Tecsun PL-360 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black

Better than expected. Controls and auto save functions are amazing. Easy to operate. Signal capabilities could have been better.

I've only recently purchased the Tecsun DSP PL-360 receiver but it seems to give good performance across all wave bands. Handheld, sturdy, with several very useful easy to use functions - memory, alarm, auto-scan etc.. The display includes time, temperature and so forth. It has FM, MW, SW. The telescopic antenna gives good reception for FM but the included additional clip-on (to the integral telescopic antenna) wire antenna is needed for SW, at least in my location. As is the included 'T' plug-in AM antenna. Also included is a set of small earpiece headphones. The only weird thing is the text on the packaging is in what appears to be either Japanese or Chinese, not sure which but the handbook is in English.

Well, what shall I say? I have my HAM radio license and I am used to highly expensive professional radio transceivers and receivers. I am also a little bit of a radio addict and a lover of radio receivers of all kinds. I came across this PL-360 that is also available under other trades names and in the USA under Government Equipment available and for sure of different sales prices. I ordered this item at Amazon and was disappointed about the performance when I received it. It was my fault as always, radio amateurs think that they know it all. Wrong! Without reading the instruction manual you will be stranded in no time. This is not the old fashioned, as usual, tuning knob device as this is more the latest Easy Tuning Mode facility as used by very expensive Icom IC705 SDR (Software Defined Radio) computer radios. Tuning was easy if you follow the manual. - The sound is out of this world compared to the dimensions of the radio as well the price. If you use the supplied two different antennae you will find an open world of Short Wave Radio. It is beyond belief what you have in your hands. I used a professional antenna system and I was surprised what I got. It was not less than my highly expensive broadcasting Short Wave receivers. I missed the SSB facility, but then that is not of interest for the normal mortal. This radio is one of the few essentials for any kind of emergency that occurs frequently in Australia, fires, water, storms, and other unpleasantnesses that mother Nature has to offer frequently. This radio is small and can go everywhere and will inform you what is on and what is not. At least you are informed of what is happening around you. In these uncertain times, it is good to be and keep informed. One never knows what is next happening. The mobile phone maybe not working, out of power, or prevented to connect to the service provider. MW and SW are always working somehow and you are informed. My advise: This radio is not a luxury, nor a toy but a necessity and the price is just perfect.

My Tecsun PL-360 has so far exceeded all my expectations. The MW and FM sensitivity is good. I've seen no issues at all with selectivity. A bunch of its features are entertaining. The Signal Strength and Signal/Noise indicators really do work and prove that the assorted antenna options make a difference. I didn't buy it to use as a MW DXing toy, but it's quickly become one. I haven't given it much of a workout on the SW bands, but the initial ETS scan (indoors) did pick up stations. For no good reason, I even turned ON the LW band (instructions are in the manual) and that worked. I think that I heard a coded signal from a navigation transmitter. That's interesting but not useful for me, so it's back OFF.. I put in 3 used AA NiMH batteries and set up the Sleep Timer to keep the radio ON. I thought I was testing its power consumption. Several days have passed without recharging and the radio is still running! A bunch of features that I wouldn't have understood before getting the radio have turned out to be very nice. The buttons are small, but it's a small radio. The enclosed manual has some quirky instructions, but everything is there in it. If you hate programming your own home digital thermostat, the radio probably isn't for you. If you refuse to follow instructions, you won't get very far with this radio. But I'm really pleased that I bought it! ===== P.S. It's a day since I wrote my original review and I haven't turned off the radio yet. It's still playing an AM station through its speaker... so the battery LIFE is excellent! The battery level indicator shows remaining battery charge still available too, but I'm tiring of the sound of the thing in the background! Maybe I'll stuff into a sock and stash it in a dresser drawer just to see how much longer the batteries will hold up (they are green and black with a copper colored top and labelled "DURACELL RECHARGEABLE AA/HR6/DX1500 NiMH 1.2V/2000mAh". Pretty good, I think! ===== P.P.S. Well, another 24 hours has elapsed and the radio is still playing through its speaker. The BATTERY INDICATOR is showing near empty, but it's not yet flashing as promised in the Operation Manual that it eventually will. I'll wait until the radio dies, then recharge through the USB port. I'm not going to report on this again... it's not useful info except to note that battery life really good and not something to be concerned with! ===== another note: Using the LW band with the included plugin AM antenna I was able to find (on the ground) the local airport radio navigation approach beacon that I earlier heard at 385 KHz. According to Google Earth, it turned out to be 10 miles from where I first heard it and at an angle of 40° off of the aircraft flight path that it marks. That antenna shows a significant sharp "null" that aligns with the antenna position and works pretty well as a direction finder as well as a noise cancelling aid for both the LW and MW bands. Maybe FUN for DXing... kind of like geo-caching with a LW receiver!

Justo lo que esperaba ,buena recepcion de estaciones ,buena portabilidad para viajes o actividades al aire libre

Seams to have a mind of its own, turns on by its self, for some reason, most stations l get are gospel from the states,need to read the manual a few times to understand it.