Thanks so much for this review/comparison. Recently bought this PL-680 and I must say it far exceeded my expectations. Not only is it a top notch performer but is easy to tune in many ways. About a year ago I bought an old FRG-7 that is still "deaf" But I may now give up on that. Most of my receivers are fairly old, so this 680 has a special place in my life I found the Tecsun is just such great radio to have. I almost wish it was bigger, however no complaints at all. For the price point how could one go wrong? Greetings from Milwaukee WI USA
Craig - the FRG7 oughta be as good as the 680. The FE transistor sometimes needs replacement. Hope you got it fixed. 3SK40M or NTE454 are possible replacements. And they are ez to replace even for a novice.
Sorry to be so off topic but does anybody know of a way to get back into an instagram account?? I stupidly forgot my account password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me
@Casey Jeremy i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm trying it out atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Excellent, professional comparison. One thing that some of us don't like about Tecsun radios is that they often behave as if there's a gate/expander. The audio is audible as long as the level stays above a certain threshold; below this level, the "gate" actives and cuts the audio off.
Rob - really great comparison, and useful. Hard to believe a little radio like that can compare with the Yaesu, but it does all that and more. Well done, and thanks for taking the time and effort to share with us! Cheers! Robert AK3Q
I really enjoyed this great video.I have owned the 680 for two years and have always been impressed with its performance.It handles upto 100ft of wire antenna quite well. I have the Tecsun 360 which for the price is also a decent performer.Thanks for sharing this comparison video.73 Ray.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Ray. Glad you found the video useful. I've just uploaded another video done this week out in the bush using the 680, showing some late autumn propagation. It's at: ruclips.net/video/_dNCXVwWHVw/видео.html Best 73, Rob.
Thanks for the demonstration. I very much appreciate it. I'll soon be buying my first shortwave radio and the more I learn about the PL-680, the more sure I am that it is the radio for me. Pretty hard to beat for such a modest investment.
You're welcome! Apparently, in certain countries the 680 is not as readily available as some other Tecsun receivers. So you may have to shop around online or eBay. But the 660 and the 880 are similar radios with similar performance specs. Good luck. Rob.
I noticed the PL-680 was more scarce than other models. A bit of searching revealed that I can get one delivered for the equivalent of $150 AUD which is less than other radios I'm considering. I've read many reviews and admittedly I still don't feel 100% comfortable making this decision. I could afford to spend more and get a Tecsun PL-880, Sangean ATS-909x or the Eton Satellit (NGWSATB). Do you think a novice would be better served by one of those? Perhaps there's another radio I hadn't considered?
I have a old Sangean ATS909 (1st generation) and it works well but only with an external antenna connected. No good on the inbuilt whip antenna. I have not had an Eton so I can't comment, except to say that some reviews have been mixed on that one. It really depends on what you want to use the radio for. Is it for casual use of strong stations in situations where you are away from home? Is it for listening to the amateur (ham) radio operators? Is tone quality more important to you? etc, etc. Spending more money and buying an 880 may not give you a whole lot of advantage over a 680 or 660. And if you are a novice at this, then I would definitely consider the Tecsun 660 or 680 rather than spend more on the 880. Years ago, radios were quite expensive compared to today. The good thing about Tecsun is that their radios are well within the means of most people, and their performance is very good for the small amount of money you are spending. I hope all that makes sense. If you haven't already done so, read the article I wrote on PL680 Beats Expectations Part 1 - the link is in the description above.
Given that this will be my first shortwave radio, I'm not really sure how I'm going to use it or what I'm going to be listening to. The PL-680 is modest in price and seems well respected which is why I think it might be the ideal starter radio. I'm going to go with my instincts and order one. Hopefully as I learn more about the hobby, I'll have a clearer idea of my needs and wants and I may end up ordering a more advanced radio. I've noticed that many radio enthusiasts have multiple radios -- perhaps that's why. :) Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
Rob, great and fair comparison, same speaker, same antenna. Have a Tecsun 380, a 660 and a 909X Sangean and a few Grundigs and still others. The one I grab the most is the PL-660. It's amazing what 20 ft. of wire will do to one of these portables. I find the ATS function on SW to be very handy.
