Who is Tecsun?

[Blackswan73]

Who is this Tecsun company that has been building and selling shortwave radios that compare to high end radios of the 80’s and 90’s, and taking over the SWL community? Ten years ago this company was not even heard of, or was they? Formed in 1994, Tecsun was a little known company that R. L. Drake contracted to build a new generation portable shortwave radio for the 21st century. Drake, one of the most respected names in amateur radio, would design a high quality, portable shortwave radio that would change the concept of portable shortwave for years to come. Marketed in the US as the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium, and built by a newcomer company in the radio industry called Tecsun, the 800 took the SWL community by storm. Dubbed a “Portatop” receiver, it was a cross between the portable shortwave radios of the time and the popular desktops. Tecsun was given permission by Drake to market the 800 overseas as the Tecsun Ham-2000. With the decline of shortwave sales in the first decade of the 21st century, Drake, along with several other long established companies, stopped producing shortwave receivers. Enter Tecsun. Already building radios under the Grundig,Eton, and Kaito names, in 2010, Tecsun introduced the PL-660, and took the SWL community by storm. Selling for a paltry $109, the PL-660 earned high marks from several well respected reviewers. The PL-660 introduced digital signal processing a feature heretofore only found on expensive top line receivers. Capitalizing on the success of the PL-660, Tecsun introduced a succession of new radios with more and more features and technological improvements, but with the heritage of the 800 evident. Today, Tecsun is one of the most respected names in shortwave receivers

B.S.

 

[T680]

Thanks for posting this, I'm not that familiar with the origins of the companies making radios these days.

 

[W8WCA]

Interesting & Thanks!

I hope your S2200X is doing well!

It is still on my next up list and hoping sooner than later!

 

[janeksp6]

Dzięki za zamieszczenie tego tekstu. Nie znam zbyt dobrze historii powstania firm produkujących dzisiejsze radia.

Informacja o wszystkich Radio jest na portalu www.radiomuseum.de

 

[T680]

Informacja o wszystkich Radio jest na portalu www.radiomuseum.de

I think thanks are in order but I can't translate what you posted.

 

[janeksp6]

The portal radio museum.de features manufacturers of RTV equipment.

 

[MikeinDestin]

What's interesting is how the '660 has good synchronous detection, but the '880 doesn't. However the '880 has superior audio (so they tell me). Well I have an '880, so I can vouch for the audio. But since it's more expensive it should be better in every way right? Wrong! Oh well... One thing I like is mine is pretty sensitive for only using the whip antenna. Much better with a few feet of wire, which they supply along with the 3.5mm (1/8") plug. I listened one night when there was a contest on 160M, and it did quite well for about 15 ft of wire. I really didn't expect to hear much at all without a half wave dipole, or at least an 80M antenna. So really can't complain. But for a non Amateur rig (which would be even better sensitivity) it's quite good. It could use some more treble response too. I wish everyone good luck with theirs.

 

[janeksp6]

@T680 Translator add input Firefox/ Microsoft Edge / Opera / Chrome browser

 

[PACNWDude]

Having older Radio Shack short wave receivers, then later Grundig, Kaito, and Eton (never liked the soft touch plastic that went gummy).......I now use many Tecsun receivers. The PL-365/368 and others have served me well, and at a reasonable cost for their performance. Tecsun has become a company that takes my money, and will get more in the future if they continue with their product line.

Great write up on their history.

 

[Boombox]

I've had my Tecsun PL-398 for three years or so now, and it still works excellently. I have no complaints.

 

[ditto1958]

“I’m Tecsun”

-Kirk Douglas and a cast of 1000’s, 1960

 

[SA4MDN]

Cant fault my 501X

 

[Blackswan73]

Cant fault my 501X

Excellent receiver. I have one myself. It was the Tecsun flagship until the 2200x was released. Still, it is pretty much a toss up between the 501x, S-8800, and the 2200x. Not really surprising considering that all three are internally basically the same.

B.S.

 

[K3YGX]

My PL-660 is still working great. I got it when it first came out.

 

[W8WCA]

Tecsun . . . Generations

 

[ditto1958]

My PL-660 is still working great. I got it when it first came out.View attachment 182611

At the end of 2024 they made a run of new ones and I got one. I am really happy I did. It’s a really high quality product.

 

[CanesFan95]

I wish their backlights were brighter.

 

[frankwhitemcsd]

Who is this Tecsun company that has been building and selling shortwave radios that compare to high end radios of the 80’s and 90’s, and taking over the SWL community? Ten years ago this company was not even heard of, or was they? Formed in 1994, Tecsun was a little known company that R. L. Drake contracted to build a new generation portable shortwave radio for the 21st century. Drake, one of the most respected names in amateur radio, would design a high quality, portable shortwave radio that would change the concept of portable shortwave for years to come. Marketed in the US as the Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium, and built by a newcomer company in the radio industry called Tecsun, the 800 took the SWL community by storm. Dubbed a “Portatop” receiver, it was a cross between the portable shortwave radios of the time and the popular desktops. Tecsun was given permission by Drake to market the 800 overseas as the Tecsun Ham-2000. With the decline of shortwave sales in the first decade of the 21st century, Drake, along with several other long established companies, stopped producing shortwave receivers. Enter Tecsun. Already building radios under the Grundig,Eton, and Kaito names, in 2010, Tecsun introduced the PL-660, and took the SWL community by storm. Selling for a paltry $109, the PL-660 earned high marks from several well respected reviewers. The PL-660 introduced digital signal processing a feature heretofore only found on expensive top line receivers. Capitalizing on the success of the PL-660, Tecsun introduced a succession of new radios with more and more features and technological improvements, but with the heritage of the 800 evident. Today, Tecsun is one of the most respected names in shortwave receivers

B.S.

My new Tecsun s2000x arrive 2 months ago, I am very pleased with controls and SSB reception.

I mistakenly left the radio on the deck when a large thunderstorm in drenching the radio with rain
.

I took the radio inside removed the batteries , raised the internal antenna and let it sit for a week.

Water dripped from from the bottom of the radio for days. After a week I put the batteries back in radio and while the radio did power back up it could not receive in any mode.

I had to go out of town for 2 weeks and let the radio sit until I could figure out how to get repaired.

When I tried the radio again after sitting for another 2 weeks it came back to life like new.

Its been working ever since. Great product and durable.

KE8KBC

-frank

 

[sw57-HF]

With my ageing PL-660 that has a couple of issues but still fully functional, and knowing that they are no longer being made I opted for a brand new PL-680 a few months ago. It is everything that my 660 ever was. Not perfect but a fine PLL unit that does most of the things that can be expected from a portable for me. Along with the ML30+ antenna it's actually my main driver. Love the Tecsun PL-680.

 

[PACNWDude]

Old habits can be hard to break. Many that have worked overseas for the U.S. government may recognize the Tecsun PL-365 (CountyComm GP-5/SSB). These were often given out for those that may need to listen to short wave broadcasts, when needing to leave the country on short notice.

Since replaced with the GP-7/SSB (essentially the Tecsun PL-368), sporting an easier to use keypad for direct programming of frequencies and memories.

Great little radios that could receive sideband, but small buttons and hidden options were always something that seemed to be passed around the end user group, well at least my group of geeks.