Tecsun PL-380 FM MW LW Shortwave Portable Radio Review
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- Опубліковано 27 жов 2024
- The Tecsun PL-380 AM FM LW SW portable is a solid performer and a great introduction into shortwave listening.
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Features I like best about this radio:
Buttons are easy to use.
Large LCD display with option to have always on light or always off.
Snooze button that is usable vs the PL-310.
ATS and ETM functions.
Browsing Feature on Presets and in Frequency modes.
Headphone jack quality is superb.
FM reception is top notch.
I love listening to AM broadcasts and hunting elusive stations that are many miles away. This radio is good in doing that, just not the best. The 310ET has an edge on it. But lately I have begun to look for clearer broadcasting stations and the 380 does that well.
Overall I enjoy using this radio more then the 310, not because its better in all aspects, just that it operates at a more polished level. The buttons are easy to use, and I like the tuning wheel vs the tuning knob on the 310.
I would recommend this radio as a buy to someone who wants to get started into the Shortwave world, and loves to listen to quality AM and FM broadcasts. A perfect radio for under $50.
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To Select the LW band: When the radio is in the off mode, press and hold the MW/LW button till it says LW ON, if it says LW OFF repeat procedure to turn it on. Power the radio on and tap the MW/LW button to cycle between the MW and LW bands.
Thank you!!!!
thank you! I looked in the manual and it says nothing about this..
For in city FM listeners which is better, this or sangean PR-D19BK or PR-D18BK. Love your in depth videos by the way.
I did the capacitors mod to enhance the sound, and I replaced the ferrite antenna with a beefier model. So it hears a lot better in LW and a tad bit better in MW. With a better sound and better sensitivity, this is a hell of a good radio.
@@eldontyrellcorp Did you go external on the ferrite antenna? I couldn't see any extra space for a larger one inside the enclosure.
Pl-380 is the best design of the portable shortwave radio with its small size for travelling that I'd ever had, I love it, I hope tecsun company will produce it forever...❤
Tecsun Pl-380 One of the Best Shortwave radios for the money, Great build quality and reception on WWCR 4840 is excellent
I really love this radio. It's my buddy for just tuning around at night. Then I just turn it on Coast To Coast and got to sleep. It's low price means I don't have to handle it with kid gloves.
SW reception is great, perfect radio to explore short wave. Love it and use it all the time. Great value!
I just ordered this radio and I'm really looking forward to it. Your videos have been so helpful in making a decision. Thank you.
Your welcome. Enjoy your new receiver. It is one of my go to digital portables.
Thank's for learning the difference and about my future device, PL380, it going to arrive my home this day. I'm lunching and hearing you by simple and didatic way as a fast manual to tackle it. Congratulations. Regards from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil!
I listen to my PL-380 every day, and use alkaline AA batteries. They still last several weeks with daily use. Great review of a great radio. I'm really turning into a Tecsun fan.
The quality seems to increase as you pay more. This $45 level seems really good. Waiting to see what new radios may come out from them. BTW, I find myself using my one of my least expensive radios all the time, the Audiomax SRW-810. Even with its chinese only menus and 9step AM tuning. Once I added an external antenna jack to it, I love the FM and SW. Plus I still get 720AM which has classic radio every night during the week. Its record function seems to be little less noisy then the Tiv-115 or my Tecsun 110. The joy of radios! love it.
I've had a PL-380 for years and never used most of the features. Thanks for the detailed how-to.
Thank you Todderbert. I have this radio but misplaced my instructions and couldn't figure out how to turn the light off as I don't need it to come every time I press a button as it uses the battery faster but by watching your video you explained how to do it.
All your videos are great at explaining all the features of the radios you show. You're are truly the Iron man when it comes to radios
Thanks David, glad to have helped you out.
That's a pretty good price. These radios cost about $55 now (if new, from US sellers). And it's worth $55. I've had my PL-380 for about eight years and it's amazing. And it uses very little power and I only recharge the batteries about every three weeks.
