XHDATA D-109 is the best you can get for the money
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- Опубликовано: 4 июл 2024
- This is a long and detailed review of the XHDATA D-109. You can jump to the chapters that interest you. I address some of the recent issues that people have raised, such as overloading when using external antennas. In this review I use both a wire antenna and a MW loop antenna to see what happens. I also look at the Bluetooth and SD card functionalities. In its price range, this radio is unbeatable. Of course there are flaws, all radios have flaws. I found two flaws, one quite minor, and one a bit bothersome, but you can still live with it.
00:00 Introduction
03:47 A look at the radio's functions
05:32 How to turn off the keypad beeping
07:41 How I do my reviews, and why you can trust me
09:42 FM review
15:00 SD card and MP3's
17:20 Bluetooth
18:13 SW, with wire antenna and built-in antenna
30:56 MW, with loop and built-in antenna
35:41 My final verdict and what else can you get for the money 
Развлечения
Very comprehensive review. I just received my D 109 a few days ago and considering the current price find it to be a surprisingly good radio. It seems to be a good feeling set with better than average build quality.
I fully agree, this is really good value at the current price and seems to be good quality. Unfortunately, I do see some people have picked up quality control issues, but both my sets are fine, no issues. Except of course the SW input issue on my first set. Apart from that, even the first set with the SW input issue works just fine.
It is a good radio. Sometimes, it just freezes. I wish it had a tone control knob with a green display light.
Could be. Found a few competitor radio/606/ defect/ and baught 4 . Then put them on my bench . After a short time.. I have several "radio" that filled my "go" bags. Good show tks
Thanks for your comment!
Waiting for it to arrive by post :P
Hope you will have lots of fun with it!
Nothing beats the D-109 for the price but I would strongly suggest taking the next step in price and buying a D-808 which is a total gem of a radio
I absolutely agree with you! The D-808 punches well above it's weight class 😀 You get so much for the money, many radios with similar functionalities and similar performance cost much more.
Dear, let me tell you something about this radio.My son, who lives in Bangkok, Thailand, sent it to me as a gift.This radio was one of the most amazing radio devices ever seenBut unfortunately, one day. Knob tune broken
Ps. For dirk. I boxed up a variable tuning cap/350/. And use it to controll the wire ant. Though a 100 or a 50 might be better
Amazing BBC reception! :)
The manual with the radio contained the company's WhatsApp number.I informed the factory about this problem and then they sent it to me.Three spare parts.I rode one and left two in reserve.The radio now works better than before.I want to tell you that the company is very respectful and cares about its customers.The shipment of spare parts arrived free of charge without me paying any moneyMy regards to this company. Xhadat
Dear Omar, thank you so much for sharing this story! It is very good to hear that XHDATA sent you the spare parts for free, it is really good news that a company cares about its customers. It gives me a lot of confidence in this company and makes me feel confident about buying from them.
Got to remember the overload is going to be location specific issue. It does happen if you have FM stations close by. I wouldn't go over a 20 foot piece of wire. I'm interested to see if this really is fixed with version 2.0. Seems to be better. Wonder how this compares to the Tecsun PL-330?
Mine has a major quality control issue. I'm not quite to the point of using your recommended Stress Test on it, but it's close.
@@ma-mo LOL Chuck from Missouri reminded me to take the battery out before doing that. I guess the 18650 doesn't play well when wet. Don't do that at home kids! LOL
Here's why I love this little (and I mean little) set. And it's not really for the SW reception, good as it is, or the FM reception (which is exceptional), or the sound quality (which is great), or the station memories (which are numerous) or the keyboard input of frequencies (which is the best), or the onboard SD card (which is convenient). It's for the Bluetooth features on TOP of all of that. That control on the bottom right is a masterpiece. You can press BT to link your phone and play, for instance, Spotify podcasts. But a little used feature are the arrows on either side - they allow you to skip the programme forward 15 seconds (useful for skipping through the adverts!). PLUS, if somebody phones you, you can answer the call and speak to them THROUGH the radio using the top button. On top of all of that the volume control is a traditional one, allowing you to incrementally increase or decrease the volume. My expensive JBL Flip 6 speaker does NONE of the above, and the digital volume control is very 'steppy', meaning one can't find exactly the right volume for listening - it's either too loud or too soft!
