Beginner's tip: This is the difference between true analogue and DSP-based analogue radios

Рет қаралды 18,023

Күн бұрын

Most radios with analogue displays that you can buy now, are, in fact, not true analogue radios. There are loads of reviews online where radios like the XHDATA D-219 are called analogue radios. They are not true analogue radios. Analogue displays do not necessarily mean that the insides are analogue. Regular radio users will know the difference, so this video is aimed at beginners.
This video shows you the difference by explaining how signals are demodulated, or decoded, in true analogue and DSP-based analogue radios. Some radio users prefer true analogue radios, while others find DSP-based radios highly efficient. In terms of performance, both types can be equally efficient, so the purpose of this video is just to show how to differentiate between these two types of analogue radios, in case you really want an analogue radio and not a DSP-based analogue radio.
00:00 Introduction
01:47 How radio waves work
03:12 Demodulating radio signals
04:20 Looking inside the XHDATA D-219
05:57 Inside the Tecsun R9012
07:30 Difference when tuning
12:08 Some true analogue radios you can still buy
12:58 DSP-based analogue radios are not digital radios

Пікірлер: 183

@maxiellevillegas1388 4 ай бұрын

Salute from the Philippines.. Here in my country, dsp-based radios only works well in cities, but in the provinces, not so much especially on the mountains.. Only true analog radios have no problem picking up signal even in the remote areas.. Thanks brother for your video!!

@swlistening 4 ай бұрын

Kumusta ka? Thank you for your message Maxielle! Interesting to hear about your experience with DSP-based radios, I wonder why they don't work well on the mountains. For me, when I go to a mountain, reception on my DSP-based radios is very, very good. Maybe there is interference from radio towers on some of your mountains?

@maxiellevillegas1388 4 ай бұрын

@@swlistening hey brother I am doing ok, I hope you are doing good as well.. To be honest I haven't actually experienced first hand the dsp-based issue in the mountains, but most people who lived there says otherwise.. They say that dsp-based am radio performed poorly, but analog based have no problem at all.. I also wanted to find out the root cause in case this story is true.. God bless you brother and keep on doing good stuff.. Greetings from Manila!!

@swlistening 4 ай бұрын

@@maxiellevillegas1388 If you ever find out the cause I would like to hear what it is! It is quite strange to me. Greetings from Johannesburg!

@Costinmusca 7 ай бұрын

Simply put, DSP radios just "snap" to the station, provided the station is strong enough, while true ANALOG radio sits in the frequency you're actually dialed in. That frequency can never be perfectly tuned in and will drift with temperature variations. There will be digital noise with cheaper DSP radios from the internal digital signaling (including display driver, etc.) In practice, for regular listening of strong enough stations, a DSP will be the better option, but in scanning and varied enough scenarios like traveling or hunting stations, an analog radio would fare better.

@swlistening 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment! You are right, the easiest way to know if your radio has a DSP chip is when the stations just "snap" or "pop" in. Cheaper DSP-based radios do suffer from digital noises, as you say, but good-quality ones don't and can be as good as good full analogue radios. Many of the newer ones also don't soft mute as much anymore, so the tuning experience has been improved. I do like a good full analogue radio though!

@user-gw1cw9yg1x 4 ай бұрын

Вот поэтому и купил degen1103PLL😉🤝 , а xhdata 808 теперь как запасной вариант… Очень удобно бродить по эфиру без провалов в звуке и без режущего слух- кх-кх-кх-кх

@user-ss1jx8og4u 3 ай бұрын

Some analog radios are very stable, they simply stay tuned; others seem to stay tuned even with wide temperature variations.

@x1RoBoT3x 11 ай бұрын

Great video, very informational! I will be receiving my D-219 tomorrow in the mail. Nothing but good reviews I've heard about it and I couldn't believe the price! For a few more dollars, I may have to grab a TECSUN as well. I'm glad I stumbled across this video.

@swlistening 11 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful! I hope you will enjoy the D-219. It really is a great radio, considering the very low price.

@sunildmello2610 10 ай бұрын

This video really helped for basic understanding and to choose a Radio..Thanks a million.😊

@swlistening 10 ай бұрын

I am so happy I could help, thank you for your comment!

@himansshhh Жыл бұрын

Glad I finally found one true analogue radio. Thanks a lot for bringing up this difference. Love the break down of every aspect.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad I could help.

