Category Archives: Radio

Heltec V4 Meshtastic Review

Heltec V4 Meshtastic Review

Heltec V4 Meshtastic

I’ve recently rediscovered Meshtastic and have built up several nodes in the past week. It’s not that I need more of them, I just enjoy testing the various boards. In this entry we’ll be looking at the Heltec V4 Meshtastic LoRa 32 board. In my opinion this is one of the better boards for installing in a solar fixture.

It seems like the latest crop of Meshtastic boards are designed to integrate easily into solar fixtures. The Heltec V4 is no exception. It comes with everything you need for a solar installation.

  • Heltec V4
  • 2 cables with JST terminations. One for solar, one for lithium battery.
  • Antenna
  • Pin Headers

The Heltec V3 and V4 are nearly identical however the V4 has higher transmit power.

Continue reading

Meshtastic Heltec T096 – Best Solar Build

Meshtastic Heltec T096 – Best Solar Build

Meshtastic Heltec T096

I’ve recently gotten back into Meshtastic and built a couple of solar nodes. For my second node I used the Heltec T096 Mesh Node.

In my opinion this is the EASIEST solar node build that is out there. There is no shortage of solar node projects out there on the interwebs. Most of them are based around the Harbor Breeze solar lights ($9.98).

My key considerations for choosing the Heltec T096 are simple. The board includes a Battery Management System (BMS) and the only hookups are to the battery and to the solar panel. In the Heltec T096 packaging there are 2 power cables with the correct sized JST connectors for the board. Solder one across the battery terminals and solder the other to the solar panel. That’s it.

Here is what Heltec says about their BMS – “Integrated lithium battery management system (charge/discharge management, overcharge protection, battery power detection, automatic switching between USB and battery power).”

The board also incorporates Bluetooth, LoRa, and GNSS. It is based on the nRF52840 and the SX1262 LoRa transceiver. The GNSS chipset is a Unicore UC6580.

The best part of this board is that the nRF52840 sips power making it perfect for a battery powered installation. The antenna I used is this one.

Continue reading

XHDATA D-219 Radio Review

XHDATA D-219 Radio Review

First off let me say that I love radios. The correct amount of radios to own is “one more”. I was ecstatic when XHDATA reached out and asked me to review the US version of their D-219 radio.

Current price is $12.99 – $16.99 (depending on color) which is almost impossible to pass up. My readers can get an additional discount by using the code D2191KNEW.

There are a couple of versions of the radio. The green radio on the left in the photo above is the 9K (Asia, Europe) version and the white one is the 1K (US) version. You can get either radio in either color. And if I am not mistaken I have seen some gray ones on Amazon as well.

I purchased the green one and soon after XHDATA contacted me and asked if I wanted to review the US version. Yes, please.

Continue reading

Choyong Voyager Internet Radio Review

Choyong Voyager Internet Radio Review

Choyong Voyager Internet Radio

I currently own the Choyong LC-90, and the A8W. While I currently don’t NEED another streaming radio the Choyong Voyager Internet Radio looked too tempting to pass up.

They actually call it the ChoYong Voyager G2 Smart BT Radio. And it also identifies as a BlueTooth speaker.

And yet on their website, when you add the radio it shows up as an A9EN. Then go to Amazon and you’ll see this:

“Choyong Voyager Bluetooth Speaker Wireless Internet Radio with WIFI/4G,World Radio Station,BT5.3, Electronics for Home/Travel/Outdoor mini Portable Speaker

So during this review I’m just going to call it the Choyong Voyager.

Continue reading

ICOM 7300 Rig Control Under Linux

ICOM 7300 Rig Control Under Linux

ICOM 7300 Rig Control

ICOM 7300

I recently upgraded my Amateur radio license from Technical class to General class.  To celebrate, I bought myself an ICOM 7300.  The 7300 can connect to a computer via a USB cable.  Connecting the computer to the radio is called Rig Control.

I didn’t really have any issues with ICOM 7300 Rig Control on Windows or Mac however I found that my radio wasn’t having any part of being controlled by my Linux Laptop.

Confusion ensued.
Continue reading

XHDATA D-221 Radio Review

XHDATA D-221 Radio Review

XHDATA D-221 Radio

XHDATA D-221 Radio

Recently XHDATA sent me their D-220 radio to review.  Every time they send out radios they request honest feedback from me (and others) and as a result of that feedback they shortly thereafter released the XHDATA D-221 radio.   The Amazon cost is currently $18.90 with a 10% off campaign.

