XHDATA D-220 AM FM Shortwave Radio Review

[@todderbert]

(paid links below) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are no additional costs to you. ▶ The XHDATA D-220 Shortwave Radio at Amazon USA: amzn.to/3LMdBZ7 ▶ The XHDATA D-219 Shortwave Radio at Amazon USA: amzn.to/3A6cNf2

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

Good honest review, the 219 for under $10 is amazing. This radio looks more like a "classic" transistor radio of the 70s...

[@WilliamParmley]

My green D-220 arrived a couple of hours ago. It's beautiful! First thing I heard was CHU on 14670. Ifrikya FM was BOOMING in on 17600. Lots of other stations heard throughout the band. Tuning takes a delicate touch but is no problem to master. I plan on listening to REE on 17855 at 2200Z this afternoon.

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

Dang, no fine tuning?

[@ejc1956]

In my opinion, the 220, is a good basic radio for casual use. Shortwave performance where I live is no better than the 219. But where it really shines is FM. If you get one, you should use the 87 to 108 FM dial, rather than the other one because of selectivity (separation of stations on the dial). Sensitivity and audio quality, especially through earphones (I use Panasonic) is fantastic! AM (Medium Wave) is not as sensitive but still superior to the D219, as is selectivity. And I love the design, very retro for those of us who grew up in the 1960s and have fond memories of our first transistor radio. If you were lucky enough to get the 40% special coupon discount, it’s a definite purchase. But even at 10 percent or so that Amazon is featuring, it’s still worth it.

[@AndrewwDXing]

Just got this radio as a gift from Saint Nicholas (December 6th). Defenitely a great performer for a pocket-sized radio

[@johnbeckham1483]

Todderbert, it appears that XHDATA has been busy in engineering quite simple but both sensitive & reliable inexpensive radios indeed! Nice radio & you have your choice of 3 colors! Thanks for your tutorial review of the XHDATA D-220!

[@geospart]

Thanks for the code, I got it for under $8. Agreed about the 219 it's a nice little radio.

[@cheesedoodlefeeder]

I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but I believe the reason why the reception is so good on the D-220 as well as on the D-219 (which I just got earlier today) is that I believe the heart of this radio is the Skyworks Si4822 single chip radio device. Look it up. I thought this was an analog radio, but if you tune it you will hear it step across frequencies as the you go across the dial. So it does have amazing performance and is similar to other higher end radios like Tecsun and others but it uses a mechanical potentiometer to tune the radio in discrete steps. Pretty amazing for the price!

[@Funkteon]

How do you buy one of these with 9K stepping on AM/MW for the non-North American (international) market?

[@DriveInFreak]

I have seen that deck of cards so many times that I actually had a dream that I was playing cards with you last night. Yes, I need to get some kind of a life..lol Keep up the good work. I love your content.

[@RJDA.Dakota]

Nice little portable. It looks old school. Like an old time 1960s transistor radio. That particular shortwave band is rather tight but I’ve seen worse. With a little bit of patience I could probably go through the SW band. Still looking seriously into the D 219. 25:31 Radio Romania International.

[@F4LDT-Alain]

Thanks for the complete and informative review. One among others that enticed me to buy this radio. I've just received my (paid for - about 12 euros shipped on Amazon FR) D-220 and spent an evening at the beach front at my vacation place with it and the almighty Qodosen for a test run and some comparison. Well, I'm totally amazed by this small radio. It's a blast. Impressive sensitivity, up to a point that I gave up using the 7m long wire I had brought and used it on its small whip only (same for the Q of course). It almost matched the Qodosen on most stations I managed to tune the two radios to. This turned out to be a difficult task because the D-220 is kind of a pain to tune due to the whole 5-22 Mhz range crammed into a single scale. Fat fingers be warned, this thing needs feather touches and quite a lot of patience to tune it. And forget about figuring out what exact frequency you're on to check the reference sites. The tiny scale and the relatively fat needle will only give you a very rough estimate. My only gripe so far is a certain lack of selectivity. When hooked to the long wire antenna, I had tons of stations stepping on each other. It didn't happen much when on the built-in antenna. But the place I was at is very special for SW reception in the evening. Loads of strong signals. Sound is quite good for such a small radio. Clear and powerful speaker. The D-220 sure is a lot of radio in a small and cheap package.

[@summerhillcinema7006]

Just got one thanks to your video!! Was trying out the shortwave in the backyard and actually got a few stations here in western Canada!! Cheers.