@ys-zk2js Жыл бұрын

I’m a recent subscriber to your channel and want to let you know that I really appreciate your videos/reviews. I am myself à radio collector (hoarder) 😂 and in fact own most of the radios you’re presenting. Love them all. Analogue, DSP, HD (I’m in CA USA) and use them daily depending on my “mood”. Some days I’ll grab with me my CCPocket and my R-108 and the next day I’ll grab my DT-400 or DT-800 and the R-9012 to mess around with and so on. Constantly rotating them as they all have their own sound, personality, pluses and minuses but in the end they’re all just a ton of fun and enjoyment to me. Anyways, although I’ve know the differences between analogue, DSP various chips, Digital and what not for like ever, I actually really enjoyed your presentation as always and actually appreciate your obvious love of radios in general as it really really shows through your vids and the frequency of your posting, and that I can totally relate to. Keep up the great work and thanks for posting. Ed

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your comment and for subscribing. Highly appreciated. I think we share the same passion for radios. Like you, I have too many radios already but I can't stop. I like what you say, they all have their own personality! I use mine like you, depending on my mood and what I would like to hear at specific times. Each radio I have provides me with something special. I must say, though, there have been a few duds, radios that have SW and MW bands but really only work OK on FM. I usually give those away to people who just need basic FM reception.

@TheWeepingCrayngel Жыл бұрын

Just got my 10 dollar XHD219 and love it. It’s my first night using shortwave here in America and I come to find out there’s a massive solar storm disrupting signals😵‍💫 lol Your review finalized my decision to get the starter radio XH219 thanks buddy

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

I am so happy that you are enjoying the radio! I do think it is the perfect choice for beginners. The quality is good, it is very sensitive (when conditions are right), and because the price is so low it is just right for testing the water first. To see if you enjoy shortwave listening. If you find that shortwave listening is not for you, then you haven't wasted too much money and the radio is still useful for FM or just to keep somewhere as an emergency radio. But I am sure you will find that once the SW bug bites, it is hard to leave the hobby :-)

@FewPewPewRah Ай бұрын

Nice job! Not confused at all. I’m a noobie and you just explained something to me I have never heard in a way that is very approachable, Many thanks sir! Just subbed.

@swlistening Ай бұрын

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed the video! I actually made the video because I noticed so many people were referring to the D-219 as an analogue radio, when it is actually a DSP-based radio with analogue tuning.

@andrewmcphee8965 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, your explanation was very helpful!

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thank your for your comment Andrew!

@vahanyazarian5582 8 ай бұрын

Great video ,In this day of sales competition you provide must needed information for beginners. I like to keep all things Digital separate from my radios ! Thanks!

@swlistening 8 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@josemesquita603 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing the D-219 internals! It seems this radio is a textbook implementation of the Silicon Labs Si4825A10 DSP chip for all RF bands, so no fancy RF front end pre-scalers here, but at this price we do not expect to see it being deployed as that would be what the D-808 uses. However I see some form of a basic RF front end/filter, probably for the SW and FM bands, in the form of a few capacitors, resistors and at least one inductance close to a couple of transistors. The antenna signal is limited by a pair of low capacitance diodes (D3, A7/BAV99) before being passed thru some RLC filters to a couple a RF transistors (Q2 and Q5, R25/2SC3356). Then the RF signal is passe to the DSP chip. The decoded audio signal from the DSP chip is then passed to the popular Chinese D2822M Audio power Amplifier chip.

@swlistening 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comments and explanation! I fear my knowledge of radio internals is very limited, your comment really adds lots of information that I did not have!

@migsvensurfing6310 7 ай бұрын

You described it very well for anyone.

@swlistening 7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@michaelbogdanowicz5059 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this information it’s very helpful 🎉

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Sure!

@ry491 Жыл бұрын

Interesting video . I really dislike DSP radios . I go back to the valve era and have owned many short wave receivers . Far easier and more pleasant to scan the bands with anologue tuners . With DSP I am never quite sure of the optimum tuning point . This is very noticeable on SW stations . I have a Tecsun s2000 . I guess that's DSP but doesn't seem to have that effect for some reason . I guess DSP is cheaper to produce having less components . I also feel that the audio quality on dsp radios is harsher but maybe that's just me . Thanks for explaining and showing the difference .

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

I am kind of on the fence about this one. The digital-display radios are quite good with their DSP chips, like the Tecsun PL-368 and the XHDATA D-808. But DSP-based analogue radios are not quite there yet. I think real analogue radios are still more fun to tune, as you say.

@ry491 Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening True I think . The old valve communication receivers were superb with less background noise . The only problem was drift particularly noticeable on ssb . However that was all part of the fun . Weighed a ton though !!!

@robmccarthy1018 Жыл бұрын

I also have a Tecsun S2000 as my desktop radio. It tunes smoothly rather like a pure analog radio i.e. no stepping between stations. Yet it has a frequency display which shows in 1KHz or 5Khz steps etc. It has a keypad and large analog like tuning knob. The signal is processed mainly in analog circuitry using dual freq conversion but the tuning is controlled by a Phase Locked loop (PLL) synthesizer which is crystal locked, hence the stability and accuracy. Most of the radio's operation and display is controlled by a microprocessor even though the actual signal processing is mainly in analog ccts. Some larger newer radios may use the PLL synthesizer for tuning and a fixed freq DSP chip in the last IF to decode the signal and enable all the ' goodies' like ssb, bandwidth, etc. Summing up simply, it has an analog receiver controlled by a digital microprocessor. 😀

@robmccarthy1018 Жыл бұрын

Just to add, the cheaper DSP portables do the opposite. They process the signal all in the DSP chip and are tuned manually with no microprocessor. This makes it much cheaper like the XHDATA D219 which I have as well as a pure analog Tecsun 9012 . My XHDATA D 808, does both. It is a DSP receiver with Microprocessor control.

