On the functional board: SI4735, DSP full band chip CD7358 (TA7358), FM front-end chip, use for airband FS8303, PLL chip, work with CD7358 for airband 4056E, power management CS4863, stereo audio amplifier
WOW!!! The best description of the inner workings and components I’ve ever seen!!! I love my XHDATA D-808!!! Thank you for this very interesting explanation of why and how it works so good!!!
@@ewenyan5019hello, what could be broken, I have a xhdata d-808 radio, old version, all bands work, but not the air band band, I also have xhdata new version and it receives the air band very well, best regards
Thank you for the break down of the D-808, I was amazed at how simple and sparse the printed circuit board is! I was expecting it to be densely populated with surface mounted chips, electrolytic capacitors and transistors like a multi band receiver from the 80s. I know that the Si 4735 DSP chip doesn't natively include VHF Air band and have always wondered how the XHDATA/Sihuadon D-808 is able to tune in the aviation frequency band, while Tecsun's DSP and hybrid radios don't offer VHF AM air band (except for the PL-660/680). Great video presentation, just subbed to your channel. 📻👍🏼
Hi StratMan II, thanks for your comment! Yes, this should be the future that most radios will be based on DSP or SDR, less component, less cost comparing with same level analog radio, but still with good performance. I prefer the tuning feel of old analog radio rather than ETM/ATS :)
@@ewenyan5019 You're welcome! 🙂 There are quite a few TH-cam reviewers and commenters who have been criticizing the Tecsun H-501x for their lack of VHF AM air band for the high asking price. They are expecting RDS (which requires a dot matrix LCD display like the one used by the Sangean ATS-909X) for the FM and some thought that a "simple firmware revision" will magically add the VHF air band to the receiver. Not one of them dared to open up their radios to inspect what's inside - not even their inexpensive D-808s that they've been promoting in their respective videos. Your tear-down of the D-808 was interesting as I thought it is essentially like a smartphone's SoC (System-On-a-Chip) and was surprised that the mechanical RF filters are still needed to this day. ETM is actually useful as it's a smart memory preset system that also accounts for the hour of the day it memorizes broadcast stations. Tecsun's ETM system has 24 ETM "time zones" and as you know, shortwave broadcasters don't transmit their programs 24 hours a day and also change frequencies according to the time. So if your radio's ETM has memorized all the stations it could find for 1900 UTC, it won't present you with certain frequencies that are not active at say, 0300 UTC. The PL-330's ETM memories are separate from the ATS and ETM will not overwrite your presets stored in the ATS section. I wish that Tecsun offers the ETM feature in all of their models but at present only the PL-3xx series have ETM/ETM+ in addition to the regular ATS. For a tiny radio like the PL-330, manual band scanning is tiresome as its tuning dial is small and your hand will get tired rotating it (unlike the S-2000, S-8800, PL-990, 880, 680 and 660) after some time, therefore the ETM makes sense for the PL-3xx models. I find SDRs a novelty but I don't think they are mature receivers in the market. Many look like DIY hobby kits with cheaply stamped aluminium cases. Some old school hobbyists feel that with an SDR, you're essentially "watching" the radio's waterfall display rather than listening to the audio, lol. 😀 Personally I'd wait for another five years and see how far SDR receivers have developed. The all-in-one DSP technology is still behind time. I don't know if Silicon Labs has many competitors and if there isn't much competition, they are not under pressure to develop a more advanced DSP chip with a faster refresh rate (so that we don't get that annoying muting/chuffing during band scanning). It's not like Intel vs AMD or Nvidia vs ATI or Qualcomm vs MediaTek where the competition is very stiff. The laptop and smartphone/tablet market is a lot more bigger than the market for multiband radios. Everyone wants a smartphone but not everybody needs a shortwave radio. People are willing to spend US$1k on a smartphone that will become obsolete (and potentially unusable after ten years) but no one wants to splurge the same kind of money on a shortwave receiver that can last for decades.
@@StratmanII Pl330's ETM+ is awesome function, makes channel preset more useful for shortwave. Siliconlab got some Chinese competitors, chip model like AKC6955 (Tivdio V111), BK1198(Rolton T50), KT0936(Kaide KK1012, some version) are common on some Chinese radios. They are cheaper than Siliconlab but overall performance is not as good. I think the main reason for radio developing so slowly is because the radio was last tense.. Remember when I was young, no internet, TV can only provide limited national channels while shortwave can provide so many international programs and point of views. Most importantly, the electromagnatic environment was very friendly for MW and SW reception. But now, people have so much option to know the world and the electromagnatic environment is becoming so bad for MW and SW. More and more MW and SW stations have been shut down in the last 10 years, feel sad about that. So I think radio will be still exist but becoming minority. I still listen to radio because it doesn't make me feel overloaded comparing with smartphone, and recall the good time in the past. Lol. Glad to know you.
