DIGITECH AR-1780 (01) PDF Document

Please adhere to the following safety warnings for your DIGITECH AR-1780:

• Do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

• Do not submerge or expose to water.

• Protect from high humidity and rain.

• Only operate within the specified temperature range (0°C to 40°C).

• Unplug immediately if liquid has been spilled or debris have fallen into the unit.

• Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not use detergents or chemical solvents as this might damage the finish.

• Do not attempt to open the unit.

Follow these steps for a quick start with your DIGITECH AR-1780:

1. Install 4 x AA batteries in the battery compartment, paying attention to the polarity of batteries’ + and – ends.

2. Turn on the radio by pressing the ‘POWER’ button.

3. Adjust the volume by rotating the ‘VOLUME’ knob.

4. Select a band by pressing the desired band button (e.g., FM, SW).

5. Use the ‘TUNING’ knob to locate a desired station or enter a frequency directly by:

a) First, selecting the band you desire.

b) Quick pressing the ‘FREQ’ button.

c) Entering the frequency on the keyboard.

The front panel of the DIGITECH AR-1780 has the following controls:

1. Power and Sleep Button: Turns the radio on/off and sets the sleep timer.

2. LCD Display: Shows frequency, time, and other status information.

3. SSB/Battery Charge Button: Toggles Single Side Band mode and initiates battery charging.

4. Display Button: Cycles through Clock, Alarm, Signal Strength Level, and Temperature display.

5. Alarm Button: Sets the alarm for radio or buzzer.

6. AM Bandwidth Selection, FM Stereo/Mono, Time Set Button: Adjusts various settings depending on the mode.

7. FM Band, ATS, FM Freq Range Selection Button: Accesses FM band and related functions.

8. LW/MW Band Selection, ATS Button: Accesses Longwave/Mediumwave bands.

9. SW BAND, Meter Band Selection, ATS Button: Accesses Shortwave bands.

10. Air Band, ATS Button: Accesses the Air band.

11. Back Light Button: Turns the LCD backlight on or off.

12. 0-9 Key, Page and Memory Button: Used for direct frequency entry and memory functions.

13. ‘FREQ’ Entry Button: Initiates direct frequency entry.

14. 0, 9/10kHz Step Selection Button: Key ‘0’ and sets AM tuning step.

15. Page Selection Button: Selects memory pages.

16. Beep On/Off Button: Toggles the button press confirmation beep.

17. Up/Down Selection Button: Tunes up or down, and adjusts settings.

18. RDS Information, USB/LSB Selection, Lock Button: Displays RDS data, selects Upper/Lower Sideband, and locks the radio controls.

The LCD display indicators on your DIGITECH AR-1780 represent the following:

1. Battery Icon / Charge Indicator: Shows battery level or charging status.

2. Sleep Timer is Activated: Indicates the sleep timer is set.

3. Beep is Activated: Appears when the key press beep is on.

4. Alarm Set for Radio Station or Buzzer: Shows the alarm is active.

5. kHz/MHz: kHz indicates kilohertz (in MW and SW bands), while MHz indicates Megahertz (in FM, LW, and Air bands).

6. Indicates Temperature: Displays the current temperature.

7. Reception Signal Strength: Shows the strength of the received signal.

8. Signal-to-noise Ratio Indicator: Indicates the clarity of the signal.

9. Band Indicators: AM, FM, SW, LW, AIR.

10. Stereo FM Reception: Appears when receiving an FM station in stereo.

11. RDS Icon: Indicates a Radio Data System broadcast is being received.

12. Frequency/Time: Main display for the current station frequency or time.

13. RDS Information Display: Shows text information from RDS broadcasts.

14. USB/LSB Indicator: Shows if Upper Side Band or Lower Side Band is selected for SSB.

15. Air Squelch: Indicates the squelch function is active on the Air band.

16. Alarm is Activated: A general indicator that the alarm is on.

17. Station Memories 0-9: Shows the memory slot number.

18. Audio Filter for voice or music: Indicates the current audio filter setting.

19. Radio is locked: Appears when the keypad is locked.

20. Tuning Speed with Knob: Indicates the current tuning speed (FAST/SLOW).

Side View:

21. External Antenna Jack (3.5mm): For connecting an external antenna.

22. Volume Control Knob: Adjusts the audio volume.

23. Earphone Jack (3.5mm): For private listening with headphones.

24. Tuning Knob: Main knob for manual tuning.

25. Fine Tuning Knob: For fine adjustments, especially in SSB mode.

26. DC IN Jack (3.5mm): For powering the radio with an AC adapter.

27. Reset Hole: (Located on the bottom) Resets the radio’s microprocessor.

Back View:

28. Whip Antenna: Used for FM and SW bands.

29. Back stand-up: A flip-out stand to prop the radio up.

30. Battery Compartment: Holds 4 x AA batteries.

• To turn the radio ‘ON’, just press the red power button.

• To use the Sleep Timer, quick press the red power button while the radio is on. The Sleep Timer will automatically shut off the radio after the set amount of time expires. The display will cycle through the following times in minutes: 120, 90, 60, 45, 30.

• Rotate the Tuning Knob to tune into a different frequency while the radio is on.

• Press the knob ‘IN’ towards the body of the radio (once quickly) to change among ‘STOP’, ‘FAST’, and ‘SLOW’ tuning increments when rotating the knob.

• ‘FAST’ tuning will use larger incremental steps between frequencies.

• ‘SLOW’ tuning can improve reception of AM stations that are slightly off frequency on poor signals. Try tuning 1kHz higher or lower than the actual station frequency to see if reception improves.

Squelch Mode only works on the Air band.

1. Press and hold the tuning knob “IN” towards the body of the radio for 2 seconds to activate. “OFF” will appear on the display screen.

2. Rotate the knob to adjust the level of squelch desired. The optimal level is usually the lowest number that does not have background noise.

3. With squelch turned ‘OFF’, you may be able to receive some very weak signals that do not register when the squelch is enabled.

4. Press the tuning knob ‘IN’ towards the body of the radio one time to save the current squelch setting.

• Press once quickly to tune to the next frequency increment.

• Press and hold for 2 seconds to automatically tune to the next strong station.

• Hold continuously to cycle through the whole band. Press once quickly again to stop at the current frequency.

• To enable lock: With the radio off, press and hold the lock button for 2 seconds. A lock icon will display on the screen when the radio is locked. This locks all controls except for the volume control.

• To disable lock: Press and hold the lock button again for 2 seconds.

• RDS Information: With the radio on, press the lock button quickly to display RDS information (i.e. PS, DATE, RT, PTY).

• SSB Mode: In SSB mode, press this button quickly to cycle between USB (Upper Sideband) and LSB (Lower Sideband).

AM Bandwidth Filters (for AM, SW, LW and Air band only):

On AM, SW, LW, and AIR bands there are 6 bandwidth settings (500Hz, 1K, 1.2K, 2.2K, 3K, 4K) to filter out unwanted noise or adjacent stations. Quickly press the button to view the current selection, and release the button to choose the displayed selection. A narrow bandwidth of 1K or 1.2K may work best for weak or noisy signals. For strong local signals, 4kHz is usually best, especially for music. The default bandwidth is 3kHz (1kHz for SSB mode).

Stereo or Mono Reception (FM band):

In the FM band, press the button quickly to cycle between ‘MONO’ and ‘AUTO’. Typically, FM mono will have better reception than FM stereo. If a station does not broadcast in stereo or the signal is weak, the radio will only receive FM mono and the stereo symbol will not be displayed.

• If the radio is off, press the Time Set button quickly, then use the UP or DOWN button to cycle between ‘AUTO’ and ‘MANUAL’ time updating. ‘AUTO’ indicates the time automatically updates from an RDS station.

• In Manual mode, you can use the UP or DOWN button to adjust the time minute by minute.

• To set the time completely, press and hold the Time Set button for 2 seconds. ‘TIME’ will flash, and you can then set the time using the 0-9 keys.

1. With the radio powered off, press and hold the ALARM button for 2 seconds. Use the 0-9 keys to directly enter the desired alarm time.

2. After setting the time, press the ALARM button quickly. The ‘ALARM’ icon will flash. Press the UP or DOWN button to select the alarm method: alarm by radio, alarm by buzzer, or alarm off.

3. By default, the alarm is a beep. A speaker icon indicates the alarm will wake to the last radio station played. It is best to check the station frequency and adjust the volume level to your preference before sleeping.

