► Radio Shack Shortwave Showdown: DX-440 VS DX-390...Which Radio Wins???

[@StuartM0TTQAmateurRadio]

I had a DX-440 for a long time in the 90s, it was my main SW and ham RX for a few years. You have reminded me of all the things I hated about it! The glitching when you rotate the VFO, the horrible feel of it, having to tune between the 1kc steps with the BFO. The big problem I had with it was the poor selectivity on the HF bands if it was connected to a reasonable antenna, there were all sorts of intermodulation products with strong broadcast transmissions out of the ham bands. That said it was a useful portable RX, and I'd still have it now if it hadn't fallen off a shelf in the shed about 10 years ago and smashed apart on the floor.

[@JohnUsp]

Excellent comparison, in the last test you can connect the FM external antenna on the 390 with an alligator clip on the whip antenna (since the plug won't work for FM). That strong noise in the same FM station on 440 shows that 390 has a much better sensibility on FM then 440.

[@centauri0]

I have always preferred the clarity of the 390 in SW over the 440 but the 440 seems to have better sound quality sometimes because of the treble and bass controls that you didn't use. When I was a kid I moved from Traverse City Michigan to Lansing Michigan. A little over 150 miles away. The 440 could pick up the FM radio stations I grew up listening all the way up north. It's a beast at FM. I actually have both radios as well and have been thinking of selling one but its hard to decide, Thanks for this video!

[@fjockey1]

I bought a DX440 in 1989 and a DX390 in the early '90's. Thanks to this video, I now realize that the DX390 I got was defective. It had very poor sensitivity in the MW and LW bands, especially in the lower ends. Had I known that, I would have had Radio Shack Repair fix it, or troubleshoot the bad component myself. It didn't make sense. The DX390 was supposed to be an improvement in every way, and normally, it was.

[@neilrobinson3085]

At 12:05 you said that the 390 had better weak signal rejection. I thought it was the other way around: the 440 seemed to have better selectivity.

[@joeholmes8315]

Thanks for your radio review. I have the Sagean version of the 440 and it is a great radio. Got it on ebay. However, if you accidently flip the lock button, it won't work, so you have to remember that if it stops, flip it back. I also had a DX 400 for 35 years and used it every day. It stopped working about 2 years ago and could not be fixed, so I got the Sagean.

[@bittertruth6175]

Great comparison. Wished I would have watched your program before buying used dx-440.

[@icestationzed9506]

Having had a 440 for 3-4 years, it always seemed to be decent and better than many similar units. These days with most hams running on 1 Kc jumps and not all over the place, the 1 KHz jumps make the 440 nicer to tune. Like you, got to have them both! Thanks and looking forward to see your PL-880 review.

[@SevenFortyOne]

I don't have a pl-880 and no plans to buy one anytime soon. Tom has some videos on that radio at the HAMRAD88 channel

[@anthonycosta1776]

I prefer my 803 over the 390 but ever so slight. Panasonic RF-b65 is one of the best SW portables I have in my 60+ radio collection excluding base receivers of course. BTW excellent shoot out. Keep em coming. Thank you!🙏

[@anthonyfranz8317]

Awesome video, thanks for the comparison.

[@ClassicTrialsChannel]

I still have my Saisho SW 5000. its the same radio. bought it in 91 from a secondhand store. its still working.

[@hamrad88]

Great review. Thumbs up.

[@ivanigorpollick6690]

very good comparison,but i still love dx 440 better,thx

[@Radiowild]

The DX-390 seems to have a better AVC circuit that really helps on fading signals, and the audio is way better than the DX-440. I don't care for the sliding controls on the 440 as well (personal preference). I used to have a DX-394 which is a DX-390 with a built in cassette recorder/player. About 10 years ago, I gave it away to a young man who was getting into the radio hobby. When you started the video, I immediately remembered him. Love to find another good 390/394!

[@spaceflight1019]

The DX-394 is a tabletop receiver, I have mine on the big antenna now and am charging the battery. It has a fake analog S-meter.

[@TheNoCodeTech]

Very cool, I need to do more SWLing. Thanks for the video

[@W4BTK]

I own a DX-392 I bought back in 1992 from Radioshack in Florida. The 392 is basically a 390 with a cassette deck. I use my 392 for shortwave mostly and seldom for local FM. Typically at night we can hear Amazonia National Radio from the Amazon in Brazil at 11780. I don’t have an ext antenna sadly. I’ve posted a couple videos of my 392 in my channel if you like to take a look. Thanks for the video, very good! Excellent work. 73 de W4BTK, Eduardo

[@hamrad88]

During the MW tests, I noticed you were using the external antenna switch. I thought the radios would use their internal MW antennas.

[@danielwilcox6307]

I just picked up the 390 for 15 bucks, great radio.

[@jimtailor6609]

I have the Sangean version of the DX 440. Purchased on 03/02/1990 for $177.00! I guess I could get my money back today and I have two of them. The owner's manual indicates that moving the antenna selector switch to "external" will apply to all bands. There is an actual illustration for using the attached antenna on the various bands. Leave it compressed along the radio body for AM and LW and move the radio as needed to maximize reception. Extend and swivel the antenna for FM reception. For AM and SW pull the antenna straight up and do not swivel. The illustrations appear in a couple of sections of the manual. Thought that was interesting to include. Rob, my reception here in Trumbull never seems to be as good as many I watch on the internet. I have tried many different antennas over the years but I think I am in some sort of black hole. The MLA30 seems to be the best I've ever had.

