Tecsun PL880 User Manual

LW MW SW
TECSUN PL880
GOALS/OBJECTIVES
1. Present information on the value of communication.
2. Present information on radio waves to understand the abilities and limitations of the radio.
3. Present information important to improving reception of radio signals.
4. Recommendation for another antenna along with additional items required to improve reception.
5. Learn to set the functions/features of the Tecsun PL880.
6. Clarify instructions and correct some errors in the supplied Operations Manual.
7. Present some hidden features of the radio.
VALUE OF COMMUNICATION
During a time of natural, man-made, or even supernatural adversity, men and women are concerned about family,
friends, and others. It is only human to desire to know about another’s well-being. In today’s world, many of those we
are concerned about are spread out across the nation, if not the world. Assistance always begins with total and
complete acknowledgement and trust in God. Always. We need to trust that everyone we are concerned about, God is
concerned about even more. As God aided the Israelites of old, He can and will aid us now. The aid needed will involve
the gift of you. You may be helping someone’s loved one, across the country, that they are concerned about. Help
comes in many ways, but it is never selfish on our part if it is rooted in God.
To assist you in learning of others well-being, if usual means of communication breakdown, CORAC will be
communicating information over shortwave amateur radio frequencies. None of us fully knows what that may look like.
Yet, CORAC is prudently preparing to help. We strive to “be a sign of hope for others”. If you are like many, you have
never or rarely used a shortwave radio receiver in the past. This document hopes to educate you on operating the
Tecsun PL880 shortwave radio receiver. Although God created radio waves and we make use of them, he communicated
directly with mankind in the Old and New Testaments. Let us not forget.
ABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE RADIO
During the late 19
th
and early 20
th
centuries, radio waves were discovered. The radio spectrum of the electromagnetic
spectrum was divided up by their discovered wavelengths: Long Wave (LW), Medium Wave (MW) and Shortwave (SW).
As time progressed other radio waves were discovered, yet they kept the historical terms and jointly added additional
terms to better classify the waves by frequency.
Why is this important? AM radio waves (think of your car’s radio) travel on LW in Europe, Asia, and Africa and on MW in
North America, for the most part. So, what travels on SW? Amateur radio waves known as High Frequency (HF) waves.
The Tecsun PL880 has the capability to pick up SW radio signals, along with AM and FM signals. THIS INFO HELPS TO
UNDERSTAND PROGRAMMING THE RADIO. Of course, this has probably oversimplified radio waves, but it can shorten
your learning curve with a basic understanding.
Various natural events and man-made items can interfere with radio wave reception including SW. Natural events
include: the sun (sunspots and/or coronal mass ejections), atmosphere, and weather to name a few. Man-made items
include powerlines, EMPs, consumer electronics, and buildings to name many.

Tecsun PL880 Specifications

General

Dimensions	192 x 113 x 33 mm
Type	Portable Digital Radio
Headphone Jack	3.5mm
Display	LCD with backlight
Modes	AM, FM, SSB, LW, SW
Power Supply	3.7V
Speaker	Built-in
Power	DC 5V
Memory	3050 memories
Tuning Steps	1 kHz, 5 kHz
Additional Features	SSB, Alarm clock, Sleep timer, ETM

Summary

VALUE OF COMMUNICATION

ABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE RADIO

IMPROVING RADIO WAVE RECEPTION

AM BAND RECEPTION

Improve AM reception by rotating radio body for optimal signal alignment. Use internal ferrite bar.

FM BAND RECEPTION

Extend and align telescopic antenna for FM reception. Rotate antenna base carefully to prevent damage.

SW BAND RECEPTION

Connect and extend SW antenna, orienting it perpendicular to signal source for optimal shortwave reception.

ANTENNAS AND ACCESSORIES FOR RECEPTION

HALF-WAVE DIPOLE ANTENNAS

Various dipole antennas for 20M, 40/20M, 80/40/20M bands with SO239 connectors for improved reception.

