If you like SSB then don't, get a PL-680 instead, the 880 and 990x suffer from poor sound on SSB with distortion. The PL-680 sounds much much better and costs a lot less.
@@Roundymooney You are very Welcome, you will be delighted with the sound quality from the Pl-680 on SSB it really is a great radio for the money. You can even use ECSS on a shortwave commercial station, this is a real DX'ers tool against fading signals and interference from close by stations or noise, just press USB/LSB whichever has the greater effect at reducing the interference, then tune the BFO until the sound is as natural as possible and the PL-680 is one of the best out there because the sound hasn't been mutilated by poorly implemented DSP. You can't do this with the Pl-880/990x because they sound really bad on SSB.
I have the 880 and it’s good but it did take me a little while to figure out switching to LW. I like to listen to the short wave in bed at night and it’s ideal. Wow that Grundig is a lovely looking radio. I bought one of those components testers after your review and it’s great very impressed with it functionality and low cost. God I hate those radio amateur bores that tell you every detail of their station in excruciating detail. , Thanks regards Chris
I just bought this radio and the manual is all in Chinese so it doesnt help me since I cant read Chinese. So "thankyou so much" for explaining the features of this radio to me !
here is my evaluation on the PL330 received yesterday morning. I don't know if the Chinese version is the cause of my problem but I was particularly disappointed. I suspected that the long waves would not be great but I really hoped that the possibility of using the telescopic antenna or a external antenna was going to improve the thing but it only amplifies the noise. Ditto for the medium waves not terrible in any case inferior to the XHDATA D808 and as regards the FM the telescopic antenna seems to me a little too short. In addition when I stall on a frequency, the sound drops and goes up as a false contact. I have just redone an order for the official version with Firmware 3305 and I was wondering if that would change my opinion on this radio that everyone seems to love. If you have an answer, I am interested. In any case I would have at least an English manual and the possibility of knowing how to memorize the stations. When I think of the PL880 which had such a good reception on LW things did not improve
Good video. Just had to return my Xhdata due to faulty fine tuning knob. I'm waiting for this one to appear in UK. Been inform that it arrives on Amazon in February. Xhdata was good but loss confidence with it due to fault. Not bothered by RDS or Air band.
This is a fantastic little radio. The best handheld I own, and I have a ton of them. I enhanced it in a number of ways : - replaced the ferrite antenna with a bigger one. Now receives a LOT better in LW. - replaced the bl5c battery with a 2500mah li-ion battery (had to remove plastic underneath the bl5c battery) Battery life is a lot better.
@@Monsieur-Estrada You have 2 possibilities : either keep the original ferrite bar, remove the wire and rewire it with more turns using a litz wire, or buy a new ferrite bar which can be installed in the pl330, and rewire it. Inductance should be higher than the original ferrite bar, but not too high else reception in MW will be degraded. You'll need an inductance meter to verify the inductance of your new ferrite bar. This can drastically enhance the reception in LW.
@@IrishvintageTVRadio I just recieved my tecsun 330 with firmware 3305, been using it for 2 days now and the battery indicator has not moved a millimeter, didnt even charge it yet either!
I bought a tecsun pl-380 last summer for £32 and it's a great wee radio for the price imho! I couldn't justify spending much more as I'm only an occasional listener on sw.
I also have the 380 and it's very nice for the price. However the pl-330 has a much better sound, added ssb functionality and etm+ mode. The 380 however has a big advantage over the 330 : it still uses AA batteries. Anyway I did a mod on the 330 to use a 2500mah battery. Way better than the bl-5c.
This is a radio I would consider buying. I would probably wait a little while though. I recently bought an Eton Elite Executive. Very impressive on most of the bands. I don't get much on LW since I live in the United States so I can't really judge that band. Thank you for showing us the PL-330.
I think it's good value for money. The tuning knob has a very plasticy feel and is not great, LW is not great either but that's not a big deal for most people. The HF end is good and to have SSB capability at this price point is great.
As soon as you get away from where RFI Eminates (Radio Frequency Interference). Then you and the tecsun, can fly, far and wide!!! Happy DX and good luck everyone. ❤❤❤
My frend bought a Tecsun, but i cant recall the model number, it's likely similar to yours. Same size as yours but i didnt think much to the receive, rather hissy and deaf sounding. But im a picky sod lol. Yours sounds a lot better :-D I didnt know there was a china version, all made in the same factory i would think lol. Ahh the grundig, thats a loverly bit of kit, did you identify the i.f transformer numbers and there frequency?. A schematic would help you find a compatable transformer. I would look but i didnt hear what you said.
