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

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.

I have a small collection of shortwave radios including a Tecsun PL-880, PL-680, PL-330, Eton Elite Executive, XHDATA D109, D808, SIHUADON R108 and a C Crane Skywave SSB 2. If I could have just one it would be the PL-680. All of the previously mentioned radios are great and excel in one way or another and I'm glad I have them. However, the PL-680 does shortwave and single side band better than all the others and isn't that why you buy a shortwave radio? No soft muting when tuning. Sync function actually works. Uses common AA batteries and comes with a plug in the wall power adapter not a USB cord which charges the included rechargeable batteries. Also includes earbuds which are decent and a wire external antenna. It's ready to go right out of the box. I'm seriously considering buying another one just to have as a back up because the new DSP based models have some unfortunately shortcomings.

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.

This is my first shortwave radio and I am very happy with it! I live in central Montana and have been able to pick up stations inside my house from very far away using just the built-in antenna. Some I have come across are some stateside religions stations, Radio Rebelde, Voice of China, and even one out of New Zealand one night. It totally blew my mind that I was listening to commuter traffic reports in New Zealand from 7,600 miles away with nothing more than a handheld radio and just the right atmospheric conditions. I was also able to pick up the "Superbowl" CB/ham radio station at one point. I also purchased a whip antenna and an amplified one that looks like a kite and have found that it is a bit trickier trying to get a good signal from inside my house with those. It's almost as if the radio is way too sensitive and it picks up too much local interference to work well with those. I will play around with them some more when I have the time but for now just the radio itself has been amazing! A couple notes: You will have to initially calibrate the radio to get it to align with the frequencies correctly. This can be done by doing the following: Frequency Calibration: 1. Turn the radio on select the band you want. 2. Tune to a known radio station frequency, such as 89.5 FM, 1490 AM, 10000 SW. 3. On FM: Press & hold the [SYNC] button until the screen starts flashing rapidly; OR On AM/MW and SW: Press and hold the [AIR] button until the screen starts flashing rapidly; 4. Rotate the tuning knob until the signal becomes clearer, then quickly press the [1] key to confirm the calibration. 5 The screen will return to the "correct" frequency and you are finished. You may have to repeat this multiple times until you feel that you have a good lock on the frequency, and you will have to do it for each frequency band. One other note, the included batteries are NI-MH rechargeable batteries. It wasn't clear to me at first if they were or not. Make sure the display says NI-MH Battery on the top left corner, and change it in the settings if it doesn't. If you use standard Alkaline batteries in it, make sure you turn it off. The radio has incredible standby and usage time on the included batteries if you only listen for a couple hours a day. I have had the radio off and on over the last couple weeks without being plugged in and it still shows at least half charge. Make sure you charge them fully at least overnight on their first use so they will last longer. Finally, I almost never use the DX setting on the antenna gain switch, even when picking up far away stations on shortwave. The Normal setting works great and gives me the clearest reception.

Excellent Radio! No Complaints

I chose this radio because of the all the features advertised and to retire my 30+ year old Radio Shack DX-375, which is still working, but who knows for how long. The first issue I noticed was on the tuning dial, which is used to tune in stations and to change between stored memory stations. It works, but it is very sensitive. When I would select a stored memory station, it would sometimes jump to an adjoining memory station and I had to gently rotate it back and forth to get the correct memory station. The other issue I noticed was the reception on Shortwave. I noticed an annoying 'humm' while listening and I passed it off as poor propagation; however, I compared it to my Radio Shack DX-375 at the same time and the 'humm' was not present on the DX-375. This test was done with the telescoping antennas in equal configurations. Additionally, the quality of the audio was not as clear or strong on the Tecsun as compared to my DX-375. The Tecsun's AM,FM, and SSB was fine. That is why I gave the 3-star rating. I would have used this radio primarily for Shortwave listening I had high hopes for this radio, but the issues I had with the Tecsun Pl-680 on Shortwave and the memory tuning problem prompted me to return the radio.

I like everything about this radio. I bought my first rig in 1968 so I have experience in world band radio. The radio comes with a cool travel case, ear buds, and a long wire antenna extension. The radio takes about an hour to charge but won't charge while the unit is turned on and running. If the batteries die you will lose the time but not your memories. This radio really pulls in distant stations and it is amazing. I mostly listen to hams and aircraft on sideband. When on sideband the stations tends to drift which is normal. Simply adjust the BFO. The only con I found, which is a minor one, is that the radio does not have a squelch or mute. I once owned an expensive tabletop unit and almost never used its squelch. I occasionally hook up my old amplified tunable antenna with this radio but with the increase in signal strength there is an increase in noise. Afterall, it's still AM radio. I don't use the radio's aircraft band because I have other radios that can receive aircraft. On LW, I received only one beacon station which was very weak. European listeners can receive broadcasts on LW. I highly recommend the Tecsun PL680 for the experienced or beginner shortwave listener.

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.

・このラジオを購入した理由 ・BLCラジオのメーカー「TECSAN」の評判が良い ・PL-680はボタンとダイヤルが右側にあり操作が片手で使いやすい ・よかったところ ・単三電池(4本)でエネループが使える ・専用カバーがある ・オートオフ機能で寝落ちしても自動電源オフで便利 ・縦置き、斜め置き(スタンド付き）できる ・だめなところ ・横置きするとアンテナが垂直に立たないので置き場所に気を使う ・暗所の操作はボタン表示が見えない ・説明書が中国語(Google翻訳でカメラ入力を利用すれば日本語に 翻訳するので平気かと) 良い製品です

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