Subbed. Great subject material. Very thorough. I watched your Top Ten videos and was about ready to order the PL-680. Then I heard your negatives on it about the AM broadcast band was lacking in your opinion. It sounds like you are satisfied with this radio's performance on AM broadcast band. I am a new ham radio operator and want something I can take with me and listen to my favorite SSB ham nets. Also I want it as a bedside radio for AM/FM broadcasts. Thanks for sharing. Where can I buy this? This Anan-Co company I am not familiar with but will order it from there if you can give me some testimony if they are trustworthy. Sorry I worry about buying from overseas sources.
I have one coming from Amazon tomorrow, it’s a 990 , not a “x” . Is there a significant difference? I’m looking forward to trying it out…I have more radios than sense lol 😂….hope I made a good move in purchasing this radio. Thank you for your channel…it’s always helpful when I need info on this awesome hobby ✝️🇺🇸🤙🏻🅰️ ….on second thought, this is actually becoming more than a hobby. With the world we like in , information over the airwaves is more of a necessity.
How do you do that 'calibration'? Can you explain? And one more thing! Can this radio portable receive some CB's? You know....some amateur band? Air band? Some 'handy talky' comunication? HF? :D ( sorry i had to say it lol, i know it sounds silly) Waiting for you answer 'cuz i truly like this 990X
This radio is “oh so close”! This is what would have put this “over the top” for me: * Variable RF gain with switchable AGC for greater SSB clarity - Like the Tecsun S-2000. * A record mode for the built-in Micro SD card MP3 player. The fact that it doesn’t have this functionality is almost criminal. Somebody please explain to me what I’m suppose to use the built-in MP3 player for without a record mode??? Since the radio does have Bluetooth and everybody has a smartphone I can just use that functionality to listen to music or a podcast. Heck - I don’t even have anything laying around that records to a Micro SD card. But if I could easily record rare SWL finds to the card - Now that ability would *clearly* put this radio ahead of the 880. So no radio is perfect - But this radio is “so close” ...
May I ask, (hope this question is not misplaced) does the bluetooth go both ways- can you control the radio, and also feed, from the radio, bluetooth to an external speaker/whatever
I'll hazard a guess that Tecsun's engineers may have experimented with MP3 recording to the SD card, but somehow the recording mode introduced internal noise which they couldn't solve when the 990 was designed. That would certainly earn this radio worse reviews. Having said that there are already digital voice recorders for dictation but then none of them have a built in shortwave radio. As shortwave receivers are very sensitive to EMI, it could be possible that the MP3 player's digital circuitry interferes with shortwave reception. I don't have the PL-990 yet but I think the unit can't play MP3 files while listening to the radio simultaneously. Another possibility is that the MP3 player circuit operates independently from the radio's electronics and they're not integrated with one another. It's like the MP3 playback feature is an added on afterthought.
Thanks for this Excellent, and detailed Video of your experiences with the PL-990. So what I am hearing from this video, is the 990 say vs the 660, you are getting More features that can allow you to find freq. or sound on freq at a Faster rate. I like the ability to be able to find what I am looking for with Less search time, a Good Sensitive radio, that has the ability to hook an external antenna(s) and switch off Internal Antenna, being able to calibrate the Freq to make for a More accurate tuning radio. Sounds like some Great features and a Upgrade to me. I also Like the Longer Lasting 18650 Batteries, I keep several, charged and ready to go all the time. That said I am Keeping my PL-660 as it runs on AA batteries, that you can find everywhere. Love my PL-880 as it is my Favorite, I am very disappointed with my Sangean ATS 909, it is my worst radio, sits in a Box as I never use that radio, it may get gifted to a relative. My PL-990 is on the way, should receive it today.
Like Maureen says, "How do you like the 990?" I have the 660 and the little 310ET. I like both but want to "maybe" get the 880 or go ahead and get the 990. Maybe then gift the 660 to a friend. (Lovely wife would ask, "WHY do you need more radios?"). Would I even use the Bluetooth feature on the 990? Can you have too many radios?
About the audio quality of the 990x. Mostly it is said that 880 and this unit has very good audio. But all I ever see/hear in reviews is crackly AM sound, which doesn't exactly show the full potential of the speaker. How would you compare the radio's BT sound against an average BT speaker, such as JBL Charge (in price range $100-150) or similar BT speakers? Thanks!
@@OfficialSWLchannel am I wrong in recalling that LW is used for submarine comms? been a while since I DXed LW, but when I receive my just-ordered PL-990, maybe I'll also get an external LW loop.
@@OfficialSWLchannel That's quite a statement as the 909/909X are superb performers. No variable gain on the 990X like on the Sangeans. A two/three way switch isn't good enough for many loops. Botched sync. Something we're paying for. No ability to name pages. I'm sure it's a fine radio but there are so many misses.
If you have got a tecsun pl 660, would you recommend upgrading to a 990x or a pl 880? ( I have got a pl 660, I am wondering about upgrading to pl 880 or 990x? ) 73 de SM68481
definitely is an improvement over the 660, but if you get the 880 it is similar in performance and less expensive. What might make you go to the 990x ... external antenna use disable internal ferrite on the 990x...not on the 880
I think there is an anon-co in Europe too (Germany or Denmark or Netherlands). Their prices are in Euro and they have a different warranty program. It is perhaps a different franchise outlet for Anon-co HK. The HK one is good too. Even despite there being a pandemic slow-down for most of mail items from China and elsewhere, the HK company sent me one by Fed-ex (only option available) which arrived in like 3 or 4 days (HK to Canada). Very good service, prompt feedback. Overall I am very satisfied with all that!
I've bought this radio. Nice thing. To my opinion the S/N-ratio is bad. A lot of noise at the background, even when you listen to a MW broadcast-station with a high dBu in the display. This should be better. Maybe it's because I'm used to a Kenwood R5000 and JRC NRD535D. Nevertheless it's a complete radio with nice features.
interesting feedback... I've just ordered the 990 and will 'be on the lookout' for what you mention re S/N. Would like to ask: does the tuning and scanning mute RX between stations? Am I alone in wanting a more analog approach where one can hear the weak interstitial noise to determine what's happening?
