Author Archives: Thomas

Tecsun PL-880: How to fix the audio level problem

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photo (5)As more and more people are beginning to receive their Tecsun PL-880s, I’m receiving emails and noticing comments regarding an “audio level problem.”

Here’s the symptom: when you tune your brand new PL-880 to a relatively weak station on AM or shortwave, the audio level jumps from low to high in what seems like a random pattern.  It’s very annoying. Like me, many assume they have received a faulty unit–some have even sent their new PL-880 back for refund.

In reality, the PL-880 is simply following a default muting threshold level and the audio is responding accordingly. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for this–you won’t find it in your owner’s manual, but you will find it in one of the first PL-880 posts I published:

Hidden feature: Adjusting the Tecsun PL-880 muting threshold

I hope Tecsun will start shipping their PL-880s with the threshold set to “00” or off.  It would certainly lead to less confusion and frustration.

You can follow all Tecsun PL-880 updates by bookmarking/checking this link.

Shortwave Radio Recordings: beHAVior Night

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GramophoneFor your listening pleasure: beHAVior Night, a shortwave radio show (relayed by WBCQ) dedicated to showcasing music from the first four decades of the 20th Century.

This show was recorded on 7,490 kHz, starting at 22:00 UTC on December 8, 2013.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Voice of Russia broadcasts lack any mention of sweeping changes to state news agency

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President Vladimir Putin (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

President Vladimir Putin (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

This morning, I tuned to the Voice of Russia (a.k.a. Radio VR) English language service to hear the state news agency’s take on the sweeping changes President Vladimir Putin implemented yesterday.

I expected the story to be somewhat buried amongst international headlines, but instead I heard no mention within the one hour news broadcast. [Please note update at end of article.]

Here’s a recording of the broadcast from today at 13:00 on 12,075 kHz (which begins to fade toward the end):

I then searched through some spectrum recordings I made yesterday and discovered VOR’s American Edition broadcast on 9,395 kHz, starting at 23:00 UTC.

Even though this is the American Edition, I would have expected some mention of the news agency changes in the international news selection.

Ironically, VOR News prominently featured an article on their website yesterday regarding these changes within the state media. Indeed, it was the VOR News article that I posted yesterday on the SWLing Post.

Perhaps Putin’s move will actually make previous news reports regarding the demise of VOR on shortwave null and void? Only time will tell.

On a side note, I imagine this move by Putin could lower Russia’s position on the 2014 Press Freedom Index–they’re currently listed at 148 out of a possible 179 (with Finland in the number 1 position and Eritrea having the least press freedom at 179).

(Update: Please note that the title of this post used to read, “Voice of Russia news lacks any mention of sweeping changes to state news agency.” I’ve since updated the title to more accurately reflect my point, by replacing the word “news” with “broadcasts.”  I also added the audio from yesterday’s American Hour and removed some links to international media. Many thanks to those of you who pointed out my confusing message.)

Hidden feature: Changing the line-out level on the Tecsun PL-880

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Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Joost, for discovering and sharing yet another hidden feature of the Tecsun PL-880.

How to change the FM line-out level

1.) Turn on the PL-880 and select the FM radio band.

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2.) Press and hold the number 7 for three seconds, the current line-out level will begin flashing.

3.) Use either tuning control to change the line-out level.

Unfortunately, it seems that the line-out level only works on the FM band (at least, on my firmware version). That’s a shame, too, as my shortwave and AM line-out levels default to a value that is much too high for a recording device, rendering the port useless. I value line-out for making reliable digital recordings while monitoring activity via the radio’s built-in speaker.

I hope this will be fixed in the future as I’m sure it can be addressed with a firmware update.

On a side note, I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about a full PL-880 review. I’m nearing completion of it now–about 75% complete. It’s a rather long review and (I hope) will be useful. The ‘880 has so many features (both documented and hidden) that writing a review is a daunting task! Check back soon!

You can follow all Tecsun PL-880 updates by bookmarking/checking this link.