OWNER'S MANUAL Cat. No. 20-228 DX-398 All-Band Shortwave Receiver with Radio Data System Please read before using this equipment. FEATURES Your RadioShack DX-398 All-Band Shortwave Receiver with Radio Data System brings you the voices of the world. In the 14 international shortwave (SW) bands, you can hear news broadcasts and other programs from sources around the world, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Cairo, and Radio Beijing. You can set your receiver so it displays Radio Data System (RDS) call letters of those stations that transmit an RDS signal. You can get emergency information firsthand by listening to amateur radio broadcasts, including single sideband (SSB) voice transmissions. In the longwave (LW) band, you can hear ship-to-shore calls, other marine and aeronautical services, and sometimes even hurricane reports. You can also tune to local broadcasts in the FM and medium-wave (MW) bands. (In the United States, we commonly call the MW band the AM band.) In addition, you can connect a cassette recorder to the receiver's record line out and standby jacks so you can directly record your favorite programs live or at a preset time. Your receiver's features include: Digital Synthesized Radio -- ensures 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 -- formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time) or to the local time of a city in another time zone. World Time Zone -- provides the correct time for 42 cities worldwide, once you set your local time. Search Tuning -- scans up or down the band for the next station. Memory Tuning -- stores up to 306 frequencies so you can quickly select your favorite stations. Priority Button -- lets you quickly store and recall your favorite station. © 1997, 1999 Tandy Corporation. All Rights Reserved. RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation. 2 Auto Tuning System (ATS) -- the receiver finds the stations with strong signals and stores them in memory in order by signal strength. Rotary Tuning Dial -- lets you manually tune desired frequencies. You can select a higher tuning increment for faster tuning or a lower one for fine tuning, or lock the dial to prevent accidentally changing the tuned frequency. Memory Lock -- prevents accidental frequency changes. Control Lock -- prevents accidental setting changes. Sleep Timer -- lets you set the receiver 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 frequency step used by many other countries. 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 reduce interference from adjacent stations 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 frequencies 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 Indicator -- displays the battery's power and the strength of the received signal. Memo Label -- lets you record helpful information such as the memory location numbers of your favorite stations. Three Power Options -- let you power 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). 3 Your receiver is preset to cover the following bands: Band (Meters) Frequency Range (MHz) 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 interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Your receiver might cause TV or radio interference even when it is 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 electrical circuit from the TV or radio · contacting your local RadioShack store for help If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC requires that you stop using your receiver. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by RadioShack could void the user's FCC authorization to operate this equipment. 120 ................................ 2.300­2.495 90 .................................. 3.200­3.400 75 .................................. 3.900­4.000 60 .................................. 4.750­5.060 49 .................................. 5.900­6.200 41 .................................. 7.100­7.350 31 .................................. 9.400­9.990 25 .............................. 11.600­12.100 21 .............................. 13.500­13.870 19 .............................. 15.100­15.800 16 .............................. 17.480­17.900 15 .............................. 18.900­19.020 13 .............................. 21.450­21.750 11 .............................. 25.600­26.100 4 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 ................................................................................................. Turning the Receiver On and Off ................................................................... Lighting the Display ....................................................................................... Locking the Controls ..................................................................................... Setting and Viewing the Local Time .............................................................. Viewing a World Time ................................................................................... Changing a World City Name ........................................................................ Tuning Stations .............................................................................................. Selecting a Band .................................................................................... Manual Tuning ........................................................................................ Direct Access Tuning .............................................................................. Scan Tuning ............................................................................................ Tuning Preprogrammed Shortwave Stations ................................................. DX-398 Shortwave Pages Chart ................................................................... Adjusting the Tone ......................................................................................... Special Tuning Controls ................................................................................ STEREO/MONO-FM .............................................................................. WIDE/NARR.-AM ................................................................................... AM RF GAIN ........................................................................................... Tuning SSB Stations ..................................................................................... Using RDS .................................................................................................... 15 15 15 15 16 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 20 21 24 24 24 24 24 25 25 5 Memory Functions ............................................................................................. Storing FM, MW, or LW Frequencies in Memory ........................................... Automatic Storage ................................................................................... Manual Storage ....................................................................................... Storing SW Frequencies in Memory .............................................................. Assigning a Name to an FM/MW/LW Station or SW Page ............................ Deleting a Station You Stored ........................................................................ Locking/Unlocking a Stored Station ............................................................... Moving a Frequency to Another Memory Location ........................................ Using Priority ................................................................................................. Timer Functions ................................................................................................. Using the Timer Alarms ................................................................................. Setting an Alarm ..................................................................................... Silencing the Alarm ................................................................................. Using the Snooze Feature ...................................................................... Turning a Timer Alarm On or Off ............................................................. Timer Recording ..................................................................................... Using the Sleep Timer ................................................................................... Listening Hints ................................................................................................... Reference Sources ........................................................................................ Frequency Conversion ................................................................................... Band Allocation .............................................................................................. Amateur Radio Frequencies ................................................................... International Frequencies ........................................................................ Aircraft Frequencies ................................................................................ Ships and Coastal Station Frequencies .................................................. Time Standard Frequencies .................................................................... Longwave Band ....................................................................................... Listening Guide .................................................................................................. Birdies ................................................. ...