@robmccarthy1018 Жыл бұрын

@@StratmanII Yep. As I said the S2000 is a PLL receiver controlled by a microprocessor. No DSP.

@JunaidHasan23 Жыл бұрын

Amazing comparison

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@tonypoloney8721 11 ай бұрын

Very good and interesting video. Baie dankie, van Manchester.

@swlistening 11 ай бұрын

Thanks Tony, groete uit Suid-Afrika!

@tonypoloney8721 11 ай бұрын

@@swlistening Hopefully we can talk DX, as probagation improves. UK will be giving foundation licence holders extra 10 watts soon. Lekker vir qrp. Totsiens De M7AIL.

@kwdavids1 Жыл бұрын

I have a Kchibo KK-9803 radio from a few years back. This had been produced as an analog radio, but the one I have has a label on the box saying "DSP Version." It tunes like the DSP example in your video. In an analog radio the tuning control is mechanically connected to a variable capacitor to accomplish frequency selection, while in a DSP radio, the tuning knob connects to a potentiometer, whose output voltage is sensed by the DSP chip. One disadvantage to analog dial DSP radios is that if you tune quickly across the band, you hear nothing, while with an analog radio you will hear pops for the station. Also DSP radios listen only to discrete channels, and on the MW bands they will either space by 9 or 10 kHz depending on the radio, or the radio's setting. For that reason one needs a DSP radio capable of the correct spacing for optimal performance, especially on weak signals.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

It is true what you say about tuning too fast on DSP-based receivers, if you tune too fast, you hear nothing. So you need patience. Here in South Africa there is a radio called Rocka Signal Series, it is exactly the same as the Kchibo KK-9813, except this one does not have TV sound and with a different name. I reviewed it some months back. This Rocka radio is an example of very poor DSP execution. It is simply unusable on SW and MW, you only hear electronic noises for weak signals. Just very strong signals come through. Cheaply made DSP-based analogue radios can be really terrible. I know Kchibo do make some better radios, the one you have sounds like it might be nice?

@kwdavids1 Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening The Kchibo KK-9803 is not very interesting. In fact I donated it to charity this week.

@F4LDT-Alain 10 ай бұрын

Excellent instructive video once again, thanks. It has made me feel like I'd dig further and I've been through the data sheets of various DSP and analog "all in one" radio chips. I've learned a lot of things especially on DSP chips that explain how these radio work e.g. why some have switchable 9/10kHz MW step and some don't. With analog dial DSP radios, everything goes through resistor networks (band select) and potentiometer (tuning). At least for the cheapest ones, I really prefer analog radios over DSP ones. The sound they produce is much clearer, more natural and easier to listen to with my (ageing and not so good) ears. Maybe because the ones like the D-219 use a low fixed AM BW setting? I'm buying analog radios before they go away, and I really, really like my last purchase: the Tecsun R-911 which turns out to perform really well especially in low bands (60m, 49m). Even better than some of my more expensive radios.

@swlistening 10 ай бұрын

Thanks Alain, like you I also really like full analogue radios. I think it is true what you say, some of the cheaper full analogues sound better than some of the cheaper DSP ones. However, I do like the D-219, the bandwidth is definitely set low and the sound is somewhat muffled, but I think I got used to it by now. I think it is a good idea to buy analogues while they are still available. I am intrigued by the Tecsun R-911 you mentioned in one of your other comments, particularly because you said it performs well in the 60m band. That is one band where I generally pick up very little. Is the R-911 very different to the R9012? By the way, in one of your previous comments you asked about my name, it is the same as in the French, André.

@F4LDT-Alain 10 ай бұрын

@@swlistening I have yet to compare my latest purchase, the R-911 with its fellow analog radios my R-909 and R-9012. I'll post here when I do. But it was definitely doing better than my D-219 and D-108 yesterday night on the 60m band. It was a fruitful evening DX outing BTW: Radio Thailand sounded pretty much like a local FM station, for the first time I have caught Radio Pilipinas and Voice of Iran. The French equivalent of your name definitely is André but I was wondering if I had spelled it right in one of my last comments? Andreiev? correct?

@swlistening 10 ай бұрын

@@F4LDT-Alain Sounds like a good radio! My name is written in exactly the same way as in the French, André. My forefathers were actually French. French Huguenots, they arrived in South Africa in 1688. About 350 years ago... But the French Huguenots were absorbed into the Dutch colnial community at that time very quickly, so the French language only survived for about one generation.

