Tag Archives: Tecsun

Pawel discovers a tuning bug in his Tecsun PL-880

PL-880 (1)

[19 January 2016: Please read this updated post.]

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Pawel (SQ9ZAV), who writes from Poland:

Hello Thomas,

On November 4, 2015, I bought a Tecsun PL-880 from ErcomeR company.

I found an error: the last two digits of hundreds and tens Hz in SSB mode correctly change the direction of rotation of the knob fine tuning, however, the actual frequency varies in the opposite direction.

I reported a bug in the company ErcomeR, and they sent an e-mail to the Tecsun company.

ErcomeR received information from Tecsun that one of the PL-880 integrated circuits had been changed to the one used in Tecsun PL-365; no one checked whether the program was working properly.

The previous version of the radio made in May 2015 does not have this error.

Best regards – Pawel Kita, SQ9ZAV

Pawel also noted that communicating with Tecsun’s Engineering/R&D department is quite difficult since all communications are first passed through the Tecsun Sales department.

I hope that Pawel can keep us apprised of the situation. My Tecsun PL-880 is one of the earliest production runs, so doesn’t have the PL-365 IC Pawel describes.

If you purchased a Tecsun PL-880 recently, you might verify this as well–please comment.

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Mehdi discovers ESD protection in the Tecsun PL-680

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The Tecsun PL-680

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mehdi, who writes:

Once you told me to be careful when attaching an external antenna to my portable radio.

Today I opened it to see whether it has some sort of protection on its external antenna path.

As you can see in the picture below, there are two diodes side by side (D4 and D2) which protect the radio’s front-end against high-voltage inputs.

Description of what these two diodes do from http://www.giangrandi.ch/electronics/diode-clipper/diode-clipper.shtml:

“The basic idea of the diode clipper is that for signals with an amplitude within ±0.7 Vpeak (less than about +7 dBm over 50 ?) the diodes are just open circuits and do not interfere; for higher amplitudes, the diodes clip the signal to about ±0.7 Vpeak limiting the maximum power that reaches the receiver at about +10 dBm over 50 ?, which the vast majority of receiver circuits can easily tolerate. If you wonder why I specified +7 dBm for unclipped signals and +10 dBm for clipped ones of the same peak to peak amplitude, it’s because unclipped signals are supposed to have a nice sinusoidal shape; once clipped, they become more square and their RMS voltage is higher, explaining the 3 dB difference.”

Thanks for sharing this, Mehdi! I’m happy to see that the PL-680 has some built-in ESD protection.

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Which one: The Tecsun PL-660 or the PL-600?

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The Tecsun PL-600.

This morning, I received a question I’m often asked. It usually goes something like this:

“Should I purchase the Tecsun PL-600, or invest a little more and purchase the Tecsun PL-660? Is it worth the price difference?”

I decided it best to post this question, along with my response, below.

SWLing Post reader, Warren, writes:

“I have been on your web site for a couple of hours now. I especially appreciated your super review. From that I decided I liked the Tecsun PL-660 best. As I was looking for one on ebay, I saw an ad for a Tecsun PL-600. Although I did find specs on your web site, I did not find a review by you. I did find links to other reviews.

One person said a PL-600 was a PL-660 minus the AIR band.

Another said the SSB didn’t work until he took it apart and replaced a capacitor.

Another said the filters didn’t work as well on the 600, or didn’t exist.

Many said the quality was excellent – buy it! Many said it was terrible.

Can you tell me, in your opinion, which, if any, of the above you agree with? And give me your own rating of the 600?

The 600 is much less expensive than the 660. If it is missing filters and sound quality I’m not interested. If it is only missing the airline band I am very interested.”

Here’s my reply to Warren:

“It is confusing and, you’re right, for some reason I don’t think I’ve ever done my own review of the PL-600–though it’s been included in comparisons.

Here’s my answer to your question:

If you want the best overall performance, go for the Tecsun PL-660. I think it’s well worth the price.

The Tecsun PL-660.

The PL-660 has a great synchronous detector–something the PL-600 lacks–which helps with selective fading and pulling weak signals out of the murk. Since you can select the sideband for the sync lock, you can also use this function to help mitigate adjacent signal interference.

Don’t get me wrong: the Tecsun PL-600 is a great radio in its own right. Of the sub-$100 portables [currently $96 shipped via Amazon, $89.95 plus shipping via Universal Radio], it’s one of my favorites.

The ‘600 is one of the few portables on the market in this price range that has a BFO for single sideband listening (along with the CountyComm GP5/SSB and the Degen DE1103 DSP). When newcomers to the hobby want a full-featured sub-$100 radio that’s simple to operate, I often suggest the PL-600. I’ve never had any issues with my PL-600, by the way–it performed as specified right out of the box and continues to do so today.

But again, if one’s budget allows I always recommend the Tecsun PL-660. In my opinion, the ‘660 offers the best performance and features for the price [currently $109.95 plus shipping at Universal Radio, $119.99 shipped via Amazon].

At home, I believe I actually reach for the PL-660 more often than I do my pricier PL-880.

In a nutshell? Your hunch is right. Get the Tecsun PL-660.”

Readers: Do you agree or disagree? Feel free to comment!

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Danny’s Tecsun PL-660 still works after a serious mishap

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In response to our Mega Review, Danny Bower comments:

Fantastic review and whilst I know the article is an older one people will still read it when looking at a portable SW radio.

With this in mind I would like to make the following comment about the PL660. You say it is bulletproof and boy is it! Mine has been dropped, kicked and overwise abused and it’s still going strong.

Most remarkably it was knocked into a bucket of water, plugged in and powered up and was there for a good couple of hours fully submerged before I realised.

It wasn’t long good for a week or two but after 3 or 4 weeks I have it one last try before binning it and hey presto it came back to life! Ok the volume pot is now a bit scratchy but other than that it’s working just fine.

Want a radio that will take the general abuse of travelling – this is it…

Wow! Thanks for your comment, Danny! Most impressive that your PL-660 went diving that long and lived to tell the tale. Thanks for sharing!

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Tecsun S-8800 launch possibly first quarter 2016

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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.

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The Tecsun S-8800: A new receiver in the works

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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:

http://bbs.tecsun.com.cn/0002.asp?open=730351

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.

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Tecsun R-911: $15.80 with free shipping at Amazon

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Many thanks to SWLing Post reader “RCXB” who comments:

“Another radio deal, if you don’t mind the writing in Chinese, you can get a Tecsun R-911 for just $15.80… A couple dollars cheaper than its already-cheap re-branded Kaito WRX911 namesake that everyone raves about.”

As of this morning, there are still Tecsun R-911s in stock at this price.

While the “911” series of analog shortwave receivers (i.e. Tecsun R-911, Kaito WRX911) isn’t going to win any awards for outstanding performance, they are capable little radios for the price.

I have a Kaito WRX911 (above) and often use it as a low-end benchmark for inexpensive portables like the DE321. The WRX911 is a decent little mediumwave receiver as well; I especially love the fact that it does a decent job nulling unwanted signals as you turn the radio body.

Perhaps the best thing about the ‘911 series is that they’re dead simple to use. No manual needed. Just turn it on and tune around!

If you’re looking for a great shortwave receiver, skip this deal. If you’re looking for an inexpensive radio to keep in your car’s glove compartment, home emergency kit, or camping pack, click here to check out the Tecsun R-911 on Amazon.

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