SWL, I have seen this radio before and I agree it is a quality pocket portable apparently! Thank you for your unboxing and great review on the Clooblut! P.S. The little radio is quite a DXer on the SW bands indeed!
Hey John, thanks for your comment! This little radio really surprised me. With that tiny antenna it actually picked up quite a lot. I tried it tonight with a long wire, and it seems to work quite well with that. A very interesting radio!
Hi André. I hope China can make more of this cheap radios with shortwave. So many more people can discover its advantages. I purchased one very similar to this, but with rechargeable non removable batteries and with a USB type C connector from the brand QFX (R-101) for $9.99, near me. It’s was fine with the sensitivity and price, but the battery life is very short, it has an analogue dial, also a torchlight is built in.
Hi Ísleif, thanks for your comment! I agree with you, the more shortwave radios we have, the more people will try out the hobby! There are quite a large selection of cheap shortwave radios already, but some are not very good performers. That's why this Clooblut is so exciting, it is cheap, and it performs quite well. The QFX you mention sounds interesting, I searched for it on Google now. Looks like a very easy to use pocket radio.
Nice little radio for the price, considering where it came from..... With all the latest gagetry around, too bad the sunspot situation is not in our favor. Still, that will change! Radio will be great again!
Quite right Tom, propagation does not seem to be very good right now. Solar activity just too high... But things will return to normal and then we can use all our radio gadgets to the fullest again! This Clooblut really surprised me, very sensitive and with lots of features, even FM stereo on headphones.
Hey Leon, I have the same here in my complex, LED lights, solar panels, electric fence... but some radios seem to handle all the interference much better than others. I must say though, I am not too close to the electric fence, so that helps.
I think it's really quite nice and a lot of fun. Tried it today with a long wire just wrapped around the antenna and it seems to work, not overloading.
@@swlistening At ~16:- or even lower price, it could be a good little toy for those who are tired of muting DSPs. Here, the manual tuning mute effect seems to be slightly shorter, and it's interesting for someone like me who wants to try the AKC chip. It looks plain and simple inside, which is also cool IMO. The only drawback is the lack of a rechargeable battery - that's an anachronism.
@@snowman-division Interesting that you noticed the relative lack of muting. I didn't, but now that you mention it, I realise that it is actually a very nice feature. I'll be doing more tests this weekend and I will look at the muting effect specifically, thanks for the idea. About the battery, I am actually quite fond of the AA batteries. They are so cheap, it's like you will never run out if power if you just have a multipack of AAs somewhere in a drawer.
Hello André, so here's the review of your newest toy I was looking forward to. Thank you for posting it. Glad to see that it's quite positive. OK, up to the point that I now have an order for this thing on Ali 😁at 15 euros shipped. OMG... just as if I needed yet another radio 😆, but at least this one won't use up much storage space, even if it's larger than my small Hangronda HRD-737 which I like taking around. This one seems to sound better on FM, my main gripe with the Hangronda. SW sensitivity seems really good considering the ridiculously short antenna. I wonder how it does with a long wire or the MLA30+? (hint, hint) I see that they have a RD239 model too that looks like a PL-330 and that's packed with bands and features. But of course not in the same price range.
Hi Alain, thanks for your comment and congratulations with your new radio 😁 Will we ever have enough radios? I will certainly do some tests with a long wire. I did a brief scan with the wire last night, but propagation was not good. The RD218 did seem to work quite well with the wire, a couple of signals (all from China) came through nicely. I have seen the RD239 also, another interesting-looking radio. The surprising SW sensitivity on the RD218 makes me think that the RD239 will also be quite a strong performer.
Andre when I first saw your video pop up on my recommend list I thought you were reviewing a simple AM FM pocket radio. I did not know it was a budget SW radio. I also have a very small compact SW radio with a very short antenna but it is remarkable small radio which can receive shortwave. Maybe you know about it. It is called the Raddy RF750 with a mnual dial an led lights on top and it has bluetooth functionality and a MicroSD card slot for TF cards
Hi there, thanks for your comment! I do know about the Raddy RF750. I don't have one, but I have seen it in other videos and reviews. It looks like a fun radio also, with a lot of functions. It is surprising sometimes what these really small radios can do!
I bought this radio to mod out so far , I removed the telescopic and added a banana plug with 17ft of 24awg copper strand for the antenna usbc rechargeable batteries and attached a belt clip/antenna winder to the rear with epoxy. fun little project radio. it is capable of tuning farther is marked on the back. I have a funny feeling they didn't make 2 boards im betting WX is possible but im not sure if you can have both SW and WX all on 1 . this is radio on a chip for sure cant see why not
Sounds like you've had a lot of fun modding it already. It is the perfect little radio to play around with like this. WX and SW on one DSP chip is possible, look at the Raddy RF886. I assume the Raddy RF886 uses one chip only, it is such a small radio.
@@swlistening yeah they make an identical radio like the 218 but with wx instead thats what got me thinking it maybe as simple as a jumper point or key combo to change what the function button can do
Amazon US also sells a version of this radio that substitutes the NOAA weather band for shortwave. That's not useful in South Africa, but maybe life-saving in the US and Canada.