Good review and comparison. I love my pl380. For the money its hard to beat.
I have this one in gray color. Works great in SW, I love it! Highly recommend this unit for a super portable radio, great for DX peditions!!
I prefer the Tecsun 380 to the 310et (I own both) in terms of operation and capability -- the 310et's hyperactive AGC can make listening challenging under some circumstances, while the 380's AGC is not as aggressive and its speaker is easier on the ears. While some will say the 310et has an edge in sensitivity, I think the 380 wins in terms of selectivity and overall listening quality. Both are very capable receivers, but my preference for a grab-and-go radio is the 380 first, followed by the Radiwow 108, another excellent radio.
Great video. Just purchased radio and your video cleared up many things that had given me problems. Thank you so much. I'm now a subscriber!
I've owned this radio for a couple years now and really enjoy it. So much so that I gave my son my much larger Radio Shack 📻 that I used for over 20 years. I love the minis. My next radio will be the Skywave. Great review.
A radio under the radar for outstanding FM dx performance probably the best I have ever tested and an excellent MW dx machine is the sony s10 HDip. So good I own 5. Probably need to sell a few lol. Frenzy buyer.😕
Been using this radio when I take a nap. FM stereo quality is amazing. 3 AAs means way longer battery life than those radios with Nokia lithium battery.
Thank you for your videos. They are easier to understand than some of the other radio reviews.
I just got mine last week. It is a great radio for the price range. The ear buds that with the radio, do a decent job.
It has great selectivity and sensitivity. I am looking forward to testing the shortwave band, with attachable antennae.
Great revue, Thanx.
I would like to see an comparison by Tecsun PL-990X vs. PL-380 to see , if there is any better receiption. The Tecsun PL-990X is available now.
A video explaining the dbu db signal strength meter on these tecsun radios would be great!
I have need also
This radio records in stereo from a Bluetooth source. Too cool!
Great video. Just what i was looking for. Helped me get to grips with my new 380. Many thanks
I noticed that two hands prefers the 380 over the 310 also. I have to agree that the buttons on the 310 are to flush and hard to press with large fingers.... my thing is, I live in very rural area and enjoy listening to a couple of late night talk shows on fm. I need an external antenna for the stations that I listen to. I use a diapole antenna that I built and tuned to the upper end of the fm frequency range. It actually picks up the whole fm band great.... With the 380 NOT having an external antenna jack, for this reason I'll have to stick with the 310et. A wire clipped to a whip will improve fm performance but I would only be using half of my diapole antenna hooked to the whip antenna. Don't figure it means much but just my thoughts on the two radios.
Having said all that I have in my videos, I probably use both of those radios equally. ET for my FM/AM night time, and my 380 for AM during the day.
todderbert guess I was a little long winded. I may order me a 380 sometime for travel. Thanks for all the good videos. Got a lot of catching up to do.
Hi, In terms of sound quality and reception, can you please suggest a good radio in budget. I am more into bass heavy speakers. Also i am confused between PL380 & PL310ET. Please suggest which one is best in sound quality for listening to FM music. If any other brand or model is there, which is better than these two, in terms of sound and in budget category then, please do suggest. Thanks.
The speakers on these have zero bass response.
In terms of form factor, the 310ET is more refined & has nicer design.
i have ordered mine today from amazon thanks
You're Welcome, I keep mine bedside. Use it for late night MW listening.
I couldn't find a way to permanently change the manual tuning step on the PL-380. When manually tuning MW, it tunes in 1 kHz steps when you turn the dial slowly, then it seems to tune in 20, 30, or 40 kHz steps when you turn the dial quickly. It's actually hard to tell, but it's usually rounded to some multiple of 10. It's easy to overshoot. Then, you have to go backwards, and if you go fast again, you can overshoot in the other direction. When manually tuning in FM, it tunes in 10 kHz steps when you turn the dial slowly, then it seems to tune in .4 or .5 MHz when you turn the dial quickly. The TECSUN PL-330 has a dedicated STEP button. I get what they were trying to do with manual tuning on the 330, but the implementation is a bit awkward.
