Comparing the Tecsun R-9700DX to other radios

[@sailor3900]

I own a R9700DX - it is an excellent radio for DXing with a long wire of around 25 feet - more than that will overload the receiver. The built in whip antenna works very well, depending on the environment. The radio is well built and a bargain at around $58.00. I use it for all my travels - mostly to Caribbean and Central America. The R9700DX replaced my old Grundig YB-400 which crapped out after almost 18 years of use. Only wish it had a better quality speaker and a more substantial case that protects the sides of the radio.

[@alijawad999]

Wonderful. Unmatchable comparison video. Best on youtube with so many different radios.

[@manishbhoola]

Interesting compare. I got the same hissing noise when on DX mode. For modestly strong signals I step down from DX with my long wire antenna and the hissing noise goes away

[@o00scorpion00o]

I have the R9700 DX and it does present some images but it is a real pleasure tuning and it has a gorgeous display that looks great at night. The 9700 DX is a joy to use at night in the bed with maybe 10 - 15 meters of wire going outside to a tree, you can attach and remove the long wire to see the difference. The PL-660 is a super shortwave DX machine with good SYNC detector, the PL-680 is good too with better LW/MW reception but with external antenna such as the wonderful Bonito MA305 with optional longer whip the 660/680 are amazing radios with no DSP means the Audio quality is superb so you can use SSB on commercial SW station and not suffer the poor audio quality and distortion that plagues DSP radios. DSP radios good for AM but absolute Junk on SSB, SSB is essential for the serious DX'er for ECSS. I had the PL-880, 990x and S-8800 both DSP and junk on SSB. The H501x a little bit better due to different filtering making the sound clearer but still distortion on SSB. I have the PL-330, good radio for it's tiny size to have SSB even if it's SSB at the price and size you can forgive. The 880,990x and S-8800 + H501x cost too much to have such serious issues on SSB the PL-680 is much better. The Sangean Ats 909 X2 is also great for SSB/ECSS. I also have the ATS 25 x1 and it is also a DSP radio with no front end filtering and it overloads badly + also plagues by Poor SSB audio. DSP = bad so why not change to SDR or improve analogue design ?

[@kwdavids1]

I have a PL-880 coming, and will be making some videos about it.

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@kwdavids1 Oh I sold that long time ago, SSB is a disaster on that radio and pretty much any DSP radio, I use SSB a lot both for hams and to reduce the effects of fading and also to reduce or eliminate interference. The audio quality is poor, noisy, distortion with strong signals and there's a lot of low frequency cut off, 300 hz I believe. The PL-680, in my opinion, is a far better radio. I had many DSP radios and I'll never buy another unless they resolve the issues with poor sound quality on SSB.

[@kwdavids1]

@@o00scorpion00o I haven't paid much attention to SSB, but last night I used my Eton Elite Executive (a DSP radio) to listen to some hams and the SSB was fantastic. All I had to do was tune the frequency and BAM it was right on. There was no distortion at the beginning of each transmission.

[@o00scorpion00o]

@@kwdavids1 How about with external antenna and strong signals, any chance of a few videos ? I've seen some videos of the Eton, I'm not impressed with the SSB sound quality compared to the Sangean ATS-909 X2 or the Tecsun PL-680, no offence. 😀

[@kwdavids1]

@@o00scorpion00o I'm planning to make an "SSB shootout" video, comparing SSB performance on the PL-330, PL-660, PL-880, XHDATA D-808 and the Eton Elite Executive. Right now I'm thinking about what stations I want to listen to. Hams are fine, but I'm hoping for something like a Coast Guard weather station or similar with a schedule I can plan for. It's no good if the ham I'm recording on the first radio isn't still there for numbers 2-5. There's that SSB shortwave broadcaster in Milton, Florida, but their content isn't the sort of generic stuff I'd want for a video. I live just east of Charlottesville, Virginia. If you have suggestions for programming to catch, let me know. I've not experienced the PL-680 or the Sangean.

