Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, for sharing a PDF copy of the English Operation Manual via Australian distributor Tecsun Radios Australia.
Tecsun S-8800 English Operation Manual
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Tag Archives: Tecsun S-8800
Another review of the Tecsun S-8800
UPDATE: Click here to read our full review of the re-engineered Tecsun S-8800. Note that the review below refers to a first production run S-8800e model.
In reply to our Tecsun S-8800e overview, SWLing Post contributor, Hymefly, comments:
I own this radio. Its performance on AM and shortwave is better than my Kaito 1103 and Sangean ATS-909x. My Grundig Satellit 750 beats it on SW. The 8800 is a bit better on AM than the 750, though.
The 8800 and my GE Super Radio 1 are just about equal on AM. The 8800 beats my Panasonic RF-2200 on SW, but not on AM. I didn’t compare it to my other radios on FM, as I really don’t listen to that band nor have any interest in it.
I did try out the FM band, though. It seems to have good sensitivity. The speaker provides good sound quality, but not “Super Radio” good. Display looks outdated. Not a fan of those amber/yellowish displays with spotty screen coverage. Not even close to the display on my 909x. But then again, no other radio comes close to the 909x’s display. Why can’t manufacturers implement nice bright white lit displays like the 909x?
The remote works ok. By the way, all comparisons were done utilizing each radios’ own built-in AM and telescopic antennas for SW. Overall, I can compare it more closely to the RF-2200, but with 8800 having slightly less sensitivity on AM and better on SW. The two even look almost the same. The 8800 seems to be an updated and refined modern design borrowed from the RF-2200. The RF-2200 has a more robust solid built, though. Overall, I give the 8800 a score of 7.5 [out of 10].
Thank you for your input, Hymefly. I’m pretty impressed the new S-8800 even comes close to the performance of the Super Radio 1 and the Panasonic RF-2200. I’m very curious what the price will be when the S-8800 hits eBay.
TECSUN S-8800e availability in Europe and Bertrand’s first impressions
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bertrand Stehle (F6GYY), who writes:
Hi Thomas,
The new SSB portable receiver TECSUN S-8800 has been available from Germany, since the beginning of 2017.
Supplier:https://www.wellenjagd.com/ has the S-8800e, a Europeen version.
I have one unit here and also being an owner of the PL-880, [I would describe it as] a better PL-880 with more features.
DSP filters on SSB: 0.5 – 1.2 – 2.3 – 3.0 and 4.0 kHz
DSP Filters on AM: 2.3 – 3.0 – 4.0 and 6.0 kHz
Long telescoping Antenna L = 92 cm
BNC Antenna socket
AM External antenna (500 Ohm ) on panel….with an internal /external antenna switch.
Main and fine tuning [much] like the PL-880 , but all metallic buttons, bigger and of better quality.
VFO main tuning knob is large and has a good feeling.
Line out is stereo ( 2 channels ) L and R
Separate bass and treble control
2X LiH Batteries 18650 ( no external power supply possible, no 12V socket). Batteries can be charged while the rx st still in use.On this S-8800e–my first impressions:
- Very sensitive on longwave… ( PL-880 was not )
- Very good copy of ssb stations
- RX does not get so quickly overloaded as the PL-880 does…
- Quite bigger than the PL-880 => 27 cm X 17 cm, about 7cm thick.
Wow–many thanks for sharing your first impressions, Bertrand!
I’ve been waiting quite a while for the S-8800 to be released. I will have one on order soon and will do some comparisons with the PL-880 and PL-660.
As you discover more about this receiver, please share your impressions with us!
Anyone else have the S-8800? Please comment!
Tecsun S-8800 launch possibly first quarter 2016
After learning about the new Tecsun S-8800, yesterday, I contacted Anna at Anon-Co and asked for any information regarding specs and availability. Anna replied:
“Regarding the S-8800, there is no information available of when this will be actually launched. I think that the absolute earliest could be some time in January, but I expect that it will be after Chinese New Year. To be honest, it is very difficult to say at this moment. There isn’t much information available about it yet.
Supposedly it is pretty much the same [chassis design] as the existing BCL-3000, but it will be a PLL radio with DSP IC. It should have SSB features, but other details (like SYNC) I’m not aware of at this moment. I’m hoping to hear more about this soon.
Anna will contact me as soon as she has more info about the S-8800 features and availability.
The Tecsun S-8800: A new receiver in the works
SWLing Post contributor, OWL, writes:
It seems that Tecsun has a new large portable in line.
Someone posted a photo of a new Tecsun product catalogue which shows a new model S8800.
The Tecsun BCL-3000 for comparison.
Apparently it uses the housing of BCL3000 [see above] and is multiple conversion (so a PL880 inside?), DSP based with separate LSB/USB and 10Hz minimum tuning step, and comes with a remote control (for direct frequency input?). Two 18650 batteries are used.
Photo source: http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/ via OWL. Click to enlarge.
Photo source: http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/ via OWL. Click to enlarge.
[Here’s a] link to the post in Tecsun’s web forum:
Many thanks for sharing this find, OWL! This is a very curious development from Tecsun.
I can imagine why Tecsun is re-using the BCL-3000 (a.k.a. Grundig S350DL) body–not only is it roomy inside, but it’s proven to be a popular large portable form factor over the years. Of course, since this is an existing chassis design, design/development costs will be minimal. If Tecsun is including a remote, I’m sure OWL is correct: it’ll aid with direct frequency entry. The S-8800 will be the first portable shortwave radio with remote control I’ve seen in many years.
If audio is anything like its predecessors, I would expect rich fidelity from the built-in speaker. In terms of performance, though? This is a completely different receiver than the single-conversion BCL-3000, so only time will tell.