DX-397 AM/FM/SW 12-Band Portable Receiver
(200-0227) Operation Faxback Doc. # 46747
1. To turn on the receiver, slide POWER to ON.
2. Set SW/MW/FM to the desired band. To tune a Shortwave broadcast, set
SW/MW/FM to one of the SW bands (1 to 10). See "International
Frequencies" in Faxback Doc. # 46922 for information about each SW
band.
3. Adjust TUNING to tune to the desired station then adjust either of the
radio's antennas if necessary (see "Adjusting the Antennas" below).
The TUNING indicator on the front of the receiver lights when a
station is properly tuned.
4. Adjust VOLUME to a comfortable listening level.
5. Slide POWER to OFF to turn off the receiver.
LISTENING HINTS
Shortwave listening is a hobby with thousands of participants worldwide.
It requires no special knowledge or skills, but your enjoyment increases
as you gain experience and develop special listening techniques.
The information in this section can help you make the most of your DX-397.
REFERENCE SOURCES
Publications about Shortwave listening such as "Listening to Shortwave
Radio" (available at your local RadioShack store) the "World Radio
Handbook", "Radio Amateur's Handbook", "Passport to World Band Radio",
"Monitoring Times", and "Popular Communications" are available through
your local library or newsstand. These publications can help you learn
about the conditions that make long distance reception possible and
provide up-to-date listings for Shortwave broadcasts in English and in
other languages.
FREQUENCY CONVERSION
A band is a group of frequencies. Sometimes, bands are grouped according
to their wavelengths, in meters. The tuning location of a station can be
expressed as a frequency (kHz or MHz) or a wavelength (meters).
Amateur radio operators generally refer to the frequencies they operate on
using the frequency's wavelength. For example, the 19 meter band refers to
the range of frequencies with waves about 19 meters long.
Use the following equations to convert kHz, MHz, and meters.
To convert MHz to kHz, multiply by 1,000. For example:
9.62 MHz x 1000 = 9,620 kHz
To convert kHz to MHz, divide by 1,000. For example:
2780 kHz / 1000 = 2.780 MHz
To convert MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of MHz. For example:
300 / 7.1 MHz = 42.25 meters
To convert meters to MHz, divide 300 by the number of meters. For example:
300 / 42.25 meters = 7.1 MHz
BAND ALLOCATION
INTERNATIONAL FREQUENCIES
International commercial broadcasts are found in the following Shortwave
bands. Programs (often in English) usually contain news, commentaries,
music, and special features reflecting the culture of the broadcasting
country. Reception for this range is best between 6:00 PM and midnight
(your time).
Frequency Range
Band (in MHz)
SW1 ........................ 4.39 - 5.18
SW2 ........................ 5.72 - 6.33
SW3* ....................... 7.00 - 8.05
SW4 ........................ 9.20 - 10.02
SW5 ....................... 11.35 - 12.25
SW6** ..................... 13.25 - 14.28
SW7 ....................... 15.00 - 16.05
SW8 ....................... 17.30 - 18.18
SW9 ....................... 18.70 - 19.25
SW10 ...................... 21.20 - 22.30
* These bands are reserved for stations in tropical areas.
** Interference is heavy in this band because amateur radio operators and
international stations share this range.
TIME STANDARD FREQUENCIES
These stations announce the exact time of day at specified intervals.
WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado: 5,000 kHz
CHU in Canada: 7,335 kHz
VNG in Australia: 12,000 kHz
LISTENING GUIDE
The following list contains some of the most popular stations. All
stations broadcast in English unless otherwise specified. You can hear
these stations throughout North America. However, reception varies based
on the season, time of day, and a number of other conditions.
This information can change at any time. For sources of yearly, up-to-date
listings, see "Reference Sources" above.
