Sangean ATS-405J Multi-Band Radio

Introduction

The Sangean ATS-405J MULTI-BAND RADIO is a professional digital multi-band world receiver with the following features:

• Professional digital multi-band world receiver
• Full shortwave 14 meter bands
• Five tuning methods: direct frequency access, auto scan, manual tuning, memory recall, and rotary tuning
• ATS (Auto Tuning System) - auto scan and preset stations
• Shortwave meter band selection
• 148 station presets
• 2 alarm timers (buzzer and radio)
• Real time clock
• Adjustable sleep timer
• Tone control (Music / Normal / News)
• 1kHz fine tuning
• Squelch function adjusts the receiving threshold and eliminates weak transmissions
• Easy to read LCD display with backlight
• Eco-friendly recharging function with LED indicator
• Stereo / mono switch
• Lock switch

Controls

The following are the controls for the Sangean ATS-405J:

1. Display backlight illumination
2. Loudspeaker
3. LCD display
4. Preset 1 and Squelch button
5. Preset 2 and Tuning mute button
6. Preset 5 and tuning step selection button
7. Preset 3 and software mute button
8. Charging indicator
9. Power and sleep timer button
10. Band width adjustment and buzzer alarm setting button
11. Local / DX selection and radio alarm setting button
12. Display button
13. Menu and Fine tune button
14. Preset 6 and AGC control button
15. Tuning Up control button
16. Tuning Down control button
17. Preset 9 and display illumination time adjustment
18. Frequency input, time set and enter button
19. Preset delete button
20. Preset 8 and 12 / 24 hour format selection button
21. Memory button
22. Preset 7 and RDS CT function button
23. Memory page
24. Shortwave meter band selection and ATS (Auto Tune System) execution button
25. Preset 4 and MW tuning step selection
26. Radio button selection
27. FM stereo / mono selection
28. Headphone socket
29. AC IN socket of supplied power adapter
30. Tone control (News / Normal / Music)
31. Volume control
32. Charge On / Off selection
33. Lock switch
34. Foldable stand
35. Telescopic antenna
36. Battery compartment
37. RESET

LCD Display Icons

• A: Battery power indicator
• B: RDS clock time
• C: Fine tune status
• D: Sleep timer and snooze
• E: Auto Tuning System (ATS) execution
• F: HWS Buzzer wake up
• G: Radio wake up
• H: Shortwave meter band
• I: Squelch ON
• J: Signal level
• K: Key locked
• L: Soft Mute status
• M: Menu
• N: Frequency unit
• O: DX / Local status
• P: Band width
• Q: Memory page selection
• R: Frequency and Time display
• S: Radio band
• T: FM stereo indicator

Power Supply

The ATS-405J operates on 4 x UM-3 (AA Size, LR6) batteries or is powered by an external AC power adapter (7.5V / 0.7A, supplied).

To replace batteries, remove the battery cover by sliding it in the indicated direction. Insert 4 x UM-3 (AA size, LR6) batteries, observing the polarity indicated on the radio cabinet. Slide the battery cover back into place until it snaps shut.

Replace batteries when the battery power level indicator drops or the display flashes an empty battery level. It is recommended to replace batteries as soon as possible, even though the receiver has a super capacitor for memory and time backup.

Battery operation using rechargeable batteries

1. Remove the battery cover by sliding it in the indicated direction.
2. Slide the CHARGE switch on the bottom side of the radio to the ON position.
3. Insert four rechargeable UM-3 (AA size, LR6) batteries into the battery compartment, ensuring correct polarity. The radio is designed for Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries.
4. Plug the mains adapter into the radio and then into the mains outlet.
5. The battery charging LED will flash red while charging. Full charge takes approximately 7 hours, depending on battery capacity. The charge LED will show a steady red when charging is complete.

IMPORTANT: When using rechargeable batteries, the battery switch must be set to ON. Batteries will only charge when the radio is switched OFF and connected to the AC adapter. If the radio will not be used for an extended period, it is recommended to remove the batteries. Batteries should not be exposed to excessive heat. Disposable batteries should be recycled appropriately.

NOTE: Do not mix old and new, full and empty, or different mAh capacity rechargeable batteries. Do not use damaged or leaking batteries. Charging duration varies with battery capacity.

Battery operation using non-rechargeable batteries

If using non-rechargeable batteries, ensure the CHARGE switch is set to OFF before replacing batteries. Follow the installation and replacement instructions above.

