- AM/FM Shortwave receiver with ATS (Auto Tuning Storage)
- AM Dual Conversion
- 1,700 preset memories for easy access to your favorite stations
- Alarm clock + sleep timer (1-120 min)
- Kaito Electronics, Inc is the only authorized Tecsun Distributor in North America, Only the Tecsun radios sold by Katio come with English user manuals
Buy Tecsun PL-210 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM/LW Shortwave Radio, Black Now
This is my 3rd Tecsun, having already purchased a mid-size PL-600 and the tiny DSP-based PL-360. For a small AM/FM/SW radio this PL-210 is a little gem! It's small enough to fit in your pocket but the weight of the radio with the 2 AA cells makes it a bit heavy. Build quality looks good and the buttons feel secure. The large side-tuning knob is a huge plus. Sound from the small speaker is much better than I would have thought possible. Not "room filling" sound, but not "tinny" sound, either. Tecsun did a wonderful job with the audio on this midget sized radio.Performance on grabbing signals? FM, AM and SW all do well on the telescopic antenna. However, while the FM sensitivity is good, the FM selectivity is an obvious weak point. FM selectivity is not even close to the incredible selectivity shown by the new DSP-based radios like the PL-360. Putting a low-noise / hi-gain preamp with an outside antenna on this radio causes it to overload badly on FM. AM reception is good and the signal-to-noise ratio improves when using an external loop antenna like those from Terk. SW sensitivity is also very good. Not as good as a Degen 1103 but good enough. Hooking up an outdoor folded dipole antenna with preamp to the PL-210 telescopic antenna didn't present any obvious overload/intermodulation problems in my rural (weak SW signal) area. Nice!
This radio will be a good performer except for people who will have problems when using the FM in a crowded urban environment. It's a cute device and even comes with a nice quality zip-up carry case. I only wish I could have ordered it in red rather than the standard black color. With the quality of the sound from its small speaker, you won't mind spending time listening to this pint-size device. Frankly, I'm surprise more people haven't discovered this ultra-small radio by now.
Read Best Reviews of Tecsun PL-210 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM/LW Shortwave Radio, Black Here
I already own a couple of other Tecsun radios and they work great. I'm surprised there are only two reviews of the 210 on Amazon. This is a very small radio, even tinier than the 606. There are a few difference. There is no ETM or DSP,but there is a direct frequency keyboard, which I miss on the 606, and it has 1,700 presets..probably more than you'll ever need. With the sheer number of presets you can program the FM band on the first page, The AM band up to 1520 on the second page, and the remainder of the frequencies on the third page. Being there are only 100 AM frequencies on most other Tecsun models, you can get them all in here.One nice plus is the fact you can program shortwave, FM and AM stations in the same memory band. I do miss that ETM feature, but it does have ATS tuning which does the same thing, and with so many memories, if you travel you can punch in the available frequencies on the different memory pages.
Only downside is that is not as selective as the 606, 380 and 390 on FM. Sensitivity is great on both bands, but you will hear a little spillover on strong FM frequencies. I guess not having that DSP feature is the reason.
The CCrane Mini radio looks very similar and it is about the same size. I ordered that a couple of months ago and returned it when I discovered it's poor performance on AM and FM., and the fact you had to hit an enter button for the direct frequency. The radio has a tuning knob that does not go in "increments". With other Tecsun radios, the sound can either be too loud or soft when listening at low levels.
I have the 606, 390, with the twin stereo speakers and excellent AM reception. The 210 is a nice addition.
