The Raddy RF760 shares some operational concepts with the HanRongDa HRD-701 radio. One particularly welcome similarity is a method of rapid tuning, found in the user manual Section 12 under the title: “Rotary [flying shuttle] button.” It refers to the tuning knob/wheel.
Refer to the display schematic:
Each frequency digit, except the leftmost, has an upward-facing triangle at the top, referred to in the manual as the “Flying-shuttle step mark.'” This mark indicates which digit will change when the tuning knob is rotated.
To quickly change a frequency:
Rotate the tuning knob briefly to make the step mark flash.
Press the STEP button repeatedly to position the mark on the digit you want to adjust.
Rotate the tuning knob to set the desired digit.
Press the STEP button to move the step mark to the next digit and repeat the process.
With practice, this method allows for quick and precise frequency entry.
Shortwave radio remains a vital source of information in regions where government censorship, conflict, or limited infrastructure restrict access to other media. Its ability to transmit signals across vast distances and bypass local restrictions makes it a lifeline for uncensored news. For example, during conflicts in Ethiopia, Myanmar, and the Israeli-Palestinian region, shortwave radio has been used to provide neutral and reliable information when digital networks were shut down or censored.
The Voice of America (VOA) has historically played a significant role in such areas, offering unbiased news and promoting democratic values. Even in recent times, VOA has been a critical source of information in countries like Iran, Russia, and North Korea, where local media is heavily controlled. However, recent funding cuts to VOA and similar organizations have raised concerns about the diminishing reach of these independent news sources.
As for the Internet, while it offers vast access to information, it is not universally reliable in conflict zones or under authoritarian regimes. Governments often impose internet shutdowns or throttle access to control the flow of information. For instance, Myanmar and Ethiopia have experienced prolonged internet blackouts during conflicts, leaving millions disconnected. In such scenarios, shortwave radio and international broadcasters like VOA fill the critical gap, ensuring that people can still access vital news and updates.
I personally have been listening to VOA for almost 60 years.
When I initially became aware of this radio, it cost around $100 and while it had an amazing feature set, it reportedly didn’t have the quality and performance of a radio that expensive. Now times have changed and Amazon is selling it to Prime customers for $58.49, and given that it has MW, FM, SW, CB, Air, Weather, VHF and UHF, and SSB, it seemed a good candidate for a travel radio that would actually fit in a shirt pocket. It’s not a new radio, first introduced in 2022. I did a bit of checking on the price:
This model is sold under the Retekess TR-110 and HanRongDa HRD-747 labels. The latter available from one seller on AliExpress for $44.05 with free shipping.
Raddy RF760 product photo
This will keep me busy until that Sansui F51 arrives.
I will of course compare it with the Raddy RF75A that covers some of the same ground frequency-wise, but not UHF, and of course it doesn’t handle SSB. The RF75A is not a particularly sensitive radio. I’m encouraged that the RF760 has an external antenna jack with adjustable attenuation, suggesting it might be more serious about shortwave. Also the ability to select from a range of bandwidths is a plus. There is a squelch too, and it has a thermometer. The manual says it can use an external antenna for MW but doesn’t guarantee the results (overloading?).
It has one unusual feature, a UBD band, an acronym for User Defined Band. A user can set up some portion of the VHF/UHF band, defined by a frequency range and demodulation mode.
It has a typical poorly translated Chinese to English language manual, featuring the “Rotary flying shuttle button.” And who knew the MW band was “54KHz to 1710 KHz” with the external antenna?
Red Flag
Yes, this is an Amazon frequently returned item. I couldn’t find exactly what criteria creates that flag, but some have suggested a return rate over 10%. So why would someone return it?
One reason might be the wire thin telescopic antenna that reportedly gets loose quickly and is easily bent. The biggest problem for the 1 star reviewers is that it simply didn’t work, followed by the complaint that it was too difficult to figure out.
The two-star reviewers said it was a crummy radio with poor performance. Users also reported that the tuning knob (the flying shuttle) broke or operated erratically after relatively little use.
We shall see! Apparently reading the manual is a must. The linked version of the manual has OCR data added to make it searchable. Of course if it’s broken, I’ll just send it back.
Just hours after saying I wasn’t going to buy another radio, I bought another radio. I almost hesitate calling this a radio because most of the real estate is devoted to playing media. I frankly don’t understand how someone can manufacture a media player with a 7″ diagonal high definition screen plus an AM/MW/SW radio and ship it from China to the US for under $40.
Sansui F51 (it comes in green and grey)
Some of the controls on the device are in Chinese and the manual is in Chinese. Thanks to Fred in the Shed, I have some quick start instructions in English, enough to get the menu system to switch from Chinese to English.
I don’t know if MW is going to be stuck at 9 kHz channel spacing. The seller on Banggood says it can be changed, but their wording suggests that they are guessing. Fred says FM has hiss all the time. Shortwave is from 2.3 to 22 MHz, which will cover enough frequencies to be interesting. It has ATS on all bands.
If this gets into daily use, it will likely be used for watching YouTube videos offline. One odd bit is that it is powered by 3x 18650 1200 mAh batteries. That’s a lot of batteries. I’ll likely replace them with much larger capacity cells, again, if it gets into daily use.
Anticipated receipt March 25, 2025, from AliExpress. Also available at a higher price from Banggood.
