Nick - you may want to stay with the standard whip if you do ssb.
Reason being is that believe it or not, the 7600GR is still the sanest when it comes to ssb - although touchy and sometimes sensitive to a bit of warble.
The 880 seems to share the ssb agc-overdrive that it's bigger brethren, the desktop 750 does - even though digital, it sounds very much like IF gain overload on ssb - unless you listen solely to signals in the weeds.
I'm not expecting the 880 to be an Elecraft, but there is a certain line of engineering I can't bypass. YMMV.
That being said, the 880 has outstanding fidelity, and the use of the lithium battery means it can be loud and clean at the same time. For me, I don't know if Tecsun will ever get ssb right, so I use it solely for AM/FM broadcast and swl.
Thanks for the feedback Hertzian.
I'm in love with the PL-880. You're right about the audio fidelity -- it's really rich and clean. AM/FM is excellent. You could listen to an AM talk show or sports broadcast with no issue.
What I like best are the controls. Everything is laid out surprisingly well. This radio has true USB/LSB and no BFO to worry about. It makes finding stations easy and enjoyable. I'm receiving Radio Kuwait on 13650am right now from my basement indoors. Usually this is reserved for WWV and even those don't work 100% of the time from indoors. The CB radio band is coming in excellent. (Higher frequency helps!)
Jury is still out on SSB performance. Reception seems slightly better than my 7600GR but it's hard to tell since you have to fiddle with the damn BFO so much on that radio. The PL-880 has true USB/LSB so there's no BFO tuning. I do notice the radio seems to be about 100hz off from center. This seems pretty consistent. The radio has been on for about 30 minutes now, so it should be warmed up.
The LCD display is a typical Tecsun display but in SSB mode I love the fine tuning frequency display. So much more useful than say the ATS-909X display.
I like the optional bandwidths. Those could come in handy but 5khz and 2.3khz seem pretty good for AM and SSB listening respectively.
I'm listening to SFO MWARA on 11282 and while the RF signal is a little weak it's still readable.
If you have ever used a Tecsun radio (I have the PL-360) then the PL-880 is super easy to use.
The case style and design is nicer than I thought. I have the black model and the outer case is that high-gloss black plastic. I would have preferred a matte black to avoid the excessive fingerprint grease pickup but oh well.
The unit is a little heavy but not as heavy as the 7600GR which is small but feels like a gold brick.
I also like the single, lithium battery that's provided. No more AA's to waste -- although both my 7600GR and PL-360 have excellent battery life.
How long does the battery last on the PL-880? Any performance numbers there?