Description
The Tecsun S-8800 High Performance AM/FM Radio is the latest radio to be released by Tecsun and it has been worth the wait. Recognised as a “Broadcast Listeners Radio”, the Tecsun S-8800 High Performance AM/FM Radio has been designed to provide maximum performance on the MW band, allowing listeners to receive fringe AM radio stations with unmatched audio clarity.
The most obvious new feature of the Tecsun S-8800 is the inclusion of an infrared remote control. Tecsun have included the infrared control for two reasons, first the use of remote control allows the Tecsun S-8800 to be positioned and orientated so that provides optimum reception, and second the so that all the Tecsun S-8800’s features can be conveniently controlled , including power, display (changing between frequency or time), memory (store or recall frequencies), tuning, VF/VM modes, scanning, mode (AM, FM (mono or stereo) USB or LSB, bands (AM, FM or shortwave, 9/10kHz setting for MW, AM bandwidth, and a keypad to allow direct entry of frequencies.
Tecsun have taken advantage of the recent developments in lithium-ion batteries with the Tecsun S-8800 utilising 18650 cells to provide a huge increase in the listening time on each charge. Tecsun’s use of the 18650 lithium-ion cells also does away with one of the criticisms of earlier model that used expensive and difficult to find C and D cells.
The Tecsun S-8800 is not limited to AM reception, the Tecsun S-8800 also provides excellent performance on the FM and Shortwave (SW) bands including Single Side Band (SSB). The Tecsun S-8800 can be connected to an external antenna to provide increase performance on AM, FM, and Shortwave bands.
There are a myriad of other features offered by the Tecsun S-8800 including those found in most Tecsun radio such as clock, timer, snooze, and alarms. In total 650 stations can be stored in memory across all bands (there are limits for each band) and recalled in real time or at some time in the future. There are also the usual store, recall and delete memory functions as well as auto sort handy for removing duplicate frequencies.
The Tecsun S-8800 offers frequency “browsing”, similar to the ETM function found on smaller portables like the Tecsun PL-310ET and Tecsun PL-365, as well as semi-automatic storage (the receiver stops when it finds a signal and you have 4 seconds to store it), and ATS (Auto Tuning Storage) where the receiver stores every signal it discovers. It is these operations where the use of the remote control makes the process much easier.
To prevent signal overload, the receiver has “DX/Local” switch.
Like all computer driven receivers, things do sometimes get confused between operator and machine. To remedy this, there is a reset switch hidden under the main tuning knob. Pulling the knob off the shaft reveals this. A small pointed device is required, most users find a paper clip is suitable.
- Remote Control
- USB Charging Cable
- BNC Connector
- 2 x 18650 Batteries
- 2 x AAA batteries for Remote Control
- Australian Approved USB Charger
- English Instruction Manual
Specifications
| FREQUENCY BAND | FREQUENCY RANGE | FREQUENCY STEPPING |
|---|---|---|
| FM | 76 – 108 MHz | 0.01 – 0.1 MHz |
| AM | 520 -1710 kHz | 1 kHz / 9 or 10 kHz |
| Shortwave | 1711 – 29999 kHz | 1 kHz / 5 kHz |
| Longwave | 100 – 519 kHz | 1 kHz / 9 kHz |
Phil Ireland –
A Review of the Tecsun S-8800 Receiver by Phil Ireland
Many thanks to Garry Cratt from Tecsun Radios Australia for supplying the radio for review. Please visit their website http://www.tecsunradios.com.au for details of this and other radios and support a business which supports the shortwave radio community.
I’ve had the opportunity to give this radio a considerable workout over the last few weeks and from the outset I must say that I’m more that satisfied by the performance and useability of this receiver. I base my reviews on actually listening to received stations and don’t give much notice to specifications, preferring to use them as a guide only. After all, if you can’t hear a station, there’s not much chance for the radio, atmospheric conditions notwithstanding.
With the above said, I tested the radio on shortwave, medium wave and FM and I’m pleased to say that I was delighted by the performance on all bands. Much has been said on line that medium wave is somewhat deaf with the S-8800 however it hasn’t been the case with the unit I’ve reviewed. Perhaps Tecsun has upgraded the unit from earlier radios in answer to unfavourable reviews of medium wave performance. I was able to receive my marker stations (ABC Western Victoria on 594 khz, 2CH Sydney on 1170 khz and 2GN Goulburn on 1368 khz, all stations difficult to receive from my QTH.) Coupling the radio with the excellent PK Loop inductive antenna really lifted the performance to better than my dedicated high performance medium wave receivers. Of a night, there is a plethora of medium wave stations with 909 khz, China being received easily. So I give the radio a tick here.
