Chris’ Tecsun PL-660
Shortwave listener and radio producer, Chris Freitas, recently posted an article on his blog touting the Tecsun PL-660 as his shortwave portable of choice.
Chris is sticking with his trusty Tecsun PL-660
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Hi. I have a Tecsun Pl-660 and I am using the longwire that came with the radio. Outside in my shed when using the ATS mode I am getting 200 stations or I guess possibilities of stations. When I check these I have about 20, like CRI,RRI, AIR.
Winter is coming here in Newfoundland, Canada.
Thank-you
Gene
What would you recommend for an antenna, possibly internal?
I am a kiwi living in newzealand and purchased a tecsun pl660 from a trader on trademe and have had no issues whatsoever with my radio .it works fantatstic and i’d highly recommend buying one to anybody curious about sw radio .can any body inform me as to what would be the best external antenna to boost the range of my tecsun pl660 ?
Just caught up with the blogs now.Well Im on the “Hunt” for a GOOD PL 660.Unfortunitly for me,I did buy one here in Auckland from an importer of these,and I had to return it,after waiting for such a long time to get one.When I tested it,it had very loud internaly generated harmonics on all HF bands eg 4mgs right up to 27mgs.It acturly drowned out completly a station I was listening to.The “Squashy” sound would acturly climb up and then back down over what ever frequency I had tuned to.I then tried the PL600.I found it also had a High Pitched harmonic up through the HF bands.Please note,Im a SSB listener mostly.So both radios were switched to SSB,of which seemed to amplifiy the loud noise even worse.I put an AM radio next to the PL660,and once tuned,it picked up the generated harmonics.So please check these receivers,they have so many great features,I once owned a Sony 2001D with the Air Band.This PL660 was to be a new replacement for me,so Im very disapointed.Im still hunting for a good one,if anyone knows of any new ones being imported or sold here in NewZealand,please reply to my email address!!. [email protected]
Im very disapointed with the reveiws Ive read on the Digitech AR1945.Im a dedicated SSB Dxer aswell as SW listener.I live in NewZealand,and unfortunitly there are NO outlets selling the Tecsun PL660 over here.Infact for all the SW/SSB listeners in this country,its very poor that no one sells portable general coverage receivers,other then what Jaycar has in stock.The only way you can buy such an item is via a freind traveling overseas,or via such auctions as TradeMe or Ebay.But I dont buy via these auctions as they are mostly unreliable,and only there for “wheeling and Dealing” to the highest bider.As for Jacar Ausi/NZ,its a real shame that they are trying to sell a good portable receiver,but with a SSB section that is really only a novety.If Jaycar want to keep up their reputation for what they stock and sell,they need to recall and send back all their stock of the AR 1945 Digitechs.Jaycar is our only store here in NewZealand that stocks SW receivers as far as I know.If someone in NZ is reading this and do know of other outlets that stock the Tecsun PL 660 or other good brands please reply to this page or my email address.Cheers James P.
I’ve had very good luck buying radios via E-Bay. I’ve dealt with both Anon co ( just got my pl-880 from them) and liypn ( although they don’t list as many radios as they used to). Most of their listings are fixed price and they often include extras. Most of the sw radio reviews seem to get their units from the same sources. Better prices usually, longer wait ( 7-10 days instead of 2-3 here in the US ), the only drawback is if you get a dud, there may be some extra cost to get it shipped back from replacement ( so far I’ve won that gamble 😉 ). I don’t know, there may be extra cost if you country has customs cost to get it in.
MR PATTERSON SIR I AM VERY SORRY TO INFORM YOU IS THAT FIRMS IN AUS-NZ SEE NO FUTURE MARKET FOR PORTABLES THAT INCLUDE SW AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE EVEN THE AM BAND. THE LACK OF RADIOS WITH SW OR EVEN AM BAND COVERAGE IS NOT CONFINED TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEELAND BY ANY MEANS. WITH THE LAST LARGE SW SITES BOTH BROADCAST AND UTILITY WORLDWIDE LIKE SACKVILLE IN CANADA ONLY THE LATEST EXAMPLE BEING HAULED TO THE SCRAPYARD FIRMS SIMPLY SEE NO FUTURE MARKET FOR RECEIVERS THAT INCLUDE SW AND IN MOST OF THE WORLD NOW EVEN THE AM BAND GENERALLY CALLED MW BAND OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA. FREE MARKETS RESPOND TO DEMAND AND THUS PRODUCTS FOR WHICH SELLERS SEE LITTLE OR NO DEMAND SIMPLY WILL NOT EXIST IN FREE MARKETS.
James,
I live in New Zealand. Please contact me. I maybe able to help you. I cannot see your email address here. Maybe Thomas can send you my email address, or give me yours.
James and Ronald–
Check your email: I just sent you a message, exchanging addresses.
Best,
Thomas
Just got the Tecsun PL-660 and love it. Very smooth and ergonomic. Was able to easily tune into Radio Dabanga’s Madagascar transmitter, and tune in with precision to decode a HF weather fax (with an Android app) with no issue and with ease in the same listening session. (I’m in eastern North America). A+
I have the Tecsun PL-660 some time now, and I love it! It does a very good job on the Broadcast bands. Of course it is not as sensitive as a high end hamradio transceiver, but to compare it do that would not be fair. But the PL-660 is worth every cent. I use my PL-660 often in combination with a magnetic loop antenna. It really works. And it doesn’t overload the receiver at all.
Synchronous detection is a very nice feature, that makes listening so much better. You don’t even find that on those expensive ham transceievers. So will I buy one again if this one fails? You bet!.
Cheers;
Ronald