wire antenna, unlike some other cheap SW radios. However I have a gripe against its tinny speaker and very narrow bandwidth, resulting in a sound that lacks clarity. Still, I have two of these, of different colors and I like them a lot.

[@SFBenjaminK]

I already bought D-219 in U.S in lighting deal in Amazon for $7.80, cant wait to getting it today & also lookin for Price goes down might for xmas on the NEW 2024 model XHDATA D808 to get that 2 also!

[@ominkan3129]

The SW is great for such an affordable radio. The build quality is solid. The style is clean and a clear read out. The sound is very clear. Nice review.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Couldn't agree more!

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

I like the analogue approach. I have a very similar radio for a similar price, all button controlled, but does have a clock, snd works as an alarm clock - despite this feature not being mentioned in the "manual". This one with a clock etc would be ideal.

[@MrRadiouser]

The low FM band is still used in Russia etc, and oddly enough Brazil. For those of us in Europe when Sporadic E is just right you can hear these signals during the summertime.

[@Steven-re7xt]

Hi fred i love them i have a kit w/5 meter wire/ with gaotor clip. Then cary spares of batterys. And a bfo kit. . The bfo brings out the hams. Like ticks on a dogs back. Keep it up there kinda picky... but well worth the price. ..😊😊😊

[@RaymondJones-d8z]

Great little radio for the price the sound is good reception of short wave stations is good am and fm is good selectivity is fair to good l would give it a 6 out 10 for the price great video as always cheers

[@StratmanII]

Hi Fred. Any mechanically tuned DSP radio that is fitted with the Skyworks Si 4825-A10 DSP chip will only give you mono FM reception, even on earphones. The D-219 uses the Si 4825, therefore its FM tuner will be in mono. XHDATA's D-368 on the other hand has a stereo FM tuner although you have to plug in your headphones to experience stereo stations. The D-368 uses a different DSP chip, the higher spec'ced Si 4836-A10. Hope this helps! 📻😊

[@jerseyjeeper1575]

Good info

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Thanks for the info. Great.

[@F4LDT-Alain]

I've been looking for this information for a while, thanks. Wondering if the D-219 and D-368/D-328 use the same DSP chip or not. BTW speaking of the latter, do you know if they use the same chip? D-328 vs. D-368?

[@StratmanII]

@@F4LDT-Alain Good question, Alain. The D-328 is of the same level as the D-219, except that it has additional circuits for its MP3 player. Therefore it shares the same entry level Si 4825-A10 chip which is used in the D-219. The D-328 has a MP3 player, which is why it has additional circuit components compared to the D-219. Incidentally both models have the same 4 Ohm, 3-watt speaker and sound the same. The D-368 is in a different league, thanks to its upmarket Si 4836-A10 DSP chip. It has a bass/treble output from the DSP and a _stereo_ FM tuner and a station tuning LED. The station tuning LED also serves as a visual signal strength indicator, which I find to be useful on the SW bands. I don't know why the new D-220 gets so much attention compared to the D-368. The latter may be a bit more expensive than the D-220, but it gives more bang for the buck for a mechanically tuned DSP radio. 🙂

[@F4LDT-Alain]

Good to know that the D-219 and D-328 share the same guts (for the radio part at least). The D-328 has a better speaker IMO, and probably a different (fixed) SW bandwidth setting because it sounds clearer. As for the D-220, well, the novelty effect, the even better speaker, the form factor, the fun colors got the attention I guess. Do you know which DSP chip it uses BTW? same as the D-219/328 again?

[@SparkyTom1]

Thanks Fred! USD 10 on US Amazon so I just bought one on an impulse. What I like is that tuning. Other cheap radios like my Retekess V115 are such a pain in the butt to tune around because there is no tuning dial/shaft encoder, so I have to use my TinySA to see what is coming in and then switch out to the SW receiver. I just want to quickly scan around.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Hi. They a great fun for the price. You have to be very fine with the tuning wheel but the DSP locks on quickly.

[@szaki]

Using it for a while, one can get a feel of the tunning knob. I can almost memorize the stations. Digital makes people dumb. 🤔🙏

[@Ni5ei]

I ended up buying both the 328 and 219 and I like the look and feel of the 219 much better than the glossy black of 328. Plus the fact that the 219 runs on regular AA batteries. The 328 has a much better speaker though. So yesterday I decided to swap the speakers. Took some DIYing to make it fit but the 219 sounds much, much better now.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Thats interesting as thats what i found when i compared the 2. Good job on the swap.