Want Tecsun PL-210 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM/LW Shortwave Radio, Black Discount?
bought it because it is small red and the price was right, well it is small and red,have had it for 3 weeks, does everything i expected from a small under sixty dollar radio,
got mine for 39 bucks like it works quite well for its size and price
short wave you will hear much more if hooked to wire antenna
i like this radio
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The Chinese made Tecsun or "Desheng" PL-210 is one of the BEST Medium Wave (AM)/FM (STEREO) and Shortwave Radios in the "Ultralight Radio" classification I have ever used. The Tecsun PL-210 was designed carefully, intelligently and beautifully by the Chinese engineers at the Tecsun or "Desheng" Radio Company, one of the largest mass production radio manufacturers located in Dōngguǎn, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. The PL-210 is the successor to the previous model(s), the Tecsun "PL-200", also known as the Grundig "G100" and the Etón "E100". The "rebadged/renamed" Grundig/Etón versions were exactly identical to the Tecsun PL-200 and were mostly distributed/sold throughout North America and Europe by the Etón Corporation based in the town of Palo Alto, California, USA. The previous Tecsun PL-200, the Grundig G100 and the Etón E100 models were not nearly as good in overall performance as the current Tecsun PL-210 on the market today.A MEDIUM WAVE (AM) BAND EVALUATION...
The Tecsun PL-210 is an incredibly sensitive radio on all bands, Medium Wave (AM)/FM and Shortwave. First, let's go over the performance on the medium wave (AM) band. I reside in Northern California and during my initial test on the medium wave (AM) band, in the late hours of the night, using only its internal, built-in ferrite rod antenna, I managed to capture distant and faint, confirmed radio stations throughout the Western Region of the United States, from Southern California, to Washington State, to Oregon, to Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, even as far as Western Canada and Mexico! The size of the radio will give you a general idea how small its internal ferrite rod antenna is and yet it manages to pull in the weakest of the weak signals on the medium wave (AM) band. Very impressive so far. To even further your long distance reception on the medium wave (AM) band, try using an external, indoor "passive" medium wave (AM) loop antenna such as the "Tecsun AN-200" or a "Terk AM Advantage". Terk's version is built a little more solid and is substantially more expensive than the cheaper Tecsun version but both antennas perform equally as good and are excellent medium wave (AM) loop antennas widely sold everywhere, even here on Amazon. I prefer the cheaper Tecsun version for 2 reasons: (1). The "fine tuning" knob on the Tecsun AN-200 is placed in a perfect area, which is on the front of the antenna for easy access fine tuning. Again, the engineers at the Tecsun Radio plant chose a much more "intelligent" area for the tuning knob to be than Terk's AM Advantage antenna where the fine tuning knob or "dial" in this case, is placed in right the middle. (2). The fine tuning knob on the cheaper Tecsun also turns in a smooth, "fluid like" motion while Terk's fine tuning dial is quite stiff, making it difficult to "fine tune" the exact medium wave (AM) radio signal you're trying to capture. Sometimes, cheaper is actually better! The Tecsun PL-210 alone is built with excellent high-sensitivity circuitry along with an outstanding internal medium wave (AM) ferrite rod antenna and therefore I would note this radio as a fine "DX" machine for its small size. What was that? You just asked me what the term "DX" or "DX'ing" means, so let me explain. "DX" or "DX'ing" is the hobby among many radio enthusiasts such as myself of capturing and identifying distant and faint radio signals from hundreds and even thousands of miles away from your location. Most medium wave (AM) radios are capable of receiving medium wave (AM) "DX" signals especially during the later hours of the night, some radios better than others. In the case of the radio being reviewed here, the Tecsun PL-210 is one of the best, quality-built radio receivers I've ever used out on the market today, that is completely capable of capturing medium-wave (AM) "DX" signals.
ONTO THE FM BAND...
I'm not much of an FM user in the "DX" hobby or in general, but I can tell you while scanning the FM band, reception is well above satisfactory levels and sounds pretty damn good for "general listening", like listening to music through it's built-in monaural speaker. The FM "STEREO" feature is available by USING STEREO HEADPHONES or STEREO EARPHONES ONLY!! So please don't sit there wondering why stereo sound isn't coming out of its one mono speaker like some idiots would expect it to do. To the right side of the PL-210 below the tuning knob, there is a FM STEREO on and off switch.
LET'S NOW GO OVER THE PERFORMANCE OF MY FAVORITE BAND, THE SHORTWAVE BAND...
