RADIWOW R-108
Posted: 23 Mar 2019 12:13
I may have found what I was looking for with this radio.
This is a fantastic AM/FM/LW/SW digital radio, with very good selecticity & sensitivity, good sound and easy to use.
In addition, it also has the AIR Band.
In the quest for the the ultimate handlheld radio, this is without any doubts in good place in my TOP 5. With a well implemented mp3 player
(like in the Retekess V115) or with en AUX input or with a BT capability, this would be my TOP 1.
FM Reception: 9/10. This is a very good performer. Will pick a lot of stations. This is on par with the well known Tecsun PL-380.
RDS Display: n/a
MW Reception: 9/10. Very sensitive
LW Reception: 5/10. Works ok but less sensitive than the XHDATA D-808. The only real downside I see with this radio.
SW Reception: 8/10. Very good selectivity & sensitivity.
Air Band: Yes. Works quite well.
HF Amateur bands: Will cover all the bands, but as it lacks SSB, not very useful.
VHF/UHF Amateur bands: n/a
CB Band: n/a
Rechargeable Battery: Uses a BL-5B battery.
Speaker sound quality: 9/10. Clear, crisp, powerful and pleasant. A LOT better than most handheld radios. It's even quite bassy for its size.
Amazing sound !
Ease of use: 9/10. Being from the same company which created the XHDATA D-808, they learned from their mistakes and fixed most of them.
Now, going from one band to the other is somewhat faster. Tuning is also a lot less annoying (still, the sound fades a little bit when tuning, attack is quite slow).
The pages memory system has disappeared. Now, all memories are stored in a row.
Preset memories: Yes (500 memory slots)
MP3 Player: n/a
Bluetooth: n/a
Aux input: n/a
Solar panel: n/a
Record on SD card: n/a
Extra features: Clock / alarm / temperature display. Squelch (which is very nice on the AIR band). Music / voice sound type.
My last thoughts:
I warmly recommend this radio, for those who :
- Want a simple, easy to use, multi-bands radio (including Air band) that won't disappoint you. Highly recommended !
- Has FM stereo via the headphones jack
- Want a real pocket radio (noticeably smaller than the XHDATA D-808)
- Want a radio with a very good sound.
Things I don't like:
- Battery life is not as good as the Retekess V-115 for example.
- I would have prefered a set of AA batteries, instead of the phone battery.
- LW band is not very sensitive.
This is a fantastic AM/FM/LW/SW digital radio, with very good selecticity & sensitivity, good sound and easy to use.
In addition, it also has the AIR Band.
In the quest for the the ultimate handlheld radio, this is without any doubts in good place in my TOP 5. With a well implemented mp3 player
(like in the Retekess V115) or with en AUX input or with a BT capability, this would be my TOP 1.
FM Reception: 9/10. This is a very good performer. Will pick a lot of stations. This is on par with the well known Tecsun PL-380.
RDS Display: n/a
MW Reception: 9/10. Very sensitive
LW Reception: 5/10. Works ok but less sensitive than the XHDATA D-808. The only real downside I see with this radio.
SW Reception: 8/10. Very good selectivity & sensitivity.
Air Band: Yes. Works quite well.
HF Amateur bands: Will cover all the bands, but as it lacks SSB, not very useful.
VHF/UHF Amateur bands: n/a
CB Band: n/a
Rechargeable Battery: Uses a BL-5B battery.
Speaker sound quality: 9/10. Clear, crisp, powerful and pleasant. A LOT better than most handheld radios. It's even quite bassy for its size.
Amazing sound !
Ease of use: 9/10. Being from the same company which created the XHDATA D-808, they learned from their mistakes and fixed most of them.
Now, going from one band to the other is somewhat faster. Tuning is also a lot less annoying (still, the sound fades a little bit when tuning, attack is quite slow).
The pages memory system has disappeared. Now, all memories are stored in a row.
Preset memories: Yes (500 memory slots)
MP3 Player: n/a
Bluetooth: n/a
Aux input: n/a
Solar panel: n/a
Record on SD card: n/a
Extra features: Clock / alarm / temperature display. Squelch (which is very nice on the AIR band). Music / voice sound type.
My last thoughts:
I warmly recommend this radio, for those who :
- Want a simple, easy to use, multi-bands radio (including Air band) that won't disappoint you. Highly recommended !
- Has FM stereo via the headphones jack
- Want a real pocket radio (noticeably smaller than the XHDATA D-808)
- Want a radio with a very good sound.
Things I don't like:
- Battery life is not as good as the Retekess V-115 for example.
- I would have prefered a set of AA batteries, instead of the phone battery.
- LW band is not very sensitive.
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