Radio Shack DX 390 SW AM LW reception Problem
MICHAEL WILLIAM TENCZAR
Hello everyone:
I am having trouble with my DX 390 radio. The FM portion works fine, but
the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
Even the AM broadcast band is effected. The normally real strong stations
come in at S1 or less. Most of the time I just get static. Is this
a typical problem with this receiver, or is it just my receiver?
Radio Shack is fixing my receiver since it is under an extended warranty.
The salesman says this problem is not typical.
--
Life is like a box of Chocolate... Your never know what you will get.
Forest Gump
Dov Bai-MSI Visitor
MICHAEL WILLIAM TENCZAR (ten...@aztec.asu.edu) wrote:
: Hello everyone:
: I am having trouble with my DX 390 radio. The FM portion works fine, but
: the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
: Even the AM broadcast band is effected. The normally real strong stations
: come in at S1 or less. Most of the time I just get static. Is this
: a typical problem with this receiver, or is it just my receiver?
: Radio Shack is fixing my receiver since it is under an extended warranty.
: The salesman says this problem is not typical.
: --
No, I dont have a problem like this with my DX-392 ( which is the same as
the DX 390 but has also cassete recorder ).
Dov
Zachary Babayco
In article <4mismd$k...@news.asu.edu> ten...@aztec.asu.edu (MICHAEL WILLIAM TENCZAR) writes:
>
>Hello everyone:
>
>I am having trouble with my DX 390 radio. The FM portion works fine, but
>the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
>Even the AM broadcast band is effected. The normally real strong stations
>come in at S1 or less. Most of the time I just get static. Is this
>a typical problem with this receiver, or is it just my receiver?
>Radio Shack is fixing my receiver since it is under an extended warranty.
>The salesman says this problem is not typical.
No problems here. I got my DX-390 yesterday, and so far I've been able
to get quite a few stations in - AM, shortwave, some hams, etc. You
might want to make sure that you're not scanning with the BFO on, and
that the AM Narrow/Wide switch is set to Wide. That setup seems to work
best for me.
--
za...@netcom.com
za...@odyline.com
David Feustel
Zachary Babayco (za...@netcom.com) wrote:
: --
: za...@netcom.com
: za...@odyline.com
Are you by chance living close to a TV, FM or AM transmitter tower?
A very strong signal can cause the radio to lose sensitivity.
--
feu...@netcom.com
Dave Feustel N9MYI - NRA Life
Fort Wayne, IN For PGP Public Key, finger feu...@netcom.com
219-483-1857 Or else access http://www.mixi.net/~feustel/
Jim Shaffer, Jr.
In article <4mismd$k...@news.asu.edu> ten...@aztec.asu.edu (MICHAEL WILLIAM TENCZAR) writes:
> I am having trouble with my DX 390 radio. The FM portion works fine, but
> the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
> Even the AM broadcast band is effected. The normally real strong stations
> come in at S1 or less. Most of the time I just get static. Is this
> a typical problem with this receiver, or is it just my receiver?
> Radio Shack is fixing my receiver since it is under an extended warranty.
> The salesman says this problem is not typical.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It hasn't happened to mine yet, but from what I've seen on the newsgroup
over the years, the problem *is* typical. It results from static electricity
blowing out the first field-effect transistor in the RF section. It's about
a $0.99 part, so it's good you're not paying them to put it in.
--
* From the disk of: | jsha...@mail.csrlink.net | "there's a hell of
Jim Shaffer, Jr. | // | a good universe
37 Brook Street | Watch this space: // | next door; let's go"
Montgomery, PA 17752 | sig under construction \\// | (e.e. cummings)
robert bowman
>: the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
i had two DX 390s, and they both had this problem. they would work
fine for a while, and then would lockup. they would recover, after
muttering incantations. (i never could figure out why, but after
taking batteries out, etc, etc, they would work.) i think the processor
locks, and doesn't synthesize, or something.
they both failed within 30 days, from two different RS stores. i got
my money back and bought a Satellit 700.
dsi...@delphi.com
Michael,
Regarding your problem with am reception (mw,lw,sw) with your
Radio Shack 390 (aka Sangean 803a) receiver, I have been monitoring
this newsgroup for several years. I have had the same problem you have
described. The following are some of the posts that have been made.