COAXIAL CABLE FOR HAM RADIO

RG 58 coaxial cable with PL239 male plugs, used to connect antennas to radio adapters for HAM reception.

AUDIO ADAPTER PLUG

Adapter connecting radio to coax cable, featuring UHF Female SO239 to 3.5mm Mono TS Stereo Plug.

CARABINER CLIPS FOR ANTENNAS

Clips used for suspending antennas and securing them to stakes or branches during outdoor use.

SETTING RADIO FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES

RADIO POWER OFF FUNCTIONS

CLOCK AND ALARM SETTINGS

Configure 24-hour clock, set alarm times, and manage alarm off timers using dedicated buttons.

SLEEP TIMER FUNCTION

Set sleep timer duration (1-120 min) or activate it using the POWER button and tuning dial.

SYSTEM SETTINGS (ORANGE MARKINGS)

FM BAND FREQUENCY SETTING

Adjust FM band lower end (64, 76, 87, 88 MHz) for regional compatibility and optimal reception.

LW FREQUENCY BAND TOGGLE

Enable or disable Long Wave (LW) reception; typically OFF in North America.

AM BAND TUNING INCREMENTS

Choose 9 kHz or 10 kHz tuning increments for AM band, depending on geographical region.

AUTO-SORTING STATION MEMORIES

Automatically sorts and removes duplicate stations from memory, organizing by frequency and band.

RADIO POWER ON FUNCTIONS

VF/VM SCAN MODES

Switch between View Frequency (VF) and View Memory (VM) modes for scanning signals or presets.

TUNING FREQUENCIES AND STATIONS

MANUAL TUNING METHOD

Tune to desired frequencies or stations using the radio's course and fine-tuning dials.

AUTO BROWSE TUNING

Scan for frequencies/stations, pausing 5 seconds on each before proceeding to the next.

DIRECT KEYPAD ENTRY

Enter specific frequencies or station numbers directly via the keypad, ignoring decimal points during input.

STORING RADIO STATIONS INTO MEMORY

MANUAL STATION STORAGE

Save a station by selecting band, tuning, pressing MEMORY, choosing address, and confirming save.

AUTO BROWSE MEMORY STORAGE

Scan for stations, then press VF/VM to store them into memory, continuing until manually stopped.

AUTO-TUNING STORAGE (ATS) PROCESS

ATS FOR AM AND FM BANDS

Automatically store all available AM and FM stations by holding the respective band button.

ATS FOR SW BAND

Store SW stations by holding SW button, then select all meter bands or a chosen band for scanning.

MEMORY PAGE AND LOCATION SELECTION

LISTENING TO STORED STATIONS

MANUAL BROWSE STORED STATIONS

Navigate through stored stations page by page using PAGE buttons and tune using the course tuning dial.

AUTO BROWSE STORED STATIONS

Automatically cycle through stations on a selected page, pausing for 5 seconds on each.

BANDWIDTH SELECTION WHILE LISTENING

DELETING STORED RADIO STATIONS

MANUALLY DELETE SINGLE STATION

Select a stored station and press DELETE twice to remove it from memory.

AUTO BROWSE DELETE STATIONS

Cycle through stations, press DELETE for unwanted ones, then hold VF/VM to continue deletion.

MANUALLY DELETE STATIONS PER PAGE

Select a memory page and press DELETE to remove all stations within that specific page.

HIDDEN FEATURES OF THE TECSUN PL-880

DISPLAY CLOCK SECONDS

Show seconds on the clock display by holding the number 8 button when the radio is off.

DISPLAY ALL READOUTS AND FIRMWARE

View all display readouts and radio firmware version by holding the AM BW button when the radio is off.

SYNCHRONOUS DETECTION (SD) FUNCTION

Lock onto USB/LSB signals to improve reception; toggle SYNC on/off via USB/NORM or LSB/NORM button.

DYNAMIC NOISE REDUCTION (DNR)

Reduce radio noise for clearer audio; toggle DNR on/off via number 4 and number 6 buttons when radio is on.