Plaaying around with the DX398 I have found
that a "strong" singal is much better then a weak
one. I just ran 100' of wire and laid it on the newly
fallen snow. Wtih no matching tranformer. (as an aside,
antennas work much better if errected in bad weather,
in fact the worst the weather the better the performance!).
By winding the wire in and out, I have it on a military spool,
I found that the DX398 is much happier with a strong signal.
I don't have access to equipment to measure the exact signal
required, and I don't think the ARRL lab comparison of the
DX398 with other portables adressed that issue.
And yes my wife is convinced that I am insane.
But she willingly helps me with thes odd experiments.
At some point I am going to have to errect an antenna "just for her".
I am just glad she hasn't grabed one of my R2000s!
(My original R2000 is showing it's age, I took it on one too
many picnics and I hope to restore it in the near future. The tuning
has gotten very touchy and I tend to use it for a dedicated WWV
receiver at the moment.)
Terry

"Scott A." wrote in message
...
You're right. Seems my radio is working fine. I've moved my radio and
hooked up the not-so-great amplified sw antenna I bought at RS about the
same time as the radio. It sounds just fine now. Noisy, but very clear.

Try turning the RF Gain/ Attenuator down until it sounds like you want it.
Makes a lot of difference.

Just got done listening to a little story about an acid flashback. I even
sent them an email at the address they broadcast.

btw, I'm planning on building a "broomstick" antenna. I know it's not the
best thing, but it's cheap, easy, and portable. I'm thinking it will
bring
broadcasts like this in much better. I can probably even use it with the
amplified antenna.

In article . com,
wrote:

DX398 not DX380.
Terry

I confused the model numbers. The 398 does have SSB and the radio I own
the 380 does not.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

In article ,
"Scott A." wrote:

I believe you're mistaken. The DX-398 does have true usb and lsb. Press
the AM mode button to cycle through them.

I screwed up on the model numbers my radio is a 380.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Gosh am I red faced -- been complaining about PDF for months (years) --
didn't know about the text tool for copying text.

Guess it is a case of "When all else fails. Read the ^*^%%* Manual !!!

Thanks for the tip

Now where is that file I wanted to plagiarize (;-)

--
Caveat Lector



"Gary Brown" wrote in message
. com...
Used select text in Acrobat Reader to copy text from a pdf file...

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.



Gary K4GPB

"Scott A." wrote in message
...
I have a Radio Shack DX-398 that I bought in '97 or '98. Whenever I try to
listen to anything in either usb or lsb, it sounds sort of like the
chipmunks. The pitch just sounds wrong and unintelligable.

I don't have a lot of experience with swl, so I don't know if this is
normal or not. I would expect normal AM broadcasts to be distorted, but
signals that I'm sure are ssb also sound bad.

(This problem comes to mind now because I was attempting to pick up the
pirate broadcast on 6925 mentioned on this newsgroup just a few minutes
ago, which I'm pretty sure is usb. I can pick it up. I even recognized
the old David Crosby song they were playing. But it's still un-
intelligable.)

Caveat Lector wrote:


Now where is that file I wanted to plagiarize (;-)

I believe the correct term is 'archive'





mike

It is not just a case of flipping a switch. I haven't had a 398 in several
years but the basics are, switch to sideband mode, set the tuning for lowest
posible tuning steps (40 hz in this radio) and use the tuning knob to tune
it in. If you can't get it tuned, you are in the wrong sideband. Switch to
the other and do it again. Likely, in this part of the spectrum, those
pirates are on lower sideband.
"Scott A." wrote in message
...
I don't quite know what you mean by "tune below it," but I wonder if
there's something wrong with my radio. It's always sounded like this in
SSB.

BTW, I'm in Fort Wayne, IN. Know where they're transmitting from?

Check again. The 398 is fully ssb capable.

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
wrote:

You should be able to tune it in. I have used my DX398 and have had
no trouble. Try tuning slowly above and below. I am receiving the
6.925 pirate (now Underground radio) in USB, so tune below it.

He is not complaining about picking the signal up but making it
understandable. You can't do this with DX-398. No SSB mode or BFO means
no SSB detection.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

In article ,
"CW" wrote:

Check again. The 398 is fully ssb capable.

"Telamon" wrote in message
..
.
In article .com,
wrote:

You should be able to tune it in. I have used my DX398 and have had
no trouble. Try tuning slowly above and below. I am receiving the
6.925 pirate (now Underground radio) in USB, so tune below it.

He is not complaining about picking the signal up but making it
understandable. You can't do this with DX-398. No SSB mode or BFO means
no SSB detection.

I did check again. I mixed up the model number. The 398 does have SSB
and the 380 I own does not. I read the post and then looked at my radio
and then commented on mine without noting the original post had a
different number. Dumb.

It was a bad model number day for me as I did a similar thing in another
post yesterday.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

SA,
..
Here are two Messages to Read concerning the BroomStick Antenna
[ Broom Stick - BroomStik ]
..
* Short STACKED Vertical {Tri-Band} BroomStick Antenna
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/755
..
* Concerning the BroomStick Antenna = Less Wire and Better Results
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/799
..
Related Links within these Messages a
- A Second Look - The Tri-Band "BroomStick" {BroomStik} Antenna
- Concerning the "BroomStick" {BroomStik} Antenna
- Understanding the "BroomStick" {BroomStik} Antenna and its Coil
- Tri-Band "BroomStick" {BroomStik} Antenna
..
..
iane ~ RHF
..
All are WELCOME and "Invited to Join" the
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna eGroup on YAHOO !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
..
Some Say: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/502
..
I BELIEVE: On A Clear Night . . .
You Can Hear Forever and Beyond, The BEYOND !
With a Shortwave Listener SWL Antenna of your own making.
"If You Build It {SWL Antenna} You Will Hear Them !"