Sounds like your problem. Several people have also found the solution.
Radio Shack and Sangean officially deny the problem exists, but it does.
I had a Sangean tech tell me the facts. Hope these posts help you out.
Dave
-------------------------------------------------
Your message mentioned zapping the front end of the Sangean
The front end of the Sangean 803A/DX440 has an FET which will
blow. It's Q115. Radio Shack used to sell the part which you
can use as a replacement, it's MPF102 and sells for 79 cents
(US). Hope this is useful.
-------------------------------------------
There have been numerous posts lon this newsnet regarding
zapping Sangean FETs with static electricity when using an
external antenna. Sangean admits this can happen.
Does anyone have any experiences to report of this happening
WITHOUT USE OF AN EXTERNAL ANTENNA?
Has anyone had their radio loose sensitivity when it has been
possible to have had a static electric charge go through the
radio?
-------------------------------------------
It happened to me, yes it did, I was sitting in my comfy chair
with my thinly veiled Sangean (RS DX-390) and the antenna
touched the lampstand which happened to be brass and well
grounded /******/ZAP/***********>,
Oh fabulous day, a warranty repair. (bought extended warranty
from RS""""""""Thinks: when DX390 is discontinued by the nice
Radio Shack people, there will still be a lot of static
electricity around.
-------------------------------------------
I have not had any problems with static electricity with my
2010 since I installed diodes in the antenna line, and kept my
old air-gap lightening arrestors in line (over the last 6
years or so at least). so the anecdotal evidence from you
perspective is pretty good!
-------------------------------------------
I'd imagine there is a large environmental effect to all this.
Years of reading the net has suggested to me that people in
the US have big problems with static in the colder months when
the air gets dry?
Here in Australia static is not such a big problem...this may
explain why my Sangean ATS-808 is and has been happy for quite
some time. It's a rare day in my part of the world you have
static trouble.
-------------------------------------------
When the FET blows shortwave reception goes completely dead,
even the strongest broadcasts i.e. BBC no longer can be heard
at full volume. AM sensitivity goes way down but strong
stations still come in. FM does not seem to be affected in any
way.
Watch out for static when connecting the antenna I have gotten
zapped twice. In the future I plan to onlyu use inductive
coupling in the winter months or even year around, the small
improvement in reception on the weak stations is just not
worth the risk. The whip on the 390 actually does a very good
job for the radio in my experience, the advantage provided by
the antenna is small. In fact I believe the external antenna
connection does not get any attenuation so a strong antenna
can actually overload the selectivity of the tune actually
making reception worse with the strong broadcasts dominating
the bands.
-------------------------------------------
I really like my DX-390. The whip doesn't seem to bring in the
stations as well as my DX350 but I ran a 140 foot 22 guage
solid copper horizontal antenna to a big tree outside and put
an aligator clip to the whip and it REALLY improved my
reception.
-------------------------------------------
I wast just notified that an UNGROUNDED longwire antenna
attached to the whip of a DX390 with an aligator clip can
cause electrostatic DAMAGE to the radio.....Be advised
-------------------------------------------
TRUE, I had my Sangean 803A blow an FET one winter storm,
heard all this cracking noise, and all of the signals went
down, blow the recv FET transistor inside it. I fixed it my
self, only a few minutes to do it, but a pain to find the same
type of FET.
-------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
DX-390 - Sangean ATS-818 Zapped
From: Peter Costello <p...@ios.com>
Date: 31 Mar 1996 00:01:28 GMT (Page 1 of 1)
My portable Shortwave Radio, Radio Shack DX-390, fell victim to the
power of a static discharge to the antenna. My attempt to locate the articles
posted on and about the problem and the procedure to replace the blown
FET/transitors, I came up empty handed.
