Late in 2010, Tecsun released the PL-606, a smaller version of its previous series of DSP-based AM/FM/shortwave radios. Less than a year later, Tecsun came out with the PL-505, a similarly sized radio with similar -- if not identical -- features. So I held off on getting the PL-505 since I already had two PL-606s. Early in 2013, a PL-505 came up for auction on eBay. I bought the radio and it arrived promptly from the East Coast.
I was interested in comparing the two radios. While they look different, they have the same number of buttons with the same features, just differently arranged. The alarm works the same way -- you have to store the frequency the station will tune to as well as the time of the alarm. Both radios require two "AA" cells, and can charge nickel-metal hydride batteries. One difference that is immediately apparent is the length of the FM/shortwave antenna. The ideal length for a rod antenna used for FM reception is 30 inches (76 cm), as I've noted before. The PL-606 falls short, and the PL-505's antenna is shorter still -- 44cm (about 17 1/4 inches) compared to the PL-606 -- 54 cm (about 21 1/4 inches).
Both the PL-505 and PL-606 come with screw-on antenna extenders. In practice, I haven't found that they make much of a difference. However, I am testing at a location at a high elevation to the surrounding terrain.
Interestingly, as you will see, the difference appears to have at worst a minor effect on FM reception performance.
The PL-606 has been known to have a "jumpy" problem with the tuning control, where it becomes difficult to tune to the desired station because the tuning control suddenly jumps ahead several channels. I have had this problem with both of my PL-606s on occasion. One correspondent of mine on Twitter has suggested that this is because dust gets into the control. The PL-505 has not shown any signs of this problem.
It was surprisingly difficult to compare these two radios because their performance is actually very close. In my first test of FM reception performance, conducted near sunset, the PL-505 outperformed the PL-606 slightly: 57 stations for the PL-505, 55 for the PL-606. In this test, I also compared it to a PL-380, which performed identically to the PL-606. Note that the PL-606 has the same antenna length as the PL-380, 54 cm.
However, receiver behavior on certain weak stations made me reconsider these results, so I ran another test, this time at noon on another day. This time, I also compared these radios with the Tecsun PL-390, whose antenna can be extended to the correct length for FM reception. Sure enough, the PL-390 had an edge, mainly on very weak stations where it could pick out a signal in stereo that the other radios received in mono; or where it could clearly pick out a signal that the other radios had trouble capturing (or where the very gentle soft mute kicked in). This time, the results:
- PL-505: 54 stations
- PL-606: 54 stations
- PL-390: 56 stations
Interesting enough, I also used a Degen DE1123 in this test, whose FM antenna is way too short, and it managed to get 54 stations as well.
Because of my location, it's likely I could have gotten even more stations were it not for the fact that many San Francisco FM stations are broadcasting the IBOC ("HD") digital system, which occupies the two channels adjacent to each station.
On AM (mediumwave), the PL-505 and PL-606 were also very close, but the PL-606 had the edge. I added the recently released CC Pocket Radio from the speciality retailer C. Crane. The results:
- PL-505: 45 stations
- PL-606: 47 stations
- PL-390: 50 stations
- CC Pocket Radio: 48 stations
So, my conclusion: the PL-505 and PL-606 are both excellent on FM and good on AM, with PL-606 having a slight edge in AM reception. Audio recovery on weak signals, a test of AGC (automatic gain control) is very good.
How else can I compare the two models? I think the PL-606 is a better looking radio, but the PL-505 may have more reliable controls. The PL-505 also comes with a very nice wraparound case; the PL-606 doesn't.
So, if you had to choose between the two, it would be hard. The PL-505 may be the better travel radio, but AM fans may have a slight preference for the PL-606.