After weather delays, my shiny new red Sunflash RD-666 receiver / music player is finally in my hands. I bought it at TEMU for $14.73, delivered. Woo hoo!
Readers may notice the strong visual similarity between this and the defective QFX R-333BT that I bought and returned. I came out way ahead on the deal. TEMU was good about the return process, plus the replacement radio cost only half as much. I thought the only difference was the loss of some disco lights on the front panel, lights replaced by the image that inspired the whimsical photo above, but there is something else significant.
The QFX had a non-user-accessible internal battery charged by a 6V DC power source not included. It has an AC cable, but that doesn’t charge the battery. In contrast, the Sunflash has a USB-C charging port where the 6V jack was, solving the charging problem. But even better: the Sunflash internal rechargeable battery is a replaceable 18650. The supplied battery is only 1200 mAh, but I have lots of higher capacity 18650 batteries around.
Features
- Frequency range MW: 530 – 1600 kHz. FM: 88 – 108 MHz. SW: 8 – 16 MHz.
- Power options:
- 18650 Batttery
- AC 110 – 230V 50/60 Hz
- 4 D cell power option
- USB-C charging
- Inputs:
- Radio
- AUX
- TF/MicroSD
- USB Flash
- Bluetooth
- Carry strap and handle
- Flashlight
- Equalization settings (unlabeled)
Is it stereo? No. I tested my Left/Right channel MP3 file and FM. Both channels appeared equally on both speakers.
Take care when inserting a MicroSD card to ensure that you’re actually in the card enclosure rather than behind it.
Features I wish it had:
- Stereo
- Full MW coverage
- Earphone jack
- Battery indicator
- Dial light
Impressions
First impression: red and shiny. Second impression: big — dimensions are over 11 inches wide by 7.5 inches tall (advertised 12 x 8 x 3.25). The antenna is 22 1/2″. Third impression: loud.
Bluetooth connected quickly to my Windows 11 computer. I was a little concerned about what I felt was lack of clarity when playing classical music. I also listened to some pop. It didn’t sound great. I’m hearing impaired, so what do I know? FM radio sounded better.
Care should be taken inserting a TF/MicroSD card as the slot is taller than it needs to be, and one might end up inserting the card behind the actual card enclosure, which could make card removal difficult (been there, done that). When inserted properly, there is a strong spring pop out.
The 18650 battery is not enclosed, meaning a sharp bump could knock it out of its socket to rattle around where the D cells go.
Reception
When the snow melts, I’ll go outside and do a daytime band scan on MW and FM. Indoors, I received “lots” of FM stations. I tried MW and received a few stations, more than I expected, so it’s not in the bottom tier. The question remains whether the MW tuning step is 9 or 10 kHz.
I switched to SW and there was Brother Stair on cue. SW broadcast coverage is limited to 31, 25, 22 and 19m (8 – 16 MHz). I picked up WWV on 15 MHz and CHU on 14.670 indoors with the whip antenna. Tuning, as one would imagine, is very touchy with one and a half rotations of the tuning dial spanning the entire 8 – 16 MHz range and there are only 10 dial markings. There is a linear scale 0 – 10 with one dot mark between each digit. The markings are red on gray, making them nearly impossible to see.
Conclusions
Everything seems to work. It’s a credible product. I see there are still some on TEMU for under $16 plus $2.99 shipping. The lack of stereo is a disappointment. I’ll do some outdoor testing when the weather improves. It’s useless for the SWL because of limited frequency range and broad dial markings. Goodwill?