| LNXAUTHOR |
Rating:      |
2020-11-12 | |
| nice pocket radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
snagged a used one in like-new condition for $30... (purchased for spare parts, but it works great)
despite what another reviewer states here, there IS a small ferrite bar antenna inside the pl-360 (and pl-365)... this means the radio can also benefit from auxiliary use if an AN-200 loop tuner
went thru the initial setup... got a chuckle reading the manual about setting the time, where it states that you can alternatively "also directly key-in the numeric key instead.." (you must use use tuning wheel)
it is a pity that Tecsun doesn't simply offer the PL-365 instead of the two models...
that said, complaints about navigating bands and frequencies are needless if you use ETM and ATS.. there is even some bad info out in net-land that states memories are lost if the batteries are removed... they aren't.. ETM memories are scratchpad though
you can see all the various display icons if you hold down the display button with the power off... lots of info!
antenna signal and signal to noise ratio can be helpful on situating the radio for best reception
i like that you can recharge this radio using a small 7W solar panel.. a comforting capability for a radio for the bugout bag
my radio didn't come with the factory included pouch (i use a double M4 mag pouch), nor the nice earbuds, external wire antenna, or the plug-in rotatable bar antenna
if you can find one of these at a fair price i think you should get one... fun, one-handed operation and listening!
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| KJ4DGE |
Rating:      |
2020-11-11 | |
| Best for the price |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
11-11-2020 updated review.
I have to admit my statement about not having SSB was off. Most HAM's have casual receivers that have side band anyway and that is not the selling or buying point.
The REAL reason to buy one of these is the DSP, ETM and ATS modes it comes with. It simply blows away any comparable portable radio in its price class. Not only that, it comes with a AM DX antenna, a SWL antenna that clips on the whip, rechargeable batteries, a soft carrying case, earbuds, charging cable,and belt clip.
The display is super bright for old eyes. I have owned 2 of these before and sold them always regretting it down the road, not this time. Have had many cheap portable radios for AM DXing and casual Shortwave use, nothing competes with this radio for the money which is why I have another one on the way from Amazon. Late night talk show listeners take note. |
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| SWMAN |
Rating:      |
2020-06-15 | |
| Great little radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Just bought one of these radio from Kaito Electrionics in California. It works just fine for its small size. The price was much less than anywhere else. About the size of a TV remote control. The radio has lots of features for such a small little radio. Having fun just playing with everything that it will do.
Oh, this radio does not have a built in ferrite bar antenna for AM MW reception, it has an external mounted plug in bar on top of the radio for AM MW reception that can be turned in any direction. Works good with that design. |
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| K2PJW |
Rating:      |
2016-03-12 | |
| Fun Little Radio |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
The price was great on this little radio and I had some extra money so I bought one. I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
With the telescoping antenna for SW I am able to hear the regular SW stations and even ham SSB activity but of course this is the version without SSB capability. This shows it's sensitivity is good to me. I have stored all of the frequencies of my favorite SW stations into memory so it's quick and easy to find them. Tuning with the dial is slow BUT not a problem.
The MW sensitivity is great as well. I really enjoy the external "high sensitivity" MW antenna, it really pulls the stations in at my qth.
FM sounds good as well and this radio receives as well as my other radios.
This radio is not a ham transceiver and that's fine because it's not meant to be. For a small portable multiband radio at a good price I love this little radio. I find myself using this more than my little Tecsun PL 880.
Overall I am impressed. The only thing I don't like is the manual tuning situation, but it is what it is, so it can be this small size. I love this radio. |
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| KT0DD |
Rating:    |
2016-01-17 | |
| Update... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| First telescoping antenna broke right out of the box the first time I pulled it out. Ordered a replacement radio from Amazon.com Amazon.com dropped the ball and took too long to send a replacement...actually after 4 weeks of waiting, I cancelled the replacement and found a site in China that sold an exact replacement telescoping antenna for this radio so I ordered 2. Got them in about 2 1/2 weeks and installed the antenna. AM/FM performance is pretty good but the adjustable gain bar antenna exhibits no real change when adjusting. SW is poor without the clip on antenna, I had trouble getting WWV at 5 MHZ as the receiver picked up too much neighborhood noise. Might be good for camping away from town but too noisy for much more than standard AM/FM use. I might try the County Comm GP5 with SSB as it's supposed to have a better product detector. For $49.95 you get a basic portable AM'FM radio. That's all. |
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| K1DA |
Rating:     |
2015-12-12 | |
| Get the GP5 SSB version instead |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| The GP5 SSB version of the radio has a nice product detector. Just google "Country Comm. |
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| KC0EKQ |
Rating:     |
2015-07-05 | |
| Fun in a small package |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've been enjoying the Tecsun PL-360 for the last few weeks after finding one at a garage sale.
Like most of the members, reviewers and readers here, I am a LONG time radio fanatic and have very educated, long-proven opinions about what makes a good receiver or a bad one. They are still only opinions, but they obviously carry the most weight when it comes to my choices.
I have to admit I was not planning to purchase one of these, given that I don't really need one -- I have numerous travel/portable receivers that are much better all the way around -- and it seemed silly to get one that didn't include SSB or synchronous detection.
But when I saw it on the garage sale table (in the box) with a $15 sticker on it, there was no way I wasn't going to grab it. It was a pretty little toy radio, and for that price easily worth its light, plasticky weight in fun.
