Post by radiostationx on Feb 7, 2015 21:36:30 GMT 1
I have took a write up I did on another forum and decided to put a version here for the benefit of NWAN members and guests. I hope you find the enclosed useful.
Suffice to say , I am very familiar with all things radio,A few months ago I found a low cost HF portable which is an excellent bit of kit for the HF airband listener.
Its great straight out of the box but..
By completing a small modification with some soldering skills you can make this into a serious listening machine.
This is the radio..
The Tecsun PL600 , I obtained mine for around UK £50 delivered from ebay seller "anon-co" here.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tecsun-PL-600 ... 0968559057
It has everything the airband listener needs for HF, direct frequency entry, lcd display with signal meter,and the all inportant BFO knob for fine tuning those ssb signals.
Comes complete with carry case, lanyard and some very suspect rechargeable batteries which i swapped in favor of sanyo eneloop AA rechargeables.
The quality of build and performance is amazing at this price point.
The modification is to add a small resistor to one of the pcbs detailed here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be-4pOOwOrA
A simple search on the internet finds more on the subject.
Its an easy mod to cut down the received signal audio making the radio sound a lot better when receiving strong signals.
A good test frquency for UK owners is shannon volmet on 5.505 usb.
A worthwhile addition is a degen 31MS active antenna like this one.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DEGEN-31MS-In ... 0625991336
Low cost, good performance indoors.
If you want the best in hf listening antennas look no further than the one made by Geoff of Gwhip antennas here.
gwhip.co.uk/baseportable-antenna ... e-antenna/
This will outperform and outlast just about anything.
Geoffs antennas are Beautifully made and will stand anything the weather can dish out.
And a car charger unit is handy if you intend to go out and about with your PL-600.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TECSUN-U-600- ... 1c3d1ab051
I am hugely impressed by this radio, it is a real steal at this price.
Not so long ago HF aeronautical listening meant a large financial investment for the enthusiast. kenwood, Icom ,Yaesu and Alinco equipment doesnt come cheap. Take it from me,one who knows, this equipment is not inexpensive by any estimation !
Take a look at the various PL-600 reviews on the internet and youtube .
There is a PL-660 model and PL-880 by the same company Tecsun, some of which have AM airband too but at only moderate performance on vhf . If you already have a scanner for civ/mil VHF/UHF airband, I think the PL-600 is the pick of the bunch for value for money.
It made a refreshing change to purchase something so good performance wise without having major open wallet surgery.
Hence the small write up for those aviation enthusiasts who may have been put off by the high cost of hf monitoring equipment , now it's within most people's budget and is a great passtime tuning in to aircraft frequencies further afield.
Truth is , they are sold by some ebay UK sellers at higher cost so if you don't like it, you can flip it on eBay at a small profit !
Ps.
Some users have compared the tecsuns performance to some of the more established named brands and preferred the PL-600/660.
Bearing in mind that some of these users were die hard sangean, sony, eton etc fans , that is some kind of accolade.
Another even cheaper radio has good reports too , the Degen DE1103 . These have great reports too. I considered buying one..You can pick these up for even less cash if you shop around but I prefered the user friendly LCD display and ergonomics of the PL-600. The degen has the advantage of a dedicated line out /recording socket but has one main knob (I think it's the volume one from memory) performing a dual function which I did not like the idea of.
Kinloss rescue on 5.680 is always busy at this time of year and makes for some interesting listening.
Just to clarifty, I have no commercial interest in any of the above products or suppliers.
PPs, if any other members obtain a tecsun or degen radio, there are quite a few to choose from...update this thread with your findings/reviews. It may assist other members.
Mike.
Happy Listening.
Regards,
Mike.
Suffice to say , I am very familiar with all things radio,A few months ago I found a low cost HF portable which is an excellent bit of kit for the HF airband listener.
Its great straight out of the box but..
By completing a small modification with some soldering skills you can make this into a serious listening machine.
This is the radio..
The Tecsun PL600 , I obtained mine for around UK £50 delivered from ebay seller "anon-co" here.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tecsun-PL-600 ... 0968559057
It has everything the airband listener needs for HF, direct frequency entry, lcd display with signal meter,and the all inportant BFO knob for fine tuning those ssb signals.
Comes complete with carry case, lanyard and some very suspect rechargeable batteries which i swapped in favor of sanyo eneloop AA rechargeables.
The quality of build and performance is amazing at this price point.
The modification is to add a small resistor to one of the pcbs detailed here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be-4pOOwOrA
A simple search on the internet finds more on the subject.
Its an easy mod to cut down the received signal audio making the radio sound a lot better when receiving strong signals.
A good test frquency for UK owners is shannon volmet on 5.505 usb.
A worthwhile addition is a degen 31MS active antenna like this one.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DEGEN-31MS-In ... 0625991336
Low cost, good performance indoors.
If you want the best in hf listening antennas look no further than the one made by Geoff of Gwhip antennas here.
gwhip.co.uk/baseportable-antenna ... e-antenna/
This will outperform and outlast just about anything.
Geoffs antennas are Beautifully made and will stand anything the weather can dish out.
And a car charger unit is handy if you intend to go out and about with your PL-600.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TECSUN-U-600- ... 1c3d1ab051
I am hugely impressed by this radio, it is a real steal at this price.
Not so long ago HF aeronautical listening meant a large financial investment for the enthusiast. kenwood, Icom ,Yaesu and Alinco equipment doesnt come cheap. Take it from me,one who knows, this equipment is not inexpensive by any estimation !
Take a look at the various PL-600 reviews on the internet and youtube .
There is a PL-660 model and PL-880 by the same company Tecsun, some of which have AM airband too but at only moderate performance on vhf . If you already have a scanner for civ/mil VHF/UHF airband, I think the PL-600 is the pick of the bunch for value for money.
It made a refreshing change to purchase something so good performance wise without having major open wallet surgery.
Hence the small write up for those aviation enthusiasts who may have been put off by the high cost of hf monitoring equipment , now it's within most people's budget and is a great passtime tuning in to aircraft frequencies further afield.
Truth is , they are sold by some ebay UK sellers at higher cost so if you don't like it, you can flip it on eBay at a small profit !
Ps.
Some users have compared the tecsuns performance to some of the more established named brands and preferred the PL-600/660.
Bearing in mind that some of these users were die hard sangean, sony, eton etc fans , that is some kind of accolade.
Another even cheaper radio has good reports too , the Degen DE1103 . These have great reports too. I considered buying one..You can pick these up for even less cash if you shop around but I prefered the user friendly LCD display and ergonomics of the PL-600. The degen has the advantage of a dedicated line out /recording socket but has one main knob (I think it's the volume one from memory) performing a dual function which I did not like the idea of.
Kinloss rescue on 5.680 is always busy at this time of year and makes for some interesting listening.
Just to clarifty, I have no commercial interest in any of the above products or suppliers.
PPs, if any other members obtain a tecsun or degen radio, there are quite a few to choose from...update this thread with your findings/reviews. It may assist other members.
Mike.
Happy Listening.
Regards,
Mike.
