New XHData ‘prepper’ type radio

[Nice65]

Many of you will be familiar with the brilliant budget XHData D-219 for about £12.99 delivered.

XHData have just gone one better with the D-226. I’ll let Fred in the Shed go through it all, but the built in 3.7V Li-ion battery plus AA capability is genius. It means safe storage and immediate usability without alkaleak batteries having to be found, or spewing their guts inside. The aerial/jackplug combo is tidy too.

 

[Sooty22]

Mine just arrived. Brilliant piece of kit. I have been picking up all sorts of short wave stations and brushing up on morse!

 

[demented dale]

Mine just arrived. Brilliant piece of kit. I have been picking up all sorts of short wave stations and brushing up on morse!

I bought a 'prepper radio'. it had am, fm sw, long wave and upper side band and lower side band. millions of channels. I didnt pick up anything hardly . What did you get on that one of yours S22? and can you get normal radio? It might be that i;m in ireland. we no radio hardly less than a handful of digital stations so you cant even use a DAB (you can in the north) is that worth getting would you say? DD xxx

 

[Sooty22]

I bought a 'prepper radio'. it had am, fm sw, long wave and upper side band and lower side band. millions of channels. I didnt pick up anything hardly . What did you get on that one of yours S22? and can you get normal radio? It might be that i;m in ireland. we no radio hardly less than a handful of digital stations so you cant even use a DAB (you can in the north) is that worth getting would you say? DD xxx

Try this; tune it to shortwave, try around 6500khz to 6900kHz. Extend the antenna and go outside at night. Turn the tuning knob very slowly, very very slowly. You should pick up at least some morse, albeit distorted and sounding squeaky / high pitched with those tiny radios.
If that doesn't work either, tie a 15-20m length of paracord between trees, suspend a 10-15m length of wire under it without being too near the trees (tie it with paracord, or cable ties, to your paracord length), one end totally free under the paracord, the other end grounded, then put some electricians tape on your little whip antenna and loop the wire near the grounded end a few times (5-6 will do) around the whip antenna of the radio.
That should give you a pretty good antenna.
Make sure the whip antenna is insulated by tape and not electrically connected to the wire, or you might fry your radio.

 

[demented dale]

Try this; tune it to shortwave, try around 6500khz to 6900kHz. Extend the antenna and go outside at night. Turn the tuning knob very slowly, very very slowly. You should pick up at least some morse, albeit distorted and sounding squeaky / high pitched with those tiny radios.
If that doesn't work either, tie a 15-20m length of paracord between trees, suspend a 10-15m length of wire under it without being too near the trees (tie it with paracord, or cable ties, to your paracord length), one end totally free under the paracord, the other end grounded, then put some electricians tape on your little whip antenna and loop the wire near the grounded end a few times (5-6 will do) around the whip antenna of the radio.
That should give you a pretty good antenna.
Make sure the whip antenna is insulated by tape and not electrically connected to the wire, or you might fry your radio.

Thanks for answering. You are right. I cable tied the antenna to the metal pole of my bell tent and was able to pick up the world cup on five live. Would you recomend that I get one like yours. The one I had had a vast range of channels and all the cb networks too but it was very time comsuming trawling thru them all. so much so that it was boring. ps did you get the £15 deal and if so how and where DD xx

 

[demented dale]

Try this; tune it to shortwave, try around 6500khz to 6900kHz. Extend the antenna and go outside at night. Turn the tuning knob very slowly, very very slowly. You should pick up at least some morse, albeit distorted and sounding squeaky / high pitched with those tiny radios.
If that doesn't work either, tie a 15-20m length of paracord between trees, suspend a 10-15m length of wire under it without being too near the trees (tie it with paracord, or cable ties, to your paracord length), one end totally free under the paracord, the other end grounded, then put some electricians tape on your little whip antenna and loop the wire near the grounded end a few times (5-6 will do) around the whip antenna of the radio.
That should give you a pretty good antenna.
Make sure the whip antenna is insulated by tape and not electrically connected to the wire, or you might fry your radio.

ps I can/t picture the diy antenna. is there a pic or diagram i might find please? d x

 

[Sooty22]

Thanks for answering. You are right. I cable tied the antenna to the metal pole of my bell tent and was able to pick up the world cup on five live. Would you recomend that I get one like yours. The one I had had a vast range of channels and all the cb networks too but it was very time comsuming trawling thru them all. so much so that it was boring. ps did you get the £15 deal and if so how and where DD xx

I didn't, I paid full price on amazon, £24.99
Yours should work fine; the D226 still needs going through the band by turning a knob, and changing bands by sliding a selector. If yours scans and locks on strong signals automatically, it is probably better and I would keep it.

 

[Sooty22]

ps I can/t picture the diy antenna. is there a pic or diagram i might find please? d x

Remember to insulate the radio's whip antenna where you loop the wire.

 

[demented dale]

I didn't, I paid full price on amazon, £24.99
Yours should work fine; the D226 still needs going through the band by turning a knob, and changing bands by sliding a selector. If yours scans and locks on strong signals automatically, it is probably better and I would keep it.

mine didnt scan. you had to laboriously click a knob till you heard something. yours looks much easier to to do. I did get decent on mine but as I said picked up very little for a lot of effort. x

 

[demented dale]

Remember to insulate the radio's whip antenna where you loop the wire.

gotcha. how much better is the signal when you do that?

 

[Sooty22]

gotcha. how much better is the signal when you do that?

I haven't tried it with this one, but it should be as good as it gets given the limitations of these radios, as in it will give you the best possible signal input in return for some paracord, wire and tape.
I bet you can actually pick up a lot more than you think. Most signals are masked because we scroll too fast for the radio to tune in meanigfully. You really need to turn the knob very, VERY slowly
Also, for longer distance bands (like shortwave), it bounces off the ionosphere and it gives you much better results at night time.
Oh, and there was a geomagnetic storm going on these last couple of days, so that won't be helping -or it will... as it does funny things