Good review, cracking little radio. Right now, March 2023, it's retailing in GB at £90 and you can find it for about £75; the best units at £250-300 don't seem significantly better according to the reviews, except for speaker sound quality.
I have a similar DEGEN 1103. Now it has an external antenna socket. These are normally mono plug socket., type 3.5mm . What you do is build a 1:3 step up trifilar transformer built on a Farrite BN 61-002 core . I used conductors stripped from a Cat 5e cable. This arrangement allows the use of a Dipole antenna and a coax feed in. This is a professional way to get the signal in and the radio will be a lot quieter. Remember a dipole is a resonant antenna. TE Fidler NzL. DO NO SUBS that core. Anyt
Mine arrived today from the "slow boat" its got the latest firmware 3305. The Xhata D-808 is another great little radio and very good for MW DXing, got a lot of transatlantic MW stations on it when in the Canaries a couple of years ago - seems to overload easily on SW though. Keep up the good work! 73s from Cork
A really helpful review. Have just sent back a D808 which had a problem. My old ,good Roberts R861, origin Sangean, is weighty, but further research on three Tecsun models led me to order this model , a little cheaper too,. free Amazon delivery in France tomorrow afternoon to a nearby locker, which will be ideal to try it out on the coming bank holiday monday, and a start a little before, but the clear testing seen on the video shows me that I will be more at home with this Tecsun, than the Sihuadon D808, which will also fit a secured pocket when out, unlike the solid Roberts. Have subscribed to the channel, and will catch up on other reviews. I now know how to get going on the PL 330 as well as using the English handbook said to be useful é as long as it is not the Chinese version but that can be got over.
Tecsun Australia do an English manual for the PL-330 that you can download. I like the scanner utilities which make hoping around the frequencies very easy. Three years later than your video & I have just bought one. Only took 7 days to arrive and I am very pleased with it. Just looking to increase range & signal sensitivity by making a long wire antenna to clip onto the aerial.
I enjoyed your review of the PL-330. I have one and like it - amazing all the features in a small radio wish we had these back in the 60’s/70’s. Did you ever get the Satellite 700 working? I flipped through your videos and didn’t see one for the 700. I would like to see your comments on that radio so I look forward to that. Thanks, enjoy your channel!
This could be a radio I would buy, I still have a Panasonic RF-B45 that works and has been a portable that I would take camping. But, depending on price, I might be enticed to buy it. Keep on reviewing the XH DATA radio as your experiences increase - come on and tell us about the negatives and positives as to battery and keyboard.
That SSB operation is impressive! Good video review.
Looks very impressive for the price. Thanks for the video.Cheers, Steve
Great review. Thanks. Now I am convinced to buy a new PL330 and to send to retirement my good old Satellit 700. Cheers!
Thanks for that, the 700 is still a good machine though but technology has moved on a lot since then.
Nice radio!
Strongly thinking of a 990X, I’d say it’s a beautiful radio.
They look a good yoke, plenty of videos of them.
If you like SSB then don't, get a PL-680 instead, the 880 and 990x suffer from poor sound on SSB with distortion. The PL-680 sounds much much better and costs a lot less.
@@o00scorpion00o That's some difference in price alright-I'll dig a little deeper, thank you!
@@Roundymooney You are very Welcome, you will be delighted with the sound quality from the Pl-680 on SSB it really is a great radio for the money. You can even use ECSS on a shortwave commercial station, this is a real DX'ers tool against fading signals and interference from close by stations or noise, just press USB/LSB whichever has the greater effect at reducing the interference, then tune the BFO until the sound is as natural as possible and the PL-680 is one of the best out there because the sound hasn't been mutilated by poorly implemented DSP. You can't do this with the Pl-880/990x because they sound really bad on SSB.
@@o00scorpion00o Interesting comments, I to will look into the PL-680. Thanks.
Version 3306 is out now with global free shipping, SSB is not bad for a 72 bucks radio. Thanks 73
I have the 880 and it’s good but it did take me a little while to figure out switching to LW. I like to listen to the short wave in bed at night and it’s ideal. Wow that Grundig is a lovely looking radio. I bought one of those components testers after your review and it’s great very impressed with it functionality and low cost. God I hate those radio amateur bores that tell you every detail of their station in excruciating detail. , Thanks regards Chris
The component tester is handy. Yes and not to mention those 59 reports when they clearly can't here you.
