The long wait has finally come to an end. Desheng’s new products are already on the market, which is bound to attract a lot of attention from radio enthusiasts everywhere. Nowadays, many manufacturers seem to have been producing some low-cost radios that are commonplace in appearance. This new product of Tecsun is clearly positioned in the ranks of high-end portable radios.I was fortunate to start one at the Shanghai Impact ExhibitionstationS-8800.S-8800The functions are quite complete, and there are many innovations, I will introduce in detail below, but first look at the basic parameters:

1. Specifications

DSP+PLL circuit design

Triple frequency conversion

A/BClass power amplifier, “ultra dynamic full frequency”4Inch speaker

bass&Tweeter rotation adjustment

Remote control, can directly input frequency and other functions

Frequency Range:

FM:（Optional）Tuning step10Khz/100KHz

64——108MHz

76——108MHz

87——108MHz

88——108MHz

Long wave:100——519KHz（The tuning step is1Khzor9Khz）

Mid-wave（Optional）

522——1620KHz（Step is9/1Khz, Suitable for Asia, Africa, Europe）

520——1710KHz（Step is10/1KhzFor the Americas）

shortwave

1711——29999（The tuning step is1KHzor5KHz）, Equipped with single sideband function

Single sideband tuning step:10Hz/1Khz

Tuning method:

Manual jog shuttle tuning

Automatic search tuning, lock signal playback5Seconds, then continue searching

Input the frequency directly with the remote control

Radio storage method:

Manual storage: manually tune to the corresponding frequency, and then save

Semi-automatic storage（Desheng is commonly known as “One Finger Save”——Translator''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s Note）: When automatically searching for frequencies, you can save the station you want to save with one key

Automatic search（ATS）: Automatically search and store radio stations

FM stereo, can be connected to earplugs or line output

Adjustable shoulder strap or hand strap

650Radio storage address

Browse saved stations

Automatically arrange the stored radio stations: arrange the stored radio stations according to the frequency and delete the repeated radio frequency

LCD screen with backlight（Automatically light up5Second or long time illumination）

The multi-function digital display can display the following information:

——frequency&Meter band

——signal strength indicator

——Saved radio address

——clock&Alarm time

——battery indicator&Charging time

clock/Alarm time（24Hour format）

Sleep shutdown（1-120minute）

Timing boot

Automatic switch（1-90minute）: Automatic shutdown after regular startup

Dark gray metal knob

Independently designed tuning knob and fine tuning knob

AM IF bandwidth selection（2.3   3.0  4.0   6.0KHz）

Single sideband bandwidth selection（0.5   1.2   2.3   3.0   4.0KHz）

Long and short range gain switch

Low impedance（50Ω）FM, shortwaveBNCFemale antenna socket

High impedance（500Ω）Spring clip, suitable for long wave and medium wave antennas and grounding

Line output socket: doubleRCAPickup jack（Note: The manual describes that the line output level is adjustable, but in fact the output level is fixed.）

Headphone jack:1/8Inch is3.5MmStereo mini jack

Restore settings button（Under the tuning knob）

powered by:2Section18650Lithium rechargeable battery, with independentGo/No GoLEDlight.

Charging: DC（5V/1A）USBmini-BCharging socket（USBThe charging cable can be connected to a computer or withUSBExternal DC charger for socket）

remote control:2SectionAAAbattery（Give away）

Product Size:272*173*88mmor10.7*6.8*3.5inch

Boxed items:

S-8800Host

With2SectionAAARemote control with battery

USBCharging Cable

English manual

2Section18650Lithium Battery 

S-8800 features

●Can receive FM stereo, long wave, medium wave, short wave, short wave single sideband（SSB）signal

●The medium and short wave adopts analog high intermediate frequency circuit, multiple frequency conversion and modern DSP digital demodulation technology, which improves the receiving sensitivity, selectivity and anti-image interference ability

