D220 Portable Radio AM FM SW Shortwave Receiver Pocket Radios, 2 AA Battery Operated Transistor Radio with Excellent Reception for Gift, Family, Elder (Orange)

XHDATA has quite a few excellent radios, and here's another good one with a retro "transistor radio" vibe that performs a lot better than the ones did back when these types of radios were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Still, there are a few operational details that might make it less suitable for some listeners than some other radios.Reception: FM and shortwave are exceptionally sensitive. In fact, I compared the shortwave reception of this radio to a couple of digital receivers I have. I was able to get everything on the D-220 that the bigger radios would get. And on a few of the stations, this little D-220 actually delivered cleaner reception than the larger, more expensive radios. Quite a surprise. But here's the problem: The entire shortwave band, which runs on this radio from 5.6 MHz to 22 MHz, is packed into one band. Finding a particular frequency can be a challenge. But with patience and a steady hand you can eventually get there. If there is ever a revision of this radio, I would hope they would consider dividing shortwave into two bands to make it easier to find specific frequencies. FM works really well also, especially given the relatively short antenna. I am able to receive an FM station about 70 mi away that's right between two local stations on the dial. Again, though, you need to really tune slowly to do that because not much movement of the tuning thumbwheel can sweep you right past the station you're looking for. AM (Medium Wave) reception is predictably not as good as FM and shortwave because the radio's small size means the internal AM antenna isn't very big. It works fine for local and stronger regional stations, though, and it will pull in some distant ones at night.Sound Quality: The biggest strength here is that the radio gets pretty loud without audio distortion, making it suitable to use outdoors or in noisy environments. Overall, I would rate the sound as good for a radio this size. You don't have a lot of bass, but the audio is clear and crisp for news/talk and casual music listening.Operation: Because of this radio's overall simplicity it might seem suitable for an elderly person who prefers a radio without a lot of extra buttons, knobs and controls. However, because tuning it requires fairly precise movements of the tuning wheel, a person with limited hand dexterity might find it frustrating to use. On the plus side, though, once you do find the station you want, the radio's digital signal processing chip homes in on the center of the signal, so there isn't much need to do any fine tuning.Battery Life: Phenomenal. To test this, I took a couple of previously-used AA batteries out of a different radio and checked their voltage, finding that each battery was between 1.2 and 1.3 volts - significantly less than the 1.5 volts of a new one. I then put them in the D-220 and turned it on at a moderate normal listening volume on an FM station. So far the D-220 has been playing for over 48 hours continuously on those previously-used batteries.Overall: The XHDATA D-220 is a high-quality radio at an attractive price. For those who intend to do a lot of shortwave listening, I suggest also looking at XHDATA's D-219, which costs about the same and divides the shortwave spectrum into several bands, making it easier to find the exact frequency you want. But if you prefer the slightly smaller size and vertical orientation of the D-220, the shortwave performance is excellent on this radio as well, albeit requiring a little more time to tune.

Pocket radio am/fm/sw with analog dial. The radio make for a small travel radio for a very good price. Reception of am/fm bands is good with a nice sounding speaker for its size. The orange color also is easier to see, more visible. Nothing fancy but works well.

I received my radio today and so far, I like it. It is a nice no nonsense design with a clear tuning dial and neat little kickstand. It has a pleasant deep sound when on FM and a decent midrange sound on AM and SW through the speaker. The earphone jack sounded very good with no buzz on earbuds but does not have FM stereo. I found that it received shortwave rather well but it takes a VERY light touch to tune the band. AM and FM are a little easier to tune and with decent selectivity for the big city.If I could improve it, I would add a log scale to the tuning dial and possibly stereo through the headphone jack. Also, I find more utility in the shortwave band starting about 4.9 MHz and ending at 18 MHz. A swiveling antenna would be a nice addition to the kickstand but I understand that it would throw off the pleasant and simple design of the radio by doing that.All in all with playing with the radio this evening that I really like my purchase. The D219 is a better value though (and one outstanding radio for the money) but I am not disappointed with my purchase of the D220. Love the color!

Very good radio. Good sound and it's able to get clear reception from 'close' AM stations. I usually listen to News or Talk radio. Sound is clear. The station holds well as I move around with it. It's pretty sturdy and not flimsy.There is an earphone jack, but it did not come with an earphone. That was not a problem. It's good for an emergency as well as routine use.

Very impressive radio that exceeds all my expectations. Loud and clear sound from such a small speaker. Tuning control holds stations with no distortion. Strong reception on FM frequencies and AM reception is OK. Great buy for only $10.

Yes, these are excellent radios. I purchased two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. I am surrounded by mountains, but the reception seems excellent. The sound is loud and clear. The plastic case seems sturdy.If I had to make a negative criticism, I might say that the dial pointer is hard to see. I'll probably buy a couple more as backups.