Tecsun PL-368 User manual

PL-368
TECSUN
FM STEREO / LW / MW / SW-SSB RECEIVER
TECSUN ELECTRONIC IND. LTD.

CONTENTS
GETTING STARTED
PL-368 at a glance ................................................................................ 1
Powering your device ............................................................................ 6
Charging the battery .............................................................................. 6
Setting the clock .................................................................................... 7
Setting the FM frequency range ............................................................ 7
Setting the MW (AM) frequency range and tuning step ........................ 7
Enabling/Disabling longwave (LW) ........................................................ 7
USING THE DEVICE
Turning the device on/off ....................................................................... 8
Volume control ...................................................................................... 8
VF (View Frequency) and VM (View Memory) ...................................... 8
Using the radio's antennas .................................................................... 8
Tuning into stations ............................................................................... 9
Manual tuning .................................................................................... 9
Auto scan .......................................................................................... 9
Direct keypad entry ........................................................................... 9
SW / SSB meter band selection ...................................................... 10
Working with station memories ............................................................ 10
Storing stations manually ................................................................ 10
Auto Tuning Storage (ATS) .............................................................. 11
Storing stations during auto scan .................................................... 12
Listening to stored stations .................................................................. 12
Recalling stored stations ................................................................. 12
Memory scan ................................................................................... 12
Deleting stored stations ........................................................................ 13
Deleting a single station .................................................................. 13
Deleting stations during memory scan ............................................ 13
Deleting all stored stations .............................................................. 14

MISCELLANEOUS
Synchronous detection: An introduction ............................................... 23
Troubleshooting .................................................................................... 26
Lithium battery safety instructions ........................................................ 27
Radio maintenance .............................................................................. 27
PL-368 specifications ........................................................................... 28
Enhanced Tuning Mode (ETM+): An introduction ............................... 14
Using ETM+ to scan and store stations .............................................. 17
Listening to stations in the ETM+ memory .......................................... 17
Deleting a single ETM+ station ........................................................... 17
Auto sorting memory ........................................................................... 18
Single sideband (SSB) ........................................................................ 18
Synchronous detection (SYNC) .......................................................... 18
AM bandwidth selection ....................................................................... 19
FM stereo/mono selection ................................................................... 19
FM de-emphasis time constant ........................................................... 19
Display mode ....................................................................................... 20
Add seconds to the clock .................................................................... 20
Display backlight ................................................................................. 20
Setting the sleep timer ......................................................................... 20
Activating/Deactivating the alarm ........................................................ 20
Setting the alarm time ......................................................................... 21
Setting the alarm station ...................................................................... 21
Snooze function ................................................................................... 22
Keylock ................................................................................................ 22
Temperature unit display (Celsius or Fahrenheit) ................................ 22
OTHER SETTINGS AND FEATURES

1
PL-368 at a Glance – Location of Controls
DISPLAY/ : Display mode / Keylock
TIME: Set / Display clock
ALARM: Alarm setting
POWER: Power switch / Sleep timer
[ 0 ] - [ 9 ]: Numeric keys
[ 1 ] / [ FM SET ]: FM range setting
[ 2 ] / [ LW SET ]: Enable/Disable LW
[ 3 ] / [ 9/10kHz ]: MW step setting
[ 4 ]: FM de-emphasis switch
[ 8 ]: Display seconds on clock
[ 0 ] / : Organize memory
[ M ]: Store stations
[ / DEL. ]: Confirm/Delete

2
PL-368 at a Glance – Location of Controls
SSB sideband selection
LSB: Lower sideband
USB: Upper sideband
SYNC: Synchronous detection
SSB: Enable/Disable SSB mode
Band selection / ATS
[ MW/LW ]: MW/LW
[ FM/ST. ]: FM/Stereo switch
[ < ], [ > ]: SW meter band selection
[ STEP / ]: Tuning step selection / Display backlight
[ AM BW ]: AM bandwidth selection
[ VF/VM ]: View Frequency View Memory
ETM: Enhanced Tuning Mode

3
PL-368 at a Glance – Location of Controls
External MW/LW
ferrite bar antenna
: Stereo headphone jack
LW/MW ANTENNA:
Socket for external MW/LW
ferrite bar antenna
FM/SW telescopic whip antenna
Belt clip
TUNING: Multifunctional knob
VOLUME: Multifunctional knob
DC-IN 5V: DC input/charging
Battery compartment

dBμ: Signal strength unit
dB: Signal-to-noise ratio unit
S/N: Signal-to-noise ratio
AL: Alarm time
mb: SW/SSB meter band
PRESET: Memory location
Temp.: Temperature
Charge: Charging indicator
Display indication examples:
ETM time-specific memory: (LW/MW)
(SW)
Signal strength/Signal to noise ratio:
SW/SSB meter band:
Memory storage location:
Auto sorting memory:
Clock time:
Alarm time:
Already passed charging time:
Temperature: (Celsius)
(Fahrenheit)
4
PL-368 at a Glance – Display indication