●FM reception range 64-108MHz, suitable for global FM broadcast reception

●Single sideband（SSB）Minimum step 10Hz

●Equipped with 50Ω FM/shortwave external antenna jack and 500Ω AM external antenna port

●Equipped with local/remote sensitivity control switch

●Independent fast and slow tuning mechanism

●With remote control function

●Multiple ways to select channels: automatic search and save（ATS）, Manually search for pre-stored radio stations（VM）, Manually search for radio frequency（VF）, Automatically browse radio frequencies, automatically browse pre-stored radio frequencies, remote control input frequencies and pre-stored radio addresses

●Store up to 650 radio frequencies

●With timing boot and sleep automatic shutdown function

●Adopt class AB power amplifier and full-range speakers, with independent high and low frequency adjustment circuits

●Equipped with audio output RCA jack, which can be connected to power amplifier

●Powered by two 18650 lithium batteries with charging function

●With battery power detection function

●Back/lift dual use, easy to carry

●Actual size: width 273× height 174× thickness 90（Mm）

After verifying the above-mentioned lengthy list of functions and parameters, there must be a lot of things to know. I think the manual produced by Tecsun is of high quality that I have seen so far.One of the instructions. Fortunately,S-8800After opening the box, it can be easily used only by intuition, but I still need to check the manual before setting up some functions. As always, I read the entire manual from start to finish. If you don''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t do this, you will definitely overlook some details. Therefore, I am accustomed to reading the manual beforehand. For example: if you don’t read the manual, you won’t know that you will find the reset button under the tuning knob, and you won’t know that there are two battery compartmentsledThe function of the lamp. Of course, if you don''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t read the manual, there are other functions that you won''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t know. You can download the manual via the Internet.

I found an interesting phenomenon: Desheng chooses to use and oldBCL-2000/BCL-3000The same shell is used to introduce this more sophisticated and complex new radio product, and these two radios have also beenEton/GrundigS-350Models are sold. This is not to say that there is something wrong with such a design ——On the contrary. This appearance feature has long been well-known and easy to use. It has become very popular and is called “outdoor radio”,2004Year whenBCL-2000After entering the market, the design concept of “outdoor radio” has been brought back to life. What I care about is: the two are just similar in appearance ……new productS-8800In many ways, it is more complex and has better performance. What I want everyone to know is that it is very different in other aspects except that it is only similar in appearance to the earlier design. This new model has no serious mirroring and frequency drift problems at all, andBCL-2000/BCL-3000The earlier models were plagued by these problems.

S-8800Comes with a standardUSBturnUSBmini-BThe charging cable can be plugged into a computer orUSBIn the charger——the official standard does not come with an AC charger. Official parameters require use1ACharger. But this may cause inconvenience, most people have severalUSBCharger, I once found an old phoneUSBCharger, rated output current is1A, The battery can be fully charged within a few hours. But you still need to check carefullyUSBLabel because I have some charger output current nominal500maEven lower. Of course, as long as it is standardUSBThe power source should be suitable for this machine, but the charging time of some power sources may be a little longer. I connected the radio to the computerUSB-2On the socket, it takes time to fully charge4hour15minute.

3. Hybrid design of DSP/phase-locked loop analog circuit/observe its internal

The date marked on the motherboard is201512 27, It can be seen that the research and development of this machine has been started for a long time.S-8800It is claimed to have achieved three frequency conversions on shortwave to ensure that there will be no mirroring problems. According to my observation, this machine does not have similar problems. Desheng decided to useDSP（Digital signal processing）Combination design of circuit and traditional analog circuit, but looking forDSPWhere to install the chip is quite a bit of trouble. I checked the inside of the case and found that the medium wave/There are two types of shortwave circuits. Looking at these pictures and referring to the parameters given in the manual, we can get to: Medium Wave/Most of the shortwave circuits are phase-locked loop circuits with analog first and second intermediate frequencies, while the third intermediate frequency isDSPof. All chips are well shielded and marked, and the quality of workmanship looks good. I did not find itDSPThe exact location of the chip is not intended to remove the shield and continue searching. FM should beDSPYes, the follow-up performance test confirmed my speculation.