@F4LDT-Alain 10 ай бұрын

@@swlistening thanks for the correction. I misunderstood "it's André here" in your introduction as "it's Andreiev". I couldn't identify your accent, it sounded vaguely like from eastern Europe to me, so it kind of matched. Completely wrong. I have really bad ears, I told you 🥴

@swlistening 10 ай бұрын

@@F4LDT-Alain No worries! I know the South African accent can sound a bit strange to people who are unfamiliar with it. I think vaguely eastern European is not too far off the mark 🙂

@MAGNETAR-187 3 ай бұрын

Thank you very much SWL for explaining the difference between DSP and ANALOGUE radio tuning types. İt was very interesting to see the two different radio insides. 👍

@swlistening 3 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful, thank you for watching!

@ashusaini8 Жыл бұрын

Nice Video thank you sir, recently i purchased a analog radio from my local market in India only $5 . Radio build on single analog chip CD1619 this is clone of Sony chip CXA1619. This radio having 5" speaker , not a pocket radio. Radio Quality is not bad but the reception quality on sw is very good i never expect this type of quality on SW. I can say that this is very good SW receiver. I love analog radio . In India you can easily find analog radio but slowly slowly radio manufacturers companies close your radio manufacturing. In this time only few shops having radio receiver, slowly slowly radio become invisible from India market. Edited:- All analog radio is made in India not China made.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your comment Ashu. You know, a while ago I saw a video on KZfaq about the 5 Core analogue radio, which is only available in India. Also a bigger radio, not really portable, but according to the reviewer the SW reception was really excellent. I think you are very lucky that you can buy such a radio in India, it looks like it works very well!

@dilipdas5777 Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening yes. The Sony CXA1619bs is a great chip. Almost All analog radios in India from 2002 to 2010 were using this chip . And price was Extremely low. I also have one of these. Shortwave performance is great

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@dilipdas5777 It's a pity these radios are not available outside India, I would love to try one.

@dilipdas5777 Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening yes. It's sad. But now this sony chip is not produced but in my India still cheap radios are available but quality not that good. Now price is INR 550. I think you can get this chip in old 5 core radio

@nabinchandrapatra5369 5 ай бұрын

Which radio you have purchased ? Please share your experience

@Steven-re7xt Жыл бұрын

Ps::I use a vbfo to mix and get ssb. It's wide signal mixes well. Also getting about 3-4 meter of wire with a gator clip will jazz up the signal w/o batteries. Danka zeer Mir friend!. De kv4li

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

The wire is a good idea. In fact I also put up a video this past weekend about using a wire to improve reception. On the Tecsun D-219 too long a wire does not work though, just creates noise. Your suggestion of 3-4 metres is a good one for the D-219.

@Kubko5656 3 ай бұрын

Great video!

@swlistening 3 ай бұрын

Thank you Jakub, glad you enjoyed it!

@ominkan3129 4 ай бұрын

That was super interesting. I was looking for the ferrite am antenna in the XHData radio but could not see it. The TecSun looks like there are more parts that can fail over time.

@swlistening 4 ай бұрын

If you open the D-219 radio up you should see it, I did it some time ago for this video. In the video at about 04:30 you can see the ferrite antenna at the bottom.

@swlistening 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment!

@VK2FVAX 7 ай бұрын

Thank you. this is great.

@swlistening 7 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

@Steven-re7xt Жыл бұрын

You are right. It's some what picky. How ever I get the effects of both worlds. And now have 3 setups. Loaded up and mothballing the older rigs. Filling my go bags tks

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Are you planning on not using your older rigs anymore? I love portables, but just this past weekend I found a really good Kenwood R1000, perfect condition. Been playing around with it a bit and I can see the attraction of using a much larger rig sometimes. The tuning experience, for one, is quite different and loads of fun!

@electronicste 7 ай бұрын

Yes i am 100% agreed with you. am form india. back in 2019 i brought a philips 4 band radio it have more IFT s it works well . after corona 2021 i go the same shop and asked about the same radio i have ,, suddenly shop owner says that now it is a bad radio. philips company removed all IFTs, and put new ics

@swlistening 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment and sharing your experience from India!

@sachintallapally8388 5 ай бұрын

Sir which one do you recomend XHDATA D-219 or Tecsun R9012. I am looking for more bands and more channels. Please advise

@swlistening 5 ай бұрын

In my opinion definitely the D-219, it picks up many more signals than the R9012, even though its SW coverage is a bit less than the R9012. The D-219 covers SW from 4.75 MHz to 22 MHz. The Tecsun R9012 covers 3.9 to 22 MHz. But I would choose the D-219 over the R9012 anytime.

@j7ndominica051 9 ай бұрын

With so few discrete components, they can build a digital radio at low cost in China. These tiny radios feel quite disposable, and people have commented that either the tuning knob or the keyboard stop working. I don't like how DSP is slow to respond to tuning and may cut out the signal for while the knob is being turned. They are even worse if they have only buttons and not a knob. Seems that to get a good receiver, one needs to go to a used market. I can sort of still carry one like that around, with a makeshift battery tube of 8 AA cells. Older, bigger radios also had better selectivity, with less bleeding around strong stations. FM stations always pop in even with an analogue receiver owing to the capture effect.

