[IRCA] New Tecsun PL-310 ULR-- Awesome Performance on Three Bands

[D1028Gary@xxxxxxx]

Hello All,
 
For those of you waiting on a detailed report before considering a purchase 
 of the latest DSP wonder from the Chinese domestic market, the four-band  
investigation of the new Tecsun PL-310 LW-AM-FM-SW DSP-enhanced pocket radio 
has  been concluded here, and the results are very impressive.
 
The Longwave performance has been significantly improved from the PL-300WT  
(a.k.a. G8) predecessor, so that competitive beacon reception is possible 
using  only the stock loopstick. Last night at 0800UTC I was able to log the 
following  beacons on these approximate frequencies: NY-351, ZP-369, 
MOG-405, and also  QQ-398. Of these four beacons, the PL-300WT (G8) had only a 
trace of NY-351, and  none of the other three.
 
On AM, I ran a detailed shootout between the new PL-310 and the Kchibo  
D96L, the winner of the recent 2009 Ultralight Radio AM-DX Shootout (the  
PL-300WT was thrown in also). The sensitivity of the PL-310 and D96L models  is 
very close overall, but the PL-310 has a decided edge in the mid-range  
(700-1500 kHz) frequencies, while the D96L has a slight edge on the extreme  
upper and lower band frequencies. Both the PL-310 and D96L walked all over  the 
PL-300WT (G8) in sensitivity, while in the selectivity tests, the PL-310 and 
 D96L had exactly equal performance [which was far superior to the PL-300WT 
 (G8)].
 
On FM, the performance of the new PL-310 matches the stellar PL-300WT (G8)  
completely in both sensitivity and selectivity, so FM-DXing enthusiasts now 
 have another fantastic ULR to choose. Both of these models walked all over 
the  D96L in the FM performance tests, presumably because of the D96L's 
shorter whip  antenna.
 
On SW, the irritating AM spurs and mixing products of the PL-300WT have  
been corrected in the PL-310, which provides sensitivity equal to that of the  
PL-300WT without the side effects. The SW performance of the new PL-310 was 
 also quite impressive, but was a shade less than that of the E100 (PL-200) 
 models, making this the only band in which a competing ULR was able to  
slightly exceed the PL-310 in performance.
 
The full details on the Tecsun PL-310's performance will be provided  in a 
mini-review on the new receiver, which should be wrapped up this evening.  
In general, this new DSP model seems to be all we have hoped for (and maybe 
even  more!).
 
73,  Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA) 
 
 
 
   
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