DXers Notebook - #6903

We continue on our quest for the best portable receiver, with information this time on the DX-398.

Bill Hale <phantom2@eaze.net>: Taking advantage of the $150 price tag, I bought a DX-398. Had to call seven area stores before I found one that was not a demo model. So far, after only a couple of hours of tinkering with the controls, I'm very pleased with the way it works. Am anxious to compare it against the -2010.

One question I have right away... is there a way to shut off the 'beep' that sounds after entering a station manually?? It is annoying! I can't find anything in the instruction book that covers that feature.

If anyone has any "tips and tricks" for the DX-398, please pass them on.

Thomas Giella, KN4LF: Try http://northshore.shore.net/~dmoisan/faqs/sangean/ats909faq.html#top for the beeping problem. Seems I've seen one or two other 909/398 user groups also, so you might try a search on Google.com.

Kevin Redding <amfmtvdx@qwest.net>: Bill, You WANT to try this URL. Its everything you wanted to now about the DX-398 but were afraid to ask. http://www1.shore.net/~dmoisan/faqs/sangean/ats909faq.html

Ron Gitschier <RGITSCHIER@doyle.navy.mil>: No tips on the beep. You'd have to do surgery to get rid of that noise, if it can be disabled at all... I don't know.

What I wanted to point out to the members of the list here, is that most everyone will bemoan how the DX-398 eats AA batteries. So, what I did as a back up system is bought a 4-D cell holder and DC input plug and wired the two together, paying special attention to the polarity. Parts readily available at Radio Shack for a couple of dollars or so for each part. I use Eveready Industrial Alkaline D size batteries when I'm running short on AA's, especially at sea. I haven't measured the time it takes to kill the D batteries yet. That's my ready-made answer to the AA hungry radio. I reverse the leads and use it for my 6 Volt personal CD player too.

From my experience, if you by chance reverse the power leads in the DC IN and plug it into the DX-398, no damage occurs from reverse polarity.

My primary on the road aircheck machine, a Sony CFS-B15, uses 4 D batteries very economically (AM/FM Cass small analog tuned portable ), so I'm more inclined to stock up on D batteries than AA's when going to sea. I also use an Aiwa older model AM-FM stereo/Cass recorder (Walkman size, digital tuning), and can use two D batteries for it if I wanted to. It's not economical on AA batteries.

Bill Hale: Thanks to all who responded to my question about the DX-398, both via the group and personally. It seems like a darn good little radio!!

Kevin Redding: Ron, et. al., The DX-398 is an AA killer. I will agree with that. It will DX for a few days then toast the batteries. I liked this idea (the back up battery system) so much that I did it myself. About 2 minutes with the soldering iron and I was done. Here’s what you need.

1 p/n 273-1740 power cord $2.99

1 p/n 270-0389 4 D cell holder $1.79

1 p/n 273-1716 "M" adaptaplug $1.99 [check to make sure this is the right one]

1 - 2 inch piece of solder

Electrical tape to wrap solder joints.

The power cord is 6'. You can make it as long as you want. The thing has two adaptaplug ends. I took the thing and folded the wire in half and snipped it with a pair of dikes and then stripped and tinned the ends of the wire. I took the end of the white stripe wire from the power cord and soldered it to the red [+] side of the battery holder. I took the black wire from, the battery holder [-] and soldered it to the black wire of the power cord. I wrapped the exposed wires with electrical tape and I had the adaptaplug tip from before, and think its an "M" p/n 273-1716. Put the tip as negative and plug the bad boy in.

What I like about it is that when the plug is in, the backlight on the LCD stays on and you can see the thing at night. The DX-398 shuts the battery off after about 2 minutes to save the precious power from the AA’s.

If you find out how long it takes (to kill the D batteries), let me know. I am sure you could do it with a 4 C cell holder too if you wanted things to be smaller but I want the thing to run as long as it can so I went with the D cells too.

I have a wall wart for the DX-398 and I plugged it in backwards and nothing happened. I guess they are diode protected.

I liked your idea an awful lot. Now I won't be running to the store for AA’s all the time and if the D cells ever drain, I can use the AA’s as backup until I get more Ds.

Thomas Giella, KN4LF: I picked up a DX-398/ATS-909 today from my Radio Shack store and in time will report my performance findings. I also picked up the little DX-399/ATS-606? for casual bedside listening. The DX-399 is the copy of the ATS-606, correct?

Can somebody give me the straight scoop on how to connect an antenna to the DX-398 for the broadcast band? I've seen vague and often conflicting explanations on various websites.

I took an 1/8" stereo plug and soldered the center conductor of my RG-174 mini coax to the center ring of the plug and the braid to ground and all seems to work fine as far as signal strength. I'm using the Radio Shack loop for the antenna.