[@josemesquita603]

Thanks for sharing the radio internals as well. I noticed the presence of two transistors, one is Q2 SMD type st the copper traces PCB, and the other Q1 must be a passthrough type at the components side. These seems to be part of the RF FM and SW front-End stage getting the signal from the telescopic antenna. Therefore the DSP IC benefits from a larger signal leading to a potentially better sensitivity on these two bands. I have dismantled the older D-219 and what my unit uses is a D2822M Audio Power Amp IC, a Si4825A10 DSP DIP-16 package, and five transistors where two are 2SC3356 for the RF front-end.

[@skeeterman7144]

I think they designed the 220 not to replace 219 but to tap into the younger generation market. The 220 is held like an iPhone and is easily pocketed.

[@hadibq]

How does it feel to be The best radio reviewer on the planet. Thanks for your videos and efforts, Todderbert👍 a great treat to radio lovers like me who cannot afford to have all the receivers but interested to know them well.😊

[@todderbert]

XHDATA did mention that there could be a special Radio Waves by Todderbert radio in the future :) Not sure what they want me to do, but I don't want any sponsorship so I can remain unbiased for my reviews.

[@hadibq]

@@todderbert Nice 🙂 we'll see TY

[@todderbert]

@@hadibq Always look for a deal. My most played radios are ones that cost me under $15USD. Crazy to think, but it is true :)

[@hadibq]

@@todderbert Yeah so true!! Keep it up sir! you're doing an amazing and fun job 👍🙂

[@WilliamParmley]

Here's a tip for MW breakthrough on the D-219 (works in my situation at least with a 1 kw station about 2 miles away): If I touch the bottom of the whip with my finger as I hold the radio it pretty much eliminates the breakthrough but doesn't significantly impact SW reception. YMMV, of course. Finally bought the D-219 when it got down to $9 with a coupon. Awesome receiver! I ordered the D-220 in green primarily for the nostalgia factor. I think I will enjoy it, hope it arrives today!

[@haneyoakie14]

I bought the 219 at your recommendation and I like it a lot. Not in the market right now, but if I were, I think I would choose 219 over 220.

[@DaleChiTown]

I love the D-219! I think I’ll need to add the 220 when it goes on sale

[@jeffking4176]

You always do a great review. It’s interesting that your radio tolerates a 20 foot wire. Mine overloads with anything over 3 1/2 feet. Tuning SW can teach some a new level of patience. [ me, I’m used to it.]. Nice to see the inside, too. I’ll have to get that D-219. 📻🙂‼️

[@todderbert]

Thanks Jeff! I also have MW breakthrough at the bottom of the band using an outdoor wire during the day, but the indoor wire I used here doesn't. Also I film these in the evening if that matters.

[@jeffking4176]

@@todderbert Interesting. Yeah, it does not matter when I tested it . [ I did at various times] However, that 3 1/2 foot wire really brings in the stations. I tried a couple of antennas, and finally took a wire, and kept cutting it shorter until it wasn’t overloading. I still ge just a little breakthrough from a strong FM station but no major problem, and where it does break though / there’s nothing broadcasting there anyway. Still I like it. XHDATA is giving the other companies a run for the money. 📻🙂

[@Alex_Willis]

Mine arrived today. $9 black Friday. Amazing at this price point. Only quirk is volume switch is reversed. Up is down, down is up. But thats not a big deal.

[@clairesmyth8733]

I ordered the D-220 (green model) last night with the discount code. I already have the D-219, no complaints on performance. Respectfully, I would be amazed IF I could get ANY shortwave reception with this radio, or for that matter, most small radios at this price point. Your mileage may definitely vary. Anyway, looking forward to receiving this radio. Thanks for the discount code!

[@paulbainjr]

love the 219 it's great gift to give friends. I do like the orange version of this radio 😊 You could buy 2 and give the black one an orange back and the orange one a black back lol

[@DaleChiTown]

I have the D-219 in 9khz and 10khz. Love them! May as well grab an orange D-220 😊

[@dalehazelton-np2le]

Just ordered a 219. With points I have it's free so my wife can't complain.

[@todderbert]

Be Thankful for Points :) I have an Amazon Credit Card for just those occasions.

[@Dr.Pepper001]

Yes, but she wanted those points for something she has her eye on.

[@Dr.Pepper001]

I wish it had the weather band.

[@RJDA.Dakota]

Antenna behind the battery compartment. Wonder if that would alter the reception in some way? 12:27 I have one of those CCrane transmitters and for fun waled around the house to see how far away the broadcast would reach. Mine actually has a good reach a couple of houses either side of me and up the hill a couple of other houses! I’ve seen other reviews of this set and it seems to do well on shortwave for what it is.