[@PeterAlp-b3t]

Buying both is the way. At these prices my "one of each" preference will kick in ... I'll have Hundred of them!!!

[@JamesHowe-ci5vt]

I will definitely check this one out as I'm looking to get a short wave set again and that is a good price, at present I'm using an online Short wave radio that is located in the Netherlands called Web SDR had some good results with that on certain frequencies it covers LSB,USB,FM,CW,AM, AM sync, but it would be nice to have a proper set again.

[@Flashman36175]

This popped up on Utube, I looked at the radio I am currently using and it was the same. For what it is worth I like it, works as expected.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Nice one.

[@marcelvandermolen5693]

Bought 2 of them both returned both had a crack in the antenna base. XHdata 808 is working very well.

[@PIasmaZombie]

there is a sw radio that costs new currently 99cent including delivery, the "Joc TG-77", it's on the net. that radio has a USB-C socket to charge the internal battery.

[@szaki]

Sold on Alibaba?

[@Ni5ei]

@@PIasmaZombie "It's on the net" is about the same as saying "in this galaxy" when someone asks you where the train station is.

[@richardmerriam7044]

The lower FM frequency band is partially intended for hearing impaired services between about 72.1-77.5 mhz. Numerous places locally broadcast for information.

[@eldontyrellcorp]

I would have added "you cannot buy a cheaper and BETTER radio" as it's really good on all the bands.

[@stephaneschmitz8030]

I have several Xhdata radios and they all work very good : the d109, 219, 328, 608wb (I like this one very much) and the 808 which is my least favorite as it sucks batteries in no time, and especially when switched off. I highly recommend the D219 and D608 (plus the D219 if you are on the cheap).

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Yeah I am noticing that my 808 is depleting the battery whilst switched off.

[@stephaneschmitz8030]

@@CB-RADIO-UK For me this is a showstopper when buying a radio. I hate to find the battery totally depleted 2 weeks after without using it. The PL330 and many other radios are correctly behaving but not the 808. BTW I also bought the LIJIANI RD239 and it's not bad at all! It has a couple of quirks but I'd recommend it: very good sound, mp3 recorder, usable AIR band, receives VHF, receives up to 30 mhz, very good FM performance, totally usable MW (except it does not receive on 522/531, kind of birdies there), and good SW performance. Another quirk is that it introduces noise when recording on the MW band (didn't notice that on SW).

[@Kw1161]

Thanks Fred I finally received a working XHDATA D-220 and will say for SW I prefer the bands being divided instead just one jam packed one. On an unrelated note, I am trying to see you dance the “Harlem Shuffle “ while listening to your D-219…😂! Have a great day! 73!

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Rock on!

[@F4LDT-Alain]

Yup, tuning the D-219 on SW certainly is not so hard on our nerves as tuning the D-220 is 😁

[@deandaniels203]

It is what it is,but for the money that's good especially for a beginner.

[@agoraphobicadam1171]

Interesting little receiver.

[@GregPodster133]

Thanks Fred. Just ordered x2. 👍👍🙏

[@sarkybugger5009]

I bought one of these at the start of the year, and it's my go to portable, mainly for its size and tuning ability. Fits in a shirt pocket, runs for days on a set of rechargeable NiMh batteries, good sound for its size. £9 delivered. What's not to like?

[@szaki]

Bought one on Amazon for $9/ free shp. My wife asked me, why did you buy it, we all ready have 4 radios? Honey, it's only $9, that's why? Very sensitive radio, walking around the house radio in hand, stations are very strong, clear. On my other radios stations get weak or pick up lot of noise. My wife like to listen to PBS, keeps moving the other radios around, bc she hates static in the stations. 👍👍

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Just one more radio dear. Yep been there. Best to bring them in the house when she is not there.

[@Off-Road-4x4]

Hi Fred, now on Prime for £8.48 delivered.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Bargain.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

FM 62 - 87Mhz is very handy for FM transmitter hobbyists 👍😜

[@MrRadiouser]

Another great video from frank in the shack 😂

[@parkini442]

Apparently there's one for £4.50 advertised on Temu...