Shortwave is where the radio really shines and stations are easily received with just the telescopic antenna. There is provision for external antennas should they be desired. SSB capabilities are excellent and with a wide range of DSP filters for both AM and SSB, ECSS reception is possible. Listening to Ozyradio on 5045 khz and 4KZ on 5055 khz shows just what the radio can do on the telescopic antenna. A synchronous detector would’ve been nice but I don’t think the DSP chips that are used in the current radios allow for a successful result. Using SSB does the job just as well. Here I give the radio another big tick!
On FM, the listener is rewarded with just what the DSP chip is capable of, excellent sensitivity and selectivity and superb audio. Only yesterday I was able to receive Noumea on 93 Mhz via sporadic e reception with careful positioning of the telescopic antenna and most of the Sydney Commercial outlets are heard, that’s a distance of 200 or so kms. Again I’d have to give the radio a big tick.
So features of the radio are numerous, many of which are adequately explained by viewing on YouTube and internet sites so I won’t go into detail here suffice to say that the radio is mostly intuitive to use. As I’m not a big user of memory functions, preferring to directly input required frequencies, the radio does allow for automatic easy tuning that will allocate received stations to the memories which is a big plus if you are travelling with the radio. What is a huge bonus is the ability to control the radio by an infrared remote control. This is a big step forward by Tecsun with this radio, earlier models were somewhat cumbersome to tune, not so with the S-8800. Build quality is good and the finish is what you expect from Tecsun but with all radios out of China, QC can be an issue however with Tecsun, thankfully this is a rare problem. Something to keep in the back of your mind anyway.
So in summary, no radio is perfect but this one is pretty good all round!
Pros: Easy to use with many useful features especially the DSP filters.
Great audio.
Excellent performance on all bands especially SW and FM.
Runs on 2 rechargeable batteries which give reasonable run time.
Controllable with a very useful remote control allowing for direct frequency input.
Well built.
DSP Architecture
Cons: Remote control can be easily misplaced making the ease of use cumbersome.
No Synchronous detector however ECSS can be used to dig tough stations out.
No Air band which is available on other Tecsun Radios
No FM RDS capabilities which, for some reason only known to Tecsun, isn’t available on any of their radios. Other brands using the same chipset offer RDS. Not a deal breaker but nice to have non the less.
So is this radio perfect? No, but it does a good job! Keep in mind that no portable radio can compare with the performance of a good Communications Receiver connected to a good antenna system but if you want a radio that does perform well, can be carried around, sounds good then consider the Tecsun S-8800. I’d be surprised if you’re disappointed with it.
I hope you’ve found the review helpful and please contact Garry Cratt for more information of this radio.
Cheers…….
Phil VK2GJF
Brian Crowther (verified owner) –
What a pleasure it is to check out the SW bands on this radio. Within minutes of unpacking the S-8800, I was tuning in the Central American broadcast stations from my listening post in Toronto locally late afternoon. Had no problem pulling in Hams on 20 meters talking to each other from the southern USA, and as far away as Italy and UK. The SSB settings are dead easy to use and unlike other SW radios, no need for volume adjustment when switching between LSB, USB and AM Normal.
The overall design and layout of the radio controls is truly intuitive. And I do like the convenience of the remote control – a bit of an innovation for me after decades of manual, hard slogging with knobs and dials :).
I love the antenna options and will experiment with external wire and mast antennas in future, but for now the internal antenna is just fine.
FM/FM Stereo is awesome. Strong signals from distant stations and the Bass and Treble function truly enhances the sound quality of music. No real LW targets here in Toronto, but I’ll be experimenting with the AM band over the next few evenings to see what I can find.
As far as portability, top marks for not having to lug around 4 to 8 D or C cell batteries. The radio case is so light and the carry handle makes it easy to relocate to another location. The li-ion batteries charged fairly quickly, but I know replacements are difficult to find in this part of the world, so I’ll be sure to take good care of them.
Last thoughts: The Operational Manual is easy to follow and provides good instruction and advice. Overall, this radio brings back the fun in SWLing! I’m not a radio techie by an means, so my review is meant to share my impressions as a decades long radio enthusiast.
The website is well laid out and ordering was a breeze. Obviously shipping to Canada requires patience even with express service, but well worth the wait – some of the Tecsun products are not available in North America, so it’s pretty cool to get access to innovative radios with unique features from a reliable online shop. It’s been a pleasure dealing with Garry and I look forward to future purchases from Tecsun Radios Australia.
Cheers!
Brian