I saw that NOAA version, and I noticed that the box mine came in is actually for the NOAA version. If you look at the start of my video, you will see the on/off button shows WB instead of SW. I guess this is one of the cheaper NOAA radios out there? Very useful. Wish we had such a weather radio service here.
Indeed, we must thank Chinese radio companies and all the Chinese government shortwave stations for that. They keep giving us some interesting radios, and interesting stations to catch.
@@arcticradio Nice one! Funny thing, about 15 minutes ago when I was scanning the bands I did not hear them at all on 4930, from Botswana, around the corner from me, usually crystal clear. SW is an intriguing thing 🙂
Silicon lab chip is good choice for am and FM dxing but ktmicro DSP chip has LTE or 2G network interference now. I'm going save my money for order the radio online.....
Amazon International. My final price with duties was R540. If I were you, I'd rather buy it from Ali Express, only $10. I should have bought mine there, but only found the one on Ali Express much later.
I suppose that depends on how people view these scores. For me personally a 4 and above is good, a 3 is average, below 3 is bad. In the end, I feel only your own opinion is what matters, people can be very subjective when they give these review scores.
Andre congratulation on your new “Q” killer?….😂! However, it is my opinion that the rest quite comfortably on your bench just waiting amaze you once again. I bought a Han Rong Da 701 with that similar sized antenna which still impresses me…especially compared to my old Sony 7600 G when its antenna suffered an accident and ended up that short…..😢! 73! Have a great day!
The Q killer, good one 🤣 But it's fun to play with something really simple and really cheap, and it actually works on SW. I looked at that HRD 701 myself before, looks like a fun radio. More expensive than this Clooblut, but an interesting-looking radio.
Your videos are great 👍.
Thanks Chuck!
Excellent little radio for the price.
Hi John, I agree!
SWL, I have seen this radio before and I agree it is a quality pocket portable apparently! Thank you for your unboxing and great review on the Clooblut! P.S. The little radio is quite a DXer on the SW bands indeed!
Hey John, thanks for your comment! This little radio really surprised me. With that tiny antenna it actually picked up quite a lot. I tried it tonight with a long wire, and it seems to work quite well with that. A very interesting radio!
Very nice Radio. Thank you so much Sir 🙏
My pleasure Ashu! It is a little surprise, this radio. Quite good, and not expensive.
Hi André. I hope China can make more of this cheap radios with shortwave. So many more people can discover its advantages. I purchased one very similar to this, but with rechargeable non removable batteries and with a USB type C connector from the brand QFX (R-101) for $9.99, near me. It’s was fine with the sensitivity and price, but the battery life is very short, it has an analogue dial, also a torchlight is built in.
Hi Ísleif, thanks for your comment! I agree with you, the more shortwave radios we have, the more people will try out the hobby! There are quite a large selection of cheap shortwave radios already, but some are not very good performers. That's why this Clooblut is so exciting, it is cheap, and it performs quite well. The QFX you mention sounds interesting, I searched for it on Google now. Looks like a very easy to use pocket radio.
@@swlistening Yes it is, those are evolving and making better ones. Have a nice weekend, André.
@@isleifoterogarcia4478 Thanks Ísleif, and you too!
Nice little radio for the price, considering where it came from.....
With all the latest gagetry around, too bad the sunspot situation is not in our favor.
Still, that will change! Radio will be great again!
Quite right Tom, propagation does not seem to be very good right now. Solar activity just too high... But things will return to normal and then we can use all our radio gadgets to the fullest again!
This Clooblut really surprised me, very sensitive and with lots of features, even FM stereo on headphones.
You are one lucky dude. In Pretoria, 60 km North of you we have so amy solar panels, LED lights, electric fences that SW reception is impossible.
Hey Leon, I have the same here in my complex, LED lights, solar panels, electric fence... but some radios seem to handle all the interference much better than others. I must say though, I am not too close to the electric fence, so that helps.
Thanks for the unboxing and review. Looks like quite an interesting little radio.
My pleasure Dan! It certainly looks like it can be quite a fun radio.
Seeing it for the first time - it looks like a nice pick. 👍
I think it's really quite nice and a lot of fun. Tried it today with a long wire just wrapped around the antenna and it seems to work, not overloading.
@@swlistening At ~16:- or even lower price, it could be a good little toy for those who are tired of muting DSPs. Here, the manual tuning mute effect seems to be slightly shorter, and it's interesting for someone like me who wants to try the AKC chip. It looks plain and simple inside, which is also cool IMO. The only drawback is the lack of a rechargeable battery - that's an anachronism.
@@snowman-division Interesting that you noticed the relative lack of muting. I didn't, but now that you mention it, I realise that it is actually a very nice feature. I'll be doing more tests this weekend and I will look at the muting effect specifically, thanks for the idea. About the battery, I am actually quite fond of the AA batteries. They are so cheap, it's like you will never run out if power if you just have a multipack of AAs somewhere in a drawer.
