Qodosen SR-286 vs XHDATA D-808 vs Tecsun PL-368 on Radio Farda from Thailand

Подписаться 7 тыс.

Просмотров 3,2 тыс.

50% 1

This is a short comparison between the new Qodosen SR-286 with its TEF6686 chip and the XHDATA D-808 and Tecsun PL-368 with their Silicon Labs Si4735 DSP chips.
The station is Radio Farda from Udon Thani in Thailand, 17530 kHz, received at my usual location in Johannesburg, South Africa. Radio Farda is a US-run station targeting Iran. This is daytime, around 11:34 UTC, 13:34 my local time. I use the same 10 metre (27 feet) wire on all three radios. The bandwidth setting is at 4 kHz on the D-808 and the Qodosen, at 3.5 kHz on the Tecsun.
There are several one-minute clips here. First there is talking, then some music, so you can compare voices and music. I think the SR-286 seems to lock on to the signal better than the other two, and there is less noise on the SR-286.
00:00 XHDATA D-808 vs Tecsun PL-368 vs Qodosen SR-286
01:11 Voice comparison
04:51 Music comparison

Развлечения

Опубликовано:

9 июл 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 62

@marcosmza1962 5 дней назад

Fading management 1 qodosen 2 XHDATA 3 Tec 368 the sensitivity winner is the Qodosen

@L77kim77l 4 месяца назад

These comparisons are very helpful, thank you!

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

My pleasure, I am glad I could help!

@canyondan 4 месяца назад

I have the County Comm version of the PL-368 and enjoy it very much. Use it quite often with the MLA 30 plus loop antenna. The Qodosen SR-268 proves to be a great choice in your comparisons. Thanks for spending the time to do such a great comparison.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Thank you Dan! My PL-368 is a big favourite, I use it quite often. Lately I have been using it for SSB listening also (instead of the XHDATA D-808). I think SSB sounds better on the PL-368 than the D-808. I hope to get a video up later today or some time next week of the USCG Honolulu weather station, which I caught this past week on the PL-368.

@F4LDT-Alain 4 месяца назад

Hello André, this is the comparison I was really waiting for, many thanks for listening to your viewers 😁 I wasn't that much convinced during the first part of video, but when the signal starts to get weaker in the late part of the video and some significant fading in and out kicks in, the new kid on the block does better than its elders indeed. I've noticed that just like the PL-330 (they're close siblings) the PL-368 handles cyclic fading a bit worse than the D-808 too.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Thank you Alain! Fully agree with you on this, when the signal is strong there is no real difference between these three radios. But when it is a fading signal, the SR-286 clearly performs better. There is also less noise, which is great. I am working on another video of weak signals (not a comparative one though), where the SR-286 picks up some signals that I have never caught before. It is very good for weak signals.

@F4LDT-Alain 4 месяца назад

You're quite welcome, André. I still would like to see how the SR-286 does against radios in the same price range like the PL-660/680... Regarding fading: in my experience, that's the strong point of analog radios. They don't suffer from the "cutoff effect" most DSP-based radios show. My PL-660 certainly does better than any of my DSP-based radios on this. I can find only two sellers for the SR-286 on Ali today. Yesterday there were four. Running out of stock?

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@F4LDT-Alain Alain, yes, sadly that is not a comparison that I will be able to do. I don't own a PL-680 or PL-660. Not yet, in any case 😀 But I will probably compare the Qodosen to the Kenwood. It might indeed be that stock is running out, as far as I know the Qodosen was made in fairly limited quantities. Hopefully if they see that there is interest, they will make more.

@anulearntech 4 месяца назад

The Qodosen SR-286 uses an advanced and more sensitive nxp tef6686 chip used in car radios. It also has much more advanced options which the Silicon lab chips used by Tecsun, xhdata and ccrane dont have. There are supposedly more hidden features in the SR-286 than others. You can switch to the internal loop antenna by pressing AM+page simultaneously, and it also uses the whip antenna in AM I've heard. Sadly such an advanced radio doesn't have SSB or AIR band.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Indeed, thank you for your comment! I just got the radio and I am still getting used to it, but you are right about the advanced features. There is, for example, an option to do automatic tuning by just turning the tuning dial, it is quite a nice function. I know about the antenna switching, but many others might not, so thank you for that also! I have played around with it on MW. I am still testing the radio on MW.

@anulearntech 4 месяца назад

thanks!, so now perhaps the D-808 isnt the best by clear margin, it is best for feature set as it has ssb and airband but for DXing sensitivity the SR-286 is taking the crown.@@swlistening

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@anulearntech I think this is true, the D-808 is still a great all-rounder with many features, and it works very well. It has always been one of my favourite radios.

