Related Manuals for Radio Shack DX-398
Summary of Contents for Radio Shack DX-398
- Page 1 Cat. No. 20-228 OWNER’S MANUAL DX-398 All-Band Shortwave Receiver with Radio Data System Please read before using this equipment.
- Page 2 FEATURES Your RadioShack DX-398 All-Band Shortwave Receiver with Radio Data System brings you the voices of the world. In the 14 international short- wave (SW) bands, you can hear news broadcasts and other programs from sources around the world, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, Ra- dio Cairo, and Radio Beijing.
- Page 3 Auto Tuning System (ATS) — the re- ceiver finds the stations with strong signals and stores them in memory in order by signal strength. Rotary Tuning Dial — lets you manu- ally tune desired frequencies. You can select a higher tuning increment for faster tuning or a lower one for fine tun- ing, or lock the dial to prevent acciden- tally changing the tuned frequency.
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Page 4: The Fcc Wants You To Know
Your receiver is preset to cover the following bands: Band (Meters) Frequency Range (MHz) 120 ... 2.300–2.495 90 ... 3.200–3.400 75 ... 3.900–4.000 60 ... 4.750–5.060 49 ... 5.900–6.200 41 ... 7.100–7.350 31 ... 9.400–9.990 25 ... 11.600–12.100 21 ... 13.500–13.870 19 ... -
Page 5: Table Of Contents
Manual Tuning ... 18 Direct Access Tuning ... 19 Scan Tuning ... 19 Tuning Preprogrammed Shortwave Stations ... 20 DX-398 Shortwave Pages Chart ... 21 Adjusting the Tone ... 24 Special Tuning Controls ... 24 STEREO/MONO-FM ... 24 WIDE/NARR.-AM ... 24 AM RF GAIN ... - Page 6 Memory Functions ... 27 Storing FM, MW, or LW Frequencies in Memory ... 27 Automatic Storage ... 27 Manual Storage ... 27 Storing SW Frequencies in Memory ... 28 Assigning a Name to an FM/MW/LW Station or SW Page ... 29 Deleting a Station You Stored ...
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Page 7: Preparation
PREPARATION CONNECTING TO POWER You can power the receiver from inter- nal batteries, standard AC power, or your vehicle’s battery. Installing Internal Batteries You can use four AA batteries (not supplied) to power the receiver. For the best performance and longest life, we recommend alkaline batteries, available at your local RadioShack store. -
Page 8: Using Vehicle Battery Power
• When you finish using the AC adapter, unplug it from the AC out- let first, then disconnect it from the receiver. Follow these steps to use AC power. 1. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 2. Line up the 5.5 mm outer diam- eter/2.1 inner diameter... -
Page 9: Adjusting The Telescoping Antenna
2. Insert the adapter’s barrel plug into the receiver’s DC IN 6V 3. Push the adapter’s plug into the vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket. ADJUSTING THE TELESCOPING ANTENNA For the best reception, adjust the tele- scoping antenna for the desired band. FM — Pull up the antenna base about halfway then fully extend the antenna and rotate it for the best reception. -
Page 10: Connecting Headphones
CONNECTING HEADPHONES For private listening and for stereo sound during FM stereo broadcasts, you can plug optional stereo head- phones with a -inch (3.5 mm) plug (available at your local RadioShack store) into the jack on the left side of the receiver. -
Page 11: Using The Stand
To connect a tape recorder, you need a mono patch cord (not supplied) with -inch (3.5 mm) plug on both ends. Your local RadioShack store carries a wide selection of mono patch cords. Insert the cord’s plug into the jack on the left side of the LINE OUT receiver, then connect the other end of the cord to your tape recorder’s... -
Page 12: Using The Memo Label
USING THE MEMO LABEL You can use the memo label under the receiver’s stand to record helpful infor- mation, such as the memory location numbers of your favorite stations. SETTING THE MW (AM) TUNING INCREMENT In the United States, the Federal Com- munications Commission (FCC) as- signs frequencies for stations in the MW band in 10-kHz increments. -
Page 13: Understanding Your Receiver
UNDERSTANDING YOUR RECEIVER Once you understand a few simple terms we use in this manual and familiarize yourself with your receiver’s features, you can start using your receiver to listen to the world! — turns the receiver on and off. POWER —... - Page 14 — selects the MW (medium wave) band and lets you select MW stations ATS/MW using your receiver’s automatic tuning system. — selects the SW (shortwave) band, and lets you scan for a shortwave METER/SW frequency in one of the receiver’s 14 meter bands. Number Keys —...