@@ewenyan5019 Wow, I'm learning more from you than from any other TH-cam channel! I don't know much about electronics and up until a few months ago have never heard of Silicon Labs or SDR radios, lol.. 😁 You are quite right about the slow development of radio DSP chips as the demand isn't there. I don't think Motorola is interested in developing DSPs for sale to third party radio manufacturers either. I never liked Internet radio, sure the reception will be very clear with FM grade quality but I feel listening to Internet radio is like cheating. There's nothing like trying to catch distant stations with a good radio and a quality antenna to match. The younger generation grew up listening to FM and digital radio stations, CDs and MP3 music files and they got used to very high sound quality. Shortwave radio uses narrow bandwidth, is not stereo, can't reproduce the full audio spectrum (20Hz-20kHz) and is subject to ionospheric propagation interference, fading and background static. Many people can't tolerate listening to SW broadcasts and they don't understand what's the fun in tuning into faint stations that sometimes fade with background noise. Speaking of noise, the average modern home has so many electrical appliances that are ruining the SW listening experience. WiFi routers, cheap AC adapters, plasma TVs and USB chargers are the common culprits. You can turn off the WiFi in your home to try to achieve a noise free environment but you can't force your neighbors to switch off their WiFi though. 🙄 But shortwave radio has been around for nearly 100 years and before the Internet as we know it, was the only way to listen to news and get information from other countries! Keep up the good work, sir.. I hope to see your TH-cam channel develop further in the future! Nice knowing you too! 📻👍🏼
@@StratmanII Thanks for your comment! I can see that you are so good at electronic technology. In other words, internet radio is no soul radio, lol. I enjoy the feeling of SW or MW (at night) reception, like the signal fading away and returning. Some time waited for hours to check the name of new received stations. I found some LED light was also big digital noise source.. MW and SW are dead in my whole house if I turn the LED light on.. Just have my new baby now, will have less time on radio I think. Hope you enjoy on radios!
Hello, its a very informative description. Could you make a video that shows the other side where the display is? My display is poorly assembled and its crooked/not aligned properly, one side sits deeper than the other. It is possible to repair this little issue without damaging something?
excellent analysis !!!! In your opinion, which is better for short wave Tecsun pl 330 or Xhdata 808? (I read that the 303 is superior because of the ETM) Regarding build quality, which one do you choose? .I had a hard time deciding so your prompt response will allow me to choose. Thank´s and regards from Chile S/A
I have a PL-330 and a Sihuadon D-808 (same radio as the XHDATA, except the Sihuadon is available in all-black colour). They both have their pluses and minus, which was why I ended up buying both. 🙂 Memories: If you rely a lot on stored memories, the PL-330 has a much better memory management system. You can also browse your stored frequencies manually by simply turning the tuning wheel. The D-808's memory system is frustrating to use. You have to press one number key after one another to choose another memory and its memories are divided into 10 pages (Pages 00-09). There is no way to continuously browse through your stored presets. Sound quality: The D-808 has a larger and louder 1-watt speaker and therefore sounds richer than the PL-330 anytime. ATS/ETM: Tecsun's PL-330 (and PL-368) has the enhanced ETM+ function, which stores frequencies according to the hour of the day (for SW). For MW, the radio stores frequencies according to morning, afternoon and evening periods. The PL-330 (with firmware 3305/3306) can sort the memories by the frequency, from lowest to highest. The D-808 does not have ETM but can scan and store frequencies like the PL-330's ATS. Bandwidth filters: The D-808 is still the champ when it comes to audio filters, it has 7 in total. The bandwidth filters also works for the Air band! The PL-330 has only 3 bandwidth filters for shortwave (AM) mode. SSB: I think they're both equally good at SSB, but have different methods to demodulate the side band. With the PL-330, you press the Step button to fine tune the frequency with a 10Hz resolution. The D-808 cannot display the frequency in decimals (e.g. 7000.00 kHz), so you use the fine tune wheel as a BFO or clarifier until you get zero beat. The LCD will display the offset from 00 to 99 (both + and - values) as you spin the fine tune wheel. Tuning: The PL-330 requires you to press the tiny Step button to select between coarse and fine tuning. The D-808 has a dedicated fine tune wheel, which makes it much easier