| STEVE |
Rating:     |
2002-02-15 | |
| not bad |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| hmm well i tryed one of these tandy rx,s &i did not expect it to be that good.After a few weeks i soon sold it on,but to be fair i am not going to give this radio a bad report it worked well & did the job i wanted it to do, some good dx has been had with it.looks cool works well is dead cheap to buy,what more do you want its no jrc but then the price is not.if cash is short this kit will keep you going till better days come. |
|
| JSCHAEFF |
Rating:    |
2002-02-07 | |
| OK radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Bought this radio in '98 for $140. This was my first "modern" table top radio since my yaesu frg-7700. The only thing I liked better than the "frog" was the direct frequency entry. The audio is fair. I use it in my bedroom on the nightstand for listening to the major broadcasters and for getting time hacks. For this purpose the radio is O.K. |
|
| VE3ARL |
Rating:     |
2002-02-01 | |
| Better than most reviews |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This RS receiver has had a lot of bad reviews,but having used it regularly for SW listening for over 3 years, I keep coming back to it from some other portables I use, which don't have the 394 features. The features I like are:
1. Very rugged construction - It's been dropped on the floor - hard- and came up working.
2. Built in power supply-no annoying wall wart!!
3. Nice, bright green display that stays on all the time, with extra 'dim' setting. Too many portables have timed lights, which I detest.
4. Rather neat digital s-meter that looks like an analog one.
5. Fine tune down to 0.1 Khz. - a real help in tailoring audio response by slightly detuning.
5. Very sensitive - specs say 1 Microvolt.I believe it.
6. Lots of memories - 10 each for all SW meter bands.(total of 160).
7. Works well with external antenna. I use a Hustler 5BTV vertical and the 394 does not overload.
Now for the warts:
1. The biggest criticism appears to be crosstalk,
and I agree. However, there are mods available on web sites, which I will not go into here. I have not attempted any of these mods as I can live with it.
2. The built in whip is useless - Throw it away !!
3. Built in speaker is kind of tinny, but a good external speaker dramatically improves audio.
Well, that's about it. I got a copy of the service manual from RS - which includes a schematic - this radio is crammed with parts.
These sets are still available at a few RS stores and here in Canada I've seen them at $ 229 Canadian(well under $200 U.S.)which is a great bargain, in my opinion.
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|
| SM8XXX |
Rating:     |
2001-11-20 | |
| Good value for money! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
i bought mine for about 180$ two years ago, i have made some modifications to it, i like this little fellow, sometimes i even use it in my car..
It´s a performer if you take in account the amount of money you´ll have to pay, although there is some issues with the sensitivity and the selectivity, but that´s really no big deal, you just have to get over that plastic feeling..
Do some of the mods at www.mods.dk !! |
|
| SW4DX |
Rating:     |
2001-10-19 | |
| $199 Wonder |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This radio has copped a lot of flack,why I dont
know?,in a recent Shortwave magazine the DX394
was voted the second most popular tabletop radio
in Great Britain.
OK we all know its not a Drake or a JRC but it is
fantastic value for money,here in Australia I
picked up one of the last ones available,it cost
only $199,equivelant to a night out on the town
with the wife,GREAT!!.
This is my second DX394,I paid $499 for the first
one. I have done a few mods to my radio but to be
honest I was quite happy with it as it came out
of the shop.
The only thing I miss on this rig is a Narrow
Bandwith selector,what a pity they never fitted
one at the time of manufacture,I have a Grundig
YB400,Sangean ATS909,Sony ICF SW7600G,Sangean ATS
808 plus many other radios all of which have a
Narrow Bandwith Switch,Radio Shack realy need a
kick in the backside for not fitting one on the
DX394.
Other than that I cant realy complain about this
radio,I have logged many rare DX catches with it
with the help of a seven band graphic Equaliser
to clean up the audio signal.
If you can pick up a DX394 cheap,grab it they work very well. |
|
| KC2IGY |
Rating:     |
2001-08-15 | |
| Not as bad as some say. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I know this poor radio gets a lot of bad reviews, but it is one of my favorites. Maybe because you can hack it to death. Out of the box, it's a fair performer. If you do some of the mods, use an external speaker, it's a good performer. For around $150 or less used, it's a pretty good bargain. |
|
| VO1MDS |
Rating:     |
2001-04-06 | |
| WHY I WOULD BUY TWO. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
THE REASON I GIVE THE DX394 SUCH A GOOD RATING
IS SIMPLE,ITS VERY EASY TO USE,IT HAS DIRECT
ENRTRY PROGRAMMING,MAIN CLOCK IS SIMPLE TO SET,
AUDIO IS FAIR,LCD SHOWS EVERY THING THAT ONE
WOULD NEED TO KNOW.THE FREQ IS SET 1KHZ HIGH
ON LSB,1KHZ LOW ON USB WHICH I STRONGLY SUGGEST
YOU DONT TRY TO LINE HER UP ON TRUE FREQ.