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Page 15: Basic Operation
BASIC OPERATION TURNING THE RECEIVER ON AND OFF Press to turn on the receiver, POWER then adjust to a comfortable VOLUME listening level. The display shows the band, frequen- cy, time, and signal strength (with 10 as the strongest signal). When you press to turn off the POWER... -
Page 16: Setting And Viewing The Local Time
Press to lock all the front panel buttons and ROTARY TUNING pears. You can still adjust VOLUME and other controls. To unlock the buttons, press again. disappears. SETTING AND VIEWING THE LOCAL TIME Your receiver has two clocks. One dis- plays your local time and the other lets you display the time in any of 42 preset world cities or a world city you specify. -
Page 17: Viewing A World Time
• If you enter an invalid time, the clock beeps twice and appears for about 1 second. Repeat Steps 3–4 to enter the correct time. 5. Press . The time you ENTER set appears, and the seconds start counting from 0. Note: The receiver does not dis- play the seconds. -
Page 18: Tuning Stations
TUNING STATIONS Note: “Special Tuning Controls” on Page 24 contains more information about using your receiver’s controls. Selecting a Band Press ATS/FM ATS/LW ATS/MW to select the band. (Press METER/SW for AM.) ATS/MW To select a smaller band within the SW band, press again. -
Page 19: Direct Access Tuning
If you set , the tuning in- STEP FAST crements are the same as when you press . If you select TUNING , the tuning increments are SLOW smaller so you can fine tune the fre- quency. Band Fast Slow 0.1 MHz 0.05 MHz 9 kHz... -
Page 20: Tuning Preprogrammed Shortwave Stations
Follow these steps to tune prepro- grammed shortwave stations. 1. Find the country and frequency for the shortwave station you want to tune in the “DX-398 Shortwave Pages Chart” on Page 21. Then write down the page number and memory location number shown on the chart for that station. -
Page 21: Dx-398 Shortwave Pages Chart
Note: If you press a number key for a memory location number where there is no station stored, flashes for a few seconds. Then the receiver tunes the MEMOFREE station you previously tuned. DX-398 SHORTWAVE PAGES CHART Note: All frequencies are in MHz. Country Page (Stations) 1 AUSTRLIA 5.995... - Page 22 Country Page (Stations) 9 ENGLAND 11.750 11.835 12.095 15.220 15.400 15.575 17.830 17.840 21.660 (BBC World Service) 10 FRANCE 11.615 13.625 15.325 15.530 17.620 (Radio France Intl.) 11 GERMANY 5.960 6.040 (Deutsche Welle-Voice of Ger- many) 12 HOLLAND 6.020 6.165 (Radio Netherlands Wereldom-...
- Page 23 Country Page (Station) 20 S AFRICA 3.220 5.955 (Channel Africa) 21 SWEDEN 6.065 6.090 (Radio Sweden) 22 SWITZLND 6.135 9.885 (Swiss Radio Intl.) 23 TAIWAN 5.950 7.130 (Voice of Free China) 24 U.S.A. 5.985 6.035 (Voice of America) 25 U.S.A. 15.410 15.580 17.895 5.825 (Voice of America,...
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Page 24: Adjusting The Tone
ADJUSTING THE TONE to enhance broad- TONE NEWS cast voices while listening to talk shows or news programs on SW, MW, and LW frequencies. to enhance treble TONE MUSIC and bass response when listening to a music program (especially FM pro- grams). -
Page 25: Tuning Ssb Stations
on the left side of the re- AM RF GAIN ceiver lets you tune a received signal for the best SW reception. If the signal is weak, turn toward +. If AM RF GAIN the sound is distorted, turn AM RF GAIN toward –. - Page 26 Follow these steps to use RDS. 1. Turn on the receiver. 2. Tune the receiver to an FM station that transmits RDS (and CT) infor- mation. 3. Set on the right side of TIME SET the receiver to AUTO 4. Make sure that your local time (as described in “Setting and Viewing the Local Time”...
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Page 27: Memory Functions
“Storing SW Frequencies in Memory” on Page 28). There are 40 empty lo- cations scattered throughout the pag- es, and all 9 locations in Page 29 are blank. See “DX-398 Shortwave Pages Chart” on Page 21. STORING FM, MW, OR LW FREQUENCIES IN... -
Page 28: Storing Sw Frequencies In Memory
3. Repeatedly press to select PAGE the page where you want to store the frequency. appears under PAGE Notes: • flashes only when the PAGE receiver is set to SW mode. • If you wait more than 10 sec- onds to press PAGE stops flashing. -
Page 29: Assigning A Name To An Fm/Mw/Lw Station Or Sw Page
4. While PAGE MEMO repeatedly press TUNING to select the page where you want to store the frequency. page’s number appears under and the name of the PAGE page’s country appears as you press TUNING each page, the number of the first available empty memory location in that page flashes next to MEMO... -
Page 30: Deleting A Station You Stored
Note: If you wait more than 20 seconds to turn MANUAL TUNING the cursor stops flashing. If this happens, start again at Step 4. 6. When the character you want appears, press TUNING move to the next position, then rotate to select MANUAL TUNING the next character. -
Page 31: Using Priority
4. Use the number keys to enter the new memory location number. The receiver beeps. USING PRIORITY You can store one MW/LW/FM station as the priority station, then quickly re- call it. 1. Tune to your favorite station. 2. Press M/MEM. -