The most notable difference between the D-220 and D-221 is that the XHDATA D-221 includes NOAA Weather Band.

To me that was huge.  Weather radio is so important where I live.  I’m way in Eastern NC and hurricanes are a popular sport here.  We were devastated during Hurricane Florence a few years ago.  And of course we all know about the devastation in Western NC from the recent Hurricane.

While I may have inferred that the D-221 is an upgrade path from the D-220 I’m in no way saying that the D-220 is deficient in any way.  It is a great little radio.  After they sent me one to review I bought a couple other ones on my own dime.

While XHDATA provided me these radios to review not once have they ever tried to influence my reviews.  In fact they ask for solid, constructive feedback.  As a tech reviewer of sorts I can promise you that not all companies do that.    I own a LOT of XHDATA radios, most of which I have bought with my own money.   I’m already a fan.
Continue reading

Choyong A8W Internet Radio

Choyong A8W Internet Radio

Choyong A8W

Choyong A8W

I recently grabbed a Choyong LC90 and reviewed it here.  While I found it to have some quirks, essentially I liked it enough to pick up a Choyong A8W.  The radio initially cost $119 but can now be had for right around $45 to $48.

I’m just going to say this straight up.  This is not a $119 radio.  However, in my opinion it is a $45 radio.

It is also advertised as an FM radio but I personally wouldn’t factor that into its list of features.  You CANNOT spin a tuner dial to pick a channel.  All you can do is scan the FM band.  If it finds a channel it becomes channel 1. The next channel it finds is channel 2.  On my scan in my area not one single channel displays the correct frequency.  I’d be mega angry if I spent over $100 on a radio that can’t display the right channel.   Also while scanning the FM band it found channels that I thought it wouldn’t be able to find and it DID NOT find strong channels that it should have.  If it doesn’t grab something you think it should, all you can do is rescan.  I don’t know why displaying 89.3 as 89.2 really gets my goat, but it does.  This is an Internet radio.  Plain and simple.
Continue reading

Choyong LC90 Radio Review

Choyong LC90 Radio Review

Choyong LC90

Choyong LC90 MW/FM/SW/Internet Radio

It is pretty clear that I have a radio addiction.  I’ve lost track of how many I have.  I’ve been eyeballing the Choyong LC90 since it dropped in China early in 2023.  To be honest I hadn’t yet purchased it because of the price.  The other day though, I saw the Black Friday price which seemed much more palatable to me.  So I struck.    I’m impressed with the fit and finish of the Choyong LC90 and it is pretty feature rich.

But I have a couple of complaints right out of the gate.  These should not be construed as dealbreakers.  It is more along the lines of me saying “Really?”

UPDATE JAN 7, 2025:  Choyong released a firmware update (4.7) which really took this radio to new heights.  A new voice engine from ChatGPT is installed.  Podcasts have been added and just an all around set of bug fixes were introduced.   This is a whole new ball game and most users are loving the improvements.  Including me.   If you were on the fence before you can have confidence that the Choyong LC90 is a good purchase. 
Continue reading

My Short Wave Radio Story

My Short Wave Radio Story

A super quick primer on how I got back into short wave radio.

I was a typical 60’s and 70’s kid.  I loved CB radio and Short Wave radio even more.  After leaving home for the loving arms of the United States Navy I drifted away from my radio hobby.

Fast forward to the mid 2000’s and I am now working for the US Gov’t and living in Iwakuni Japan.  I was sent to MCAS Cherry Point in Havelock, NC.  And oddly enough, I live in this area now.  While I was driving around one day I had the AM radio on scan and it landed on a station that had minimal power and could only be received in parts of Havelock.  I have no clue what the station was.
Continue reading

XHDATA D-608WB Review

XHDATA D-608WB Review

XHDATA

XHDATA D-608WB

I love radios.  I can’t even say how many radios and short wave radios I own because my wife reads this.   However, I was tickled to death to find out that XHDATA was sending me their new D-608WB Emergency Radio ($33) to review.   It can also be purchased from Amazon.

I also own the original XHDATA D-608 and reviewed it previously here.   Like I said, I own a lot of radios.

Also, I own a lot of radios that call themselves Emergency Radios. So let’s see how the D-608WB shakes out.
Continue reading