Radio Shack DX-398 User Manual

Name: Radio Shack DX-398
Brand: Radio Shack
SKU: 1271067
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)

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OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

Cat. No. 20-228

DX-398

All-Band Shortwave Receiver

with Radio Data System

FEATURES

Your RadioShack DX-398 All-Band Shortwave Receiver with Radio Data System brings you the voices of the world. In the 14 international shortwave (SW) bands, you can hear news broadcasts and other programs from sources around the world, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Cairo, and Radio Beijing. You can set your receiver so it displays Radio Data System (RDS) call letters of those stations that transmit an RDS signal.

You can get emergency information firsthand by listening to amateur radio broadcasts, including single sideband (SSB) voice transmissions.

In the longwave (LW) band, you can hear ship-to-shore calls, other marine and aeronautical services, and sometimes even hurricane reports. You can also tune to local broadcasts in the FM and medium-wave (MW) bands. (In the United States, we commonly call the MW band the AM band.)

In addition, you can connect a cassette recorder to the receiver’s record line out and standby jacks so you can directly record your favorite programs live or at a preset time.

Your receiver’s features include:

Large, Fast-Response Display

— shows the time, band and frequency, signal strength, and other indicators.

212 Preprogrammed Shortwave Stations —

let you rapidly tune to the most popular U.S. and international shortwave stations.

Three Timer Alarms

— let you set the buzzer to sound or the radio to turn on daily at up to three specified times.

Record Line Out and Standby Jacks

— let you connect a tape recorder so you can record broadcasts live or at a preset time.

Dual Time

— includes a primary and a secondary clock, so you can set one to your local time and the other to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time — formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time) or to the local time of a city in another time zone.

World Time Zone

— provides the correct time for 42 cities worldwide, once you set your local time.

Search Tuning

— scans up or down

the band for the next station.

Memory Tuning

— stores up to 306 frequencies so you can quickly select your favorite stations.

Digital Synthesized Radio

sures accurate, stable tuning.

RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

— en-

Priority Button

— lets you quickly

store and recall your favorite station.

Auto Tuning System (ATS)

ceiver finds the stations with strong signals and stores them in memory in order by signal strength.

— the re-

and select up to nine MW/FM frequ encies in two pages, nine LW frequencies in one page, and 261 SW frequencies in 29 pages.

Rotary Tuning Dial

ally tune desired frequencies. You can select a higher tuning increment for faster tuning or a lower one for fine tuning, or lock the dial to prevent accidentally changing the tuned frequency.

Memory Lock

frequency changes.

Control Lock

setting changes.

Sleep Timer

er so it turns itself off after a length of time you set, so you can fall asleep as you listen to it.

MW Step Setting

change the frequency step setting to match the MW (AM) broadcast frequency step used by many other countries.

RF Gain Control

receiver’s sensitivity when you listen to SW/LW/MW broadcasts, to provide the best possible reception.

— lets you set the receiv-

— lets you manu-

— prevents accidental

— lets you easily

— lets you adjust the

Edit

— lets you create and edit station names for FM/MW/LW bands, page names for SW bands, and home/world city names for easy identification.

Tone Control

tone setting for different types of broadcasts such as news, music, and so on.

Battery Power/Signal Strength Indicator

— displays the battery’s power

and the strength of the received signal.

Memo Label

information such as the memory location numbers of your favorite stations.

Three Power Options

er the receiver from internal batteries, standard AC power (with an optional AC adapter), or your vehicle’s battery (with an optional DC cigarette lighter adapter).

— lets you adjust the

— lets you record helpful

— let you pow-

Narrow/Wide Control

duce interference from adjacent stations when you listen to SW, MW (AM), and LW broadcasts.

Page Memory Location

store and select frequencies in storage locations called

pages

— lets you re-

— lets you

. You can store

Your receiver is preset to cover the following bands:

THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW

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 .............................. 15.100–15.800

16 .............................. 17.480–17.900

15 .............................. 18.900–19.020

13 .............................. 21.450–21.750

11 .............................. 25.600–26.100

This equipment complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Your receiver might cause TV or radio interference even when it is op erating properly. To determine whether your receiver is causing the interference, turn it off. If the interference goes away, your receiver is causing it.

