Radio Shack DX-375

[pberger]

I've had my DX-375 for 10 years or more.....I think I bought it on sale for $44. Here's a testimonial:

Three weeks ago I turned it on, placed it on the chaise lounge by the pool, and went to sit down, not realizing one leg was over the edge. The lounge tilted and the radio slid off the lounge into the pool about the middle. I watched it sink, then slide down the bottom towards the drain. Even though the pool was about 62 degrees, I went around to the steps and jumped in and dove down to retrieve the radio from about 8 ft.

When I got out, I removed the batteries, shook the radio hard, swung it in a big arc, then left it sitting sort of upright, but at a slant. I decided to wait 3 days, then I replaced the batteries, AND IT WORKED PERFECTLY! Nice clean sound, all buttons worked, you'd never know it took a swim.

If I ever see one in a thrift store, you bet I will buy it. By the way, I use rechargeable AA batteries, using adapters, in place of the two C cells which are suggested. It's only weakness is the lack of a backlight for the dial. I wish they still made this model.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Swimming Radios - was Radio Shack DX-375

The lounge tilted and the radio slid off the lounge into the pool about the middle. I watched it sink, then slide down the bottom towards the drain. Even though the pool was about 62 degrees, I went around to the steps and jumped in and dove down to retrieve the radio from about 8 ft.

This happens a lot with cell phones, cordless phones, radios, even laptops.

What I recommend when this happens - immediately disassemble the unit as much as possible, and soak the circuit board(s) in distilled water. Change the distilled water after a few minutes. Don't forget to pry off RF shields when they are just snapped on, so you can see the parts inside. After several hours, remove from the water and air dry. Watch for a day or two for signs of corrosion, usually on those shields you forgot to remove.

The reason this works is that for decades now, all fluxes have been water soluable, and boards are washed in water after wave soldering. So no components - except for those added after wave soldering like RF shields - will rust. What you need to do is get the board in a Ph neutral environment ASAP, because pool chemicals can corrode. I know people who have rescued phones and radios that were swamped by salt water on the beach - the key is to get the distilled water to displace the salt water quickly, and the salt will come off the board into distilled water. If power was on and something shorted and burned out a part on the board, that is another matter.

Batteries, floppy and CD drives, mice, keyboards, etc. are much harder to revive because the water can displace lubricants and corrode metals that were NOT intended for water cleaning. I've heard of laptops being restored, but it is much more difficult to make the decision what to soak and what to just air dry after rinsing.

 

[vibe]

B.C. great tip; am gonna print your post out and put it in my notebook. Will file it under "smart things to do after doing an incredibly stupid thing." Just kidding; we've all done this stuff or worse. maybe even driven into a 5 foot deep puddle during a storm.. Again thanks, and thanks to the orig. post for the heads up on this radio. Will look 4 it at the thrifts.

 

[cyberdad]

I also have a DX 375 which I bought more than ten years ago....probably closer to fifteen.

Speaker usually doesn't work and the external whip antenna is long gone, but it still does great for a.m. DX-ing. I use the C-batteries...which last forever.

 

[dxer720]

My 11-year-old DX-375 is still going strong. It's been by my side for many trips & even a hospital stay.

What a waste of money that extended warrenty was.