I'm withholding my performance findings for now, until I've really put the receiver through it's paces!

Kevin Redding: The center conductor HAS to go through both lugs on the stereo connector or it will not work. The RS PASSIVE loop does much better set at the end for inductive working than the antenna input. I love my DX-398. Perhaps you saw my one day totals with the DX-398 and the Signal Magnet 2 antenna. The proof is in the pudding.

Thomas Giella: Anyone ever seen this – "NOTE: This is a stereo jack (manual is wrong) and if you do not use a stereo plug into this "Line Jack", it will short out the middle ring connection on this 1/8" stereo phone jack and speaker will distort."

Kevin Redding: I've seen it and have heard it but have never used the line out jack. I am very interested in what you find with this.

Thomas Giella. KN4LF: I've played with my new DX-398 for a week plus now and here is what I've found. I didn't pay much attention to LW/SW/FM yet but on MW it's more sensitive and selective then my DX-399, DX-390, CC Radio and of course then my old ICF-6700W but not near as good as the FT-840. Remember though I'm actually comparing this receiver to other portables, not a $1000+ desk top communications receiver. As follows are the good and bad I've noticed so far but I may have overlooked a few things.

Good-

1. No IMD when backing off on RF gain control.

2. The clocks are accurate.

3. Sensitivity is surprisingly good with the built in loop stick, plays better on the R.S. passive loop, even better on my homebrew 3' box loop and amazing on the EWE.

4. Dynamic range good but of course becomes a squealing IMD pig on the big 160 meter antennas with the RF gain wide open but fine with a preselector closing the wide front end of the receiver.

5. Good selectivity for DXing.

6. Rock solid stable.

7. SSB works well.

8. Fast AGC. I've seen complaints of to slow an AGC action but not on my unit.

9. Built well except undersized support bale.

10. Dial light stays on when using power adapter.

Bad-

1. With volume control at minimum audio is still heard.

2. Wide filter to narrow for program listening, muddies audio BUT it sounds much better through my Sony digital headphones.

3. Narrow filter to wide.

4. Headphones jack touchy.

5. Only narrow filter is selectable on SSB.

I tried the stereo patchcord from the record output jack and it made no difference, as record output audio is NOT distorted to begin with to my Radio Shack CTR-62 tape recorder.

It will become my primary portable receiver on MW and second only to the FT-840.

Bill Hale: Thanks for the good words about 'my new receiver', hi. In a word or two, I'm very pleased with it's performance. As noted, it's very sensitive on MW and the sound thru the speaker is, to my non- sensitive ears, great. I especially like the idea of the dial light staying on while using the AC adapter. The comment about the base being on the light side is valid. Although it hasn't happened yet, I can envision the receiver toppling over with the antenna fully extended and not directed straight up.

On the FM side, I'm surprised to see only two stations here in the Fort Worth-Dallas market utilize the RDS, and both are religious formatted: KCBI 90.9 and KLTY 94.9. It's a shame that more stations don't use that feature. Can't imagine it costs that much on the sending end. All-in-all, it looks like the DX-398 will provide excellent service for a long time to come.

Kevin Redding: I have a DX-398 and was surprised that it was better and more selective than the CCRadio. If the SRIII had digital it would be better than a CCRadio. Right, it’s NOT a Drake R-8. It’s VERY good as a portable. Probably the best portable you can get. I like it A LOT more than the Grundig PE-400 and its a good radio.

The radio is good with its loopstick. IT IS GREAT WITH ANY EXTERNAL ANTENNA. The little radio is definitely the radio that could. The CCRadio is $160 and this radio that’s much better, does more and beats it all the way around is $10 cheaper than the CCRadio. You really get your moneys worth with this radio.

The selectivity on this is better than the SR III and beats the pants off the CCRadio. It will tune 40Hz increments and is solid as granite. The volume has to go up a little more than I like to break the hysteresis to open it to both earphones while they are plugged in. Still, there’s a lot more good than bad on this set. I think that it’s a winner all the way around. Probably the best deal of the year for $150.

What’s an FT-840?

Here are some comments on other portables that were made during the course of the discussions highlighted the last couple of columns.

Doug Smith W9WI <w9wi@w9wi.com>: In the small and fairly DX-worthy radio department, I came up with a pleasant surprise at the Nashville Hamfest this spring: a Grundig YB 400PE. For well under $100 in the flea market. It's proven to be a pretty good deal, reasonably DX-worthy on both AM and FM, and a reasonable performer on shortwave as well.