@swlistening 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment! I do agree with you about the muting while tuning DSP-based receivers, I don't like it. On higher end DSP-based receivers it is less noticeable. I am always on the lookout for good older radios in the second-hand market. Like you, I think some of the older radios from, for example, Sony, Panasonic, Grundig, are really of very good quality. But, that being said, most of the new Chinese-made radios I own appear to be quite sturdy and I have not had any quality issues with any of them yet, even the cheaper ones. Everything still works.

@SuperShecky Жыл бұрын

I've found DSP radios, even very inexpensive ones, to be clearly superior for casual broadcast am/fm listening. For DXing/SWL, however, analog still offers some clear advantages that manufacturers seem unwilling or unable to implement with the DSP. What I dislike most about these analog-appearing low end DSP SW radios is that they lack the certainty of a digital freq display.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

I do miss the digital display as well, but I can understand why the very inexpensive DSP-based analogue radios don't have that, I suppose it would have made the radios much more expensive. True what you say also about casual listening. But more expensive DSP-type radios, in my opinion, now beat analogue radios for DXing. The really good ones, like the Tecsun PL-368, PL-330 and the XHDATA D-808 are just amazing on shortwave.

@vahanyazarian5582 8 ай бұрын

What are your EARS for!?@@swlistening

@swlistening 8 ай бұрын

@@vahanyazarian5582 True 🙂

@jonnlennox4176 8 ай бұрын

How does the R9012 tune AM? Is it stable and does it catch all the local stations? Best regards

@swlistening 8 ай бұрын

It tunes well on AM, picks up all my local stations, of which there are only two nowadays 😀 But at night it picks up many other stations, I routinely pick up Cape Town, Botswana, Lesotho and Mozambique on mine, those are distant signals but they come through nicely.

@mariojr377 Жыл бұрын

Excelent episode!! Love the explanation. I see you own a Telefunken radio. Telefunken was my first color TV back 1972. In Brazil Telefunken had a large plant. I thought Telefunken had bankrupcy. Is this rádio Telefunken or chinese using this reliable brand? Have a nice Sunday. Best regards, Mário.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comment Mario! Telefunken still sells their name to some companies, so they can brand the products as Telefunken. Here in South Africa we have many Telefunken products, from stoves to radios to TVs. But, of course, all these products are made in China, the Telefunken name is just added later. The quality is not quite the same as the real Telefunken from long ago.

@mariojr377 Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening oh I see, here in Brazil you can not find any Telefunken product and it was a very strong brand here. The Telefunken made in Brazil until late 80,s were excelent. I miss this brand.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@mariojr377 Same here, I miss the true Telefunken brand.

@mariojr377 Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening Yes yes 😔

@ArthurJS123 Жыл бұрын

General rule of thumb- if it is still currently sold as new, and it’s cheap, it’s DSP based.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Very useful general rule of thumb, thanks 😀

@bmkhalidhasan Жыл бұрын

I received your channel link from a DXer friend of mine. First, the content is great, keep up. Anyway, I have been confused about buying expensive radios, because I do not like the DSP-based receiver. DSP gives much slower tuning response than traditional analog radios. Presently I am using an Eton Mini, but it gives me pain when I try to roll the wheel. Literally there is nothing audible when you have poor signals. We are operating a radio listeners group in our country. To be honest, we are te last of those radio lovers. Manufacturers stopped making readios. That's why I am in search of a small true analog radio. Please suggest me a tecsun true analog radio I can use with DC or batteries.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your comment, I am very glad that you enjoy my channel! You know, in South Africa radio listening is still very strong, I read somewhere that a majority of the population still listen to radio, whether in their cars or at home. But, yes, more and more people are streaming radio and not listening on real radios. It is sad, because I think nothing beats turning on a real radio, tuning around, and finding something to listen to. It is not the same experience when you stream content. You asked for a suggestion of a small analogue radio. I think the Tecsun R9012 that I show in my video is a great choice, it is still available online, on Amazon. Also the Tecsun R9700DX, which is more expensive, but also a true analogue radio. Another option is the Tecsun R909. I don't have the R909 but I have heard many good things about it, I actually ordered one myself. Still waiting for delivery. All these radios work with regular AA batteries.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@StratmanII The Tecsun PL-680 is a great suggestion! I don't have one (yet), it is a bit expensive for me, but it is one of the radios still on my wish list. I think, like you say, if you only want one very good radio, this is the one!

@vahanyazarian5582 8 ай бұрын

REaLradioss don,t MUTe between stations.but if everything you buy now has to look and perform like a computer you deserve what you get!@@StratmanII

@gyanshankartripathi3248 Жыл бұрын

My favourite radio

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Which one, the Tecsun or the XHDATA?

@simonbeasley989 Жыл бұрын

I'm going to buy a D219, so cheap I just want one! I notice that on this DSP radio there is no tuning variable capacitor, it's a potentiometer. So rather than actually doing tuning as in being part of a tuned circuit I guess it just varies a voltage on the DSP chip.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

This is interesting to me, a bit above my own knowledge. Would that mean that all DSP-based radios use potentiometers? Or only the cheaper one?

