I Ike mine, got it about a year ago and it's a good little unit. You can also start and stop music on your phone from it also. And has a alarm clock too....
Retekess seem to have a great ear when it comes to speakers. Not "yo daddy's" speakers that's for sure. Big sound from my V115. I don't know what's changed with speaker technology but it's amazing how much bass can be delivered through such a small speaker. Some tablets and phones seem to be using similar drivers.
Love shortwave receivers. cool radio but i do personally prefer the Tecsun pl660 to get cb & freeband channels. I keep a couple in faraday cages just in case
Hello! Would a laptop and a FM transmitter be all that I would need to startup a community radio station. On another note would I have to register with the FCC? Or are there some cases where you don't have to (kind of like with drones)? Thanks!
Just and FYI: So, had the money at the end of last month to get one. It looks like the AM (MW) min step value is 9KHz vice 10KHz with no way to change it. Example: I'm trying to listen to 970 and 1070, 972 and 1071 is as close as I seem to be able to get. Those two stations do come in decently enough at those slightly different frequencies. I was wondering if installing the app on the phone might give one better control but when my phone captured the QR code, it wanted to send me to a dot see en website and I decided against going there. Just an FYI.
Figured it out only just now. On page 7 of the manual you have to change the default receiving range to from NO. 1 to 2 per section 7.3.1 (instructions just below the table)@@FarpointFarms
You’re probably picking up either wbcq, or radio Miami wrmi. Those two stations are the most powerful anyway. Us hams call them stations blowtorch stations too because they are the most powerful.
Is the tuner analog? I know with digital and seek you miss a lot of stations. I have a 60 year old transistor radio I got when I was a kid that still works, and late at night I can pick up stations three states away on AM.
I had an idea I wanted to do take some cb radios monitor channel 19, from Philadelphia international airport to south of the state line using several RPis or thin clients connected by a ISP. Not sure about how long each station should be placed?
@Farpoint Farms. Where's the CB/Ham coverage? I looked into the specs on this radio, and it doesn't have SSB or BFO. I also looked up the frequency range of shortwave and it only goes up to 21.95mhz, whereas CB resides at 27mhz. Otherwise, nice review on a really nice little radio. But I was hoping it would do Ham frequencies.
@ farpoint Farms, Merry Christmas ! thanks for the years of reviews and content! I do have a question i am looking to install a cb radio in my truck i have a Nissan frontier and i dont have alot of space for an old school style large unit. i was looking for something that has alot of the nice bells and whistles but is small form factor any suggestions ? Cheers and thanks again! Edit i forgot to say i have been looking at the president Harrison it seems really good for the small form factor. Just really wanted your opinion. :))
I think he has a video on some of the small radios. I don't think it's made by one of the mainline manufacturers like Cobra Midland Galaxy President etc., but I could be wrong. I just remember it was tiny. I check out Walcott Radio and Right Channel Radio for ideas. As far as features, that's the trade-off for size.
The CB frequencies are easy to listen to, if you know where to find them (26.9 to 27.4 MHz) but most ham frequencies are VHF and UHF, so an ordinary shortwave (HF) receiver can't tune to those.
Lots of Ham bands and activity below 30 mHz!! 10 meter ham is just above the CB radio frequencies from 28 to 29.7 mHz. Popular ham bands below CB are 160, 80, 40, 20, 17, 15 and 12 meters. Lots of activity if the conditions are good.
Walcott radio and Right channel radios sell kits (radio/antenna combos). That said, it depends how you want to use it Classical AM use? AM may be falling out of favor for the clearer FM, but AM carries. If you're using it for local traffic conditions, FM might be the logical choice. President made a radio that does AM, FM and Single Side Band. With that, if you're unsure, you might be able to find what you like. I have a President McKinley (AM and SSB) as a base with a 102 whip antenna (My Antron ate it in a high wind). If I upgrade, I would make it that President AM/FM/SSB. I'd probably use that same radio in my vehicle when I finally get around to mounting a mobile. I think I heard good things about the Sirio antennas.
Maybe for you, but the vast majority of listeners don't care to hear hams complaining about their back pains. Most like to hear news and music from around the world.
@@FarpointFarms No SSB for CB either. I know what you mean. Why would 99% of people want to listen to 99% of the radio traffic? Give me those Jesus channels on shortwave.
I respect all reviews and by all means not belittling you,but WHY give a review on a radio when you say you can't pick up normally on half the bands anyways.
part of that is where I live. I am in the mountains and reception here is poor at best. That is no fault of the radio, just the area that I live in. If I go on vacation, I take a radio along and I am amazed on how much better it works
Is it complicated , or can you just get on it , and go ? Does it have a headphone jack ? A problem with either question is a deal breaker for me . Remember the UV5R ? Everybody was pushing that for a long time . Then REAL people quickly figured out , it was almost unusable , it was so complicated . It was junk , is what it was , totally unrealistic for the average person . Like a firearm , it just needs to work , in a crisis , you dont have time , and cant thumb through a manual to try to figure it out . It just needs to work .