I bought one of these a few years ago after my Realistic DX-390 died. Haven't used it until today so have a lot to learn. Going by the booklet, this will go from 153 khz to 108 mhz. Does that cover about everything, or is there another radio that can receive more frequencies.
And for the prepper in me, is this a good radio for emergences to hear all one would need to, or is there a better option?
Anyone have the perfect case for the PL-380? I ordered a nice case, designed for portable hard drives... doesn't fit😢
Can you please guide me on this? When I tried to set the alarm on radio, the default band is always FM. How to change the default to MW? The manual does not give any clue to this.
Even I want to shift to MW as wake up channel instead of FM
You can turn off the light permanently on the 310 by holding down 5 when it is off 😁
I bought the 380 after going through your video. I am happy with it overall. The only problem I have is that on alarm by radio, the default band it starts with is always FM (The last tuned station). I have not been able to figure out how to change the default to AM (MW). Even if I am on a MW station before setting the alarm, the radio starts on the FM band. Can you help me?
Give me some time and I will look into this. I use my 380 daily on MW. I never use the alarm feature, so I will have to study it and see if I have the same problem.
Great video and demo of the Tecsun thank you.
Hi Todderbert, Does the antenna shake a bit from the bottom mount? I checked the screw is tight but in case of mine it shakes a little when I tried to open the antenna
Hello Sir, at the moment i got the Sangean ATS 404 and i wonder, if i should buy the TECSUN PL-380 because of its compact size in comparison to my Sangean. Furthermore, will i notice any improvent in reception on short wave because of better and newer hardware ? What is your guess ? I am not an professional User, its all about the better reception to receive greek station and the compact size. Or can you recommend any other Radio ?
I still like my 310ET as my go to small, shortwave radio. You may notice similar performance. The 310ET will be good on MW. ua-cam.com/video/sMZZG87iQL4/v-deo.html
@@todderbert thanks a lot!
Thanks for your videos, would you say Xhdata be more sensitive on all bands comparing to the 380 and 310?
Yes, the D-808 has an edge for sure. Highly Selective.
Hi Todd, great video!
I purchased the PL 380 and it came with a wire antenna however I still can not listen to any SW radio stations.
Will a more sophisticated antenna work any better or is it due to the fact I'm living in a large city that is the problem?
Living in a city can be an issue with receiving shortwave, try to move the wire outside. Get away from alarms, wifi, ect.
@@todderbert Ok thanks. I can only do this in summer months then :(.
Unfortunately it's too cold where I live.
This radio is amazing it can get a fem 800 mile stations and I can get DWNS 1710AM
This is a great radio, I bought mine in 2014 unfortunately the radio develop a very annoying rattle on talk shows,so should I buy another pl380 or what other digital radio would you recommend on the $50-$60 range and similar dimensions.
I mostly listen to baseball and news on am.
Thanks.
The Radiwow R-108 sounds good on MW.
@@todderbert thank you 👍🙂
Living in SO Cal. Raido Havana comes in pretty good on SW. On the 380
Hi,i own thepl380 and i love it but what size usb cord does t b.c e radip use.thanks great review
I had a Tecsun pl-310 ET. I sent it back because sounded like something was wrong with the reception on it. Come to find out after sending it back I have seen where people complain about it having a hyperactive AGC as they call it. Is the AGC better and work more smoothly on the 380?
Not sure, my 310ET is good, and the PL-380 is almost identical in reception. The speaker on the 310 is more enjoyable. Maybe they changed something on the 310, because I have heard of this AGC "pumping". I don't DX with mine, so maybe I am not noticing this effect.
Yes the AGC pumping is pretty bad on the Tecsun pl-310 ET. Is why I wondered if the 380 had the same problem
This is a great video. Learned so much from it. I'm looking for a good book on radio theory and repair...would you be able to recommend one? Thank you for all your videos.