The Tecsun PL-210 is generally classified as a "Shortwave Receiver" and during the sensitivity test on the Shortwave band, I found that this radio is just "one fine piece of work", picking up signals throughout the entire Shortwave spectrum, around the world without hesitation, with very minimal "images", very minimal "adjacent channel interference", and very minimal "in and out fading" due to it's very effective "dual conversion" design. As with all portable-sized Shortwave radios, the built-in, "telescoping whip" antenna receives only a fraction of the many Shortwave signals out on the airwaves. To maximize Shortwave reception on any and all Shortwave radios, use an external indoor wire antenna or even better, an outdoor long-wire antenna when possible. In this case during the test on the Shortwave bands, I was using the amazing and incredible, "home-brewed", high-gain, non-amplified, and most effective, indoor or outdoor, Shortwave antenna I've ever used called, the "MAGIC WAND", designed and handmade by an eBay seller named, "LowBander" from Kansas City, Kansas for under 30 bucks! "LowBander" is an experienced, "old school", antenna designer and builder that has been inventing the most effective radio communications antennas for over 50 years and knows exactly what he's doing! Look him up on eBay and buy one! I bought one and the "MAGIC WAND" antenna makes a great addition to ALL my Shortwave receivers for maximum Shortwave reception!!
THE "DEAF" LONGWAVE BAND IN THE UNITED STATES...
The PL-210 is also equipped with the Longwave band (150 to 519 kHz) widely used for radio station transmissions everywhere else around the world especially in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia but NOT in the United States. There are no active Longwave band frequencies here in the U.S. or at least not any I know of, so no comments on the performance of the Longwave band.
AUDIO QUALITY...
Audio on the Tecsun PL-210 is rated as "EXCELLENT" through it's small yet powerful front-firing speaker. Audio is very pleasant to the ears and is suitable for longer use throughout the day and/or night. Unlike many modern, "cheap ass junk radios" made today with low quality speakers that emit horrific, high-pitches and make the inside of your ears feel like they are burning with fire and not with desire even when listening for a short periods of time. You would often find these "cheap ass junk radios" displayed on the shelves at retail outlets such as Target Stores, Wal-Marts, Kmarts, Radio Shacks, Walgreens and so on. I won't mention the rest of retailers that sell "crap radios" as the list is too long for me to go on. The retailers I did mention are 5 of the most horrible places to buy a good, quality built radio because they don't have any to sell! They're all garbage! Since the speaker on the PL-210 is smaller due to its "ultralight" size classification, audio can and will overload and cause distortion if you set the volume up too high. Audio on the PL-210 is best when the volume is set at normal listening levels. Remember, this is not a "Ghetto Blaster Boombox" from the 1980's! I wish I still had my boombox from the 80's. It was a Panasonic! Ah, the memories... To the right side of the PL-210, just below the tuning knob, you will find a selectable "high/low" audio switch for your audio fidelity preferences.
THREE TUNING METHODS...
