{"id":10124,"date":"2014-07-08T12:54:13","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T16:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=10124"},"modified":"2014-07-08T17:15:55","modified_gmt":"2014-07-08T21:15:55","slug":"the-mega-shortwave-radio-review-of-the-pl-880-pl-660-ats-909x-and-icf-sw7600gr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/the-mega-shortwave-radio-review-of-the-pl-880-pl-660-ats-909x-and-icf-sw7600gr\/","title":{"rendered":"Mega Review: the Tecsun PL-880, PL-660, Sangean ATS-909X, and Sony ICF-SW7600GR go head-to-head"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article, which extensively reviews\u2013and compares\u2013the Tecsun PL-880, PL-660, the Sangean ATS-909X, and the Sony ICF-SW7600GR, originally appeared in the June 2014 issue of\u00a0The Spectrum Monitor Magazine<\/a>. Without a doubt, it’s my longest and\u00a0most comprehensive review to date.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"AllFourRadios\"<\/p>\n

Summer: \u00a0time for travel\u2013and for portable shortwave DXing. As I mentioned in the March TSM issue<\/b>, I love<\/i> combining travel with shortwave radio listening<\/a>. But what radio should I pack?<\/p>\n

This time of year, on the SWLing Post<\/em>, I receive an increase in the number of queries asking some variation of the following, \u201cWhat is the best, full-featured, portable shortwave radio on the market?\u201d Oftentime it\u2019s an upcoming trip, or just some time off work, that prompts the question, but without a doubt, this is the most-often-asked question from my readers. Typically, the reader has several models in mind and is curious how they compare. And since a good portable radio costs between $100 – $230 US, it\u2019s not an impulse purchase decision for most of us.<\/p>\n

In this month\u2019s column, I hope to answer this question as thoroughly as possible so you<\/i> can make an informed purchase decision that\u2019s right for you. All four radios I mention in this article are what I would call \u201cflagship portables\u201d (generally, these are the best portables from any particular manufacturer). These were recently featured in a highly-energized reader survey on the <\/a>SWLing Post<\/a>, <\/b>and are as follows: the Tecsun PL-660<\/b>, the Tecsun PL-880<\/b>, the Sony ICF-SW7600GR<\/b>, and the Sangean ATS-909X.<\/b><\/p>\n

\"AllFourRadiosInLine\"<\/p>\n

The price tags for these radios fluctuate, but all are generally available between $100-$230 US, and are actively in production right now.<\/p>\n

Moreover, all these radios have a similar form factor: they are portable enough to be operated handheld, sport a direct-frequency entry keypad, a dedicated external antenna jack, and a generous backlit display. All of them also have SSB, and all but one have selectable sideband synchronous detection.<\/p>\n

The competitors<\/b><\/h2>\n

With the exception of the Sangean ATS-909X\u2013on loan from a friend for the purposes of this review\u2013I have easily spent 40+ hours of listening time with each of these radios. I know their individual characteristics quite well and have used them in a variety of situations.<\/p>\n

In case you\u2019re not familiar with each of the contenders, a brief summary of each radio follows with an overview of the features that make it unique.<\/p>\n

Sangean ATS-909X<\/h2>\n

\"ATS-909X\"<\/p>\n

If there was an award for the best-looking <\/i>radio, I think the ATS-909X would win. The 909X designers put a great deal of thought behind the design and ergonomics of the 909X; for instance, there are two indentations on the back of the radio which allow it to fit nicely in your hands. \u00a0The 909X sports an internal speaker that produces excellent audio fidelity with a crisp response and even some distinct bass notes, especially notable if listening to an FM station. Of all of the radios listed here, the 909X has the the best variable receiver gain, tone control, largest display, and is the only radio with RDS (Radio Data System).<\/p>\n

\"909X-Grip\"<\/p>\n

While I like the position of the tuning wheel on the front of the radio, which is ideal for tuning with your thumb and reminiscent of the ICF-SW55, I don\u2019t like the indents you feel as you tune. If you\u2019re a listener that takes advantage of radio memory, the ATS-909X has a very appealing feature: alpha-numeric memory tags<\/i>. When you store a Radio Australia<\/i> frequency to memory, your 909X can display the full station name in large, easy-to-read characters.<\/p>\n

\"909Xdisplay\"<\/p>\n

There is one omission from the 909X, though, that I find a bit surprising: it has no synchronous detection. While I don\u2019t use a sync detector all of the time, it does come in handy when fading (QSB) and adjacent signal interference (if the sideband is selectable) are present. \u00a0For a radio that costs over $210 US, on average\u2013the priciest on this list, by a long shot\u2013I feel like sync should have been a given.<\/p>\n

