Tecsun PL-600 reviews

This radio does exactly what Tecsun intended: gives decent single sideband (SSB) reception in an affordable, $72 AM/FM/SW package. It does this well enough to ably fill in for a dedicated communications receiver. Of course, this might not be immediately evident to the 'new' shortwave radio user, who doesn't yet know the subtleties & tricks of receiving sideband. But I spend hours on this radio listening to aeronauticals, Hams, marine transmissions and other utilities. The PL-600 is far superior in this regard than, say, the more expensive Sangean ATS-505P. I claim that with certainty, having owned both.

The radio's selectivity is adequate for its type, Narrow is 4 kHz and Wide seems to be 7 kHz. It also features a 3-step gain control (DX, Normal, and Local) which often needs to be used, at least on certain bands, when attaching an external wire antenna. It serves the intended purpose well, when its needed. I only use about 10 feet of the (supplied) 23 ft. wire antenna. What you need to use at your location could vary.

On medium wave the PL-600 gets strong reception (except at the extreme band edges), peaks and nulls are sharp when rotating the radio, and the circuitry is amazingly quiet, especially when using batteries. More quiet than the classic Sangean ATS-803A, and this is major plus when going for DX in the daytime.

In summary the PL-600 is an outstanding Dx'ing radio for the price. I know of no better bargain in world band radio.

First off, at a price of $73.00 delivered by Amazon I received an excellent radio, superior to my Grundig G3. The Grundig was suppose to be one of the best at the time, but the lack of SYNC on the Tecsun will hardly be a problem. The PL600 is stronger on AM, and the build quality is very nice indeed. The G3 has the "rubber" feel case paint, but the Tecsun is nice in a normal finish that is just plain classic. Included accessories only sweeten the deal, and make the Grundig offering somewhat shabby. I will most likely not use the included 1000 mha batteries, prefering to use Ultimate Lithiums instead. Anyone who owns anything with a battery inside MUST Check battery condition on a regular basis. You can not fault the radio for your neglect.
Overall, the PL-600 is a winner in my book!

Excellent SSB receiver and also very good for MW Dx'ing. An external antenna is only needed for shortwave frequencies < 7 MHz. Otherwise the internal antenna(s) do a rather stupendous job, cutting the need for external accessories that so many radios require. Not much, if anything, is needed with the PL-600 for good reception, listening and general Dx'ing.

I've previously owned highly ranked portables such as the Sangean 803A/Realistic DX-440 and the Kaito KA-1103. I find the Tecsun PL-600 to be better than both. It can actually stand in for a general coverage communications receiver.

At first glance i thought cool a cheaper style digital Shortwave receiver with SSB tuning wow.

I bought this 600 Tecsun reciver from a eBay dealer.
It seemed to be a nice well built radio on the outside....
It seemed sensitive, i could hear hams all over 14mhz and it was in my opinion a great find.

(( THEN IT ALL WENT DOWN HILL )).

About a week after I bought it, I went to turn it on and it was dead. I thought hmm the batteries are dead. I popped out the factory OEM batteries,
and low and behold a clear sticky liquid came out as well. Holy crap i thought i haven't seen battery acid in radios or electronic gear for years and years.
The radio had drained these original OEM batteries that the company supplied with this unit, and the acid went right into the radios back compartment
from holes that let the acid drip right into the radios insides.

So i tried to clean up the acid spill inside the case. i then popped in fresh EverReady batteries, and still the radio would not turn on. Now my heart sunk.
I unscrewed the back cover, and to my astonishment the entire circuit board was swollen with the leaked acid, and the radio was less than usable it was totally ruined.

Wow i know oem batteries are not the best, but to have holes in the battery compartment, and not have a tight compartment, is a serious factory & engineering design fault.

I thought i would write the company, but after going to their site i was forget it. Its a Chinese manufacture of course, and it was not the kind of site that shouted complete refunds and satisfactory guaranteed, so i ate the cost, and have sworn of Tecsun. :(

Joe Leto W0IW