Very helpful review, Michael, thank you. My first SW radio, Tecsun R-9012, is arriving today, but I will definitely be ordering a 660 in the near future.
I usually use the Kaito T-1 wire antenna for shortwave listening. It is strung up from my bedroom to near a window in the next room. The length is usually about 18 feet although the wire can extended few feet longer than that. Thank you for watching.
I just picked up a Grundig G4000A in excellent condition for $20.oo‼️ I know nothing about it, but it has SSB, and is about the size of the old Sangean ATS-909. It seems to be quite a good radio. 📻🙂
I think the Grundig G4000A is a later version of the Grundig Yacht Boy 400PE. Nevertheless, you got a great deal on it for $20.00 in excellent condition.
Just ordered this. Hope mine works. Two Tecsuns I`ve bought were defective on AM. Hopefully this one functions properly. Got it for SSB and external antenna with gain control.
My only SSB radio at the moment is a Grundig G6. It has no RF gain control or switch at all. It works well but I can`t connect a very long external antenna or it overloads severely.
TVRadio1972 Many many car companies used that nasty stuff. It was such a problem that no one uses it anymore. New “soft-touch” plastics and materials have been developed. 📻🙂
I really like this radio so far but don`t understand the sync detection. Mine started whining very loudly on my favorite AM daytime station within minutes of turning it on after I pressed sync detection. I guess I fried something. Reset didn`t help. The rest of the AM band seems to work but something is wrong on that frequency. From the looks of Amazon reviews these don`t last long. I would recommend not using the power supply adapter because I suspect that`s the problem. I always use rechargeable batteries. Mine is very sensitive on the AM band...a huge surprise...and I love that there isn`t any muting while tuning AM and shortwave. SSB works well and it sounds great on FM and FM stereo activates easily. Hopefully it will last and they`ve improved quality control.
The tuning on the PL-660 feels almost like you are tuning an analog radio when it is on slow tuning. If you want little to no muting when tuning, this is the radio to get.
Should I get a spare antenna for mine? I just received the radio yesterday? Do you think the antenna will last through normal use? How do I prevent the corona ball from falling off?
You can get a spare antenna if you want. If you handle the antenna carefully, it should be able to last through normal use. Unfortunately, I'm unable to answer your third question. Thank you for watching and have a good day.
Hi sir.i am Rakesh from Chennai and I saw your tecsun pl 660 review.you had shown a similar radio of other company with same design and without SSB.you had said"E10".which brand was it?please tell me asap.thank you
The Eton Elite Executive is on sale for $120.00 I`d love to have either of these radios but can`t afford it at the moment. I have a Tecsun PL 310et and the soft mute and terrible audio pumping of the AGC drives me nuts. Listening to a weak shortwave station using the Tecsun and an Eton Elite Traveler side by side reveals that the Eton is much more stable. I did this with the Tecsun plugged in to an external antenna and only used the whip on the Eton and the soft mute would kill the signal on the Tecsun while I could still hear it on the Eton. Does the 660 have soft mute and muting on tuning? I heard you can disable the soft mute on more expensive Tecsun radios?
The Eton Elite Executive is a very good radio as long as everything on it works properly. In my case, the tuning wheel was didn't change the tuning speed by clicking on it. It stayed on fast, which defeats the purpose of using it for SSB, fine tuning and squelch. The muting on the PL-660 is so soft, it almost feels like an analog radio when tuning on slow mode. Thank you for watching.
@@tvradio1972 Yeah, I remember that video now. With my luck I`d get a bad one. I want to get a better radio for SSB. I used to have a Realistic/RadioShack DX 392 and I could connect it to longwires hundreds of feet long and dial back the gain and hear signals crystal clear. From Louisiana I listened to search and rescue when planes crashed off the coast of New York and California. It was amazing what I could hear using that radio. It cost me $260.00 in 1995. It would still be working but I left batteries inside it after a power outage during a hurricane and ruined it.