Your Tecsun Pl 3 30 shortwave receiver is cool
I just bought this radio and the manual is all in Chinese so it doesnt help me since I cant read Chinese. So "thankyou so much" for explaining the features of this radio to me !
Thats a nice wee set. It will be good to compare it to the Grundig. I am tempted to get one.
It's good for the money.
here is my evaluation on the PL330 received yesterday morning.
I don't know if the Chinese version is the cause of my problem but I was particularly disappointed. I suspected that the long waves would not be great but I really hoped that the possibility of using the telescopic antenna or a external antenna was going to improve the thing but it only amplifies the noise.
Ditto for the medium waves not terrible in any case inferior to the XHDATA D808 and as regards the FM the telescopic antenna seems to me a little too short. In addition when I stall on a frequency, the sound drops and goes up as a false contact. I have just redone an order for the official version with Firmware 3305
and I was wondering if that would change my opinion on this radio that everyone seems to love. If you have an answer, I am interested. In any case I would have at least an English manual and the possibility of knowing how to memorize the stations. When I think of the PL880 which had such a good reception on LW things did not improve
Hard to say, it's definitely no use on long wave. Go out into the countryside and try it, your local noise floor may be high.
Love my PL-680!
Good video. Just had to return my Xhdata due to faulty fine tuning knob. I'm waiting for this one to appear in UK. Been inform that it arrives on Amazon in February. Xhdata was good but loss confidence with it due to fault. Not bothered by RDS or Air band.
Hi Mark, I was and still am very tempted by the xhdata. I thought the RDS could be good for identifying station via sporadic E.
i got that radio there nice. i use it when i use my shortwave transmitter on the 49 meter band.
Sounds interesting Melvin, care to share some details of your set up.
This is a fantastic little radio. The best handheld I own, and I have a ton of them.
I enhanced it in a number of ways :
- replaced the ferrite antenna with a bigger one. Now receives a LOT better in LW.
- replaced the bl5c battery with a 2500mah li-ion battery (had to remove plastic underneath the bl5c battery) Battery life is a lot better.
where u get a bigger ferrite antena? u had any video of how to do this improves?
@@stephaneschmitz8030 could you please tell us where did you purchased your replacement antenna to get more reception on your PL-330?
@@Monsieur-Estrada You have 2 possibilities : either keep the original ferrite bar, remove the wire and rewire it with more turns using a litz wire, or buy a new ferrite bar which can be installed in the pl330, and rewire it. Inductance should be higher than the original ferrite bar, but not too high else reception in MW will be degraded. You'll need an inductance meter to verify the inductance of your new ferrite bar. This can drastically enhance the reception in LW.
Is 6 hours the battery life or the expected life of the radio !!!
The radio I hope!
@@IrishvintageTVRadio I just recieved my tecsun 330 with firmware 3305, been using it for 2 days now and the battery indicator has not moved a millimeter, didnt even charge it yet either!
I bought a tecsun pl-380 last summer for £32 and it's a great wee radio for the price imho! I couldn't justify spending much more as I'm only an occasional listener on sw.
I also have the 380 and it's very nice for the price. However the pl-330 has a much better sound, added ssb functionality and etm+ mode. The 380 however has a big advantage over the 330 : it still uses AA batteries. Anyway I did a mod on the 330 to use a 2500mah battery. Way better than the bl-5c.
This is a radio I would consider buying. I would probably wait a little while though. I recently bought an Eton Elite Executive. Very impressive on most of the bands. I don't get much on LW since I live in the United States so I can't really judge that band. Thank you for showing us the PL-330.
I think it's good value for money. The tuning knob has a very plasticy feel and is not great, LW is not great either but that's not a big deal for most people. The HF end is good and to have SSB capability at this price point is great.
Both Eton Executive and Tecsun PL-330 supports FM expanded band: Russian OIRT FM: 64 - 108 MHz.
As soon as you get away from where RFI Eminates (Radio Frequency Interference).
Then you and the tecsun, can fly, far and wide!!! Happy DX and good luck everyone. ❤❤❤
This radio is definitely on my wish list if my Retekess V115 ever goes on the blink. 📻
Great radio for the buck
Not bad Ray.
My frend bought a Tecsun, but i cant recall the model number, it's likely similar to yours.
