XHDATA D-226 Radio Review – A Modern Necessity
I love radios. And I especially love radios from XHDATA. Over the years I have bought quite a few of them and occasionally they send me a radio to test and review. Today I have the XHDATA D-226 ($24.99 at Amazon) on the bench.
Despite the fact they sent me this radio to review for free never have they ever tried to influence my content. What you read here is what I think about it.
Also we should factor in that although I was provided this sample I immediately purchased their brand new D-228 which is essentially the same radio with NOAA Band Weather.
I think that should indicate that I’m a radio nerd and that I’m willing to spend my own money if I see something I like.
I don’t like to call myself a Prepper but I do maintain a certain level of being prepared for challenging times. In this day and age of streaming we live and die by our smart devices. The trouble is that sometimes those smart devices don’t always work.
Case in point. I woke up the other night in the middle of the night and the internet was down. I immediately reached for my XHDATA D-226 which I had gotten just that day.
AM radio signals travel for hundreds of miles at night with much of that being talk radio and news. When everything out there quits working AM / FM and Short Wave radio are still going to work. But not for you if you don’t have a radio.
Introducing the XHDATA D-226
Here are some product type shots I took.
Click Pics To Enlarge
It’s a good looking radio for sure!
Let’s compare it size wise to a previous release, the XHDATA D-221. Slightly larger.
Specifications
I always hate to list specs because you can just look them up at the manufacturers site. I’ll save you a trip. Cut and pasted from the D-226 page.
| Brand | XHDATA |
| Model | D-226 |
| Radio Bands | AM / FM / SW, 11 Bands |
| FM Frequency | 64–108MHz |
| AM Frequency | 520–1730kHz, 9k/10k |
| SW Frequency | 4.75–22MHz |
| Built-in Battery | 1200mAh rechargeable lithium battery |
| External Battery Option | Supports AA batteries |
| Charging Input | Type-C DC 5V IN |
| Power Selection | AA / 3.7V power switch |
| Other Functions | Telescopic antenna, flashlight, headphone jack, charging indicator, power indicator |
I’d like to key in on the battery. There is a switch on the back of the radio that allows you to select between the internal rechargeable battery and AA batteries (not included). Charge the radio, slap a couple of AA batteries in it, and essentially double your run time. Nice!
XHDATA also included a flashlight that can be switched on or off at the top of the radio. I wouldn’t call it highly illuminating but it will help you find that thing that you dropped in your very dark room at night.
Reception And Sound
Decent daytime Shortwave reception and respectable reception at night. Not bad for a $25 radio. Here is me grabbing WWV at around 7 AM at 10 MHz.
Regarding the sound I have only one observation. I pretty much only listen to talk radio during the day while I am hanging around the house. Ain’t retirement great? The first time I turned the D-226 on I was kind of surprised at hearing a bit thicker mid-range. Small radios like this aren’t bought for audiophile quality and many of them sound very tinny.
The D-226 was a hair richer than the D-221 in my opinion. Might be because the enclosure it slightly larger and acting like a port. That might be pushing the explanation though.
Are There Any Downsides?
I do have one. But I want to qualify my statements first. It regards the interior build quality.
First of all when you buy a $25 radio there probably isn’t any intent to pop the back cover off and poke around.
I did.
I could not find any documentation of what Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chipset was in the D-226. So I opened it up to see. I was able to verify the chipset from the markings however I am not going to disclose that information. XHDATA doesn’t disclose it and they probably have a reason for that. I’m not here to tell secrets. If XHDATA reads this and tells me it is okay to say, then I will.
Back to the Downsides…………….When I opened it up and took a picture of the DSP chip I noticed that the build quality on the circuit board wasn’t the greatest or the cleanest soldering I had ever seen. It wasn’t horrible by any stretch of the imagination. Just I thought it could have been cleaner in a few places.
As a tech reviewer that was just my observation, and me providing feedback to XHDATA.
I don’t think my observation should concern you because everything on the radio works as it should. And ask yourself if I would have bought a D-228 with my own money if this was a valid concern.
NOAA Radio
I already covered that. To make this even more desirable would be the ability to tune into your local NOAA Weather Radio Broadcasts. That has been covered by the release of the D-228 as I mentioned above. Now we are covering just about all the bases.
Final Thoughts
You may not know you need an AM/FM/SW radio but the time to find out you do need one is too late. Every time the internet or cell service goes down around me I grab a radio and start spinning the dial to see what if anything globally has happened.
If you love someone, buy them a radio. For the price and range of features the D-226 should be right up there on the list to get one.
JOHN’S TECH BLOG LOVES THE XHDATA D-226