Kevin Redding: That’s a nice enough radio. I still like the DX-398 better as the reception on mine is about the same but that RDS on FM is so nice during an E-skip opening. If you got it under $100 you got a smokin' deal. Although I have played with one, I don't own one. Can you connect an external antenna to it?

Eric C. Loy <obvious@prairienet.org>: As far as portable AM radios go- I'm just glad my old TRF 12-655 is still working!

Kevin Redding: I had one of those. Its nice but I wasn't extremely impressed. They are one of those radios that does a lot for the money. It WAS better than the CCRadio for MW DX. The thing didn't overload so bad. If it had digital it would have been a real nice radio but if it had digital, it wouldn't be as cheap as it was.

Rick Kenneally <woodlandview@yahoo.com>: My TRF is on the shelf right next to the Sony 7600G. Both have their uses. The secret with the TRF is drilling the hole in the back to give you access to the trimmer cap that allows you to adjust the mixer to the exact frequency you're on. Once you do that, sensitivity (and selectivity) are amazing for the price.

We also look at some table-top receivers this time to complement all of the recent information on portables.

David J. Twiggs <aa1jm@snet.net>: What I want to mention is there are some very good used receivers out there which wouldn't cost much more but are light-years ahead of any portable I've heard yet, (of course barring the 2010 which as I stated I have never listened with.)

I'm currently using a Yaesu FRG-7, a communications receiver from the late 1970's which has above average sensitivity and selectivity, (as long as you are talking 10 kHz separation; split frequencies can be hairy if the neighbors are loud.) The biggest reason I'm using one is because I always wanted one when I was a kid and couldn't afford one! But it's still a good receiver going for @$200.

I would highly recommend the Icom R70 or R71 which is going for @$300 on the used market... it's a table top radio, very selective and sensitive, almost a professional quality receiver.

I had the opportunity to play with a Japan Radio NRD-535 for a while which had everything going for it... couldn't afford one though... big money.

Also check out some ham rigs... my Yaesu FT-757GXII does very nice on MW, pass band tuning is great for digging out ID's. Most ham transceivers made in the last decade or so are general coverage receive and have more filtering options than the average communications receiver. The latest stuff is boasting DSP filtering that is adjustable.

The most important aspect of any station is the antenna, and many time the receiver/ transceiver outshines the antenna it's hooked to. I too am using the Terk loop which works OK if there is a fair amount of signal present. Certainly works nicely for the money! But this last winter I wasn't able to hear any trans-Atlantic stations which several people were reporting and during the latest auroral conditions I haven't heard anything significant. So if possible you may want to look at your antenna and improve there. I may build a pennant soon and see what that does for me.

Harry Helms <ak6c@earthlink.net>: I strongly recommend AGAINST the Icom R70 or R71; the R71 was the worst "big ticket" MW receiver I have ever used. The audio just plain sucks----noisy and lots of distortion. Internal receiver noise is also high, and there is considerable noise leakage through the frequency display; you can't use a loop, especially an amplified one, within several feet of the R71.

The NRD-535 is a fine SW receiver, especially for utilities, but has similar (but not as bad) internal noise and audio problems plus a leaky frequency display. It's also expensive for what it does compared to alternatives.

Probably the best "DX-per-dollar" MW receiver is a used Drake R8 or R8A; you can find these on eBay for $400-$600. Another intriguing receiver, if you can do without a lot of bells and whistles, is the Palstar R30 equipped with the 2.4 kHz Collins mechanical filter. It's $550 new.

Kevin Redding <amfmtvdx@qwest.net>: How is it on MW Harry? What’s a good cheap communications receiver that kicks-a on MW? Don't care if its new or used?

Neil Kazaross <neilkaz@interaccess.com>: Mark Connelly has given the Palstar a pretty good review...it's not a R8B but it's also not over a grand and since you don't chase the toughest of tough splits (if I'm correct) I think it might be a good choice for you...if it can handle your strong locals (I'm not sure)

I agree with Harry about the R70,,even though most of my Ogunquit, ME early 80's DX was with it...it doesn't compare to an R8A in terms of audio. Also the R8A has a better and usable noise blanker. The R70 sucks when you try to listen to AM audio in LSB or USB whereas the R71A is better in that respect. My ears prefer the audio of the R8A to that of the R71A although in Nfld. Jean Burnell's R71A does a good job at grabbing the DX. I'd prefer to get a good used R8A myself.

Kevin Redding: Splits.....Nope, no use to chase after them here in AZ, it just doesn't get that far inland. As for locals, I am ringed by them. Lots of 5 and 50 kWers.

Scott - NH <sdk@worldpath.net>: Hi All, Does anyone know of or have any reviews on the performance of the Yaesu VR-5000 particularly for AMDX?