[@lonnieclemens8028]

The DX 390 is one of my favorites. The bigger speaker and receiving capability keep it on my desktop.

[@just_in_time5518]

I think the 440 wins for sure.

[@KarenLopez-in5ih]

Helpful video thanks.

[@qrplife]

Still have my ATS-803A (DX-440) bought back in 1991. I really wanted a Sony ICF-2010 but as a college student couldn’t afford it. the 803 is a good but not great radio, I find I can hear a slight “whine” from the keypad scanning unless the keypad “lock” is engaged.

[@neilrobinson3085]

I like the DX-440's reception selectivity better and I also like it's compactness. I agree that the slide controls are suboptimal. I have one which I like (although it has developed a squeal which I'm trying to troubleshoot).

[@worldwide1376]

Very useful comparison, thank you for putting this together. IMHO, the audio sounds easier on the ears with the DX-390, but it's ability to reject other stations from bleeding in is off-putting. I wonder if you could have gotten rid of some of the white noise on the DX-440 if you had turned down the gain? Great video, appreciate it.

[@Mk-uh4jo]

Were you grounded there by protecting those radios from a static charge damaging the FET? I have a DX-390 bought new in the early 90s but not used much. I have read they are easily damaged by touching the antenna. Fortunately mine still works on AM just fine. I placed it on a static grounding mat and wear a grounding wrist strap when using it. Yhanks for the great video, I subscribed.

[@SevenFortyOne]

I replaced the FET on the 440 a while back and made a video about it. I bought the 440 new in the 90s as a birthday present for my dad and inherited it from him when he passed away

[@glk001]

I have both the DX-440 & DX-390 and both in excellent condition...Each has it's own appeal and I have them tucked away...The audio on the 390 is fuller than the 440 and I prefer it's quality audio to the 440...But each receiver is a fine addition to the collection...Also in Connecticut, for now...lol

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

👍 nice old classics

[@robkidd4238]

Hey mr 741, nice video.glad to see i was using mine kinda correctly all those years ago. I have a Sangean version but have lost the power lead. Will a generic one work as i dont want to trash the radio(not used for a long time)? Thanks Rob, London

[@SevenFortyOne]

The power connector has the center pin tied to ground (minus or black terminal) and the outer part is positive. Make sure you get a power lead that had that configuration

[@robkidd4238]

@@SevenFortyOne cheers 741, now worked out with your support. I used a universal adaptor/power lead with ground interchageability. Sorry to ask such a basic question... its been 20 years. Rob, north london.

[@mario_intravino]

It woukd be fun to see both against the Sony ICF-2010. I know rhat the Sony has terrible FM reception. I purchase the DX 440 because the Sony was 2.5 times the price.

[@SevenFortyOne]

If I had an icf-2010 I'd do that comparison...I'm curious too

[@jeffcasale5095]

I have a DX 440 I dropped it and the circuitboard is broken. Is it worth fixing or should I just get another one? I also have a zenith trans oceanic that my father bought brand new that also doesn’t work is that worth fixing?

[@mrnmrn1]

I'm considering buying a 390 for $40, with a missing battery cover and some deep scratches on the display. Might seem too pricy for such condition, but they are super rare here in Hungary, so either I buy this one, or may not see an other one for sale in the next 10 years (in fact, this is the first one I ever saw for sale). I don't have any other radios with continous tuning in the whole SW band, and with BFO. Although I will probably rarely use the BFO, because here (I think in most of Europe) only FM is allowed on HAM bands (including CB). So I will consider hacking an FM demodulator into it that can work on the SW bands.

[@scottmeyers7297]

Where do you find the antenna switch

[@SevenFortyOne]

At a ham radio flea market

[@scottmeyers7297]

@@SevenFortyOne thank you. I'll have to look

[@thomaslogan5467]

I have a beater dx-390 picked up at a hamfest for 40 bucks.Use it evey day.

[@joshandersons6914]

do you need to switch antenna between the two radios ?

[@SevenFortyOne]

Not sure what you're asking...

[@brucesowles1788]

Received wptx in Florida at night..

[@MsFred58]

DX 440 has a local and DX switch on the back. They say that dont work for AM.

[@Roland_Tr909_Swing]

AN200 will pull those medium wave stations in like magic

[@keariewashburn4680]

I like the 440

[@mario_intravino]

I think that 80% of the better results of the 390 is because of the better and bigger speaker.

[@buzzsah]

I have an old 390 on our night stand.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

Between the two of them, I would take the 390.

[@rosse1100]

Had a 440 in the late ‘80s. Didn’t care for the slide controls when DXing but was fine for FM and AM. Bought a 390 in the early ‘90s and have used it every day since. The step control on the tuning knob is a great feature. Seek and search work great too.

[@rdvanerden1459]

Radio Shack TAD-222 TOUC-TONE REMOTE CONTROL TELEPHONE ANSWERİNG SYSTEM