Hi Robin, all those good things you mention about reception and memories and the like are already excellent reasons to like the radio! But the Bluetooth functions you describe make it a really great radio. I must be honest, I haven't used it yet to make and answer calls, it is something I must try. The skipping function is also something that I haven't tried yet. I do use my phone to stream music sometimes, I will try that skipping function next time. Good to hear that it beats the JBL 6 on some levels :-)
@@swlistening And the JBL costs R2500! No radio, no SD card, just a Bluetooth speaker. Better bass though.
@@robintyson591 What a difference! But I think JBL radios do have very good sound.
@@swlistening Yep. Much more bass and very very loud. Probably designed for two different things. But, late at night, next to my bed, the XHDATA is best. Oh, and a thermometer and alarm clock as well!
@@robintyson591 So many features on such a small radio! I use a JBL Playlist for music (and also two Xiaomi Mi smart speaker,s, paired for stereo sound, which are really great and has terrific sound). The Playlist is nice, more bass indeed, but very good quality sound.
This radio costs 50 dollars (including shipping) even in 2024, what means that it's not more expensive than it was. So it's a good value for the price.
I agree, and you really get a lot for the money. It's a very good radio.
I've just received my D-109 and so far I really like it. Sound quality is really good, more depth and more bass than on my D-808. Of course it lacks many features the D-808 has but its use is more intuitive IMO. Not sure I'll use the SD/TF/Bluetooth functions a lot.
I have a question though: what is shown on the top right part of the display in standby mode? In this video, it shows alarm A's time. Mine shows what looks very much like a second clock...
EDIT: got it! it's the time the radio has been connected to a charger.
Glad you like the radio! The sound really is one of the best features of this radio. It is, of course, not on the same level as the D-808, it is a much simpler radio, which is nice for me. It is, indeed, very intuitive.
When adjusting the volume level, there is a position in the mid-volume area where the sound becomes very distorted. This is especially noticeable when listening to news and talk shows. This is heard as a simultaneous creaking and humming sound superimposed on the ethereal sound. This is a manufacturing defect and cannot be repaired.
There is no volume level indication.
The thermometer shows the temperature 2 degrees lower.
It is inconvenient to adjust the frequency and control ranges using an encoder; it changes the frequency in slow steps and you need to rotate the encoder very quickly for it to go to the normal step. I miss a lot of radio stations because of this, especially on AM. This is especially disappointing on medium and long waves, where the step is 9 kHz.
This is interesting, thank you for your comment.
Hi Andre. Got my set today. Was sitting at the post office (we don't do street addresses in Namibia). Nice set - really small so I can travel well with it. One question - how do I stop the beeps. I tried the 5 key method but that was for another radio and didn't seem to work on this one.
Robin, the stereo button also doubles as the beep button. There is a button with the letters ST and B on it. Just hold in that button, it does not matter whether the radio is on or off. You will see the radio toggling between the words ON and OFF on the screen, then just select OFF. I was also baffled by this one at first, took me a while to figure it out :-) I hope you will enjoy the radio as much as I do!
As an aside, where I live in South Africa the post office also does not do street delivery anymore,
Thanks for a great review! Seems like an excellent little radio. I am currently deciding whether to get the 808 or 109. The only thing I don't like is having the memory card on the bottom. I think it would be better to have it on the side as this will avoid condensation getting in there if you are outdoors. I wonder which radio weighs the most? The 109 or 808? I know the 808 is slightly bigger but I have seen conflicting info on the weights.
Thank you! Will you ever use air band or SSB? Then your choice should be the D-808. But if you only want FM, SW and MW, then I would be inclined to go for the D-109. In my opinion it is good as the D-808 on those bands (except MW), at a lower price. Plus you get much better sound and the MP3 functionality, despite the SD card slot being at the bottom ...
I have just weighed them on an electronic kitchen scale (with their batteries inside), the weight of the D-808 is 303 grams (10.688 oz), the D-109 is 288 grams (10.159 oz). So the D-808 is definitely slightly heavier, but only just.
There is one other reason why I prefer the D-109 to the D-808, the frequency input system. On the D-808 you always have to press the "FREQ" button first, input your frequency using the keypad, and then press "FREQ" again. Quite cumbersome. On the D-109 you just enter the numbers, no matter the band.
