Review on 📻 Tecsun PL330 AM/FM/LW/SW Worldband Digital Radio with SSB Receiver by Chad Boho

I have been a SWL (shortwave listener) since the 70's and have owned most Grundig, Eton, Sangean and Sony radios. This is the best "small" laptop I've ever had! It's nice to have full size tuning and volume controls on a radio this size. Sound quality is good for its size, but certainly not as good as a larger radio. This radio uses a DSP chip which gives it such good performance for its size and price. I won't compare it to big laptops that cost 5x as such a comparison would be unfair. I compared it to other small to medium sized radios in the $100 to $150 price range. This is the perfect travel radio! It has 850 memory cells, which is a ridiculous number. Personally I've never used more than 50-100 but it might be useful to someone. This is the first portable radio I have with so many bandwidth settings. The bandwidth includes 0.5 kHz, 1.2 kHz, 2.2 kHz, 2.5 kHz, 3.0 kHz, 3.5 kHz, 4.0 kHz, 5.0 kHz and 9.0 kHz. Please note that the choice of bandwidth depends on which band or mode you are using. The smallest tuning step is 10 Hz, which is ideal for tuning SSB signals. (Mostly I listen to SSB) Another unique feature is ETM+. The ETM+ feature works in such a way that every hour you can press and hold the ETM button to scan and automatically save the stations available at that time. It then places the memory into 24 separate banks named E00 through E24 based on the 24-hour time format. I love that the radio uses the very common lithium ion battery (included) and charges with a standard micro USB cable. (also included) If you are looking for a super performer that can beat any radio in its price range and rival much more expensive radios then this is it! Update 5/5/21: Well I've had the radio for a few weeks now and I have a few comments to add. I compared this radio with my Grundig G6, my Grundig G3 and Sangean ATS-505. These radios are small/medium sized and in the $100-$150 price range. .The only station that comes close to it in terms of SW SSB performance is G3. The G6 and Sangean ATS-505 support SSB, but lack the option to select USB or LSB, making it difficult to receive and tune into stations. On the VHF band it's about the same as the Grundig G6, which has always been good and slightly better than the ATS-505 or G3. On AM it is better than the G6 and ATS-505 and slightly less sensitive than the Grundig G3. I'm pretty sure it's because the G3 has a large ferrite rod antenna for AM. (I've tested all radios with standard antennas and on battery power) I don't like the sync detect feature on the PL-330 or most other radios I've connected. This "might" help in certain situations, but it's not something you can rely on if you're having trouble picking up a weak AM signal. The only radio (in my opinion) where the synchro detection worked decently most of the time was my old Grundig Satellite 700. The only downside to the PL-330's 5V USB power input is the fact that most 5- V-USB "switching" connectors are power supplies, and they will introduce some noise into the HF bands. Some are worse than others so you may need to experiment with different brands. I ended up using one of those 5V rechargeable batteries for my phone charger when I needed to charge it while listening. Another interesting "hidden" feature is "SSB Calibration". You can zero the clock on a known, accurate USB signal and then press and hold the USB button. The frequency reading is then "calibrated" and the last 2 digits show 00 which is the frequency. (Some radios may be off at 20-50Hz and need this calibration). You can then repeat the process on the LSB. Finally, my radio has firmware version 3305. Not sure if this is the latest version or not. I saw a review on YouTube a few months ago and it was under 3305. Update 7/3/21: I've owned this radio for a few months now. I use it almost every night and have had no problems so far. The battery life is better than expected. I noticed the price has gone up $10 since I bought mine. I've noticed that almost every piece of electronics I've ordered from Revain a few months ago has gone up about 10-12% in price. I just want gas and wood to be "only" more expensive by 10-12% in the last few months. !Final note: Now is a good time to buy a shortwave radio as sunspot cycle #25 is approaching in a few years and activity on the shortwave bands will be much higher. Over the last few years I've seen many reviews where people buy shortwave radios and give them bad reviews because of poor reception when in fact the radios are fine. Inexperienced users think that they can just turn on the radio (on any band) and magically start recording stations like a regular AM/FM radio.