for fine tuning. Additionally the D-808 has a set of Up/Down buttons for manually tuning the radio, which the PL-330 does not have. The D-808's main tuning knob has a "Stop" mode to prevent the frequency from being changed should the knob be accidentally touched. Built-in antenna: The PL-330's telescopic antenna is shorter than the D-808, but you can always hook it up to a retractable reel wire antenna with a clip or plug into the Ext Ant jack. FM: The D-808's FM performance is outstanding and the LCD can display the station's RDS information. VHF Air: If listening to air traffic is a must for you, choose the D-808. Tecsun radios don't have the Air band, except for the PL-660, PL-680 and the large desktop S-2000. Squelch control: The PL-330 has no squelch control, but the D-808 has. What's interesting is that the D-808's squelch can be used on any band, even SW! Medium wave: The D-808's longer size means it has a longer internal ferrite antenna than the PL-330, therefore MW DX'ing is better with the D-808. Build quality: The PL-330's case is all plastic. The D-808's shell is also plastic, but has a metal (aluminum?) speaker grille. The PL-330's volume and tuning wheels are somewhat "wobbly", as with my example. The D-808's tuning wheel feels more solid with detents, but uses a cheap analog variable resistor for the volume control. It can accumulate dust over time, leading to a scratchy volume control. You have to spray some contact cleaner to temporarily fix this problem. The PL-330's volume control is a rotary digital encoder and should not be affected by dust. Headphone socket: There is a design problem with the D-808 and the smaller R-108. They both emit a "pop" when changing bands (FM/SW/MW/Air) and can be a painful experience if you mostly listen via headphones. The D-808 also makes a slightly audible electronic hum when certain keys are pressed. It could be a grounding issue, I don't know. The PL-330 doesn't have these problems, it makes no popping noise when you listen via headphones. Battery life: The PL-330 uses the Nokia BL-5C cellphone battery and they are typically rated between 950mAH to 1050 mAH. There are no BL-5C batteries that can pack more than 1800 mAH, but the 18650 lithium ion cell that the D-808 uses can be found in many capacities, up to 3500 mAH. With a 3500 mAH battery, the D-808 lasts longer on a single charge than the PL-330. However, the D-808's battery meter's calibration is said to be inaccurate. It tends to show three bars (full) for a short time before dropping to two bars. Battery chargers: Both radios allow you to recharge their batteries via a micro USB socket, but you can also recharge 18650 cells with a separate charger. There are various battery chargers available for 18650 cells, but chargers for the Nokia BL-5C are very few and may be hard to find. Bottom line: If you intend to buy only ONE shortwave radio, get the D-808. It's not perfect, but as an "all-rounder" shortwave radio I think it's better than the PL-330. 📻👍 Hope this helps in choosing the right radio for you! 🙂
Good description of inner blocks ! I bought to my father such a jewel radio and its functioning is in deed impressive. Do you or all rest of readers know if on the market there is a portable FM radio that has too the RDS TP (Traffic Information) feature ? (as for normal car-radios) I've read the Si4735 Data Sheet, it doesn't enter into RDS details, but we know the 808 has just PS, RT, CT, PTY features.
Hi Ewan, I have had a D808 for three years. Its a great radio and excellent value for money. I recently bought a second one after damaging the first radio's telescopic aerial. Something that I was wondering about; why is there a noticeable delay when you switch the radio on and when you change bands? Also here in the UK, I like to listen to LW stations. LW reception on the 808 is quite poor. Can you think of anyway to improve it. 73s and GDX Jim
Hi Jim, thanks for watching and comment. I try to answer your question, if the radio was turned off on SSB mode, then it will take a while to load SSB program on the SI4735 chip. The delay on the band switching should be the MCU programming problem, I think we can't do anything. Regarding the improvement of LW, you may try to use a long wire as antenna, and wrap one end of the wire on the ferrite stick several circles, this may help.
Для диапазона длинных волн не достаточно индуктивности катушки. Мало витков. Она намотана под средние волны. По хорошему надо мотать новую с отводом и ставить переключатель св/дв. Для подключения внешней антенны можно сделать катушку связи, схема рабочая. Ну и стержень наверное поставить получше. Есть несколько стержней марки 400нн от советских радиоприёмников. Если время будет попробую
Hi Jim, just about ANY shortwave radio that is designed around the Silicon Labs' Si4735 DSP chip has a slight delay when changing bands. It's not just the D-808, even Tecsun non-analogue radios have this delay.