Thanks for your kind feedback. With all those radios, it's interesting to see that you still prefer the Tecsun 660. Having now tested the 680, I can certainly understand why! Best 73!
Hello Rob, beautiful effettivamenti comparison ... the Tecsun is really a "war machine" ... I own 3 models: 310 pl, pl 365 pl 660 and accompanying me during my outings and trips. Excellent sensitivity and selectivity ... as confirmed by your nice video. A greeting and good listen from Ponza Island, Italy, Tyrrenian sea. Giuseppe iz0gzw.
QrpRadioListner Thank you Giuseppe for your very kind comments. This is my first Tecsun radio, so I was interested to hear you have three radios. Best 73 from Australia, Rob VK3BVW
Greetings. You are a great professional and connoisseur of the subject, I have recently discovered you, thanks for your time friend. Greetings, from the Canary Islands
Great sensitivity on SW, with the advantage of not having that infamous soft muting/auto squelch filter of the PL-660. I also have an FTDx3000. I wish it had more bw filters and features such as pass band tuning on AM mode as it has on ssb and others.
You sound like you really know what you are talking about. Ok, so I spent the $ for the “so great “ Tecsun pl-660. It was making a “growling “ sound, and sunset a friend hap-hazardly made the purchase for me and kept none of the paper work, there was no warranty. Decided to try the reset button and it worked.But now it is off frequency by 5 kHz. On-line fix video did not work. Apparently there’s a problem with these being off frequency,now. So I decided on a pl-680, but they were out. Got a pl-600 instead. Nice radio. Works well. Wondering if it would be worth getting the pl-680, or just being satisfied with my pl-600.
G'day Jeff. Sorry to hear you had problems with the 660. There are not huge differences between to 600,660, and 680, so I wouldn't get too hung up on it. I believe some Tecsun models have quality control issues. If you get a good one, you are set. If you get a bad one, change it straight away. Regards, Rob VK3BVW
Great video! Just what I was searching for. As for AM, what are its performances on that band? Over here in Europe the AM band is still a busy affair despite the number of stations that went off the air recently. In most cases a sync detector is a must. If my Sony ICF-2010 didn’t die I wouln’t bother looking for a replacement, but it finally did. Beyond repair I fear. Greetings from Hekelingen, Holland. Willem.
The PL-680 is not good for AM band. Take a look at Jay Allen's review of the PL-680. Synch Detect though not bad, it's far worse than that of the ICF-2010, by any measure.
Hi. I've bought a new PL-680 recently. I have the infamous shift in the center frequency between the wide and narrow filter circuits (so, tunning is off-frequency by 5KHz with the wide filter). The other issue, that worries me more, is that the sync detector looks noticeably unbalanced between LSB and USB. Moreover, Sync LSB is unusable as it shows some kind of strong audio feedback. In Sync USB the feedback is also noticably but only when the volume is high. Anybody with such issues here?
Tecsun PL 680 has been updated ?? Which would be better option PL 680 or PL 660 ?? because they have the same value I'm in doubt and I need help to decide to make the purchase.
a really interesting video. I would take this PL-680 with me outdoors, what would you recommend for an external antenna that is also portable? I would be very happy to receive an answer - thank you
Hi. A simple long wire will do the trick for portable work. Nothing fancy. I have tested it by stretching a wire out 3, 5 and 10 meters long. Signal strengths improved the longer the antenna was. Or if you have space, you can go really long! Check out this video on a stormy winter morning in May, two years ago: ruclips.net/video/98RHmd5SL4M/видео.html Being daytime reception, the signals are not strong, but the antenna does a good job of digging them out of the background storm noise. You can see the long wire antenna at 6:10 in that video. Thanks for watching, 73, Rob VK3BVW
I have the 880 but not happy with SSB or the synch, so I ordered the 680 and I should be getting it on Friday, I would test it out against the 880 and XHDAT 808 which I currently own. ( I am not happy with XHDATA SSB operation, and it does not have the sync hmode)
Which one do you prefer? I'm looking at the 680, 880, 808, cc skywave, and eton elite exec. The 880 is the most appealing, the skywave is the most practical, but the 680 looks like the best value with full functionality.
