Tecsun PL680 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM/LW/SW and Air Band Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception

title + it's insane what radio stations you can hear. I have been able to hear Voice of China, Voice of Romania, South/North Korean radio stations, Cubans and more! As well as the AM/FM works perfectly fine. This radio also has a Air band which means if you live near an airport or go to one you can hear plane chatter (I tested it and it works perfectly)! which is insane. But if you live indoors of course the signal will be fuzzy. For the best quality go outside. I love and would recommend this radio to anyone who is interested in shortwave radios.

I purchased the PL-680 in 2020, and it hasn't disappointed me. In the world of shortwave and single sideband (SSB) radios, I think this radio one of the best portable radios you can buy for shortwave band reception - at any price. Features: The PL-680 is essentially an improved Tecsun PL-660, with larger controls, improved sensitivity and a slightly better AGC. It has PLL tuning, digital display, synchronous detection, 3-way antenna gain switch, and it covers the AM/FM/SW/AIR and LW bands. Power: Four AA batteries. There is also a separate dedicated voltage specification for either alkaline or NiMh rechargeables. With NiMh rechargeable batteries installed, the supplied A/C wall wart functions as charger, and once charged, you can run the radio solely on clean DC battery power for many hours. Current production radios also use firmware that allows SW frequency calibration. The integrated slow/fast tuning control knob is easy to use and a definite plus. Shortwave: Outstanding. This model isn't as well-known or as frequently reviewed as other Tecsun models, but in fact it's one of the most sensitive in terms of shortwave reception (much, much better, for example, than the Tecsun PL-880, and it's slightly more sensitive than the PL-660). The PL-680 also has great selectivity on SW. Unlike many radios of this type, it has an excellent synch detector on both AM shortwave and SSB, with a strong lock. The PL-680 also uses PLL tuning, so there's no chuffing or muting when changing frequencies. There is a 3-position antenna gain (attenuation) switch to minimize overloading from strong signals, and you'll need to learn how to use this effectively to maximize the radio's SW capabilities (especially when using long external antennas). I've gotten clear reception of Radio New Zealand (6,770 miles) and Voice of Turkey (6,997 miles) using only the attached telescopic antenna. Also captured readable reception of China Radio International (7,257 miles) and All India Radio (9,300 miles) using a backyard horizontally-oriented wire loop antenna. SSB: Excellent. Very good BFO control. You can use both upper and lower single sideband (SSB) for sync detection. AGC is fast and stable. Medium wave: Mediocre. AM reception has been criticized as atrocious by some reviewers, but I think it's a little better than that. While it's no AM DX-ing superstar, the small internal loopstick antenna in the PL-680 will bring in most regional AM stations. Selectivity is excellent. I picked up WYLL 1160AM Illinois at night from its transmitter at 1,413 miles, which is impressive, considering that WYLL is directional and that KSL 1160AM (50kW) in Salt Lake City is directly in line with my reception path. Still, this isn't your best choice if you want to receive distant or low-powered AM radio stations. AIR band: Good. This band pulls in all local aircraft and tower frequencies in my area using the whip antenna. FM: Very good. One station received from a 180-mile distant city. FM reception is clean and stereo is obtained using the 3.5mm headphone jack. Longwave: No opinion. There is almost nothing to listen to where I live except for a single airport beacon. Audio Quality: Just OK. Similar audio to other shortwave portables of its relative size and price, mostly due to the shallow speaker (there isn't much room for a speaker inside the box). AM audio voice quality is fine, but music quality isn't good. At home, I use an inexpensive BT speaker attached to the PL-680's earphone jack with a 3.5mm cable. Quality Control. There are complaints about quality control with every single portable radio sold these days, and Tecsun is no exception. All I can say about the PL-680 is that I must have gotten a good one. I don't doubt other owners who received a radio with poor soldering, buggy first-version firmware, or other issues. I've owned the PL-680 for several years now and have had absolutely zero problems with it, so I know it can perform well if it's properly assembled and not abused. Bottom line: If listening to shortwave or SSB transmissions is your thing, and you need a portable, this is the one to get.

This is a great radio for the money if you're looking to get into shortwave with only a few issues. Pros: -Feels quality and looks great. Buttons, tuning knobs, nothing feels cheap. -Sound is really good given the size of the radio -Comes with a wire antenna and faux leather case -Fun to DX shortwave stations -Upper and Lower SSB -Synchronous detection Cons: 1) The display light only stays on for 30 secs at a time, I would like to have a way to keep it on, especially when listening in the dark. 2) The leather case that comes with it is really only for travel. It's not really practical to use while listening to the radio, that's a bit disappointing. 3) My shortwave frequencies seem spot on so far, but my FM stations seem to be off about 5 hz. Not a big deal, but noticeable. Your mileage may vary.

First off do the setup and then calibrate, after that tune accordingly and this thing sounds great! I was disappointed at first because I was hearing chopping on FM but then I tuned the radio and wow! My favorite station these days is 88.1 FM KJAZZ for music. I calibrated the FM band and only noticed a little noise on the station. I tuned to 88.07 and perfect! The station sounds better that on my other radios. The noise is gone. I thought noise was just that station. I haven't tried SW, AIR, or LW but I think I will enjoy them on this receiver. This thing has big sound! I think it sounds better than the Sangean HDR 16 on its one speaker. Jazz sounds great on HiFi headphones. Rock rocks! Hip Hop has great bass. I recommend this for collectors and not casual listening.