@@StratmanII Hi. Thank you for your reply. What you have written is true. However, with the D808, the delay seems longer than with my Tecsuns and Eton. 73s
@@jimgordon1563 Hi Jim, sorry for the late response. I checked my Sihuadon D-808 and changed bands like you have mentioned. While there the band switching isn't that instantaneous, I don't think the delay is that noticeable on my radio. However the delay is significant only if I had left the SW band on SSB mode and shuttled between FM or Air band and SW. BTW, my D-808 is the 2021 year of manufacture and comes with amber backlight, not white. Unlike Tecsun, XHDATA/Sihuadon doesn't publish how the receiver's firmware version can be checked. Is your D-808 an earlier release with the white backlight? 🤔
Привет!Хотел вас спросить.У меня такой приёмник 808-й недавно на столе упал,бракованная подставка и она всегда складывается.И вот задней стороной упал на стол.Как вы думаете,не расстроятся его параметры чувствительности?Спасибо за ответ!
The D-808 is an excellent multiband radio. The only negative side with this model in my opinion is the type of battery used. It would be better if the D-808 uses AA batteries rather than the rechargeable type that has low battery life that needs frequent charging! Good radio with SSB.
Actually the 18650 lithium battery packs more energy than NiMH battery per gram. The D-808 will feel much heavier if it used 3 or 4 AA batteries. Furthermore, the XHDATA supplied battery has a small capacity to reduce costs. You can always buy a reliable 18650 battery with a 3500 mAh capacity (look for original Samsung, LG, Sony or Panasonic brands) and enjoy more hours out of the D-808 before recharging. Pro tip: Avoid buying 18650 cells that advertises a capacity over 3500 mAh - those claims are exaggerated and false. The Ultrafire brand is notorious for selling 18650 batteries with "6800 mAh" capacities. At present the 18650 battery chemistry can only supply less than 4000 mAh.
@@StratmanII Well said! I stuck to a Panasonic 30Q as a replacement for my PL880 and it. has worked well. You are also right about the 18650 on the D808.
@@jimgordon1563 Thank you for the response! 😃 I later learned that when it comes to rechargeable batteries, you can have high capacity or a higher number of charge cycles, but not both. It's a trade off which one has to decide. I prefer to use 1900 mAh Eneloops and IKEA Ladda cells for my PL-660 as they're lighter and less expensive than 2500 mAh ones. More importantly for me, the 1900 mAh cells are rated for at least 1000 complete charge/discharge cycles while the 2450/2500 mAh ones are rated up to just 500 cycles. I expect it's the same with 18650 batteries but I believe you can prolong the lifespan of your Panasonic 3000 mAh cell by topping up its charge as often as possible and not letting it fully drain too frequently. Currently I use 3500 mAh 18650 protected cells for my D-808 and PL-990 but I top off their charge as often as I can. 🔋⚡
I got this radio but after 1 week, the airband isn't working anymore. Who knows why? Reset and removing the battery for 2 weeks didn't help. Has this radio a battery inside?
This radio is not bad at all but it suffers from a number of problems : first, battery life is very weak compared to the pl380 or even pl330. Then the LW sensitivity is not very good. A little better than the tecsun's but not fantastic. It requires changing the ferrite antenna. All the Chinese radios sets I have have exactly the same issue. I replaced the ferrite antenna on the pl380 and pl330 so that LW sensitivity is a lot better. On the pl330 I also did a battery mod, I've placed a 2500 mAh battery inside (requires removing some plastic). Now it has a very decent battery life. Thanks for explaining the circuits. Very interesting.
Thanks for your detailed comment. You have good DIY skill! The LW sensitivity problem for Chinese radios should be very little LW stations near China (Mongolia has several), so the LW function for the manufacture is like free gift to customer without adding much cost, anyhow less people is going to use it. I bought extra 18650 batteries and stand-along charger, so just change battery when run out. Enjoy!
@@ewenyan5019 Yes of course it's always possible to have spare batteries but I like to have a radio ready for many hours of listening time. But it's just me ... :) Keep up the good work and continue to share videos of radios !
WOW!!! The best description of the inner workings and components I’ve ever seen!!! I love my XHDATA D-808!!! Thank you for this very interesting explanation of why and how it works so good!!!
Thanks Scott for watching and comment!
@@ewenyan5019 you’re welcome!
@@ewenyan5019hello, what could be broken, I have a xhdata d-808 radio, old version, all bands work, but not the air band band, I also have xhdata new version and it receives the air band very well, best regards
Thank you for the break down of the D-808, I was amazed at how simple and sparse the printed circuit board is! I was expecting it to be densely populated with surface mounted chips, electrolytic capacitors and transistors like a multi band receiver from the 80s.
I know that the Si 4735 DSP chip doesn't natively include VHF Air band and have always wondered how the XHDATA/Sihuadon D-808 is able to tune in the aviation frequency band, while Tecsun's DSP and hybrid radios don't offer VHF AM air band (except for the PL-660/680).
