The new D-608 is a full-featured Emergency Radio from XHDATA who has become a major manufacturer of portable radios over the past several years. It provides excellent performance and all the features we have come to expect of modern digital emergency radios with few extra  features not generally seen as well. You might also find it great for general daily use as well.

Features & Specifications:

FM: 64-108 MHz / 76-108 MHz (Stereo at Earphone Out)

87-108 MHz / 87.5-108 MHz

MW:522-1620khZ (9K Steps) / 520-1710 KHz (10K Steps)

SW: 1711-29999 KHz (5K Steps)

ATS Scanning with Auto Save

NOAA Weather Band with Scanning Alert  Mode

VF/VM Tuning Modes

Bluetooth Playback & Calling

Memories: 100 AM – 100 FM – 300 SW (Add Automatically or Manually)

Clock with Alarm & Sleep Timer

TF Card Playback (Supports Up To 32 Gb Card)/Prev/Next Track/Loop & Fast Scan Modes

Flashlight with 3 Brightness levels

Flip Up Lighting Panel with 3 Brightness Levels

Earphone Jack 16 – 32 ohms (Stereo)

SOS Alarm Button

Enhanced Audio with Ported Enclosure

Lock Mode

Battery: Li-ion 18650 3000 mAh (Charges via USB C Port, Crank, Solar Panel)

Low Battery/Charge Indicators

USB Output for charging Cell Phones

Reset Button

Dimensions: (Approx) 6” W x 3” H x 1 ¾” D

Checking It Out: The D-608 is a full-featured Emergency Radio that also offers excellent performance in its category. The list of features alone is impressive with all of the capabilities we’ve come to expect of modern Emergency Radios, but the D-608 goes further. Most Emergency Radios have a flashlight…the D-608 has TWO lights…a regular beam-type flashlight and a general illumination panel that provides an area light, both with three brightness settings. The solar panel is also on this flip up panel which allows it to be angled toward the sun if needed. It also offers SW which many such radios don’t, plus Tiff card audio playback with rapid scanning and stereo audio from Bluetooth, the Tiff card and FM. The SOS Alarm is LOUD and will startle anyone nearby which could be a big safety feature. It’s NOAA Weather Band offers an Alert Mode which scans all active frequencies for alerts, a new feature I first saw on XHDATA’s D-109WB and not found on other such radios. The 18650 Li-ion battery provides long play time between charges.

OK. So XHDATA has packed every conceivable feature into their D-608, but what about its basic performance? Here again the news is good. I don’t know which DSP chip the radio uses but performance is all around superb. Reception on all bands is strong and sensitive, the Li-ion 18650 3000 mAh battery provides long battery life and sound quality is full and satisfying, due to a high-tech speaker system with a “bass  vibration plate air outlet” firing toward the back. The D-608 typifies the best use of DSP design. DSP chips have evolved to the point where even some very inexpensive radios can offer performance that would have been unheard at the price just a few years ago.

I had been concerned about the ability to access Tiff cards with thousands of tracks without a keypad for direct track selection but XHDATA has come up with a clever solution. As you rotate the Tuning Knob it initially increments one track at a time but continued rotation switches to  30 track steps. I was able to reach tracks 2000 and 3000 fairly easily and in relatively short time. While not as fast as direct keypad input it is certainly a good solution and considering the size and price of the radio I think it is a clever way to do it. (If you routinely need to select specific tracks a radio with a keypad like XHDATA’s D-109WB may be a better choice).

The only problem I had was struggling to read the tiny print in the Owner’s Manual which is a problem with many smaller radios. I understand that the booklet has to be small in order to fit into the box but perhaps it could have more pages with larger print and diagrams. I find it difficult to read even with a magnifying glass. Luckily, I was able to download a digital manual which is much easier to use…you can download the XHDATA D-608 Owner’s Manual here.

Any Negatives? Not really. The features and performance are both first rate. The D-608 is a top performing Emergency Radio and I thank XHDATA for providing a review sample. And it’s good enough that you just might consider using it every day.

Recommended!

Jay Allen 

See it on Amazon:

See it on XHDATA’s website: https://xhdata.com.cn/products/xhdata-d-608-emergency-radio