Ham radio hobbyist 23 years - grounding is crucial for any radio on the AM / SW bands. Small radios can be grounded by making a ‘dead plug’ - clip the ‘hot’ or tip off of a connector such as the headphone plug (remove two tips for stereo). Find which of the plug lines are connected to the negative. You now have a ground by connecting this line to any metal object driven into the ground ( like a nail ), and inserting the clipped plug into the radio. AM / SW stations will come in so strong, you may have to retract the antenna to prevent signal overload, especially listening at night. You can also ground using the USB cable, but it’s a little more complicated.
I accidentally discovered with a Grundig YB210 as I had the coax rolled up connected to another receiver when I moved it close the radio came to life... I sat the Grundig inside the loop of coax and it was dxing WWCR from Europe. I never would have imagined this. 73s Brian
@@shortwavelistener, Yes indeed induction is the key to enhanced sensitivity with this radio the Retekess V115 as I own one and these rolled up long wire loops do help!
@@johnbeckham1483 the noise floor is still pretty bad on shortwave which is a bummer because the AM/FM works so well. If that noise was gone it would be an outstanding deal for the $.
@@shortwavelistener agree that the "noise floor" on SW is a major concern but other more pricey portable SW receivers like Tecsun & XHDATA/Sihuadon are just more sensitive but still I do like the Retekess V115!
Thank you very much for sharing this info ! I love my V115 for the MP3 functions. It's handy for use with FM Microphones and audio dictation. NEVER leave the battery inside if you're running it off USB power. It doesn't have a proper charge circuit cutoff and will burn out your battery. The original factory model is the Hanrongda K-603, it's exactly the same but cheaper and has Bluetooth.
I have viewed other videos for this radio, with the long wire antenna, and they all got fantastic results. I added about 20 feet (all I can in a brick house) and I don't get much with this radio.
You are inductively coupling the radio through the radio's antenna to your long wire. If you were to connect the antenna to the input of an antenna tuner (many good QRP kits available), I'll wager the reception would be be improved even more!
Yes and yes - however, the odd behavior of this inexpensive radio is the internal noise. Somehow inductively coupling tends to mask some of it. Any other direct connection even through a tuner just is high noise mixed with MW overloading. There are some hacks to add internal filters which is worth it for me to try.
@@shortwavelistener I am given to understand - and there is a video by a Chinese gent who demonstrates it - that the internal noise is generated by the digital display. This, as you may know, is peculiar to those devices. The method is to purchase some adhesive-backed copper tape and use it to shield the display works from the radio PCB. You will have to then ground the shield to the PCB ground. But, as you point out, this is guilding the lily for such an inexpensive little radio. Tangentially, I used to _love_ SWLing. Before amateur HF transceivers featured full HF band coverage, I'd owned a beautiful Icom R-71 and would wile the hours away listening to foreign (and domestic) broadcasts. But, alas, with the end of the Cold War, all one hears these days is The Word of the Lord (no offense) and uninteresting BBC cooking shows. Thank you again for your channel. I may take SWLing up again! de William, k6whp dit dit
@@warplanner8852 Yes, the bands aren't what they used to be. As a kid just scanning the world was so much fun along with getting the qsl cards. HCJB, Radio Moscow, etc. could be heard all times of the day. There's still some interesting stations -> Voice of Korea, Radio Saudi, China Radio Int'l, Radio France Int'l to name a few but they are falling off slowly. Radio Australia shut down not too long ago :(.
Its a bit of an art to work with it. Don’t give up - sometimes propagation is so bad even top end receivers have trouble. More loops and/or loop diameters may change your results!
Would be nice to explain or show what the thingy on the left is? what it hooks up to? ( your fridge, your stove?, your television cable? ) does it plug into the hydro socket on the wall? I have no clue what he heck it s or where to get one like it! :o/
Good point! It has nothing to do with the video- just an old antenna connector that I bypassed with the jumper alligator clip. So the clip is just attached to a long wire - I was just using the wing nut to use as a connection. You just need a long wire of about 70 to 120 ft and loop it at the end like in the video.
