Radio Shack Dx 398 Users Manual 20 228

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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 frequen-

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 operating

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 Power ........................................................................ 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 Recorder ........................................................................ 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 Shortwave 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 compartment.

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 must

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, 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

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 outlet.

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 must

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, 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.

LW and MW (AM) — Rotate the re-

ceiver. The receiver uses a built-in an-

tenna for these bands.

SW — 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 1/8-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 level, 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

a 1/8-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 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 STANDBY 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

a 3/32-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.

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 to 9k.

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 you installed 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.

C (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

TURNING THE RECEIVER

ON AND OFF

Press POWER to turn on the receiver,

then adjust VOLUME 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.

Press to lock all the front panel

buttons and ROTARY TUNING. ap-

pears.

You can still adjust VOLUME, TONE,

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.

Once you set your local time, the re-

ceiver automatically calculates the cor-

rect time in each of the preset world

cities or a world city that you specify

and lets you select and display that

time.

The time zone map on the back of the

receiver shows the difference in hours

between UTC (Universal Time Coordi-

nate — formerly called Greenwich

Mean Time) and each time zone. To

determine your local time from UTC,

add or subtract the specified number

from UTC time. During Daylight Saving

Time, add one more hour.

The clock display shows a random

time when you install batteries. Follow

these steps to set the local time in the

24-hour format (0:00 – 23:59).

1. Repeatedly press WORLD/HOME

until flashes.

2. Rotate MANUAL TUNING until the

name of your city (or a city in the

same time zone) appears, then

press ENTER . The receiver

beeps and the city’s name ap-

pears for 2 seconds then disap-

pears. and the time ap-

pear on the display.

3. Press

SET. flashes.

4. While flashes, use the

number buttons to enter the cor-

rect time.

Notes:

• If stops flashing before

you press a number button,

start again at Step 3.

•Do

not

precede single-digit

hours with a 0. For example,

enter

930 for 9:30 AM.

• If you make a mistake, press C

to erase the last digit, then

enter the correct digit.

HOME

• If you enter an invalid time, the

clock beeps twice and E (error)

appears for about 1 second.

Repeat Steps 3–4 to enter the

correct time.

5. Press ENTER . The time you

set appears, and the seconds

start counting from 0.

Note: The receiver does not dis-

play the seconds.

VIEWING A WORLD TIME

Important: You need to set your local

time before following these steps. See

“Setting and Viewing the Local Time”

on Page 16.

1. Repeatedly press WORLD/HOME

until flashes.

2. Rotate MANUAL TUNING until the

name of the world city (or a city in

the same time zone) appears. The

current time in that city appears

on the display.

3. To save the displayed city as your

world city, press ENTER .

stops flashing. Then, the

world city’s name disappears from

the display within 2 seconds.

4. To return to your home time,

repeatedly press WORLD/HOME

until flashes. Your home

city’s name and the time in that

city appear.

5. Press ENTER . stops

flashing.

CHANGING A WORLD

CITY NAME

You can change the name of any of

the preprogrammed world cities to a

name you choose, then save the new

name in the receiver’s memory.

1. Repeatedly press WORLD/HOME

until flashes.

2. Turn MANUAL TUNING to select a

city in the same time zone as the

city you want to change.

3. Press EDIT. The first character of

the city’s name flashes.

4. Turn MANUAL TUNING to select

the desired character.

5. When the character you want

appears, press TUNING

move to the next position, then

turn

MANUAL TUNING to enter the

next character (up to 8 charac-

ters).

Note: If you want to correct a

character you entered, press TUN-

ING to move back to it.

6. Press ENTER . The receiver

stores the name of the world city

you entered.

WORLD

HOME

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, or

METER/SW to select the band. (Press

ATS/MW for AM.)

To select a smaller band within the SW

band, press METER/SW again. When m

flashes on the right side of the display,

enter the desired band by pressing its

labeled key on the keypad. For exam-

ple, to select the 75 meter shortwave

band, press 3.

Manual Tuning

You can select a lower or higher fre-

quency by pressing TUNING

. The frequency changes in the fol-

lowing increments.

You can also select a higher or lower

frequency by turning MANUAL TUN-

ING.

As you turn MANUAL TUNING, you

might find that you need the frequen-

cies to change more slowly. To

change how quickly the frequencies

change as you rotate the knob, re-

peatedly press STEP on the front of

the receiver so the arrow on the right

side of the display points to FAST or

SLOW.

Band Tuning Increment

FM 0.1 MHz

LW 9 kHz

MW 9 or 10 kHz

SW 0.005 MHz

If you set STEP to FAST, the tuning in-

crements are the same as when you

press

TUNING

or . If you select

SLOW, the tuning increments are

smaller so you can fine tune the fre-

quency.

Note: You can tune standard AM, up-

per sideband (USB), and lower side-

band (LSB) frequencies. For more

information, see “Tuning SSB Sta-

tions” on Page 25.

If you set STEP to STOP, turning MAN-

UAL TUNING has no effect at all, so

you cannot accidentally change the

frequency.

Note: Setting STEP to STOP locks only

MANUAL TUNING. For information

about locking the front panel buttons,

see “Locking the Controls” on

Page 15.

Direct Access Tuning

Follow these steps if you know a sta-

tion’s frequency and want to directly

tune to that station.

1. Press F/FREQ. The frequency dis-

play disappears and FREQ

flashes for about 30 seconds.

2. Use the number keys and • to

enter the frequency, then press

ENTER .

Notes:

• If you wait more than 30 sec-

onds to press a button, the pre-

vious frequency returns to the

display. Begin again at Step 1.