Hello and thank you for the review. I just receive mine. Perhaps you could help me on one point. When I set the alarm I don't arrive to adjust the volume level. it's always too high. The volume level is also to high just I turn on the radio. Do you know how could I set the volume level ? Thank you from France
personally, its the best of cost effective consumer grade & portable of Tecsun..
I am undecided between PL 330 and PL 380. Which one would you recommend?
I would pick the PL-380 if I didn't need Single Side Band. The 380 runs on standard AAs for longer run times. The PL-330 does have better speaker audio, and the ETM+ feature.
Very helpful, thanks for posting.
Your Welcome Ronan.
did it automatically detect UVB76? I guess it would depend on the time of the day.
Hello, does this radio come with batteries included in the box? Greetings to you from Egypt. I wish you a beautiful day
Batteries not included. Though AA batteries are pretty easy to find across the globe.
Nice radio. Can the radio be powered without batteries, using the a USB cable from a phone charger?
Yes it can.
Great review and thanks for posting!
Punisher! my favorite Marvel character, though I bet you thought it was Ironman :)
How long does the battery last in this radio (eneloop batteries which you showed in this video) .
Is it possible to recharge that battery or do we need to purchase new one everytime.
Eneloops are rechargeable, and the radio does it for you :) as far as time goes, probably around thirty - forty hours.
i like the am band
me too! there is so much to discover. I've been hunting distant stations. I live near Chicago, and have never been able to pass the Rockies or get a signal from Florida. Sure I can get SW from there but no AM just yet. My farthest AM station for me is KOA 850 out of Denver Colorado, almost 900 miles!
my sony icf sw11 is broke, do you think this one might replace it in quality sound?
Not sure of the Sony, but the PL-310ET may have the better speaker.
Reviewbrah was right about the 380
Hello. What is your opinion as to which is better, this Tucson 380 or an old Sony ICF 7600 or the same Radio shack dx390? Cheers,
I would go with the 7600 all day long. That is an excellent radio.
@@todderbert Thanks, I needed a confirmation
In your video, i can see that you have used 3 AA Eneloop video, is it 1.5v or 1.2v??
1.2v which the radio supports. You can select NiMH or Alkaline modes.
I just buy this radio, by seeing your video 😀😀, now i operate it by 3 AA alkaline 1.5V and want to buy rechargeable battery. In our market AA size 1.2 and 1.5 both are available. Now i am confused, which one i will buy.
@@badhonrudra Go with the rechargeables if they are of high quality, preferably the low self discharge types. They will sometimes say "pre-charged". Our radios are low drain so these batteries are best, like the eneloops. This will save you money in the long run and the radio can charge the batteries if you have a USB powerblock or empty USB spot on your computer and a USB-Mini cable.
@@todderbert oh... Thank you so much.... 📻📻❤❤
very nice video i have the solar crank cr1009 and my nex radio will be the tecsun 380 thanks
You're Welcome, it is a solid tuner.
@@todderbert 😲😲😲 ok tanks...you have a new suscriber
Hello , I like your video very much . I'm still using Sony radio ICF-SW10 , sound quality of my Sony radio is very clear and loud, I have been using this radio for 17 years . for having some problem I want to buy a new one , so which one will be Best instead Sony , tecsun pl-310et or pl-380et considering sound quality and reception. what is your opinion , please reply me thanks.👍🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩 I am from Bangladesh bogra....
Tecsun 310ET, larger speaker has better audio to me. The reception is similar, MW may have a little more sensitivity on the 310ET. I also like the external antenna jack on the 310ET.
todderbert thanks a lot for your valuable opinion.
Did you buy it?? 🇧🇩📻📻🇧🇩
I just order for Tecsun PL380 for its Premier look and other facilities, though i missed tuning nob, antenna jeck but i think i will be satisfied with it..... Thanks todderbert.. ❤🇧🇩📻 Happy Dxing....
Hello, I am from Brasil.
I bought a Tecsun pl 380. How can I put in LW mode? Sorrir about my english.
