A Versatile New Portable

The new Tecsun world band portable has landed on the editor’s desk and will be reviewed in full for the next week or so. The next issue of the magazine will carry a first UK magazine review of this long-awaited new model, which also doubles up as a music file player, FM radio and Bluetooth speaker.

The Tecsun PL-990x comes with an external aerial, spare rechargeable battery, USB charging cable and good-quality earphones. I took the radio out and about yesterday, for a test-listen among the hills and valleys of Lancashire, in my back garden and inside the house.

I certainly had no problems receiving all the daytime short wave stations I am normally listening to, China, Greece, Turkey and India, in particular, came in very well, and plenty of others. Aeronautical VOLMET on SSB? No problem. Scanning the medium wave band at dusk? This was a pleasure too. I have to say this put my other portables in the shade. I used the long wire included and the internal aerials.

I leave the full test to our expert reviewer, Scott Caldwell, who is going to put this new portable through its paces, looking at sensitivity, aerial performance, and a range of other issues.

For now, however, I am marking this down as my next practical, user-friendly and feature-packed travel receiver.

Many thanks to Mike Devereux, and to our friends at Nevada radio, for the loan of the review model.

GW 081020