kHz Station Location Programs are in:
4,750 Radio Bertoua Bertoua, Cameroon
4,755 Imo Regional Radio Imo, Nigeria
4,777 Radio/TV Gabon Libreville, Gabon French
4,795 Radio Nueva America La Paz, Bolivia Spanish
4,820 Radio Paz y Bien Ambala, Ecuador Spanish
4,832 Radio Reloj San Jose, Costa Rica Spanish
4,855 Radio Clube do Para Belem, Brazil Portuguese
4,890 National Broadcasting Papua, New Guinea
Commission
4,915 Voice Kenya Nairobi, Kenya
4,920 Australia Broadcasting Brisbane, Australia
Commission
4,945 Radio Colosal Neiva, Colombia Spanish
4,965 Radio Santa Fe Bogota, Columbia Spanish
4,980 Ecos del Torbes San Cristobal, Venezuela Spanish
5,020 Solomon Islands Honiara, Solomon Islands
Broadcasting Service
5,057 Radio Gjirokaster Gjirokaster, Albania Albanian
5,950 Guyana Broadcasting Georgetown, Guyana
Service
5,954 Radio Casino Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
5,960 Radio Canada Montreal, Canada
International
5,980 Radio RSA Johannesburg, South Africa
6,005 CFCX Montreal, Canada
6,025 Radio Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Chinese
6,045 Radio Australia Lyndhurst, Australia
6,055 Nihon Shortwave Tokyo, Japan Japanese
Broadcasting Company
6,060 Radio Nacional Buenos Aires, Argentina Spanish
6,075 Radio Sutatenza Bogota, Colombia Spanish
6,090 Radio Luxembourg Ville Louvigny, Luxembourg
6,095 Polskie Radio Warsaw, Poland
6,105 Radio New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand
7,140 Trans World Radio Monte Carlo, Monaco
7,170 Radio Noumea Noumea, New Caledonia French
7,300 Radio Tirana Tirana, Albania
9,475 Radio Cairo Cairo, Egypt
9,515 Voice of Greece Athens, Greece
9,525 Radio Korea Seoul, South Korea
9,530 Spanish Foreign Radio Madrid, Spain
9,535 Swiss Radio Berne, Switzerland
International
9,540 Radio Prague Prague, Czech Republic
9,570 Radio Bucharest Bucharest, Romania
9,575 Italian Radio and Rome, Italy
Television Service
9,610 Radio-TV Algeria Algiers, Algeria Arabic
9,620 Radio Berlin Berlin, Germany
International
9,645 Radio Norway Oslo, Norway
9,720 Radio Iran Tehran, Iran Farsi
9,745 HCJB Quito, Ecuador
9,770 Austrian Radio Vienna, Austria
9,800 Radio Kiev Kiev, Ukraine
9,835 Radio Budapest Budapest, Hungary
11,655 Israel Radio Jerusalem, Israel
11,690 Radio Kuwait Kuwait City, Kuwait
11,705 Radio Sweden Stockholm, Sweden
11,720 Radio Moscow Moscow, Russia
11,735 Radio Sofia Sofia, Bulgaria
11,745 Voice of Free China Taipei, Taiwan
11,815 Radio Japan Tokyo, Japan
11,825 Radio Tahiti Papeete, Tahiti Tahitian
11,835 4VEH Cap Haitien, Haiti
11,845 Radio Canada Montreal, Canada
International
11,850 Deutsche Welle Cologne, Germany
11,890 Voice of Chile Santiago, Chile
11,900 Radio RSA Johannesburg, South Africa
11,910 BBC London, England
11,930 Radio Havana Cuba Havana, Cuba
11,935 Radio Portugal Lisbon, Portugal
11,945 Radio Beijing Beijing, China
11,955 Voice of Turkey Ankara, Turkey
11,980 Radio Moscow Moscow, Russia
15,135 Radio Moscow Moscow, Russia
15,165 HCJB Quito, Ecuador
15,190 ORU Brussels, Belgium
15,205 All India Radio New Delhi, India
15,260 BBC London, England
15,265 Finnish Radio Helsinki, Finland
15,275 Radio Sweden Stockholm, Sweden
15,305 Swiss Radio Berne, Switzerland
International
15,310 Radio Japan Tokyo, Japan
15,320 Radio Australia Melbourne, Australia
15,400 BBC London, England
15,430 Radio Mexico Mexico City, Mexico Spanish
15,465 Radio Pakistan Islamabad, Pakistan Urdu
17,720 Radio France Paris, France
International
17,825 Vatican Radio Vatican City
17,860 Austrian Radio Vienna, Austria
21,495 Israel Radio Jerusalem, Israel
21,525 Radio Australia Melbourne, Australia
21,625 Israel Radio Jerusalem, Israel
21,645 Radio France Paris, France
International
21,735 Radio-TV Morocco Rabat, Morocco Arabic
(LB/tc 04/20/98)
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