TECSUN PL-680 SENSITIVITY TESTS


TECSUN PL-680 SENSITIVITY TESTS

PL-680 Beats Expectations - Part 2


Well, it's been a busy two months since I first posted the Tecsun PL-680 Review - Part 1. And I've finally got around to doing the sensitivity tests I mentioned at the end of that post. The test results are in and the YouTube video is now available for you to check out at your leisure.

The portable Tecsun PL-680 receiver is a hot little radio! As these tests show, it appears to be very sensitive to weak signals. Here, we put the little 680 up against one the best HF transceivers on the market today - the Yaesu FTDX3000 transceiver. The receiver in the 3000 is quite brilliant! And it has all the "bells-and-whistles" to make it even better at digging out weak signals and reducing adjacent channel interference. 

But in these tests, we turn off all the fancy facilities on the FTDX3000 and just run the two receivers side by side to see how the 680 compares. We use the same antenna and we plug both radios into the same external speaker, adjusting as close as we can to equal volume and tone quality. We select a variety of stations operating on a range of frequencies from the 60 through to the 16-metre bands. I think you'll find that the Tecsun is really a very good performer!

As always, your feedback is much appreciated.

 73 and good DX to you all,

 Rob Wagner VK3BVW

NOTE:  When I released this video four years ago (2016), I got a comment from a reader who couldn't tell the changeovers between each rig. I thought it was obvious, but apparently not. Watch the S-meter on each receiver to see which one is being heard. 



P.S.: If you liked this video, please hit the YouTube SUBSCRIBE button below for more videos as they become available! 


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© Rob Wagner, Mount Evelyn DX Report, and contributors 2012-2020

Comments

  1. Tom McQuiggan - MadDogMcQNovember 27, 2018 at 9:05 PM

    Hey Rob, I enjoyed reading your review of the PL-680. I just ordered one and it is due to arrive today. STRANGELY enough, I am also on the verge of treating myself to a DX3000 for my 60th birthday too! Hope I get the same great results as you. 73's. Tom (UK).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob WagnerNovember 28, 2018 at 6:59 AM

      Hi Tom. My 680 is still going strong and is excellent value for money as a little portable unit. It's not fancy, nor indestructible, but it works fine. However, based on the experiences of others, Tecsun's quality control can be a bit hit and miss sometimes. So if you do find you get a bad unit, don't hesitate to get it changed over. My FTDX3000 is getting a hammering on the digital modes like FT8 at the moment and it continues to perform extremely well after four years. Good luck with your purchases. Rob VK3BVW

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