• If you make a mistake, press C

(cancel) to erase the last digit,

then enter the correct digit.

Scan Tuning

To automatically tune up or down to

the next active frequency in the select-

ed band, hold down TUNING or

for about 1 second. The receiver

scans up or down the selected band

and tunes to the first frequency it finds

with a strong signal.

To scan for an SW (shortwave) fre-

quency in one of the 14 meter bands,

press SW, press the number button

with the meter range you want to scan,

then press TUNING

to scan

the band.

Band Fast Slow

FM 0.1 MHz 0.05 MHz

LW 9 kHz 1 kHz

MW 9/10 kHz 1 kHz

SW 5 kHz 1 kHz

AM Mode

set to USB

or LSB

1 kHz 40 Hz

Notes:

• When scanning, the receiver only

searches for frequencies with

strong signals. To search for sta-

tions with weaker signals, use one

of the manual tuning methods.

• When scanning in a lower band,

the receiver searches only within

the selected band and stops at the

upper and lower limits of the band.

• Your receiver shows the short-

wave bands you can receive on

the bottom of the display.

TUNING

PREPROGRAMMED

SHORTWAVE STATIONS

Your receiver is preprogrammed with

212 of the most popular worldwide

and U.S. shortwave stations. You can

quickly tune these popular stations.

Notes:

• You cannot change the preset

shortwave stations stored in your

receiver’s memory.

• You can store shortwave frequen-

cies into the receiver’s empty

memory locations. See “Storing

SW Frequencies in Memory” on

Page 28 for more information.

• International commercial broad-

cast programs (often in English)

usually contain news, commentar-

ies, music, and special features

reflecting the culture of the broad-

casting country. Reception for this

range is best between 6:00 PM

and midnight (your time).

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.

2. Press SW, then press PAGE.

3. While PAGE is flashing, repeat-

edly press TUNING or TUNING

or turn MANUAL TUNING until

the page number you wrote down

in Step 1 appears next to PAGE.

The name of the broadcaster’s

country also appears next to

PAGE.

Then, when you reach the desired

page number, press ENTER .

4. Press a number key to enter the

memory location number you

wrote down in Step 1. The re-

ceiver tunes the station.

Note: If you press a number key for a memory location number where there is no

station stored, MEMOFREE flashes for a few seconds. Then the receiver tunes the

station you previously tuned.

DX-398 SHORTWAVE PAGES CHART

Note: All frequencies are in MHz.

Page Country

(Stations)

Memory Location

123456789

1AUSTRLIA

(Radio

Australia)

5.995 9.580 9.860 11.800 11.880 13.755 15.365 17.795 17.860

2AUSTRIA

(Radio

Austria)

6.015 7.325 9.495 9.655 9.870 13.730

3CANADA

Radio

Canada

Intl.)

5.960 6.070 6.155 9.625 9.640 9.755 11.855 13.650 13.670

4CHINA

(China

Radio Intl.)

7.405 9.560 9.690 9.710 9.730 11.680 11.695 15.130

5CST RICA

(Adventist

World

Radio,

Radio for

Peace Intl.)

5.030 6.150 6.205

USB

7.385 9.725 13.750 15.050 15.460

6CUBA

(Radio

Habana)

6.000 6.180 9.505 9.820 9.380

USB

13.715 13.725

USB

7ECUADOR

(HCJB

Voice

of Andes)

5.860 9.445 9.745 11.960 12.005 15.115 15.540 21.455

USB

8ENGLAND

(BBC World

Service)

5.965 5.975 6.175 6.195 9.515 9.590 9.600 9.740 9.915

Page Country

(Stations)

Memory Location

123456789

9ENGLAND

(BBC World

Service)

11.750 11.835 12.095 15.220 15.400 15.575 17.830 17.840 21.660

10 FRANCE

(Radio

France

Intl.)

11.615 13.625 15.325 15.530 17.620

11 GERMANY

(Deutsche

Welle-Voice

of Ger-

many)

5.960 6.040 6.085 6.145 6.185 9.515 9.535 9.615 9.640

12 HOLLAND

(Radio

Netherlands

Wereldom-

roep)

6.020 6.165 9.700 9.720 9.845 9.890 15.315 17.605

13 ISRAEL

(Kol Israel)

7.465 9.435 11.605 12.077 15.615 15.640

14 JAPAN

(Radio

Japan/NHK)

5.960 6.110 6.120 9.535 11.705 11.895 12.000 13.630

15 KOREA N

(Radio

Pyongyang)

6.575 9.975 11.335 13.670

16 KOREA S

(Radio

Korea

Intl.)

9.650 11.715 13.650 15.575

17 N ZEALND

(Radio New

Zealand)

6.100 9.570 9.700 9.810 9.875 11.735 11.900 11.905 15.115

18 NORWAY

(Radio

Norway

Intl.)

5.905 7.440 7.465 7.520 9.560 11.840 13.800 15.340

19 RUSSIA

(Voice of

Russia)

7.125 7.240 7.250 9.665 11.630 11.675 11.750 12.050 15.400

Page Country

(Station)

Memory Location

123456789

20 S AFRICA

(Channel

Africa)

3.220 5.955 9.530 9.675 11.900 15.240

21 SWEDEN

(Radio

Sweden)

6.065 6.090 7.115 7.290 11.650 13.740 15.240

22 SWITZLND

(Swiss

Radio

Intl.)