The UV5R is still a useful little two way ham radio, very robust build quality and many features for the $20 it cost. Impossible to see how they can make any profit on it. The menu is unnecessarily complicated but once programmed, they are rugged little radios that fill a niche market for beginners to get a taste of Ham Radio without breaking the bank, cheap enough to just forget about if you find it is not for you.
Problem is , it takes a software engioneer to deal with it .....therefore its a failure . Plug and play is the only way , with any electronic device . @@Handlebar-MustDash
Yeah I don't know about these chinese branded junk radios...they can't really be good even for casual use. Better off buying an old Panasonic and having it recapped.
Where I live, it is very difficult to find people to work on them- If you are handy, it can be done, but for the casual user, it might be easier to get a radio like this
I've had a soft spot for electronic gadgets ever since I was 12. Built an AM crystal radio back then. This radio is awesome Eric!
I have a crystal kit that I need to build- It is on my to do list
Built an Air band receiver when I was a kid. Damn I miss RadioShack!😢
Same here. The catalogs were awesome in the 70's!@@tyronewalker5764
@@tyronewalker5764who needs Radio Shack when you can get all those things on the Internet
I just bought one from Amazon. Pretty cool and well built. The subwoofer enhances the sound with bass.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I Ike mine, got it about a year ago and it's a good little unit. You can also start and stop music on your phone from it also. And has a alarm clock too....
Cool! I like this one as well.
The auto clock set when you bt connect is awesome.
Man I can't get enough of your theme song. LOVE IT!!
Thank you- It was made by a fellow TH-camr Marky Shaw
I'm all over your videos, I need to add a Shortwave and a CB to my equipment for prepping @@FarpointFarms
I love the dial tuner. That’s a really cool looking feature I haven’t seen on a new radio in a long time.
It brings back some great memories of rolling through the channels
That's a very beautiful radio. I like the design and features.
It does have a nice look to it.
Nice looking radio!! That packs a lot of features with good sound for small radio!!
Yes indeed!
Mine is branded ZHIWIS, model ZWS A320 . Got it on amazon a few weeks ago. Sounds good, works good!
Thanks for sharing
Comparing the two, I'd say the A320 is the better deal overall, it seems. A little more radio & accessories for slightly less money.
Retekess seem to have a great ear when it comes to speakers. Not "yo daddy's" speakers that's for sure. Big sound from my V115. I don't know what's changed with speaker technology but it's amazing how much bass can be delivered through such a small speaker. Some tablets and phones seem to be using similar drivers.
I think technology is catching up-
Very nice little radio, I’ll have to pick one up
It is a decent radio
Remember though there is nothing like a radio with old school analog tuning circuitry which doesn't have the digital jitters.
I agree, but sadly many of the classics are now in need of a lot of repairs to match the reception of one of these modern units.
Neat little radio. I think that would be great for camping/canoe trips. I'll have to pick one up. Keep up the great videos Eric. Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to you as well-
Merry Christmas to you and yours and all the best into 2024 and beyond. 73! :)
The same to you, I am hoping that 2024 is the best year yet
Love shortwave receivers. cool radio but i do personally prefer the Tecsun pl660 to get cb & freeband channels. I keep a couple in faraday cages just in case
that radio is a good one- Keeping a few save is a wise thing
AM air band is what I lack. I sure miss crop dusters joking about the organic certified farmers they have sprayed for.
LMAO!
Oh man! Love it.
Is that an ATARI game control top left shelf? Ha, my brother from another.. Thanks for the vid, nice unit .
Sure is! That is the only controller I can use with confidence- One button so you can' go wrong
I got one of those in a box of cereal in 1966.
Ha- The prizes back then were better than what they have now
Mine cost two Kelloggs box tops and $2.95.
Came in 6-8 weeks. Hah..the good old days of very early 60's.
I wouldn't mind that at all!
it is a decent radio for the size-
Hello! Would a laptop and a FM transmitter be all that I would need to startup a community radio station. On another note would I have to register with the FCC? Or are there some cases where you don't have to (kind of like with drones)? Thanks!
He has videos on this.
@@barneymm2204 Thanks! I'll be seeing if I can find something about the topic
Radio transmitters are restricted under FCC rules- read up on them to make sure you are not breaking any laws
@barneymm2204- thanks!
