Flying the Shuttle: Raddy RF760 Tips and Tricks

Quick Direct Frequency Entry

The Raddy RF760 shares some operational concepts with the HanRongDa HRD-701 radio. One particularly welcome similarity is a method of rapid tuning, found in the user manual Section 12 under the title: “Rotary [flying shuttle] button.” It refers to the tuning knob/wheel.

Refer to the display schematic:

Each frequency digit, except the leftmost, has an upward-facing triangle at the top, referred to in the manual as the “Flying-shuttle step mark.'” This mark indicates which digit will change when the tuning knob is rotated.

To quickly change a frequency:

1. Rotate the tuning knob briefly to make the step mark flash.
2. Press the STEP button repeatedly to position the mark on the digit you want to adjust.
3. Rotate the tuning knob to set the desired digit.
4. Press the STEP button to move the step mark to the next digit and repeat the process.

With practice, this method allows for quick and precise frequency entry.

Longwave?

The RF760 has many bands, MW, FM, SW, CB, Air, Weather, UHF, VHF and even a UBD (user-defined band). It also counts USB and LSB as bands, but what about Longwave?

Buried in the section on Use of Antennas is this curious text:

External antenna of this machine temporarily supports external input mode. Insert the external antenna or in MW band mode, the frequency ranges from 54KHz to 1710KHz (the manufacturer does not guarantee the performance of this function. It is only used to provide users with the pleasure for radio reception).

One might think that “54kHz” is a typo and “540kHz” was intended, but that’s only half right. It is a mistake, but what it should have said is “150kHz.” That’s the lower limit of the new combo LW/MW band the ratio switches to when the external antenna is inserted.

An external LW/MW antenna does wonders for some radios, and this is no exception. With my 20-foot Wire Up a Tree (WUT) antenna plus ground, the number of MW stations received in this weak signal area went from 7 stations to 68, and I picked up a non-directional beacon on LW.

If I encounter other tips, I’ll put them here.