THANKS
Cant decide between this or the xhdata 901D.
How many fm stations you found on this radio? Is it better than Eton elite Traveller?
They are both similar in FM performance.
@@todderbert can I select different sw bands on Traveller or to scan whole range?
Do you have any recommendations to a receiver like this with a decent speaker in it? I like it bassy :) thanks
There's the retekess v115 a cheap one but has probably the best speaker but reception can be hit and miss but decent on FM and you can put an SD card in for MP3 and record on it I just use a Bluetooth speaker that has an aux input plug in the cable from the headphone out gives ample stereo bass from my Sihuadon r108
Which is a higher performing radio the r9700 dx or the pl380? I am trying to make a choice between the two and i need help!
Personally you will most likely get the most use out of the 380. The big differences are the analog versus DSP. Having memories is huge with the PL380. The only downside is the speaker quality. The 9700 will sound better, but lacks bandwidth options. If it were me, and I had to choose one. It would be the 380.
I have a 1960s bradford solid state radio that i got from a thrift store. i get lots of fm stations and i can get police signal as well which is how i got into the hobby...is that also comparable with these radios???
@@gloriasmith913 They operate differently. If you want a smooth transition between stations you may want the 9700DX which is all analog. I don't mind either. It is fun to explore the bands. Most of these radios do not have VHF-Hi so you will not be able to listen to police. The one exception is the little HanRongDa HRD-737 ua-cam.com/video/2DSfCNgzJ28/v-deo.html.
New subscriber here love your videos. Which one better pl-380 or pl-310et? Thanks
They both perform rather well. I like the audio on the 310ET's speaker more. The buttons on the 380 are better. Overall, I would pick the 310ET for my personal preference.
@@todderbert one more question pl- 660 or Pl-310et?
@@sufyanabbas3374 660, it is a larger radio though. Single Side Band and AM Sync are major pluses.
I agree that the audio on the 310 is WAY better!
Just bought one on Amazon
Newbie question on Tecsun radios. I currently own two of their analog radios; the DR-920C and R-9700DX. These models have a limited frequency range in the 19M and 31M meter bands. They receive 9.5 - 9.9 mHz for 31M and 15.1 - 15.6 mHz in the 19M band, which does not include most of the frequencies used by WRMI, WBCQ, Voice of Greece, and others. Does the PL-380 (and other Tecsun, DSP-receivers) include the full-range of frequencies in the International Broadcast Bands?
The 380 and 310ET covers 2.3-21.9MHz Broadcast bands.
Lovely information....👍👍👍I also have this one... And know much from you..... Thanks...
Your Welcome.
You are from india...? Which site used to purchase bro..
Hi sir, i have this pl-380. How can i change the AM PM in time? My guide is in chinese.
With the power off press and hold the number 2 button until it shows 12H or 24H do this again until you get the right choice.
by setting the correct time in the 24H format you will have the correct AM/PM time when you cycle back to it using the number 2 button.
Thank you so much@@todderbert. This radio punches a good sound even in max volume.
HI Todd, I just got this radio and I am trying to figure it put. The one thing I am hoping that you can help me with is I am in Canada and I need to change the F to Celsius. I read the manual and can't see it in there, Thanks for your help:)
Tony E ... Did you ever figure out how to change from F to Celsius?
@@tomjones239 HI Tom, I did switch it over but I am not sure if I switched the frequencies from North American to Europe but thanks. I get my local channels so It must be working???
@@tonye8217 Isn`t Canadian tuning on AM the same as the USA....10kz steps....example: AM 500....540......600.....640 etc? In Europe it tunes funny like 603....607.....617 or something similar. If your radio is tuning that way you`ll have to set the temperature back to F. On my Tecsun PL 310ET if the temperature isn`t set to F I have European tuning (ON SEARCH) which is off frequency to our AM and even FM band. You might want to check and see because using the search feature it would skip stations. But if yours tunes in 1kz steps using the tuning knob you`ll be ok. My Tecsun tunes 1kz at a time. Not sure how FM would tune if it was set wrong though. Hope this makes sense. I`ve had no sleep. Sorry. LOL!
