- 1,can receive FM stereo, AM, long wave, short wave (2.3 - 21.95MHz) radio program, practical multi-function, easy to operate.
- 2,FM receiver wide frequency range (64 - 108MHz), containing part of the campus radio and 2 - 5 channel TV Sound programs.
- 3,7 kinds of method of selection sets: easy tuning (ETM), manually search for radio frequency (VF), manually search for the stored stations (VM), direct inputNumber or frequency of the radio address directly into pre-existing numbers, visit the radio frequency automatic search, automatic search browse stored station. One ETMYes Desheng Taiwan to improve the efficiency of revenue income units unique way.
- 4,can be manual, semi-automatic, fully automatic (ATS) store up to 550 radio frequencies: FM / MW / LW station 100 each can be saved, short-wave can be saved Taiwan 250.
- 5,Multi-function display: can display the radio frequency, signal strength / noise ratio, temperature, battery power, and more.
Tecsun definitely has a winner with with the new DSP (Digital signal processing) third generation (see below) Tecsun PL-380 radio! I am extremely impressed right out of the box with how well it performs on its own attached whip telescopic antenna and its large internal ferrite rod antenna even for quite weak signals with both very good sensitivity as well as selectivity on ALL bands. The current price of about $45 on Amazon (including FREE shipping) is a fantastic value and should be a great bargain for many avid radio listeners.
PROS:
1) A double conversion, PLL (Phase-locked loop), fully digital portable radio that that comes with a USB cable for providing power or charging capability from a PC and a readable and quite useful English manual.
2) Excellent weak signal reception on ALL bands (LW/AM/FM/SW) using three separate band selector switches with LW and AM band selection toggled on the same switch. It really performs very well!
3) It has fm stereo available through earphones (supplied) that can be turned off for the reliable detection of weaker fm signals.
4) There is a separate switch that provides backlight control and that nicely illuminates the display as well as an alarm for wake-up/snooze,etc with either a buzzer or radio setting.
5) A dedicated set of wide/narrow bandwidth controls using a switch that toggles through a series of bandwidths from 1 to 6 KHz (with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 KHz bandwidth settings).
6) Numerous tuning methods are available including a fine as well as a coarse tuning setting button for ALL bands and including an ATS (Automatic tuning and storage) storage system for 550 presets, direct keyboard frequency entry without hitting an "ENTER" key, up/down scanning keys, a fine and smooth, manual tuning knob, etc.
7) It also has a separate ETM tuning system (tuned with a dial and not a knob as on the PL-310 radio) for storing a set of weak signals while traveling to another location. The nice idea about this system is that the standard ATS presets are NOT modified at all and do not have to be reset when returning to your home location (but limited by a total maximum of 550 presets).
8) Very high quality and very readable display with many many icons for indicating battery life, wide/narrow bandwidth filter setting choice, fm stereo setting, etc. Clock time and station frequency are displayed simultaneously. The display also has a new and fully digital readout of both the signal strength and of the signal to noise ratio which are continuously updated at quite frequent intervals.
9) Good battery life is available using 3 rechargeable AA batteries (supplied) and the unit can be separately powered by the included USB cable as well.
10) Easy channel memory presetting and automatic preset recall of the 550 preset memory locations.
11) It also has a digital volume control with a side-mounted wheel with 30 available steps.
12) Finally, but not least of all, we note that this is Tecsun's third generation development of utilizing the recent DSP internal chip (from the USA). In this radio they have now developed a better system for reception of weak am signals that prevents the drop-out signal behavior that has been found by many to be more common on the Grundig G8 (Tecsun) clone and on the Tecsun PL-310 for example. As with all technical developments this is by necessity a compromise solution which will probably be further enhanced overall in the near future.
13) I personally actually prefer the Tecsun PL-310 overall as a useful lw/am/fm/sw radio, but the PL-380 does have some very nice enhanced features that are now incorporated as noted in 12) just above. There is also now an even newer Tecsun, the PL-360, a quite small, vertically oriented DSP receiver that also seems to be a fine quality radio product as well.
CONS:
1) Smallish speaker, but the sound quality is very good for its size.
2) There is no external antenna port on the PL-380 which is surprising since the internal ferrite rod antenna is shorter on this unit in comparison to the Tecsun PL-310 for example. It is also somewhat surprising since the Tecsun PL-380 is also slightly longer overall that the Tecsun PL-310. An clip-on external antenna is also provided with the unit however.
3) No synchronous detection circuit (for controling of fading due to interference) is available which is present on the SONY ICF-7600GR for example.
Buy Tecsun Radio Pl-380 DSP Fm Am Stereo World Band Receiver Now
This little radio is amazing. I simply can not believe in the number of FM stations that it can clearly pulled through my work cubicle . Currently, I had it wedged between two large desktop PC's and there is no problem for me to get any FM stations within 60 miles . SW is not my bag but I can hear Radio of Havana and bunch of Chinese stations pretty loud & clear when I play around .
Pros:
_ Nice plastic material First class , a league away from cheap junk.
