--- product_id: 1132489 title: "PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver" brand: "tecsun" price: "Β£181.73" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 category: "Tecsun" url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1132489-pl880-portable-digital-pll-dual-conversion-am-fm-longwave-shortwave store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Full AM/FM/LW/SW/SSB coverage Rechargeable 18650 battery with USB-C charging Dual conversion PLL tuner for razor-sharp selectivity PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver **Brand:** tecsun **Price:** Β£181.73 **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > πŸ“» Unlock the airwaves β€” never miss a signal, never miss a moment. ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver by tecsun - **How much does it cost?** Β£181.73 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1132489-pl880-portable-digital-pll-dual-conversion-am-fm-longwave-shortwave) ## Best For - tecsun enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted tecsun brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Precision Digital Tuning:** Experience ultra-fine 10 Hz step tuning with dual conversion PLL synthesis for crystal-clear reception and minimal interference. - β€’ **Customizable Audio Filters:** Select from 4 AM and 5 SSB bandwidth filters to tailor your listening experience and isolate your favorite stations. - β€’ **All-in-One World Band Receiver:** Seamlessly tune AM, FM, Longwave, Shortwave & Single Side Band signals for global audio exploration. - β€’ **Portable & Ready for Adventure:** Lightweight design with rechargeable battery, USB-C charging, and included accessories to keep you connected anywhere. - β€’ **Powerful Hi-Fi Speaker & Stereo Output:** Enjoy room-filling sound from a 3W tuned speaker or connect to your home stereo via line-out for premium audio immersion. ## Overview The Tecsun PL880 is a premium portable digital radio featuring full AM/FM, Longwave, Shortwave, and Single Side Band reception with a high-sensitivity dual conversion PLL tuner. It offers advanced bandwidth filtering, 10 Hz fine tuning, and a powerful 3W speaker for exceptional audio clarity. Powered by a rechargeable 18650 battery with USB-C charging, it’s designed for serious DXers and audio enthusiasts seeking unmatched performance and portability in a sleek silver chassis. ## Description Specifications: -Firmware version: 8820 -Frequency Range: FM: 64-108 MHz SW: 1711-29999 KHz AM: 520-1710 KHz LW: 100-519 KHz -Sensitivity FM 35 dB AM / LW > 40 dB SW > 40 dB -S/N Ratio: FM> 65dB AM/LW > 40dB SW > 45dB -Output Power > 450 mW -Speaker: Diameter 40mm / Impedance 4 Ohm / Power 3W -Earphone Jack: Diameter 3.5mm -Power supply: -Battery -External adaptor: USB jack, DC 5V, Current >300mA -Dimensions: approx. 7 Β½ (W) X 4 Β½ (H) X 1 ΒΌ (D) -Weight: 1 lb 3 oz(battery not included) Accessories: External shortwave antenna Stereo earphones Carrying pouch Quick reference guide User manual Review: Excellent sounding and fully featured world band radio - In the 80's through the 90's I was a SWLer (Shortwave Listener). I had a Kenwood R-600 and later upgraded to an R-5000. I was very active in the hobby and collected 100's of QSL cards. Lately I've been feeling nostalgic about the hobby and came across this radio. My R-600 is in dire need of service and I sold my R-5000 years ago so this looked like an interesting way to get back into it even though there are so few international broadcasters anymore. The portability was very appealing as well. I was shocked at how well this radio operates. The fine tuning provides an analog-like tuning experience with smooth tuning. The USB and LSB modes work perfectly and are very stable. You can even change the bandwidth!! I did not expect these features on a low cost portable radio. All I miss from my R-5000 is the notch filter and IF shift. The sound quality is also amazing with a very full bodied sound, not tinny like most portables in this class. So far I've tuned in some AM band stations, such as WBBM in Chicago (I'm in NJ!). I've listened to some ham operators and picked up a few international broadcasters such as Romania. The single sideband modes combined with the variable bandwidth make it easy to hone in on the signal. Having used SW radios before, all of the features made sense to me. If you are new to this, it may be a bit daunting, but that isn't really the radio's fault. If you take the time to learn how to access the features (not too hard) and what they will do for you, you will be rewarded with some impressive performance. Review: Terrific radio ! Excellent reception and audio quality ! - TLDR: Outstanding Audio Quality, Excellent Top-Notch Performance (sensitivity/selectivity-but with a controversial ssb/sync issue), Ease of Use, Rechargeable Battery Operation, Extreme Performance to Price Ratio, The Best Quality Control of