Try to eliminate the interference by:

• moving your receiver away from the TV or radio

• connecting your receiver to an outlet that is on a different electrical circuit from the TV or radio

• contacting your local RadioShack store for help

If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC requires that you stop using your receiver. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by RadioShack could void the user’s FCC authorization to operate this equipment.

CONTENTS

Preparation .............................. .......... .......... ......... .......... .......... ......... .......... ......... 7

Connecting to Power ....................................................................................... 7

Installing Internal Batteries ....................................................................... 7

Using Standard AC Po wer ........................................................................ 7

Using Vehicle Battery Power ..................................................................... 8

Adjusting the Telescoping Antenna ................................................................. 9

Connecting an External Antenna .................................................................... 9

Connecting Headphones ....................................... ....................................... 10

Listening Safely .. ... ... ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ....................... 10

Traffic Safety ................................ .... ... ....................................... ... ... ....... 10

Connecting a Tape Rec or der ....................................... ... .... ... ... .................... 10

Using the Stand ........... ... ....................................... ... ... ................................. 11

Using the Memo Label .................................................................................. 12

Setting the MW (AM) Tuning Increment ........................................................ 12

Understanding Your Receiver .......................................................................... 13

Basic Operation ................................... ... .... ...................................... .... ... .......... 15

Turning the Receiver On and Off ................................................................... 15

Lighting the Display ....................................................................................... 15

Locking the Controls ..................................................................................... 15

Setting and Viewing the Local Time .............................................................. 16

Viewing a World Time ................................................................................... 17

Changing a World City Name ........................................................................ 17

Tuning Stations .............................................................................................. 18

Selecting a Band .................................................................................... 18

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 ........................................................................................... 24

Tuning SSB Stations ..................................................................................... 25

Using RDS .................................................................................................... 25

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 ........................................................................ 30

Locking/Unlocking a Stored Station ............................................................... 30

Moving a Frequency to Another Memory Location ........................................ 30

Using Priority ................................................................................................. 31

Timer Functions ...................................................................... ... .... ... ... ... .... ....... 32

Using the Timer Alarms ................................ ... ... ... .... .................................... 32

Setting an Alarm .......... ... ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ... .............. 32

Silencing the Alarm ......................................................... .... ... ... ... ........... 32

Using the Snooze Feature ...................................................................... 32

Turning a Timer Alarm On or Off ............................................................. 33

Timer Recording ....... ... ....................................... ... ... ... ... ........................ 33

Using the Sleep Timer ................................................................................... 33

Listening Hints .............................. ... .... ...................................... .... ... ... .............. 34

Reference Sources ................ ... ... .... ... ....................................... ... ... .............. 34

Frequency Conversion ................................................................................... 34

Band Allocation .............................................................................................. 34

Amateur Radio Frequencies ........................ ....................................... ... . 34

International Frequencies ............. ... ... .... ...................................... .... ... .... 35

Aircraft Frequencies ........................................ .... ... ... ... ........................... 36

Ships and Coastal Station Frequencies ....................... ... .... ... ................. 36

Time Standard Frequencies ......................... ... ....................................... . 36

Longwave Band ....................................................................................... 36

Listening Guide ................ .... ... ... ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ... ... .... ....... 37

Birdies .............................. ......... .......... .......... ......... .......... .......... ......... .......... . 41

Amateur Shortwave Bands in the US ............................................................ 41

Amateur Shor twave Bands (in MHz) ...................... ... .............................. 42

Troubleshooting ................................................................................................. 43

Care and Maintenance ....................................................................................... 44

Resetting the Display ................ ....................................... ... ... .... ... ................. 45

Specifications .......................... .......................... ...................... ....................... .... 46

PREPARATION

CONNECTING TO POWER

You can power the receiver from internal 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.

Cautions

• Always use fresh batteries of the

• Do not mix old and new batteries

required size and type.

or different types of batteries (standard or alkaline).

2. Slide four AA batteries into the compartment on top of the lift-out ribbon, according to the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked next to the compar tm e nt.

3. Replace the cover.

Cautions

• If you will not be using the receiver

• Dispose of old batteries promptly

with battery power for several months, remove the batteries.

and properly.

Using Standard AC Power

To power the receiver from standard AC power, you need an optional AC adapter, such as Cat. No. 273-1662.

Note

: Connecting an AC adapter dis-

connects internal batteries.