I have a cheap useless hrd 737, I noticed that power bars, cell phone, create interference, long wire aligater clips dont help, tired copper wire ( electrical co axle copper, and thin instrument copper wire ) no help.. But, connecting a clip from the antenna to co a cable jack....did improve reception.. Basically, the only way arround this, is dont buy cheap SW radios... I like the portable element, walking the dog, at night.
Thx for the comment. Unfortunately, no - I’ve opened it up to check multiple times and it is connected. On good days the whip will work for strong shortwave signals. But that is rare. Whip seems to work well for FM however.
I believe they've fixed this model, as the reception is as close to the Prunus J-401 as you can possibly get(J-401 apparently has much better reception than the old v115's). it's much much better than my old one that I ended up breaking. so yea, if you can, get another one. it's possible that it's a lottery and I got lucky the second time, but I'm willing to wager that they fixed the problem. I still prefer the v115 because it's easier to hold in the hands and a lot smaller, while having the same featureset, plus it's a lot cheaper, I got my v115 for $16 on sale.
Interesting - I picked up the J-104 with that hope it would be better than the V115 but it was worse :(. I lost the lottery. But that was just after posting this video.
@@shortwavelistener btw if you have a device or radio that has a weak USB port, you should use a magnetic charger on it. it reduces the force that can be applied on the port to negligible levels. you can get ones with data ports or not. the v115 and j-401 both have a USB sound card built in, so you can plug it into your PC or phone as a mic and speaker with media controls
The screen on my unit has gone blank. It lights up, but no textual info shows. It's too good to toss out, but too hard to use without the screen working and telling where you are with freqs and mp3 playbacks. If anyone knows a hack for jolting the screen back into functioning, post it here. ...greatly appreciate any suggestions....
I would say the K-603 is better - less noise overall. There are hacks and fixes for the V-115 that fix it but if you’re not a hands on, do it yourself type, then the 603 would be better. I should note that the 115 is easier to use overall and has better audio.
This is the simplest thing someone can do for such 'useless' radio. I also did 2 ways older times: (you also noticed ) Using a MW loop nearby as the AN200 tescun Good reception afterwards Using the wire either connected or inductively wounded over the antena for shortwaves and nearly the same for FM with external antenna If available a preselector with antenna can also do the job Dont forget , its internal noise makes it scream I finally preferred to use it as a mp3leyer form my daddy It s more useful as player
I have very good luck on MW, FM and the MP3 is very nice. Yes, the AN200 helps as well. For the price it’s not bad as a workshop or travel radio. For shortwave, it’s barely useable. I’ll keep hunting for a low cost shortwave that actually works moderately.
как включить приёмник на частотах не предназначенных для него ruclips.net/video/7N9r-irzHTo/видео.html&lc=Ugy5RDRJrlleZd9Dxdp4AaABAg.9XI-xGhcOxX9XYI-h2c7uO
Ham radio hobbyist 23 years - grounding is crucial for any radio on the AM / SW bands.
Small radios can be grounded by making a ‘dead plug’ - clip the ‘hot’ or tip off of a connector such as the headphone plug (remove two tips for stereo). Find which of the plug lines are connected to the negative. You now have a ground by connecting this line to any metal object driven into the ground ( like a nail ), and inserting the clipped plug into the radio. AM / SW stations will come in so strong, you may have to retract the antenna to prevent signal overload, especially listening at night.
You can also ground using the USB cable, but it’s a little more complicated.
Interesting idea. I will try it - but I still think the internal noise will still be an issue. Anyway, i’ll try it out and let you know.
Love mine. Great speaker sound and love the recording options.
I accidentally discovered with a Grundig YB210 as I had the coax rolled up connected to another receiver when I moved it close the radio came to life... I sat the Grundig inside the loop of coax and it was dxing WWCR from Europe. I never would have imagined this. 73s Brian
Yeah - it is odd that direct connections to the whip don't work well for some radios and induction does
@@shortwavelistener, Yes indeed induction is the key to enhanced sensitivity with this radio the Retekess V115 as I own one and these rolled up long wire loops do help!
@@johnbeckham1483 the noise floor is still pretty bad on shortwave which is a bummer because the AM/FM works so well. If that noise was gone it would be an outstanding deal for the $.
