I don’t have one, I don’t know
Alright then. I’ll see if anyone else knows about this. And maybe also about other portable FM radios with TF recording support and telescopic antennas that can successfully do the job, perhaps maybe even better than my D-318BT.
Paging @dxnerd, @melb_mateyy0 and @gordo92…
Re antenna: I would suggest to go looking on the Ali-Express website.
They’ve heaps of different types of whip antennas there when
I went looking for telescopic whip antennas for the TEF series of radios.
That said unless you are prepared to open your radio to look at the
base type of the whip you won’t know what to order or how to fit it.
Different sizes too, all trial and error I suspect unless you know
of a user group for that model of radio who can assist.
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I found this…
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806632426863.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.45.5e6a5cc5ibPtjd&algo_pvid=49901449-e42b-4821-abec-45fffd5c09cf&algo_exp_id=49901449-e42b-4821-abec-45fffd5c09cf-22&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!3.82!0.99!!!27.52!7.11!%402101eac917317519922877691e9fc2!12000038404054966!sea!US!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=Ms2tOI2jNAs6&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A
…but it keeps redirecting me to the USA website when I try to change the shipping location to Australia.
No idea.
Just try the basic web address:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005006818741615.html
With the TEF6686 radios geared towards FM DXing and reception, would I be wise to try and acquire a KiwiSDR for MW/SW DX along with the various modulation types within those bands?
The only thing I don’t particularly like is that the Kiwi is nearly 3x more expensive than any of the TEF units on sale, but that is offset by a lot more features.
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Si4732 AM/FM/SSB Receiver
Got one of these little guys. Literally little, at only 8cm in length.
Firstly, none of the YouTube videos or listings specify the frequency range, so it’s
150kHz-30MHz
64MHz-108MHz
Receive isn’t on the level as the TEF, but it’s still decent. Built-in speaker is tinny and not very loud, but gets the job done.
Currently using a fork of a modified firmware, but it’s easy enough to switch between versions.
Overall, it has its flaws, but it’s more the novelty of having a tiny receiver, and I’m happy enough with it.
Around $50 on AliExpress including a loop and telescopic antenna.
Videos:
Install Custom Firmware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDRdaG6e5iw
Review & Hardware Mod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzrOE9BFpyU
Firmware:
Modified: GitHub - G8PTN/ATS_MINI
Modified fork: GitHub - m2608/ats_mini
Other active forks: GitHub - konstcranky/ATS_MINI & GitHub - superogira/ATS_MINI
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I can’t find a dedicated DAB+ radio thread.
Any recommendations for DAB+ radios with good DX ability? Bonus if there’s an antenna port.
I have a tiny Sony XDR-P1DBP, which is a great traveller but sometimes drops out unless the antenna is extended a bit, no hope as a DXer (also the up/down/push button is terrible and jams but mine is 2nd hand). And a Sangean DPR-99 which seems good, but I haven’t tried putting it through it’s paces while away.
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Sony’s are usually pretty good, but don’t think they sell portable DAB radios anymore.
Maybe this Sangean? Hard to compare DX capability since there aren’t many opportunities to test that, but going on Sangean’s good FM reputation.
Only mini hifis seem to have an external DAB antenna connection.
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James Cridland is on the hunt for an everything radio. I doubt such a thing exists due to how the HD Radio chipset licensing works, but if any group of people know about available radios it’d be the people here.
You overestimate us! 
But seriously, even getting a radio that does AM, FM and DAB is hard enough. And still no SW or LW, let alone HD radio or AM stereo.
I would be interested to see what DAB+ radios are currently available that include an antenna port.
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Decided to give this unit a go outdoors tonight
FM performance is not great from a DX perspective, it seems to have a wideband tuner, so getting anything at 0.2 away from a strong signal is no go. Even on clear frequencies, signals that other radios I have will pick up OK are either weak or non existent. But it’s still good enough to get most Sydney wide FM stations clearly (will struggle with weaker ones 2MFM or 2OOO).
BUT the upside is that FM sound quality (on a good to strong station) is probably the best I’ve heard on a portable radio. It is “old school” in many respects, like the tuner and that it doesn’t have RDS but has an FM stereo indicator. Possibly the sound and radio performance is due to its main function as a CD player. No DAB either.
AM seems quite good too, could hear 2WG next to the local 2HD (something I wasn’t expecting given the FM performance) and heard 1422 Melbourne next to 2EA. Could also hear weaker distant signals like 5RPH Adelaide.
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I have the DAB version of this unit. They did make it for the longest time from about 2018-2023. Good unit. Speakers are a bit tinny though.
I didn’t actually try the speakers! I normally use headphones, it sounded pretty good that way (using a Bose QC35).
Yes, Sony don’t list it on their website anymore, only seems to be available online through places like Amazon etc.
I received my 2nd TEF radio yesterday, a red Deepelec DP-666 (pic below)… $125 including delivery from Ali Express vendor ‘Deepelec Store’. I had a play around with it last night.
Pros
- Nice and light, back of the case feels easy to grip.
- Has a dedicated power and main off switch, allowing you to turn the volume down without accidentally shutting the radio off. And so can’t be easily turned back on accidentally.
- The big advantage / attraction is the numeric keypad and one of the main reasons why I bought it.
- Is touch screen capable with a firmware upgrade, but I don’t think it needs it, screen would smudge with fingerprints easily.
- Included carry case is very handy
- Looks great in red!
Cons
- Whilst easy to grip, edges and corners of the radio feel a bit sharper than they should.
- Sound quality probably not as good as my previous TEF, but still OK (I use headphones).
- Signal meter rises/falls more slowly than the old unit, not ideal.
- Numeric keypad isn’t backlit (that I can see), whilst it would be handy for nighttime outdoor DXing (which I mostly do), it would probably shorten battery life. But you can generally feel/see just enough to workout which buttons to press to get the desired frequency.
- No connector is included to be able to use a different antenna (but the one from my other TEF works with it).
- Can’t find a way yet to get ‘Extended RDS’ info to appear, long pressing any of the BW, MODE, BAND buttons won’t bring it up.
- RDS doesn’t display date, only time, might be firmware upgradable to get that.
My only other comments are that FM performance seems to be similar to my other TEF, no either a pro or con. And it’s very handy to have a 2nd unit “just in case”. This unit will get a lot of use, will probably still use my other TEF too.
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Using the PE5PVB firmware (v2.20 +) works well;
Holding BAND gives advanced RDS page. Clock shows date & time, and you can optionally restrict by PI code the auto CT updating.
The touch screen is limited but handy sometimes. Easy to switch between touch mode or non-touch.
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Thanks, I’ll try again.. maybe I wasn’t holding it down for long enough. Will check firmware and upgrade if needed to (my menu looked different to what was on the online manual, more square boxes).
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There are a couple of different fw providers, and peoples preference vary. The ‘more boxes’ comment could reflect that - or it may be the unit is in touch mode, as most menu settings, BW selection etc naturally become touch box based. Easy to toggle between the two modes if you don’t like touch.
This is the original open source project, and likely the most common TEF ESP32 firmware;
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