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Tecsun PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception
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Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
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Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | TECSUN |
Color | Black & Gray |
Special Feature | Portable |
Connectivity Technology | USB |
Product Dimensions | 7.5"L x 1.25"W x 4.5"H |
Tuner Technology | AM/FM |
Power Source | Battery Powered |
Radio Bands Supported | 2-Band |
Display Technology | LCD |
Recommended Uses For Product | Indoor/Outdoor |
About this item
- Full range coverage including AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave with Single Side Band
- PLL synthesized digital dual conversion receiver with unparallelled sensitivity & selectivity
- 4 & 5 selectable bandwidth filters on AM and SSB respectively plus single Side Band receiver with 10 Hz tuning step
- 24 hour alarm clock plus sleep timer from 0-120 minutes
- Powered by one rechargeable battery with built-in charger, battery included
Additional Details
Frequently bought together
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This Item Tecsun PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | $169.98$169.98 | $84.98$84.98 | $79.98$79.98 | $329.98$329.98 | $69.99$69.99 | $245.44$245.44 |
Delivery | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Volume control | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
Sound quality | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
Sleep mode | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.0 | — |
Battery life | 4.4 | — | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.3 | — |
Value for money | — | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.9 | — | 4.2 |
Sold By | Electronnix | Electronnix | Electronnix | Electronnix | AURSINC | Hour Loop |
power source | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Corded Electric |
supported bands | 2-Band | AM/FM | AM/FM | Dual Selectable | FM, AM, SW | AM/FM/SW/LW/Air |
connectivity tech | USB | USB | USB | Wireless | USB | Auxiliary |
hardware interface | usb, 3 5 mm audio | usb micro a | usb micro a | microsd, 3 5 mm audio, usb2.0 micro a | usb, 3 5 mm audio | usb, 2 5 mm audio |
display type | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | Touch Screen,Lcd | LCD |
power rating | 3 watts | 0.5 watts | 0.2 watts | 6 watts | — | — |
Looking for specific info?
Product information
Product Dimensions | 7.56 x 1.3 x 4.45 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 1.15 pounds |
ASIN | B00GJ51NVA |
Item model number | PL880 |
Batteries | 1 AA batteries required. (included) |
Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #20,407 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #34 in Portable Shortwave Radios |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | February 23, 2011 |
Manufacturer | Tecsun |
Country of Origin | China |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Product Description
Specifications:
Firmware version: 8820
-Frequency Range:
FM: 64-108 MHz
SW: 1711-29999 KHz
AM: 520-1710 KHz
LW: 100-519 KHz
-Sensitivity
FM <3 uV
AM <3mV / m
LW <5mV / m
SW <20 uV
SSB <3 uV
-Selectivity:
FM > 35 dB
MW / LW > 40 dB
SW > 40 dB
-S/N Ratio:
FM> 65dB
MW/LW > 40dB
SW > 45dB
-Output Power > 450 mW
-Speaker: Diameter 40mm / Impedance 4 Ohm / Power 3W
-Earphone Jack: Diameter 3.5mm
-Power supply:
-Rechargeable battery: Li-ion 3.7V
-External adaptor: USB jack, DC 5V, Current >300mA
-Dimensions: approx. 7 ½ (W) X 4 ½ (H) X 1 ¼ (D)
-Weight: 1 lb 3 oz(battery not included)
Accessories:
Rechargeable battery
External shortwave antenna
Stereo earphones
Carrying pouch
User manual
Kaito Electronics, Inc., amazon.com seller ID: Electronnix, is Tecsun's sole distributor and service provider in North America. Only Tecsun radios sold by Kaito have user manuals in English and suitable power adapters.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the weight, sound quality, ease of use, and reception of the radio. For example, they mention it's totally portable, has robust audio quality, and is easy to operate precisely. Some appreciate the tuning, value, and quality. That said, opinions are mixed on the battery life.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the radio. They mention that it is well built, has excellent quality, and is feature rich. They also say that it holds up well to packing and is highly ranked on all SWL websites. Customers also say it is the best SSB they have ever experienced from a portable and an incredible receiver.
"...In any event, that's a very minor quibble. This is still the best SSB I've ever experienced from a portable...." Read more
"...I can't complain at all about the radio. It's very highly ranked on all the SWL websites.The FM reception and sound quality is great...." Read more
"...more expensive radios I own so you'd expect it to be feature rich, well built and sound better than less expensive radios, it is and it does...." Read more
"...The station memory works fine, although other than the use listed above, I don't fool with memories that much except to save my local NPR..." Read more
Customers like the sound quality of the radio. They say it has a robust audio quality, and sounds better than less expensive radios. They also say the controls are excellent and have a great feel to them. Overall, customers are satisfied with the sound performance and ease of use.
"...A strong music AM station with the 9 kHz BW option engaged sounds absolutely amazing. For most AM listening I keep it on "5"...." Read more
"...The FM reception and sound quality is great. I assume MW reception is also good...." Read more
"...so you'd expect it to be feature rich, well built and sound better than less expensive radios, it is and it does...." Read more
"...The sound is good for a smaller radio...." Read more
Customers find the radio easy to use. They mention that the controls have a tactical feel to them and operate smoothly. They also appreciate the understandable operating manual and clear instructions. Customers say that it works on all bands and that it's easy to switch between stations. They say it'll be handy for slowly working through conversations.