Great video presentation, just subbed to your channel. 📻👍🏼
Hi StratMan II, thanks for your comment! Yes, this should be the future that most radios will be based on DSP or SDR, less component, less cost comparing with same level analog radio, but still with good performance. I prefer the tuning feel of old analog radio rather than ETM/ATS :)
@@ewenyan5019 You're welcome! 🙂
There are quite a few TH-cam reviewers and commenters who have been criticizing the Tecsun H-501x for their lack of VHF AM air band for the high asking price. They are expecting RDS (which requires a dot matrix LCD display like the one used by the Sangean ATS-909X) for the FM and some thought that a "simple firmware revision" will magically add the VHF air band to the receiver.
Not one of them dared to open up their radios to inspect what's inside - not even their inexpensive D-808s that they've been promoting in their respective videos. Your tear-down of the D-808 was interesting as I thought it is essentially like a smartphone's SoC (System-On-a-Chip) and was surprised that the mechanical RF filters are still needed to this day.
ETM is actually useful as it's a smart memory preset system that also accounts for the hour of the day it memorizes broadcast stations. Tecsun's ETM system has 24 ETM "time zones" and as you know, shortwave broadcasters don't transmit their programs 24 hours a day and also change frequencies according to the time. So if your radio's ETM has memorized all the stations it could find for 1900 UTC, it won't present you with certain frequencies that are not active at say, 0300 UTC. The PL-330's ETM memories are separate from the ATS and ETM will not overwrite your presets stored in the ATS section.
I wish that Tecsun offers the ETM feature in all of their models but at present only the PL-3xx series have ETM/ETM+ in addition to the regular ATS. For a tiny radio like the PL-330, manual band scanning is tiresome as its tuning dial is small and your hand will get tired rotating it (unlike the S-2000, S-8800, PL-990, 880, 680 and 660) after some time, therefore the ETM makes sense for the PL-3xx models.
I find SDRs a novelty but I don't think they are mature receivers in the market. Many look like DIY hobby kits with cheaply stamped aluminium cases. Some old school hobbyists feel that with an SDR, you're essentially "watching" the radio's waterfall display rather than listening to the audio, lol. 😀 Personally I'd wait for another five years and see how far SDR receivers have developed.
The all-in-one DSP technology is still behind time. I don't know if Silicon Labs has many competitors and if there isn't much competition, they are not under pressure to develop a more advanced DSP chip with a faster refresh rate (so that we don't get that annoying muting/chuffing during band scanning). It's not like Intel vs AMD or Nvidia vs ATI or Qualcomm vs MediaTek where the competition is very stiff. The laptop and smartphone/tablet market is a lot more bigger than the market for multiband radios. Everyone wants a smartphone but not everybody needs a shortwave radio.
People are willing to spend US$1k on a smartphone that will become obsolete (and potentially unusable after ten years) but no one wants to splurge the same kind of money on a shortwave receiver that can last for decades.
@@StratmanII Pl330's ETM+ is awesome function, makes channel preset more useful for shortwave.
Siliconlab got some Chinese competitors, chip model like AKC6955 (Tivdio V111), BK1198(Rolton T50), KT0936(Kaide KK1012, some version) are common on some Chinese radios. They are cheaper than Siliconlab but overall performance is not as good.
I think the main reason for radio developing so slowly is because the radio was last tense.. Remember when I was young, no internet, TV can only provide limited national channels while shortwave can provide so many international programs and point of views. Most importantly, the electromagnatic environment was very friendly for MW and SW reception. But now, people have so much option to know the world and the electromagnatic environment is becoming so bad for MW and SW. More and more MW and SW stations have been shut down in the last 10 years, feel sad about that. So I think radio will be still exist but becoming minority.
I still listen to radio because it doesn't make me feel overloaded comparing with smartphone, and recall the good time in the past. Lol. Glad to know you.
@@ewenyan5019 Wow, I'm learning more from you than from any other TH-cam channel! I don't know much about electronics and up until a few months ago have never heard of Silicon Labs or SDR radios, lol.. 😁
You are quite right about the slow development of radio DSP chips as the demand isn't there. I don't think Motorola is interested in developing DSPs for sale to third party radio manufacturers either.
I never liked Internet radio, sure the reception will be very clear with FM grade quality but I feel listening to Internet radio is like cheating. There's nothing like trying to catch distant stations with a good radio and a quality antenna to match.
The younger generation grew up listening to FM and digital radio stations, CDs and MP3 music files and they got used to very high sound quality. Shortwave radio uses narrow bandwidth, is not stereo, can't reproduce the full audio spectrum (20Hz-20kHz) and is subject to ionospheric propagation interference, fading and background static. Many people can't tolerate listening to SW broadcasts and they don't understand what's the fun in tuning into faint stations that sometimes fade with background noise.