Hey sir, i have a BIG problem with my tecsun pl-680, when i turn the tuning knob, some times it goes reverse on the screen, any advice? 🥺 thank you sir.
I have had no experience with the problem you describe. I think you need to take the radio back to your Tecsun dealer for repair. Sorry, I can't be of more help. Good luck, my friend.
Thanks so much for this review/comparison. Recently bought this PL-680 and I must say it far exceeded my expectations. Not only is it a top notch performer but is easy to tune in many ways. About a year ago I bought an old FRG-7 that is still "deaf" But I may now give up on that. Most of my receivers are fairly old, so this 680 has a special place in my life
I found the Tecsun is just such great radio to have. I almost wish it was bigger, however no complaints at all. For the price point how could one go wrong?
Greetings from Milwaukee WI USA
I agree, Craig. At this price point, this radio is one of the best on the market. Best 73, Rob VK3BVW
Craig - the FRG7 oughta be as good as the 680. The FE transistor sometimes needs replacement. Hope you got it fixed. 3SK40M or NTE454 are possible replacements. And they are ez to replace even for a novice.
Sorry to be so off topic but does anybody know of a way to get back into an instagram account??
I stupidly forgot my account password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me
@Kenneth Lian instablaster :)
@Casey Jeremy i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm trying it out atm.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Excellent, professional comparison. One thing that some of us don't like about Tecsun radios is that they often behave as if there's a gate/expander. The audio is audible as long as the level stays above a certain threshold; below this level, the "gate" actives and cuts the audio off.
Rob - really great comparison, and useful. Hard to believe a little radio like that can compare with the Yaesu, but it does all that and more. Well done, and thanks for taking the time and effort to share with us! Cheers! Robert AK3Q
Yes, the performance is quite stunning, Robert. Thanks for watching and best 73, Rob VK3BVW
I really enjoyed this great video.I have owned the 680 for two years and have always been impressed with its performance.It handles upto 100ft of wire antenna quite well.
I have the Tecsun 360 which for the price is also a decent performer.Thanks for sharing this comparison video.73 Ray.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Ray. Glad you found the video useful. I've just uploaded another video done this week out in the bush using the 680, showing some late autumn propagation. It's at: ruclips.net/video/_dNCXVwWHVw/видео.html
Best 73, Rob.
Thanks for the demonstration. I very much appreciate it.
I'll soon be buying my first shortwave radio and the more I learn about the PL-680, the more sure I am that it is the radio for me. Pretty hard to beat for such a modest investment.
You're welcome! Apparently, in certain countries the 680 is not as readily available as some other Tecsun receivers. So you may have to shop around online or eBay. But the 660 and the 880 are similar radios with similar performance specs. Good luck. Rob.
I noticed the PL-680 was more scarce than other models. A bit of searching revealed that I can get one delivered for the equivalent of $150 AUD which is less than other radios I'm considering. I've read many reviews and admittedly I still don't feel 100% comfortable making this decision.
I could afford to spend more and get a Tecsun PL-880, Sangean ATS-909x or the Eton Satellit (NGWSATB). Do you think a novice would be better served by one of those? Perhaps there's another radio I hadn't considered?
I have a old Sangean ATS909 (1st generation) and it works well but only with an external antenna connected. No good on the inbuilt whip antenna. I have not had an Eton so I can't comment, except to say that some reviews have been mixed on that one. It really depends on what you want to use the radio for. Is it for casual use of strong stations in situations where you are away from home? Is it for listening to the amateur (ham) radio operators? Is tone quality more important to you? etc, etc. Spending more money and buying an 880 may not give you a whole lot of advantage over a 680 or 660. And if you are a novice at this, then I would definitely consider the Tecsun 660 or 680 rather than spend more on the 880. Years ago, radios were quite expensive compared to today. The good thing about Tecsun is that their radios are well within the means of most people, and their performance is very good for the small amount of money you are spending. I hope all that makes sense. If you haven't already done so, read the article I wrote on PL680 Beats Expectations Part 1 - the link is in the description above.