@simonbeasley989 Жыл бұрын

I believe they all would. I now have the radio and I am very impressed. On the FM band no need to raise the aerial at all! So solid build quality, especially at the price. Even the band selector is clearly just telling the DSP chip what to do as the sound so smoothly fades in without crackling as I change band. One possible downside is power consumption, it draws 40mA with the volume fully down. I had a Sony pocket radio bought about 20 years ago and while I never measured current battery life was definitely 100 hours + so I guess the DSP chip takes a bit of power.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@simonbeasley989 Glad you like the D-219! I continue to be amazed at how good this little radio is, at such a low price.

@InventorKamal Жыл бұрын

I want to purchase portable radio ,witch one best radio please suggest me.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

There are so many portable radios available, it really depends on what you want and how much you are willing to pay. The best inexpensive radio available right now is definitely the XHDATA D-219, it is a great radio at a very low price. It has very good sensitivity on SW and MW, runs on AA batteries, so it's also cheap to run. The Tecsun R9012 and Tecsun R909 are both good analogue options, they are about double the price of the D-219. And the Retekss V115 is another option, but it is not so good on SW with just the built-in antenna, you need to use a wire antenna to improve SW on this one. It does have MP3 playback and a very good speaker. All these radios are available at around $25 or less.

@niladrimukherjee2098 Жыл бұрын

I had that silver coloured near invisible to my eyes tuning needle changed to a red one few weeks ago from a radio technician.He had an old National radio which was truely dead and had a red tuning needle 😂

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

That sounds like a great idea!

@luisvargas6153 Жыл бұрын

Otra diferencia entre una verdadera radio analógica y una basada en DSP, es la distribución de las frecuencias en el dial, en los análogicos la escala es logarítmica y en los DSP es lineal

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Es cierto, olvidé hablar de eso en mi video. Gracias por mencionar esto!

@gohck1649 Жыл бұрын

Now I know, its not a manufacturing defect. As often hear people complaint , their radio dailer not accurate. DSP radio pick up identical signal that are spread out. Thanks

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Yes, that is what happens. Glad I could help!

@User-zy5io Жыл бұрын

What about the Sony ICF P36? Is it a truly analogue radio or does it use a DSP?

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

I don't own this radio but I had a look at some pictures online, it looks like full analogue. One way you can see this is to look at the frequency displays on your dial. With DSP-based analogue radios the display is equally split. The space between, say 600 kHz and 800 khz, will be exactly the same as between, say 1200 kHz and 1400 kHz on the dial. On full analogue radios, the higher frequencies are squashed tighter together on the display. So on your dial there will be a lot of space between, say 531 kHz and 600 kHz, but 1400, 1500 and 1600 will appear squashed together. That is a clear sign of a full analogue radio.

@User-zy5io Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening wow man you sure do know a lot about radios

@Movieman1965 2 ай бұрын

I have a question for you. Will a DSP chip lose reception quality if there were an EMP event? Same question but for an all transistor based radio?

@swlistening 2 ай бұрын

Hi Antonio, this is a very hard question to answer. All analogue transistor-based radios and DSP-based radios will probably be affected in some way. Any radio that is switched on at the time of such an event, whether a massive solar storm or something man-made, will definitely be affected, except tube radios. Those appear to be quite safe. If you are concerned about something like a massive solar storm, the best thing is to keep one radio aside, store it inside its box and wrap foil very tightly around the box, at least three layers of foil. That way you will know one of your radios will certainly keep working in case of an EMP event.

@Movieman1965 Ай бұрын

@@swlisteningThanks for answering my question. So basically a tube radio appears to be the most reliable/probable radio type to still operate well after such an event.

@swlistening Ай бұрын

@@Movieman1965 Yes, that is definitely the case. Tube radios will survive any strong EMP event.

Жыл бұрын

Great review. One nit-pick: What you call a transformer - aren't these filters?

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Thanks Johann, yes, I think you can also call them filters. I myself had to read up a bit about how exactly an analogue radio works (there is surprisingly little information). Some sources call them transformers (air-core transformers, to be precise). I suppose they do the same thing, in a way, filter signals and transform them to radio sound?