"...As mentioned earlier, this radio has incredible bandwidth options for a portable. In AM/SW mode you have 9, 5, 3.5 and 2.3 kHz options available...." Read more
"...Lots of things are adjustable to improve reception, like AM bandwidth, gain, etc.,..." Read more
"...The auto tuning feature works on all bands and its easy to switch between stations just by turning the main tuning dial instead of paging through..." Read more
"...I like being able to plug it into a USB charging port. It's very convenient.The fine tuning knob on my radio operated stiffly...." Read more
Customers like the reception of the radio. They say it has outstanding reception, superior shortwave reception, and good FM performance. Some mention that the antenna-alone receives SW well. That said, some complain about the AM performance.
"...* Very good SSB reception on the Ham Bands ... all the way through 10 Meters!..." Read more
"...It's very highly ranked on all the SWL websites.The FM reception and sound quality is great. I assume MW reception is also good...." Read more
"...The set picks up shortwave stations fairly well. There are not as many of them on the air as there once were...." Read more
"...display a ton of information, but I do like having a numeric value for the signal strength and S/N ratio. Helps for reception reporting...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the battery life of the radio. Some mention that it lasts a long time, holds a charge, and is easy on the battery. Others say that it was dead after a week, the battery is weird, and takes quite a while to charge fully.
"...The rechargeable battery lasts many hours. I like being able to plug it into a USB charging port. It's very convenient...." Read more
"...The provided 18650 battery holds a charge for a long time! I like that it's rechargeable, and I'm sure it will last a long time too...." Read more
"...It does, I would also add, take quite a while to charge fully. But once charged it stays charged.The speaker sounds incredible...." Read more
"...The longevity of the battery itself is amazing...lasts for days per charge (several hours/day with dial light ON)...." Read more
Customers appreciate the value of the radio. They say it's well worth the price, saves a lot of money, and is the most economical shortwave receiver they've seen. Customers also say it has a wide variety of features and is an excellent buy.
"...So the radio itself -- way cheaper and way better than the fancy SW radio with digital tuning I bought from Radio Shack for $400 in the mid 80s --..." Read more
"...It offers a lot of features for the money and seems to be designed with the serious shortwave listener in mind....." Read more
"...Built, Great Sounding, Quality World Band Radio, which was reasonably priced ($159 at time of my purchase) . I highly recommend the PL-880!" Read more
"...If you listen to distant AM stations or Shortwave, the PL880 is well worth the money, currently rated 4.6/5 by Amazon buyers...." Read more
Customers like the weight of the radio. They say it is small enough to travel well in its padded leather-like case. They also appreciate the rich full-bodied audio in a compact case. The radio is not too heavy for its size but it's not too light. It has many features and is pretty small considering everything it does. Customers also mention that it is an excellent portable radio with SSB modes and the best-sounding portable they've used to date.
"...how the Grundig could be much better, and this radio provides a more portable option.PRO's:* Amazing sensitivity on the SW bands...." Read more
"...I would recommend this model to anyone wanting a great shortwave portable, or even for someone just wanting a radio that pulls in distant FM..." Read more
"...It's compact but solid and it comes with a beautiful brown leather-like cover, an additional antenna, and even a cool poster with a world map,..." Read more
"...First impressions: Solid, well made, heavier than expected, clear display with smart or switchable backlight, smooth controls, stainless steel..." Read more
Customers find the fine tuning feature great for SSB.FM reception. They say the fine-tuning knob allows tweaking of the frequency on all bands. They also mention that the volume and frequency knobs are easy to control. The auto-tune feature works on all band, and it's easy to switch between stations. Customers also appreciate the simple tone control and the fine tune encoder knob.
"...The auto tuning feature works on all bands and its easy to switch between stations just by turning the main tuning dial instead of paging through..." Read more
"...I can't fathom the negative reviews this gets for SSB. It has precision tuning that is normally found exclusively on high end tabletop transceivers/..." Read more
"...Their placement is logical also, from Tune, Fine, Volume top to bottom...." Read more
"...timer, an alarm clock, 8 band widths, direct keypad entry, simple tone control, line-out for recording, a headphone jack, an internal ferrite bar AM..." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I came close to purchasing a Grundig SAT 750, but when that order was delayed, I opted for this radio instead. I'm certainly glad I did! I can't imagine how the Grundig could be much better, and this radio provides a more portable option.
PRO's:
* Amazing sensitivity on the SW bands. No matter the time of the day, the auto-scanning function seems to always pick up 40-50 (or more!) shortwave stations. And these are stations that are easily copied. (The only antennae I'm using is the $10 Sangean 'reel'. And it just runs up a corner of my room to the ceiling.) In the limited time I've operated the radio I've already copied Radio China (came "booming" in on the 22 meter band), Radio Australia, and several far eastern stations. (I'm located in the southern United States.) BTW, if you own an iPad, you can always check the frequency with the "SWBC Sked" app to ascertain the station you're currently listening to.