@@shortwavelistener agree that the "noise floor" on SW is a major concern but other more pricey portable SW receivers like Tecsun & XHDATA/Sihuadon are just more sensitive but still I do like the Retekess V115!
@@johnbeckham1483 Agreed - same here.
Thank you very much for sharing this info ! I love my V115 for the MP3 functions. It's handy for use with FM Microphones and audio dictation.
NEVER leave the battery inside if you're running it off USB power.
It doesn't have a proper charge circuit cutoff and will burn out your battery.
The original factory model is the Hanrongda K-603, it's exactly the same but cheaper and has Bluetooth.
It is a pretty darn good functional radio. Wish the shortwave was a bit better - but for MW/FM it works great (as well as the MP3 and audio recorder)
I have viewed other videos for this radio, with the long wire antenna, and they all got fantastic results.
I added about 20 feet (all I can in a brick house) and I don't get much with this radio.
For shortwave it is pretty deaf. I haven’t seen a video promoting decent sw reception. For AM/FM it is pretty good.
I've got same radio
Nice for 20 bucks
Love it on fm am
If you pick up an AM passive ferrite antenna, the AM reception is even better.
You are inductively coupling the radio through the radio's antenna to your long wire. If you were to connect the antenna to the input of an antenna tuner (many good QRP kits available), I'll wager the reception would be be improved even more!
Yes and yes - however, the odd behavior of this inexpensive radio is the internal noise. Somehow inductively coupling tends to mask some of it. Any other direct connection even through a tuner just is high noise mixed with MW overloading. There are some hacks to add internal filters which is worth it for me to try.
@@shortwavelistener I am given to understand - and there is a video by a Chinese gent who demonstrates it - that the internal noise is generated by the digital display. This, as you may know, is peculiar to those devices. The method is to purchase some adhesive-backed copper tape and use it to shield the display works from the radio PCB. You will have to then ground the shield to the PCB ground. But, as you point out, this is guilding the lily for such an inexpensive little radio.
Tangentially, I used to _love_ SWLing. Before amateur HF transceivers featured full HF band coverage, I'd owned a beautiful Icom R-71 and would wile the hours away listening to foreign (and domestic) broadcasts. But, alas, with the end of the Cold War, all one hears these days is The Word of the Lord (no offense) and uninteresting BBC cooking shows.
Thank you again for your channel. I may take SWLing up again!
de William, k6whp
dit dit
@@warplanner8852 Yes, the bands aren't what they used to be. As a kid just scanning the world was so much fun along with getting the qsl cards. HCJB, Radio Moscow, etc. could be heard all times of the day. There's still some interesting stations -> Voice of Korea, Radio Saudi, China Radio Int'l, Radio France Int'l to name a few but they are falling off slowly. Radio Australia shut down not too long ago :(.
Cool I have one of these radios. I must try it. Thanks!
Its a bit of an art to work with it. Don’t give up - sometimes propagation is so bad even top end receivers have trouble. More loops and/or loop diameters may change your results!
Hi l would be interested to know if your radio is still working ok as lm thinking of purchasing one of these ...thank you..
Why not attach the long wire antenna directly to the radio with the alligator clip?
I didn't show it here - but it created massive MW overloading
Would be nice to explain or show what the thingy on the left is? what it hooks up to? ( your fridge, your stove?, your television cable? ) does it plug into the hydro socket on the wall? I have no clue what he heck it s or where to get one like it! :o/
Good point! It has nothing to do with the video- just an old antenna connector that I bypassed with the jumper alligator clip. So the clip is just attached to a long wire - I was just using the wing nut to use as a connection. You just need a long wire of about 70 to 120 ft and loop it at the end like in the video.
@@shortwavelistener thanks for clarifying that! 🙂👍
Thank you for this tip.
Sure! Don’t get discouraged and keep trying various wires and loops.
I have a cheap useless hrd 737, I noticed that power bars, cell phone, create interference, long wire aligater clips dont help, tired copper wire ( electrical co axle copper, and thin instrument copper wire ) no help..
But, connecting a clip from the antenna to co a cable jack....did improve reception..
Basically, the only way arround this, is dont buy cheap SW radios...
I like the portable element, walking the dog, at night.
Nice tip. Thanks for sharing and 73, Ralf
I had an Eton radio like this and when I took a look inside the wire to the whip antenna hadn’t been soldered on. Could it be a similar fault here?
