Hi All, the Radioshack DX390/aka-Sangean ATS818, is a sort of table
top/fairly good sized portable radio, its' model with cassette is the
DX392/AKA Sangean ATS818CS.
Briefly, the radios have 45 memories each, 9-LW, 9-FM, 9-MW, and 18 SW.
Receiver has SSB-CW capability, although, _No cync detect, and no
Selectable Sidebands!/you have to do sideband and cw the _Old Way/you have a
BFO on-off switch, and a BFO pitch control with a detent more or less in the
center, but the radio is pretty stable, and does better than average for a
portable.
It runs on Four, D Cells, that power the radio and the cassette recorder,
plus 3 AA cells which hold the memories and power the clock.
It has a switchable tone control/Hi-Low, and a switchable filter,/wide
narrow, it also has both AF and RF attenuaters.
The cassette recorder records in stereo if you're recording off a stereo fm
station, otherwise records in Mono, has a built in mic, and if memory
serves, has a constant AGC or ALC or AVC/Automatic level control for audio,
which _Isn't switchable, and both an external mic and line input, as well as
earphones out, and ext antenna inputs,/all standard mini jacks, as well as
ext 6VDC power input, and frankly, the units I've used cut a better than
average cassette!
You can tune freqs via knob, up down arrow, direct entry keypad,
and there are actual marked bands for short wave listening freqs, within the
larger short wave band switch designation.
although you don't have to use them/not a good explanation, but it suffices
for this discussion. There are some good helps on the ICANWORKTHISTHING.COM
site, and all in all, this is a pretty workable, and capable radio/not blind
accessible as such, but a blind or sighted person can definitely learn to
use, depend on, and possibly even love the lil things/little compared to a
bigger table top. . ********To me, and I've had several of both the
cassetted and non cassetted models, the biggest _Disadvantage, is the very
___Un__intuitive and non user friendly key pad arrangement!
I didn't like the way you had to go about doing things, but once you learn
the sequence, it'll let you do most everything you want to do. I've bought
and sold these from fifty to two hundred dollars, they many times will come
with a 117VAC-to 6VDC adapter. I think that universal radio has them
discussed on their used short wave comparison list.
The radio _Does not_ use the page system for memories, and lots of folks
have and like them.
You see them quite often on the eham, qth, and I imagine the arrl, qsl, and
ebay and maybe even qibids sites. Also, Universal has them at times, as I
imagine, do many of the other equipment sources. **It's possible, but very
unlikely, that you'd find one in an out of the way radioshack, Sangean
might even still make them, although I doubt it!
If I can be of further help here, please let me know. Thanks, Danny Dyer,
Wb4idu.
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