Given that this will be my first shortwave radio, I'm not really sure how I'm going to use it or what I'm going to be listening to. The PL-680 is modest in price and seems well respected which is why I think it might be the ideal starter radio. I'm going to go with my instincts and order one. Hopefully as I learn more about the hobby, I'll have a clearer idea of my needs and wants and I may end up ordering a more advanced radio. I've noticed that many radio enthusiasts have multiple radios -- perhaps that's why. :)
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
You're welcome. Good luck with the radio.
Rob, great and fair comparison, same speaker, same antenna. Have a Tecsun 380, a 660 and a 909X Sangean and a few Grundigs and still others. The one I grab the most is the PL-660. It's amazing what 20 ft. of wire will do to one of these portables. I find the ATS function on SW to be very handy.
Thanks for your kind feedback. With all those radios, it's interesting to see that you still prefer the Tecsun 660. Having now tested the 680, I can certainly understand why! Best 73!
it will be my first receiver and this good video has made my mind up thank you for your time
Thanks for watching, Stephen.
Hello Rob, beautiful effettivamenti comparison ... the Tecsun is really a "war machine" ... I own 3 models: 310 pl, pl 365 pl 660 and accompanying me during my outings and trips.
Excellent sensitivity and selectivity ... as confirmed by your nice video.
A greeting and good listen from Ponza Island, Italy, Tyrrenian sea.
Giuseppe iz0gzw.
QrpRadioListner Thank you Giuseppe for your very kind comments. This is my first Tecsun radio, so I was interested to hear you have three radios. Best 73 from Australia, Rob VK3BVW
Thanks for that comparison .. the 680 is impressive given it's price. On the other hand, that Yaesu is a real beauty .. I want one!
Thanks for your comments. Best 73, Rob VK3BVW
Greetings. You are a great professional and connoisseur of the subject, I have recently discovered you, thanks for your time friend. Greetings, from the Canary Islands
Hi Marcos! Thanks for checking out the video. Best wishes from Australia!
Great sensitivity on SW, with the advantage of not having that infamous soft muting/auto squelch filter of the PL-660. I also have an FTDx3000. I wish it had more bw filters and features such as pass band tuning on AM mode as it has on ssb and others.
Interesting comparison there. Both receivers seem to perform quite well. Incidentally, I have a Tecsun PL-390 and also a Yaesu FRG-100 receiver.
The FRG100 is a great rig! Thanks for watching the video. - Rob
You sound like you really know what you are talking about.
Ok, so I spent the $ for the “so great “ Tecsun pl-660. It was making a “growling “ sound, and sunset a friend hap-hazardly made the purchase for me and kept none of the paper work, there was no warranty. Decided to try the reset button and it worked.But now it is off frequency by 5 kHz.
On-line fix video did not work. Apparently there’s a problem with these being off frequency,now.
So I decided on a pl-680, but they were out. Got a pl-600 instead.
Nice radio. Works well.
Wondering if it would be worth getting the pl-680, or just being satisfied with my pl-600.
G'day Jeff. Sorry to hear you had problems with the 660. There are not huge differences between to 600,660, and 680, so I wouldn't get too hung up on it. I believe some Tecsun models have quality control issues. If you get a good one, you are set. If you get a bad one, change it straight away. Regards, Rob VK3BVW
I really enjoy your videos. The Tecsun Pl-680 is a great little unit. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Michael. Much appreciated!
Great video! Just what I was searching for. As for AM, what are its performances on that band? Over here in Europe the AM band is still a busy affair despite the number of stations that went off the air recently. In most cases a sync detector is a must. If my Sony ICF-2010 didn’t die I wouln’t bother looking for a replacement, but it finally did. Beyond repair I fear. Greetings from Hekelingen, Holland. Willem.
The PL-680 is not good for AM band. Take a look at Jay Allen's review of the PL-680. Synch Detect though not bad, it's far worse than that of the ICF-2010, by any measure.