BELIVE ME WHEN I SAY,IT HAS A MAJOR DRAW BACK,
AFTER YOU SET HER UP,SHE WELL DRIFT OFF AFTER
A WHILE,2-3MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD.
ON TOP OF THIS IF YOU ADJUST TO MUCH THEN
YOUR DX394 WELL SHOW A DUPLICATE COPY OF
THE FREQUENCY YOUR LISENING TO ABOUT 2KHZ DOWN
FROM WHERE YOU ARE. EX..14200 WOULD BE ALSO ON
14198 NOT A GOOD THING,THIS HAPPENED TO ME SO
LIKE I SAID BEFORE ITS A QUICK FIX,WITH A MAJOR
PROBLEM DONT DO IT.
OTHER THEN THAT THE BEEP MOD WELL WORK FINE
THE AUDIO MOD ALSO WORKS FINE.
THE DX394 IS THE BEST RECEIVER BY FAR,FOR A
LONG TIME,THAT IS IN REACH OF THE SMALL GUYS
POCKET BOOK. GET IF YOU CAN,I WOULD BUY MORE
IF HAD THE CHANCE.
BY THE WAY I HAVE <2>. SO GO FIGURE. |
|
| VK2XMD |
Rating:     |
2001-01-20 | |
| Surprisingly good |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I was looking for a small AM/SW radio to put alongside the bed, in a small space previously clumsily occupied by a Kenwood R-2000 or a Yaesu FRG-8800, as the whim took me. When I took the plunge and bought the little DX-394, it was only because it had dropped to half its regular price as a "quit stock" item. I had read the comments on the web, as well as the mods available to help it realise its potential. But my expectations weren't high. Well, I'm here to tell you that I won't be getting rid of it any time soon.
It has its faults. There IS crosstalk. But I did the available mods and it's now no worse than my other radios. Much has been said about poor AM sensitivity (quoted as 7uV), but I have no problems with it in this regard. Output audio has been criticised, (justifiably) but some mods have fixed that. An external speaker is essential. The display, although packed with information, is difficult to read except under ideal conditions. Needs a contrast control. The timers (5 of 'em!) cannot be simply switched on or off. You have to cancel all timing parameters, then re-enter all the information again next time you want to use a timer. The timers have no switching facilities for other equipment. There is a mod for this. The control button layout is poor (unintuitive).
But all this is really carping. The radio's performance is, in my opinion, very good. It has dual supply (mains/DC), 160 memories (which store only the frequency), a 1 month memory backup, a sleep timer, MW spacing (9kHz/10kHz) switch, RF gain control, three tuning methods plus search, multiple tuning step settings, FINE tuning, tape out and speaker out jacks, and its own whip antenna if needed.
The owner's manual is clear and simple, but does NOT contain a circuit diagram. Which brings me to the mods.
Warning! if the set is new, then modifying it will (obviously) void your warranty, and be warned that the set is built using SMT (surface mount technology). This means you need good eyesight or a magnifying glass, a small soldering iron tip and great care when working on it. But having said that, with the covers removed, the main circuit board is easy to access.
The bottom line? A surprisingly good performer in a small package. A few mods make it even better.
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|
| KA1BTI |
Rating:   |
2000-12-07 | |
| Deficient ex-394 |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| My first tabletop GC receiver, I found this radio to be easy to use and modify. Nice (dimmable) LCD display that gives you lots of info, 160 memories, SSB, 5 tuning speeds, 2 antenna inputs. Unfortunately, it also has VERY poor audio quality, cheapo external jacks (that gave me fits), and horrible long-wave/medium-wave sensitivity. In the end, these negatives drove me away. Good looks, but no brains. |
|
| N3DQU |
Rating:     |
2000-11-11 | |
| Not a bad little radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| This has got to be one of the least appreciated receivers on the market. General coverage, am, ssb & cw modes, 160 memories, built-in ac ps, even manages to display both time and freq at the same time, something even the big boys like the Grundig Satelit can not do. Some have said that the front-end is not the hottest, but she gives a good accounting of herself with an external antenna. About the only bad thing is the memory entry method. Given 2 and a half stars by Passport, but deserves at least a three in my book. |
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