Realistic DX-440

The Realistic DX-440 was marketed by Radio Shack from 1988-1991. This is one of the originals that I purchased 20 years ago and it still works as great as th…
Video Rating: 5 / 5

/24 Comments/by
24 replies
  2. gorpzilla
    gorpzilla says:

    Bought one of these beasties when they were on clearance at Radio Shack, circa late 1990, I believe. It still works just like the day I purchased it. Have done most of the mods to mine other than the output recording jack. Despite a lack of hi-tech features, the sound qualilty is still better than some modern receivers like the Eton E1.

    Reply
  3. AI4QT
    AI4QT says:

    I agree. The Realistic 440 DX radio sounds much better than what is available on the market today– and it really isn’t much larger than what’ currently available.
    73
    AI4QT

    Reply
  4. old64goat
    old64goat says:

    I had mine for about 20 years, now I am having a problem with the tuning, it jumps all over the place when I try to tune it.
    If I punch in the freq. it is fine.

    Reply
  5. craigwithcamera
    craigwithcamera says:

    I have this and the sangean ats-803 model. Very sturdy, great sounding radio, batteries last for ever! I miss the realistic brand, much better than the eton models Radio shack is putting out now. I plan on keeping mine for a long time!

    Reply
  6. wb3ebb
    wb3ebb says:

    I bought mine back in 1991. Worked great for years. Unfortunately, it died. I still have it and want to get it fixed. I used to take it on vacation with me to the beach to listen to the AM band to DX stations from there.

    Reply
  7. senderjaeger
    senderjaeger says:

    I also owned this great radio (which is the Sangean ATS-803A in original) from 1994 to 2000 when I sold it for space reasons. Mine was re-branded as “Intersound” for a German electronics retail chain. I bought it for the equivalent of US$ 120 which was really cheap in the mid 90s. The price/performance ratio could have hardly been better. I had many nice DX catches with it. With an external antenna, even Trans Atlantic medium wave stations were audible thanks to the excellent narrow filter.

    Reply
  8. AI4QT
    AI4QT says:

    Thanks so much for sharing. The DX440 is one of the best– even better than many SW radios that came afterwards.  Best of 73.

    Reply
  9. Korey Chandler
    Korey Chandler says:

    I found one of these little gems at a fleamarket in NC around 1995. It cost me $5 and I’ve taken it around the world with me to Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s still with me doing a great job!

    Reply
  11. Joseph Sharp
    Joseph Sharp says:

    i have one of these radios but i thing that i used the wrong plug and it went out and now the onily thing that comes on is the light

    Reply
  14. duncan3417
    duncan3417 says:

    Thanks for the reply. How doe’s this stack up to today’s shortwave radios. I have the chance to buy this used but wondered if I should buy a newer radio. Can you get air craft or police signals.? Thanks again, Keith. Ps, I live in an urban center and can not have an out door antenna.

    Reply
  15. AI4QT
    AI4QT says:

    … many ways, i think this radio is on par or actually better than most of the sw radios on the market today. it stays pretty solid on any frequency. thanks again for viewing my YouTube Channel. Best regards from Alabama. AI4QT

    Reply
  16. UniteIreland07
    UniteIreland07 says:

    The DX-440 was my 2nd receiver. (My 1st being the 360.) I sure do miss the shortwave hobby and am seriously considering a comeback. My 440, which I got as a Christmas gift in ’89 was accidentally “fried” by a faulty power adaptor, but it served me well for the 6 years I had it.

    Reply
  17. UniteIreland07
    UniteIreland07 says:

    Only $5.00??!! (Excuse me while I pick myself up off the floor! xD) Mine cost $150, but then again, mine was new, and was a gift. Still and all, I would’ve thought old ones sold for a bit more, even from a flea market.

    Reply
  18. MakeDoAndMend1
    MakeDoAndMend1 says:

    I think the title should be 3.980Mhz. or 3980Khz as I dont think radios of this era and type covered the GHz band. But I amy be wrong. Cheers from George in the UK. Good video.

    Reply
  19. jtownshend
    jtownshend says:

    This was my very first PLL DX SW radio. It works much better if connected to an external antenna. This radio allows you to listen to stations with very weak signal sandwiched between powerful ones. Unfortunately, mine isn’t in good shape as the one on this video.

    Reply
  20. SuperCapsfan101
    SuperCapsfan101 says:

    I have the Sangean 803A, which is the same radio. Completely agree with all of the favorable comments. I listen to the longwave aero beacons with it. Very sensitive and selective. 73 de K3CXG.

    Reply
  21. John Keels
    John Keels says:

    I recently found one of these little gems sitting on the shelf at a Goodwill store here in Greensboro, NC. I only paid $10 for it! The batteries had been left in it to the point that they leaked so it was a little work to use vinegar, etc to clean out the battery compartment REALLY well. I was worried that components or circuit board were damaged but they were not! So after cleaning and $10 I wound up with a Radio I really enjoy. I have seen the Grundig S350DL. This is at least as good.

    Reply
  22. Ron Wilson
    Ron Wilson says:

    The bands have been bad! March 2013..I left hame alone,then I saw the Realistic 440 receiver on Ebay that was it!Now I have a Kenwood 430,TenTec Omni d,Realistic 150b receiver new vhf/uhf handi,Radioshack 242 mobile,more meters,dummy loads parts..the list goes on….Ron VE6SY Edmonton Ab. Canada…when I was active before I lived in Saint John New Brunswick

    Reply
  23. quadraphonicfreak
    quadraphonicfreak says:

    For the couple of people that have commented that they fried their radios from using the wrong power adapter, there is a simple fix for this. Inside the radio right next to the AC adapter jack is a PNP transistor that blows. The symptoms are a completely dead set with a fully working display. That transistor fails frequently in all the Sangean shortwave sets.

    Reply
  24. Ellis Feaster
    Ellis Feaster says:

    I loved that radio! I upgraded from my Panasonic RF 2200 & RF 1150 with the DX440. Still works great, almost 25 years later!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.