6.135 9.885 9.905 13.635

23 TAIWAN

(Voice of

Free

China)

5.950 7.130 7.445 9.680 11.740 15.600 17.750

24 U.S.A.

(Voice of

America)

5.985 6.035 6.130 7.405 9.455 9.760 11.695 11.715 15.205

25 U.S.A.

(Voice of

America,

WEWN)

15.410 15.580 17.895 5.825 6.890 7.425 9.455 11.875 13.615

26 U.S.A.

(WHRI,

WRMI,

WRNO)

5.745 5.760 6.040 7.315 9.495 13.760 9.955 7.355 7.395

27 U.S.A.

(WSHB)

5.850 6.095 7.510 7.535 9.355 9.430 11.550 13.770 15.665

28 U.S.A.

(WWCR,

WGTG)

3.210 3.215 5.070 7.435 9.475 12.160 15.685 5.085 9.400

29 (Open)

ADJUSTING THE TONE

Set TONE to NEWS to enhance broad-

cast voices while listening to talk

shows or news programs on SW, MW,

and LW frequencies.

Set TONE to MUSIC to enhance treble

and bass response when listening to a

music program (especially FM pro-

grams).

Set

TONE to NORM to help reduce in-

terference.

SPECIAL TUNING

CONTROLS

STEREO/MONO-FM

You can receive FM stereo by con-

necting stereo headphones to the

jack and setting STEREO/ MONO-FM on

the right side of the receiver to STE-

REO.

To improve reception for weak FM ste-

reo stations, set STEREO/MONO-FM to

MONO-FM. The sound is no longer in

stereo, but the reception should im-

prove.

WIDE/NARR.-AM

A strong station that broadcasts close

to a frequency you tuned might inter-

fere with that frequency. To reduce in-

terference from adjacent stations in the

SW, MW, or LW bands, set WIDE/

NARR.-AM

on the right side of the re-

ceiver to NARR.-AM. Or, if there is no

interference, set it to WIDE for better

sound.

AM RF GAIN

AM RF GAIN on the left side of the re-

ceiver lets you tune a received signal

for the best SW reception. If the signal

is weak, turn AM RF GAIN toward +. If

the sound is distorted, turn AM RF GAIN

toward –.

TUNING SSB STATIONS

SSB (single sideband) is very popular

among amateur radio and business ra-

dio users because of its superior signal

quality. Many amateurs who operate

SSB and transmit below 10 MHz gen-

erally use LSB (lower sideband), while

amateur and commercial stations who

transmit above 10 MHz generally use

USB (upper sideband). Your receiver

receives both USB and LSB transmis-

sions.

Follow these steps to receive SSB

stations.

1. Select an SW band (see “Select-

ing a Band” on Page 18).

2. If you know the frequency of an

SSB station, enter that frequency.

Or, scan the band for SSB stations

by slowly rotating MANUAL TUN-

ING, tuning through the selected

band until you hear an SSB sta-

tion. Or, scan the band for USB or

LSB stations by holding down

TUNING or TUNING for

about 2 seconds until you hear an

USB or LSB station

Note: SSB stations sound dis-

torted when you tune to them in

the normal SW band. To help you

find SSB stations, watch for

deflections on the signal strength

indicator. Since SSB is transmit-

ted with a suppressed carrier, the

signal strength indicator will move

more quickly when there is a

transmission and more slowly dur-

ing pauses in the transmission.

3. When you have located an SSB

station, press AM MODE to receive

the transmission. Repeatedly

press

AM MODE to switch between

USB or LSB transmissions (try

LSB for frequencies below 10

MHz or USB for frequencies

above 10 MHz).

4. Set STEP to SLOW then readjust

MANUAL TUNING for maximum

intelligibility.

USING RDS

The receiver displays information

about FM radio stations that transmit a

Radio Data System (RDS) signal.

When the receiver receives an RDS

station, the station’s call letters appear

on the display. Also, if the station

broadcasts CT (clock time) informa-

tion, the receiver automatically cor-

rects the displayed time.

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 TIME SET on the right side of

the receiver to AUTO.

4. Make sure that your local time (as

described in “Setting and Viewing

the Local Time” on Page 16) has

been set correctly. (The receiver

compares the CT information with

your local time to display the cor-

rect time at the broadcaster’s loca-

tion).

5. If your time zone is using Daylight

Saving Time, repeatedly press

until appears.

MEMORY FUNCTIONS

Besides tuning to the preprogrammed

shortwave stations (see “Tuning Pre-

programmed Shortwave Stations” on

Page 20), you can store and then

quickly tune up to 94 frequencies in

your receiver’s

memory locations

. The

memory locations are grouped into

pages

(nine memory locations per

page).

You can store up to 18 FM frequen-

cies (2 pages), 18 MW frequencies (2

pages), and 9 LW frequencies (1

page) into your receiver’s FM/MW/LW

memory locations. You can store fre-

quencies automatically (see “Automat-

ic Storage”) or manually (see “Manual

Storage”).

Additionally, you can store frequencies

into any empty memory location in the

receiver’s SW memory pages (see

“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

MEMORY

Automatic Storage

You can set your receiver’s automatic

tuning system (ATS) so it automatically

stores all available FM, LW, and MW

stations (from strongest to weakest) in

the FM, LW, and MW memory loca-

tions until all the memory locations are

occupied. This feature helps you find

local stations in another city by simply

pressing a memory location button.

Note: You cannot use this feature to

store SW stations.

To use ATS, hold down ATS/FM, ATS/

LW, or ATS/MW for about 3 seconds.

The receiver beeps and the selected

band and ATS flash. Then the receiv-

er automatically scans and stores the

strongest frequency into the first avail-

able memory location. It continues to

scan and store frequencies until it fills

the nine memory locations in that

page.