The Tecsun PL-210 offers 3 different tuning methods. (1). "Manual tuning" with the tuning knob. (2). "Auto scan tuning". And (3). "Direct frequency entry". All 3 tuning methods are pretty much self-explanatory so I won't get into full detail on how the they all operate. There is however one minor issue with manual tuning while spinning the tuning knob. Tecsun is probably the only radio manufacturer that equips most of their digital radios with a somewhat annoying, "multi-speed" tuning knob or tuning dial depending which Tecsun models you own. This feature is not available on any other radio brands that I know of as I will explain more elaborately on all its functions so you can get a better understand how this "multi-speed" tuning knob works. On the medium wave (AM) band, when you turn the tuning knob at a slower speed, the tuning steps on medium wave (AM) tunes at 1 kHz increments. Now, spin the tuning knob at a faster speed and the radio will tune the frequency steps at 10 kHz increments on medium wave (AM). A slower tuning speed on the Shortwave band also tunes the frequencies at 1 kHz increments and tunes at 5 kHz increments for fast tuning on Shortwave, via the tuning knob. And for FM frequencies, slow tuning tunes the FM frequencies at 0.01 MHz increments and tunes the FM frequencies at 0.1 MHz increments on the fast tuning mode. The radio's microprocessor does all this automatically depending how fast or slow you spin the tuning knob. Do you get the general idea of the multi-speed tuning design now? I hope so. If not, you're on your own! Anyway, some "higher-end" Tecsun models offer a "kill switch" to stop this type of tuning "behavior". In this case, the Tecsun PL-210 does not offer the option to bypass this feature so you're stuck with the "multi-speed" tuning feature which most radio enthusiasts I know, "LOVE TO HATE". Fortunately for me, I have gotten use to using the "multi-speed" tuning knob and it's not such a big deal or annoyance anymore as it was initially when I started using the radio for the very first time. Regardless of this now very minor issue, with the "multi-speed" tuning knob on the Tecsun PL-210, it is infact a HUGE UPGRADE to it's predecessor(s), the Tecsun "PL-200", the Grundig "G100" and the Etón "E100", which all 3 models only tuned at a one slow speed of 1 kHz on both medium-wave (AM) and on the Shortwave frequencies! Having a tuning knob that tunes only at a 1 kHz increment speed, especially on small portables is pretty damn useless I think, so nobody should really be griping, moaning and complaining like most females do, because of the slow/fast speed combination the Tecsun PL-210 tuning knob offers. I'm actually beginning to like this unique feature now.
1,700 PRESET MEMORIES!!...
What the hell am I going to do with 1,700 preset memories?? That's like those new and fancy, "miniature computer" cell phones they have out today where you can store up to ONE THOUSAND BILLION phone numbers into them if you know that many people. Not much to be said here other than THERE ARE 1,700 PRESET MEMORIES!!
THE TECSUN PL-210 IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH "SSB" (SINGLE-SIDEBAND)!!...
For all you listeners who like to eavesdrop on 2 way Ham Radio Transmissions, the Tecsun PL-210 does NOT have SSB (single-sideband) capabilities like its competitor, the "Grundig G6 Aviator" radio. There are 2 versions of the Grundig G6 Aviator radio, the "all black" original and the "Buzz Aldrin Edition" which celebrates 50 years of space exploration and tributes "Apollo 11" astronaut legend, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, both are equipped with SSB (single-sideband) modulation reception. The two "G6" radios are similar to the Tecsun PL-210 radio in size classification but you won't be listening to any ham operators on the Tecsun PL-210. The only thing you'll hear is unintelligible single-sideband "garble", similar to how the "never-visable" adult characters on the Charlie Brown cartoons sound when they talk. The lack of single-sideband on the Tecsun PL-210 is not a real biggie for me since I'm not really that interested in listening to bunch of ham radio operators babbling back and forth about how great the weather is where they are located or how great their new antenna seems to be working that they mounted onto their roof over the weekend which they purchased at a huge discount at some ham radio equipment store. Some people get a kick out listening to stuff like that. As for me, I'm just not interested in ham radio conversations as I find it to be extremely boring. I much rather listen to all the hundreds or even thousands of "jive-talking" black folks across North America, mostly in the United States and Canada on a CB channel called the "WORLD FAMOUS SUPERBOWL CHANNEL"! That's channel 6 on the CB (citizens band) radio, 27025 kHz on most shortwave radios and 27.025 MHz on scanners, no single-sideband required. These guys go back and forth all day long "shooting skip" all across North America on their