4. When the alarm sounds, press the power button to turn it off completely, or press any other button to snooze for 10 more minutes.

FM Band / FM Set Button:

• With the radio off, press and hold the FM button to select the FM frequency band coverage (64–108MHz; 76–108MHz; 87–108MHz; 87.5–108MHz) for different countries.

• With the radio on, press the FM button quickly to tune in the FM band. Press and hold for 2 seconds to activate ATS (Auto Tuning System) to scan and store stations.

LW / MW Button:

• With the radio off, press and hold for 2 seconds to turn the LW (Longwave) band on or off.

• With the radio on, press quickly to switch between the LW and MW (Mediumwave) bands. Press and hold for 2 seconds to activate ATS and scan the entire LW or MW band.

SW / Meter Button:

• With the radio on, quickly press the SW button to start the SW band. Continue to press to select different meter bands and change between frequencies according to popular shortwave meter bands.

• Press and hold the SW band button for 2 seconds to activate the ATS feature.

• Shortwave signals are usually received best at night and in the early morning. Use the ‘BANDWIDTH’ button to select a filter that reduces interference for the best sound.

AIR Button:

• With the radio on, quickly press this button to activate the AIR band.

• Press and hold for 2 seconds to start ATS to scan the entire Air band. Once a station is available, it will stop scanning and play the station.

To switch the AM (MW) tuning steps, hold the 9/10kHz button (the ‘0’ key) for 2 seconds while the radio is turned off. When tuning steps are set to 9kHz (used in Europe and other parts of the world), the FM band will also be expanded to cover 76-108MHz for Japan. The 10kHz tuning step is used for the AM band in the USA and other regions.

When you are in your selected band, this function lets you directly enter the frequency of your desired station.

1. Press the FREQ button.

2. Enter the frequency using the number buttons. For example, to play 1520kHz in the AM band, press FREQ, then enter 1, 5, 2, 0.

NOTE: When manually entering SW frequencies from 2300 to 26100, you must press the FREQ button after entry. If the entry is incorrect, the LCD will display ‘Error’.

To save a favorite station to a memory button (0-9), tune to the station you wish to save, then press and hold any memory button for 2 seconds while the station is playing. The radio will save the station and its current settings into that memory slot. The settings that will be saved with your station are:

1. Stereo or Mono selection on FM.

2. Bandwidth selection on AM, Shortwave, LW, or Air bands.

You can use the DIGITECH AR-1780 to recharge your NiMH type batteries.

1. Supply power to the radio from an AC power adapter (not included) via the DC IN jack.

2. With the radio powered off, press and hold the CHARGE button for two seconds.

3. The battery icon on the display will begin to cycle, indicating that the batteries are charging.

4. Charging will continue for 10 hours or until the batteries are full.

5. If you turn the radio on during the charge cycle, the battery icon may indicate charging although it is not. Please be sure to keep the radio turned off when charging.

WARNING! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CHARGE ALKALINE OR OTHER NON-NIMH BATTERIES.

• In SSB mode, rotate the fine tuning knob to adjust the level of fine tuning to clarify the signal.

• In other band modes, rotate the fine tuning knob to make slight adjustments to receive some very weak signals with slow tuning increments, especially for the MW band.

• Earphone Jack: For private listening, use headphones or earbuds. This jack can also be used as an audio output to another device.

• DC Jack: You can power your radio with a correct AC wall adapter (correct pins and polarity) via this DC jack. Please make sure the DC voltage is the same as the marking on the radio. Otherwise, the radio will not work or may be damaged.

• External Antenna Jack: You can connect an external antenna with this jack to improve the reception on MW, SW, LW, and AIR bands.

Quickly press into the reset hole on the bottom of the radio to reset the microprocessor. It is recommended to use a toothpick or other soft, non-metallic device to reset the radio. Do not press too hard as you might damage the radio.

For FM, MW, AIR, and SW reception, flip up and fully extend the whip antenna. For most stations, reception is best when the antenna is positioned vertically. Other stations may have better reception with the antenna positioned differently. Experiment with the antenna’s position for optimal results.

When the radio is off, press and hold down the #3 button for 2 seconds and then quick press to change the display between °C and °F.