Frequency band, Sideband indicator
FM: FM LW: Longwave
MW: Medium Wave (AM) SW: Shortwave
LSB: Lower sideband USB: Upper sideband
When displayed: FM stereo
When not displayed: FM mono
Battery indicator:
: Full capacity
: Low battery
: : Sleep timer activated
: Alarm activated
: Synchronous detection enabled
Displays time/frequency
: Keylock
: Tuning step indicator
: Enhanced Tuning Mode
: SW / MW / LW unit display
: FM unit display
5
PL-368 at a Glance – Display indication

6
Powering Your Device
This device is powered by a BL-5C 3.7V rechargeable lithium (Li-ion)
battery. Open the battery compartment and install the battery following the
correct polarity. The device can also be powered by connecting a
DC 5V/0.5A power adapter to the micro-USB type-B socket.
Note: Connecting an external power supply causes interference when
listening to radio frequencies. If experiencing reception difficulties,
disconnect the external power supply and use a battery instead.
Attention! If you use a power adapter, assure that is appropriately certified
and meets the standard requirements for an adapter in your region.
Charging the Battery
When the battery icon is displayed as “ ”, this indicates that battery
power is about to run out. Please charge it in time. To charge the BL-5C
rechargeable lithium (Li-ion) battery, connect a DC 5V/0.5A charger to the
USB socket on the right side of the radio using a micro-USB type-B
charging cable. When charging, the charging time is displayed at the top
right corner of the display while the “Charge” indicator flashes. When
charging is complete, the battery symbol is displayed as “ ” and the
charging indicator "Charge " stops flashing.
Notes:
Assure that the charger is appropriately certified and meets the standard
requirements in your region.
To avoid electrical noise interference, it is recommended not to charge
the battery and listen to radio broadcasts at the same time.
If the device is not used for a prolonged period of time, it is advisable to
charge the battery once every 3 months for about 4 hours. This may
extend battery life.

7
Setting the Clock (24-hour format)
1) Press and hold [ TIME ] until the clock time starts flashing.
2) Use the numeric keys to enter the current time (hours + minutes is four
digits), or rotate the [ TUNING ] and [ VOLUME ] knobs to adjust the
time, and then press [ TIME ] to confirm the setting.
Setting the FM Frequency Range
With the device off, set the frequency range to correspond with the
country in which you are using the radio. Press and hold [ 1 ]. The display
will show “ ”, “ ”, “ ” or “ ” to indicate the corresponding
range: 64 ~ 108MHz, 76 ~ 108MHz, 87 ~ 108MHz or 88 ~ 108MHz.
Quick press [ 1 ] repeatedly to select your preference.
Setting the MW (AM) Frequency Range and Tuning Step
With the device off, set the frequency range of MW (AM) to correspond
with the country in which you are using the radio. Press and hold [ 3 ].
Display indicates “ ”: MW frequency steps are set at 9 kHz, and the
frequency range is 522~1620 kHz (suitable for Asia, Europe, Africa,
Oceania).
Display indicates “ ”: MW frequency steps are set at 10kHz, and the
frequency range is 520~1710 kHz (suitable for North America and South
America).
Enabling/Disabling Longwave (LW)
With the device off, press and hold [ 2 ], the display shows “ ”
(enabled) or “ ” (disabled). To select the LW frequency band, power
on the device and then quick press the [ MW/LW ] button twice.

8
Turning the device on/off: Quick press the [ POWER ] button.
Volume control: Rotate the [ VOLUME ] knob upwards or downwards to
select your desired volume level.
VF (View Frequency) and VM (View Memory)
VF: VF mode is used when searching for new radio signals. Press the
[ VF/VM ] button. When the frequency indicator flashes twice, the VF
mode is activated.
VM: VM mode is used for looking up stations that have been stored into
the memory. Press the [ VF/VM ] button. When the preset memory
location indicator on the display flashes three times, the VM mode is
activated.
Using the Radio's Antennas
FM / Shortwave (SW): When listening to FM or shortwave radio, extend
the antenna and adjust its length and direction in order to get the
optimum reception.
Medium Wave (MW) / Long Wave (LW):
This radio uses an internal ferrite bar antenna to receive medium wave
and long wave broadcasts, the quality of which can be enhanced by
changing the position and direction of the device. You may also choose
to connect the external MW/LW ferrite bar antenna to the
[ LW/MW ANTENNA ] socket (3.5mm). Once inserted, rotate the antenna
in order to get the optimum reception.
USING THE DEVICE