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@kti5682 Thank you so much for this. I am trying very hard to educate myself on the insides of these radios and how they work. I find it quite challenging 🙂

@kti5682 Жыл бұрын

KZfaq just ate my comment. It was a comment I worked on for a bit. So let me repeat it. With regard to the filter cans they can be just transformers or they can have capacitors integrated into them to form resonant bandpass filters. Sometimes you just have one tank circuit, sometimes two. The more modern cans seem to have only one tank circuit, you can find examples of it in the schematic of the hx108-2. This is an AM kit radio with easy to find schematic. Shango066 has a video on assembling it if you are interested. Note that the can with the red core on the right is most likely the mixer oscillator for AM and or shortwave in this case it doesn't work as a filter. I also checked an old tube radio they typically have larger cans and often two tank circuits in them, this should give you better filter performance. One thing of note if you have a radio with a ceramic filter you should get a similarly sharp transition from noise to station reception. Also I love your displaying of the circuit board, if you find it possible to show the marking on the chip go for it so we can look for the data sheet.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@kti5682 Thank you so much for your explanation. I actually saw your previous comment last night as I went to bed, did not reply at that time. Really odd that it disappeared ... I appreciate that you repeated it. I will have to open up the radio again to show that chip, someone else also asked for a date on the IC board, which I did not show. I am planning a bit of an in-depth review of this radio at some point, so I will open it up again then.

@niladrimukherjee2098 Жыл бұрын

Hi Good Morning from India. Do you also repair radios ?

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

No, sadly I don't. I do not have the technical skills or knowledge to do that.

@user-qg8rd9ge7e Жыл бұрын

I also have sw,mw radio tecsun r 9012.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

It's a great little radio! But I recently got the Tecsun R-909 and I think I now like it more than the R9012. Seems to be just a little bit more sensitive.

@FamtechVideos Жыл бұрын

Wow. You haven't used the XHDATA R808 in forever. I used a method years ago to check if my Yuegan was DSP. It would always pause when I changed frequencies, so if I changed it slightly, it would have a little scrape sound like chalk, as I will show in my Yuegan radio review. I know the difference very well between analogue and dsp radios without opening them up. I is quite easy.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Indeed, it is actually quite easy to hear the difference. But it is surprising how many people think an analogue display automatically means it is an analogue radio. Just yesterday I saw a review of the XHDATA D-219 calling it true analogue. On Amazon many buyers say in their reviews they like the radio so much because it is real analogue :-) I suppose it does not matter for casual listening, but it's still nice to be able to tell the difference.

@FamtechVideos Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening True. Like you said in the video, the signal tuning on an analogue radio, the station come in slowly, peaks, then fades away. The DSP finds the signal peak immediately and it just pops in. Edit: I fixed a spelling error. I spelt peak wrong in the final sentence.

@FamtechVideos Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening You know, you should do this video, but as a KZfaq Short. All the other beginners tips videos are KZfaq Shorts. Edit: Also, why not make a compilation of the shorts? I see you have a playlist of the beginner tips, but you can compile them together all in one, so that anyone can refer back to it. I am sure it should be less than 15 minutes, your standard video length.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@FamtechVideos Thanks for the suggestion, but this video has way too much info for a Short :-) I wanted to really explain everything nicely, some of my beginner's videos will have to be longer than Shorts to really explain stuff clearly. Making a compilation of the other beginner's Shorts sounds like a nice idea though! I might do it some day, but I have too many other ideas I want to work on before I do that.

@FamtechVideos Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening Ah OK. Well, there is no such thing as too many ideas. It can be stressful to plan them out due to your job in education. I understand what you are saying. Good luck on getting those ideas together. I know how hard it can be.

@c.m.obrecht Жыл бұрын

What about PLL tuners like Sangean ATS-909X or Tecsun PL-880 - are they DSP or not? A digital tuning must not mean that there's DSP, is this what's called PLL always?

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

These radios are in a different class. They often use hybrid conversion. So, the signals might be demodulated through an analogue circuit first, and then pass through DSP conversion as well. I don't own any of these receivers so I don't actually know what they sound like. But I know they use both analogue and DSP conversion.

@c.m.obrecht Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening Thank you! I have both types and my friend. For me on the expensive ones the noise from LED lamps is much higher than on the D-808. My cheap R-108 receives somewhat similar, but on the D-808 indoor I can hear much more! I Weak stations are better, clear to hear. But I have read - not tried - that they are less good on big outdoor antennas, for this case this "not only DSP" should be better. I can imagine that this is true.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@c.m.obrecht I still hope to buy a Sangean ATS-909X2 one day! I think these hybrid-type radios can be quite good. Some people say the D-808 and D-109 are not so good on outdoor antennas, but I have had great success on both those radios with a long wire antenna. I think it depends on where you are and the electrical interference in your area.

@c.m.obrecht Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening ah really! For you it worked fine. Interesting. I would say, at least indoor the D-808 is the best I've ever heard regarding reception also with electric interferences (I noticed them on the PL-660 very disturbing). And much cheaper. But the ATS-909 (I have the one without air band) sounds better if the signal is strong simply because of the speaker. Somehow this older Grundig music boy with its huge speaker sounds very well too and receives very clear.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@c.m.obrecht I think I am lucky in my area, with not too much electrical noise. Sometimes the older radios like the Grundig Music Boy seem to have better noise filters, maybe that is why it also sounds good for you.

@Embargoman 2 ай бұрын

I have a Sony ICF-P26 radio and the P26 is analog while the P27 is DSP.

@swlistening 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Miguel, I'm sure it's very interesting to compare those two. Which one is your favourite?