Tom Jones Then it should be ok. Thanks for replying to me Tom Jones and you had better go and get some sleep!!! Thanks again!!
Is this your choice for an entry level shortwave?
It is good, but I recently like to recommend the R-108. It has the Air band and full coverage on the Shortwave band. ua-cam.com/video/Y0ZvJqkPXp4/v-deo.html
@@todderbert I really like that one too. Thanks for the quick reply.
How do you switch the temperature indicator between centigrade and farenheight?
switch the MW band from 9kHz to 10kHz stepping.
EXCELLENT VIDEO.
is anyone else having issues charging the pl 380 with the 5v cable? it never seems to charge
I needed rechargeables! Thought there was an internal battery
Is there any way to receive noaa or weather band on this unit?
Some areas broadcast NOAA on MW. There is no VHF WX capability on this radio. There may be weather reporting Shortwave stations on the air in certain locations.
@@todderbert thanks todder, been a subscriber for years love your videos. Little late to the party just ordered my first shortwave went with the pl-380 I think the deciding factor was the “AA” usage. Modern batteries make me nervous.😆
THANKS
Loại radio này nhạy sóng FM không bạn ?
Is it can set to 305 khz ???
Yes it can. 153kHz-513kHz Long Wave in 1kHz is possible.
How do it shift LW band? I cant do it this :(
With the power off, make sure LW is turned on by holding down the MW/LW button. It will toggle the LW option On or Off. Then turn the radio on and use the MW/LW to toggle between the bands.
Does anyone k ow of a radio that can also operate on D.C. vehicle plug in?....
Most vintage Sony's can. I have see them advertise 12V car adapters.
How do you get to the Lw band!!
Check out the pinned comment above. Someone else asked me this question before and then deleted their comment.
please explain db & dbu of singnal. Want a new video on these.
I have one but its Silver
the main takeaway is..its not complicated 😁
I really regret buying a Tecsun PL 380, the reception is not that good especially on MW. I own a Sony ICF19 and when I compare both of them, I can see how bad is my pl380, it doesn’t catch anything, not even with the external antenna. I would like to buy another one with much better reception, the Sony ICF19 is very good but it doesn’t have shortwave and is not digital, I want something with digital reception and very good reception, anyone can give me any options or ideas.
My PL-380 arrived today but I'm not happy with the sound quality so I'll probably send it back. Usually I use a Sony ICF-S10MK2 around the house and to take to BBQs playing music on FM. The ICF-S10MK2 has much fuller sound and goes a lot louder without sounding horrible like the PL-380.
Would you be able to recommend something better for music than the PL-380?
Its a shame because everything apart from the sound quality seems to be exactly what I wanted.
If you want portability you usually will sacrifice audio quality some, with Tecsuns anyway. I find my Tecsun 310ET is decent for a smaller speaker radio. If you want a portable shortwave radio with a decent sounding speaker you will have to move up in size. The Sangean ATS-405 sounds decent, along with the flagship 909X. But your Sony will still have the larger speaker.
@@todderbert I'm not too concerned about a small size for portability, I don't mind taking a larger radio outside or to the park for BBQs. I've pulled the trigger on a used black Digitor (by Sangean) PR-D3 for the equivalent of US$38, they are the same as the C.Crane 2E without the weather channels from what I can make out. It has 5 inch speaker and I read it has a 180 hour battery life, hopefully it will blow my little Sony radio away.
I like the crisp audio from the pl 380. It is great for anyone with compromised hearing and loss of the high frequencies. To each his own.
Too many fancy features offer more basic version this radio
A lot of unnecessary features only to raise the price
A radio under the radar for outstanding FM dx performance probably the best I have ever tested and an excellent MW dx machine is the sony s10 HDip. So good I own 5. Probably need to sell a few lol. Frenzy buyer.😕