Tom Jones Cannot leave batteries in radio❗️😐 It’s an expensive lesson. I left batteries in my C.Crane CCSW. Radio still works, but not the DXer that it was. C.Crane wants as much money for a reconditioned radio as what I paid for the original. I only left the batteries in, 2 weeks after the hurricane. 📻🙁
Tom Jones Sounds like you got a deaf ( bad) Tecsun. These Chinese radios are sometimes hit or miss. Tecsun does try, and they do have a Warranty Center in California. I’ve dealt with them before and they are great. The PL-660 is an excellent radio. ( I had one. - loved it, but it developed a buzzing sound and I couldn’t get rid of it. My friend actually placed the order for me, and to save $12.oo, he got it off eBay. [ no warranty]. It must have been a very early production model, and packag was already been opened. But it did work initially,so. www.Kaito.US said they would have replaced it with warranty, but..... It was a total loss. Low on cash, I replaced it with the PL-600. Which is a fine radio, but less “inspiring “. I have several Tecsun radios but only one other digital S.W. Tecsun, PL-390. I love this radio❗️. The radio is a bit longer ( due to the extra spear), And has a longer whip antenna, and [ supposedly] a longer ferrite rod ( internal AM antenna). I don’t know, but AM reception is excellent. The PL-390 is basically the PL-380 with the dual speakers. My opinion: well worth the extra $10.oo. 📻🙂
Nice review i just ordered from Ali Express 170 US dollar to Kuwait after see your video 👌
Thank you.
I have owned a PL-660 a few years. Just learned loads of good tips. Thanks mate!
You're welcome and thank you for watching.
TV radio 1972 your two Tecsus are cool
Very helpful review, Michael, thank you. My first SW radio, Tecsun R-9012, is arriving today, but I will definitely be ordering a 660 in the near future.
Thank you Greg. I've heard good things about the Tecsun R-9012 although I don't have that radio.
Great review! I have the PL-600. Some limitations, but still a solid radio. Enjoy your new one!
Thank you. I passed on the PL-600 because I wanted my latest radio to have separate LSB/USB, which I don't believe the PL-600 has. Have a good night.
TVRadio1972 That is correct. A little more difficult to tune SSB signals on the PL-600.....
drumhd1
I hav the PL-600 as well.
A fine radio but not very inspiring.
The sound is also a bit muddy.
📻🙂
Thanks for this great video. May I know more about your antenna, such as the brand and how it is set up?
Thanks again. I am going to buy this one
I usually use the Kaito T-1 wire antenna for shortwave listening. It is strung up from my bedroom to near a window in the next room. The length is usually about 18 feet although the wire can extended few feet longer than that. Thank you for watching.
_The Tecsum PL-660 is a super good high sensitivity radio._
Yes it is. Thank you for watching and have a good day.
I just picked up a Grundig G4000A in excellent condition for
$20.oo‼️
I know nothing about it, but it has SSB, and is about the size of the old Sangean ATS-909.
It seems to be quite a good radio.
📻🙂
I think the Grundig G4000A is a later version of the Grundig Yacht Boy 400PE. Nevertheless, you got a great deal on it for $20.00 in excellent condition.
I have the silver version. Lovely radio for SW in particular. Nice video too. Thanks.
@@MarkWilliams-sc6vz You're welcome and thank you for watching.
Excellent review.
📻🙂
Thank you Jeff.
Just ordered this. Hope mine works. Two Tecsuns I`ve bought were defective on AM. Hopefully this one functions properly. Got it for SSB and external antenna with gain control.
Cool! I hope the AM works this time around. The third time may be the charm. Thank you for watching and have a good day.
Hi, Where did you buy the radio stand from? Pls give me the link - Thanks
My only SSB radio at the moment is a Grundig G6. It has no RF gain control or switch at all. It works well but I can`t connect a very long external antenna or it overloads severely.
I still have the Grundig G3, which is also SSB. It does tend to overload in spots on MW, LW and sometimes SW. The SSB is very good on it though.
Tom Jones
I too have the G-6
“Buzz Aldrin” Edition.
Had to remove all that nasty rubber coating, but - Neat little radio.
📻🙂
@@jeffking291 I hope no companies ever puts that rubberized coating on their radios again.
TVRadio1972
Many many car companies used that nasty stuff. It was such a problem that no one uses it anymore.
New “soft-touch” plastics and materials have been developed.
📻🙂
TV radio 1972 your Tecsun Pl 6,60 mw lw fm streo Air SW ssb 6 bands receiver is cool
I really like this radio so far but don`t understand the sync detection. Mine started whining very loudly on my favorite AM daytime station within minutes of turning it on after I pressed sync detection. I guess I fried something. Reset didn`t help. The rest of the AM band seems to work but something is wrong on that frequency. From the looks of Amazon reviews these don`t last long. I would recommend not using the power supply adapter because I suspect that`s the problem. I always use rechargeable batteries. Mine is very sensitive on the AM band...a huge surprise...and I love that there isn`t any muting while tuning AM and shortwave. SSB works well and it sounds great on FM and FM stereo activates easily. Hopefully it will last and they`ve improved quality control.