@anulearntech 4 месяца назад

@@swlistening upon further searching, I found that the tef6686's sensitivity gains are more in FM, followed by AM. And it supposedly catches stations that are 150 km away.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@anulearntech Yes, there are definite and big sensitivity gains in FM and MW, but also SW. I have found that it picks up very weak SW signals, where radios like the XHDATA D-808 and even my Kenwood R1000 find nothing at all. It also holds on to weak SW signals much better than any of my other radios. So I think the gains are across the board.

@Kw1161 4 месяца назад

Andre I ran your comparison through “My Tired Old Ears” test a came with your new Q. 1st follower by the XHDATA D 808 by a nose over the Tecsun 368…😂! Great job! I just saw that County Comm has their GP-7 radio back in stock…sooo my finger is on my card…don’t make me do it…..😮!…😂! Have a great day!

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Thank you! The PL-368 (or GP-7) is a lovely little radio! You will not regret buying it :-)

@charlesthistlethwaite 4 месяца назад

Maybe this is blasphemy, but putting the nxp tef6686 in such a small radio with limited controls misses the mark. To me, a SR-386 with a bigger, full range speaker, a larger ferrite and longer telescoping antenna, and access to more of the chip's features would be the perfect radio.

@VintageOils 4 месяца назад

do you know if that chip could handle ssb, drm and dab?

@Ankjell 4 месяца назад

That's why I wrote to Xhdata lol

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

The TEF6686 does not support digital radio, but there is another one called TEF6688, which does support digital radio.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Hey Charles, thanks for your comment. What you describe here would have been great! But perhaps also even more expensive... Maybe they are starting small to test the water.

@tlebryk 4 месяца назад

Excellent comparison with a strong but fading signal. The SR-286 sounds more muddy but has a quieter background noise vs. the D-808. Have you tried the headphone jack on the SR-286 to see if the muddiness disappears?

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Thanks Tom! I agree with you here, the SR-286 sound is a bit muffled, but with much less background noise I think it sounds better than the other two. I haven't tried the headphone jack yet, but I will.

@any_username 4 месяца назад

Long-awaited comparison! 👍🏻 I guess that SR-286 will win on strong signals as well (like CRI), because you can set the BW to 8k, which is 2k higher, than the max. bandwidth in the Si473*-based receivers. The sound will feel more rich.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

That's an interesting suggestion, I will look at how strong signals compare also. I get some very strong ones from Madagascar.

@any_username 4 месяца назад

@@swlistening🆒, but please make sure the actual signal is broad indeed (at least 9k). I don't remember if you have any SDR receiver with spectrum/waterfall at your disposal, hope that's not an issue anyway, and it's possible for you to check the signal (in a web-SDR at least). I used to listen to CRI which is banging @ ~20k signal bandwidth, and 6k in the most DSP portables was simply not enough; until all this hype with NXP's TEF6686 started...

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@any_username I'll have to use a web-SDR, I don't have an SDR receiver.

@radioenthusiastD368 4 месяца назад

Hi Andre sir,I think d808 much clear voice than others two, but i like sr-286 radio, its on my wish list, thanks for comparison 🙏

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Thank you Harpreet! I think the D-808 is clear, yes, but there is more fading, in my opinion.

@johnharris1846 4 месяца назад

I think the PL-368 holds its own with the others. how long is the clip on wire you're using? By the way, I have the CountyComm GP-7 SSB (Tecsun PL-368 equivalent) and use a 3.5 mm connector to the am from my MLA-30+ loop antenna and it works great for SW/SSB

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Hi John, thanks for your comment! The wire is 10 metres (27 feet) long, it is what I always use for my DXing. Works really well here at my location.

@jamesglenn6461 4 месяца назад

After yesterday's video I searched on line for SR-286. A kit, or instructions for an external AM Ferrite bar antenna came up. As a previous comment said, I would like to see a larger, more optioned version of the SR-286. Some of the advantage of the SR-286 seemed to be it's better audio. The PL-368 sounded about the same for reception. Possibly compare on those elusive signals. Any stations that only the SR-286 received.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Hi James, thanks for your comment. I will certainly compare on elusive signals, I think that is where the SR-286 really outperforms the others. If you are interested, there is a Facebook group dedicated to TEF6686 radios, where people discuss all kinds of modifications and ideas, it is here: facebook.com/groups/tef6686dspdxtuner

@nolansub 4 месяца назад

Hello, thanks for these videos. They are very helpful. Does the SR-286 take a button or flat top 18650 cell? Thanks.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Hi Stephen, I am glad that the videos have been helpful, thank you for your comment! The SR-286 takes a button-top 18650 battery.