desertcart Offerings. I have been into DXing since I was a kid cuz my dad had also been into radio when he was a kid, building crystal radios, etc. The original single store Radio Shack was in the city where I grew up and a weekend outing with my father to The Radio Shack was always an adventure. As a teen I had a Hallicrafters as a bedside radio. Skip to 1990's. Lived in a high rise with a balcony where I could set up an awesome antenna. Discovered E&B Electronics (now closed), a 20 minute drive from my home that sold top shelf SW,Ham Transceivers, UHF Scanners, but I eventually had to move to a condo with no balcony and had generally lost interest. In my storage closet are a Drake R8, an Icom IC-R7100 (unblocked), an AOR 3000A(unblocked), and an iconic Sony ICF-SW77. For the past 10 years my bedside radio has been a small portable 5 station preset Sony ICF-M410V that I paid $60 for. (It's still available on desertcart but the link is like a paragraph long). It served me well and had good sound from its 3" speaker. It's tuning knob now only goes in one direction so I decided to replace it. I have been studying the top battery operatable AM/FM/SW radios on desertcart for over a month. I must have watched at least 50 comparative videos on YouTube and concluded that the PL880 could not be beat performance wise and sound quality was important to me. (The PL 600 was right up there at the top of the performance scale, but my major use of the radio will be for FM listening and sound quality was of great importance to me.) Along with performance, the single factor that made me ulitamately zero in on this Tecsun PL880 was quality and quality control. Yeah, I'd like to have a Grundig 750 cuz it looks so cool, or a Sangean 909x cuz of it's display (but sub par performance without an outside antennae), or a CC Crane, but looking at all the reviews for those there were just too many peeps who received dead on arrivals or short-lived radios. The Tecsun has almost none that I saw. So when I saw the PL880 being offered for same day delivery yesterday I impulsively pulled the trigger and I am happy I did. This radio excudes the feel of quality. It's audio quality is nothing short of amazing. I keep a Grundig S3250DL on my desk. The Grundig is known for its excellent sound. If you were not doing a side by side comparison, unless you are tone deaf, you would have to admit that the audio quality from the PL880 is outstanding both for voice and music. It also can pump it out at room filling volumes. Side by side, while I can hear a subtle overall difference, the audio that the PL880 puts out is hard to distinguish from that of the Grundig. Kudos to Tecsun! While I am not yet fully familiar with the operation of the 880, 5 minutes after the battery was installed and fully charged I did a scan on the FM/AM/SW bands; 1.) FM Band - I was stunned at the number of stations that I had been missing with my Sony and the excellent radio I have in my car. All crystall clear; 2.) AM was ok but much better than expected.In the building where I live the way it is configured and the materials used to construct it AM is hardly worth the effort, yet the 880 pulled in quite a few stations well that I did not know existed; 3.) SW - Then I said what the hay and attached the included antenna, ran it across a window inside and did a SW scan. I expected nothing, but got 39 hits :-) Some were very strong and clear, but as they were all foreign speaking except one, I have no idea where they were broadcasting from. Looks like my DXng days have been revived. I do agree with those who say that the final top extension of the antenna is extremely thin and fragile. I wil not be extending the antenna its full length because of this . Also, having lived with this radio for a few days now, I find accessing stored channels somewhat cumbersome and anti-intuitive, but I gues that's the price you pay for having THREE THOUSAND storage channels :-) If you can spare the bucks and are looking for an outstanding sounding, battery operated, easily portable, handome looking radio (with the added benefits of SW/LW/Emergency Info. abilities), buy yourself a PL880 -You'll love it. The way I look at it, at my age if I can buy myself a thrill for $169 bucks it's a great deal :-) ## Features - Full range coverage including AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave with Single Side Band - PLL synthesized digital dual conversion receiver with unparallelled sensitivity & selectivity - 4 & 5 selectable bandwidth filters on AM and SSB respectively plus single Side Band receiver with 10 Hz tuning step - 24 hour alarm clock plus sleep timer from 0-120 minutes - 1 Year USA warranty. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B00IDM4N5K | | Additional Features | Portable | | Antenna Location | Music, News | | Audio Output Mode | Stereo | | Best Sellers Rank | #37,908 in Electronics ( See Top 100 in Electronics ) #72 in Portable Shortwave Radios | | Brand | TECSUN | | Built-In Media | Owner's Manual | | Color | Silver | | Compatible Devices | Earphone | | Connectivity Technology | USB | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 664 Reviews | | Display Technology | LCD | | Display Type | LCD | | EU Spare Part Availability Duration | 1 Years | | Enclosure Material | Plastic | | Frequency | 108 MHz | | Global Trade Identification Number | 06920487518802 | | Hardware Interface | 3.5mm Audio, USB | | Item Dimensions L x W x H | 7.5"L x 1.25"W x 4.5"H | | Item Weight | 520 Grams | | Manufacturer | Tecsun | | Mfr Part Number | PL-880 | | Model Number | PL-880 | | Number of Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) | | Power Source | Battery Powered | | Product Dimensions | 7.5"L x 1.25"W x 4.5"H | | Radio Bands Supported | AM, FM | | Smart Home Compatibility | Not Smart Home Compatible | | Speaker Maximum Output Power | 3 Watts | | Special Feature | Portable | | Style Name | Modern | | Tuner Technology | AM , FM, SSB | | Tuner Type | AM, FM, SSB | | Unit Count | 1.0 Count | | Voltage | 240 Volts | ## Product Details - **Brand:** TECSUN - **Color:** Silver - **Connectivity Technology:** USB - **Included Components:** Owner's Manual - **Power Source:** Battery Powered - **Product Dimensions:** 7.5"L x 1.25"W x 4.5"H - **Radio Bands Supported:** AM, FM - **Special Feature:** Portable - **Style:** Modern - **Tuner Technology:** AM, FM, SSB ## Images ![PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91MAiIclt4L.jpg) ![PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91TK8hkEGJL.jpg) ![PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81KMyAL37pL.jpg) ![PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71zwnV2n0dL.jpg) ![PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81sgTvytmXL.jpg) ## Questions & Answers **Q: Put 880 in its case>case top presses keys>light remains on all the time 880 is in case draining battery. Key lock does not fix this.** A: One of the hidden features turns the light off. Pressing the 5 with the radio off toggles between off and normal (auto) for the light. There are quite a few hidden settings for this radio. An internet search for PL880 Hidden Features will give you more information. I have not used this setting. **Q: How do you charge the battery?** A: The radio automatically goes into charge mode when the radio is on off and you plug in the 5.1 charger supply (Not included). However, old cell phone plug in the wall chargers work as long as it's 5.1 volts with the appropriate jack to plug into the radio. You can also charge the radio off of any USB output plug. It not only charges the PL880 but it also puts a timer on the display which shows how long it has been charges and shows the stop time when it is fully charged. If you have the appropriate charger, you can also remove the battery and charge it but the radio does a great job on charging the battery. I get about 14 to 16 hours of use off the battery per charge. **Q: Why won’t my battery charge?** A: It only charges the battery when it's off. Using a USB voltage and current meter, the pl-880 draws 1 ma @5v on with or without the battery. When off, it draws 37ma @ 5v, when the battery is in the radio. **Q: What is the firmware version?** A: Do not know, but it works well. There is no frequency drift or bleeding. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent sounding and fully featured world band radio *by A***R on September 5, 2025* In the 80's through the 90's I was a SWLer (Shortwave Listener). I had a Kenwood R-600 and later upgraded to an R-5000. I was very active in the hobby and collected 100's of QSL cards. Lately I've been feeling nostalgic about the hobby and came across this radio. My R-600 is in dire need of service and I sold my R-5000 years ago so this looked like an interesting way to get back into it even though there are so few international broadcasters anymore. The portability was very appealing as well. I was shocked at how well this radio operates. The fine tuning provides an analog-like tuning experience with smooth tuning. The USB and LSB modes work perfectly and are very stable. You can even change the bandwidth!! I did not expect these features on a low cost portable radio. All I miss from my R-5000 is the notch filter and IF shift. The sound quality is also amazing with a very full bodied sound, not tinny like most portables in this class. So far I've tuned in some AM band stations, such as WBBM in Chicago (I'm in NJ!). I've listened to some ham operators and picked up a few international broadcasters such as Romania. The single sideband modes combined with the variable bandwidth make it easy to hone in on the signal. Having used SW radios before, all of the features made sense to me. If you are new to this, it may be a bit daunting, but that isn't really the radio's fault. If you take the time to learn how to access the features (not too hard) and what they will do for you, you will be rewarded with some impressive performance. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Terrific radio ! Excellent reception and audio quality ! *by H***E on January 29, 2016* TLDR: Outstanding Audio Quality, Excellent Top-Notch Performance (sensitivity/selectivity-but with a controversial ssb/sync issue), Ease of Use, Rechargeable Battery Operation, Extreme Performance to Price Ratio, The Best Quality Control of Amazon Offerings. I have been into DXing since I was a kid cuz my dad had also been into radio when he was a kid, building crystal radios, etc. The original single store Radio Shack was in the city where I grew up and a weekend outing with my father to The Radio Shack was always an adventure. As a teen I had a Hallicrafters as a bedside radio. Skip to 1990's. Lived in a high rise with a balcony where I could set up an awesome antenna. Discovered E&B Electronics (now closed), a 20 minute drive from my home that sold top shelf SW,Ham Transceivers, UHF Scanners, but I eventually had to move to a condo with no balcony and had generally lost interest. In my storage closet are a Drake R8, an Icom IC-R7100 (unblocked), an AOR 3000A(unblocked), and an iconic Sony ICF-SW77. For the past 10 years my bedside radio has been a small portable 5 station preset Sony ICF-M410V that I paid $60 for. (It's still available on Amazon but the link is like a paragraph long). It served me well and had good sound from its 3" speaker. It's tuning knob now only goes in one direction so I decided to replace it. I have been studying the top battery operatable AM/FM/SW radios on Amazon for over a month. I must have watched at least 50 comparative videos on YouTube and concluded that the PL880 could not be beat performance wise and sound quality was important to me. (The PL 600 was right up there at the top of the performance scale, but my major use of the radio will be for FM listening and sound quality was of great importance to me.) Along with performance, the single factor that made me ulitamately zero in on this Tecsun PL880 was quality and quality control. Yeah, I'd like to have a Grundig 750 cuz it looks so cool, or a Sangean 909x cuz of it's display (but sub par performance without an outside antennae), or a CC Crane, but looking at all the reviews for those there were just too many peeps who received dead on arrivals or short-lived radios. The Tecsun has almost none that I saw. So when I saw the PL880 being offered for same day delivery yesterday I impulsively pulled the trigger and I am happy I did. This radio excudes the feel of quality. It's audio quality is nothing short of amazing. I keep a Grundig S3250DL on my desk. The Grundig is known for its excellent sound. If you were not doing a side by side comparison, unless you are tone deaf, you would have to admit that the audio quality from the PL880 is outstanding both for voice and music. It also can pump it out at room filling volumes. Side by side, while I can hear a subtle overall difference, the audio that the PL880 puts out is hard to distinguish from that of the Grundig. Kudos to Tecsun! While I am not yet fully familiar with the operation of the 880, 5 minutes after the battery was installed and fully charged I did a scan on the FM/AM/SW bands; 1.) FM Band - I was stunned at the number of stations that I had been missing with my Sony and the excellent radio I have in my car. All crystall clear; 2.) AM was ok but much better than expected.In the building where I live the way it is configured and the materials used to construct it AM is hardly worth the effort, yet the 880 pulled in quite a few stations well that I did not know existed; 3.) SW - Then I said what the hay and attached the included antenna, ran it across a window inside and did a SW scan. I expected nothing, but got 39 hits :-) Some were very strong and clear, but as they were all foreign speaking except one, I have no idea where they were broadcasting from. Looks like my DXng days have been revived. I do agree with those who say that the final top extension of the antenna is extremely thin and fragile. I wil not be extending the antenna its full length because of this . Also, having lived with this radio for a few days now, I find accessing stored channels somewhat cumbersome and anti-intuitive, but I gues that's the price you pay for having THREE THOUSAND storage channels :-) If you can spare the bucks and are looking for an outstanding sounding, battery operated, easily portable, handome looking radio (with the added benefits of SW/LW/Emergency Info. abilities), buy yourself a PL880 -You'll love it. The way I look at it, at my age if I can buy myself a thrill for $169 bucks it's a great deal :-) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Portable SW Receiver - Use External Long Wire Antenna for Best Performance *by J***N on June 6, 2022* I've