Hello André, so here's the review of your newest toy I was looking forward to. Thank you for posting it. Glad to see that it's quite positive. OK, up to the point that I now have an order for this thing on Ali 😁at 15 euros shipped. OMG... just as if I needed yet another radio 😆, but at least this one won't use up much storage space, even if it's larger than my small Hangronda HRD-737 which I like taking around. This one seems to sound better on FM, my main gripe with the Hangronda.
SW sensitivity seems really good considering the ridiculously short antenna. I wonder how it does with a long wire or the MLA30+? (hint, hint)
I see that they have a RD239 model too that looks like a PL-330 and that's packed with bands and features. But of course not in the same price range.
Hi Alain, thanks for your comment and congratulations with your new radio 😁 Will we ever have enough radios?
I will certainly do some tests with a long wire. I did a brief scan with the wire last night, but propagation was not good. The RD218 did seem to work quite well with the wire, a couple of signals (all from China) came through nicely. I have seen the RD239 also, another interesting-looking radio. The surprising SW sensitivity on the RD218 makes me think that the RD239 will also be quite a strong performer.
Mooie Radio voor als je op reis bent. Groeten uit Dalfsen 🇳🇱📻
Hallo Albert! Inderdaad, hierdie is die perfekte klein radio vir reis. Groete uit Suid-Afrika!
Andre when I first saw your video pop up on my recommend list I thought you were reviewing a simple AM FM pocket radio. I did not know it was a budget SW radio. I also have a very small compact SW radio with a very short antenna but it is remarkable small radio which can receive shortwave. Maybe you know about it. It is called the Raddy RF750 with a mnual dial an led lights on top and it has bluetooth functionality and a MicroSD card slot for TF cards
Hi there, thanks for your comment! I do know about the Raddy RF750. I don't have one, but I have seen it in other videos and reviews. It looks like a fun radio also, with a lot of functions. It is surprising sometimes what these really small radios can do!
I bought this radio to mod out so far , I removed the telescopic and added a banana plug with 17ft of 24awg copper strand for the antenna usbc rechargeable batteries and attached a belt clip/antenna winder to the rear with epoxy. fun little project radio. it is capable of tuning farther is marked on the back. I have a funny feeling they didn't make 2 boards im betting WX is possible but im not sure if you can have both SW and WX all on 1 . this is radio on a chip for sure cant see why not
Sounds like you've had a lot of fun modding it already. It is the perfect little radio to play around with like this. WX and SW on one DSP chip is possible, look at the Raddy RF886. I assume the Raddy RF886 uses one chip only, it is such a small radio.
@@swlistening yeah they make an identical radio like the 218 but with wx instead thats what got me thinking it maybe as simple as a jumper point or key combo to change what the function button can do
Amazon US also sells a version of this radio that substitutes the NOAA weather band for shortwave. That's not useful in South Africa, but maybe life-saving in the US and Canada.
I saw that NOAA version, and I noticed that the box mine came in is actually for the NOAA version. If you look at the start of my video, you will see the on/off button shows WB instead of SW. I guess this is one of the cheaper NOAA radios out there? Very useful. Wish we had such a weather radio service here.
Antenna is really short.. use long wire for improvement the radio reception
Indeed, it gets much better when using a long wire. I will make another video soon with a long wire!
Can’t go far wrong with that, in a way China is making sure radios live and radio stay relevant.
Indeed, we must thank Chinese radio companies and all the Chinese government shortwave stations for that. They keep giving us some interesting radios, and interesting stations to catch.
@@swlistening I’m just listening to VOA on 6195 from Botswana, +30 db signal with African Music.
@@arcticradio Nice one! Funny thing, about 15 minutes ago when I was scanning the bands I did not hear them at all on 4930, from Botswana, around the corner from me, usually crystal clear. SW is an intriguing thing 🙂
Silicon lab chip is good choice for am and FM dxing but ktmicro DSP chip has LTE or 2G network interference now. I'm going save my money for order the radio online.....
Thanks for your comment Marvin. Good choice!
Was that Amazon RSA or international? What were the import duties like if international?
Amazon International. My final price with duties was R540. If I were you, I'd rather buy it from Ali Express, only $10. I should have bought mine there, but only found the one on Ali Express much later.
You south african? we also had our election about a week ago
I am South African, yes. You too?
4.2 is not a good Amazon reviews score.
I suppose that depends on how people view these scores. For me personally a 4 and above is good, a 3 is average, below 3 is bad. In the end, I feel only your own opinion is what matters, people can be very subjective when they give these review scores.
Andre congratulation on your new “Q” killer?….😂! However, it is my opinion that the rest quite comfortably on your bench just waiting amaze you once again.
I bought a Han Rong Da 701 with that similar sized antenna which still impresses me…especially compared to my old Sony 7600 G when its antenna suffered an accident and ended up that short…..😢!
73! Have a great day!
The Q killer, good one 🤣 But it's fun to play with something really simple and really cheap, and it actually works on SW.
I looked at that HRD 701 myself before, looks like a fun radio. More expensive than this Clooblut, but an interesting-looking radio.