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Reviews For: Radio Shack DX-397/Sangean SG-622

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Radio Shack DX-397/Sangean SG-622
Reviews: 7MSRP: $69.99
Description:
12 band portable SW/MW/FM receiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.radioshack.com/searchplus.asp?type=ALL&find=DX-397&pagetype=toggle
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0071.9
KX4OM Rating: 2013-11-28
Okay if it's free Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's great to carry around and find noise sources while on the AM broadcast band. Dimmable lights, computers, routers, etc. to find where a ferrite cable clamp or or two to help keep the buzz off the AC house wiring to your station equipment.

Works marginally well on local AM stations while I'm sitting on the back porch. I have to keep fiddling with then tuning dial to keep it on frequency.

I use my DX-440 for actual listening to shortwave and casual ham listening
KC8IMB Rating: 2012-08-21
Not so much... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The RS DX-397 was my very first shortwave RX back in 1995-6. Then I thought it was the beans! I'd tote that thing around with me in the backyard, listen while during my chores, and at night with the lights out. Lots of fun for a 12 year old.

Then I was able to operate other, much better shortwave receivers. My perspective was totally changed. I won't repeat what has already been said, but the thing that I couldn't get over when coming back to the '397 was the tuning. SO sloppy.

More than 15 years later I still have the thing. We wanted to listen to a radio while doing dishes and didn't want to worry about a possible, unintended "bath". Into the window sill the DX-397 went. It does have some sentimental value to me, but that's about all it's worth.

Bottom line: If you can get it for free... I'd suggest thinking it over.

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Earlier 1-star review posted by KC8IMB on 2012-08-21

The RS DX-397 was my very first shortwave RX back in 1995-6. Then I thought it was the beans! I'd tote that thing around with me in the backyard, listen while during my chores, and at night with the lights out. Lots of fun for a 12 year old.

Then I was able to operate other, much better shortwave receivers. My perspective was totally changed. I won't repeat what has already been said, but the thing that I couldn't get over when coming back to the '397 was the tuning. SO sloppy.

More than 15 years later I still have the thing. We wanted to listen to a radio while doing dishes and didn't want to worry about a possible, unintended "bath". Into the window sill the DX-397 went. It does have some sentimental value to me, but that's about all it's worth.

Bottom line: If you can get it for free... I'd suggest thinking it over.
LIGHTFOOT44 Rating: 2011-08-08
Not a bad radio at all Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I love how easy it is to use. It does not have a rotating antenna, which is rather weird, so don't try to rotate that up and down antenna. No user light at night, which is a negative, but hey, it's cheap, it works, and I can listen to my shortwave channels when i want, so it works for me. I used to hate Radio Shack products, but during the 80's and 90's Radio Shack had some damn good radios. Now they just let Eton or Grundig do their work for them. What a shame.
CRUNCHMAN Rating: 2007-06-12
Not bad for $35 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Middle of the road low budget radio. Receives strong SW stations o.k. Sound quality is great. Not small enough to put in your pocket so if your looking for portability look elsewhere.
WN2GTF Rating: 2005-10-10
Very Disappointing Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Useless on SW - took it to Europe and nearly threw it away.
KSTAZX Rating: 2003-12-20
Well... Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Sangean's SG622 should have been my kind of radio. Simple, small, inexpensive, etc.

It worked okay... to a point. AM reception was alright, FM was pretty good. The tuning scales are divided roughly along the SW meter bands, which should have made things easier.

Instead, the tuning mechanism was poor. It was so stiff, and there was so much rubbery backlash that tuning to any frequency was quite a challenge. By contrast, the volume control was too loose, and the slightest touch would increase or decrease the loudness a great deal.

Once tuned in, reception on FM was good, shortwave only so-so. There was a considerable amount of drift that I didn't encounter on other cheap radios, like the Grundig Mini 100.

After a while, I ended up giving the radio to a friend who wanted it, and who is less picky than I am. Maybe I'm too critical, but the controls were just too annoying. At least I'm out only thirty bucks.
8HHAGGIS Rating: 2003-01-23
Frustrating cheap radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Poor selectivity, mediocre sensitivity afflict this marginal receiver. With whip antenna it can get a few powerhouse stations; adding practically ANY length of wire causes severe intermod problems, causing increased interference and grossly high noise level and hetrodynes. AGC is too fast, causing distorted gulping. Cross-mod on MW band is SO bad that no extra antenna can be used at all! If you live anywhere NEAR a broadcast station (within -- say -- 5 to 10 miles) do NOT buy this radio! Local ham operators will blank out large sections of SW bands if you use an external antenna. I rate this one as the least sensitive MW receiver I own. I've obtained better performance from $5 "unbranded" junk pocket sets made in the Orient, sold in discount stores: so forget about MW reception! SW is ok for an absolute beginner who is not experienced with ANY other superior radio.

Headphone jack is a three-conductor type, with audio connected between left and right channel to avoid shorting out with a mono plug: therefore, audio is out-of-phase with a standard stereo phone, very unpleasant and requiring rewiring phone or obtaining a converter jack. My unit's headphone jack connection broke after 3 mos., losing speaker connection when phone was removed, necessitating opening unit (difficult!) and replacing jack, which I did with some effort rather than return to RS.

If you use with external antenna, be prepared to use an adjustable attenuator in series, or simply hold wire NEAR the whip antenna, moving it around to adjust coupling: this will help reduce hetrodynes, crossmod, and other interference, and to "open up" AGC circuit, diminishing gulping and distortion at the expense of more hiss. Analogue radio receiver noise level lower than all-digital model DX-398, which was not even as sensitive but was far hissier!

Compared to other SW receivers, this is a dud. My ancient Grundig germanium radio, c.1960, which cost about the same in contemporary dollars, is far more sensitive/selective. My 7-tube Magnavox receiver produces clear, readable SW signals while the DX-397 just has noise at same frequency. I consider this a "junk radio" to be thrown in the car for short listening sessions at grocery store parking lot, etc. -- not anything that will help me enjoy SW programming, nor capture any DX.

Audio bandwidth is too wide; tuning is mushy and unreliable, requiring one to tune back and forth several times to get "centered".

Prior experience with SW radios goes back ~50 years, including Hammarlund boatanchors, Grundig portables, and many old pre-WW2 console receivers. The wonderful functionality of all those radios does not prepare one to appreciate ANYTHING about this clunker.