MW DXing with the Radio Shack 200629 World Receiver / Sangean ATS-505

A GREAT BUY IN 2013 :-)

It was during one of Radio Shack's big sales in 2013 that I bought one of these marvels -- known variably online as the Radio Shack World Receiver, Radio Shack Synthesized World Receiver, and the 200629 (the Radio Shack catalog number for the radio). At the time I saw this radio in the store and bought one, Radio Shack was selling a lot of products at special prices. This, of course, was before they started having severe financial problems. Of course, now Radio Shack is gone from most of the U.S.

I don't know if the 200629 is still available, but Sangean still makes the ATS-505, and it may be the exact same radio (except silver in color). So, most of what you will read in this article will undoubtedly apply to the Sangean ATS-505.

LAST OF THE REALISTIC / SANGEAN TRADITION:

The Radio Shack 200629 was the last of the Radio Shack / Sangean radios, ending a long tradition that started in 1989 with the DX-440 (a Sangean ATS-803A with the Realistic name badge). For those of us in the U.S., Canada, and other places where there were Radio Shack or Tandy stores, RS was the place to go for SW radios of good quality, and the 200629 was no exception. Radio Shack had the best of the Sangean models under their own label, and it was fun while it lasted: about a 25 year run. And the last of that run was the 200629, or "Radio Shack FM Stereo / AM / LW / SW / Synthesized Receiver".

A loop like this homemade one works great with a Radio Shack 200629 (the radio inside the loop in this pic is my DX-350A)

MW/AM PERFORMANCE:

When bandscanning MW/AM, I generally use one of my smaller portables with a loop, using headphones. Like a lot of radio enthusiasts, I have a few radios to choose from. When DXing with a loop, my choices generally range between my DX-370, DX-375, Panasonic RF-B45, and my Radio Shack 200629. As my readers may be aware, I have written articles on the Realistic DX-370 and 375 -- both are good radios to DX with. The RF-B45 is an awesome DXer on its own, even without a loop -- it probably merits an article on its own some time. The DX-350 series are sleeper radios, too -- much better on MW/AM than one would think at first glance.

But lately I have been using the 200629 most nights, because it's easy to use; sounds great through headphones; has good, usable selectivity; it has 1 Khz tuning steps if needed; and the tone control is very useful for DXing. With the speaker, the use of the tone control isn't that obvious, except on FM, where it cuts some treble. However, when using headphones, the tone control makes DXing MW a pleasant experience, as you have a choice between wide, treble cut, and narrow range. None of the tone selections cause listener's fatigue, which is always a plus.

The 200629 will tune in 10 khz, 9 khz, and 1 khz increments on the MW/AM band. The 10 khz / 9 khz switching is done through the "Mode" button on the upper right hand side of the radio (MODE, 2, 0 for 9 Khz steps and MODE 2, 1 for 10 Khz steps). It's a little clunky, but it works.

To tune in 1 Khz steps while using the tuner dial, you press in on the dial button, and the radio will tune up and down in 1 Khz increments. The ceramic filter in the 200629 is good enough to use the 1 Khz tuning to clarify a weak station near a strong one. For example, to hear a Mexican college station on 1630 khz, I tune to 1630, orient my radio and external loop, and then press in on the tuner dial button, and tune one or two Khz to the right -- to 1631 or 1632.

The memories on the 200629 are easy to use. To store a station in memory you just press M, and then the number of the memory location you want to use. To recall a memory location you just press that number button. Very easy.

A ROUGH OVERVIEW:

The 200629 is a good all around digital portable, and is useful for SW broadcast listening as well as MW DXing, and is a very good performer on FM as well. It is an AM-FM-SW-LW portable with Single Sideband capability (using a BFO and clarifier). FM is in stereo through headphones.

UPDATED SANGEAN ATS-505

The Radio Shack 200629 is basically a Sangean ATS-505 with black case (instead of Sangean's more typical silver), and it has a Radio Shack label on the front. But it's basically a newer ATS-505 -- the main differences being the case, the Radio Shack badge, a different AF chip, and the tuning which sounds just like analog (smooth as silk), and the slightly more powerful audio chip inside.

The Sangean ATS-505 has been around since the beginning of the century. Apparently, Sangean isn't making them anymore, and -- of course -- Radio Shack isn't selling them anymore. Some ATS-505's are still available online, however. The ATS-505 was designed in 1999 and was introduced some time after 2000; and apparently Sangean updated the circuitry after 2010 -- the original 505's reportedly chuffed when tuning up and down the bands, where the newer ATS-505's, on which the Radio Shack 200629 is based, do not chuff at all.

Tuning up and down the MW band, or across the SW spectrum, on my radio sounds just like tuning an analog receiver, except the signals 'pop up' out of the static or background noise.

A picture of the Radio Shack 200629 World Receiver with the back off. At top you can see the 120mm loopstick, similar to that which appears to be a standard Sangean loopstick, used in a lot of their SW radios at that time -- not especially thick, but still adequate for MW in many areas of the US and the world. In other areas, like where I live, an external loop is needed for MW DXing.