Setting Clock Time

When the radio is switched off, press and release the Time set button (18). The display will show “-:--“. Use the numbered buttons (0-9) to enter the clock time, then press the Time set button again to complete the setting. Seconds will then start counting on the display.

Setting the Alarm Timer

The ATS-405J has two alarm timers: one with a buzzer and one with the radio.

a. Alarm by buzzer

Press and release the buzzer alarm button. The display will show the last set alarm time and the buzzer alarm icon. Use the numeric buttons to set the alarm time, then press ENTER to complete the setting. The display will show the buzzer alarm icon and return to the real-time status after a few seconds.

To cancel the buzzer alarm setting, press and hold the buzzer alarm button until a beep sounds. The buzzer alarm icon will disappear, cancelling the setting.

If the alarm is on, pressing the POWER button will turn off the alarm for 24 hours. The buzzer alarm will sound for one hour if not manually turned off.

You can re-enable the buzzer alarm by pressing and holding the buzzer alarm button until a beep sounds. The buzzer alarm icon will reappear, indicating the alarm is set.

b. Alarm by radio

Before setting the radio alarm, tune to the desired radio station. Adjust the volume to ensure it is loud enough to wake you.

Press and release the radio alarm button, then follow the same procedure as for setting the buzzer alarm to set and cancel the radio alarm.

Snooze

When the alarm is on, pressing any button except POWER will activate the snooze function for 5 minutes. The display will flash Snooze and alarm icons. Pressing POWER will turn off the alarm.

Setting the Sleep Timer

The sleep timer allows you to set the radio to automatically shut off between 120 and 15 minutes. Press and hold the Power / sleep timer button. The sleep timer icon will flash, cycling through 120 to 15 minutes. Release the button at your desired shut-off time. The radio will remain on for the selected duration. To cancel the sleep timer, simply press the Power / sleep timer button again.

Radio Operation

There are three waveband selections available by pressing the BAND button:

Tuning the Radio

There are five tuning methods for this radio:

1. ATS-Auto Tuning System

This system automatically scans and presets received stations in order of signal strength, with the best reception preset to PAGE A, Preset 1. ATS is available for FM and MW bands only.

To start ATS: Turn on the radio, select the required MW or FM band using the BAND button. Press and hold the ATS button for more than 2 seconds until a beep sounds. The radio will automatically scan and preset stations by signal strength.

There are 4 pages of preset memory for each FM and MW band, with 9 presets per page. After ATS completes, a beep will sound, and the radio will stop at the strongest station. To recall a preset station, press the PAGE button to select Page A to D, then press the preset numeric button.

2. Direct Tuning using the numerical keypad (0-9)

If you know the radio station frequency, select the required MW, FM, or SW band using the BAND button, then press the FREQ button. The display will show “-.-“ and the selected waveband will flash. Use the numerical keypad (0-9) to enter the station frequency. Press ENTER to select the frequency.

Example: For FM band 103.30MHz, select FM band, press FREQ, then enter 103.30 using the numerical buttons, and press ENTER.

3. Manual tuning using Tuning Up and Down buttons

Turn on the radio and select a waveband using the BAND button. A single press of the Tuning UP or Down button will change the frequency up or down.

4. Scan tuning

Press and hold the Tuning UP or Down button to automatically scan station frequencies and stop when a station is found. Press and hold either button for more than half a second to begin scan tuning. The radio will scan frequencies and stop automatically when an active station is found. When the end of the waveband is reached, the radio will beep and continue tuning from the opposite end.

5. Memory recall stations

You can store up to 108 preset stations (36 each for MW, FM, and SW bands). To store a station in preset memory:

1. Turn on the radio by pressing the Power button.
2. Tune to the desired station using one of the described tuning methods.
3. Press the Memory button (M). The memory symbol, suggested memory page, and preset number will flash for a few seconds.
4. Select the required preset page (A to D) by pressing the PAGE button and the preferred preset number (1-9). The display will flash the selected page and memory. If the preset is empty, it will show “----“. If the preset has been used, it will show the previously stored station. Press ENTER to complete the preset setting.

NOTE: The original memory preset will be overwritten if the selected preset already contains a station.

e. To recall a station in memory

Turn on the radio, select a waveband using the BAND button. Press the PAGE button to select the stored page, then press the numeric button (1-9) corresponding to the preset memory. The radio will instantly tune to the station, displaying its frequency and memory location.

f. To delete a station in memory

Recall the station you wish to delete. Press the memory button (M). The display will flash the memory page and preset number. Press the M.DEL button (0). The radio will beep, and the display will show “dEL”, indicating the selected preset station has been deleted.

g. To exchange station positions in memory

To move a preset station to another preset location, press the Memo button (M). The preset position will flash. Select the new desired station by choosing the page and preset number. A beep will sound, indicating the memory positions have been swapped.