Update:
The AliExpress seller (Outdoor Fashion Speaker -z13 Shop Store) responded to my query about a PDF version of the manual. I was hoping for a Chinese version that I could run through some sort of automated translation process. Instead they sent a manual for a similar model (MR-50) in English. As I understand it, the MR-50 is like the F51 except that the display is 3.5″ rather than 7″ and the number buttons on the front have been moved to the top of the device.
I’ve taken the email and rewritten it (with the help of Microsoft Copilot), and I added instructions for changing the menu language. Following is my draft user manual. Once I receive the actual radio, I’ll update the manual to fit the F51.
I wanted to test a collection of “comparable radios.” Given that we’re comparing a vintage radio to newer ones, there’re not exactly comparable. The Tecsun PL-660, bought not long after my original G4000A, is the only one with similar technology. Most radios these days are DSP based. Here is the field:
In honor of our newcomer, I’m using the Grundig branded 23-foot reel antenna that comes with this radio for the comparisons. It plugs into all of the group except the Sangean where it has to be clipped onto the telescopic.
I keep having this feeling that the G4000A is somehow kin to my Sangean ATS-405. Superficially that’s true in that both have a silver colored case and they have round buttons. Neither has a tuning knob, relying on up and down buttons for tuning (the G4000A has a fine tuning knob just for SSB). The G4000A shares the one thing I dislike most about the ATS-405, band scanning. Both of them only scan within the current meter band and then cycle back to the beginning of the band. You have to manually select the next band to scan it; however, the ATS-405 has a METER button that will advance to the next band; the Grundig does not. To go to the next band on the Grundig, you have to look at the frequency, turn the radio over, search for the range on the printed table with very fine print, read the next band, turn the radio back over, key in the meter band and press the FREQU/METER button. Neither of the two radios has automatic tune storage (ATS).
Excerpt from G4000A manual
Testing
I like to test with the time stations WWV and CHU, plus commercial broadcast station CFRX 6070 almost exactly 400 miles away in Toronto, Canada. The time stations are great because of consistent program content that makes comparisons easier. In the afternoons, Ifrikya FM from Algeria is a nice choice.
Before doing the comparisons, I tried a brief test of the G4000A in the backyard. CFRX came in quite well on my 20-ft. wire up a tree (WUT) antenna. The time stations were good. I even tried some SSB. I’m clumsy when it comes to SSB, but I was able to get a very natural sounding decoded SSB signal.
Even with my new outdoor antenna and shielded cabling, I am plagued by noise, and no one is interested in how well a radio picks up noise. I had planned a new location location, but I checked it out in advance and found a couple of young people there practicing their communication skills and decided not to disturb them. The post office’s 2-day overdue delivery shot my schedule all to pieces, created conflicts and wasted some gorgeously warmer weather. So instead of a more exotic location, we have the back yard, the 20-ft WUT antenna and a shorter session in the chill air.
Frankly 8 radios are a lot to compare. By the time the tests are run, reception conditions can have changed, so don’t make too much of this small sample. Later on, I’ll do more videos with 2-3 radios.
One issue became obvious: the G4000A display is impossible to view in some lighting, and the display has no illumination option.
Grundig G4000A Plus 7 New Friends Back Row: Tecsun PL-660, PL-990 Middle: Sangean ATS-405, Grundig G4000A, Eton Elite Executive XHDATA D-808, Qodosen DX-286, Tecsun PL-330
Ifrikya FM, 13855
It must have been a little early for Ifrikya FM (20:04 UTC, 16:04 local). The signal was pretty weak. I started and ended the video with the G4000A.
Time Stations
Next I ran through the list of all my regular time stations, WWV on 25000, 20000, 15000 and 10000 and CHU on 3330, 7850 and 14670. 10000 and 14670 were particularly weak on all the radios. It got a little tricky when the zero was on a different place on some of the keypads, and each radio had its own rules on frequency entry.
Audio Impressions
The G4000A speaker, rated at 600 mW can be turned up quite loud, and this is an advantage for a weak station. I guess the automatic gain control (AGC) is limited. I had the G4000A set for narrow bandwidth and the TONE switch was set to low. On FM music stations, results were unimpressive and there was a total lack of bass. That was helped some with a good set of headphones that revealed the higher bass, but the really low stuff was not there.
Overall Impressions
For someone who lives and breathes meter bands, and knows all the frequencies in their head, this radio might be fine, but scanning is worthless, both because a) there is no ATS, b) the radio selects noise more likely than it does stations and c) the scan only works within one shortwave meter band. Direct entry of frequencies is, however, very efficient. The lack a a display light is a major limitation. The size and weight (1.5 lbs.) makes it less attractive for travel. FM overload is a significant issue that I noticed and that has been reported by other users.1
MW and SW is sensitivity is very good. SSB sounded very natural as well.
Given that the radio has full SW coverage and that it offers SSB, I think the $44.88 plus shipping wasn’t unreasonable. There are G4000As on eBay for a good bit less than that. Still, given that the radio chuffs, you’re not getting anything unavailable in a more modern radio.
I hesitate to use the phrase “product review” for something that’s been out of production for a long time. I used the Wayback Machine to scroll through the listings of the G4000A at Universal Radio. They announced it as discontinued on the archived page for February, 2008, but it reappeared a few years later and was once again discontinued, with their last blow-out sale unit offered in May of 2012. I bought my previous one in 2011.
AI generated content may appear occasionally in articles and will be denoted with the 🤖 [robot emoji] symbol. Content comes most often from Microsoft Copilot, bit may also come from Perplexity, ChatGPT or Deep Seek.
