Most of my reviews are written within 3-4 days of receiving the radio. While I try to give the receivers a workout, cover the main points and present a case for or against, opinions change over time; some radios even get firmware updates.
I bought my Tecsun PL-660 14 years ago for $109 and it still has the screen protector attached. It’s an early firmware version, 6601.1 Later ones have memory sort with duplicate removal and a tuning calibration feature.
It’s a double conversion superhet radio with phase locked loop (PLL) tuning covering LW, MW, SW, FM and AIR bands. SSB and synchronous tuning are supported. It definitely checks the boxes for a general coverage shortwave receiver. My only complaint is that the ATS scans confuse stations with noise a lot, and run out of memory locations.
One surprise that I just learned is that even though it’s a thoroughly analog radio, it soft mutes (not to be confused with chuffing). I also read that in synchronous mode, soft muting is reduced, which may explain why I had better results receiving the ultra-faint signals when I first attempted to catch Music 4 Joy.
Charging of the 4 AA batteries is accomplished with a 6V DC power adapter, but I prefer to charge batteries outside the radio whenever possible. I can’t say the last time I set the clock but it’s currently accurate to a couple of minutes.
One might expect some maintenance required on a 14-year-old radio, and indeed the telescopic antenna did come apart a couple of years ago. Replacements are readily available; I got one from XHDATA. Today the kickstand broke, and I ordered a replacement from Anon-co.
I got the radio out to test alongside 4 other superhet analog radios last September. The first test was with my 40-ft. Wire Out Window (WOW) side by side with a Qodosen DX-286. Reception was better on 17850 with the Qodosen; there was less noise and the station sounded “closer.”
I got out my PL-660 with the 40-ft WOW antenna2 at 01:50UTC 3/21/2026 for an old favorite, HCJB in Quito, Ecuador on 6050 kHz. The signal was good.
The PL-660 is feature identical to the later PL-680, with the latter boasting improved sensitivity, more stable AGC, and reduced (or eliminated) soft muting.
My daily driver remains the Qodosen DX-286 (and Tecsun PL-330 or PL-990 for SSB).