The first stored station appears. Once

the receiver has stored nine stations

in Page 1, press PAGE to select the

next page. Then hold down ATS/FM or

ATS/MW again to store the other avail-

able frequencies. The receiver beeps

when it finishes automatically tuning

stations.

Manual Storage

1. Press ATS/FM, ATS/MW, or ATS/LW

to select the band where you want

to store a frequency.

2. Tune to the frequency you want to

store.

3. Repeatedly press PAGE to select

the page where you want to store

the frequency. 1 or 2 appears

under

PAGE.

Notes:

•PAGE flashes only when the

receiver is set to SW mode.

• If you wait more than 10 sec-

onds to press PAGE, PAGE

stops flashing.

• If you pressed ATS/LW in Step

1, PAGE does not appear be-

cause there is only one LW

page.

4. Press M/MEM. MEMO flashes for

about 12 seconds. The number for

the first available empty memory

location for the selected page

flashes next to MEMO.

Note: If an empty memory loca-

tion number does not flash, all

memory locations are full in the

band you selected. If this hap-

pens, clear a memory location

(see “Deleting a Station You

Stored” on Page 30) then store

the frequency. Or, to replace a

stored frequency with a new fre-

quency, repeatedly press TUN-

ING or to select a new

frequency, press M/MEM, then

press the number key for the

memory location. After a few sec-

onds, the receiver beeps and

stores the new frequency in the

memory location.

5. Press ENTER to store the fre-

quency in the flashing memory

location. The receiver beeps and

a bracket appears around the

memory location number where

you stored the frequency, to show

that the frequency was stored

there.

STORING SW

FREQUENCIES IN

MEMORY

Follow these steps to store shortwave

frequencies into empty memory loca-

tions in the shortwave page.

1. Press METER/SW to select the

shortwave band.

2. Tune to the frequency you want to

store. The currently selected page

number appears under PAGE.

3. Press M/MEM. PAGE and MEMO

flash for about 10 seconds.

4. While PAGE and MEMO flash,

repeatedly press TUNING or

to select the page where you

want to store the frequency.

The page’s number appears

under

PAGE and the name of the

page’s country appears as you

press TUNING or .

For

each page, the number of the first

available empty memory location

in that page flashes next to MEMO.

Note: If you wait more than 10

seconds to press TUNING or

PAGE and MEMO stop flash-

ing. If this happens, start again at

Step 3.

5. Press ENTER to assign the

frequency to the flashing memory

location. The receiver beeps and

a bracket appears around the

number where you stored the fre-

quency.

Notes:

• If the receiver’s memory is full,

MEMOFULL appears when you

press a number key.

• To replace a frequency you

stored with a new frequency,

repeatedly press TUNING

or TUNING to select a new

frequency, press M/MEM, then

hold down the number key cor-

responding to that memory

location for about 2 seconds.

The receiver beeps and stores

the new frequency in the mem-

ory location.

ASSIGNING A NAME TO

AN FM/MW/LW STATION

OR SW PAGE

To help you easily identify stored fre-

quencies, you can assign a name (up

to 8 characters) to an FM, MW, or LW

memory location, or to an SW page.

1. Select a band (see “Selecting a

Band” on Page 18).

2. Repeatedly press PAGE to select

the page number where you

stored the desired frequency.

3. For an FM, MW, or LW station,

use the number keys to enter the

desired memory location number.

4. Press EDIT. A cursor flashes

under the displayed frequency for

about 30 seconds.

5. While the cursor flashes, turn

MANUAL TUNING until you see the

first character you want to use.

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 MANUAL TUNING to select

the next character.

Note: If you want to correct a

character you entered, press TUN-

ING to move back to it.

7. When you have finished entering

the name, press ENTER .

DELETING A STATION

YOU STORED

1. Select a band (see “Selecting a

Band” on Page 18).

2. Press ENTER .

3. Repeatedly press PAGE until the

page with the desired frequency

appears.

4. Use the number keys to enter the

memory location number.

5. Press M/MEM.

6. Press C (cancel).

LOCKING/UNLOCKING A

STORED STATION

After storing your favorite stations, you

can lock any of them in memory. This

helps you avoid overwriting the station

if you accidentally use the receiver’s

ATS automatic store feature.

To lock or unlock a station, recall the

station, press M/MEM then press

. appears (locked) or dis-

appears (unlocked).

MOVING A FREQUENCY

TO ANOTHER MEMORY

LOCATION

Note: These steps show you how to

move a frequency to another memory

location on the same page. To move

the frequency to another memory lo-

cation on a different page, follow the

steps in “Storing FM, MW, or LW Fre-

quencies in Memory” on Page 27 or

“Storing SW Frequencies in Memory”

on Page 28.

1. Select a band (see “Selecting a

Band” on Page 18).

2. Recall the memory location num-

ber of the frequency you want to

move.

3. Press M/MEM. MEMO and the

memory location where the sta-

tion is programmed flash.

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.

3. Press PRIORITY to store the sta-

tion in the priority location.

Note: If you previously stored a

priority station, pressing PRIORITY

replaces it.

4. To tune to the priority station,

press PRIORITY

. The receiver

tunes to the priority station.

The receiver stores a SW priority sta-

tion differently than an MW/LW/FM

station. It stores a page containing 9

stations (including the SW station you

want to store as the priority station) in

a memory location.

1. Use the steps under “Tuning Pre-

programmed Shortwave Stations”

on Page 20 to tune to the page

where you stored your favorite

shortwave station.

2. Press M/MEM to store the page

containing the desired station.

