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Letter: Considerations When Choosing a Cheap Radio Receiver

A reader comments on the fundraising effort to send portable radios, receivers to Ukraine

In this letter to the editor, the author [a writer for Radio Club du Perche] comments on recent efforts to supply rural Ukrainians with portable radios. Comment on this or any article. Email [email protected].


Dear Paul McLane,

As a radio listener, I was very interested but also very moved by Elle Kehres’ article entitled “Portable Radios Make Overseas Trip to Ukraine, Local Fundraising Continues.”

With the video report, we can measure to what extent the radio is very useful for informing and serving as a companion to poor and sometimes isolated people. Thank you for having published this article which makes known this very beautiful initiative.

Zesgood portable radios sent to Ukraine

However, far from criticizing Paul Thurst’s beautiful initiative, I nevertheless wonder about the choice of receiver that was offered in Ukraine. This [ZesGood Radio AM FM] receiver, sold for approximately $14, has a frequency range limited to MW and FM and therefore does not allow tuning to SW bands! I find this really very unfortunate, all the more so:

  1.  That several international stations broadcast daily in Ukraine, including a radio station very close to Ukraine, Radio Romania International
  2. That since the end of November 2022 there has been a particularly efficient receiver for its price sold by the Chinese company XHDATA. The D-219 is currently offered for less than $7! It works on batteries but also on mains with a USB charger. (NB: I am not affiliated with XHDATA!)

On the other hand, as far as the choice of the Tescun PL-330 is concerned, it is still an excellent choice. This ultra-portable receiver is acclaimed by many SWLs and can to tune to radio amateurs (HAM) in SSB mode.

With my best wishes,

Paul Jamet

[Also by this author: “I Wish RTL Had Opted for DRM“]

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