Which hf Receiever is better the Tecsun PL-660 or county comm gp5?

[Cobra_Commander]

I'm going to go purchase one of these i like the fact that the 660 has a keypad for direct entry while the gp5 lacks this feature but can scan and find stations so which one of these would be better for ssb and shortwave reception with the stock antenna being used?

 

[ka3jjz]

Scanning on HF is a tough nut to crack - any little noise burst is a possible candidate to a radio that 'scans'. To me, HF scanning is just a gimmick - nothing more.

I would do some Google searches on both radios, but if it were me, I'd stick with the 660. And as for an antenna - well we have another forum for that, but it is possible to put a better antenna on it than just the stock whip...Mike

 

[Cobra_Commander]

Which of these radios has been sensitivity?

 

[PrimeNumber]

Scanning on HF is a tough nut to crack - any little noise burst is a possible candidate to a radio that 'scans'. To me, HF scanning is just a gimmick - nothing more.

It's another tool in the toolbox. The 660 has a decent scan function, and I've gotten some good finds using it. A lot of the time I'll slide the attenuation switch to the least sensitive setting, set the bandwidth to narrow, scan the bands, and see what pops out. Unless there's a thunderstorm nearby, a lot of what the scan grabs will be listenable.

I would do some Google searches on both radios, but if it were me, I'd stick with the 660.

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[Cobra_Commander]

I purchased the pl-600 and everytime i use it with the whip attenna all i pick up on sw is buzzing nosies no stations i have it set to dx so how do i pick up stuff on sw without buzzing

 

[pinballwiz86]

I love my PL-660. I've had it since 2013 and it's still working great.

 

[ka3jjz]

I purchased the pl-600 and everytime i use it with the whip attenna all i pick up on sw is buzzing nosies no stations i have it set to dx so how do i pick up stuff on sw without buzzing

Are you hearing this on batteries or on the supply? Wall warts are notably cheap (read: nonexistent) when it comes to shielding and many are very noisy, which can cause the buzzing. If you're hearing it on batteries, time to take the radio around and see if you can find the cause. Unfortunately there are an awful lot of things in the home that can cause noise.

Also keep the basic rule in mind - listen above 10 Mhz during the day, below that at night. And check the ANT GAIN switch on the side of the radio - probably should be in the DX position, but you'll need to experiment to find out

Please start another thread in the future - this question doesn't pertain to the original topic...thanks for your future cooperation

Mike