Streaming is handled by the radio’s built-in Wi-Fi, but you can also add a Sim-Card to provide the data stream when there’s no local Wi-Fi. It also has provision for an SDCARD so that you can playback your own MP3 songs. Sadly, there is no Airband!
Thanks to the BlueTooth facility, I was able to stream music from my iPhone to the radio and enjoy the rich 15W speakers of the LC90.
Despite being a lesser-known brand, the build-quality of the unit is quite high, but to be fair, that’s reflected in the pricing of the radio - this ain’t no cheap Chinese tat! I’ve seen the LC90 advertised as high as £350 on Amazon, although the more common selling price is £235.
If you’re a frequent visitor to this blog, you’ll know that I never pay full price for new radio gear and this was no exception - I snaffled my LC90 for a lowly £146 from Ebay after waiting almost 12 months for the right listing to appear. And at this price, the radio definitely is a bargain!
Unlike Tecsun portable radios, the Choyong doesn’t come with a travel-case which is a great pity. If I ever take my PL990 outdoors, I always put it in its faux-leather case for protection and it’d be great if Choyong provided something similar.
The ergonomics of the LC90 are excellent and I really enjoy operating it - more so than my Tecsuns if I’m honest. The buttons are well placed and the legends are easy to read. The menu system is a joy to use and the (non-touch) crystal-clear colour screen further enhances operation. With my experience of using portable radios, I found little need for the operator’s manual. The only thing which spoiled the enjoyment of the radio was the lack of a stand on the back. On my Tecsuns, I almost always use their built-in stand to have the radio sat at a 45 degree angle for comfortable operation on a desktop, I’ll have to buy one and stick it on myself.
Starting in FM mode with the telescopic antenna extended, it was easy to find stations and I have to say that I loved the audio from this radio! It was surprisingly deep and rich in sound for such a small package, thanks to the 3 drivers behind the speaker-grille. Holding down the FM button places the radio in Search mode and received stations can be stored in memory (and there’s a lot of memories). This search facility is replicated on the other bands too. I also like the fact that RDS information is displayed in FM mode.
MW didn’t pull in too many stations from my location, but neither do my Tecsuns. There simply aren’t that many around any more, but all the usual suspects were received. Sensitivity was below par.
The ShortWave bands were thankfully busy with Ham Radio contesters, so it was easy to find contacts on all the available bands. Strong signals from Europe came through well on the telescopic while, but I was eager to try the external antenna port so I connected one of my small wires and pulled in a heck of a lot more signals.
As with any radio, it’s always worth considering using a small matching unit to improve the performance of your wire antenna across the bands. The tiny Pocket Transmatch from Kanga is a good example…
I should point out that the external antenna port (a 3.5mm mono jack) is located right next to the tuning dial which is crazy! It would be so much better if it was one the left edge of the radio (which is completely blank).
I’d say that side-by-side with the PL-990X, the LC90 had a less sensitive receiver, but the difference is small and the additional features provided by the Choyong made it the radio that I picked up much more often. It’s really grown on me quite quickly. So this is no DX radio, but to be honest, neither is my PL990X. When I want to pull in very weak stations I just go into my shack and switch on one of my ‘big boy’ radios.
The biggest feature of the LC90 is the Internet Radio Streaming. Having the ability to choose from over forty thousand stations from across the globe is a real boon! Yes, we know you can do that on your mobile phone, but you’ll drain your battery and potentially miss an important call. Plus, your phone app won’t cover AM/FM/LW/MW/SW and won’t have LSB and USB. And it won’t have all those lovely buttons and dials that us radio freaks love so much 😂.
The LC90’s method of searching and selecting a station makes it a pleasure to use. It even has Voice Control and its recent integration with ChatGPT means it hardly ever fails to understand you (in any language)!
And then there’s all the News channels and Podcasts of the world. Imagine listening to your favourite Ham Radio podcast while pottering around the garden or tidying up the shack. No need to turn on your computer or use up your phone’s charge. Talking of charging, the radio has a USB-C charging port which keeps your twin 2500mAh 18650 batteries topped up. You can seemingly run your radio for days on end before they fully discharge. If you want even longer run-time, simply swap out the supplied batteries for a couple of 4000mAh 18650s!
To test the LC90’s WiFi, I connected to my local router and experienced no problems. I connected with no issues whatsoever and I suffered no lag or buffering during streaming sessions. I later connected to my iPhone’s Personal Hotspot and again, it worked flawlessly. Finally, I inserted a 4G Vodafone Sim Card into the radio and that worked fine too.
Searching through thousands of Radio Stations is never going to be quick and easy, although it can be quite entertaining. When you select one of the stations shown on screen, you have to wait a few seconds for it to be loaded and begin playing. That’s fine most of the time, but it’s fair to say that some stations take longer than others, while some of the more obscure stations just never load at all. That’s not the fault of the radio.
The best thing you can do when you find a station that you really like is to add it to the Memory Bank. Alternatively, if you know the name of the station, you can ask for it verbally with a command such as “BBC WORLD SERVICE”.
Since first coming to market around a year ago, a lot has changed on the radio thanks to Choyong’s regular firmware updates. They have listened to their customers and have made some fantastic improvements. Reading early reviews would be a complete waste of time, since it’s just not the same radio now, with the latest V4.8 firmware. And there’s more to come! A waterfall would be nice (wink-wink).
Conclusion
This isn’t the most sensitive radio in the world, nor is it the very best, but for me, it’s the one I find myself turning to over and over again. It’s so very easy to operate and it does everything it’s supposed to. In particular, I love the sound of the LC90 and at the end of the day, that’s one of the most important considerations when choosing a radio.
The appearance and ergonomics are great and so too is the build quality. All the buttons and rotaries feel firm and positive. The screen is clear and bright and brimming with useful information. I’m really happy with my little bargain and would go so far as to say I’d have been just as happy if I’d had to pay full price! My only real complaint is the lack of AirBand 😥.
Other than that, this feature-rich smart radio is smart in every sense of the word and you’d be dumb for not considering it if you’re looking for a great portable.
Please feel free to leave a comment below.
73, Tom, M7MCQ.
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