
12
Rear Panel Functions/Connections
1-800-773- 7931 W W W .PALST AR.CO M
and balanced (use 1/4” mono jack or supplied 3.5mm adaptor)
The external speaker should have an impedance of 8
Ω
, and a
minimum power handling capability of 3 Watts. When the external
speaker is plugged in, the internal speaker is disabled
7. DISPLAY LIGHT SWITCH
: This press-on, press-off switch al-
lows the backlighting in the Digital Display to be turned off to con-
serve power when operating from batteries (recommended).
8. MUTE JACK
: Ground center pin to mute receiver when using
an external transmitter. A standard phono (RCA type) jack is pro-
vided to connect a mute control line for use when the R30A is
used in conjunction with a transmitter. A relay contact closure or
other control circuit capable of pulling a +5 VDC logic line to
ground will cause the R30A to mute.
9. EXTERNAL POWER JACK
: Connect to the provided wall
adaptor or other suitable 12 VDC power source. When an external
power source is plugged into the power jack, the internal battery
pack is disabled. The power plug is a standard 14mm long con-
nector (2.1mm ID, 5.5mm OD, center positive). The limit of the
acceptable voltage range that can be connected to the power jack
is between 10.5 and 15 VDC. However, operating the R30A from
voltages in excess of 14 VDC for prolonged periods can cause
excessive heating of the built-in regulator chips.
10. FUSE
: Fuses internal battery only—use 5mm x 20mm 1A re-
placement.
11. IF OUT:
Wideband 455KHz IF output for use with an external
synchronous detector.
If you choose to power the R30A from a source capable of
supplying high currents such as the battery of a car or boat,
you must protect the radio by placing an in-line fuse holder
in the power cable and use a fast blow fuse rated no more
than 1 Amp.
What Can I Hear?
17
1-800-773- 7931 W W W .PALST AR.CO M
What I can hear on my Palstar R30A Receiver?
Long Wave (LW), 100 kHz to 300 kHz
The most common inhabi-
tants of this range of frequencies are navigation aids known as
non-directional beacons. They transmit at low power (usually 100
watts or so), and their signal consists of a two or three letter identi-
fier repeated over and over in Morse code.
Medium Wave (MW): frequencies - range of 300kHz to 2 MHz
The lower end of this range, from 300 kHz to 540 kHz, was once
the mainstay of ship to shore communications, mostly in Morse
code. As ships have increasingly switched to high-tech satellite
communications, there is less and less activity there. Many official
agencies such as the Coast Guard have even abandoned their
round the clock monitoring of the old international distress fre-
quency of 500 kHz. The main band of interest in this frequency
range is the Standard AM broadcast band which runs from 540
kHz to 1700 kHz. The higher power stations can be heard over
large areas at night. MW is also home to one Amateur Radio
band, the 160 meter band from 1600 kHz to 2000 kHz.
Short Wave (SW): frequencies in the range of 2 MHz-30 MHz
Shortwave Broadcasters
The primary bands of interest in the
Shortwave (SW) spectrum for most listeners are undoubtedly the
international broadcast bands.
They are as follows:
Frequency in kHz
Band Name
2300-2495
120 Meters
3200-3400
90 Meters
4750-5060
60 Meters
5960-6200
49 Meters
7100-7300
41 Meters
9500-9900
31 Meters
11650-12050
25 Meters
15100-15600
19 Meters
17550-17900
16 Meters
21450-21850
13 Meters
25600-26100
11 Meters