3. Press PRIORITY to store the page

with the desired station in the pri-

ority location.

Note: If you previously stored a

priority station, pressing PRIORITY

replaces it.

4. To tune to the priority station,

press PRIORITY

. The receiver

tunes to the page you selected

then to the strongest frequency

among the 9 preset stations.

Note: If there is a stronger station

on the page you selected, the

receiver might tune to it instead of

the station you selected.

5. Press the memory location num-

ber you selected in Step 1 under

“Tuning Preprogrammed Short-

wave Stations” on Page 20 to tune

to the priority station.

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. Then press M/MEM. MEMO

and the memory location where

the station is programmed flash

for about 10 seconds.

2. Press TIMER 1, TIMER 2, or TIMER

3 twice. , the selected timer

number, and (buzzer) flash for

about 10 seconds.

Note: If MEMO stops flashing

before you press TIMER 1, TIMER

2, or TIMER 3, start again from

Step 2.

3. To select the type of alarm (buzzer

or radio), repeatedly press AM

MODE until for the buzzer or

for the radio flashes next to

Note: If or , stops flashing

before you press AM MODE, start

again from Step 2.

4. Use the number keys to enter the

time you want the alarm to sound.

5. Press ENTER .

6. Turn the receiver off.

Silencing the Alarm

When the display shows the alarm

time, the radio turns on or the buzzer

sounds and , 1, 2, or 3, and

or flash on the display.

If you selected the buzzer, its volume

increases after several seconds. After

a few more seconds, the buzzer’s vol-

ume increases again. Then, after 60

seconds, the buzzer turns itself off

and sounds again the next day at the

set time.

If you selected the radio, it automati-

cally turns off after 60 minutes. To si-

lence the radio or the buzzer sooner,

press POWER to turn off the receiver.

, 1, 2, or 3, and or dis-

appear and the alarm sounds again

the next day at the set time.

Using the Snooze Feature

To silence the buzzer or radio alarm for

about 5 minutes, press any button ex-

cept POWER, , or .

flashes above . This temporarily

silences the buzzer or radio and then it

sounds again. You can repeat this for

up to 30 minutes using the buzzer

alarm or up to 60 minutes using the ra-

dio alarm.

Note: The snooze feature does not

work if a plug is connected to the REC

LINE OUT jack.

TIMER

MZZZ

Turning a Timer Alarm

On or Off

To turn off the alarm so it does not

sound again, press TIMER 1, TIMER 2,

or TIMER 3. Then press C while

flashes.

If you want to turn on a timer alarm

again, press TIMER 1, TIMER 2, or TIM-

ER 3. Then press ENTER while

and 1, 2, or 3 flash.

Timer Recording

You can connect a tape recorder to

the receiver and have it record starting

at a preset time.

Connect your tape recorder as de-

scribed in “Connecting a Tape Re-

corder” on Page 10 and set your tape

recorder to record. Then follow the

steps in “Using the Timer Alarms” on

Page 32 to have the radio start to play

at the time you want.

When the radio plays at the time you

set, the tape recorder starts and

records the broadcast.

USING THE SLEEP

TIMER

The sleep timer lets you set the re-

ceiver to turn off in an amount of time

you set.

1. With the receiver off, hold down

POWER until the receiver beeps

and turns on. 90 appears and

flashes.

After a few seconds, 90 disap-

pears and stops flashing.

2. Tune to the desired station.

After the preset number of minutes, the

receiver turns off. To turn off the re-

ceiver sooner, press POWER.

To change the playing time after you

set it, hold down POWER. The sleep

timer changes from 90 → 80 → 70 →

60 → 50 → 40 → 30 → 20 → 10 → 90

minutes, repeating the sequence as

you hold down POWER. Release POW-

ER when the desired amount of time

appears.

TIMER

LISTENING HINTS

Shortwave listening is a hobby with

thousands of participants worldwide. It

requires no special knowledge or

skills, but your enjoyment increases as

you gain experience and develop spe-

cial listening techniques.

The information in this section can help

you make the most of your DX-398.

REFERENCE SOURCES

Many books and magazines about

shortwave listening are available

through your local library or news-

stand. Consult sources such as the

World Radio Handbook

Radio Ama-

teur’s Handbook

Passport to World

Band Radio

Monitoring Times

, and

Popular Communications

. These pub-

lications can help you learn about the

conditions that make long-distance re-

ception possible and provide up-to-

date listings for shortwave broadcasts

in English and in other languages.

FREQUENCY

CONVERSION

A band is a group of frequencies.

Sometimes, bands are grouped ac-

cording to their wavelengths, in

meters. The tuning location of a station

can be expressed as a frequency (kHz

or MHz) or a wavelength (meters).

Amateur radio operators generally re-

fer to the frequencies they operate on

using the frequency’s wavelength. For

example, the 19-meter band refers to

the range of frequencies with waves

about 19 meters long.

Use the following equations to convert

kHz, MHz, and meters.

To convert MHz to kHz, multiply by

1,000. For example:

9.62 MHz × 1000 = 9,620 kHz

To convert kHz to MHz, divide by

1,000. For example:

2780 kHz ÷ 1000 = 2.780 MHz

To convert MHz to meters, divide 300

by the number of MHz. For example:

300 ÷ 7.1 MHz = 42.25 meters

To convert meters to MHz, divide 300

by the number of meters. For exam-

ple:

300

÷ 42.25 meters = 7.1 MHz

BAND ALLOCATION

Certain bands are set aside for specific

purposes.