Page 32: Timer Functions
TIMER FUNCTIONS USING THE TIMER ALARMS Your receiver has three timer alarms. You can set these alarms to sound (buzzer or radio) at a time you set. Setting an Alarm 1. If you want the radio to turn on at the alarm time, tune to the desired station. -
Page 33: Turning A Timer Alarm On Or Off
Turning a Timer Alarm On or Off To turn off the alarm so it does not sound again, press TIMER 1 TIMER 2 . Then press while TIMER 3 flashes. If you want to turn on a timer alarm again, press TIMER 1, TIMER 2, . -
Page 34: Listening Hints
The information in this section can help you make the most of your DX-398. REFERENCE SOURCES Many books and magazines about shortwave listening... -
Page 35: International Frequencies
Amateur radio operators use the fol- lowing bands. Portions of these bands are set aside for continuous wave (CW) Morse code communication or for single sideband (SSB) voice com- munication, as shown below. 160 meters: 1,800–2,000 kHz: SSB 80 meters: 3,500–3,800 kHz: CW 3,800–4,000 kHz: SSB 40 meters:... -
Page 36: Aircraft Frequencies
Aircraft Frequencies Aircraft on international routes some- times use SW. Most transmissions are in SSB, although you can still hear some MW transmissions. Here are some bands where you might hear air- craft communications. 4,650–4,750 kHz 6,545–6,765 kHz 8,815–9,040 kHz 11,175–11,400 kHz 13,200–13,360 kHz 15,010–15,100 kHz... -
Page 37: Listening Guide
LISTENING GUIDE The following list contains some of the more frequently heard stations. All stations broadcast in English unless otherwise specified. You can hear these stations throughout North America. However, reception varies based on the season, time of day, and a number of other conditions. This information can change at any time. - Page 38 Station 5,950 Guyana Broadcasting Service 5,954 Radio Casino 5,960 Radio Canada International 5,980 Radio RSA 6,005 CFCX 6,025 Radio Malaysia 6,045 Radio Australia 6,055 Nihon Shortwave Broadcasting Company 6,060 Radio Nacional 6,075 Radio Sutatenza 6,090 Radio Luxembourg 6,095 Polskie Radio 6,105 Radio New Zealand 7,140...
- Page 39 Station 9,610 Radio-TV Algeria 9,620 Radio Berlin International 9,645 Radio Norway 9,720 Radio Iran 9,745 HCJB 9,770 Austrian Radio 9,800 Radio Kiev 9,835 Radio Budapest 10,040 Voice of Vietnam 11,655 Israel Radio 11,690 Radio Kuwait 11,705 Radio Sweden 11,720 Radio Moscow 11,735 Radio Sofia 11,745...
- Page 40 Station 15,084 Voice of Iran 15,135 Radio Moscow 15,165 HCJB 15,190 15,205 All India Radio 15,260 15,265 Finnish Radio 15,275 Radio Sweden 15,305 Swiss Radio International 15,310 Radio Japan 15,320 Radio Australia 15,400 15,430 Radio Mexico 15,465 Radio Pakistan 17,720 Radio France International 17,825...
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Page 41: Birdies
BIRDIES Birdies are the products of internally generated signals that make some frequencies difficult or impossible to receive. If you program a birdie frequency, you hear only noise on that frequency. The most common birdies to watch for on this receiver are: 450 kHz 3,844 kHz 18,000 kHz... -
Page 42: Amateur Shortwave Bands (In Mhz)
Amateur Shortwave Bands (in MHz) – 3.500 4.000 MHZ 80 Meters – 10.100 10.150 MHz 30 Meters – 18.068 18.168 MHz 17 Meters – 24.890 24.990 MHz 12 Meters – 7.000 7.300 MHz 40 Meters – 14.0 14.350 MHz 20 Meters –... -
Page 43: Troubleshooting
TROUBLESHOOTING We do not expect you to have any problems with your receiver, but if you have a problem, the information in this chart might help. If the problem persists, take the receiver to your local RadioShack store for assistance. SYMPTOM Weak or intermittent The internal batteries... -
Page 44: Care And Maintenance
CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack DX-398 All-Band Shortwave Receiver with Radio Data System is an example of superior design and craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you care for your receiver so you can enjoy it for years. Keep the receiver dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. Liq- uids might contain minerals that can corrode the electronic cir- cuits. -
Page 45: Resetting The Display
RESETTING THE DISPLAY If the display shows random charac- ters or does not work properly, you might need to reset it. Important: This procedure clears the set time and resets the receiver’s mi- croprocessor (the component that controls how the receiver operates), but all stations remain stored. -
Page 46: Specifications
SPECIFICATIONS Circuit: FM ... Heterodyne LW/MW/SW ... Dual-Conversion Heterodyne Frequency Range: FM ... 88–108 MHz LW ... 153–519 kHz MW ... 520–1,710 kHz SW ... 1.711–29.999 MHz SW Sub-Bands: 2.300 – 2.495 MHz (120 meters) 3.200 – 3.400 MHz (90 meters) 3.900 –... - Page 47 NOTES...
- Page 48 Limited Ninety-Day Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workman- ship under normal use for ninety (90) days from the date of purchase from RadioShack company- owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RadioShack MAKES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THE WRITTEN LIMITED WARRANTIES...