Same size as yours but i didnt think much to the receive, rather hissy and deaf sounding.
But im a picky sod lol.
Yours sounds a lot better :-D
I didnt know there was a china version, all made in the same factory i would think lol.
Ahh the grundig, thats a loverly bit of kit, did you identify the i.f transformer numbers and there frequency?.
A schematic would help you find a compatable transformer.
I would look but i didnt hear what you said.
The Grundig is a job for another day.
Good review, cracking little radio. Right now, March 2023, it's retailing in GB at £90 and you can find it for about £75; the best units at £250-300 don't seem significantly better according to the reviews, except for speaker sound quality.
Very good radio. Really.
I have a similar DEGEN 1103. Now it has an external antenna socket. These are normally mono plug socket., type 3.5mm . What you do is build a 1:3 step up trifilar transformer built on a Farrite BN 61-002 core . I used conductors stripped from a Cat 5e cable. This arrangement allows the use of a Dipole antenna and a coax feed in. This is a professional way to get the signal in and the radio will be a lot quieter. Remember a dipole is a resonant antenna. TE Fidler NzL. DO NO SUBS that core. Anyt
That old Grundig looks like a Tecsun H-501 with only one speaker.
Can it receive CW?
Yes very clearly.
I think the "CH-$" selection means to use the jack on the left side, although the rod would be the same connection.
Mine arrived today from the "slow boat" its got the latest firmware 3305. The Xhata D-808 is another great little radio and very good for MW DXing, got a lot of transatlantic MW stations on it when in the Canaries a couple of years ago - seems to overload easily on SW though. Keep up the good work! 73s from Cork
what portable radios can also be used as "spirit boxes"?
You should look for a lot of noise, ie bad reception. Try the V115 I've heard that's a noisy radio.
I think I might just subscribe for the accent alone!
Works great on ssb and good agc timing.
A really helpful review. Have just sent back a D808 which had a problem. My old ,good Roberts R861, origin Sangean, is weighty, but further research on three Tecsun models led me to order this model , a little cheaper too,. free Amazon delivery in France tomorrow afternoon to a nearby locker, which will be ideal to try it out on the coming bank holiday monday, and a start a little before, but the clear testing seen on the video shows me that I will be more at home with this Tecsun, than the Sihuadon D808, which will also fit a secured pocket when out, unlike the solid Roberts. Have subscribed to the channel, and will catch up on other reviews. I now know how to get going on the PL 330 as well as using the English handbook said to be useful é as long as it is not the Chinese version but that can be got over.
Tecsun Australia do an English manual for the PL-330 that you can download. I like the scanner utilities which make hoping around the frequencies very easy. Three years later than your video & I have just bought one. Only took 7 days to arrive and I am very pleased with it. Just looking to increase range & signal sensitivity by making a long wire antenna to clip onto the aerial.
Tell me please if I store 14.66666 usb into the memory - will it store it like 14.666 or complete 14.66666? Will it remember also mode (am/usb/lsb)?
I haven't figured that out yet.
It will remember the mode and 14.666.
I enjoyed your review of the PL-330. I have one and like it - amazing all the features in a small radio wish we had these back in the 60’s/70’s. Did you ever get the Satellite 700 working? I flipped through your videos and didn’t see one for the 700. I would like to see your comments on that radio so I look forward to that. Thanks, enjoy your channel!
Great video, I just bought this radio and love it. Are you in Ulster? Best Wishes
Hey great video if you wouldn't mind do some more ban scan videos with this Radio I really enjoy listening
Hello Sir, I am interested in Shortwaves radios so Which one is best among Tecsun pl 330 & Xhdata D 808 ?? .............Thank You
Grundig was tickled pink getting the new boy’s screen protector 😀😝
Don't worry about the xhdata's RDS, in a nutshell the rds (is a gimick on the D808) has no helpfulness for proper proper DXing stations and $hit.
You're should do a follow up review of this radio... Just saying...
olá boa noite que idioma vc esta falando . não estou entendendo nada
Inglês da Irlanda.
Obrigado!! Rogério lima
📻🇲🇩👍
This could be a radio I would buy, I still have a Panasonic RF-B45 that works and has been a portable that I would take camping. But, depending on price, I might be enticed to buy it. Keep on reviewing the XH DATA radio as your experiences increase - come on and tell us about the negatives and positives as to battery and keyboard.
Олень... Заранее нельзя подготовить камеру и приёмник?
No