Radio Shack DX-398 User Manual

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

4 (1)

Cat. No. 20-228

OWNER’S MANUAL

All-Band Shortwave Receiver

Please read before using this equipment.

with Radio Data System

DX-398

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. 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 some-

times 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 di-

rectly record your favorite programs

live or at a preset time.

Your receiver’s features include:

Digital Synthesized Radio

— en-

sures accurate, stable tuning.

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 — for-

merly known as Greenwich Mean

Time) or to the local time of a city in an-

other time zone.

World Time

Zone

— provides the cor-

rect 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.

Priority Button

— lets you quickly

store and recall your favorite station.

RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

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.

Memory Lock

— prevents accidental

frequency changes.

Control Lock

— prevents accidental

setting changes.

Sleep Timer

— lets you set the receiv-

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

— lets you easily

change the frequency step setting to

match the MW (AM) broadcast fre-

quency step used by many other coun-

tries.

RF Gain Control

— lets you adjust the

receiver’s sensitivity when you listen to

SW/LW/MW broadcasts, to provide

the best possible reception.

Narrow/Wide Control

— lets you re-

duce interference from adjacent sta-

tions when you listen to SW, MW (AM),

and LW broadcasts.

Page Memory Location

— lets you

store and select frequencies in storage

locations called

pages

. You can store

and select up to nine MW/FM frequ en-

cies in two pages, nine LW frequencies

in one page, and 261 SW frequencies

in 29 pages.

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

— lets you adjust the

tone setting for different types of

broadcasts such as news, music, and

so on.

Battery Power/Signal Strength Indi-

cator

— displays the battery’s power

and the strength of the received signal.

Memo Label

— lets you record helpful

information such as the memory loca-

tion numbers of your favorite stations.

Three Power Options

— let you pow-

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).

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

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

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

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

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

THE FCC WANTS YOU

TO KNOW

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 in-

terference, and (2) this device must

accept any interference received, in-

cluding 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 electri-

cal circuit from the TV or radio

• contacting your local RadioShack

store for help

If you cannot eliminate the interfer-

ence, the FCC requires that you stop

using your receiver. Changes or modi-

fications 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 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.

Cautions

• Always use fresh batteries of the

required size and type.

• Do not mix old and new batteries

or different types of batteries

(standard or alkaline).

Follow these steps to install the batter-

ies.

1. Remove the battery compart-

ment’s cover by sliding the cover

in the direction of the arrow on the

cover’s tab.

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

with battery power for several

months, remove the batteries.

• Dispose of old batteries promptly

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.

Caution:

You must use a

Class 2 power source that

supplies 6 volts DC and deliv-

ers at least 300 mA. Its center tip mu st

be set to negative and its plug must fit

the receiver's

DC IN 6V

jack. The rec-

ommended adapter meets these

specifications. Using an adapter that

does not meet these specifications

could damage the receiver or the

adapter.

• When you finish using the AC

adapter , unplu g it f rom t he AC out-

let first, then disconnect it f rom the

receiver.

Follow these steps to use AC power.

1. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to

6V.

2. Line up the 5.5 mm outer diam-

eter/2.1 mm inner diameter

barrel plug with the adapter’s

socket so it reads

–TIP

, and insert

the plug into the socket.

3. Insert the barrel plug into the

receiver’s

DC IN 6V

jack.

4. Plug the adapter into a standard

AC o utle t.

Using Vehicle Battery Power

To power the receiver from your vehi-

cle’s battery, you need an optional DC

cigarette lighter adapter, such as Cat.

No. 273-1802.

Caution:

You must use a DC

cigarette lighter adapter that

supplies 6 volts DC and deliv-

ers at least 300 mA. Its center tip mu st

be set to negative and its plug must fit

the receiver's

DC IN 6V

jack. The rec-

ommended DC cigarette lighter adapt-

er meets these specifications. Using

an adapter that does not meet these

specifications could damage the re-

ceiver or the adapter.

Caution:

Always plug the DC ciga-

rette lighter adapter into the receiver

before you plug it into your vehicle's

cigarette-lighter socket. Always un-

plug the adapter from the vehicle's

cigarette-lighter socket before you un-

plug it from the receiver.

Follow these steps to power the re-

ceiver from your vehicle’s battery.

1. Set the DC cigarette lighter

adapter’s voltage switch to 6V.

2. Insert the adapter’s barrel plug

into the receiver’s

DC IN 6V

jack.

3. Push the adapter’s plug into the

vehicle’ s cigarette-lighter socket.