Speaking of noise, the average modern home has so many electrical appliances that are ruining the SW listening experience. WiFi routers, cheap AC adapters, plasma TVs and USB chargers are the common culprits. You can turn off the WiFi in your home to try to achieve a noise free environment but you can't force your neighbors to switch off their WiFi though. 🙄
But shortwave radio has been around for nearly 100 years and before the Internet as we know it, was the only way to listen to news and get information from other countries!
Keep up the good work, sir.. I hope to see your TH-cam channel develop further in the future! Nice knowing you too! 📻👍🏼
@@StratmanII Thanks for your comment! I can see that you are so good at electronic technology.
In other words, internet radio is no soul radio, lol. I enjoy the feeling of SW or MW (at night) reception, like the signal fading away and returning. Some time waited for hours to check the name of new received stations.
I found some LED light was also big digital noise source.. MW and SW are dead in my whole house if I turn the LED light on..
Just have my new baby now, will have less time on radio I think. Hope you enjoy on radios!
I am from India,I have used xhdata D808 a new model,You have shown old model,which is better old ir new especially on reception
Well done!
Very nice
Excellent explanation, thank you!
Thanks for your comment!
Great Information
Excellent! Thank you.
Excellent, thannk-you!
Thank s for watching!
Looks like the DSP was supposed to be shielded. Would it make a difference if we add the shield ?
Hello, its a very informative description. Could you make a video that shows the other side where the display is? My display is poorly assembled and its crooked/not aligned properly, one side sits deeper than the other. It is possible to repair this little issue without damaging something?
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching.
Excellent Analysis Ewen, it's very helpful. I have Tecsun pl380 and Eton Elite Traveler. Is FM, MW and SW performance better on D-808?
Yes
excellent analysis !!!! In your opinion, which is better for short wave Tecsun pl 330 or Xhdata 808? (I read that the 303 is superior because of the ETM) Regarding build quality, which one do you choose? .I had a hard time deciding so your prompt response will allow me to choose. Thank´s and regards from Chile S/A
I have a PL-330 and a Sihuadon D-808 (same radio as the XHDATA, except the Sihuadon is available in all-black colour). They both have their pluses and minus, which was why I ended up buying both. 🙂
Memories:
If you rely a lot on stored memories, the PL-330 has a much better memory management system. You can also browse your stored frequencies manually by simply turning the tuning wheel. The D-808's memory system is frustrating to use. You have to press one number key after one another to choose another memory and its memories are divided into 10 pages (Pages 00-09). There is no way to continuously browse through your stored presets.
Sound quality:
The D-808 has a larger and louder 1-watt speaker and therefore sounds richer than the PL-330 anytime.
ATS/ETM:
Tecsun's PL-330 (and PL-368) has the enhanced ETM+ function, which stores frequencies according to the hour of the day (for SW). For MW, the radio stores frequencies according to morning, afternoon and evening periods. The PL-330 (with firmware 3305/3306) can sort the memories by the frequency, from lowest to highest.
The D-808 does not have ETM but can scan and store frequencies like the PL-330's ATS.
Bandwidth filters:
The D-808 is still the champ when it comes to audio filters, it has 7 in total. The bandwidth filters also works for the Air band! The PL-330 has only 3 bandwidth filters for shortwave (AM) mode.
SSB:
I think they're both equally good at SSB, but have different methods to demodulate the side band. With the PL-330, you press the Step button to fine tune the frequency with a 10Hz resolution. The D-808 cannot display the frequency in decimals (e.g. 7000.00 kHz), so you use the fine tune wheel as a BFO or clarifier until you get zero beat. The LCD will display the offset from 00 to 99 (both + and - values) as you spin the fine tune wheel.
Tuning:
The PL-330 requires you to press the tiny Step button to select between coarse and fine tuning. The D-808 has a dedicated fine tune wheel, which makes it much easier for fine tuning. Additionally the D-808 has a set of Up/Down buttons for manually tuning the radio, which the PL-330 does not have. The D-808's main tuning knob has a "Stop" mode to prevent the frequency from being changed should the knob be accidentally touched.
Built-in antenna:
The PL-330's telescopic antenna is shorter than the D-808, but you can always hook it up to a retractable reel wire antenna with a clip or plug into the Ext Ant jack.
FM:
The D-808's FM performance is outstanding and the LCD can display the station's RDS information.
VHF Air:
If listening to air traffic is a must for you, choose the D-808. Tecsun radios don't have the Air band, except for the PL-660, PL-680 and the large desktop S-2000.