Amateur Radio Frequencies

Tuning to the amateur radio frequen-

cies can be interesting and helpful, be-

cause amateur radio operators often

broadcast emergency information

when other means of communication

break down.

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:

7,000–7,150 kHz: CW

7,150–7,300 kHz: SSB

20 meters:

14,000–14,200 kHz: CW

14,200–14,350 kHz: SSB

15 meters:

21,000–21,250 kHz: CW

21,250–21,450 kHz: SSB

10 meters:

28,000–28,500 kHz: CW

28,500–29,700 kHz: SSB

Note: These ranges are not precisely

observed everywhere in the world.

International Frequencies

International commercial broadcasts

are found in the following shortwave

bands. Programs (often in English)

usually contain news, commentaries,

music, and special features reflecting

the culture of the broadcasting country.

Reception for this range is best be-

tween 6:00 PM and midnight (your

time).

These bands are reserved for sta-

tions in tropical areas.

Interference is heavy in the 41m

band (7.100–7.300 MHz) because am-

ateur radio operators and international

stations share this range.

Band

(in meters)

Frequency

Range

(in 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

13 21.450–21.750

11 25.600–26.100

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

17,900–18,030 kHz

Ships and Coastal Station

Frequencies

Most transmissions from ships and

coastal stations are in SSB and CW.

You can hear these transmissions in

the following bands.

2,000–2,300 kHz

4,063–4,139 kHz

4,361–4,438 kHz

8,195–8,181 kHz

12,330–12,420 kHz

13,107–13,200 kHz

16,460–16,565 kHz

The Coast Guard and small boats

use this band, with 2,182 kHz set aside

as the international distress and emer-

gency channel.

Time Standard Frequencies

The following frequencies announce

the exact time of day at specified inter-

vals.

WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado:

2,500 kHz

5,000 kHz

10,000 kHz

15,000 kHz

20,000 kHz

CHU in Canada: 7,335 kHz

VNG in Australia:

4,500 and 12,000 kHz

Longwave Band

The 150–519 kHz range is known as

the longwave band. Most stations in

this range serve as beacons for aircraft

and marine navigation by continuously

transmitting their call letters. Recep-

tion for this range is best between 6:00

PM and midnight (your time).

Some ships also use this range, with

500 kHz set aside as an international

distress and emergency station.

Most stations in this range use CW

(Morse code), although some use AM

voice transmission for weather broad-

casts.

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. For sources of yearly, up-to-date listings,

see “Reference Sources” on Page 34.

kHz Station Location Remarks

3,223 Radio SR Swaziland

3,265 Radio Mozambique Maputo, Mozambique

3,300 Radio Cultural Guatemala City,

Guatemala

Religious Programs

3,380 Radio Iris Esmeraldas, Ecuador Programs in Spanish

3,385 FR3 Cayenne,

French Guiana Programs in French

3,396 Radio Kaduna Kaduna, Nigeria

4,750 Radio Bertoua Bertoua, Cameroon

4,755 Imo Regional Radio Imo, Nigeria

4,777 Radio/TV Gabon Libreville, Gabon Programs in French

4,795 Radio Nueva

America La Paz, Bolivia Programs in Spanish

4,820 Radio Paz y Bien Ambala, Ecuador Programs in Spanish

4,832 Radio Reloj San Jose, Costa Rica Programs in Spanish

4,855 Radio Clube do

Para Belem, Brazil Programs in

Portugese

4,890 National

Broadcasting

Commission

Papua New Guinea

4,915 Voice Kenya Nairobi, Kenya

4,920 Australian

Broadcasting

Commission

Brisbane, Australia

4,945 Radio Colosal Neiva, Colombia Programs in Spanish

4,965 Radio Santa Fe Bogota, Colombia Programs in Spanish

4,980 Ecos del Torbes San Cristobal,

Venezuela Programs in Spanish

5,020 Solomon Islands

Broadcasting

Service

Honiara, Solomon Islands

5,057 Radio Gjirokaster Gjirokaster, Albania Programs in Albanian

kHz Station Location Remarks

5,950 Guyana

Broadcasting

Service

Georgetown, Guyana

5,954 Radio Casino Puerto Limon,

Costa Rica

5,960 Radio Canada

International Montreal, Canada

5,980 Radio RSA Johannesburg, South

Africa

6,005 CFCX Montreal, Canada

6,025 Radio Malaysia Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia Programs in Chinese