Sony ICF-SW7600GR<\/h2>\n

\"Sony7600GR\"<\/p>\n

The Sony ICF-SW7600GR comes from a series of \u201c7600\u201d portables that date back to 1977.<\/a> Though the \u20197600GR has all of the modern features one would expect for a radio in its price class, it\u2019s a bare-bones receiver in this particular crowd. It lacks the advance memory functions of the PL-880, PL-660 and, especially, the 909X. The display is smaller and more basic, although it does provide the most vital information.<\/p>\n

I have traveled extensively with the \u20197600GR, however, as it has rock-solid, reliable<\/i> performance; it\u2019s my work horse and go-to radio for field recordings because I find its AGC and sync detector remain among the best in this class of radio. It also has a dedicated, stable line-out jack. Important controls are all accessible, and I can easily engage the key lock without fear of accidentally pressing the wrong button during the recording.<\/p>\n

\"SonyKeypad\"<\/p>\n

My main gripe about the \u20197600GR, however, is its lack of a tuning knob and overall poor ergonomics. \u00a0My personal preference is to use a tuning knob for band-scanning, as pressing buttons just doesn\u2019t give the same sense of responsiveness. \u00a0For casual tuning and band-scanning, I leave the \u20197600GR in its case. \u00a0Nor is this radio intuitive\u2013indeed, to learn all but the most obvious functions of the \u20197600GR, you\u2019ll need to reference the owner\u2019s manual. Audio from the \u20197600\u2019s internal speaker is average\/unremarkable.<\/p>\n

Still, my Sony \u20197600GR\u2019s solidity makes it a friend I would never part with. \u00a0The real test? If it was ever lost or broken, I would promptly repair or replace this radio.<\/p>\n

Tecsun PL-660<\/h2>\n

\"PL-660\"<\/p>\n

Though I\u2019m often an early adopter of new shortwave portables, I wasn\u2019t for the Tecsun PL-660. When it came out, I figured it would be redundant, considering the many other portables I own with synchronous detection.<\/p>\n

Long story short: \u00a0I was wrong.<\/p>\n

Having at last acquired the Tecsun PL-660 last year, I now know it\u2019s a pleasure to operate, and feature-rich for its price. The PL-660 is the bargain in this bunch of benchmark rigs, and significantly so: at an average price of $105 US currently, it is easily half<\/i> the price of the ATS-909X.<\/p>\n

The PL-660 is a pleasure to operate, and a true performer. \u00a0Its selectable synchronous detector is one of the best in this group of portables: it\u2019s on par with the Sony ICF-SW7600GR. It locks onto a station and rarely loses that lock. Ergonomics are excellent on the PL-660, too\u2013the buttons have a tactile response, are well marked, and all functions are simple to find. The right side-mounted tuning knob has a smooth action.<\/p>\n

The Tecsun PL-660 has been on the market since 2011 and has a dedicated following amongst SWLs, many of whom favor it above anything else in its class.<\/p>\n

Of course, the PL-660 isn\u2019t perfect, however. It lacks a line-out jack, something I find essential for recording shortwave broadcasts. The audio from the internal speaker is okay, but not on par with the ATS-909X, or its cousin, the PL-880 (below). Still, at $105 US, the PL-660 is truly a steal.<\/p>\n

Tecsun PL-880<\/h2>\n

\"PL-880<\/p>\n

The Tecsun PL-880 only started shipping in November 2013. It was highly anticipated as the new flagship portable in the Tecsun line. The PL-880 is chock-full of features and without a doubt, is the<\/i> most complicated portable I\u2019ve ever reviewed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The PL-880 feels like a quality piece of kit: its buttons have a highly-tactile response, the tuning\/volume wheels are silky smooth, and feel well-engineered. Out of the four portables evaluated here, I find the PL-880 the most pleasurable to operate. One of my favorite features is its dedicated fine-tuning knob, just below the main tuning knob on the right side of the radio.<\/p>\n

\"PL-880-RightSide\"<\/p>\n

Unquestionably, the one feature which makes the PL-880 highly desirable is the amazing audio fidelity you\u2019ll enjoy from its built-in speaker: it\u2019s well-balanced, rich, and clear. I almost can\u2019t emphasize this point enough\u2013the PL-880\u2019s speaker is capable of room-filling audio.<\/i> It\u2019s one of the few radios I\u2019ve ever owned (other than some of my antique tube radios) that encourage listening to shortwave from across the room, with pleasing results.<\/p>\n

The PL-880 also sports the most filter options of any other portable on the market. Indeed, in SSB mode, the filter can be narrowed all the way down to 500 hz, making this CW operator, at least, quite contented.<\/p>\n

Cons? Yes, the PL-880 has some. First of all, I feel like its current firmware version leaves room for improvement. One of the first things I had to do after receiving my radio was adjust the muting threshold so that it wouldn\u2019t engage<\/a>. Many of the PL-880\u2019s adjustments are mysteriously hidden, even undocumented in the manual. One such hidden feature is its synchronous detection, which is the least refined in this set of portables: it has difficulty maintaining a stable lock, thus audio is significantly compromised.<\/p>\n

[