@nolansub 4 месяца назад

@@swlisteningThanks for that, I've ordered one having watched all of your videos on this epic little radio. 😁

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@nolansub It's my pleasure Stephen!

@stephenwright8103 4 месяца назад

Hi doesn't look a bad little radio but to my ears the D -808 is on a par with the SR-286 I will need a bit more convincing...

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Hi Stephen, thanks for your comment! I agree about the D-808 and the SR-286, although I think the D-808 has more fading, which outs the SR-286 slightly ahead for me. Last night I caught some really weak signals, which is where the SR-286 excels. I will upload a video with these weak signals later in the week.

@stephenwright8103 4 месяца назад

Hi Andre not doubting your comparison you do a good job and detailed I will probably add it to my collection its not available as yet from amazon and the selection of new shortwave radios is sparse from the big names lets hope this summer we see some new goodies appear...

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@stephenwright8103 Thanks Stephen 🙂 It is always fun to get a new radio, let's see what the big names come up with this year. Maybe they will also make something with the TEF6686 chip.

@Ankjell 4 месяца назад

Btw are they on the same bandwidth?

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

They are, I mention this in the description, but not in the video itself. It's 4 kHz on the D-808 and the SR-286, 3.5 kHz on the Tecsun.

@ronan3672 4 месяца назад

D808 or SR-286 ?

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

They are close, but I think there is more fading on the D-808, it is much less noticeable on the SR-286.

@outofthebox183 4 месяца назад

Great comparison i have the tecsun pl 330 and having a hard time getting sw signals even with an external antena. I am wondering if its cause i live in a condo 2nd floor corner unit? Abbotsford British columbia which is 2hrs norrth of seattle.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

Hey Chris, thank you for your comment and question! If you use an external antenna you should definitely be able to catch some signals, even if you live in a condo. What antenna are you using? Do you listen at night? There are some signals that you can catch during the day, but nighttime is always better. Usually all the bands higher than 19 metres should be good at night, and 13 metres, 16 metres and 19 metres should be good during the day. Have you tried going into a park or a quiet area, away from buildings, to see if you catch anything? It might be a good idea to test your radio away from any city noise, if possible. If, even away from city noise, you struggle to catch signals at night, there might be an issue with the radio.

@outofthebox183 4 месяца назад

@@swlistening thanks for the response I am using a Sangean ANT-60 Short Wave Antenna one that winds up when finished. I have gotten some signals in the evening and night. I just got my pl 330 so I need more time to play with it. I have yet to go to a park to try it out. Thanks for the info

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@outofthebox183 Good luck! I also use a similar wind-up antenna sometimes, from Tecsun, it's the same as the Sangean one. Nice to take along when DXing away from home.

@Ankjell 4 месяца назад

To my ears they seem quite on par on the SW. The FM is handsdown muxh better on the new one 👍

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

I agree, I think the D-808 and SR-286 are about on par, but the PL-368 falls behind a bit. I do think there is more fading on the D-808, the SR-286 seems to lock on to the signal and keep it more or less stable much better than the D-808.

@Ankjell 4 месяца назад

@@swlistening right, it feel like it loses the signal less than the D808. In intelligible terms nonetheless I can't see any differences 👍

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@Ankjell Yes, that is true, they are both equal in terms of intelligibility.

@VintageOils 4 месяца назад

sr 286 wins this one for me. almost seems tonhave sync detection in comparison. the 286 looks a lot like the sony icf-sw 1 which is good i think. i just wish it had ssd and some other fancy features that chip is capable of

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

I agree with you on this, I think it is better than the other two, although the D-808 comes close. I really like the Sony ICF-SW1 look! SSB would have been nice...

@joewebertv 4 месяца назад

The xhdata is more easy to listen to than the new radio, not muddy.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

I agree with you on that, but the D-808 seems to lose the signal more easily. I have another video, to come later, with some really weak signals, which is where the SR-286 really excels.

@joeh52 4 месяца назад

@@swlisteningThe real tests come with signals from NHK, Vietnam, Thailand, and WWVH-Hawaii. And the 60mb results. That may be enough to help ppl decide which rx to purchase.

@swlistening 4 месяца назад

@@joeh52 Hi Joe, thanks for your comment, but funny enough all these signals that you mention come through really clearly and very regularly at my location. I think it is different in every location. NHK often sounds almost like FM here in Johannesburg! And WWVH Hawaii is a regular catch for me because it is my antipode, antipodal propagation in action! For me the real test would be some low-power transmitters in Europe, and in South America. And for sure the 60 metre band.