[@johnbolt806]

Hi Fred. Could you do a video on steps on radios like baofeng or Retevis etc please. Thanks

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Hi John. Do you mean like Chirp and Egzumer programming ? If so have a look in my playlist under Darkside PMR reviews and all the videos are there.

[@johnbolt806]

@@CB-RADIO-UK hi. The frequency steps

[@paul.steckler]

Oddly, the DC port is center-negative. XHDATA told me that the port is 3.5mm, and I can find lots of USB A to 3.5mm barrel cables, but they all seem to be center-positive.

[@LeapFrog_Radio]

Could always cut the end of the cord off, reverse the polarity, solder the wires, add heatshrink, and your done.

[@johnpage2579]

would be good to review the best budget shortwave receiver with ssb if you could get one.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Already done with the Xhdata 808 which will be hitting the channel prob late Nov.

[@F4LDT-Alain]

For a budget SSB-capable SW radio I'd say go for the Tecsun PL-330. Fine SSB tuning is a bit tricky as it has no VFO wheel, but it's cheaper than the D-808, more compact, doesn't have the dreaded paged memories of the D-808 and it's just as good IMHO (minus the air band of course).

[@PeterAlp-b3t]

Now having both the D-219 and D-220 I would say that whilst the D-220b sounds cheap and cheerful, the D-219 sound verges on the cheap and nasty. Its FM reception isn't quite as good. But the 219 is £10 and the 220 is £12-ish.

[@harrkev]

You kept on commenting how the controls feel analog. Big surprise, but they really are analog. What is most likely happening is that those are outputting an analog signal that is being converted to digital inside a processor, and then the digital version of that is being sent to the tuner chip. So yeah, the analog feel is probably because actual real analog variable resistors are a whole lot cheaper than digital knobs.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

You know you may be right. They certainly felt that way.

[@feedbackmailbox9865]

I noticed the DC barrel connector uses the less popular negative centre pin. What is the required size of the DC barrel connector (in mm x mm)?

[@EdGerber-n4n]

Well, it works, but doesnt have the Tropical Band (lower frequency sw band), i think 2.4-3.2 Mhz. Seems kind of hard to tune. Probably better in the ,~$30 + range.

[@billmorrison4746]

A right size to keep in glove box of car or back of rucksack

[@hvxcolors396]

Love the radio. It is a shame that DRM never made it in Europe or the Americas on AM or SW. Is it a point of no return? At least in Europe I think communications are fragile. With a bit of digital wizardry by the well known failed states and all internet and DAB communications are down. Maybe it could help if these broadcast radios could integrate Lora technology. Do you know anything about digital modes on CB? (that would trigger me installing a rig). Last year when I checked it was only allowed in Germany.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Hi. The only legal digital modes if heard on in the UK are on the Ham side. But you do hear data code sometimes on 11m.

[@newsnetworkz]

Thank you l, finally you said "DSP based" 😂😂 i was wondering about that

[@cbrmac]

Hard to keep up with the tech coming out of china these days Fred especially for the price 👍

[@proudsnowtiger]

The lower FM band is for Japan - it used to be Band 1 TV and low band mobile in the uK, but they're long gone. I don't think there's anything there, DX or not...

[@multilecful]

You've got 4m, the old snow 17:26 shifters band over there. Don't think its DSP for that money, more likely PLL

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Wish it was PLL.

[@mikestokes235]

Hi Fred, do you have a link for that little stand you have there at 5:43 I like it!

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Hi. I ve had it years. I picked it up on Ebay for about £3.50. Just type in "phone stand holder" and there are dozens on there.

[@Ni5ei]

Hi Fred Thanks for your reviews. I can get the 328 for almost the same price as the 219. Although I don't care for the MP3 player, I was wondering if the 328 outputs stereo over the headphone jack? I've watched a review of the 219 saying it has mono output over both left and right headphone channels but I have no idea how the 328 handles FM stereo.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

I cannot say for sure that its stereo. It seemed good quality though. The tuning on the 328 felt better to use though.

[@Ni5ei]

@@CB-RADIO-UK Thanks for the quick reply, it's much appreciated 👍🏻

[@newcastleroad2372]

Fred is there a separate aerial socket anywhere on this little radio?

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

No not on this model.

[@iosmusicman]

Great work on your channel. Thanks. Sub.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Much appreciated!

[@markpage5485]

If you look around you can get the 328 for £5 shipped from china in 9 days.

