Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Jeff McMahon over at The Herculodge for his recent post, “Dude, You Really Love Radios: A Nostalgic Ode to the Tecsun PL-660.”
Jeff reflects on rediscovering the Tecsun PL-660, a “Pre-DSP Glory Era” classic, sharing insights about its design, performance, and the irresistible pull of nostalgia. Like many of us who love radios, he’s already contemplating buying a second one!
I enjoyed your re-review of the PL-660!
I praise your writing style
but am stating that it reminded me of the greatly missed by many P.J. O’Rourke.
Letting a radio design admirer
handle once more an old radio,
“Is like giving liquor and car keys to teenage boys.”
The Sync Detector of the PL-660 was favorably said to
“just work & neither squeal nor howl”
like later internal Si chip Tecsuns.
Can you find a pair of stations that confirm this?
I love P.J. O’Rourke. He is dearly missed. I don’t get any squeals or howls on my 660.
I was fortunate to win a silver-colored(!) PL-660 at the SWLFest raffle about 15 years ago, and aside from my SONY ICF-2010 is probably my best analog multiband portable receiver. It has ceramic IF filters (no DSP noise!) and is exceptionally sensitive on the FM broadcast band. The PL-660 is one of my favorite travel radios due to its small size, great RF performance, and excellent audio.
A 660’s my everyday driver. Still a consistent winner, it doesn’t have any of the weird artifacts that afflict so many affordable DSP radios. Plus, it’s the radio – my first ‘real’ radio – that introduced me to both SWLing and ham. There’s a personal nostalgia value to that.
I really like my PL-990, but I don’t care for the quality of audio on SSB. Since I like to listen to aeronautical and maritime HF and a bit of Amateur Radio, I decided that I really needed to get an analog receiver. When I heard that the PL-680 was going to be produced again I made plans to order one. But about two days before the release of the new 680 I ordered a PL-660. Why? The styling! It really is a beautiful receiver. The ability to calibrate the display was another factor, and I was never able to confirm that the 680 also had that ability. Indeed, my 660 has required a little adjustment, especially on FM. It’s a great receiver and the one out of my small collection that I reach for most often.