[@reyesalejandrolandaverdeol3181]

Awesome. i would add The Weather band to it and the 219 as well.

[@NTPTM]

Hi, I agree with you. It would be better to have the weather band instead of the shortwave band for those of you who can use this excellent service. I live in Sweden, so the weather band doesn’t work here, but it would be good to have if traveling to the USA. We will see. A suggestion for XHDATA would be to remove the shortwave band and replace it with the weather band if XHDATA manufactures a new model of this pocket radio. I also have the XHDATA D-219, and I agree with Todderbert that the D-219 is a better radio. Take care and have a nice week.

[@ejc1956]

@@NTPTMfrom what I have seen of radios that add the USA/Canada Weather Band, it generally increases the retail price of the radio. Also XHDATA already makes an emergency radio with the weather band on it.

[@NTPTM]

@ejc1956 Hello, yes, I know I have several different XHDATA radio devices, but instead of having a shortwave band, which is rather limited, I think it would be better to have the weather band in the XHDATA D-220. Of course, if radio manufacturers add features, it increases the price of a radio, that's just how it works. Having the weather band in a small pocket radio is also a good feature to have. So absolutely, if XHDATA manufactures an upgraded version of the XHDATA D-220 pocket radio, I think they should add the weather band or an MP3 feature instead of a shortwave band, which is rather limited. Take care and have a nice day.

[@TorontoSwede]

Thanks for the inside look and comments thereof.

[@skeeterman7144]

I just got this model purposely for its *pain in the butt* tuning on SW. Memories of the 1960s when I was a kid. The trick I learned as a kid is to smash your thumb/finger against the dial and then pivot the thumb for very fine tuning.

[@ky7114]

Great review, thank you. I got one of these about a week ago. You have to be realistic when evaluating a radio that costs this little, but my wish list would be to extend shortwave coverage down to 3 Mhz, divide shortwave into two bands, and gear down the tuning wheel significantly. I find this radio to be very nearly as selective on FM as the 219 but you just can't take advantage of it because it's extremely hard to tune slowly enough. And shortwave is sensitive and quiet but finding a certain frequency is difficult with everything compressed into one band. A fast food combo meal can cost more than this radio, so you're getting fine value for your money as it is, but these improvements would make it far more usable and probably wouldn't add a lot to the price.

[@doghouse_riley]

I have the yellow / orange radio and just ordered the green one. Yes, I agree the D219 is the better radio but I am sure having fun playing with the D220. I keep getting a retro vibe from this new offering from XHDATA. With a blueberry and strawberry color, would we have the 21st century Flavoradio? I agree Todd, it is very well put together. Try the yellow / orange one with the lights off and see the red glow from the tuning dial. Not quite enough to light it all up but neat just the same. All we need now is Amazon to come out with a Free Battery of the Month Club card and we'll be set! 😄

[@todderbert]

Amazon is too cheap, they will probably have a Prime+ membership offer to get your free battery :)

[@neoracer46]

Estaba esperando este review 👌 gracias, excelente 👏👏👏

[@jeanroddenberry6433]

I would prefer it if the Xhdata people put an extra band of shortwave on the radio rather than the FM2 band, which isn't used in the US. I suppose there are countries that use the FM2, though.

[@secretlab2205]

There is some interest in the industry for extending the US FM band downward. Someday, perhaps.

[@jeanroddenberry6433]

​@@secretlab2205The "cuteness" factor alone tempts me to buy this thing, but I have a certain disdain for radios that leave out considerable chunks of the nighttime shortwave listening bands. In regards to the US adopting the lower FM frequencies, I don't know if that will happen considering many people don't even listen to radio anymore. Also, it would render 87-108 radios obsolete, which would be unfortunate.

[@Gary-t9v]

Thanks for review. Noticed they place the AM antenna away from the PCB which should maximize sensitivity. But wonder if having the AA batteries nearby affects it. (I've previously experimented with moving AM antennas away from PCBs in other DSP radios ( which are often glued right to the PCB) and found it helps in most cases).

[@todderbert]

It normally works great under the batteries, Sangean does this as well on its pocket radios.

[@45acpP90]

Nice video. Thank you.👍😉

[@todderbert]

You're Welcome. Time to rock out :)

[@45acpP90]

I picked up 2 black radios from your link. One for me, and my nephew. Thank you again.👍

[@Steven-re7xt]

You can't fix perfection keep the 219. 😊😊

[@mattg6136]

Could you please list the names of the artists demoed on your Toddbergson privite radio audio test play list thingy ma gongy. Love the show. Respect

[@LSWUK]

Hi Todderbert. It would be great if you could do a comparison between the D-220 and Sony ICF-P27 on FM and Medium Wave. All the best to you!

