Bottom line is that the D-808 is at least very close to the PL-660 in terms of sensitivity on shortwave and I find that quite remarkable. Recent additions to the shortwave portable receiver market have been quite impressive, especially considering the continuing decline in the use of shortwave as a transmission method by broadcasters. One strange quirk is that the Si4735 DSP chip is located on the RF board (close to the center right edge). My guesss is that XHDATA have done corrections to the firmware on the new 2021 model, or else have modified the charging setup as the Receiver PCB waschanged from MV02 to MV04. On pretty much all of the tiny shortwave portables, SSB reception comes with some tradeoffs and the D-808 is no exception.

I’ve seen quite a few complaints/misunderstandings about the D-808’s operation and I think this is due to the fact that there is a fundamental difference between e. It lacks the negative figures needed to properly represent the ~S0-S3 range, it just goes from ’00’ to ’99’ and it’s strangely labeled as “dBu” but technicalities aside, it is a signal indication in 100 steps which is certainly more useful than a 5 bar indicator. My ham/DX friend (and SWling contributor) RTC turned me on to the 14” PK loop LW antenna, and it has really changed the game for me. I am currently located in the Northeast of Portugal, at an altitude of about 1000 meters, and I can receive radio transmission signals from the various passenger planes that fly over the area, using the telescopic antenna and being indoors at the window.The D-808 is much easier to disassemble than the CC Skywave models, though, so enhanced loopstick transplants should prove to be quite popular in the D-808. My favorite stations are all in memory and I’ve covered the display with a bit of cardboard so the light doesn’t disturb her either. These photo finish victories for the PL-660 can be observed across most bands, but it needs ridiculously weak signals to spot the difference. Whether your interest is in domestic or split-frequency AM-DXing, FM, Longwave or Shortwave, the pocket radio manufacturers have designed a breakthrough model for you—and you can try out any (or all) of them at a cost far less than that of a single table receiver.

As I have observed in some recent reviews, the very fact that the listening community still sees any new receivers is reason for gratitude, though we also have opportunities to acquire numerous classic receivers and can still do an excellent job in today’s listening environment. But due to the differences in the audio/speaker sometimes the D-808 can be more intelligible on weak signals than the PL-880 or PL-660 and even the S8800. Even when inserting a fully charged Li-Ion battery, the radio only shows 3 bars (corresponding to at least 4. Based upon the essential concepts of DXing skill, propagation knowledge and perseverance, the human factor is critical for success in pocket radio DXing, unlike with computer-controlled listening.

I find it hard to tell whether the D-808 is really noisier than the PL-660, or just lacking this permanent noise reduction. Therefore the supplied 2000mAh battery would last for around 50 hours of continuous usage at low volume levels, or around 16 hours at maximum volume.