@Embargoman 2 ай бұрын

@@swlistening P26

@swlistening 2 ай бұрын

@@Embargoman Thanks for replying!

@bl4cktooth 2 ай бұрын

💯💯💯💯💯

@swlistening 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@splitprissm9339 4 күн бұрын

From any large fleamarket, you can get a wheelbarrow full of analog radios if that is what you want....

@swlistening 3 күн бұрын

True, but you can't always be sure that they will work :-)

@splitprissm9339 3 күн бұрын

@@swlistening Still, producing new units while there is a glut of equipment (radio and otherwise) that often just needs minor repairs (cleaning, mains cords, capacitors), seems wasteful. OTOH, building a workshop when all one wants is just one radio might have a worse eco footprint indeed :(

@swlistening 3 күн бұрын

@@splitprissm9339 That is very true, looks like both options are not so good for the environment. Best solution, in my opinion, is to buy one really good radio and use it for as long as you can.

@InventorKamal Жыл бұрын

R 9012 or D 219 ?

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

These are both good radios, it really depends on what you want. The D-219 is about half the price of the R9012, so if price is a factor I would definitely recommend the D-219, it works very well. SW and MW sensitivity is excellent for such a small radio. The R9012 is analogue, so the user experience is a bit different, but it is also a great little radio. If I really had to choose between these two, I would pick the D-219, I think its reception is a bit better than the R9012.

@khalidwave 7 ай бұрын

The panasonic rf-2400 is DSP

@swlistening 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for this, I actually thought it was full analogue.

@khalidwave 7 ай бұрын

@@swlistening No, it is a DSP, and I consider it among the best currently still sold in this category، rf-3500 is analog

@swlistening 7 ай бұрын

@@khalidwave Thanks! I have, indeed, seen many comments on KZfaq and elsewhere from people who really like the RF-2400, seems like a great radio.

@user-cu5om2ge2n 4 ай бұрын

Panasonic 2400 - analog 2400D - DSP

@swlistening 4 ай бұрын

@@user-cu5om2ge2n Thank you!

@ferysubarkah3891 Жыл бұрын

Suara lebih baik mana?

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

Saya lebih suka suara pada D-219. Itu kurang keras.

@suasanadesa03 6 ай бұрын

salam hangat , saya juga pecinta radio ..

@rezzer7918 Ай бұрын

Analog 👌

@swlistening Ай бұрын

Hi there, thanks for your comment! There really is something about analogue that just makes it more like a real radio experience :-)

@Jeffrey314159 6 ай бұрын

3:40 Stop using that word "decoded" this is analog radio reception therefore it is 'demodulated'

@swlistening 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Jeffrey, I was being very sloppy here with my language, I'll be more careful with technical terms in future. Of course it should be "demodulate" for the full analogue radios 😀 But I hope the idea still gets across.

@user-bk7od1bh4z 17 күн бұрын

Tecsun is the best Xh data .. retekes .... Are so bads .. Finaly Chinese radios are Baaaaaaad

@swlistening 16 күн бұрын

Tecsun is also Chinese though 😁 There are some good Chinese radios, and I am thankful that Chinese companies are still developing and selling new SW radios. Nobody else seems to do it anymore, with one or two exceptions, like Eton in the US. But Eton radios are also made in China.

@user-bk7od1bh4z 16 күн бұрын

@@swlistening i tested philips made in china .. And others Really They are no good No quality China is the best for manifectring shos and botts only

@bertrey7059 Жыл бұрын

I had a small am/fm radio with "digital" display but the tunning wasn't digital. A made in China hoax, I guess. 😷

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

There are a few sets like that with digital displays, but inside they are true analogue, so yours might be true analogue inside. The Tecsun R818 is one such example. Do you remember the brand name of the set you had?

@bertrey7059 Жыл бұрын

@@swlistening No, it wasn't a major brand.

@kti5682 Жыл бұрын

This may not be a hoax, you can connect a frequency counter to the oscillator in the radio and it will tell you the frequency you are on. Of course it will drift and you should see that. Does your radio show the frequency digitally?

@bertrey7059 Жыл бұрын

@@kti5682 Yes it does, in a fuzzy logic manner. I don't have it anymore thats why I can't check the brand. It was pretty cheap.

@swlistening Жыл бұрын

@@kti5682 If this radio is a true analogue with digital frequency display it could actually be quite a nice radio. It's nice to see the exact frequency.

@dimitris-oh4ce 6 ай бұрын

Hi.Good job my friend.What is your opinion for the Tecsun R-909.

@swlistening 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Dimitri. I like the R-909, I think it is a good radio, it is quite sensitive and picks up many stations on shortwave and medium wave. It is nice if you want a full analogue radio. But my honest opinion, the D-219 is better and cheaper.

@dimitris-oh4ce 6 ай бұрын

@@swlistening Thank you very much.I will take a look to the D-219.Marry Christmas.

@swlistening 6 ай бұрын

@@dimitris-oh4ce Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you also!