_ Thankfully,the instruction is written in English while the box is fulled with Chinese.
_ It has a built in thermometer ( huh ? ) which can be displayed in F or C scale
_ The radio came with a protective pouch, a very long clip on antenna, three rechargeable AA batteries, earbuds and USB cable . Not too bad for $ 45.00 .
_ The radio battery can be recharged by using the USB cable . Very convenient.
_ The annoying power on beep, sleep timer or back light can be turned off and the radio remembers your last setting on its next power on.
_ The antenna can be rotated 360 degrees and it is pretty robust due to its thickness at the base.
_ All the buttons are labeled in English :-))) . The power button really stand out as it is the only button that is red.
_ ETM tuning is a blast . It is a convenient way to simply do a quick scan while you are in a different city.
_ The LCD has lots of useful info such as battery/signal strength etc. It is geeky but I kinda like them to show me what is going on while I do a manual tuning. The light is quite bright and evenly lit from both side for night use.
_ There are separate controls for volume and tuning with nice click feedback.
_ Excellent FM stereo reproduction through the earbuds. There is no hiss at all.
_ It is very small and I have no problem stuff it inside my coat.
_ The lock button still let me adjust the volume . I just like it that way as I can fiddling around the volume when I want to hear my spouse !
Cons ( minor wishes ) :
_ The buttons are tiny and you have to press hard . Some functions you have press and hold it . There are not back lit either.
_ There is no tone switch . The speaker is very small so the sound kinda tinny
_ If you fully extend the antenna with a tilt angle, the unit has the tendency to fall down . Thankfully, there is a flip out stand so it is best to use it semi reclined.
_ No RDS ( Radio Data System ) . No provision to name the memory buttons either.
_ Only come in black or silver color no funky red/yellow/blue that I see with other Tecsun models.
It is definitely a keeper and I think it is a great example on Tecsun line of radios.
Read Best Reviews of Tecsun Radio Pl-380 DSP Fm Am Stereo World Band Receiver Here
I ordered the PL-380 as a travel radio after reading about its DSP chip, but also because it uses a standard USB port for charging and AC power, which is nice due to it making one less power adapter needed for travel since most cell phones, other gadgets have USB supplies as well these days. I also have Kaito 1102 and the Grundig G6, both of which require a separate adapter. Like both of those radios, the PL-380 will charge batteries in the radio. Give the edge to the Tecsun in terms of flexible/portable power supply options (an important consideration on the road). One reviewer said this radio is too large to travel with, but with the power supply factored in it is definitely smaller than the Kaito and about the same as the Grundig.
The build quality seems good, and the controls are reasonably intuitive. You will need a manual/user guide though for some things, and unfortunately this vendor (Seatech Inc.) sent a Chinese packaged version not a word of useful English in the Chinese language manual or on the box, though the does have controls in English and other useful info in English. Well, for $50 I guess it isn't so bad if you have to download an English version of the manual (reasonably well translated). I found a PDF version at:Once I had an English version of the manual, things were pretty easy. I just got this and am trying it out at home, and so far the reception seems good, though I haven't really tested this much (see on-line reviews for details on this).
One other thing the PL-380 doesn't include is a set of 3 rechargeable AA batteries. I used 3 Rayovac Hybrids (the ones that hold their charge longer) and they worked great the radio recognized them and charged them without a problem.
All in all, seems like a very good little travel radio. I would have given it 5 stars if the English language version of the manual had been included, rather than requiring me to look for it on-line.
Want Tecsun Radio Pl-380 DSP Fm Am Stereo World Band Receiver Discount?
i am blown away by this powerful, compact unit. i have owned many other fm/am small portables, including sony, grundig and ccrane. this is by far the best in terms of quality, performance, ease of use and reliability. the only shortcoming was that the carton it came in had no instructions in english....this was quickly corrected by contacting the seller, who gave me an online link that solved the problem. this tecsun radio is a winner in every respect.
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First of all:hate to say this, $47.99 just does not get much in this day and age. Well
I think I got my moneys worth this time. This radio does a great job!! The only thing I wish it had was the BFO to be able to listen to Single Side Band used with Ham Radio...Well once again what do you expect for so little money...I would buy it again..There are great reviews out there covering all the technical features.. To sum it all up: If you are on a lo-buck budget like me and want to listen to shortwave this one works well..
Update: I've had this radio for a several days now, and have changed my rate to a 5 star for this radio..I want to comment about a review that stated this radio was heavy on battery useage...Well it uses 3 AA batterys for power,not in the box. I happened to have some regular cheapo heavy duty dollar store batterys that I had bought over a year ago and installed them in this radio. I ran it for several days off and on. I'm impressed it was still able to power up after all the use I've given it.I just bought rechargeable
ones for this radio. They will recharge in the radio, plugged into your computer USB port. Note: you will need a patch cord not included, to do this..I had the cord already so I did not need to buy one.
Wall chargers are sold in case you don't have a computer..I do see that Amazon has a kit with the wall charger and cord needed..