had the radio for about a week now. It's excellent in its class, having been an Extra Class Amateur Radio operator for 38 years, originally licensed in 1967, with a 21 year career in the US Army Signal Corps. I've used numerous HF (aka SW) receivers, military and civilian, some quite high end. My original "portable" receiver is a 1977 Sony DR-22 (aka RF-2200). It's showing its age with dirty switch contacts, dirty contacts in the rotary controls (potentiometers for volume, RF Gain, etc.) and undoubtedly aging circuit capacitors going leaky. Worked extremely well for its era and class. I consider this one similar in overall performance thus far. The decision was narrowed down to the similarly priced Eton Elite Executive. Aircraft band wasn't important to me and comparison reviews gave this one better audio from its larger speaker. The modern household is loaded with RF noise generators, from laptops to compact fluorescent and LED lamps, and the big LCD TV in the family room. The internal antennas are great for local AM and FM broadcast stations. The built-in whip antenna will pick up weaker signals, along but also all the RF noise being generated in the home. Works much better with an external long-wire antenna - especially mounted at a window. Serious SWL'ers use large outdoor antennas - along with lighting protection on them. Super if you have one, but not necessary for most SWL listening. Anyone that serious should also be looking at a much more expensive desktop communications receiver. Don't expect great performance living in cubeville inside an office building with fluorescent lights everywhere and surrounded by steel reinforced concrete walls, floor and ceiling. While not a Faraday Cage, some offices come close to it. In SW mode the band up and down feature (two buttons) makes large leaps up and down the HF spectrum to various SWL broadcast bands when not using USB or LSB - plus WWV's time signal frequencies. When the USB or LSB BFO is switched in, it jumps between amateur radio bands, a nice feature as that's normally the only use for the sideband BFO. Comes with nice faux leather zipper case, external long-wire antenna wound around a frame to store it with a spring clip that allows clipping the end of it somewhere convenient to hold it up, wired stereo earbuds and a 5V USB cable for charging the battery while it's inside the radio (also powers the radio)). You can use a 5V USB wall plug to run it from an AC wall outlet. I've got a half dozen or more of those laying about for charging cell phones, tablets and iPods. Downsides: The zipper case is nice, but will only hold the radio itself, not any of the accessories, which risks them being misplaced and lost, especially when traveling. The rotary knobs are on the right side and must be rotated on their sides from the front. You cannot rotate them on the end as they don't protrude far enough for that. The main tuning knob cannot be rapidly spun. For rapid frequency change across a SW band I entire a leap on the keypad and then tune from there, as the SW up and down are quite large leaps. The rechargeable lithium is very good with decent energy to power the radio for some time. Better than AA cells. It uses a 3.7V 2000 mAh 18650 Li-ion with button top, about 69.2mm in length (these vary from 65mm-70mm), so one that has internal protection circuitry and even a USB charging port should fit if it's no longer than 70mm. I strongly recommend one with internal protection. It also require a button top on the "+" end as the battery box has an inset on that end to prevent putting a battery in backward (a flat top won't work). Thus you can use a higher capacity if you wish. Note that flat tops without internal protection are made for use bundled with others in battery packs, such as those found in older laptops. Overall I give it high performance marks for a portable, especially in its size class. It can easily fit into a suitcase for travel without taking up any more space than a man's modest shaving kit (some men travel with an entire medicine cabinet of stuff; I don't). Took off one star because the accessories don't fit in its leatherette zipper case. No photos or video uploaded; wouldn't add anything to those already uploaded with other reviews. ## Frequently Bought Together - Tecsun PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM, Longwave & Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception, Color Silver - Sangean ANT-60 Short Wave Antenna - XHDATA AN-80 Shortwave Reel Antenna FM SW External Antenna Whip Antenna to Improve Signal Reception Suitable for FM SW Radio --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1132489-pl880-portable-digital-pll-dual-conversion-am-fm-longwave-shortwave](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/1132489-pl880-portable-digital-pll-dual-conversion-am-fm-longwave-shortwave) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-14*