QODOSEN DX-286

Brand: QODOSEN

A 2024 model that got loud praise from serious listeners. Inside sits the NXP TEF6686 car radio chip, plus a low noise amplifier for the AM side, an antenna attenuator and a jack for an external wire. Bands: FM with RDS, longwave, mediumwave and shortwave up to roughly 30 MHz. AM bandwidths go 3, 4, 6 and 8 kHz, the screen shows SNR and RSSI, and memory holds 1000 stations spread over 100 pages that can be renamed. Body is small, about 5.3 by 3 by 1.2 inches, power comes from one button-top 18650 cell. Street price sits near 80 to 110 dollars.

Best pick for someone who hunts faint AM and shortwave signals and wants sensitivity for the money. Not the radio for utility or ham listening: there is no SSB, no air band, no NOAA weather channels. The 18650 is not in the box, and flat-top cells will not make contact, so buy the right one. Settings need a short trip through the menu before the first listen, and the little fold-out stand feels flimsy on a desk.