Thank you for the feedback. I only use the power supply to recharge the batteries so I don't have to take them out of the radio.
Does it have the muting problem when you have manual tuning? That issue killed many radio purchases for me. The newer tecsuns has muting.
The tuning on the PL-660 feels almost like you are tuning an analog radio when it is on slow tuning. If you want little to no muting when tuning, this is the radio to get.
Should I get a spare antenna for mine? I just received the radio yesterday? Do you think the antenna will last through normal use? How do I prevent the corona ball from falling off?
You can get a spare antenna if you want. If you handle the antenna carefully, it should be able to last through normal use. Unfortunately, I'm unable to answer your third question. Thank you for watching and have a good day.
Hi sir.i am Rakesh from Chennai and I saw your tecsun pl 660 review.you had shown a similar radio of other company with same design and without SSB.you had said"E10".which brand was it?please tell me asap.thank you
The brand of the E10 is Eton.
The Eton Elite Executive is on sale for $120.00 I`d love to have either of these radios but can`t afford it at the moment. I have a Tecsun PL 310et and the soft mute and terrible audio pumping of the AGC drives me nuts. Listening to a weak shortwave station using the Tecsun and an Eton Elite Traveler side by side reveals that the Eton is much more stable. I did this with the Tecsun plugged in to an external antenna and only used the whip on the Eton and the soft mute would kill the signal on the Tecsun while I could still hear it on the Eton. Does the 660 have soft mute and muting on tuning? I heard you can disable the soft mute on more expensive Tecsun radios?
The Eton Elite Executive is a very good radio as long as everything on it works properly. In my case, the tuning wheel was didn't change the tuning speed by clicking on it. It stayed on fast, which defeats the purpose of using it for SSB, fine tuning and squelch. The muting on the PL-660 is so soft, it almost feels like an analog radio when tuning on slow mode. Thank you for watching.
@@tvradio1972 Yeah, I remember that video now. With my luck I`d get a bad one. I want to get a better radio for SSB. I used to have a Realistic/RadioShack DX 392 and I could connect it to longwires hundreds of feet long and dial back the gain and hear signals crystal clear. From Louisiana I listened to search and rescue when planes crashed off the coast of New York and California. It was amazing what I could hear using that radio. It cost me $260.00 in 1995. It would still be working but I left batteries inside it after a power outage during a hurricane and ruined it.
@@tomjones239 I have made that mistake about the batteries myself. Luckily, it didn't damage the radios to the point that it stopped working.
Tom Jones
Cannot leave batteries in radio❗️😐
It’s an expensive lesson.
I left batteries in my C.Crane CCSW. Radio still works, but not the DXer that it was.
C.Crane wants as much money for a reconditioned radio as what I paid for the original.
I only left the batteries in, 2 weeks after the hurricane.
📻🙁
Tom Jones
Sounds like you got a deaf ( bad) Tecsun.
These Chinese radios are sometimes hit or miss. Tecsun does try, and they do have a Warranty Center in California. I’ve dealt with them before and they are great.
The PL-660 is an excellent radio.
( I had one. - loved it, but it developed a buzzing sound and I couldn’t get rid of it.
My friend actually placed the order for me, and to save $12.oo, he got it off eBay. [ no warranty]. It must have been a very early production model, and packag was already been opened. But it did work initially,so.
www.Kaito.US said they would have replaced it with warranty, but.....
It was a total loss.
Low on cash, I replaced it with the PL-600.
Which is a fine radio, but less “inspiring “.
I have several Tecsun radios but only one other digital S.W. Tecsun,
PL-390. I love this radio❗️. The radio is a bit longer ( due to the extra spear),
And has a longer whip antenna, and [ supposedly] a longer ferrite rod ( internal AM antenna). I don’t know,
but AM reception is excellent.
The PL-390 is basically the PL-380 with the dual speakers.
My opinion: well worth the extra $10.oo.
📻🙂
nice video but, I cringe when I see you stacking the radios against each other like that.
Thank you. I do that as size comparisons similar to what Todderbert does during his radio reviews.
they eat any ten lol