Thx for the comment. Unfortunately, no - I’ve opened it up to check multiple times and it is connected. On good days the whip will work for strong shortwave signals. But that is rare. Whip seems to work well for FM however.
I believe they've fixed this model, as the reception is as close to the Prunus J-401 as you can possibly get(J-401 apparently has much better reception than the old v115's). it's much much better than my old one that I ended up breaking.
so yea, if you can, get another one. it's possible that it's a lottery and I got lucky the second time, but I'm willing to wager that they fixed the problem.
I still prefer the v115 because it's easier to hold in the hands and a lot smaller, while having the same featureset, plus it's a lot cheaper, I got my v115 for $16 on sale.
Interesting - I picked up the J-104 with that hope it would be better than the V115 but it was worse :(. I lost the lottery. But that was just after posting this video.
@@shortwavelistener btw if you have a device or radio that has a weak USB port, you should use a magnetic charger on it. it reduces the force that can be applied on the port to negligible levels.
you can get ones with data ports or not. the v115 and j-401 both have a USB sound card built in, so you can plug it into your PC or phone as a mic and speaker with media controls
Any chance you know what that flat plastic gizmo is that's attached to the lanyard? (V115)
It’s the tilted desktop support. You insert that piece into the back and then it will sit upright at an angle on a desktop.
@@shortwavelistener you are good! Thanks. I fiddled around with that gizmo for too long and still came up blank. Makes sense now.
The screen on my unit has gone blank. It lights up, but no textual info shows. It's too good to toss out, but too hard to use without the screen working and telling where you are with freqs and mp3 playbacks.
If anyone knows a hack for jolting the screen back into functioning, post it here.
...greatly appreciate any suggestions....
Sorry to hear it. The radio does go on sale from time to time for about $15. Maybe keep looking for that.
@@shortwavelistener ...will do...thanks for the response
Which receiving signal performance is best ? K-603/ v-115 ?
I would say the K-603 is better - less noise overall. There are hacks and fixes for the V-115 that fix it but if you’re not a hands on, do it yourself type, then the 603 would be better. I should note that the 115 is easier to use overall and has better audio.
This is the simplest thing someone can do for such 'useless' radio.
I also did 2 ways older times: (you also noticed )
Using a MW loop nearby as the AN200 tescun Good reception afterwards
Using the wire either connected or inductively wounded over the antena for shortwaves
and nearly the same for FM with external antenna
If available a preselector with antenna can also do the job
Dont forget , its internal noise makes it scream
I finally preferred to use it as a mp3leyer form my daddy It s more useful as player
I have very good luck on MW, FM and the MP3 is very nice. Yes, the AN200 helps as well. For the price it’s not bad as a workshop or travel radio. For shortwave, it’s barely useable. I’ll keep hunting for a low cost shortwave that actually works moderately.
why didn't you strech antenna out?
The whip on the Retekess does not help at all for shortwave reception. Using the induction method in this video works much better.
V115 isnot good for sw/am.. But it is good for fm..
If you can find an external ferrite or loop AM mw antenna, the V115 works great!
411 RETEKESS ex-spurt, that's a TELESCOPIC Antenna, NOT "a whip antenna on the radio.
Actually - it's a telescopic whip to be precise
как включить приёмник на частотах не предназначенных для него ruclips.net/video/7N9r-irzHTo/видео.html&lc=Ugy5RDRJrlleZd9Dxdp4AaABAg.9XI-xGhcOxX9XYI-h2c7uO
Спасибо, мистер Калин! Это очень интересное видео!!
Ok. Really. Its just not very good on shortwave. However the studio model
Anyway the studio v 115 wither the shorter ant. Is actually more sensitive and receives more stations. Check it out.
Thx!! Will take a look.
Have you tried standing on one leg holding a broom in your left hand. Just kidding! Interesting solution.
LOL!! Thanks!
hey thanks it works great i used a mop stick
radio Retekess v115 modificações para usar faixa fm 70 a 108 mhz ? ruclips.net/video/bD0w7IqByJ0/видео.html
Слабое радио.хорош как музыкальная шкатулка.
Да, очень верно!