“RADIO” is the brand on the box. It’s manufactured by Shenzhen Moliao Technology Company in China. I snagged it on Temu for $10.17 US including shipping for the retail box, radio, manual, wrist strap, internal rechargeable battery and USB-C charging cable. Temu now marks this as “Sold Out.” Amazon US has it for $21.99 and offers black, red and khaki.
I blew $7.66 ($20 minimum order), including shipping, on Temu to snag this MW/FM/SW radio. A couple of years ago they went for $5.
I bought the Zhiwhis version (ZWS-603) in April of 2022 and I learned that there had been firmware updates since my V1.6 radio to V2.4. Zhiwhis tech support told me that my older radio couldn’t be updated to the latest firmware; the circuitry had changed.
But, but, but you already an Si4732 mini.
Yes, but there is new firmware, notably with RTTY/CW decoding. It also supports loading the EiBiSpace schedules from a computer. And there is ETM, a waterfall display and a gray scale mode. All that and more.
This update is from enthusiast H. J. Berndt. You can read about it and get started yourself. Ask your browser to translate to your language. Firmware is a moving target, so the best way to get up-to-date information is from the source link.
The installation instructions direct the user to employ the Adafruit WebSerial ESPTool for installation. I was lucky and picked the correct COM port on the first try. It was the one on my Windows 11 computer labeled “USB JTAG debug.” All I had to do was select the binary file I downloaded and it installed (just set the file for the first location). This is considerably simpler than the flash tool I’ve used in the past.
Continue readingGoodwill Industries locations locations may participate in the national ShopGoodwill auction site and route collectible, vintage or specialty electronics (such as shortwave radios, ham gear, or high-end audio equipment) to the online marketplace rather than selling at retail locations.
Sales are through online auctions and “buy it now,” rather like eBay. Items do not come with guarantees, but there are pictures and condition descriptions. A handling fee is added, typically $2 and shipping.
Continue readingIt’s no big deal for me since I have a pile of 18650 batteries, but reading anecdotes on the Internet leads me to think procuring them is a problem for some folks.
Initially, the DX-286 was sold without batteries. Then it was sold in two versions, one without batteries and one with two batteries. That provided a solution, but the 2 battery version added $10 to the price and I note that competitor XHDATA sold its radios standard with batteries installed, as does Tecsun.
I started seeing hints of a third version of the DX-286, one with a single battery, and now that appears to be the new version on Amazon.
Rather than the 2-battery version where the batteries were plastic wrapped, the new one comes with a 3350 mAh battery installed in the case, with a plastic tab to separate the battery contact from the radio — pull tab before use.
When I look at the serious under $100 radio list now, most come with a battery, so this simplifies the choices.
