Michael, did you ever use the carrying case? Its nice looking but I find myself just storing the radio on the shelf without the case. Thank you for sharing about the battery.
Thanks for the comprehensive presentation. I already owned the PL-660 and I recently got myself a PL-680 because I could not let it go forever without owning one. It doesn't make much sense, I know. I must say that I'm a bit disappointed. The build quality seems not on par with my PL-660. Everything looks cheaper, especially the tuning buttons that are not smooth on my PL-680. Much to the contrary they're butter smooth on my PL-660. The plastic case feels made of cheaper plastic too. I wonder whether this is specific to these last production batches or not. I would like to have an older PL-680 in my hands to compare. I have not spotted a lot of difference in reception with my PL-660. I don't do MW so I can't compare. On air band the PL-680 seems to be more sensitive. On SW, they're too close to call. Both have a fiddly BFO tuning in SSB and some annoying sound distortion (not only pitch) occurs when BFO is not perfectly tuned. This doesn't happen on my other SSB radios. On the other hand, the PL-680 has a better speaker, its form factor is much more convenient, with larger buttons too. The PL-660 is even much more instable when standing up because its base is narrower. On either radio, browsing the band without any muting is a bliss. Analog radios are so nicer to use with this.
Like you my purchase was more emotional then practical. Everything the PL-680 offers, except for analog, I can get in one form or another among my collection. Something about it's old school looks, large display, dedicated buttons and bulk I found appealing. I guess I wanted a World Band Receiver like my uncle had when I was a kid and this was as close as I could get to it. My unit was assembled in Nov 24 and the build quality is no different than a D-808, which is to say no different from my other DSP radios. I agree the knobs have a cheap plastic feel with no resistance. I would have preferred metal with a slight drag. I don't trust the paper clip of a stand, it is just an invitation for gravity to do its job. I either place it on a metal stand or utilize the built-in kick stand. I have been impressed on how well it holds its own against the DSP kids in the tuning dept. On FM it can often bring in signals without extending the antenna on par with my Qodosen DX286. It is my first Tecsun, I almost went with the PL-880, but glad I went analog. I really appreciate you watching and sharing your experience with the PL-660 and PL-680.
Hello, My name is Amarbir and i am from india . For the base i would suggest to put one by one both of the stand rests were you keep the radio and tighten the vise so that they become flat instead of being curved the damaging the base of the radio . I too have ordered the PL-680 and would be reviewing the unit once i have it . If you do not understand what i meant as far as the stand is concerned i will make a video for you
Amarbir, I am looking forward to your video. I really like the metal stand that I purchased from TEMU. It works with all my radios and since I tend to use only one at a time, there is no need to purchase another stand. Congrats on getting the PL-680, I think you will really enjoy it. It is now able to be calibrated. My radio arrived with no need for calibration, but just in case your radio does not here is the procedure. ruclips.net/video/uFISo1QKKBc/видео.html Thanks for watching and sharing.
I got a PL660, bought in 2016, and still use it every day. I did find the original supplied NiMh batteries stopped charging after 2 years.
Michael, did you ever use the carrying case? Its nice looking but I find myself just storing the radio on the shelf without the case. Thank you for sharing about the battery.
I got the PL-880. Love it! Great radios
Congrats on getting a radio you love. I almost got the same thing, but in the end I resist having an analog radio in my collection. Hope you enjoy.
Very nice review. Thank you.
Thank for taking the time to watch this long video.
Thanks for the comprehensive presentation. I already owned the PL-660 and I recently got myself a PL-680 because I could not let it go forever without owning one. It doesn't make much sense, I know.
I must say that I'm a bit disappointed. The build quality seems not on par with my PL-660. Everything looks cheaper, especially the tuning buttons that are not smooth on my PL-680. Much to the contrary they're butter smooth on my PL-660. The plastic case feels made of cheaper plastic too. I wonder whether this is specific to these last production batches or not. I would like to have an older PL-680 in my hands to compare.
I have not spotted a lot of difference in reception with my PL-660. I don't do MW so I can't compare. On air band the PL-680 seems to be more sensitive. On SW, they're too close to call. Both have a fiddly BFO tuning in SSB and some annoying sound distortion (not only pitch) occurs when BFO is not perfectly tuned. This doesn't happen on my other SSB radios.
On the other hand, the PL-680 has a better speaker, its form factor is much more convenient, with larger buttons too. The PL-660 is even much more instable when standing up because its base is narrower.
On either radio, browsing the band without any muting is a bliss. Analog radios are so nicer to use with this.
Like you my purchase was more emotional then practical. Everything the PL-680 offers, except for analog, I can get in one form or another among my collection. Something about it's old school looks, large display, dedicated buttons and bulk I found appealing. I guess I wanted a World Band Receiver like my uncle had when I was a kid and this was as close as I could get to it. My unit was assembled in Nov 24 and the build quality is no different than a D-808, which is to say no different from my other DSP radios. I agree the knobs have a cheap plastic feel with no resistance. I would have preferred metal with a slight drag. I don't trust the paper clip of a stand, it is just an invitation for gravity to do its job. I either place it on a metal stand or utilize the built-in kick stand. I have been impressed on how well it holds its own against the DSP kids in the tuning dept. On FM it can often bring in signals without extending the antenna on par with my Qodosen DX286. It is my first Tecsun, I almost went with the PL-880, but glad I went analog.
I really appreciate you watching and sharing your experience with the PL-660 and PL-680.
Hello,
My name is Amarbir and i am from india . For the base i would suggest to put one by one both of the stand rests were you keep the radio and tighten the vise so that they become flat instead of being curved the damaging the base of the radio . I too have ordered the PL-680 and would be reviewing the unit once i have it . If you do not understand what i meant as far as the stand is concerned i will make a video for you
Amarbir, I am looking forward to your video. I really like the metal stand that I purchased from TEMU. It works with all my radios and since I tend to use only one at a time, there is no need to purchase another stand. Congrats on getting the PL-680, I think you will really enjoy it. It is now able to be calibrated. My radio arrived with no need for calibration, but just in case your radio does not here is the procedure. ruclips.net/video/uFISo1QKKBc/видео.html Thanks for watching and sharing.