[@vtradio]

WOW! Nice collection of portables. I have a couple portables, but mostly tabletops - both tube and solid state. 73 Paul AA1SU

[@bankom90]

very clear difference between each device. thanks for the review 🤗🤗📻🙏

[@racinchef]

Excellent video on a nicely varied collection of SW receivers. I have the Sangean ATS405, the Eton Elite Executive and the Mesqool CR1015WB. I was curious of your experiences with the Degen DE28. I am looking for a good vertical pocket SW radio for my collection. I have the Eton Elite Mini and it is just terrific.

[@kwdavids1]

You might want look at my blog articles: www.blogordie.com/2023/07/battle-of-the-under-50-shortwave-radios/ . One issue with these small radios with screens is that the display can create noise. I don't recall for sure, but I think the display goes blank or something after a while to reduce the noise. I see it's under $25 on Amazon. The Raddy RF75A is another interesting shirt pocket radio.

[@gmorgan1118]

The Eton does best here, followed by the Tecsun 660. Would be nice to see this test repeated with the new crop of DSP radios like the Qodosen 286, XHDATA 109 and 608, and the like. My own 9700DX had its tuning drift to the point that it was impossible to tell what I was tuned to, so out it went.

[@wu2u]

Very interesting video, thanks.

[@CHRADIO100]

Tenks from Brazil

[@jimsradiocheck936]

Great video you have a nice selection of radios you showed

[@omaral-amoudi2295]

Very good compar ing

[@tech29X]

Many of the radios that you demonstrated with better reception have DSP chips, one exception of hand is PL660 which is based on analog tuner. Most DSP based radios mute while tuning, something most people do not like and DSP chips while performing good on some features, introduce other problems common among DSP tuners. It would be confusing for most viewers not realizing which radio is based on a DSP (KA29 or Sangean 405) vs analog tuner radios such as 9700DX or PL660. I think it is important to make that distinction in the review for clarity sake. Thank you, I now know PL660 is better performing.

[@kwdavids1]

These are demonstration videos. For reviews you will have to visit my blog, which will talk about the technology underlying the radios, something that's more complicated than just Analog vs DSP. For example, I have: Kaito WRX-911 - a fully analog single conversion superheterodyne radio Tecsun DR-920C - a fully analog single conversion superheterodyne radio with a digital frequency counter for displaying frequency Tecsun R-9700DX - a fully analog dual conversion superheterodyne radio Tecsun PL-660 - a dual conversion superheterodyne radio with with a digitally synthesized local oscillator Tecsun PL-880 - a triple conversion superheterodyne radio with with a digitally synthesized local oscillator and a DSP chip for signal demodulation Tecsun PL-330 - a full DSP radio

[@tech29X]

@@kwdavids1 Yes, I have already visited your site in the past and even reviewed your and Scorpiooo/Mark's excellent explanations under your site which I feel everyone should review "/2023/06/ssb/"

[@Hunkiralyfi]

Eton Executiv Elite - the best (0:40) Tecsun PL-660 - still good (but it's not "Elite Executive" - as written in the description). Prunus J-160 - suprisingly good 🙂 EVCHE 2110BTS - is also clear.

[@RadioKid-e8x]

Thanks. I was thinking of getting a R9700DX, but I am surprised at how the background static hiss almost overpowers the signal on that radio. I don't think i would be to happy listening to it. The DR920 is almost more listenable. I'm surprised at how well the Kaito KA29 does for such a cheap (inexpensive) radio. I think I like the signal and sound of the Elite Executive the best out of that set.

[@kwdavids1]

I would probably agree that the Eton Elite Executive sounded the best in this group. It's quite a nice radio, offering features like synchronous tuning, AIR band and FM RDS. I have a companion video comparing other radios with the R-9700DX, kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2Pcfnt6abqBnJo. The KA29 sounds pretty good with a nice speaker, but it is not as sensitive as the EEE, or the Tecsun PL-330/660/880/990 and it doesn't tune outside the international broadcast bands. I compare less expensive radios on" www.blogordie.com/2023/07/battle-of-the-under-50-shortwave-radios/. For my detailed written review of the RX-9700 and links to more videos, check out: www.blogordie.com/2023/03/tecsun-r-9700dx-radio-compared/

[@RadioKid-e8x]

@@kwdavids1 under the "battle of under 50 radios" you mention that you have local radio interference on some bands. Maybe that's what I'm hearing on the R9700DX. I live in a lot of QRM myself, my neighborhood is radio interference noisy as is my residence. Some of the DSPs on your video seem to deal a little better with that background interference. Oh to once again live in a world of incandescent light bulbs, one CRT TV in a house, wired telephones and a single speed motor gas furnace. Life seemed (radio interference) quieter then..