Select Shortwave meter band-shortwave scan tuning

To shorten shortwave scan tuning time, you can select the shortwave meter band. Refer to the table below for shortwave meter band ranges:

Turn on the radio and select the shortwave band using the BAND button. Press and release the SW meter band button to cycle through meter bands until the required band is located, or press and hold the SW meter band button until “METER” flashes on the display. Use the Tuning UP / Down buttons to allocate the required meter band. Follow the manual tuning and scan tuning methods described above to tune and store stations.

Menu Operation

Through the Menu settings, you can adjust tuning settings to achieve your preferred tuning methods under various circumstances for optimal performance.

Squelch

It is normal for background noise or static to be present to some degree at different locations. To avoid missing weak transmissions, it is best to set the squelch level as low as possible.

Squelch can be set whether the radio is on or off. To adjust the squelch level, press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the Squelch button; the display will show “SQUELCH” flashing. Use the Tuning UP / Down buttons to select the required squelch level, then press ENTER to complete the setting. The radio will tune and stop only at signals above the squelch threshold. For example, if you select squelch level 6, the radio will stop at stations with a signal level of 6 or higher. The initial setting is OFF.

Squelch level settings should be adjusted separately for different wavebands.

Tuning Mute (T. MUTE)

If you prefer to mute scan noise, select Tuning Mute. The initial Tuning Mute is ON for all bands. However, for listeners who do not want to miss weak transmissions during tuning, this function can be disabled.

Tuning Mute can be set whether the radio is ON or OFF. Press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the Tuning Mute button (2); the display will first show ON. Use the Tuning UP / Down buttons to select Tuning Mute ON or OFF, then press ENTER to complete the setting.

Soft Mute (S-MUTE)

Soft Mute reduces background noise during weak signal reception, but it also reduces radio reception. The initial setting for Soft Mute is OFF.

Soft Mute can be set whether the radio is ON or OFF. Press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the Soft Mute button; the display will show OFF. Use the Tuning UP / Down buttons to select Soft Tuning ON or OFF, then press ENTER to complete the setting.

Change MW (AM) tuning step-9k / 10k

In Europe and most other parts of the world, the MW (AM) tuning step is 9kHz. In Northern and Latin America, the MW (AM) tuning step is 10kHz.

The MW (AM) tuning step can be set whether the radio is ON or OFF. Press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the 9k / 10k button; the display will show “MW” and flash “9 (kHz)” or “10 (kHz)” for the Northern American version. Use the Tuning UP / Down buttons to select 9 or 10, then press ENTER to complete the setting.

Change FM tuning step-STEP

FM tuning steps vary by country. The FM tuning step can be set whether the radio is ON or OFF. Press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the Step button (5); the display will show “FM” and flash “100 (kHz)”. Use the Tuning UP / Down buttons to cycle through 100 / 200 / 50 (kHz), then press ENTER to complete the FM tuning step setting.

Set the AGC (auto gain control)

For AM bands (MW and SW), if the volume level changes too rapidly during listening, you can delay the response by setting the AGC IF (intermediate frequency) gain.

1. AGC is for AM (MW / SW) only.
2. The AGC function sets the IF (intermediate frequency) gain, with three selections: 50db / auto / 30db.
• “Auto” selection is the default AGC level with balanced gain for reception and is recommended for general use.
• Selecting 50db provides higher IF gain than “auto”, amplifying weak signals by 10dB more. This may enlarge background noise but can cause signals to saturate under stronger signals. Soft mute may not be active due to increased background noise.
• Choosing 30db provides lower IF gain than “auto”. This is preferable if you want to receive only stronger signals, as it reduces IF gain to reject weak signals and background noise.

Auto clock time adjustment by RDS-CT

You can enable automatic clock time adjustment using the RDS (Radio Data System) CT function. The clock time can be automatically adjusted by FM RDS stations.

NOTE: RDS function is mostly available in European countries and parts of North America. To enable or disable RDS-CT function, with the radio ON or OFF, press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the CT button (7); the display will show OFF (CT function disabled). Use the Tuning UP / Down buttons to cycle through ON and OFF, then press ENTER to complete the CT enable or disable setting.