@@swlistening Frequency input / Memory storage on D-808 is shit.
@@tech29X Sadly, that is true. It is a great radio, but the frequency input process is very cumbersome, and the page memory system also. I really don't know why they did it that way.
Nice video! Almost done compiling my research.
Edit: I thought Radio Pulpit was 657khz.
Just curious, what external antenna do you use on the D109? I know you use a 7 metre long wire for DXing. Also, what sort of wire is it? Speaker wire? And what was the name of the music on the 1st track? I know the 2nd is Eine Kleine Nachtmusiek.
Edit: Fixed a spelling error.
Thanks! You are right, 576 is actually Radio Veritas, also a religious station.
@@swlistening Happy to help! Anyways, I made a reply to my comment asking what wire antenna you use and what the 1st track on the mp3 test was.
@@FamtechVideos I use the XHDATA AN-80, you can see it here: xhdata.com.cn/collections/accessories/products/xhdata-an-80-sw-antenna But any piece of electrical wire will do. Use about 7 metres, that is a length that seems to work on most bands. I'm sorry, I don't remember the name of the first track, it is something I downloaded from a website called Free Music Archive, so that I can use it in my videos without copyright issues. I just downloaded something that sounded nice to me 🙂
@@swlistening It is actually my type of music. I think it is a Binural Beats song. These are used for sleeping, relaxing, meditation, and studying. I don't use the music when I study, as all I have to do is pull out a recording I made on cassette in a farm. The MP3 file should have a name. If I find out the name of the file, I can find the music track name.
I hate to pile on the flaws. I think QC flaws. Just took it out of the box (verson 2.0) and the tuning knob...this one is stiff and makes a grating noise when you turn it. Gosh that silly little D-219 is the surprise radio of 2023. I'll try to behave during my review of it.
Such a pity! Maybe they tried to get the D-109 out too fast ... I seem to have been lucky with both mine, except of course for the SW input issue on version 1. The D-219, so far, does not seem to have the QC issues? But it is such a simple radio anyway.
Good showing xhdata d-109 thanxx friend
Sure, I am glad you liked the video!
You could have shown a comparison on medium wave against a known good transistor radio. The buzzer interference indoors is likely a limiting factor. People have said that its sensitivity is low because of the small antenna.
How does the tunable loop work and couple to the receiver? Is it powered?
Thank you for your comment! Yes, a comparison between this one and a good transistor radio is a good idea, something I will do at some point. The loop is not powered, it couples inductively with the radio. I actually made a video quite recently explaining how the loop works, here: ruclips.net/video/ul97CG-XBtg/видео.htmlsi=f3I5svteCUbz0PEf
The overloading is a major issue.
I suspect, as some others have said, this might have to do with you area. I do not experience the overloading. Except possibly in the 120m band, all those spurious signals.
I think this radio really is the sweetspot like no other
Hi there, thanks for your comment! I agree, great little radio. But it has some competition now with the new D-608WB, in my opinion. The D-608WB is as sensitive as the D-109, maybe even more so, has a very attractive look to it, and some emergency features. I really like my D-109, but these days I seem to use the D-608WB a bit more.
You should try the Tecsun PL-330 / PL-320.
Hi Prasad, thank you, I do have a Tecsun PL-368, which has the exact same internal circuit board as the PL-330, so it is the same radio, just looks different. I like it a lot, but I think the D-109 is a bit more sensitive on SW and especially on MW.
When I scan in FM it stops at stations, but it does not save them to memory. Is there way to do this automatically? It seemed like you did.
Hi Chris, if you want to scan and save FM stations to the memory, you should press and hold the FM key, not the SCAN key. Then the stations will be saved to the memory. Then you can switch the radio to memory mode by pressing the VM key, and then you can toggle through the saved stations with the tuning dial.
Is Tecsun PL310ET and PL380 better than D109?
Does D109 have a DSP chip too?
Susheel, I do not own any of those two radios, so I will not be able to comment. But I think the D-109 is newer and, perhaps, has more up-to-date technology. It does use a DSP chip, yes.
@@swlistening perfect! Thanks
I’ve had mine a few weeks, only problem I’ve had is the knob, it has a stiff area when turning, it’s smooth then it’ll make a squeaking noise like the plastic is rubbing and it’s off centered, it’s also way to narrow of a knob.