* Very good SSB reception on the Ham Bands ... all the way through 10 Meters! I've seen some YouTube videos of this radio providing a "muffled" SSB experience, but I've had no such issues (Firmware 8820). The only thing I can think of that could cause that is having the selectable Bandwidth set to 1.2 kHz or lower. I keep it at 3 kHz for SSB. (BW Options for SSB are 4, 3, 2.3, 1.2, and 0.5 kHz. That alone is astonishing for a portable SW radio!) When switching to SSB mode, the regular tuning knob automatically switches to "slow" tuning mode (1 kHz steps) while the "Fine" tuning knob switches to "Ultra-fine". You can literally tune in 1/100 kHz steps! Needless to say, this makes it super easy to get good quality speech from SSB signals. The only problem I've seen with SSB is a bit of "splatter" for very strong signals. In those instances, I would like to have a RF gain control. The three-position antennae-attenuator switch will do the job here, but is not as convenient. In any event, that's a very minor quibble. This is still the best SSB I've ever experienced from a portable.
* Very good scanning options. You can scan just one International shortwave band, or *all* the bands. Use "Page 0" for scanning, and just the most recent scan results are stored. You can then easily step through all the stations it found by simply turning the tuning knob. Only the International SW bands are scanned; it automatically skips over all the Ham Bands. Since shortwave conditions change hourly, this makes it real easy to find the current "hot" bands.
* Great sound! The speaker sounds great and can easily fill a small room without straining. It almost makes me wish a Bluetooth option were available so I could run Pandora through it via my iPhone. (Maybe the next generation, perhaps?)
* AM/FM --- The "AM" band is adequate. If I were serious about AM I would opt for an external antennae optimized for AM. FM is *great*!
* As mentioned earlier, this radio has incredible bandwidth options for a portable. In AM/SW mode you have 9, 5, 3.5 and 2.3 kHz options available. A strong music AM station with the 9 kHz BW option engaged sounds absolutely amazing. For most AM listening I keep it on "5". I use "3" as the default for most SW listening. The SSB bandwidth options were mentioned above. It's just *great* having all these options!
* Rechargeable battery with "intelligent" charging. You don't have to tell it how long to charge like some portables require. Charging is through a mini-USB port. The cable for charging was supplied, but not the charger itself. I just use my iPhone's charger, which works great.
CONS:
* As mentioned above, the only real feature I miss is a variable RF gain control. I think it could really help out with the SSB "splatter" mentioned above on strong signals. Again, the three-position "Ant Gain" control can help out here; it's just not as convenient to use.
As far as CONS go, that's pretty much it as far as I'm concerned!
Summation:
I *Love* this Radio!!!
Was I wrong. It seems like here in North America, there's nothing to listen to in English but North American stations with a lot of evangelical preachers. I speak Spanish, so that opens up -- in addition to more preachers -- a chance to listen in on the battle between Radio Havana and Radio Martí. I bought an external antenna, but it just makes for louder preaching. (I haven't tried putting up a REAL antenna outside yet, but I'm not sure why I'd bother. I bet there are YouTube videos to help, though.)
The weird thing is listening to shortwave and hearing that you can make your reception reports on the web. Makes sense, I guess, but it causes a lot of cognitive dissonance.
Beyond that, I can listen in on boring ham operators on single side band. The SSB works better than any radio I had in the past.
So that's all really just a review of the SW scene rather than the radio. I'm just saying -- if you're looking for the world of the twentieth century -- sorry, Charlie!
So the radio itself -- way cheaper and way better than the fancy SW radio with digital tuning I bought from Radio Shack for $400 in the mid 80s -- quite a bit more than $1000 in today's dollars. Lots of things are adjustable to improve reception, like AM bandwidth, gain, etc., which would be a little obscure to a beginner but potentially very useful for a weak (or strong) signal. I can't complain at all about the radio. It's very highly ranked on all the SWL websites.
The FM reception and sound quality is great. I assume MW reception is also good. (The radio includes LW, but I never heard a LW station in my life.)
There's no Bluetooth. It would be nice to play straight into my hearing aids :(
I guess to summarize -- if you're unfamiliar with the shortwave scene of 2023, read up and think carefully before plunking down the price of this receiver. Consider buying something for half as much to see if you're still interested.
:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
Top reviews from other countries
This is the bigger, louder cousin of the incredible little Tecsun pl-310et. If you are looking purely for value, get the little guy it will not disappoint. But if you can afford to upgrade to something that feels and sounds more substantial then this is another great choice.
このラジオ、チューニングダイアル、ファインチューニングダイアル、ボリュームコントロールが
右端にまとめて配置され、見ての通り、親指と人差し指でつまんで回せるタイプとなっています。
この配置とつまんで回せるという事が今のラジオでは非常に珍しく、使い勝手の向上に貢献しています。
Sonyの7600も所有していますが、使い勝手でPL880の方が気に入っています。
今、買うべきBCLラジオはこれです。
I would recommend this Tecsun PL-880 to anyone who is looking for a great all around portable radio.