Thanks again to Zhiwhis for funding the purchase of this radio/player. The ZWS-A330 arrived via USPS just one day after I ordered it from Amazon. I confess that I’m excited about the potential of this radio. It has a ton of features, and specifically SSB.
Unboxing
Now I have the Zhiwhis-branded version of the product manual, and here’s the PDF version. The PDF is a little newer than the HanRongDa variant I uploaded a few days ago.
It’s not important, but I like the design of these Zhiwhis product boxes.
One of the main worries I had was size, that it would feel too big. I’m actually pleased with the size. It fits in my hand well and is less tall than my iPhone 13.
Controls and Build Quality
The A330 has a separate tuning knob and volume control, plus direct frequency entry via buttons.
The buttons are rubbery in feel and require an intentional push to activate. They seem reliable. The volume control knob is good. The centrally placed tuning knob is a bit stiff for my taste.
The matte finish on the case is ok. Initially I think that I’m going to remove the belt clip. I won’t use it, and it blocks access to the BL-5C battery compartment. It’s easily removed using the included screwdriver. I’ll also add the supplied wrist strap. [Update: I left the belt clip on. It’s possible to get to the battery without removing the clip.]
The telescopic antenna is very thin, reminding me of the HRD-747/Raddy RF760. It will have to be handled with care. The length is 50.5 cm.
The radio is very stable when set vertially.
What Does It Sound Like?
Audio quality tells me what the potential uses for the radio are. This is a fairly important question comparing this receiver with other very compact wide-band radios like the Raddy RF760/HRD-747. It’s very convenient that the A330 can operate as a Windows computer speaker, giving me quick access to my entire music library. It also supports Bluetooth, and media play from a MicroSD card.
I found the sound quality crisp, and it can be turned up uncomfortably loud. I didn’t get bass from the tiny speaker, but it was pleasing. I tried the equalization settings. I normally prefer “Normal” and that’s the same with this radio.
Complexity
I’ve operated over a hundred shortwave radios in my lifetime and I have come to expect some similarity. Operation is quite similar to other Zhiwhis/HanRongDa radios and the display reminds me of the Raddy RF760.
After working with so many radios, I’ve found some consistent issues that arise, one of which is the display light. The A330 has a solution I like — two options, one for a 10 second display and one for always on.
Direct frequency entry must be prefixed by a key labeled F···EN. A second press of this same key my be needed to complete the entry. Some radios separate this function into two different buttons.
I pretty much was able to navigate most things without consulting the manual.
Reception
For a first look, I checked the FM broadcast band, scanned MW in the daytime, looked for some standard shortwave signals (like CFRX in Toronto), the active local Air band frequency and my nearby NOAA Weather station. The next weather alert test is around 11am, September 16.
I got stuff with the telescopic antenna: FM, SW, AIR and Weather. I also got a very good MW signal using the supplied plug-in loop; but I was confused at how the orientation of the loop worked. It seemed to work best when it was pointed wrong. More testing needed.
App Control
I have several radios now that support the Radio-C/Radio-CT apps for Android and Apple devices. The app has one special function not available just with the radio: setting the date and time from the Internet, something that becomes important when recording. The app does simplify operation, and gives access to the firmware version both of the radio and also of the Repeater (more below). One special feature of the app is the display of a music file being played.
Repeater
Zhiwhis tells me that a W3 Repeater for the A330 will be available from Amazon in a couple of days. My initial attempt to connect the W3 that came with my ZWS-802 failed, so I need to look more closely at that.
Update:
The W3 repeater is now found on Amazon. The product listing says: “DEDICATED SIGNAL REPEATER: Designed exclusively for use with the ZWS-A330 radio model to boost indoor AM and shortwave signal reception.” Taken literally, that says it’s not the same thing that works with the ZWS-802; however, my failure to get my W3 to work is easily explained by the extra procedure necessary to make the connection.
I couldn’t get the step 4 setting to display.
In any case, the price is $33.77 ($30.77 with coupon).
Update 2:
First, I have confirmation from Zhiwhis that the W3 repeater for the A330 is not the same as the W3 repeater for the ZWS-802.
Second, Step 3 in the diagram says to short press the power key after double-clicking. What it doesn’t say is that the press has to be done within about a second of the double-click.
To Do
I want to read the manual, do the daytime band scan for MW/FM, experiment with an external antenna, check SSB operation, and see if I can get any GMRS signals. Stay tuned.
Thank you for your review. One question I had and that is, does is mute when tuning from wheel (MW, FM)?
Yes, it mutes on MW, but not noticeably on FM — just a little tick.
Note that the tuning wheel can tune finer frequency amounts than the standard step and what the tuning buttons on the side do. I need to study that more, and I’ll talk about it in my upcoming testing article.