Follow these steps to install the batteries.

1. Remove the battery compartment’s cover by sliding the cover in the direction of the arrow on the cover’s tab.

Caution:

Class 2 power source that

supplies 6 volts DC and delivers at least 300 mA. Its center tip mu st be set to negative and its plug must fit the receiver's ommended adapter meets these specifications. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the receiver or the adapter.

You must use a

DC IN 6V

jack. The rec-

• When you finish using the AC

adapter , unplu g it f rom t he AC outlet first, then disconnect it f rom the receiver.

Follow these steps to use AC power.

Caution:

cigarette lighter adapter that

supplies 6 volts DC and delivers at least 300 mA. Its center tip mu st be set to negative and its plug must fit the receiver's ommended DC cigarette lighter adapter meets these specifications. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the receiver or the adapter.

You must use a DC

DC IN 6V

jack. The rec-

1. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 6V.

2. Line up the 5.5 mm outer diameter/2.1 mm inner diameter barrel plug with the adapter’s socket so it reads the plug into the socket.

3. Insert the barrel plug into the receiver’s

4. Plug the adapter into a standard AC o utle t.

DC IN 6V

–TIP

, and insert

jack.

Using Vehicle Battery Power

To power the receiver from your vehicle’s battery, you need an optional DC cigarette lighter adapter, such as Cat. No. 273-1802.

Caution:

rette lighter adapter into the receiver before you plug it into your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket. Always unplug the adapter from the vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket before you unplug it from the receiver.

Follow these steps to power the receiver from your vehicle’s battery.

1. Set the DC cigarette lighter

Always plug the DC ciga-

adapter’s voltage switch to 6V.

2. Insert the adapter’s barrel plug into the receiver’s

3. Push the adapter’s plug into the vehicle’ s cigarette-lighter socket.

DC IN 6V

jack.

ADJUSTING THE TELESCOPING ANTENNA

— Pull up the antenna base then fully extend the antenna and point it straight up.

For the best reception, adjus t the te lescoping antenna for the desired band.

— Pull up the antenna base about halfway then fully extend the antenna and rotate it for the best reception.

LW and MW (AM)

ceiver. The receiver uses a built-in antenna for these bands.

— Rotate the re-

CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL ANTENNA

To improve SW/MW/LW reception, you can connect an optional external antenna (such as Cat. No. 20-181) directly to the left side of the receiver. This automatically disconnects the receiver’s built-in antenna.

Follow the antenna’s supplied instructions to connect it to the receiver.

AM EXT ANT

jack on the

CONNECTING HEADPHONES

For private listening and for stereo sound during FM stereo broadcasts, you can plug optional stereo headphones with a (available at your local RadioShack store) into the jack on the left side of the receiver. This automatically disconnects the internal speaker.

When you connect stereo headphones and tune to a stereo broadcast, appears on the display.

/8-inch (3.5 mm) plug

• Once you set the volume, do not increase it. Over time, your ears adapt to the volume le vel, so a volume level that does not cause discomfort might still damage your hearing.

Traffic Safety

Do not use headphones with your receiver when operating a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle in or near traffic. Doing so can create a traffic hazard and could be illegal in some areas.

If you use headphones with your receiver, be very careful. Do not listen to a continuous broadcast. Even though some headphones let you hear some outside sounds when listening at normal volume levels, they still can present a traffic hazard.

Listening Safely

To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use headphones.

• Do not listen at extremely high volume levels. Extended high-volume listening can lead to permanent hearing loss.

• Set the volume to the lowest setting before you begin listening. After you begin listening, adjust the volume to a comfortable level.

CONNECTING A TAPE RECORDER

You can connect an optional tape recorder to your receiver’s

jack to record transmissions.

OUT

The recorder must have a line level input jack.

Note:

If you use a recorder’s MIC IN jack to connect to the receiver, the sound will be distorted.

REC LINE

To connect a tape recorder, you need a mono patch cord (not supplied) with

/8-inch (3.5 mm) plug on both ends. Your local RadioShack store ca rries a wide selection of mono patch cords.

Insert the cord’s plug into the

LINE OUT

jack on the left side of the

REC

receiver, then connect the other end of the cord to your tape recorder’s LINE IN jack.

Follow the instructions provided with your tape recorder to record transmissions from the receiver.

