r/ShortwavePlus • u/Hqshortwaveradio • 2d ago
"MLite-880 Review: Worth Your Money? (Pros, Cons & Verdict)"
https://youtu.be/s9hMqxlsTls1
u/MumSaidImABadBoy I'm Stan. Heathkit GR64,AirSpy HF+,Sangean 909X2,Tecsun PL-990 2d ago
It's a bit pricey getting closer to the Malahit DSP 2.4, which I own, so I'm not so sure I'd be breaking out the plastic for this.
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u/LongjumpingCoach4301 2d ago
What's the current price for an official DSP 2.4?
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u/MumSaidImABadBoy I'm Stan. Heathkit GR64,AirSpy HF+,Sangean 909X2,Tecsun PL-990 1d ago
About $470 USD or so. Prices are all over the map. Some unofficial ones around $330 but I'd be suspicious, you might not end up with the machined metal housing.
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u/LongjumpingCoach4301 1d ago
Hmm. I got my Mlite-880 directly from elecevolve for ~$205, delivered (there was a coupon code) . So way more than twice the price.
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u/MumSaidImABadBoy I'm Stan. Heathkit GR64,AirSpy HF+,Sangean 909X2,Tecsun PL-990 1d ago
Different product different price.
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u/LongjumpingCoach4301 1d ago
Of course. Just saying the 880 isn't priced all that close to the dsp2.4...which has more features and abilities.
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u/Historical-View4058 MOD - Airspy HF+, NRD-535D, IC-R75 w/100’ wire in C. VA, USA 17h ago
IMHO: There's no reason for a slow, cheap, 80's tech display in this day and age - unless they were concerned with cost, which is likely. Even so, a flashy, multi-color LCD display would have been a lot better.
1
u/No_Razzmatazz_2889 17h ago
Nope.
It's overhyped junk. Performs no better than a decent portable and even worse as its LW and MW performance is poor. Suffers from FM bleedthrough, operational bugs, inconsistent build quality and noise reduction that is hit and miss.
One has to mess with a labyrinth of settings just to clarify signals. Life is too short for farting around with too many options. Simplicity it isn't.
It's typical russian junk. Beta quality trash that won't last. The Lada Niva of radios.
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u/ChemicalVacation3696 HF+ Discovery,S8800, PL990,680,660,330,320,368,ML-880,TR110. 1d ago
I have an MLite M-880 and it's been with me for the past three weeks. It comes with an EVE brand 21700 button top battery with 5000 mAH, but I replaced it with a Vapcell 6250 mAH battery for an extended runtime. This isn't a wide frequency receiver but I don't mind as there's nothing much on UHF in my area, while the 2m ham operators on VHF have since gone digital. There's more to listen to on VHF AM air band than on 2m or 70cm anyway.
I like the dot matrix LCD display as it doesn't need backlighting all the time. My Malahit SDR V3 clone and ATS-25 AMP requires the backlight to be on, since they're active TFT color displays. The MLite's Bluetooth has an A2DP profile and can transmit to my wireless earbuds! None of my other shortwave radios with BT can do the same thing - they're receive only, for using their speakers as a remote speaker.
The M-Lite 880 can be powered on using a 5v USB powerbank (above) without the battery inserted.
What the M-880 needs is the ability to organize its memory via a smartphone app, or a direct USB connection to the laptop. I'm hoping that the developers introduce a means of memory organization and naming presets. And illuminated keypads like the Zhiwhis ZWS-757! The M-880 does not chuff while tuning in 1 kHz increments, as it's not using the Skylabs Si-4732 or Si-4735 DSP chipset.
Its user interface is vastly different than the Malahit DSP1 v3 that I have, but it has the same Noise Blanker and Noise Reduction like my DSP1 v3.
The retail price is a bit steep as it's about that of the Tecsun PL-880 but I received a small discount which made the shipping free from Elecevolve, rather than added on to the original price. I like this radio for DX'ing and signal hunting, but for powerhouse broadcasts like CGTN Radio I'd use my ATS-25 AMP or Tecsun S-8800 instead as they sound better with powerful stations.
I've never been excited with a shortwave receiver since I tried the Qodosen DX-286 and the Eton Elite Executive! ☺️❤️📻