Qodosen DX-286 vs SR-286: Lower price, same radio? (unboxing and first look)

Since its release late last year the Qodosen SR-286 has had DXers all abuzz. It is a radio with really exceptional performance across all bands, namely FM, MW, SW and LW. It is really sensitive and pulls in weak and distant signals very well. It has a low noise floor, which means that even weak signals are quite intelligible.

The SR-286 was a pre-release radio and was quite expensive. A new version, the Qodosen DX-286, has just been released, at a much lower price. The new Qodosen DX-286 is available at $79 from Amazon. It ships with a very nice carry case, but no battery (just like the SR-286).

The Qodosen DX-286 does not have SSB capability, but for people who enjoy DXing broadcast stations, this radio is, in my opinion, the best you can get right now. It is a little more expensive than some popular radios like the XHDATA D-808 and the Tecsun PL-330, but I think the Qodosen is worth it. You will hear signals that you have never heard before, I have.

The radio uses the revolutionary TEF6686 DSP chip, the same chip that is used in many car radios. There are a number of TEF6686-based radios available, but they are kind of "homemade". The Qodosen, on the other hand, is a well-designed radio with a very long list of features, including the ability to use an external antenna on MW, antenna amplifier, many bandwidth settings and more.

Qodosen sent me a DX-286 to review. In this video you can see my unboxing and a comparison with the SR-286. The company said that there are no differences between the two, except for a few shortcut changes and changes to the FM tuning steps for the US.

I think the question many people have is whether these two radios really are exactly the same. The Qodosen SR-286 has proved itself as a very capable radio and already has a very loyal following. In many ways, once you try this radio, it is hard to go back to others. Is the DX-286 just as good?

In this video I give my views on the SR-286, unbox the DX-286, I show some of the new shortcut functions and I do a side-by-side comparison on SW and FM (all signals received at my usual location in Johannesburg, South Africa). I will do a MW comparison later.

You can find the full English manual for the Qodosen DX-286 here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kOIQ...

The radio is available from Amazon, here: https://a.co/d/4DEBbLQ
(I do not earn anything from Amazon, I am simply adding the link here as a service to viewers).

You can view a MW comparison here:    • Brand new Qodosen DX-286 vs SR-286 on...  

My first review of the Qoosen SR-286 is here:    • An astonishing DXing radio: Unboxing ...  

Have a look at this written review by Kevin from Blog or Die, he describes some of the changes and especially how to set the clock correctly (a challenge for many users): https://www.blogordie.com/2024/06/the...

00:00 A radio revolution
04:47 Opening the box
05:15 Detailed manual and soft pouch
06:48 First look at the Qodosen DX-286
09:16 Setting the time
10:29 New shortcuts
12:01 FM and SW comparison
12:16 Pretoria FM 104.2 MHz (50 km)
12:57 Bosveld Stereo 107.5 MHz (60 km)
13:39 RSG 101.5 MHz (local)
14:55 NHK from Yamata, Japan 11815 kHz
16:40 CRI and KBS on same frequency 9785 kHz
17:30 Living Waters Ministry from Guam 9900 kHz
18:30 WWVH from Hawaiii 10000 kHz
20:11 My thoughts