Tecsun PL-320 Features and Settings
There are numerous features and settings available on the Tecsun PL-320, not all of which are documented in the user manual. Many of these settings are for features that a listener is unlikely to change often. Still, it's good to know about them. Most are accessed by a long press on the numeric keypad. Some are accessed when the radio is on; others, when the radio is off.
1, Radio Off
Sets the lower bound of the FM frequency range. The upper bound is always
108 MHz. Options are 64, 76, 87, or 88 MHz. For North America, use 88.
Most of the rest of the world uses 87; Japan uses 76. Documented in the manual.
2, Radio Off
Enables or disables longwave reception. Options are On or Off. Longwave
broadcasting is used only in a few countries in Europe and Africa, and
is dying out. Documented in the manual.
3, Radio On, tuned to Mediumwave (AM)
Allows the external antenna jack to be used for mediumwave (AM) reception
as well as FM and shortwave. CH-A indicates that the radio's built-in
AM antenna is being used, CH-S indicates that the built-in antenna is
bypassed and an antenna should be connected to the antenna jack instead.
Not documented in the manual.
3, Radio Off
Changes the spacing of stations on the mediumwave (AM) band between 9 and
10 kHz. In the Western Hemisphere, 10 kHz is used; elsewhere 9 kHz is
used. Documented in the manual.
4, Radio On, tuned to FM
Changes the de-emphasis of high frequencies when receiving FM broadcasts. This is a simple form of noise reduction. Options are 50US and 75US. "US" actually stands for microseconds, not the United States. North America uses 75 microseconds for de-emphasis; most of the rest of the world uses 50. Setting a radio in the U.S. to 50-microsecond de-emphasis will result in increased treble; conversely, setting a radio in Europe to 75-microsecond de-emphasis will cause the FM station to sound a bit muddy. Documented in the manual.
5, Radio On, any band
Causes the signal strength indicator to change value flash, but I can't
tell that it does anything else.
7, Radio On, any band
Sets the maximum audio volume the radio will produce. After long-pressing
"7", turn the volume control to the limit that's desired. There's no
indication of the unit of measurement, though. The default is "58". After
adjusting, press "7" again to return to normal operation. Not documented
in the manual but widely documented online for the PL-330.
8, Radio Off
Shows or hides seconds on the clock. Documented in the manual.
9, Radio On, any band
May be similar to the PL-330, where this sets a threshold for soft
muting to kick in. Most DXers hate soft muting as it can get in the
way for hunting difficult signals. The default value for this setting
on the PL-330 is given on various websites as "01"; the default value
on the PL-320 appears to be "08", changed with the tuning knob.
All that said, it appears that this setting actually doesn't do
anything. Not mentioned in the manual.
9, Radio Off
Not sure what it does. Options are "On" or "OFF". Perhaps this turns
soft muting on or off? Default is "OFF". It seems to have no effect
on AM or FM performance. Not mentioned in the manual.
M (Memory), Radio Off
Displays a number that must mean something, possibly the highest
memory position in use, but I'm not sure. Not documented in the manual.
0, Radio Off
Sorts stations that are stored in memory by frequency and rearranges them to ensure there are no "blank spots" in memory - for example, if memory positions 6 and 8 have stations stored, but position 7 doesn't, then storage will be rearranged such that position 7 has a station assigned to it (and 8 will either have a different station assigned to it, or none at all). Affects regular and ETM memories. Display has kind of a racecourse effect until the reallocation of memory positions is complete. Documented in the manual.
Return/Delete, Radio Off
Deletes all stored stations except for the favorite station.
After "dEL ALL" displays on the screen, press the power button to
confirm deletion. "dEL" will continue to display while deletion
proceeds. This is the only way to delete ETM+ memories without overwriting
them. However, it also deleted regular memory and alarm station memories.
So use with caution. Documented in the manual.
STEP key, Radio On or Off
Can be set to have the backlight always on when the radio is on. Otherwise,
the backlight turns off after 5 seconds after a button or knob is used.
Options are "On" or "OFF". Documented in the manual.
VM key, Radio Off
Every segment on the display will be shown. When you release the key,
the display will return to normal a couple of seconds afterwards. Then
the firmware version will appear in the upper right corner. The firmware
version on my first model, bought in July 2023, is 3203. Not documented
in the manual.
Favourite key, Radio On
This is a quick-access, single-station memory. Long-press the key, and "FA" will display. A short press of the favorite key will tune to that station, even if the radio is on a different band. Documented in the manual.
Bandwidth key, Radio On, tuned to mediumwave (AM) or longwave
Bandwidth filter values for AM are 2.5, 3.5, 5, or 9 kHz. The key toggles among these values in this sequence: 2.5, 3.5, 5, 9, 5, 3.5, 2.5. The key is documented in the manual, but the sequence isn't. The sequence is different than it was for first-generation Tecsun DSP models, and the procedure for switching values is considerably different on the PL-330, according to reviews of that model.