Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steve Lebkuecher, who shares this video which compares the mediumwave performance of the PL-990 and PL-680:
https://youtu.be/m9osecPwiq4
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any 2020 update on this new radio?
I guess the only new information this video gives us is that 990 exists and now we know how it looks like.
The rest is still a mystery.
Very true. I’ve not seen or read any proper detailed and forensic report on this PL-990 anywhere so far, probably early days yet. Obviously from first impressions it’s a nice looking set with a bigger speaker but that’s about all. I’m slightly disappointed it doesn’t have RDS for FM but there ya go.
Shortwave comparison:
Both radios appear to be equally sensitive and the comparison was made indoors, that should ring a bell.
Whatever the QRM level may have been there on the window sill, it will make any assessment of sensitivity – using what appears like weak stations – pretty worthless. The SNR will always be the same near the QRM level, no matter how sensitive the radio really is. Even if the radios actually have the same sensitivity, you can’t really know that until the radios were tried at least outdoors and ideally outside of the city, at least 3 miles away from power lines.
I wish the gentleman in the video had switched both radios to display the signal meter so we could visualize what we’re hearing. I’m not sure that I can draw any conclusions from what I saw other than that they are both capable of receiving medium wave.
Perhaps the narrative shed more light on the matter? If anyone could provide a summary translation that would be greatly appreciated.