Da appassionato di elettronica e di frequenze amatoriali sono rimasto sbalordito dalla sensibilità di ricezione e comprensibilità dell'audio, è un ricevitore straordinario, molto semplice da usare, praticamente dopo mezz'ora non aveva segreti senza leggere le istruzioni (che sono solo in inglese) utilizzando la seconda antenna in dotazione (un pezzo di filo lungo circa 5mt) si può ascoltare di tutto su tutte le bande. L'audio stereofonico in FM sulle frequenze commerciali e limpidissimo, praticamente per due giorni da quando mi è stato consegnato è stato acceso da mattina a sera tardi perché crea dipendenza. Sono assolutamente soddisfatto dell'acquisto, lo consiglio a chi ha un pò di esperienza per poterlo sfruttare al meglio visto il costo non proprio economico, unico disappunto è la mancanza delle batterie, ho acquistato a parte 4 stilo AA NI-MH ricaricabili (circa 10€) la radio ha la predisposizione per la ricarica, oppure si possono usare batterie normali usa e getta. (chi ha bisogno di istruzioni in italiano online si trovano quelle del PL-660 che era il modello precedente) AGGIORNAMENTO: le batterie usa e getta dopo due giorni di uso intenso erano quasi scariche, le NI-MH ricaricabili dopo una settimana si è spenta una tacca.... fantastico!!

Das ist das erste Gerät in der Größe, welches den SONY 7600 G ersetzen kann. Auf kleinem Raum ist es gelungen, alle Tasten so unterzubringen, daß sie auch noch greifbar sind. Der Klang ist erstaunlich gut. Die Senderspeicherung ist etwas umständlich, was durch die Bänke für die überflüssigen 2000 Speicherplätze verursacht wird. Nachteilig ist, daß Sender nicht einschl. der Betriebsart gespeichert werden können. Ebenso wäre ein Squelch wünschenswert. Die Empfindlichkeit auf Kurzwelle ist hervorragend. Sogar eine Bandbreitenumschaltung ist vorhanden. Mit Langdrahtantenne trägt sie allerdings auch dazu bei, daß im Flugfunk einige Rundfunkstationen von der Djunke durchschlagen. Das geschieht auch schwach mit der Teleskopantenne. Wer sich daran stört, soll etwas Größeres kaufen. Der BFO hat eine Raste in der Mitte, die aber etwas schwach ist. Die Teleskopantenne ist recht lang. Trotzdem wird man unter bestimmten Bedingungen die Wurfantenne einsetzen müssen. Da die mitgelieferte Wurfantenne umständlich zu handhaben ist, ist noch die Rollantenne von SONY angesagt. Für den Fall einer Übersteuerung gibt es an der Seite einen Abschwächer. Sehr vorteilhaft ist die Möglichkeit, die Akkus zu laden, während sie im Gerät sind, was früher nur mit Löten möglich war. Das geht aber nur beim abgeschalteten Gerät, ein Pufferbetrieb ist nicht möglich. Freude macht die geringe Stromaufnahme von 70 mA. Die Standzeit mit ENELOOP-Akkus scheint endlos. Das Ladegerät hat im unbelasteten Zustand etwas Eigenverbrauch, verbreitet aber keine Störstrahlung. Netzstörungen werden natürlich durchgeleitet. Der Netzstecker war bei der Anlieferung verbogen. Beim Ladestecker ist der Minus auf dem Mittelstift, nicht aussen. Kaum zu glauben! Das gab es mal ca.1969 bei japanischen Magnetbandgeäten. Das kleine engl. Handbuch kann ohne Lupe gelesen werden, und ist sehr übersichtlich und komplett. Angesichts des Preis/Leistungsverhältinisses, der Fähigkeiten und der Größe kann das Gerät gut als Ersatz des SONY 7600 dienen. !ACHTUNG! Interessenten wird dringend empfohlen, bei einem anderen Händler zu kaufen. Das ist eine Erfahrung mit einem anderen Gerät. Das Geschäftsmodell sieht vor: Bei Rückgabe oder Reklamation eines defekten Gerätes muß das Paket auf eigene Kosten nach Spanien verschickt werden. Der Händler sagt dann, ein Fehler liege nicht vor, oder falsche Bedienung seitens des Kunden wäre die Ursache. Zusätzlich wird dann noch ein virtueller Kratzer erfunden. Dafür wird dann der um 30% reduzierte Kaufpreis zurückgezahlt. AMAZON wurde in Kenntnis gesetzt.

Simplestmente é ótimo.

Impressive piece of kit. Can use recharageable or non recharageable batteries, dependent on switch setting. Lots of presets. Excellent value.

このラジオには、製品案内や製品レビューに記載されていないけれど、とても(自分にとり)大事な機能があります。それはチューニングダイアルがクリック方式やテンキー方式だけではないこと。 固定型の通信型受信機のように連続可変タイプのチューニングが嬉しいです。 ＳＳＢやＣＷの受信には欠かせません。 短波帯の受信だけでなく、夜間に中波帯で遠方の放送局を受信するのも、連続可変タイプに限ります。 これだけで星満点です。 受信性能も問題ありません。デザインも好感が持てます。かっては国内メーカーもこのような素晴らしいラジオを生産していたのですが、今では海外製品ばかりです。２年前に購入した、ＰＬ―６６０が１年ほどで壊れてしまったので、こちらに耐久性があれば、さらに良いのですが。