ADJUSTING THE

TELESCOPING

ANTENNA

For the best reception, adjus t the te le-

scoping antenna for the desired band.

— Pull up the antenna base about

halfway then fully extend the antenna

and rotate it for the best reception.

and MW (AM)

— Rotate the re-

ceiver. The receiver uses a built-in an-

tenna for these bands.

— Pull up the antenna base then

fully extend the antenna and point it

straight up.

CONNECTING AN

EXTERNAL ANTENNA

To improve SW/MW/LW reception,

you can connect an optional external

antenna (such as Cat. No. 20-181) di-

rectly to the

AM EXT ANT

jack on the

left side of the receiver. This automati-

cally disconnects the receiver’s built-in

antenna.

Follow the antenna’s supplied instruc-

tions to connect it to the receiver.

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. This automatically dis-

connects the internal speaker.

When you connect stereo headphones

and tune to a stereo broadcast,

appears on the display.

Listening Safely

To protect your hearing, follow these

guidelines when you use headphones.

• Do not listen at extremely high

volume levels. Extended high-vol-

ume listening can lead to perma-

nent hearing loss.

• Set the volume to the lowest set-

ting before you begin listening.

After you begin listening, adjust

the volume to a comfortable level.

• Once you set the volume, do not

increase it. Over time, your ears

adapt to the volume le vel, so a vol-

ume level that does not cause dis-

comfort might still damage your

hearing.

Traffic Safety

Do not use headphones with your re-

ceiver 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 re-

ceiver, be very careful. Do not listen to

a continuous broadcast. Even though

some headphones let you hear some

outside sounds when listening at nor-

mal volume levels, they still can

present a traffic hazard.

CONNECTING A TAPE

RECORDER

You can connect an optional tape re-

corder to your receiver’s

REC LINE

OUT

jack to record transmissions.

The recorder must have a line level in-

put jack.

Note:

If you use a recorder’s MIC IN

jack to connect to the receiver, the

sound will be distorted.

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 ca rries a

wide selection of mono patch cords.

Insert the cord’s plug into the

REC

LINE OUT

jack on the left side of the

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 transmis-

sions from the receiver.

Note

: When you connect a tape re-

corder, the receiver’s built-in speaker

continues to work.

The

REC ST ANDBY

jack on the left side

of the receiver lets you record a broad-

cast at a preset time.

To connect a tape recorder to the re-

ceiver’s

REC

STANDBY

jack, you need

a mono patch cord (not supplied) with

-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.

Connect one end of the cord to the

REC STANDBY

jack, then connect the

other end to your recorder’s STAND-

BY IN or REMOTE IN jack. Then see

“Timer Recording” on Page 33 for

more information about using the re-

ceiver’s timers to record.

USING THE STAND

You can position the receiver more se-

curely 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.

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. (In the

United States, we commonly call the

MW band the AM band.) In Europe and

some other parts of the world, MW fre-

quencies are assigned in 9-kHz incre-

ments.

MW-STEP

on the right side of the re-

ceiver is preset to

10k

for use in the

United States, Canada, and many

South American countries. Depending

on the country you are in, you might

have to change the frequency step.

If you are in a country where the AM

frequency increments are 9 kHz, set

MW-STEP

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.

SET

— lets you set the time.

STEP

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

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

(frequency)

— lets you tune a frequency directly.

M/MEM

— stores frequencies into memory.

ENTER

— enters a frequency.

TIMER 1, TIMER 2, TIMER 3

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

WORLD/HOME

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

home time).

AM MODE

— lets you set up the alarm timer.

—

lets you lock out selected frequencies.

EDIT

— 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

— tunes to the priority station you set.

TUNING /

— tunes up or down the band you selected.

BASIC OPERATION

T URNING THE RECEIVER

ON AND OFF

Press

POWER

to turn on the receiver,

then adjust

VOL UM E

to a comfortable

listening level.

The display shows the band, frequen-

cy, time, and signal strength (with 10

as the strongest signal).

When you press

POWER

to turn off the

receiver, the battery power indicator

appears on the display for several

seconds.

Fresh batteries show a power level of

10. If the indicator shows a power lev-

el of 3 or below or

BATT

LOW

flashes,

replace all of the batteries.

Press

POWER

again to turn off the re -

ceiver.

LIGHTING THE DISPLAY

Press to light the display in low-

light situations.

Notes

• If you use battery power, the light

automatically turns off after 12

seconds to save battery power.

• 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 ac-

cidentally turning the receiver on or off,

changing the band or frequency, or us-

ing the front panel buttons.

+ 33 hidden pages