by Dan Robinson
The Tecsun PL-520 has been out for some time now though units have been getting into the hands of more reviewers such as myself in recent weeks. There are a number of excellent overview videos available on YouTube, so my purpose here won’t be to dive into sensitivity level and similar comparisons with the PL-330, rather just to give prospective buyers my take on this radio.
First the headlines: Tecsun certainly knows what its buying public is all about. They have added some important features that really make the 520 an attractive option. At the top of the list: a kickstand where none existed before on the PL-330 makes it very easy to use the radio on a desk (though the kickstand does seem a bit vulnerable to breakage). The cabinet of the 520 has been substantially improved — no more sharp corners seen on the PL-330. There is now a USB-C port, another welcome change.
Tuning and VOL knobs have been made slightly wider. HOWEVER, they are still bothersome — trying to rapid tune across frequencies remains a challenge. One suggestion: Tecsun should add a TURBO mode, similar to what has now been done on the Malahiteam MLite-880 that could easly allow fast tuning across the ranges — this would obviously be more useful on shortwave than MW or FM.
Addition of a Favorites button, which forced LSB/USB to be combined into one key, is somewhat puzzling, but I suppose this has some appeal for some users. ETM+ mode provides the ability to save stations based on time of day. This is another appealing feature though I am not sure how many people will actually make regular use of it.
Back to the unified LSB/USB button — this means there is a slightly different approach to recalibration requiring a double press to be sure you know what sideband you are adjusting. The PL-330 was quite easy, but in the 520 it’s a bit more involved. I have found stability after recalibration to be very good, though my PL-330 was excellent in this regard.
Tecsun has provided additional filter choices on AM/LW/SW: 6 khz on SW and 5 khz on MW. Not a critically important upgrade but certainly welcome. There is also a ATS Scan/Stop Sensitivity adjustment. As for synchronous (SAM), it works well on the 520 as it did on the 330. It’s nice that Tecsun understands the need for selectable sideband in SAM — some people think it’s a useless feature but it avoids having to fine tune while in SAM.
I find that sensitivity to touch on the 520 (this is an important issue on portables with some people using additional lengths of wire to avoid drops in sensitivity when a radio is not being physically held) is not a big problem. With the whip antenna fully extended any difference in level is not extreme — I am unaware of what changes may have been made in the physical structure of the cabinet vis a vis the 330, but I doubt there has been much change other than rounding the corners.
In late afternoon here in Maryland I did brief test of the PL-330 and PL-520 at about the same location inside my home tuned to the strong signal from Spain on 15,500 khz. I did another quick comparison of the PL-520 with an MLite-880:
https://youtube.com/shorts/tC3u633Xsws?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/kt95hF3CPCU?feature=share
The comparison between the 520 and 330 shows in my view a bit better audio on the new receiver than on the 330. The comparison between the PL-520 and MLite-880 shows that the Tecsun is quite good at producing quality audio — but there’s a need to understand that the MLite-880 is really a different animal. The PL-520 produces some super audio with clarity; the MLite-880 is not inferior by any means but has a different kind of sound (not to mention extensive tools beyond the 520’s capabilities).
My concluding views on the PL-520 (and thanks to Anon-co for providing the test unit): for someone who wants the smallest possible receiver but one that really hits balls out of the park in performance, I have no hesitation recommending this radio.
The key improvements over the PL-330 make it even more attractive, especially the backstand, sleeker cabinet, and additional bandwidths. At the low price the 520 is sold at, this is pretty much a no-brainer and in today’s — shall we say — diminished world of international broadcasting, if you’re going on a trip the PL-520 is all you really need, unless you already have a PL-990 or H-501 and insist on having those with you for better sound. The one thing one needs to be aware of is the need to carry extra BL?5C 3.7?V batteries and perhaps a charger that handles them, though charging can be done internally with USB-C.
Tecsun has stuck to the pattern of using what I’ll call old-style displays and making incremental improvements in known best sellers, such as the PL-330, and now with the PL-520. One wishes that Tecsun would make the leap that we have seen from Malahiteam in Russia to perhaps provide a spectrum display.
Perhaps in a future PL-1000 or H-600 we will see that happen, but for now we have extremely reliable performers in the Tecsun line that provide such features as recalibration along with multiple bandwidths and SYNC (though that feature remains a bit hobbled due to chip limitations).