What would I need to have a radio station reach to at least 10-15 miles? Thanks
Just and FYI: So, had the money at the end of last month to get one. It looks like the AM (MW) min step value is 9KHz vice 10KHz with no way to change it. Example: I'm trying to listen to 970 and 1070, 972 and 1071 is as close as I seem to be able to get. Those two stations do come in decently enough at those slightly different frequencies. I was wondering if installing the app on the phone might give one better control but when my phone captured the QR code, it wanted to send me to a dot see en website and I decided against going there. Just an FYI.
Thank you for sharing that- I get worried about where some of those lead to. I am paranoid about what can happen
Figured it out only just now. On page 7 of the manual you have to change the default receiving range to from NO. 1 to 2 per section 7.3.1 (instructions just below the table)@@FarpointFarms
You’re probably picking up either wbcq, or radio Miami wrmi. Those two stations are the most powerful anyway. Us hams call them stations blowtorch stations too because they are the most powerful.
I used to have a show on WBCQ. That signal was everywhere!
wow really nice stuff
Thanks
Is the tuner analog? I know with digital and seek you miss a lot of stations. I have a 60 year old transistor radio I got when I was a kid that still works, and late at night I can pick up stations three states away on AM.
I think it is a digital tuner
I had an idea I wanted to do take some cb radios monitor channel 19, from Philadelphia international airport to south of the state line using several RPis or thin clients connected by a ISP. Not sure about how long each station should be placed?
AM or FM?
I'd go with 10 miles to make it clear.
Did I miss something where was the CB band portion of coverage?
At the higher end.
@Farpoint Farms. Where's the CB/Ham coverage? I looked into the specs on this radio, and it doesn't have SSB or BFO. I also looked up the frequency range of shortwave and it only goes up to 21.95mhz, whereas CB resides at 27mhz. Otherwise, nice review on a really nice little radio. But I was hoping it would do Ham frequencies.
I think it would have to go up a few notches to have all those other bands
@@FarpointFarms Yes, but according to the title of the post, you said it can do it when it can't. I would probably change that title.
I was looking over the frequencies for this radio. Are you sure it picks up CB?
I was, and now I'm not. I'll have to double check.
@ farpoint Farms, Merry Christmas ! thanks for the years of reviews and content! I do have a question i am looking to install a cb radio in my truck i have a Nissan frontier and i dont have alot of space for an old school style large unit. i was looking for something that has alot of the nice bells and whistles but is small form factor any suggestions ? Cheers and thanks again! Edit i forgot to say i have been looking at the president Harrison it seems really good for the small form factor. Just really wanted your opinion. :))
I think he has a video on some of the small radios. I don't think it's made by one of the mainline manufacturers like Cobra Midland Galaxy President etc., but I could be wrong. I just remember it was tiny. I check out Walcott Radio and Right Channel Radio for ideas. As far as features, that's the trade-off for size.
The Taylor is a nice smaller AM/FM unit with everything you'd want. For SSB? Well... They just don't make many small units with that feature.
I went with a Radioddity cs-47 really small and works great in the mobile. resides in a small nook in my center console
I'm getting 1for my late Xmas present 🎁
Cool! You'll like this one.
Does that equalizer double as a signal meter? If so, that would be really cool.
Yes!
If it had a bfo, ssb and switchable bandwidths and tropical band reception, it would be close to perfect.
If it had all that, it would cost an arm and a leg
@@FarpointFarmsNo more than a Tecsun 880.
Hi, will it link to Bluetooth headphones, cheers.
I am not 100% sure, sorry
I have one of these, although its a different brand, Zhiwis, but still the same radio inside..
Thanks for sharing
The CB frequencies are easy to listen to, if you know where to find them (26.9 to 27.4 MHz) but most ham frequencies are VHF and UHF, so an ordinary shortwave (HF) receiver can't tune to those.
This radio doesn't cover them...
Lots of Ham bands and activity below 30 mHz!! 10 meter ham is just above the CB radio frequencies from 28 to 29.7 mHz. Popular ham bands below CB are 160, 80, 40, 20, 17, 15 and 12 meters. Lots of activity if the conditions are good.
No VHF or UHF on this radio.
A Chinese radio isn't complete without a flash-light and a siren.
Agreed.
😂 Compulsory in China. In a communist country, perhaps there is an association with listening to a radio and imminent danger.
Merry Christmas!❤ looking for something ELF capable, like 0-10 hz. Not a lotta hz, i hz enuf already.
I'll keep an eye out for one.
@@FarpointFarms Thanks Eric
Great video review ,
Thanks!
Hey this radio looks cool!
(I can't let you hear how it sky because I'm afraid of a copyright strike)
I hate the fear of a copyright strike-
A Dynamo Hand at The Back Would Have Made it ...Perfect..