9
TUNING INTO STATIONS
Turn on the device, then quick press the [ FM/ST. ], [ MW/LW ], [ < ] or [ > ]
(for SW) button to select your desired frequency band. You can tune into
your favorite stations using any of the following tuning methods.
Manual Tuning
In VF mode, rotate the [ TUNING ] knob to search for your desired stations.
To change the tuning step, quick press [ STEP ], “ ” is displayed above
the frequency.
Tip: Review the “Specifications” section (page 28) for an overview of the
selectable tuning steps for each frequency band and mode (SSB/SYNC).
Auto Scan
In VF mode, press and hold the [ VF/VM ] button. The device will
automatically scan the entire frequency band for available stations. When
a station is found it will stay there for about 5 seconds before continuing
the search. To stop the auto scan feature, quick press any key.
Direct Keypad Entry
In VF mode, quick press the numeric keys [ 0 - 9 ] to directly enter a
frequency.
Tips:
For FM band, ignore the decimal point when inputting frequency
numbers. For example: enter 9, 7, 4 for FM 97.4 MHz.
If the entered frequency is not within the covering range, the error
“ ” symbol will be displayed.

10
SW / SSB Meter Band Selection
Quick press [ < ] or [ > ] to change SW or SSB meter bands:
SW meter bands: 120m / 90m / 75m / 60m / 49m / 41m / 31m / 25m /
22m / 19m / 16m / 15m / 13m / 11m
SSB meter bands: 160m / 80m / 60m / 40m / 30m / 24m / 20m / 17m /
15m / 12m / 10m
WORKING WITH STATION MEMORIES
This device can store 850 stations (presets) into memory: 100 each for
FM and LW, 150 for MW (AM), 300 for SW, and 100 each for SSB and
SYNC. You may choose any of the below methods to store stations.
Storing Stations Manually
1) In VF mode, press the [ FM/ST. ], [ MW/LW ], [ < ] or [ > ] button to
select the frequency band.
2) Tune into the new radio frequency to be stored.
3) Quick press the memory [ M ] button, “PRESET ” will flash in the top
right corner of the display to indicate the next available memory location.
If desired, select a different memory location by using the [ TUNING ]
knob or the numeric keys.
4) Quick press the [ M ] button again to confirm the location or wait for
about 2 seconds to automatically store the station into memory.

11
Auto Tuning Storage (ATS)
Automatically tune into and store FM, LW, MW and SW stations.
Operation for FM and MW/LW:
1) Quick press [ FM/ST. ] or [ MW/LW ] to select the frequency band.
2) Press and hold the [ FM/ST. ] or [ MW/LW ] button until “PRESET”
flashes and the frequency starts running.
3) When the frequency stops running, it means the ATS operation has
been completed. Rotate the [ TUNING ] knob to view all the stored
stations.
Operation for SW:
There are two ATS modes for SW:
Mode A: Press and hold the [ < ] button to initiate ATS within all meter
bands.
Mode B: Press and hold the [ > ] button to initiate ATS within the selected
meter band.
Tips:
ATS (except in SW mode B) replaces previously stored radio stations.
To prevent this from happening, please consider using ETM+ (see page
14).
ATS results for LW, MW and SW strongly depend on radio wave
propagation conditions, the receiving environment and other factors. If
the results are poor, try to initiate ATS at a different location and/or time,
or tune into stations manually and then store them.
For better ATS results in the LW, MW and SW bands, please also review
the tips for ETM+ on page 16.

12
Storing Stations During Auto Scan
To avoid any unwanted stations that might be stored during Auto Tuning
Storage (ATS), store stations manually during “Auto Scan” (see also page
9).
1) In VF mode, press and hold the [ VF/VM ] button. The device will auto
scan the entire frequency band for available stations. When a station is
found it will stay there for about 5 seconds before continuing the search.
2) Quick press the memory [ M ] button to store a station, the radio will
keep on scanning for the next available station.
3) To stop the auto scan feature, quick press the [ VF/VM ] button.
Recalling Stored Stations
1) Select the frequency band or mode (SYNC/SSB) of the stored stations
that you wish to view.
2) Quick press the [ VF/VM ] button to enter the VM mode.
3) Rotate the [ TUNING ] knob to view the stored stations. Alternatively,
use the numeric keys to enter the memory location directly. If there is
no stored station at that location, the display shows " — — ".
Memory Scan
The device can auto scan all stored stations within a frequency band or
mode (SYNC/SSB), staying on each station for about 5 seconds before
continuing.
1) Select the frequency band or mode (SYNC/SSB) for which you wish to
view the stored stations.
2) Quick press the [ VF/VM ] button to enter the VM mode.
3) Press and hold the [ VF/VM ] button until “PRESET ” flashes in the
upper right corner of the display. The device starts to scan all stored
stations. Quick press any button (except [ ] (DEL.) to stop scanning.
LISTENING TO STORED STATIONS

