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121 Reviews
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Great Little Radio
This radio works amazingly well for being so small. It's a bit pricy but you get what you pay for. The sound seems a little muted but not too bad overall. It's not going to work as the sound source for parties but for one person it works well. The tuning is very accurate and easy to use and the receiver is very sensitive. It works just as well as any of my larger table top receivers. I was also impressed by the fact that it uses common 18650 batteries and can be run or recharged from a normal 5 volt USB cell phone charger.
The only faults that I found are the side band functions on shortwave that work oddly. It doesn't have a BFO and when you press one of the buttons for USB or LSB it seems to change modes, there is silence for a second, then it starts playing in SB but the frequency is usually a little off and it has to be retuned. Also, while there is an external antenna jack that works for short wave and FM it does not work for AM or MW. If you have an outside antenna for AM and just hold the end of the cable next to the radio it will pick up the signal though. Lastly, while the 18650 battery is convenient it doesn't seem to last very long before it needs to be charged again. Maybe they should have used 2 batteries for better life instead of just one because the radio's clock is on all the time and so is the back light that will come on if you just touch one of the knobs and can run down the battery.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: m43camerasystem...
good radio if you do not need the sync feature
The sync feature is useless as it is, but the radio nonetheless is a very good buy. The sound of the speaker is incredible for a radio of this size, and the main reason why I bought it. Also has a very good AM and FM reception for a radio of its size. Just hope it will get updated with sync.
update: My unit failed, AM medium wave reception is now impossible on the radio after less than 1 month.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: anon-co
My New Go-To SSB SW Travel Radio
My previous portable SW radio was a Grundig G3. It had a number of problems and it finally came time to replace it and I definitely didn't want to replace it with a like radio from Eaton. The PL-880 addresses many of the G3's short comings.
I strongly prefer the Tecsun's analog volume control over the granular steps of digital controls. Button function is positive and seems well thought out. AM & FM operation are very good, making it a good go anywhere portable. If you use amplified speakers, the audio circuit seems to incorporate soft start so there is no annoying pop when turning the radio on or off. SW reception seems on par with other radios using an external antenna. The select-able IF band width is a nice feature for distant/weak AM & SW stations. Sound is good for such a small package. I like that it is slightly larger than the G3. The rechargeable 18650 battery gives the radio good battery life. Some reviewers have commented about the SSB audio but maybe I'm not as picky. SSB always sounds a little funny to me, regardless of what radio I use, so this radio's SSB performance seems okay to me and the choice of IF band widths is a nice bonus. Memory and scan functions are convenient and work well.
Two things to be aware of:
1) Like the G3, the kick stand on the PL-880 seems pretty delicate. I broke the one on the G3 and could not get a replacement. As such, I recommend making or buying a Portable Radio Stand. I made one that holds the radio at 45 degrees. This allows the antenna to stand straight upright, something that the antenna can't do when using the built in kick-stand. Seems like a design oversight if you ask me.
2) The seller includes a USB power supply but those things make a lot of EMI. So don't expect to charge the radio if you want to do any kind of SW listening at the same time. AM & FM is probably not a problem. I made a low noise 5.1V linear power supply circuit driven from an older 12VDC wall wort and it seems to have greatly reduced SW EMI during charging. But since the rechargeable battery life is decent, using the radio on battery only has been no problem either.
I can't yet say how well this radio will hold up over time but so far I'm happy with the PL-880 as my new travel radio.
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Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: kaito-electroni...
Excellent Shortwave Radio with SSB Reception
This receiver works great. I am very pleased with it's qualities. Has great sound and has great selectivity and sensitivity. Lots of memory available for storing frequencies. Radio has great coverage and the attached whip antenna provides great signal strength. The internal rechargeable battery works very well and provides excellent duration of power. All of the extra features included are a bonus. The portability of the radio is good and allows you to be mobile and even travel with it using the internal clock and alarm features.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: kaito-electroni...
Nice for the price
Has very good sound from the speaker and does a very good job of reception in AM on both Shortwave and AM broadcast Band. FM broadcast band also. Only shortcoming is SSB—it tends to drift and need adjustment with the fine tuning about every half hour. Using all the features can be complicated, but basic use is very easy. It would have been nice if the keypad was backlit so you could see what you’re doing in dim light or at night. Be aware you have no way of hooking up an external antenna for anything on the Medium wave (AM Broadcast) or Long Wave bands. That is in the description so I won’t fault it for that, but I hope the next version is designed differently for that. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: kaito-electroni...
Great radio with numerous features
Excellent product. Not the easiest to originally use, but great instruction manual as you learn the numerous features.. Recommend this radio, even if you aren't interested in the BFO function. The sound is much improved over earlier models. The fast recharge capability makes a spare battery unnecessary. I would buy it again.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: kaito-electroni...
Amazing Sound
The sound quality is Amazing and that is saying something.
The only thing is you are going to need a outside antenna to get any SW and Side Band stations otherwise Am/Fm work like they should. <br>If you live out in the country away from big city this will work Amazingly.
If your in Big City like I am? Going to need a Powerful or Outside Antenna lots of interference with congested neighborhoods.
Screen is crystal clear tuning is precise.
This is dollar for dollar the best all band radio out right now!
Nothing can touch this for audio quality and construction for the price!
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Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: shje_99
Biggest Bang for your Buck
Excellent value. intuitive controls, heavy feel, attention to detail, long lasting battery, will need an external antenna to make it sing like it was designed to for shortwave... amazing FM reception great AM reception, the best scanning function / feature I've seen on this price range radio... did I say Excellent value..??Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: anon-co
A good world portable radio
What is good:
High sensitivity and selectivity with adjustable filters bandwidth. Frequency calibration using broadcast stations. Two tuning encoders for coarse and fine tuning. Screen light switch to keep light constantly on. I use it during night time as a clock/alarm connected to the wall power adapter. Nice appearance and build quality. Very good sound quality.
What is bad:
There is only one bad thing so far. Every phrase in SSB mode starts with overdrive/distortion which is annoying. AGC attack is too slow to keep signal clean. Looks like Tecsun engineers cannot fix this problem after few years of manufacturing. What a shame. I would prefer lower sound level but clean sound.
Other than this it is a good portable radio.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: anon-co
Tecsun PL-880 shortwave portable
This radio is a very nice portable with a lot of features, hidden and otherwise. Sound is outstanding. I consider it almost equal in performance as my Sony ICF-2010 which I purchased new back in 1993. Of course it has way more memory storage than I will ever use. The only gripe I have is it lacks an air band like my PL-660 and Sony. Only have had it a little over a week but I am very please so far.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: anon-co
A Quality Look and Feel - Excellent Performance and Value
The Tecsun PL-880 a best of its class portable SW + AM/FM/SSB receiver. The radio has a quality feel and appearance. It also has good sensitivity and a wide selection of bandwidth filters.
The signal strength and signal to noise ratio is displayed as well as frequency and other operating information. The rechargeable LiIon battery (included) means you won't constantly buying batteries for this radio, This fine receiver has a quality feel and the fidelity coming from the speaker makes this radio amazing for a portable of this size.
The PL-880 has many features missing in most portables at this price point. The 10Hz SSB tuning rate and selectable sideband make tuning and listening to SSB signals simple and provides a truly useful SSB portable. The nice leather slipcase and included accessories mean that everything you need comes in the box.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: anon-co