Thanks for your comment. Seems like a factory flaw on your version, but it sounds to me like you are still satisfied with the radio. It's really a great radio!
@@swlistening I asked them via email if there was a fix for the knob they told me to buy a new radio.
@@godse7en I'm sorry to hear that, they should have replaced it. But hopefully it still works OK for you, some of these radios do have flaws. On my D-808 the fine tuning dial stopped working after just a year ... But I can still use it.
Which is the best portable radio you recommend under 80USD. Good reception and build quality. Want it to last couple of years.
Hi, Please answer quickly
I don't know how long it will last, it is still a new radio, but in my opinion the XHDATA D-109 is a great choice. The radio is very portable, not too big, not too small. Great sound. Plays SD cards. Very good on SW and FM, quite good on MW. But no SSB. Something else you might consider is the Tecsun PL-360, quite a bit cheaper than the PL-368 but a tried and tested radio. Been available for many years, so I think it has proven itself as a durable radio. Great on SW, FM and MW, but no SSB. Sound OK but not excellent. Good sound through earphones. Very portable and comes with nice pouch for carrying around or clipping to your belt. Also consider the XHDATA D-808, more expensive than the other two, but with SSB and air band, and still below $80. Sound just OK and clumsy page memory system, but a good radio. D-109 has better sound and easier station memory functions. All three these feel as if they have been built well.
@@swlistening thank you so much for the prompt response and the detailed explanation. Will get back if I have more questions.
@@Susheel- Sure!
@@swlistening I'm new to radios. I just bought the d109. I see that lot of cheaper radios say they support 9-12 bands. Can the d109 do that too? Sorry if the question is too lame.
No airband, new model has NOAA though :(
True, unfortunately no air band, but I think that would have probably pushed up the price.
I have xhdata d 368 which is analogue, shall i buy d 109 to get more stations on shortwave? I live in india
The D-368 is actually DSP-based analogue, not full analogue. The display is analogue but the signal processing is digital. It is a good radio, but I think you will get more stations on the D-109, it is a very sensitive radio. And easier to identify the frequencies because of the digital display.
I just bought this in India and on short wave all i could receive was some Chinese stations.
@@Brajgamer It's a pity, but I think the Chinese stations are just so strong that they overwhelm all the others. Maybe at other times you might pick up some other stations.
@@swlistening yeah, it's too early to conclude anything since I am listening to this for just 2 days. I will try more at night to see what it can catch.
@@Brajgamer I will be interested to hear your feedback.
It doesn't catch at all on LW. I'm disappointed because I bought it solely for LW.
That's a real pity. But, you know, on my D-808, which is known for its bad LW reception, I eventually managed to actually catch some LW stations, just tonight I was trying LW again and I got Polskie Radio 225 kHz quite clearly. I think it also depends a bit on propagation conditions and also on your location.
You were right. My mistake was that I tried to listen to the non-directional beacon during the trip but did not think to stop and get out of the car with D-109. The steel body of the car was a screen. At home I managed to hear the call sign of NDB.
@@dzima108 That's good to hear!
Should I buy 1 ? Would u recommend
Depends on what you need. This radio is a very good all-rounder at a great price, there is nothing like it available at the same price. Great on SW and MW for DXing. The Bluetooth function and SD card function are very handy for listening to your own music or streaming radio. Very good sound from the speaker. At $31, the discount price if buying directly from XHDATA in China, this is just unbeatable at the moment.
@@swlistening cheers for the reply iv got the tecsun pl 2000 the 330 and the 660 and couple sonys im only getting into the sw scene last year put mag loop in my attic made sum difference..also looking for another radio for my collection 🤣😅
@@corpo33 Once the bug has bitten it becomes very addictive! You have some really nice radios in your collection already. This one might fill a gap as a cheap backup, something that you can just carry around anywhere for DXing on the go!
@@swlistening can u tell me what dxn is please and can I do it in Ireland...I will do some research into it ...
@@corpo33 DXing means trying to catch (receive) very distant radio signals. DX stand for distance. You can do it in any radio band, but most people do shortwave (SW) and medium wave (MW or AM) DXing. So you will try to receive signals that come from very far away, and then try to identify the stations. You can do it anywhere in the world, so, yes, you can do it in Ireland. Late at night in Ireland you will probably be able to pick up some American radio stations on AM. You can use this website to help you with the identification of SW signals: m.short-wave.info/
How many times needed to charge?