Agreed!
Looks like a 1973's Cougar No7 RF-877.
I had to look it up, yes it does
You could use that to monitor VHF channel 16 while sitting on the bench lol.
Yes!
I’m wanting a good CB radio for my 2014 Silverado truck , what kind would you suggest get and what style of antenna too
The old school Kraco radios are the best back in the 80'S easy to modify and boost power internally. And get a firestick 1/2 wave antenna.
Walcott radio and Right channel radios sell kits (radio/antenna combos). That said, it depends how you want to use it Classical AM use? AM may be falling out of favor for the clearer FM, but AM carries. If you're using it for local traffic conditions, FM might be the logical choice. President made a radio that does AM, FM and Single Side Band. With that, if you're unsure, you might be able to find what you like. I have a President McKinley (AM and SSB) as a base with a 102 whip antenna (My Antron ate it in a high wind). If I upgrade, I would make it that President AM/FM/SSB. I'd probably use that same radio in my vehicle when I finally get around to mounting a mobile. I think I heard good things about the Sirio antennas.
The Walker is a great classic looking radio, and the Tram 3500 is a quality antenna at a decent price.
Looks like my granny's ge 8 track joined space program.
It appears you are correct!
How can it pick up CB when it only goes to 21 MHZ on shortwave?
I was wrong with the description on this. Sorry!
Very nice radio. But from the interference I'm hearing it almost sounds like you have LED lights in your room
I do have LED lights in the studio
Is it a coincidence Record-ology reviewed this same radio 5 days ago ?
It is- I have had this one for a bit, but had other videos to put out
@@FarpointFarms Always good to have multiple viewpoints/ideas on a subject/item. Thanks.
10:05 12,160khz is WWCR out of Nashville, TN.
thank you for that- it is good to know
Q&A on Amazon says it doesn't cover 11 meter CB channels.
I'll check into it.
Intro music please...?
I was trying to switch it up-- I do have a video that is just the intro video that is just the song
Downside to this it's sourced from China,any other recommendations on non-comunist products?
I am all ears if someone has an alternative, but most things are made in China
SSB?
No.
But wait! It's also a time machine! 9:40
Can it core a apple?
We have one that can see..
Only the once.@@rudolphguarnacci197
@barneynn2204- It is a time machine, it will core an apple, bake a cake and perform brain surgery- Kinda like a swiss army knife or letherman tool
@@FarpointFarms
"Core a apple" is a line from the Honeymooners.
No SSB on a shortwave radio is a deal killer. Can't tune in Ham Radio HF bands. Not a SHTF radio.
Maybe for you, but the vast majority of listeners don't care to hear hams complaining about their back pains. Most like to hear news and music from around the world.
@@FarpointFarms No SSB for CB either. I know what you mean. Why would 99% of people want to listen to 99% of the radio traffic? Give me those Jesus channels on shortwave.
I respect all reviews and by all means not belittling you,but WHY give a review on a radio when you say you can't pick up normally on half the bands anyways.
part of that is where I live. I am in the mountains and reception here is poor at best. That is no fault of the radio, just the area that I live in. If I go on vacation, I take a radio along and I am amazed on how much better it works
Is it complicated , or can you just get on it , and go ? Does it have a headphone jack ? A problem with either question is a deal breaker for me . Remember the UV5R ? Everybody was pushing that for a long time . Then REAL people quickly figured out , it was almost unusable , it was so complicated . It was junk , is what it was , totally unrealistic for the average person . Like a firearm , it just needs to work , in a crisis , you dont have time , and cant thumb through a manual to try to figure it out . It just needs to work .
I can confirm that this is plug and play easy, and yes it has a ear phone jack.
Than its a winner , thank you for sharing @@FarpointFarms
The UV5R is still a useful little two way ham radio, very robust build quality and many features for the $20 it cost. Impossible to see how they can make any profit on it. The menu is unnecessarily complicated but once programmed, they are rugged little radios that fill a niche market for beginners to get a taste of Ham Radio without breaking the bank, cheap enough to just forget about if you find it is not for you.
Problem is , it takes a software engioneer to deal with it .....therefore its a failure . Plug and play is the only way , with any electronic device . @@Handlebar-MustDash
Here we have the classic YT video, with a guy explaining something he knows almost nothing about. Classic !
Wow. It's hard to imagine that someone made it to your age without being taught manners.
Nothing but static
Not even close.
Yeah I don't know about these chinese branded junk radios...they can't really be good even for casual use. Better off buying an old Panasonic and having it recapped.
Where I live, it is very difficult to find people to work on them- If you are handy, it can be done, but for the casual user, it might be easier to get a radio like this