THE CIRCUITRY:

Looking at the circuitry, it looks like Sangean took the basic elements of their earlier flagship radio ATS-818 and shrunk it down into a smaller package, with slightly less filtering: like with the ATS-818, on SW there are three stages of gain (four stages if you include the IF chip -- which is the 'heart' of the radio), and several stages of filtering. Unlike the older ATS-818 you don't have a switchable 'narrow' IF filter.

The 200629 is a sensitive radio on SW. The MW section is similar to a boombox, where the antenna is wired directly to the IF chip, and the radio uses a very good ceramic filter. I have found it to be a good DXer, albeit with an external loop at my location (I am surrounded by low hills that decrease overall MW signal levels).

FM:

On FM, the 200629 has a popularly used 'front end chip' (a TA7358) -- a chip that amplifies FM signals before they reach the main IF chip, which is a TA2057 (the same IF chip is used in some other radios, like the Grundig Satellite 750). Then FM goes through an FET amp before it hits the main IF chip. I don't DX FM much, if at all, but a guy in another part of my state uses the 200629's precursor, the ATS-505, for DXing FM -- although he has his 505 modified with a narrower filter.

When I use FM on my 200629, I usually switch the tone to treble-cut, especially using the speaker. The FM sounds rich through the headphones and the radio is fairly sensitive on FM. But -- not being an FM DXer, I really don't know how good the 200629 is during E skip season.

SW:

I use my 200629 mainly for SW broadcast band listening, some ham band monitoring, and MW DXing at night time. On SW it works quite well, and it has an External Antenna jack which is diode protected. It is advisable to use a stereo antenna plug (or mono-to-stereo adapter) when using an external antenna with this radio.

Shortwave broadcast sounds terrific on this radio, especially through headphones. On the right hand side of the radio is a three way tone switch which works a LOT better than the similar tone switch on the Sangean ATS-909 / RS DX-398. This radio has a wider bandwidth than the 909 and SW stations have a much better sound.

You can tune the SW band by direct entry of a frequency (for example, you press "Enter", the frequency, and then "Enter" again), or toggle through the Shortwave broadcast bands by using the "SW Select" button (each time you press it, the radio goes up to the next SWBC band -- 120m, 90m, 60m, 49m, 41m, 31m, 25m, 21m, 19m, 16m, 15m, 13m, and the 11m band). Or, you can pull up a station from a memory location.

HAM BAND SSB: FAIR, BUT USE THE DX/LOCAL SWITCH WHEN NEEDED

When listening to Ham radio signals on SSB the 200629 is easy to work with. When there are very strong signals the radio's AGC can get swamped and you have to use the DX/Local sensitivity switch and switch it to local, otherwise stronger signals can 'chirp' a bit. Worse comes to worse, you can just use the whip antenna if the stations are super strong.

You Can Also Use a Resistor Between Your Wire Antenna and The Whip

You can also rig up a resistor between your wire antenna and the whip antenna using alligator clips, and cut the signal strength just enough that way. A 250K ohm or similar resistor would probably work. Even a 100K resistor might cut the signal levels just enough to keep the SSB/CW from chirping on loud signals. The 200629's DX/Local attenuator kicks in a 1K ohm resistor as an attenuator, and when it is kicked in, that 1K ohm is a bit much for merely cutting down the levels to keep the radio from chirping. It really makes it difficult to read the signals. So try something below 500 ohms, wire it to an alligator clip, with the other end of the resistor being used to clip your wire antenna to. 

When using an external antenna with the 200629 it's best to use a stereo plug for the antenna, as the radio seems to prefer it that way -- a mono plug will work, but there may be some side effects. I have a separate blog post on this, as I usually use a mono plug with my wire antennas and found that sometimes with the mono plug the 200629 can overload on SW.

With short wire antennas you can clip the antenna to the whip with an alligator clip and it will work OK. The 200629 has internal diode protection against small static discharges. I use my 200629 with my inside 25 ft. antenna (10 meters, roughly), and use an alligator clip (the mono plug -- which I had soldered to the end of my indoor antenna -- kept working loose from the end of the antenna, and the alligator clip is easier to keep attached to the indoor antenna, and easier to use). It works well.

If you want to use an outdoor antenna with your 200629 using extra static protection is a good idea. I.e., don't use an outdoor antenna during thunderstorms, or during really dry wintry conditions, as they can cause static that the internal diodes may not be able to handle.

BATTERIES AND EMERGENCIES: USEFUL

Battery life on the 200629 is fairly good. As usual, I always use headphones, so if you DX using the speaker, you're going to get lower battery life. But I have been able to use the 200629 almost nightly and a set of four AA's can last as long as a month or more that way. The battery life will be less if the DX sessions are more than an hour or two, obviously. For emergency or disaster situations extra sets of AA's would be a must, as the 200629 uses batteries more than a Sony ICF-38 (featured as a good disaster radio elsewhere on this blog) or Superadio.