It depends on how often you use the radio. In my case I need to recharge about every two weeks, I don't use it every day.
@@swlistening when will I buy , that moment what time recharge is needed?Actually I asked what time recharge is needed?
@@soumyodeep508 That is very difficult to say. My radio arrived with the battery already charged, but not fully. At that time I did not take note of when I had to charge it. But chances are very good that you will be able to use it right out of the box for at least a couple of days, no need to charge immediately. I hope I understood your question correctly?
@@swlistening thank u sir, but how long does it take to charge?
@@soumyodeep508 It takes a while, roughly about 2 to 3 hours.
У вас не подклинивает колесо настройки на приемнике?
Надеюсь, гугл-перевод правильный, но, да, колесо настройки есть. Вы можете повернуть колесо на правой стороне радиоприемника, чтобы вручную настроиться на станции, или вы можете ввести частоту с клавиатуры. Или вы можете сделать автоматическое сканирование.
@@swlistening я не за это спрашиваю,а за то,не затормаживает ли у вас колесо,при прокрутке, при настройке на станцию?
@@user-lq1nh9xx1s Хорошо я понял. Я думаю, что перевод был неправильным. Да, колесо настраивается медленно, когда вы начинаете настройку. Это с шагом 1 кГц. Когда вы двигаете колесо быстрее, оно начинает настройку с шагом 5 кГц.
do you think this radio has a long time it will last, I wonder if Xhdata has heavy duty goods
Best Regards
Hi Eyad, thanks for your question. It feels like quite a sturdy and well-made radio, so I think it will last for some time. But, you know, these days technology does not last as long as in the past, when radios were really made to last for decades. That's not the case anymore.
you are right 😢... Frankly l have asked about this model when I have seen your review about xhdata d-808 as I seen fine tune wheel has brooken!!
@@eyadabusharar2457 Yes, that was an unfortunate issue on the D-808. It still works, but without that fine-tuning wheel I cannot really get the best clarity on SSB. I now use my Kenwood R1000 and the Tecsun PL-368 for SSB.
сетка для динамика хороший пылезборник
Возможно :-) Но звук из этого динамика отличный!
I have a couple questions about the radio (:
Go ahead and ask!
@@swlistening are you only able to use the Bluetooth feature to connect it to your smartphone because I have wireless headphones but I don't think they would work on this radio since I really don't like using wired headphones lol
@@14robertsonb That is correct, the Bluetooth connection is only from something like a smartphone to the radio, but not from the radio to earphones or Bluetooth speakers.
@@swlistening thank you
@@swlistening I do have another question
Can you receive signals from the US 2.5 , 5, 10 ,15, 20 & 25 kHz WWV (Colorado) & WWVH (Hawaii) & WRMI 5050, 9395, 7780 kHz & WWCR 4840, 3215 kHz & 3330, 7850 & 14670 kHz CHU Canada & The worst one of all 6 MHz Radio Havana, Cuba there in South Africa?
I do, indeed, pick up the WWVH signals on 5000, 10000 and 15000 kHz quite regularly. Not on 20000 and 25000 though, and never WWV Colorado, always Hawaii. Here are some videos: ruclips.net/user/shortsdA73BcfzYTc?feature=share and ruclips.net/user/shortsaXk42fkGmuQ?feature=share and ruclips.net/user/shortsTPBXgpe-FZo?feature=share
I don't recall picking up WRMI signals, but I have picked up some other US signals, like the weatherfax from Boston, here: ruclips.net/user/shortsuPZhcMULGyU?feature=share and WWCR from Nashville, here: ruclips.net/video/2d2mr3PUy8A/видео.html
But Cuba I have never managed to pick up, I keep trying though! And Canada's CHU I have also not managed to pick up yet.
I do pick up the Russian time signal also, on 4996 kHz, like here: ruclips.net/video/BUIB4NzKN7s/видео.html and on 9996 kHz, here: ruclips.net/video/IOH-IeCBb0I/видео.html
The sdcard interface is a joke, unusable. Even retekess V115 has a better interface.
True, it is very basic. For my purposes it is fine, I can jump between tracks, and that's all I really need.