I have the DX-390 "Service Manual for the DX-390" from Radio Shack.
For future reference the radio has a catalog number of 20-214 and the number
for the service manual with schematics is: RSU Number: 10823037.
The suspected part would appear to be the "Q1" FET. The part number
is listed as: FET 2SK291Q.
Contacting two Radio Shack stores and an electronics parts house was not
much help. There is no Radio Shack cross referenced FET stocked in their stores.
The electronics parts house showed no cross reference at all. Radio shack will
send me what they claim is a replacement: Number 11335486.
Before I do the required surgery I would like to know what others may have
done or discovered. if you have repaired a DX-390 or the Sangean equivalent,
can you help? Is Q1 the FET to replace? What part(s) should be purchased to
replace the defective one(s)?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Costello - Shortwave/Radio Catalog http://itre.ncsu.edu/radio/
E-mail: p...@ios.com ^^^^
"In the future everyone will be famous for 15 Megabytes" - Rocktopolis Inc.
Michael,
These are just some of the over 5000 lines of copy I have saved on this
problem. Lots of people have the dreaded static disease on their Sangeans.
Don't get me wrong. I love my Sangean. But keep away from the antenna when
you walk across a carpet in cold dry weather.
David
Dennis Nuetzel
In article <4mismd$k...@news.asu.edu>,
ten...@aztec.asu.edu (MICHAEL WILLIAM TENCZAR) wrote:
>I am having trouble with my DX 390 radio. The FM portion works fine, but
>the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
>Even the AM broadcast band is effected. The normally real strong stations
>come in at S1 or less. Most of the time I just get static. Is this
>a typical problem with this receiver, or is it just my receiver?
>Radio Shack is fixing my receiver since it is under an extended warranty.
>The salesman says this problem is not typical.
That salesman is more full of crap than a Thanksgiving turkey! Just about
six months ago there was thread on this newsgroup of people (including myself)
who have had the same problems with that reciever. What happened most likely
is that two diodes in the antenna circuit burned out from a static electricity
over charge.
I had one radio replaced two weeks after buying it, and the replacement
radio repaired after it happened again about 1 1/2 years later.
rego
Dov Bai-MSI Visitor (b...@msiadmin.cit.cornell.edu) wrote:
: MICHAEL WILLIAM TENCZAR (ten...@aztec.asu.edu) wrote:
: : Hello everyone:
: : I am having trouble with my DX 390 radio. The FM portion works fine, but
: : the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
: : Even the AM broadcast band is effected. The normally real strong stations
: : come in at S1 or less. Most of the time I just get static. Is this
: : a typical problem with this receiver, or is it just my receiver?
: : Radio Shack is fixing my receiver since it is under an extended warranty.
: : The salesman says this problem is not typical.
: : --
: No, I dont have a problem like this with my DX-392 ( which is the same as
: the DX 390 but has also cassete recorder ).
: Dov
--
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotemy!
Mark Menkhus
ten...@aztec.asu.edu (MICHAEL WILLIAM TENCZAR) wrote:
>Hello everyone:
>I am having trouble with my DX 390 radio. The FM portion works fine, but
>the SW, AM and Longwave portions receive no stations, or very weak.
>Even the AM broadcast band is effected. The normally real strong stations
>come in at S1 or less. Most of the time I just get static. Is this
>a typical problem with this receiver, or is it just my receiver?
>Radio Shack is fixing my receiver since it is under an extended warranty.
>The salesman says this problem is not typical.
>--
>Life is like a box of Chocolate... Your never know what you will get.
> Forest Gump
I just returned my 390 to the store when this happend to me. I would
have got another one, but even the store's demo model had the same
problem. I REALLY liked this radio and was GREATLY disappointed
it was so easy to blow out the front end.
What is there that is as good as the 390 or the Sangean? I am
replacing my analog Panasonic RF-2200 and really liked all
the great SWL features and the price of the 390.
The Radio Shack catalog has a model 394, that seems to have the
same features as the 390, but in a "base station" config ($400 US).
Mark Menkhus