However, I think the 200629 would make a decent emergency radio because the battery life is OK, it is decent on the AM band (although -- if not using a loop -- other radios are better), and is excellent on FM and SW broadcast. The radio isn't as easy on batteries as my Sony ICF-38 but it's not a battery eater, either.

[NOTE: When I started using this radio again heavily in 2022, I started keeping track of the battery level indicator, and I've noticed that battery life has been good with my 200629 -- a set of heavy duty or alkaline AA's lasts around 2-2.5 months. That's one-half hour to an hour of DXing a day, with headphones.]

CONCLUSION: GOOD FOR SW, MW-DX WITH A LOOP

The main negatives for the MW/AM DXer is that the internal loopstick is the standard thin, 100 mm Sangean loopstick -- adequate if you live in a high signals area, but not so adequate if you're in a hole like where I live (surrounded by hills), or otherwise live in a low signals area.

Add any external loop -- be it homemade, Select-A-Tenna, Radio Shack AM Loop, or Eton AN-200, and you'll have a very good MW/AM DX rig.

LONGWAVE:

The 200629 has the Longwave broadcast band, which isn't too useful for chasing beacons, as it ends where a lot of beacons start appearing. There is a 200629 user in Maine somewhere who claimed that he was able to hear European and African LW stations with his radio, using the internal loopstick alone. I think he lived near saltwater, though. Still -- it seems that these radios are capable of hearing LW if it is there. For Longwave I rely on my Realistic DX-398 because it tunes the beacons and is easier to use on Longwave.

MORE INFO ON THE SANGEAN ATS-505:

For those who are interested, here is Sangean's home page on the ATS-505, with pictures and a few specifications:
http://www.sangean.com/products/product.asp?mid=75

OTHER THINGS GOING ON LATELY:

As some of you may be aware, I haven't really posted much on this blog lately. I'll be brutally honest here: it's because I have had trouble getting enthused about blogging. Google's getting rid of Google+ sort of cut the enthusiasm level down a bit, as it also removed all the comments from DXers and others who had stopped by and decided to leave a message. It was always fun to receive comments, and Google+ seemed to supply a lot of traffic here.

Now my traffic comes from internet searches about guitars and radios, which is cool. I'm glad I can provide some information for people interested in those things

Although Google+ is gone, I'm glad Google kept the blogs. I think that Blogger provides a good service, and a medium for guys like me to blog about radios, guitars, nature, or whatever.

I still am working on two posts I hope to get up here before Fall hits: one post that is radio related, and another one that is guitar related.

I hope this article finds my readers doing well. I check in periodically, and I can see that I have readers from the US, Russia, Germany, Oz, UK, France, Austria, Ukraine, Egypt, Korea, Japan, and other parts of the world as well.

I just wanted to let you all know I appreciate your checking in, wherever you are in the world.

Peace,
C.C. August, 2019

ADDENDUM, July 14th, 2022:

After fixing an intermittent whip antenna connection, I re-measured the MW/LW loopstick on the 200629, and it is 120mm, not 100mm as I earlier had written in this article, so I changed it in the article.

As for the intermittent -- I was using the whip antenna on SW by attaching my indoor, 25 ft (10 meter) antenna to the whip with an alligator clip. The screw which attached the whip to the case of the radio had become loose. After tightening the screw, I placed a little clear nail polish on the end of the screw, where it attaches to the little metallic 'stub' on the bottom end of the whip. While I had the back off the radio, I measured the MW/LW loopstick, and it was longer than I thought it was.

As for the 200629 overall, I still use it on MW with a loop for DXing, and have really found it a great radio for DXing. The sound through headphones, and performance overall is very good for this.

ADDENDUM, April 9th, 2024:

I permanently fixed the intermittent whip antenna connection, by clamping the bare end of a piece of hookup wire between the base of the whip and the little prong mechanism inside the back of the radio, using the prong mechanism as a type of washer. Soldering didn't work, and clamping the hookup wire was the only solution available. The other end of the hookup wire I soldered to the 200629's antenna terminal pad on the main PCB. I wrote an article about this process, with pictures, which you can find here.:

Interrock Nation: The RADIO SHACK 200629 / ATS-505: Fixing an Intermittent Whip-Antenna Connection

Also, I discovered that adding a medium-small value resistor between a wire antenna and the 200629's whip antenna works for cutting down super-strong SSB/CW signals that can make the 200629's BFO 'chirp', so I added a paragraph to this article about that possibility. All you need is an alligator clip and a 200-500 ohm resistor. 

The 200629's DX/Local switch cuts the signal down too far for just reducing the chirping.

I use the whip antenna primarily for SW, by clipping my wire to it. The connection to the radio circuitry is basically the same as the EXT ANTENNA jack, aside from possibly an FM trap and maybe some resistors to adjust for impedance.

C.C., 4-9-2024