Posted on 01/02/2011 11:03:21 AM PST by Zionist Conspirator
Well, it's not enough that I have to put up with ongoing computer problems, now my radio is messed up.
Several years ago I purchased a Sangean portable battery-operated radio from The Short Wave Store. It's one of those radios where the batteries are the primary power source (the AC adapter had to be purchased separately and is very large, heavy, and unwieldy). Unfortunately, for whatever reason, batteries no longer work in it.
Now let's be absolutely clear about this: it's not the batteries themselves. Not only are they only three months old (and they're Energizer lithiums at that), but I purchased some brand-new batteries out of the store just day before yesterday. The radio simply cannot tell it has batteries in it at all. No batteries will work in it and without batteries its portability is dead. And the large heavy adapter makes moving it around and powering it with electricity very inconvenient.
Okay. So it's not the batteries. Plus I've gone into it with a pencil eraser to clean off any corrosion or whatever. Still doesn't work. And I've pushed the re-set button, in the off-chance that that might solve the problem. I didn't expect it to, and it didn't.
Does anyone out there have any insights into this problem or any suggestions as to what can be done for it? Is this problem fixable? With my ongoing computer problems I really don't need to spend over a hundred dollars on another radio because the one I have can't tell it has batteries in it.
Help please?
My guess is that there is some connection that has worked loose in the body of the radio; and I doubt that you can crack the case open. If this was my radio, I’d contact the SW store, or, if you have the literature that came with it, there may be a factory service center listed.
IMHO FR is a far better source for global news, than Radio Moscow.
Radio Moscow and Pravda are better than anything on ALL of TV including Fox with Megan Kelly bashing birthers and Rove pimping for Obama 2012. I dumped Obama TV after he was elected. I heard about Prince Al Waleed’s Fox more and mor epimping for Obama based on posts here.
The socket for the AC adapter usually incorporates a set of contacts to switch the radio from battery to AC. Sometimes they corrode. Try plugging the AC adapter plug in and out and wiggling it a little to see if it will start working off the batteries. Do it with the radio on, the ac adaapter NOT plugged in and the batteries in, so you can hear if it starts to work.
The socket for the AC adapter usually incorporates a set of contacts to switch the radio from battery to AC. Sometimes they corrode. Try plugging the AC adapter plug in and out and wiggling it a little to see if it will start working off the batteries. Do it with the radio on, the ac adaapter NOT plugged in and the batteries in, so you can hear if it starts to work.
I don't use it for SW that much anymore as the web has become my primary source of information, but it wakes me up every morning at 5AM to my favorite classical station. When I am in the mood for some DXing however (especially on a warm summer night in my backyard), I can pick up just about anything that's available.
But there is far more to radio than Radio Moscow.
We just listened to a round table of amateur radio operators on 40 meters, from all over the U.S. One was a pilot, one a farmer, a cop and several were retired...The topic was the U.S. state of affairs and level of government corruption and recent weather activity in their separate regions.
It was very interesting, and they were not connected by wires or the Internet.
The web-site you linked says:
Requires four “AA” batteries (not included.)
There are no lithium “AA’s.” Does it have a lithium memory backup battery? Anyway, if you have a voltmeter, check the AA batteries. If they are rechargeable, your charger may not be working.
The earlier tips about corrosion in the AC adapter connector are right on.
The Shortwave Store is just a web site that sells short wave radios, and I purchased this one several years ago. Whatever warranty that might have come with it is long gone.
The only thing that came with it is a little booklet in English, French, Dutch, and German that tells how to operate it. So far as I know there aren't any service centers.
Thanks anyway. I appreciate it that fellow FReepers are willing to help me.
I know, I was just joking.
In fact I have a battery operated SW radio I have stored - shielded from EMP - just in case.
But FR is way more interesting. :)
That's a possibility. I'll check it out later.
Thanks.
>> But there is far more to radio than Radio Moscow. <<
In fact, there’s no “Radio Moscow” anymore. Subsequent to the disolution of the CCCP in 1991, the name was changed to “The Voice of Russia.”
At first, the newly-christened station transitioned away from the old Soviet-style propaganda, and they even carried some interesting programs.
But ever since Putin and his KGB buddies took over the Kremlin, the VOR has steadly been moving backwards, until nowadays it’s almost as anti-American — and as boring — as Radio Moscow was in the “good ole days.”
>> There are no lithium “AA’s.” <<
Huh? Just bought a pack the other day at my local CVS.
Requires four “AA” batteries (not included.)
There are no lithium “AA’s.” Does it have a lithium memory backup battery?
They say "Engergizer Advanced Lithium." I don't know what that means, but they're supposed to be good batteries.
Anyway, if you have a voltmeter, check the AA batteries. If they are rechargeable, your charger may not be working.
That's not the problem. I bought new batteries just day before yesterday and they don't work in it either, but they do work in my remote control (I checked them). So it's not the batteries at all.
The earlier tips about corrosion in the AC adapter connector are right on.
I'll try to check that out. Thank you.
I similarly bought such a radio about three years ago and it became unserviceable and unrepairable with a year.
Also, you might try pressing the reset button on the bottom of the unit. That may clear some electronic snafu within the unit.
-PJ
>> I love this radio <<
Me too, except for that blasted “beep” when you change bands or punch in a frequency. I know there’s a way to disable the beep — found the instructions on the Internet thanks to Google. But I just haven’t yet worked up the courage to take the thing apart!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.