Fourth, remote control

This may be an unusual but popular feature on the radio. It not only increases the frequency direct input function that other outdoor radios lack, but also controls other functions of the radio, including: band and bandwidth selection, fast and slow tuning, storage station function, single sideband mode, volume adjustment, etc. When the radio is working, you can press the number keys3To turn on the screen backlight; and when the radio is off, you need to press the number keys3Until the screen appears “onThe words ”…… great features. The functions that you cannot control with the remote control include the adjustment of bass and treble, time/Alarm settings and master volume. Furthermore, what I mean by “master volume” refers to the volume tuning knob of the radio itself. You first adjust the volume to the maximum or the maximum volume you have ever used, such as on the scale of the volume tuning knob1O''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''clock position, and then you can use the remote control to set the volume at30Turn to silent within a range of levels —— will be displayed on the LCD screen30-0The number changes.

The radio itself and the remote control feel good. The feel of the tuning knob is silky smooth. The main tuning knob shows fast steps, and the smaller fine tuning knob shows slow steps. The combination of speed and slowness of the two enables us to search for bands more flexibly, and is fine. There is no mute when tuning——thanks Desheng. You can also use the remote control for fast or slow tuning, which is equipped with a specialFastwithSlowTuning button—— Desheng’s move is correct. This radio combines a near-perfect analog tuning feel and precise digital display. In fact, in the test, I willS-8800versusC.Crane CC-SWEatonField550A comparison is made. Although one of them is an outdoor radio with a numeric keypad and a direct frequency input function, it is inconvenient to try to quickly switch frequencies on these two old radios, which is annoying and frustrating. …& hellip; In contrast,S-8800It''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s fast and easy.

Another advantage is that the machine does not have that annoying soft mute, and many excellent radios are hampered by this function. Soft mute isDSPA function of the chip is designed to reduce the noise between radio stations. However, in actual use, it willAGC（Automatic gain control）It has an undesirable effect, and also causes unpleasant sound fluctuations and silence. Reiterated:S-8800There is no such phenomenon at all. Oh yeah~!

Five, power standby mode

The manual says: First, you must use the power button of the radio itself to turn on the radio, and then you can use the remote control to turn on or off the radio. However, if you idle the radio for more than an hour until the radio is completely turned off, then you will have to turn on the radio again via the power button on the panel. This is inevitable on battery-powered portable radios. Standby mode——the function of receiving remote control signals——uses battery power. If the radio is in standby mode, the battery will be exhausted, so it cannot be turned on for as long as when using AC power. In use, I did not find this to be a defect. Let us accept it …… in factS-8800The equipped remote control is not available in other portable machines, and the user only needs to pay a little extra. Desheng might consider such an idea: place the remote control on the radio, such as the back of the radio. I might use Velcro to do this in the future, so that I don’t have to carry two items when I go out with the machine. This is just my immature view……

Six, lack of synchronous detection function

It’s hard for me to understand why Tecsun is not equipped with a synchronous detection function on this machine.PL660/PL680Tecsun has already applied a more mature synchronous detection circuit on other models. However, in the Tecsun series of products, synchronous detection seems to be a function that is sometimes absent, such as:S-2000/Satellit 750Without this feature, in another better modelPL880It is not equipped with this function. However, for me, the lack of a synchronous detection function is not critical. I just think that such a fully functional radio should have this function. This radio should have some functions that we can imagine and we did not expect. Function of