illegal and over-amplified CB radios that are LOUD AS HELL, shouting, yelling and screaming about nothing but a bunch of "GIBBERISH" non-sense. It's like a non-stop "competition" for this bunch of "old-school" CB'ers on who has the loudest and meanest sounding CB radio that can be heard across the nation or even across the globe! Now that's fun to listen to! Some of these guys are known to run over 100,000 or more watts of pure muscle power to their CB rigs by using illegal linear amplifiers. The maximum legal wattage allowed by the "FCC" (Federal Communications Commission) on CB radios in the United States is 4 puny little watts. I love listening to these black folks "JIBBER-JABBER" on channel 6 as they have been bending and defying the rules and regulations of the FCC for over 5 decades! Today, channel 6 on the CB radio or 27025 kHz (27.025 MHz) is still the most active channel on the CB radio across North America. The second most active channel on the CB would be the "trucker channel" on channel 19 used mostly by "big-rig", long-haul, tractor/trailer truck drivers nationwide, but is not nearly as entertaining as the black folks on the, "WORLD FAMOUS SUPERBOWL CHANNEL", channel 6! These black folks on channel 6 have been shouting, yelling and screaming their "GIBBERISH" transmissions over the CB radio airwaves on channel 6 for more than 50 years continuously, non-stop and is still going strong every single day, every single month and every single year that passes by. Tune in and hear them for yourself during the daytime sunlight hours when you get a chance. The best time to tune in is around the later morning hours like 10 AM to the earlier hours of the afternoon around 1 to 2 PM when "skip" is usually the strongest. When the sun goes down at dusk, these "skip" transmissions by the black folks on Channel 6 will all disappear for the rest of the night until when the sun comes out again the next morning. The radio communications term, "skip" is a very long and complicated scientific topic for me to explain here so if you don't know what "skip" means in radio terms, look it up on Wikipedia under the keyword, "skywave" when you get a chance to do so. Have a blast listening to the black folks "JIBBER-JABBER" all over the place, on the "WORLD FAMOUS SUPERBOWL CHANNEL" with the Tecsun PL-210 radio on frequency 27025 kHz or Channel 6 on any CB radio!
Anyway, back to the Tecsun PL-210 radio...
THE VERDICT.....
I want to express myself on how much I enjoy using this fantastic radio on a daily basis for my AM and Shortwave "DX" hobby. The Tecsun PL-210 is an excellent multi-band, "general coverage" receiver overall, "born and bred" with high-sensitivity circuitry on all bands, outstanding audio fidelity, very good ergonomics, built with quality construction, fine craftsmanship, using quality plastic materials for the exterior body of the radio, and other quality electronic parts that go into every single Tecsun PL-210 radio coming off the assembly line at the Tecsun Manufacturing Plant. Other than the lack of SSB (single-sideband) capabilities, the Tecsun PL-210 also OUTPERFORMS many other competitors in its size class such as its biggest rival, the Grundig G6 Aviator radio (which I also own) in many areas of performance such as sensitivity and audio fidelity. The list just goes on and on. The Tecsun PL-210 Medium Wave (AM)/FM and Shortwave radio proves to be a "champion" of all radios in its size class in many ways compared to other higher-end radios and to all of the many unfortunate, worthless, "cheap ass junk radios" that are currently widely available to consumers everywhere.
FINALLY, A MOST POSITIVE NOTE FOR CONSUMER ELECTRONICS THAT ARE "MADE IN CHINA" TODAY.....
Throughout over 3 decades of messing around with all types of shortwave radio equipment since I was a kid, I've seen HUGE MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS and ADVANCEMENTS on many Chinese made consumer electronics today compared to the low quality and mediocre electronics China has offered in the past during the 1970's, 1980's and part of the early 1990's. I believe things started to improve greatly for Chinese made electronics during the mid 1990's. That was just the beginning. Today, there are many electronic products like radios, "Made in China" that are up to equal comparison with radios that are "Made in Japan" and even at times, they can be better than Japanese made products! The Tecsun PL-210 Medium Wave (AM)/FM Shortwave Radio reviewed here, is one of the many fine examples of the HUGE MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS and ADVANCEMENTS the Chinese are making everyday for their consumer electronics today that are offered to the entire world! Without a shadow of a doubt, the incredible, quality built, Tecsun or "Desheng" PL-210 Multi-Band, General Coverage Radio, that is MADE IN CHINA, gets 5 stars and more! I like the Tecsun PL-210 so much, I bought 4 of them!! Happy Listening and 73's!
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