David J. Twiggs: At $300.00 the R-71A is still a great receiver... though I'm not denying your comments... I used mine primarily with wire antennas, and tri-band yagi as part of my ham station before the FT757 came along. PS I paid $100.00 and a Sony analog mini SW receiver for the R70 I had... one of my best "horse trades."

Patrick Martin <mwdxer@webtv.net>: I recently bought a Kenwood R-1000 for a back up receiver. I mainly use the Drake R-8, but I needed a backup with a noise blanker as I live near an electric fence. The noise blanker in the R-1000 works nearly as well as the one in the R8. In some cases better. Anyway, I changed a few things like change the selectivity for the 2.7 kHz SSB filter would work on AM (with the e mail help of Don Moman), and cut the cap for of the AGC circuit so the attack time would be faster. I found a bit of attenuation in the AM circuit, but the three resistors are buried on the main board, so at this time I really didn't care to tear into it. After discovering the separate MW antenna input was set at 1000 ohms, I decided to build a matching transformer as all my antennas are 72 ohm coax. What a difference! The gain jumped up close to 10 dB, but the S Meter. It did make a bit of difference though. I do need a preselector in the circuit. However, the sensitivity is about equal with the Drake R8. The R 1000 seems to have a decent low noise floor too. Tonight, playing around with the receiver, I found KVTK-1570-South Dakota with their 71 watts topping CKMW-MB off the Eastern Beverage, no preselector at that time. The receiver has been OK with Tahiti-738 and New Zealand-657/567 also, although the Drake R8 does better in ECSS and the passband tuning. I may replace the 2.7 kHz filter with something better at a later date. Not a bad receiver for a backup. I can't complain.

Bruce Conti <BACONTI@aol.com>: The reasons I didn't mention the AOR AR7030 are because of the price and the 15 VDC operation. By the time the AR7030 is outfitted with upgraded filters necessary for DXing, it's well above the cost of a Drake R8B. The AR7030 requires 15 VDC operation, which is very inconvenient for remote/car DXpeditioning. It will operate at 12 VDC, but the noise floor increases.

That doesn't mean that the Drake R8B doesn't have its eccentricities too. The R8B memory doesn't remember the time when you remove power. You could keep it plugged in, but it's an electricity vampire of the worst kind, draining 0.5 amps DC when off. The instruction manual even recommends that you unplug it when not in use for extended periods. And the R8B chassis is huge (by today's standards) in comparison to the AR7030. Following most airline carry-on limitations, if you carry the R8B then there's little or no room for anything else.

Neil Kazaross: I have one of these and while it seems somewhat better able to handle super strong signals than my R8A, a drawback is that the noise blanker does a MUCH worse job on line noise than the R8A. The 15 V requirement is a PAIN in the neck, so I use my R8A mobile. I use the set to travel with. It's size is so handy and it is a great performer when I take it to Nfld. The 7030+ seems to have gotten a bit pricy since I bought mine direct from the UK a few years ago.

Mauno Ritola <ritola@pp.inet.fi>: Bruce and Neil, have you really noted the noise floor increase? I haven't noted any difference between mains and car battery. I have some sparkling noise though in the cottage, but I haven't thought it could be caused by the power source. Would a 15 V battery be worth the investment? BTW, I think a Murata CFJ455K4 is a very good and relatively cheap filter...

Rick Kunath <k9ao@portup.com>: I am also wondering about that, I had intended to do some DXing at 12 volts, and would appreciate any experiences you who have tried it might have. I guess I am stumped as to where to get a 15-volt battery, unless one adds a cell to a 12-volt unit.

I have a set of filters in mine that measure at 2.0, 3.6, 3.8, 4.5, 5.0, and the stock 9.5. The 3.6 and 4.5 are Collins mechanical units, and when the signals are tight really make a difference. I notice much more readable audio on the 3.6 than the 3.8 when the signal is weaker, but with a stronger signal sometimes the 3.8 is more readable. The difference can be remarkable when the 3.6 works. I guess if I were going to get one, the 3.6 would be my choice; the 3.8 and 5.0 ceramics are standard as is the 2.0, and the 9.5. I do not see all that much advantage to the 4.5, although sometimes under crowded conditions I am able to use it to get clean copy rather than narrowing further. Not often, I am afraid.

David P. Jones <dpjones@nlkj.com>: I just purchased the Kloss Model One table radio. What have y'all heard about this radio? Did I make a mistake? I just wanted something for my kitchen table.

Kevin Redding: I hear its a great sounding very sensitive FM radio. My friend in Minneapolis tells me he loves his on FM. He says the AM is a joke though. You will absolutely love the FM section.