Seven, performance

There is no doubt that new productsS-8800It has a variety of functions, but at this price, consumers expect top-level performance from the aircraft, and expect that the performance of the aircraft will have superior performance in most cases. In fact, in terms of shortwave and FM, the machine performed well, as good as any in-production portable machine I have ever seen. In terms of mid-wave ——high-energy warning（Detailed below——Translator''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s Note）—— It is the same as any other multi-band radio in production（Especially a radio with short wave）The same performance, and better than the same brandS-2000/Eton Satellit  750Higher sensitivity and less hissing. However, its AM performance is not the best ——If you want to get better AM reception, you need to choose those radios that do not have shortwave bands. These models can be used in my production Was rated as4Stars or5Stars. After reading aboutS-8800After describing the mid-wave performance, I expected that the mid-wave performance of the aircraft could be rated as4Stars or5Stars

Reality isS-8800The medium wave performance cannot be achieved4Star or5Star level, but still slightly better than other Desheng machines in production, it can be rated3Star, this is as good as other outdoor radios currently and earlier. Although it is quite sensitive, the hissing sound of weak or medium-intensity mid-wave signals is stronger than that of other medium-wave signals.4Star or5Xing''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s radio is a little bigger. Of course, if you connect a small loop antenna or an external antenna, this situation can be significantly improved.

Simultaneously,S-8800It also performs well in impulse noise suppression. In this regard, many modern radios perform well. When I turn on a window fan, it generates some static electricity, and I noticed that compared to several other older radios,S-8800Can better suppress that kind of noise.

Now we can elaborate on the “high-energy warning” mentioned above.

7.1  Howling——howling with frequency drift

Some of the earliest evaluations pointed out that there are several whistling in the medium wave and short wave bands——the so-called howling refers to a kind of noise generated inside the machine that is sufficient to interfere with the reception of a specific frequency. Some subsequent evaluations pointed out that the howling has been reduced, but unfortunately, myS-8800There is still howling. I searched the entire medium wave band carefully and found that there are6Howling ——Most of them are interference sounds like false signals,1A seemingly silent carrier, that is, the signal strength indicator is full, but no human voice can be heard. The strange thing is that when I tried to confirm these frequencies the next day, the howling had drifted to higher frequencies. For example: The first howling frequency I found was558-565KhzBetween, in a medium-strength signal560KHzHowling can be heard behind the frequency. However, the next day I found560KHzVery clear, no whistle at all. So, I slowly searched the mid-wave band and found that the howling had drifted to565-574Khzbetween. When this squeal was verified for the third time, it was located at567-577Khzbetween. I speculate that the drift of the howling mentioned above may be caused by changes in temperature. Although I think lithium batteries can output a relatively stable voltage within their discharge range, this frequency drift may also come from changes in battery voltage.

Perhaps I am lucky, because those screams rarely interfere with my favorite radio station, but if those screams happen to appear on the frequencies that are most important to you, it will be unbearable. Even so, if there is no howling, I would be more willing to search for the entire band of radio signals. These howling should not appear on such an expensive radio, in my opinion, this is the biggest shortcoming of the machine. I hope Desheng can solve this problem in the future and make up for itS-8800In terms of receiving performance weakness, I strongly recommend Tecsun to do so.

7.2  Long wave

There are not many audible long-wave radio stations in my area, but it is more suitable for remote weak signal reception, and I can indeed receive some useful signals. Compared with other radios,S-8800The reception effect is relatively good. I can sayS-8800The medium wave reception is very good, but I leave it to other broadcast enthusiasts to do more accurate long wave evaluation.

7.3  shortwave

The shortwave reception performance of this machine is very good. Its selling point is the triple frequency conversion of the shortwave band, which eliminates all mirroring. The problem of shortwave mirroring has always been one of the problems that plagued the early series of radios. Using a whip antenna, it took me several days to convertS-8800A detailed comparison is made with several familiar radios, including: DeshengS-2000/KentSatellit 750, DeshengPL880,PL660Eaton/KentExecutive Satellit,Eton Field 550 withBTAnd SonyICF-7600GR. Generally speaking,S-8800It meets or exceeds the reception level of these machines……It is very competitive and wins slightly in all aspects. It can be said that in terms of shortwave reception,S-8800The performance has reached the limit of the portable machines currently in production.