Really enjoyed your video....the pl-680 is a superb portable radio....best wishes from the u.k
Thanks so much, Michael. Delighted you enjoyed it. It was good fun making the video, too! Best wishes with your listening! Rob
Nice comparison video, Rob. I have the same radios, and love them both! 73, Brett K5WXP
Thanks, Brett. Thanks for taking the time to watch this video. Best 73, Rob VK3BVW
Good, balanced, informative comparison. Very helpful. Thank you. 73.
Hi. I've bought a new PL-680 recently. I have the infamous shift in the center frequency between the wide and narrow filter circuits (so, tunning is off-frequency by 5KHz with the wide filter). The other issue, that worries me more, is that the sync detector looks noticeably unbalanced between LSB and USB. Moreover, Sync LSB is unusable as it shows some kind of strong audio feedback. In Sync USB the feedback is also noticably but only when the volume is high. Anybody with such issues here?
Great comparison; hopefully, I can still find some new from a reputable dealer.
Thanks Rob for live report give me an objective about this cheap and smalll world receiver
You're welcome! Best of luck, Rob
Tecsun PL 680 has been updated ?? Which would be better option PL 680 or PL 660 ?? because they have the same value I'm in doubt and I need help to decide to make the purchase.
Excellent video! 73, Paul PE7B
pe7b Thanks Paul.
Great test.
Thanks.
Geat video...thank you. I have the PL-660 and I take it when we go camping. I will have to try a comparison to my Elecraft KX3. Ciao de WB9NYI
Cool!! Thanks for watching and good luck with the 660. Rob VK3BVW
astrorad2000 Can’t wait for your video! 73 BG5IMH
Many of these would have benefitted from the sync feature on the tecsun.
New and starting to wonder if I’m gonna be getting a shortwave or a static wave
a really interesting video. I would take this PL-680 with me outdoors, what would you recommend for an external antenna that is also portable? I would be very happy to receive an answer - thank you
Hi. A simple long wire will do the trick for portable work. Nothing fancy. I have tested it by stretching a wire out 3, 5 and 10 meters long. Signal strengths improved the longer the antenna was. Or if you have space, you can go really long! Check out this video on a stormy winter morning in May, two years ago: ruclips.net/video/98RHmd5SL4M/видео.html Being daytime reception, the signals are not strong, but the antenna does a good job of digging them out of the background storm noise. You can see the long wire antenna at 6:10 in that video. Thanks for watching, 73, Rob VK3BVW
I have the 880 but not happy with SSB or the synch, so I ordered the 680 and I should be getting it on Friday, I would test it out against the 880 and XHDAT 808 which I currently own. ( I am not happy with XHDATA SSB operation, and it does not have the sync hmode)
Which one do you prefer? I'm looking at the 680, 880, 808, cc skywave, and eton elite exec. The 880 is the most appealing, the skywave is the most practical, but the 680 looks like the best value with full functionality.
Great video but where are located?
Location: Mount Evelyn, Victoria, Australia. The centre of the known universe! ;-)
Thanks. This may explain your great reception. Thanks for sharing.
Can the Tecsun Pl-680 be Freq. Calibrated the same as the Pl-660? New Models of course as both units 3 to 5 years older can't. Thanks.
Yes we can calibrate the 680 built after 2017.
Hey sir, i have a BIG problem with my tecsun pl-680, when i turn the tuning knob, some times it goes reverse on the screen, any advice? 🥺 thank you sir.
I have had no experience with the problem you describe. I think you need to take the radio back to your Tecsun dealer for repair. Sorry, I can't be of more help. Good luck, my friend.
Are there any active HAMs in Australia?
Thousands!
@@RobVK3BVW When are they on as I hear nothing in SE QLD!?
@@GoA7250 Try the 40mb at various times of the day and night, and 80mb at night.
@@RobVK3BVW Cheers.
thx
Языками не владею.
Приемник хороший?
Этот приемник очень хорош. Это работает очень хорошо.
хорошо
73 73 73