[@WyeindependantMedia]

the d328 is £8 delivered from aliexpress.

[@Ni5ei]

You have a seller name? I can't find it for that price.

[@lew9223]

RadioWonders Store I picked one up for under a tenner, it also has an MP3 player built in.

[@airwolf1987]

Who is the clear winner for the budgets? The D 219 or the D 328?

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

I would choose the D328

[@airwolf1987]

@@CB-RADIO-UK nice choice. I was going to choose that one as well. Love that metallic, glossy look.

[@michaelaFlangee]

the second band is orit iy is wider fm then ujw used in russia and former soviet countries nothing on it in cz just the odd harmonic from regular fm

[@arcticradio]

No LW 😆 It won’t receive my station

[@BeingWolfy]

I think the D220 is even cheaper. 😅😊

[@F4LDT-Alain]

The D-220 has a much better speaker and clearer sound, it's just as sensitive but the single crammed SW band makes tuning a real pain. Only for those who absolutely don't care about knowing what frequency they're tuned to, because on the D-220 you can only get a very, very vague idea.

[@BeingWolfy]

​Yep, agreed.

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

I don’t like making comments BUT for the money I’m satisfied, I hate to say but you’ll never buy one of these made in USA for nearly the price 🤷‍♂️if you can find one 👋 … At first I tuned it like you and then I connected a little directional antenna and WOW the radio really made a difference, you have to turn the antenna to tune but it gets rid of some noise 👍 ( a little antenna my 12 year old son and I made ) 👍…

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Fantastic that you and your lad made an antenna and tested it. Nice one.

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

@@CB-RADIO-UK. We thank you for answering comments. It sets your channel above others. Your content is also very helpful , informative and interesting 👍🍺🍺A pint 🍺 to a job well done 👍

[@Greg-et2dp]

Frid in the shed your KZbin videos are awesome my friend

[@GennaCooper-n1c]

Lewis Barbara Hernandez Linda Miller Steven

[@Greg-et2dp]

Frid in the shed your new XHDATA D-219 portable shortwave radio is awesome my friend

[@Greg-et2dp]

Frid in the shed I learn lot from you about bying cb radios and antennas for cb radios and power supplys for cb radios my friend

[@nr3rful]

No air band....no sale

[@John.Doe.2025]

This is DSP radio, reeeely? Ar U shuuur? May be it's better not to use words you're don't know it's meaning.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

I dont think its PL tuned at this price point and its not analogue either.

[@o00scorpion00o]

DSP ? forget it, cant beat the Tecsun pl-660/680 or even an old analogue Sony radio from 30 odd years ago beats anything made today, at least for the pure joy of tuning around on the bands. DSP is junk !

[@Ni5ei]

Great, sell me one for £10 including postage.

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@Ni5ei paper weight.

[@socallars3748]

@@Ni5ei Even if you could find such a deal, the old Sony portables are infamous for capacitor failures, I've tossed a few into the E-waste bin over the years. The capacitors don't just fail, they leak electrolyte which destroys other components and PCB traces. They were great radios when new. I picked up a D19 a few months back for $8.98 USD, although I've got countless high end receivers, this one works very well and is an amazing value for a pocket radio. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised.

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Yes i agree in principle esp the old analogue radios. However the price is a factor. Bit like comparing a classic Bentley to a modern Dacia Sandero

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@CB-RADIO-UK Analogue radios were cheap to produce the DSP radios are just cheaper, there's no justification for DSP because it offers crap tuning experience and the much more expensive radios like the Tecsuns are horrible sounding on SSB. They could still make money selling analogue radios but they won't because gone are the days where companies actually wanted to give the customer the best experience possible now they simply don't care and it's investors that matter only and investors don't care about offering customers quality they just want profit. DSP also offers much simpler design and even less thought has to go into the design of a radio.

[@irongron]

Judging a product by the box that it comes in, ok. So... put a piece of junk in a good box and that commenter is sold! 📻➡🤡

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Sometimes that can happen in a store. Bit like a cheap watch in a fake wooden good looking box.

[@Greg-et2dp]

Frid in the shed 73s to you and your wife and kids and grandchildren my friend

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

LOL you know more than me Gred. Love Frid

[@andrewfishpool89]

@@CB-RADIO-UK Congratulations Frid 😂😂