6,045 Radio Australia Lyndhurst, Australia

6,055 Nihon Shortwave

Broadcasting

Company

Tokyo, Japan Programs in Japanese

6,060 Radio Nacional Buenos Aires,

Argentina Programs in Spanish

6,075 Radio Sutatenza Bogota, Colombia Programs in Spanish

6,090 Radio

Luxembourg Ville Louvigny,

Luxembourg

6,095 Polskie Radio Warsaw, Poland

6,105 Radio New Zealand Wellington, New

Zealand

7,140 Trans World

Radio Monte Carlo, Monaco

7,170 Radio Noumea Noumea, New

Caledonia Programs in French

7,300 Radio Tirana Tirana, Albania

9,475 Radio Cairo Cairo, Egypt

9,515 Voice of Greece Athens, Greece

9,525 Radio Korea Seoul, South Korea

9,530 Spanish Foreign

Radio Madrid, Spain

9,535 Swiss Radio

International Berne, Switzerland

9,540 Radio Prague Prague,

Czech Republic

9,570 Radio Bucharest Bucharest, Romania

9,575 Italian Radio and

Television Service Rome, Italy

kHz Station Location Remarks

9,610 Radio-TV Algeria Algiers, Algeria Programs in Arabic

9,620 Radio Berlin

International Berlin, Germany

9,645 Radio Norway Oslo, Norway

9,720 Radio Iran Tehran, Iran Programs in Farsi

9,745 HCJB Quito, Ecuador

9,770 Austrian Radio Vienna, Austria

9,800 Radio Kiev Kiev, Ukraine

9,835 Radio Budapest Budapest, Hungary

10,040 Voice of Vietnam Hanoi, Vietnam

11,655 Israel Radio Jerusalem, Israel

11,690 Radio Kuwait Kuwait City, Kuwait

11,705 Radio Sweden Stockholm, Sweden

11,720 Radio Moscow Moscow, Russia

11,735 Radio Sofia Sofia, Bulgaria

11,745 Voice of Free

China Taip ei, Ta iwan

11,815 Radio Japan Tokyo, Japan

11,825 Radio Tahiti Papeete, Tahiti Programs in Tahitian

11,835 4VEH Cap Haitien, Haiti

11,845 Radio Canada

International Montreal, Canada

11,850 Deutsche Welle Cologne, Germany

11,890 Voice of Chile Santiago, Chile

11,900 Radio RSA Johannesburg, South

Africa

11,910 BBC London, England

11,930 Radio Havana

Cuba Havana, Cuba

11,935 Radio Portugal Lisbon, Portugal

11,945 Radio Beijing Beijing, China

11,955 Voice of Turkey Ankara, Turkey

11,980 Radio Moscow Moscow, Russia

15,038 Saudi Arabian

Broadcasting

Service

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Programs in Arabic

kHz Station Location Remarks

15,084 Voice of Iran Tehran, Iran Programs in Farsi

15,135 Radio Moscow Moscow, Russia

15,165 HCJB Quito, Ecuador

15,190 ORU Brussels, Belgium

15,205 All India Radio New Delhi, India

15,260 BBC London, England

15,265 Finnish Radio Helsinki, Finland

15,275 Radio Sweden Stockholm, Sweden

15,305 Swiss Radio

International Berne, Switzerland

15,310 Radio Japan Tokyo, Japan

15,320 Radio Australia Melbourne, Australia

15,400 BBC London, England

15,430 Radio Mexico Mexico City, Mexico Programs in

Spanish

15,465 Radio Pakistan Islamabad, Pakistan Programs in Urdu

17,720 Radio France

International Paris, France

17,825 Vatican Radio Vatican City

17,860 Austrian Radio Vienna, Austria

21,495 Israel Radio Jerusalem, Israel

21,525 Radio Australia Melbourne, Australia

21,625 Israel Radio Jerusalem, Israel

21,645 Radio France

International Paris, France

21,735 Radio-TV Morocco Rabat, Morocco Programs in Arabic

25,790 Radio RSA Johannesburg, South

Africa

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:

Notes:

• See “Storing SW Frequencies in Memory” on Page 28 for more information

about using the shortwave page 29.

• Interference from devices such as dimmer switches and motors and atmo-

spheric conditions can disrupt shortwave listening. You can minimize interfer-

ence by moving the receiver away from the source of noise, or turning off the

offending device. Shortwave stations sometimes change their operating fre-

quency to avoid interfering with other stations, to improve reception during dif-

ferent seasons, or to take advantage of signal propagation changes due to sun

spots. For this reason, a given station might not be found on the frequency

listed in memory. Reception of these stations can also be affected by rapid

changes in the ionosphere. Sometimes the station you are listening to might

fade out completely. These occurrences are normal shortwave listening condi-

tions.

AMATEUR SHORTWAVE BANDS IN THE US

Amateur radio operators in the U.S.A. are found in the bands listed here. They op-

erate mostly in LSB (Lower Side Band) mode. Morse code operators are generally

found in the lower areas of each band. The amateur radio operators with the most

advanced classification are found in the upper areas of each band.

450 kHz 3,844 kHz 9,000 kHz 10,250 kHz

18,000 kHz 20,490 kHz 21,835 kHz 21,868 kHz

Amateur Shortwave Bands (in MHz)

3.500 – 4.000 MHZ 80 Meters 7.000 – 7.300 MHz 40 Meters

10.100 – 10.150 MHz 30 Meters 14.0 – 14.350 MHz 20 Meters

18.068 – 18.168 MHz 17 Meters 21.000 – 21.450 MHz 15 Meters

24.890 – 24.990 MHz 12 Meters 28.000 – 29.700 MHz 10 Meters

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 POSSIBLE CAUSE SUGGESTION

Weak or intermittent

sound. The internal batteries

are weak. Check the batteries and

replace or recharge

them as necessary.

The antenna must be

adjusted. Adjust the telescoping

antenna or connect an

external antenna.

The signal is blocked by

metal or concrete. Move the receiver near a

window when you use it

inside a vehicle or metal-

frame building.

The frequency is not

tuned properly. Fine-tune the frequen-

cy. See “Tuning Sta-

tions” on Page 18.

Scanning stops on a fre-

quency that has an un-

clear transmission.

The frequency is not

tuned properly. Fine-tune the frequen-

cy. See “Tuning Sta-

tions” on Page 18.

The frequency is one of

the receiver’s birdie fre-

quencies.

Tune another frequency.

Frequency does not

change when you turn

ROTARY TUNING.

FAST/SLOW/STOP is set

to STOP.Set FAST/SLOW/STOP to

FAST or SLOW.

ROTARY TUNING and

front panel buttons do

not respond.

The keypad is locked

( appears on the

display).

Press .

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.