[@kwdavids1]

@@RadioKid-e8x I have a battery charger that's incredibly bad, but I keep it unplugged most of the time. A dog containment fence blankets 4 - 6 MHz.

[@RadioKid-e8x]

@@kwdavids1 No kidding, I didn't know that about dog containment fences. I note other r9700dx reviews that also have that high frequency hiss. I think ill skip that one for myself. It was tempting because Kaito USA has used ones pop up occasionally for a decent price. I'm not sure that would gain me much from my rag tag collection of single conversion analog radios that don't seem to have that hiss though. Maybe I'll just save up for a new Elite Executive with the expectation that it will still be operational and it will be the radio I'm clutching when they wheel me into a nursing home around 2050 or 2055.

[@mmxbow]

Damn! I just bought this one R9700DX. It seems that PL-660 won

[@kwdavids1]

I have a second video comparing the R-9700DX to even more radios. I don't know. Some folks seem to have better results than I do with mine. If you're interested in my written commentary on the radio, see: www.blogordie.com/2023/03/tecsun-r-9700dx-radio-compared/

[@mmxbow]

​@@kwdavids1 Ok, I've read your article, and in many ways I agree with you. I bought this receiver as an example of the outgoing double conversion technology. And I expected more sensitivity, better reception. I don't want to say that this receiver is very bad, no, he is an average at the level of modern cheap DSP chips. My old Soviet Ocean-214 from 1983 is ahead of its sensitivity on medium waves due to the larger ferrite antenna. In short, as always - life is full of expectations and disappointments.

[@六甲おろし-w5y]

は？

[@aryanJanwda]

Please suggest a better radio for FM D'xing.

[@kwdavids1]

LiJiANi Rd239

[@anulearntech]

Qodosen DX 286. supposed to be great for FM catching further signals and weak farther signals overpowered by stronger signals.

[@RafaelRosa81]

Great video. Congratulations 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@ChrisC-fp9qu]

You have a lot of radios 📻

[@dilipdas5777]

Should I buy PL 310 Et or r9700dx

[@tech29X]

Between those two, definitely buy R9700DX

[@dilipdas5777]

@@tech29X thanks

[@ky7114]

It just depends what you want from a radio. I own both the 9700DX and the 310ET. The 310ET is a DSP radio and it's more sensitive overall except on medium wave. But with the 310ET you get digital artifacts on a very weak signal. These show up as a pulsating quality to the audio. Also, the 9700DX is a great radio for scanning the dial and hearing new signal's, which you can do better with an analog radio combined with a manual tuning system. (I find that the automatic tuning systems of digital radios will miss some of the weak signal's.) On the other hand, with the 310ET you can push one button and the radio will populate presets with everything it finds that's strong enough to be comfortably listenable, similar to scanning for channels on a TV. They're both good radios for what they are, but they are two different breeds.

[@dilipdas5777]

@@ky7114 many thanks for explaining in details. I understand clearly now

[@Sankara2000]

The 9700 is a bit deaf for its grandeur.. Elite wins hands down But surprisingly cheaper ones out perform all, considering the cost and class

[@remopkr198]

660 shine

[@bhupendrajoshi5446]

If you comment on performance,it will be more useful for listeners.

[@kwdavids1]

The videos here are primarily given as examples for my Blog articles, where I go into detail on the radios. www.blogordie.com/category/technology/radio-technology/

[@六甲おろし-w5y]

感度良い分電池減り早い

[@richardmerriam7044]

This tells me NOTHING.

[@kwdavids1]

It is intended to tell how these radios perform in comparison to each other. What were you looking for?

[@ashab1]

I would say out of these the Tecsun 660 is the best clearest sounding followed by the eton which is one of the things I wanted to know, as I have the 680 and was considering the eton as it is one of the few portables I don’t own or have owned. Though I must say that little green one at the end seemed to do very well.