Updated December 2023

XHDATA’s new D-109WB is an upgrade to their excellent D-109 which I reviewed several months ago. Most of its details still apply.

Original XHDATA D-109 Review

The review below was posted two months ago but has since been updated after I received a new sample from the first produciton run offered for sale…the radio you will get will be this version which has a few ehnancements over the earlier production run.

The XHDATA D-109WB has all the same basic performance and features of the original D-109 but adds several new features and capabilities which make it a very worthwhile upgrade. Let’s look at its basic Specs & Features, then we’ll look at the Upgrades:

It is a DSP design with adjustable tuning steps and band coverage to make it usable anywhere in the world.

Frequency Range:

FM: 64-108 MHz/76-108 MHz/87-108 MHz / 87.5-108 MHz (100 KHz/10 KHz Tuning Steps)

LW: 153-513KHz (9K/1K Tuning Steps)

AM: 522-1620KHz (9K/1K Steps) / 520-1710KHz (10K/1K Steps)

SW: 1711-29999KHz (5K/1K Steps)

NOAA Weather: CH 1 162.400MHz, CH 2 162.425, CH 3 162.450, CH 4 162.475,

CH 5 162.500, CH 6 162.525, CH 7 162.550

Weather Alert Mode – Scans all 7 WB frequencies monitoring for alerts

Tuning by Direct Entry, Auto Scan (2 modes for SW) or Knob with Fast/Slow auto switching

SW Band selection

Auto Tuning and Memory Storage

Display Shows Signal Strength, S/N, Temperature, Battery level/Charging Indicator, FM Stereo

Auto Backlight (5 sec) can be locked on permanently

Memories: FM: 100 / LW: 100 / AM: 100 / SW: 300

User Replaceable Li-Ion Battery – 18650 2000 mAh USB C Rechargeable

Lock Switch 

AM/LW/SW Bandwidths: 1-2-3-4-6 KHz

FM Stereo at Headphone jack with Stereo/Mono selection

12/24 Hour Clock With 2 Alarms and Sleep mode

Bluetooth with Phone and Play controls

TF (Micro SD) Card Audio Playback with scanning within tracks and adjustable Repeat mode

FM/SW External Antenna Jack

Sleep/2 Alarms

Size: Approx 5 ¾” x 3 ¼” x 1”

Reset Button

Upgrades & Discussion:

Top: D-109 Bottom: D-109 WB

Looking at the above list the most obvious change is the addition of the NOAA Weather Band which is a wonderful, potentially life-saving feature for those in the United States (including Alaska & Hawaii) and also in Canada via Weatheradio Canada which uses the same frequencies.

It works well and the Weather Band sensitivity is as good as any radio I compared it with…it is very sensitive on WB. The Weather Alert features adds an unusual new capability in that it scans the 7 WB frequencies for alerts…I believe most radios with Weather Alert only alert on the weather frequency you set the radio to. And as with any portable radio, be aware than in Alert Standby mode the radio is using power to silently check for alerts so use external USB power in this mode when possible. One oddity is that the radio doesn’t follow the usual convention of displaying the WB Channel numbers CH 1 thru CH 7 …it displays the frequencies instead but this doesn’t hinder usability in anyway.

Other changes and additions:

Above: Old and New Models look identical other than front panel button markings

The new radio has more button functions but has the same number of buttons so some are now doing double duty. For example, the new model uses one button rather than two to toggle between VM (Memory)/VF (Frequency) modes. It makes sense and works well.

DX-Local Switch: It works on SW and FM (not on AM) and allows greater flexibility especially when using external antennas or in extreme signal areas.

VE/MC (Voice/Music Tone switch) – works in all modes and is a nice addition.

SOS Alarm Button: Emits an ear-piercing chirp which should scare most people away.

Beep Defeat: With Power Off, Long press #6 toggles beep sound On/Off

Performance: Basic AM/FM/SW performance is nearly identical to the original D-109 which is to say it is a very nice radio in this category. I compared reception on the D-109 versus the D-109WB on AM/FM/SW and most stations were received similarly even though sometimes the signal strength readings on the meter differed a bit. I take this as a calibration difference in the metering, not a reception difference and since these readings are really for general information it is of little consequence. SW sensitivity is excellent and the equal of most of today’s good portable radios which makes the radio a bargain, although there is no SSB mode which is not unusual at this price point. AM ranks **1/2 on the AM Mega shootout which is good for a multiband radio while FM ranks *****…this is superb overall performance. The 5 bandwidths are a great feature as well.

Audio is full and rich sounding for this size radio…current day speaker technology at its best. The new Voice/Music switch which works in all modes is a welcome addition…the updated D-109WB has a very full sound and the tone control switch is very effective.

As with the original D-109 the Tiff card reader works as expected and allows scanning within tracks and has now been improved to read up to 9999 tracks. It will read cards up to 32 GB and some of mine have 3000 and more tracks organized within folders so being able to access tracks up to 9999 is an important improvement.

Conclusion: When I reviewed the original D-109 I commented, “Overall the XHDATA is a home run. There are no other radios at this price that I am aware of which can match its overall quality and performance.” The upgraded XHDATA D-109WB is all that and more and has become a daily player here

Recommended!

See it at Amazon: 

Jay Allen   mailto:radiojayallen@gmail.com