{"id":48145,"date":"2021-03-10T07:58:14","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T11:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=48145"},"modified":"2021-03-10T09:16:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T13:16:32","slug":"michael-pairs-the-tecsun-pl-990-and-the-aor-la400","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/michael-pairs-the-tecsun-pl-990-and-the-aor-la400\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael pairs the Tecsun PL-990 and the AOR LA400"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Ye (BD4AAQ), for the following guest post:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

In the Loop:\u00a0PL-990 and LA400, a Perfect Match<\/b><\/h1>\n

by Michael Ye (BD4AAQ)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

PL-990 and LA400<\/p><\/div>\n

I have been a happy owner of Tecsun\u2019s PL-880 world band receivers for years. In fact I have two PL-880 radios, one sitting at home and the other staying in my car. So, after Tecsun introduced the new model PL-990 in late 2020, it didn\u2019t take me long to decide to purchase one. In this article I will discuss the Tecsun PL-990 receiver working with loop antennas, while referencing some relevant features of the PL-880.<\/p>\n

Overall performance of the PL-990<\/b><\/h2>\n

Merely by its model number, it is easy to regard the PL-990 as an upgraded version of the already highly reputable PL-880. As expected, the PL-990 can very much be regarded as a combination of all the existing fine radio features of the PL-880 AND the music and bluetooth additions, with a number of improvements for instance in shortwave and medium wave performance. The ergonomic design of the PL-990 looks and feels different from that of the PL-880 in a number of ways. Although I may prefer the the more slim and elegant appearance of the PL-880, the PL-990 gives a more rugged and durable feeling, among other improvements over the older PL-880.<\/p>\n

Working with loop antennas<\/b><\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>

The PL-990 and the PL-880 side by side<\/p><\/div>\n

Living on the twelfth floor of a condominium in the crowded Shanghai, I have often been fascinated with loop antennas. As a licensed amateur operator, I have used the MFJ-1786X and have been impressed with its performance. On reception, I also find loop antennas appealing, as they are able to pull in weak signals while noticeably reducing electro-magnetic interference rampant in the urban environment. I have an unbranded shortwave loop antenna which I believe is based on and performs similarly with the AOR LA320. Despite its excellent performance, it is only good for the 5MHz – 15MHz shortwave range. So a few years ago when AOR launched the new LA400 wideband loop antenna, I bought one, which I often pair up with the PL-880 and other radios for shortwave listening, and get satisfactory results!<\/p>\n

Antenna Switch on the PL-990<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now, back to the PL-990. When I first tried the PL-990 with the LA400, the results were generally good but not as good as as compared with using the same LA400 on my PL-880. This puzzled me for a day or so until I realised that the PL-990 actually has an antenna switch which the PL-880 does not have. The switch is used to toggle between an internal antenna (i.e. the built-in ferrite bar\/telescopic antenna) and an external one (e.g. the AOR LA400). So a new PL-990 user who has often operated the PL-880 when first using the PL-990 could easily ignore the switch which should be pushed to \u201cExt\u201d when plugging in an external antenna. This explains why the PL-990 may suddenly appear less sensitive than expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cExt\u201d antenna input for all bands<\/b><\/h2>\n

Contrary to the PL-880 whose external antenna socket is only good for shortwave signal input, the PL-990\u2019s external antenna socket works with all bands, from long wave to FM. I found this to be an important and very useful change, and a pleasant surprise for my LA400, which covers a wide range of frequencies from long wave to medium wave to FM and up to 500MHz.<\/p>\n

Once the LA400 is connected, the correct band selected, and last but not least the antenna switch turned to \u201cExt\u201d, the PL-990 and the LA400 work like a charm in the indoor setting, remarkably better than the built-in telescopic antenna. With the loop connected, while there is not much to expect on the long wave band because of very few long wave stations remaining in the world, reception improves considerably on all other bands including on the medium wave and FM bands, as is also reflected on the upper right hand display of the signal strength and S\/N ratio readings. Needless to say, performance on shortwave is as good as on the PL-880, if not better (again, remember to push the antenna switch to \u201cExt\u201d when using it on the PL-990). Using the AOR loop on the PL-990 for FM reception is somewhat different as there does not seem to be a noticeable tuning point. Simply select the \u201cOthers\u201d band, which appears to be broad enough for fair FM reception.<\/p>\n

Tecsun AN-200 loop antenna<\/b><\/h2>\n

It is worth mentioning that I have a Tecsun AN-200 tunable medium wave antenna, which I have not used often. As its name suggests, it is for medium wave reception only. I tried it on the PL-990. Works great.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The AN-200 and the PL-990<\/p><\/div>\n

It is hard to tell which one, the PL-LA400 or the AN-200, fares better, as the signal strength and S\/M readings are quite close. They both perform better than the radio\u2019s internal ferrite bar antenna to varying degrees, by improving the signal strength or the S\/N ratio or both. The Tecsun loop is a passive antenna, meaning no power is required, making it easy to be used \u201cwirelessly\u201d, by simply placing the loop close to the radio, without having to be connected to the radio via a cable.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chocolate, our house cat, tries to enhance reception with her tail<\/p><\/div>\n