Squelch control:
The PL-330 has no squelch control, but the D-808 has. What's interesting is that the D-808's squelch can be used on any band, even SW!
Medium wave:
The D-808's longer size means it has a longer internal ferrite antenna than the PL-330, therefore MW DX'ing is better with the D-808.
Build quality:
The PL-330's case is all plastic. The D-808's shell is also plastic, but has a metal (aluminum?) speaker grille. The PL-330's volume and tuning wheels are somewhat "wobbly", as with my example. The D-808's tuning wheel feels more solid with detents, but uses a cheap analog variable resistor for the volume control. It can accumulate dust over time, leading to a scratchy volume control. You have to spray some contact cleaner to temporarily fix this problem.
The PL-330's volume control is a rotary digital encoder and should not be affected by dust.
Headphone socket:
There is a design problem with the D-808 and the smaller R-108. They both emit a "pop" when changing bands (FM/SW/MW/Air) and can be a painful experience if you mostly listen via headphones. The D-808 also makes a slightly audible electronic hum when certain keys are pressed. It could be a grounding issue, I don't know.
The PL-330 doesn't have these problems, it makes no popping noise when you listen via headphones.
Battery life:
The PL-330 uses the Nokia BL-5C cellphone battery and they are typically rated between 950mAH to 1050 mAH. There are no BL-5C batteries that can pack more than 1800 mAH, but the 18650 lithium ion cell that the D-808 uses can be found in many capacities, up to 3500 mAH. With a 3500 mAH battery, the D-808 lasts longer on a single charge than the PL-330. However, the D-808's battery meter's calibration is said to be inaccurate. It tends to show three bars (full) for a short time before dropping to two bars.
Battery chargers:
Both radios allow you to recharge their batteries via a micro USB socket, but you can also recharge 18650 cells with a separate charger. There are various battery chargers available for 18650 cells, but chargers for the Nokia BL-5C are very few and may be hard to find.
Bottom line: If you intend to buy only ONE shortwave radio, get the D-808. It's not perfect, but as an "all-rounder" shortwave radio I think it's better than the PL-330. 📻👍
Hope this helps in choosing the right radio for you! 🙂
Good description of inner blocks ! I bought to my father such a jewel radio and its functioning is in deed impressive.
Do you or all rest of readers know if on the market there is a portable FM radio that has too the RDS TP (Traffic Information) feature ? (as for normal car-radios)
I've read the Si4735 Data Sheet, it doesn't enter into RDS details, but we know the 808 has just PS, RT, CT, PTY features.
Sorry I also don't know, but as I know another DSP radio chip BK1088 can support RDS function.
@@ewenyan5019 I see that the Digitech AR-1780, similar to the 808, has RDS - the Digitech radios are only available from Australia and New Zealand.
Hi Ewan, I have had a D808 for three years. Its a great radio and excellent value for money. I recently bought a second one after damaging the first radio's telescopic aerial. Something that I was wondering about; why is there a noticeable delay when you switch the radio on and when you change bands? Also here in the UK, I like to listen to LW stations. LW reception on the 808 is quite poor. Can you think of anyway to improve it. 73s and GDX Jim
Hi Jim, thanks for watching and comment. I try to answer your question, if the radio was turned off on SSB mode, then it will take a while to load SSB program on the SI4735 chip. The delay on the band switching should be the MCU programming problem, I think we can't do anything. Regarding the improvement of LW, you may try to use a long wire as antenna, and wrap one end of the wire on the ferrite stick several circles, this may help.
Для диапазона длинных волн не достаточно индуктивности катушки. Мало витков. Она намотана под средние волны. По хорошему надо мотать новую с отводом и ставить переключатель св/дв. Для подключения внешней антенны можно сделать катушку связи, схема рабочая. Ну и стержень наверное поставить получше. Есть несколько стержней марки 400нн от советских радиоприёмников. Если время будет попробую
Hi Jim, just about ANY shortwave radio that is designed around the Silicon Labs' Si4735 DSP chip has a slight delay when changing bands. It's not just the D-808, even Tecsun non-analogue radios have this delay.
@@StratmanII Hi. Thank you for your reply. What you have written is true. However, with the D808, the delay seems longer than with my Tecsuns and Eton. 73s
@@jimgordon1563 Hi Jim, sorry for the late response. I checked my Sihuadon D-808 and changed bands like you have mentioned. While there the band switching isn't that instantaneous, I don't think the delay is that noticeable on my radio. However the delay is significant only if I had left the SW band on SSB mode and shuttled between FM or Air band and SW.
BTW, my D-808 is the 2021 year of manufacture and comes with amber backlight, not white.