[@Thomas-yr9ln]

The right one is kinda what I had when I was 12.

[@spidersuitminecraftii3920]

Super Bowl Applause Sound Effect

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

They announced the D-221, which will be like this but with weather band. I can see it now, all the people cancelling orders for the 220 to get that one.

[@todderbert]

Just saw that.

[@prasadasgoa]

Have you done a review of the XHDATA D-328? A nice small little one MW, SW, FM with mp3 player. Only its glossy and a finger print magnet.

[@todderbert]

Yes, I also found out later it tunes in 9kHz steps, which isn't fantastic here in the USA.

[@dbird1356]

And how would you compare the D-328 to this 220 and the 219? Thx

[@Kw1161]

Todderbert now you can afford to have color radio of the day…😂…although Black absorbs all colors…😂😂😂! Watch the transmitter…the FCC is cracking down on unlicensed radio stations who have better music than commercial ones….😜! Have a great day! 73!

[@simonmurphy706]

What is the battery life?

[@todderbert]

Thirty to forty hours with normal use.

[@ejc1956]

Honestly I don’t think that XHDATA means to replace the 219 with the 220. Prunus and other Chinese brands have a ton of radio models out there and I think that XHDATA is merely trying to expand their lineup as well.

[@todderbert]

They confirmed the D-219 will stay in production.

[@register1430]

Can viewers get an order though on the XH site? Will not go past the checkout for me. Firefox or Chrome desktop. And that creepy music just comes out of nowhere!! CS does reach out but no fix so far.

[@dbird1356]

Is there still a code for the 219? 😉

[@PrahladcThakor]

Mw band 9k ya 10k step automatically ya only 9k step available please answer

[@todderbert]

This radio is universally stepped on MW. It lands on 9kHz, and 10kHz frequency positions.

[@NTPTM]

Hej Todderbert, thanks for the review.The XHDATA D-220 seems nice, but I agree with you, Todderbert, the antenna is a bit too short to have the best reception. The XHDATA D-220 is a basic FM/AM pocket radio, but as a small FM radio, it is fine. I also agree with you, the XHDATA D-219 is a better radio, and I really like my XHDATA D-219. Of course, it is also great to have a simple FM/AM/SW pocket radio, but the shortwave bands are quite limited on these types of radios. But I ordered a XHDATA D-220 and I'm glad I bought the green color. As you also said, Todderbert, the green color looks sharp. Take care, Todderbert, and have a nice night.

[@drsysop]

I have this its not to bad but does not receive 5050 kHz WRMI Legends as it needs to go lower on the Shortwave band. Tune on the second FM band 64- 108 MHz as you can hear your local stations mirror from 64- 87 MHz there. Big downfall is FM bleed though on the Shortwave band if you close to a FM tower as most cheap Chinese made radios are today.

[@todderbert]

My issue is some MW breakthrough on SW when using an outdoor long wire. For a $10 radio, I can't complain, but will point out the D-219 is the better value :)

[@ejc1956]

My closest FM towers are 6 miles away ,I am getting no bleed through on either SW or on the 64-108 band.

[@drsysop]

@@ejc1956 Try less than 2 miles it will bleed though especially of there a HD Radio on one of them.

[@tekvax01]

Are you the todderbert from the movies ski school one and two; the feel good skier of the 90s?

[@todderbert]

Brother from the same Mother :)

[@AbdulMuzeebbasha]

There is DSP chip

[@moisessilvera4388]

Buen día señores me gusta el radio cuánto cuestan para enviar a soledad Atlántico dígame el precio con el envío y modo de pago en pesos colombianos gracias

[@moisessilvera4388]

Me gusta el color negro

[@dharmasagarpatil8485]

Why men have a typical choices!!!!!

[@todderbert]

hmm, do you mean the colors? my viewer base is 99% male so I imagine portable radio appeals to them the most.

[@mattg6136]

Just read it back. Ahh haa 😢 funny.

[@paul.steckler]

"Expires APRIL 11th, 2024" -- not so useful for a video posted in August.

[@todderbert]

Yeah, I did some time traveling there. I'll go correct the timeline right now.

[@waktosha7378]

I bought all 3 colors of the 220. I like the 220 for hand holding, because it feels more natural. I just bought the 219 after watching this video to see how much better, other than the shape, it is.

[@mitsoulas222]

Does the orange one has a difficult to read dial? Almost yellow on orange.

[@waktosha7378]

@mitsoulas222 No