It should be noted that in the \u201cwireless\u201d mode of the AN-200 the antenna switch on the PL-990 should remain at \u201cInt\u201d so as for its built-in ferrite bar and the loop to couple with each other.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Michael Ye (BD4AAQ), for the following guest post: In the Loop:\u00a0PL-990 and LA400, a Perfect Match by Michael Ye (BD4AAQ) I have been a happy owner of Tecsun\u2019s PL-880 world band receivers for years. In fact I have two PL-880 radios, one sitting at home and the other staying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,3607,5935,3194,433,3,3196,129,43,154],"tags":[108,1983,9183,9184,4667,3417,9185,9182,7811,479,7958,7810],"class_list":["post-48145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-antennas","category-dx","category-guest-posts","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-portable-radio","category-reviews","category-shortwave-radio","category-shortwave-radio-reviews","tag-an200","tag-aor","tag-aor-la400","tag-la400","tag-loop-antennas","tag-magnetic-loop-antennas","tag-mfj-1786x","tag-michael-ye-bd4aaq","tag-pl-990","tag-tecsun","tag-tecsun-an200","tag-tecsun-pl-990"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-cwx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45288,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/field-notes-comparing-the-tecsun-pl-990x-and-pl-880\/","url_meta":{"origin":48145,"position":0},"title":"Field Notes: Comparing the Tecsun PL-990x and PL-880","author":"Thomas","date":"September 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many of you have been asking about the new Tecsun PL-990, especially as compared with the venerable PL-880. If you haven't checked out Dan Robinson's post yet, I highly recommend you do so. His long-format video will also give you a good indication of how both radios compare. Also check\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-Tecsun-PL-880-1-4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-Tecsun-PL-880-1-4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-Tecsun-PL-880-1-4.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-Tecsun-PL-880-1-4.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-Tecsun-PL-880-1-4.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45427,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/tecsun-pl-990x-vs-pl-880-comparing-ssb-audio-characteristics-and-pre-production-production-pl-990-models\/","url_meta":{"origin":48145,"position":1},"title":"Tecsun PL-990x vs. PL-880: Comparing SSB audio characteristics and pre-production\/production PL-990 models","author":"Thomas","date":"September 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A number of SWLing Post readers have been asking about SSB audio characteristics on the new Tecsun PL-990. Earlier this week, I took a moment while visiting family to make a few quick comparison videos with the PL-880 outdoors and away from RFI. As I mention in the videos, there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-PL-990x-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-PL-990x-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-PL-990x-2.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-PL-990x-2.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Tecsun-PL-990-and-PL-990x-2.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40100,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/video-comparing-audio-of-tecsun-pl-990-and-pl-680\/","url_meta":{"origin":48145,"position":2},"title":"Video: Comparing audio of Tecsun PL-990 and PL-680","author":"Thomas","date":"October 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steve Lebkuecher, who shares this video which compares the speaker audio of the PL-990 and PL-680: https:\/\/youtu.be\/anWfnsWNi_Q Click here to view on YouTube. I would love to hear a comparison with the PL-880 since the PL-880's audio is also superior to that of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PL-990-PL-680-1024x545.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PL-990-PL-680-1024x545.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PL-990-PL-680-1024x545.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38092,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/06\/the-tecsun-pl-990-the-next-full-featured-portable\/","url_meta":{"origin":48145,"position":3},"title":"The Tecsun PL-990: The next full-featured portable?","author":"Thomas","date":"June 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"[Update: Please check out this post about the Tecsun PL-990.] Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following image originally posted in the Shortwave Radio Listener Appreciation Facebook group: This looks like a solid iteration of the venerable Tecsun PL-880. While the previous photo we posted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/PL-990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/PL-990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/PL-990.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/PL-990.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40435,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/the-new-tecsun-an-48x-active-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":48145,"position":4},"title":"The new Tecsun AN-48x Active Loop Antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"November 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who shares a link to the new Tecsun AN-48x Active Loop Antenna at Anon-Co. Here's the description from Anon-Co: TECSUN AN-48x is an active loop antenna for enhancing shortwave (SW), medium wave (MW\/AM) and longwave (LW) reception. Unlike previous models (DE31MS, A38-LMS)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tecsun-AN-48x-Active-Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44652,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/photos-of-the-tecsun-pl-990\/","url_meta":{"origin":48145,"position":5},"title":"Photos of the Tecsun PL-990","author":"Thomas","date":"August 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, George Joachim, who shares the following photo of his recently acquired Tecsun PL-990. George also shared the following comment: I have just received my PL 990 from Ali Express. Suitably impressed everything works as advertised and yes it is the newer (TIME TIMER A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Tecsun-PL-990-GeorgeJoachim-1-1-e1596712899547.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Tecsun-PL-990-GeorgeJoachim-1-1-e1596712899547.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Tecsun-PL-990-GeorgeJoachim-1-1-e1596712899547.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Tecsun-PL-990-GeorgeJoachim-1-1-e1596712899547.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48145\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}