When I got it home and put batteries in and turned it on, well... my attitude changed.
No, it ain't no barnburner -- especially as regards audio and ease/unease of tuning -- but this thing WORKS for its intended purpose and works WELL.
FM Stereo through the headphones (earbuds are included in the package) is really quite fine. In fact, it is, on its small whip antenna, a better FM receiver than the Sony 7600G I recently sold after a decade of using it. The Sony was always prone to some imaging and overloading even on its built-in whip antenna, and the 360 just doesn't exhibit those issues... plus it seems to be a bit more selective on FM, as well.
It's fine on broadcast SW, again not a barnburner and a bit limited in frequency range and modes (only AM or FM, no SSB/CW/RTTY) but it hears almost everything my PL-660 does, and that's just really impressive to me for something this little.
On MW/AM, it's just flat out FUN to play around.
It's not as sensitive as my other portable receivers, but only by a tiny degree. With the included little ferrite loop antenna connected atop the radio, one can actually null stations and peak others and depending on your location this can be very DX-like. I mean, I can't say this is a great radio for MW DXing but it sure can come close sometimes.
The display is very easy to read, the volume and tuning thumb wheels are smooth and easy, and other features like frequency steps and alarms are done with pretty simple button-push style.
ETM is a very useful feature I wish other radios had. It will scan the full band and put into a separate memory bank all of the stations it can hear, which can then be made into permanent memory channels. This feature alone buys it a first class ticket to Great Travel Radio-land. On FM, AM and SW bands, the ETM is a fine thing.
Battery life seems to be in the 'sip' category, and I've seen no issues yet even after two weeks of daily use on the first set of batteries I put in.
So even at its general retail price it is truly a bargain for a go-bag, a survival kit, or a vehicle emergency radio that really works and works well.
Heck, you can just use it at your bedside for quiet nighttime listening.
I have yet to try any kind of external antenna on it so all of my experience is with the supplied antennae.
It's very impressive at what it does, for what it is -- small, cheap and simple.
I can heartily recommend it. Even if you're a SSB junkie like me and miss that mode on this receiver, it is a fun, fine radio.
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| WD8AQS |
Rating:      |
2014-08-16 | |
| Best SW portable choice for under $50. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've owned many portable SW radios over 4 decades in the hobby, mostly made in Japan. This was my first new radio purchase in a long time, mainly because of the cheap stuff sold today.
The PL-360 impressed me right from the start. Its design and feel reminds me of the quality made in Japan radios. Its sensitive throughout the bands, even with the short antenna. The plug in MW ant. is a hoot and works well, very impressed with MW sensitivity. Selectivity is fine also with plenty of good audio from its speaker.
Its fun to use with all the neat options thanks to the made in the USA DSP chip. Search for stations at different times of day or night and puts them in memory for easy access. Can do LW band also by changing MW to 9KC spacing. Nice lighted display, battery charging option, comes with a soft case, wire clip on ant., earphones and plug in MW ant. Can't really think of anything negative to say about it. Would love to see a SSB option with fine tune, maybe someday.
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| K2MMM |
Rating:      |
2014-06-02 | |
| sw7600g side by side |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Equal if not better in some cases.Used the ETM scan feature then tuned the 7600g to the same freq.The 360 signal strength and audio were better than the Sony.The 360 has no ssb no sync no tone adjustment and no swiveling antenna! I am disappointed in the 7600 .FM was also great in the 360. I would say if you want a fit in your back pocket good sounding sensitive radio with no ssb at a 1/4 of the price of the current 7600gr....try this with the great ten scan feature..73
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K2MMM on 2014-05-13
I use mine at night with headphones so I dont wake my wife up. I live in New Jersey and im able to copy CHML Hamilton Ontario Canada with no problem and minimal fading. Nice size easily held like an HT.FM sounds great through headphones. If you want a very portable radio that has decent sound and decent reception I say this is a good value for you! |
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| MARTESQUE |
Rating:      |
2013-09-12 | |
| For Size & Price, I'm Impressed |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Despite already owning "enough" radios, my wife said she'd buy this for me because it looked cool. Who was I to refuse?
Well, I was very surprised at how well this receiver performs. That external swivel antenna works incredibly well. The AM band is as sensitive as any Tecsun, Grundig or Sony I have. I have noticed that if you're listening to a local AM signal, adding the swivel antenna doesn't increase or overload the signal. According to the meter, it's the same strength whether it's plugged in or not. But for distant listening, it picks up every fringe signal in range. Superb night listening and it's not as susceptible to signal fading as other radio's I've used for DXing.
FM is very good, with the DSP chip providing excellent selectivity; picking out stations in-between stations. Shortwave is very sensitive and picks up all major broadcasters.
What makes this radio fun to use is the ETM feature, that automatically scans any / all bands and puts them in a separate memory for you. For beginner SW listeners, this is a great way to see what's out there without having to tune endlessly through all the meter bands. Also great when you're traveling and want to scan through AM / FM bands without disrupting your permanent memories. I've taken it to the beach, on bike rides or hiking and it fits nicely into a cargo pants' pocket or has different belt loop choices.
Sound is very impressive for such a small speaker and headphones provide FM stereo. (I like the fact that the volume control is analog, but that's a personal preference.) Plays forever on rechargeable batteries.
For the price, I'm really impressed - one of Tecsun's better performers. I'm hoping it holds up as well as my PL-390 (2 years). |
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