Rob writes:
Unless someone has specific needs, I generally recommend the Tecsun PL-660 for a portable SWL these days. I have had one unit fail prematurely, but otherwise, it is probably the best buy currently in the sub-$300 SWL receiver market. Superb sensitivity, decent selectivity, and adequate sound quality.
It would be even better with the PL-660 board in a "field radio" casing with bigger buttons, bass+treble controls, and a larger speaker - IMO, of course. I would probably pay $200-$250 for a such an offering from Tecsun if available. Anyway.... And no, before anyone goes there, I have little interest in a Grundig 750. ;p
If the comparative price bar is as high as $300, why would you choose the PL-660 over the Sony 7600GR?
Posted by: StarHalo | March 22, 2013 at 03:46 PM
Hopefully Rob will reply as well, but as the owner of a Sony 7600GR, I can think of at least two advantages the PL-660 has:
1. A real tuning knob
2. Better sound quality
If you don't need a direct-entry keypad or SSB capability, the CCRadio-SW (Redsun RP-2100) is a good alternative in a relatively inexpensive SW radio, and has far better sound quality than smaller radios.
Posted by: Gary | March 22, 2013 at 04:49 PM
http://herculodge.typepad.com/herculodge/2013/03/gary-observes-tecsun-pl-660s-advantages-over-the-sony-7600gr.html#comments
The 7600GR lacks selectable bandwidths, and the integrated speaker lacks wide frequency response. Sadly, the internals are just too cramped for me to even bother trying to sort out mods for those issues. I did do the sync circuit mod, though, which really helped with holding sync on weak stations.
The PL-660 simply sounds better, offers me two bandwidth choices, and otherwise matches the performance of 7600GR for HF reception. I proudly used and recommended the 7600GR for a long time, but the aging design is being surpassed by later offerings IMO. There could be a QC trade-off comparing to Sony to the Chinese manufactures, but the reality is we talking about portable radios here, not $500+ desktop recovers. ;)
Posted by: RobRich | March 25, 2013 at 01:13 AM