TECSUN PL-660 Portable Shortwave FM/AM World Radio Compact Receiver Black(UK-PL660-Black))

Product Information

I placed a table in my driveway, far away from any source of RFI, and set up the radios in identical configurations: same orientation, antennas fully-extended, same AM bandwidth (4.0 kHz), same audio levels, etc. For good measure, I also included the venerable Tecsun PL-660 in the mix.

With the exception of the Sangean ATS-909X–on loan from a friend for the purposes of this review–I 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. Since I spend 95% of my listening time on shortwave, I’ll begin with shortwave performance. Again, we’ll compare the PL-680’s performance with that of the PL-660.

Medium Wave Performance

Online, I have read about many people being disappointed in their PL-660’s wide-bandwidth frequency calibration, where often being on-station results in the frequency being up to 5 kHz too low, and it seems many simply return their radios as defective, not realizing how easy it is to recalibrate. This is the first “instructional” video of this sort that I’ve ever posted online, so you’ll have to pardon if I am perhaps not explaining things clearly enough:

Addendum, 10/12/20: While writing this up yesterday evening, it occurred to me that I hadn’t tested the PL-660’s built-in whip antenna. This comparison is important, because sometimes the wire antenna is too cumbersome to deploy. So, how does the whip antenna compare? Honestly, I need help with an external antenna. Outside is not a good option, plus where I am there are enough thunderstorms from late spring to early autumn to give one pause. I have an attic with a decent amount of room and the usual amount of household wiring (ridge as well as floor), plus two TV antennas (cut the cord years ago). The available attic space is about 40′ long with the ridge being about 7′ high but going out to the eaves with a wire isn’t very practical. I could make a loop, about 25′ to 30′ long on two sides, with the sides separated by 10′ or so, mid-way between floor and ceiling without too much trouble, if that’s an option. Alternatively, Thomas was kind enough to suggest a wire of no more that 25′– 30′ because he was uncertain about the electrostatic discharge protection in the 330. He also suggested a tuner, which I’ll certainly get.

PL-660 price

The PL-380 seems to be unique among the three in having a thermometer. Use the “Display” mode button to switch between what’s displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. A long press of the “3” key with the radio OFF switches between 9 kHz and 10 kHz steps on the AM band and at the same time switches the temperature display from C to F.