13
DELETING STORED STATIONS
Deleting a Single Station
1) Enter the memory (VM) mode and select the station that you wish to
delete.
2) Press and hold the [ ] (DEL.) button until “ ” and “PRESET ”
flash on the display.
3) Quick press the [ ] button to confirm and delete the unwanted
station.
Note: If the [ ] button is not pressed for confirmation within 3 seconds,
the delete function is exited automatically.
Deleting Stations During Memory Scan
The device can auto scan all stored stations within a frequency band or
mode (SYNC/SSB), staying on each station for about 5 seconds, and
giving you the opportunity to delete any unwanted stored stations.
1) Select a frequency band or mode (SYNC/SSB).
2) Quick press [ VF/VM ] to enter the memory mode.
3) Press and hold the [ VF/VM ] button until “PRESET ” flashes in the
upper right corner of the display. The device starts to scan all stored
stations and stays on each station for about 5 seconds before
continuing.
4) Upon finding an unwanted station, press the [ ] (DEL.) button.
No confirmation is required and scanning continues immediately.
5) To stop the memory scan, quick press any button.

14
Deleting All Stored Stations
It is possible to delete all stations from the memory (including ETM)
simultaneously.
1) Turn the device off.
2) Press and hold the [ ] (DEL.) button untill “dEL” and “ALL” flash
on the display.
3) Quick press the [ POWER ] button to confirm and delete all stored
stations.
4) Once the display returns to showing the clock time all stored
frequencies have been deleted.
Note: If the [ POWER ] button is not pressed for confirmation within 3
seconds, the delete function is exited automatically.
ENHANCED TUNING MODE (ETM+): AN INTRODUCTION
ETM+ allows you to auto tune and store FM, LW, MW and SW stations
into the ETM memory. Unlike ATS (Auto Tuning Storage), scanned
stations will not be stored into the regular memory (VM). In this way, when
you are in a different city or country, you can use the ETM+ function to
auto search new stations without overwriting any previously stored
stations within the memory.
Unlike its predecessor ETM (Easy Tuning Mode), ETM+ can also be used
for listening to LW, MW and SW stations more conveniently. Because
signals in these frequency bands may only be available during a specific
time of day, you can use this feature to make time-specific ETM memories.

15
Example LW/MW
The ETM memory for LW/MW consists of 6 time-specific memories:
0609: 06:00 - 09:59
1013: 10:00 - 13:59
1417: 14:00 - 17:59
1821: 18:00 - 21:59
2201: 22:00 - 01:59
0205: 02:00 - 05:59
An ETM scan performed at 11:35 in the morning falls in the 10:00-13:59
hour time-range and any stations found are stored in ETM memory 1013.
Example SW
The ETM+ memory for SW consists of 24 time-specific memories.
Stations found in the 09:00-09:59 period are stored in E09, 10:00-10:59
are stored in E10, and so on. In this way, an individual ETM memory can
be made for each hour of the day.
When an ETM scan has already been made for a time period, the radio
will automatically offer the frequencies belonging to the time period at
which the ETM memory is entered.
For example, the picture on the right shows
the starting screen that is briefly displayed
when entering the LW/MW ETM memory. In this example, “1013” indicates
that the current listening time is between 10:00 and 13:59, whereas
“ ” indicates that the last time an ETM+ scan was done during this
time-range the device found 15 broadcasting frequencies.

16
The picture on the right shows the starting
screen that is briefly displayed when
entering the ETM memory for SW. In this
example, “E20” indicates that the current
listening time is between 20:00 and 20:59,
whereas “ ” indicates that the last time an ETM scan was done
during this time-range the device found 136 broadcasting frequencies.
Tips:
Time-specific ETM memories are based on the clock time of the radio.
Before initiating an ETM scan, make sure to set the time accurately.
If no previous ETM scan has been done for a specific time-range, the
ETM memory will not show any stations.
For example, the figure on the right
indicates that no ETM scan has been
performed during the 9:00-9:59 hour
time-range.
For LW/MW: The internal ferrite antenna is directional, you may need to
adjust the position of the device or use the external ferrite bar antenna
to improve ETM results. Due to the nature of radio wave propagation,
longwave and medium wave reception is generally better at night than
during the day.
For SW: Radio signal propagation depends on the condition of the
ionosphere, which itself is affected by a variety of factors (time of day,
season of the year, sunspot cycles, etc.).
For better ETM results, try to adjust the length of the whip antenna for
FM and SW reception, or rotate the radio or the external ferrite bar
antenna for better reception of MW and LW. Alternatively, try to find a
different location within the building and preferably near a window.
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from household appliances, as well
as the location within a building, affects ETM results.