Use and store the receiver only in normal temperature environ-

ments. Temperature extremes can shorten the life of electronic

devices, damage batteries, and distort or melt plastic parts.

Keep the receiver away from dust and dirt, which can cause pre-

mature wear of parts.

Handle the receiver gently and carefully. Dropping it can damage

circuit boards and cases and can cause the receiver to work im-

properly.

Use only fresh batteries of the required size and recommended

type. Batteries can leak chemicals that damage your receiver’s

electronic parts.

Wipe the receiver with a damp cloth occasionally to keep it looking

new. Do not use harsh chemicals, cleaning solvents, or strong de-

tergents to clean the receiver.

Modifying or tampering with the receiver’s internal components can cause a

malfunction and might invalidate its warranty and void your FCC authoriza-

tion to operate it. If your receiver is not performing as it should, take it to your

local RadioShack store for assistance.

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. Reset

the receiver only when you are sure it

is not working properly.

To reset the display, insert a pointed

object, such as a straightened paper

clip, into the RESET hole on the bot-

tom of the receiver. Then gently press

and release the button inside the hole.

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) 11.600 – 12.100 MHz (25 meters)

3.200 – 3.400 MHz (90 meters) 13.500 – 13.870 MHz (21 meters)

3.900 – 4.000 MHz (75 meters) 15.100 – 15.800 MHz (19 meters)

4.750 – 5.060 MHz (60 meters) 17.480 – 17.900 MHz (16 meters)

5.900 – 6.200 MHz (49 meters) 18.900 – 19.020 MHz (15 meters)

7.100 – 7.350 MHz (41 meters) 21.450 – 21.750 MHz (13 meters)

9.400 – 9.990 MHz (31 meters) 25.600 – 26.100 MHz (11 meters)

Antenna:

LW/MW .................................................................................................... Built-In

SW ................................................................... Telescoping or Optional External

FM .................................................................................................... Telescoping

Output ............................................................................... 300 mW @ 10% THD

Jacks:

External Power .................................................................................... DC IN 6V

Stereo Headphones ................................................................................ 1/8-Inch

AM External Antenna .......................................................................... DC IN 6V

Record Standby ........................................................................... 3/32-Inch Mono

Record Line Out ............................................................................ 1/8-Inch Mono

Power Sources:

Primary ......................................................................................... 4 AA Batteries

AC (Requires Optional Adapter) ....................... 6V/300mA, Center Tip Negative

DC (Requires Optional Adapter) ...................... 6V/300mA, Center Tip Negative

Battery Life (with Alkaline Batteries) ........................................ 13 Hours @ 50 mW

Dimensions (HWD) ............................. 51/8 × 83/4 × 11/4 Inches (130 × 223 × 33 mm)

Weight (without batteries) ............................................................... 24.7 oz (700 g)

Included Accessory ......................................................................... Carrying Pouch

Specifications are typical; individual units might vary. Specifications are subject to

change and improvement without notice.

NOTES

RadioShack

A Division of Tandy Corporation

Fort Worth, Texas 76102

3818626A

08A00 Printed in Taiwan

Limited Ninet

-Da

Warrant

This product is warranted b

RadioShack a

ainst manufacturin

defects in material and workman-

ship under normal use for ninet

(

)

s from the date of purchase from RadioShack compan

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

CONTAINED HEREIN. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RadioShack SHALL HAVE NO LIABIL-

ITY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO CUSTOMER OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY WITH RE-

SPECT TO ANY LIABILITY, LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY USE

OR PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCT OR ARISING OUT OF ANY BREACH OF THIS WAR-

RANTY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM INCONVE-

NIENCE, LOSS OF TIME, DATA, PROPERTY, REVENUE, OR PROFIT OR ANY INDIRECT,

SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF RadioShack HAS BEEN AD-

VISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Some states do not allow the limitations on how lon

an implied warrant

lasts or the exclusion of in-

cidental or conse

uential dama

es, so the above limitations or exclusions ma

not appl

ou.

In the event of a product defect durin

the warrant

period, take the product and the RadioShack

sales receipt as proof of purchase date to an

RadioShack store. RadioShack will, at its option, un-

less otherwise provided b

law:

(

)

correct the defect b

product repair without char

e for parts and

labor;

(

)

replace the product with one of the same or similar desi

n; or

(

)

refund the purchase

price. All replaced parts and products, and products on which a refund is made, become the prop-

ert

of RadioShack. New or reconditioned parts and products ma

be used in the performance of

warrant

service. Repaired or replaced parts and products are warranted for the remainder of the

ori

inal warrant

period. You will be char

ed for repair or replacement of the product made after the

expiration of the warrant

period.

This warrant

does not cover:

(

)

dama

e or failure caused b

or attributable to acts of God, abuse,

accident, misuse, improper or abnormal usa

e, failure to follow instructions, improper installation or

maintenance, alteration, li

htnin

or other incidence of excess volta

e or current;

(

)

repairs

other than those provided b

a RadioShack Authorized Service Facilit

;

(

)

consumables such as

fuses or batteries;

(

)

cosmetic dama

(

)

transportation, shippin

or insurance costs; or

(

)

costs

of product removal, installation, set-up service ad

ustment or reinstallation.

This warrant

ives

ou specific le

al ri

hts, and

ou ma

also have other ri

hts which var

from

state to state.

RadioShack Customer Relations, 200 Ta

lor Street, 6th Floor, Fort Worth, TX 76102

We Service What We Sell

04/99

Radio Shack Dx 398 Users Manual 20 228

DX-398 to the manual 2828f44b-2881-4384-8d18-79bb2953eb93

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