Unlike Tecsun, XHDATA/Sihuadon doesn't publish how the receiver's firmware version can be checked. Is your D-808 an earlier release with the white backlight? 🤔
Привет!Хотел вас спросить.У меня такой приёмник 808-й недавно на столе упал,бракованная подставка и она всегда складывается.И вот задней стороной упал на стол.Как вы думаете,не расстроятся его параметры чувствительности?Спасибо за ответ!
This is probably old version having microUSB Port for Charging!
What do we call xhdata d-808's Fine tuning knob? Can we replace it? My radio fine-tuning knob is no more functional. I miss SSB fine-tuning.
Hello Sir, I am interested in Shortwaves radios so Which one is best among Tecsun pl 330 & Xhdata D 808 ?? .............Thank You
no problem with broken antenna foot, due to low material quality?
The D-808 is an excellent multiband radio. The only negative side with this model in my opinion is the type of battery used. It would be better if the D-808 uses AA batteries rather than the rechargeable type that has low battery life that needs frequent charging! Good radio with SSB.
As I know, the digitech AR-1780 is the AA battery model, it uses 4 AA batteries. Thanks for comment.
Actually the 18650 lithium battery packs more energy than NiMH battery per gram. The D-808 will feel much heavier if it used 3 or 4 AA batteries.
Furthermore, the XHDATA supplied battery has a small capacity to reduce costs. You can always buy a reliable 18650 battery with a 3500 mAh capacity (look for original Samsung, LG, Sony or Panasonic brands) and enjoy more hours out of the D-808 before recharging.
Pro tip: Avoid buying 18650 cells that advertises a capacity over 3500 mAh - those claims are exaggerated and false. The Ultrafire brand is notorious for selling 18650 batteries with "6800 mAh" capacities. At present the 18650 battery chemistry can only supply less than 4000 mAh.
@@StratmanII Well said! I stuck to a Panasonic 30Q as a replacement for my PL880 and it. has worked well. You are also right about the 18650 on the D808.
@@jimgordon1563 Thank you for the response! 😃 I later learned that when it comes to rechargeable batteries, you can have high capacity or a higher number of charge cycles, but not both. It's a trade off which one has to decide. I prefer to use 1900 mAh Eneloops and IKEA Ladda cells for my PL-660 as they're lighter and less expensive than 2500 mAh ones. More importantly for me, the 1900 mAh cells are rated for at least 1000 complete charge/discharge cycles while the 2450/2500 mAh ones are rated up to just 500 cycles.
I expect it's the same with 18650 batteries but I believe you can prolong the lifespan of your Panasonic 3000 mAh cell by topping up its charge as often as possible and not letting it fully drain too frequently. Currently I use 3500 mAh 18650 protected cells for my D-808 and PL-990 but I top off their charge as often as I can. 🔋⚡
Actually, 18650 is a big advantage and is the major reason why I bought D808!
I got this radio but after 1 week, the airband isn't working anymore. Who knows why? Reset and removing the battery for 2 weeks didn't help. Has this radio a battery inside?
There is no battery inside, I think you need to return to the seller.
radio Retekess v115 modificações para usar faixa fm 70 a 108 mhz ? th-cam.com/video/bD0w7IqByJ0/w-d-xo.html
This radio is not bad at all but it suffers from a number of problems : first, battery life is very weak compared to the pl380 or even pl330. Then the LW sensitivity is not very good. A little better than the tecsun's but not fantastic. It requires changing the ferrite antenna.
All the Chinese radios sets I have have exactly the same issue. I replaced the ferrite antenna on the pl380 and pl330 so that LW sensitivity is a lot better. On the pl330 I also did a battery mod, I've placed a 2500 mAh battery inside (requires removing some plastic). Now it has a very decent battery life.
Thanks for explaining the circuits. Very interesting.
Thanks for your detailed comment. You have good DIY skill! The LW sensitivity problem for Chinese radios should be very little LW stations near China (Mongolia has several), so the LW function for the manufacture is like free gift to customer without adding much cost, anyhow less people is going to use it. I bought extra 18650 batteries and stand-along charger, so just change battery when run out. Enjoy!
@@ewenyan5019 Yes of course it's always possible to have spare batteries but I like to have a radio ready for many hours of listening time. But it's just me ... :)
Keep up the good work and continue to share videos of radios !
One of the best radio overview I’ve ever seen. Thanks.
Да ему до ТЕКСАНА Pl660 ну очень далеко во всем. Зачем рекламировать такое несовешенное и неприглядное, безграмотное просто даже внутри?
d808便宜很多 pl660停产了价格也涨了很多