NOTE: If the clock time is not automatically adjusted within 24 hours, the CT icon will disappear. If the clock time from local RDS stations is consistently incorrect, consider disabling the RDS-CT function.

12 / 24 hour format

To set the 12 / 24 hour format, with the radio ON or OFF, press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the 12 / 24H button to cycle through 12 and 24 hour formats, then press ENTER to complete the setting.

Display illumination time

Press the LIGHT button to switch the display illumination on and off. The radio can be set to adjust the display illumination time after the last operation for convenience and battery power saving.

With the radio ON or OFF, press and hold the Menu button until a beep sounds and the Menu icon appears. Press the LIGHT button; the display will flash OFF. Use the Tuning UP and Down buttons to cycle through OFF / 10 SEC / 20 SEC / ON. Press ENTER to complete the display illumination time setting.

Bandwidth selection (B-W)

1. Narrow bandwidth provides lower noise and higher sensitivity, while wide bandwidth offers better frequency response under stronger RF signals.

2. The filtering bandwidths are listed in the table below. When receiving FM RDS stations, the bandwidth will automatically adjust to wide bandwidth.

3. With the radio on, select the required waveband and press the B-W button to cycle through bandwidths: wide, normal (for SW and MW wavebands only), and narrow. The bandwidth icons on the display will change accordingly. You can perceive the difference in noise and reception when changing the bandwidth.

Local / DX

When listening to MW (AM), SW, or FM broadcasting, this switch adjusts the receiver's sensitivity. For strong stations with slightly distorted signals, set the switch to LOCAL for best reception. For normal or weak stations, set the switch to DX for maximum sensitivity.

Fine Tune

When the radio is on and a waveband is selected, press the FINE TUNE button to enable a 1 kHz tuning step for MW / SW wavebands and a 10 kHz tuning step for FM band. The display will show “FINE TUNE”. Press the FINE TUNE button again to cancel fine tune setting; the display will show FINE TUNE disappearing, and the radio will revert to normal tuning steps.

Tone control (News / Normal / Music)

You can adjust the tone performance according to the radio program you are listening to. Switch the News / Normal / Music knob to NEWS for news programs or AM bands to reduce background hiss noise. Switch to MUSIC for music programs. For normal listening, set the switch to Normal mode.

FM Stereo / Mono switch

To listen to FM stereo broadcasts, tune to the required station, plug in headphones, and set the FM ST. MO switch on the left side of the radio to the ST. (stereo) position. If the received station is weak and has some hiss, set the switch to the MO. (mono) position for mono reception.

NOTE: FM stereo is only available via earphones.

Headphones

Headphones for this radio should be stereo and fitted with a 3.5mm stereo jack plug. Insert the headphone plug into the socket marked on the left side of the radio. When headphones are plugged in, the loudspeaker is automatically disconnected.

NOTE: Before inserting headphones, ensure the radio volume is set to minimum to avoid ear damage.

IMPORTANT: Excessive sound pressure from earphones and headphones can cause hearing loss.

Lock Switch

The lock switch prevents unintentional operation of the radio. Set the LOCK switch on the bottom side of the radio to the ON position. The Lock symbol will appear on the display with a beep. The power and all other buttons will be disabled. This prevents accidental operation when the radio is packed in a suitcase or carrying pouch. To release the lock, move the LOCK switch to the OFF position, and the LOCK symbol will be removed from the display.

RESET / Trouble shooting

If the radio fails to operate correctly, or if some digits on the display are missing or incomplete, follow these procedures:

1. Remove the batteries from the battery compartment.
2. Using a suitable implement (e.g., the end of a paper clip or pen), press and hold the reset button located in the battery compartment for a few seconds.

Specifications

The company reserves the right to amend specifications without notice.

Disposal Information: If you need to dispose of this product in the future, please note that waste electrical products should not be disposed of with household waste. Please recycle where facilities exist. Check with your Local Authority or retailer for recycling advice (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive).

LIMITED WARRANTY

If the product is defective due to poor manufacturing, warranty service will be provided within one year from the date of purchase. However, please note that the terms of the warranty do not cover:

• Conditions not mentioned in this warranty.
• Damage caused by incorrect use, improper repair, or unauthorized modifications.
• Damage caused by external force, such as falling during movement, incorrect use, or improper storage.
• Damage caused by force majeure, fire, or abnormal voltage.
• Consumables are not covered by this warranty.

* This warranty is valid only in Japan. *This warranty will not be reissued.