Note

: When you connect a tape recorder, the receiver’s built-in speaker continues to work.

Connect one end of the cord to the

REC STANDBY

jack, then connect the other end to your recorder’s STANDBY IN or REMOTE IN jack. Then see “Timer Recording” on Page 33 for more information about using the receiver’s timers to record.

USING THE STAND

You can position the receiver more securely and possibly improve the sound by resting the receiver on its stand.

Lift the latch on the back of the receiver to open the stand.

REC ST ANDBY

The

jack on the left side of the receiver lets you record a broadcast at a preset time.

To connect a tape recorder to the receiver’s

REC STANDBY

jack, you need

a mono patch cord (not supplied) with

/32-inch (2.3 mm) plug. And, your tape recorder must have a STANDBY IN or REMOTE IN jack rated at no more than 20V, 150mA.

USING THE MEMO LABEL

You can use the memo label under the receiver’s stand to record helpful information, such as the memory location numbers of your favorite stations.

SETTING THE MW (AM) TUNING INCREMENT

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigns frequencies for stations in the MW band in 10-kHz increments. (In the United States, we commonly call the MW band the AM band.) In Europe and some other parts of the world, MW frequencies are assigned in 9-kHz increments.

If you are in a country where the AM frequency increments are 9 kHz, set

MW-STEP

to 9k.

MW-STEP

ceiver is preset to United States, Canada, and many South American countries. Depending on the country you are in, you might have to change the frequency step.

on the right side of the re-

for use in the

10k

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!

POWER

— turns the receiver on and off.

— turns on the display light for about 12 seconds (if y ou installe d batteries) or

until you press again.

— displays the time in your area using Daylight Saving Time.

— lets you set the time.

SET

— sets the tuning range for manual tuning (see “Direct Access Tuning” on

STEP

Page 19).

ATS/FM

— selects the FM band and lets you select FM stations using your receiv-

er’s automatic tuning system (ATS).

ATS/LW

— selects the LW (longwave) band and lets you select LW stations using

your receiver’s automatic tuning system.

ATS/MW

— selects the MW (medium wave) band and lets you select MW stations

using your receiver’s automatic tuning system.

METER/SW

— selects the SW (shortwave) band, and lets you scan for a shortwave

frequency in one of the receiver’s 14 meter bands. Number Keys — each key has a single-digit label and a band range. The single

digits are used to enter a channel, frequency, or ID number. The band range (120m, for example) indicates the shortwave band you can tune by pressing that key.

— enters a decimal point or clears an incorrect entry.

•

(cancel) — cancels an entry.

F/FREQ

M/MEM

ENTER

TIMER 1, TIMER 2, TIMER 3

WORLD/HOME

(frequency) — lets you tune a frequency directly.

— stores frequencies into memory.

— enters a frequency.

— let you select any of the receiver’s three timers.

— lets you select the time you want to display (world time or your

home time).

AM MODE

— lets you set up the alarm timer.

EDIT

—

lets you lock out selected frequencies.

— lets you assign a name for each FM, MW, or LW station or for each page

where you stored an SW station.

PAGE

— lets you select either of the receiver’s memory pages (see “Memory Func-

tions” on Page 27).

PRIORITY

TUNING /

— tunes to the priority station you set.

— tunes up or down the band you selected.

BASIC OPERATION

T URNING THE RECEIVER ON AND OFF

Press

POWER

then adjust listening level.

The display shows the band, frequency, time, and signal strength (with 10 as the strongest signal).

to turn on the receiver,

VOL UM E

to a comfortable

Fresh batteries show a power level of

10. If the indicator shows a power level of 3 or below or replace all of the batteries.

Press

POWER

ceiver.

BATT LOW

again to turn off the re -

flashes,

LIGHTING THE DISPLAY

Press to light the display in lowlight situations.

Notes

• If you use battery power, the light automatically turns off after 12 seconds to save battery power.

When you press receiver, the battery power indicator appears on the display for several seconds.

POWER

to turn off the

• If you use AC or DC power, the light stays on while the receiver is on. You must turn off the receiver to turn off the light.

LOCKING THE CONTROLS

The lock feature prevents you from accidentally turning the receiver on or off, changing the band or frequency, or using the front panel buttons.

+ 33 hidden pages