Thanx for that info! Sadly, I am not electronically inclined & would not
dare to attempt repairs myself!

"D Peter Maus" wrote in message
...
Lisa Simpson wrote:
I purchased an ATS-803A a while ago off ebay, and must say I am
singularly
unimpressed with it; it is absolutely deaf off the supplied 54" attached
telescoping antenna, no better off a replacement 72" telescoping
antenna,
barely any better off a 35 foot dipole, and marginally better off an
external eavesdropper "C" antenna. Even sent it in to RS to have it
checked
over, they sent it back "tweaked" & "tuned" $35 & 2 weeks later, to no
avail.

Having said all that, there is a Yahoo newsgroup you can probably d/l
the
manual from: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sangean803/

You'd be much better off getting a Kaito KA1101 or 1103, a Grundig Mini
300
PE, a Realistic DX-302 or 394 IMHO.


Sounds like an ATS-803 a friend has. The problem turned out to be the
connection from the whip to the board, and the switch between the whip
and the antenna connector. Addressed that connection, cleaned up the
switch, it was good as new. To the degree that he listened to the
handover of Hong Kong on the BBC in his basement off the whip.

Your problem may not have been that simple, but it's a decent place
to start.

Then again, if your front end was overloaded, an FET may have needed
replacement. Also not a great problem, given that the ATS-803 board is
thru-hole, not SMT.

One other problem with the ATS-803 I've seen is the tails on the
through-hole components tend to be long enough, that when assembled,
they touch the other boards, and the shields on them, creating
intermittent problems.

Trim the tails on all visible components and the problems go away.




wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi, I'm a novice in most SW ways -- primarily a listener who enjoys
foreign news, music, and cultural programs.
I bought a new Sangean ATS-803A a long time ago, around 1989 I think,
and used it off and on for a year or two, then put it on a shelf and
forgot about it.
A couple of weeks ago while reorganizing a messy storage room next to
my study, I discovered the radio and put it back into service at once.
I'd forgotten how great it is and how much pleasure SW can provide.
It's like getting a brand new outlet all over again.
On the strength of that, I recently bought a Passport to World Band
Radio 2005 and am beginning to find my way around.
But I can't find the instruction manual that must have come with the
ATS-803A, so I have little idea how to make full use out of it.
For example, I can't figure out how to set the time, now that new
batteries have been installed. That's a simple matter, I know, but I've
already said I'm a novice!
If someone can tell me in Basic English how to do that first step, I'll
be thankful.
And if anyone is willing to photocopy parts of the manual that you
think helpful to a starter, I'll be doubly thankful and happy to
reimburse you for expense of photocopying and mailing. (I live in NE
Vermont.)

Parenthetically, finding the ATS-803A saved me some money. After
becoming interested in SW again, and thinking of an easily portable
unit, I was about to order a Grundig S350 when I remembered the Sangean
and found it impressive. It may be a bit old fashioned, but I bet it's
more solidly built than many of today's portable units.

Cheers,

Bill