Radio Shack DX-396 User Manual

Cat. No. 20-226

OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

DX-396

AM/SW/FM Stereo PLL Portable Receiver

FEATURES

Your lightweight and compact Ra­dioShack DX-396 AM/SW/FM-Stereo
PLL Portable Receiver lets you choose
from a wide variety of broadcasts on
FM, AM, and SW (shortwave) bands.
The 12 international SW bands let you
tune in to the news and other programs
from such sources as the British Broad­casting Company, Radio Cairo, and Ra­dio Moscow, bringing the voices of the
world to you.

Its features include:

Dual Clock

— has a primary clock,
which you can set to your local time, and
a secondary clock, which you can set for
another time zone.

Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) Synthe­sized Receiver

— ensures accurate

tuning.

Direct-Access Tuning

— directly tunes
to the desired frequency when you enter
the frequency on the keypad.

Large, Fast-Response Display

—
shows the band, frequency, wave length
(for SW), memory, battery, time, and
other indicators.

Memory Tuning

— stores up to 30 fre­quencies in memory (10 frequencies in
each band) so you can easily tune to
your favorite stations.

Tone Control

— lets you set the receiv­er to accentuate high or low frequency
sounds.

Search Tuning

— searches up or down

the band for the next available station.

Memory Scan

— scans the stored fre-

quencies in each band’s memory.

LED Tuning Indicator

— lights when

the receiver tunes to a signal.

Shortwave Quick Select

— allows you
quick access to any of the 12 shortwave
broadcast bands.

Key Lock

— prevents you from acci­dentally turning the receiver on or off,
changing the band or frequency, or
changing other front-panel controls.

Alarm

— sounds a buzzer or turns on

the radio at a set time.

Sleep Timer

— plays the radio for 90,
60, 30, or 15 minutes, then automati cally
turns it off.

Headphone Jack

— lets you connect
optional stereo headphones so you can
listen privately and hear FM broadcasts
in stereo.

DX/Local Control

— helps to reduce

distortion of broadcasts.

RadioShack and Adaptaplug are registered trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.

2

1999 Tandy Corporation.

©

All Rights Reserved.

Three Power Options

the receiver with internal batteries (not
supplied), standard household AC pow­er (using an optional AC adapter), or DC
vehicle battery power (using an optional
DC adapter).

— let you power

Memory Backup

grammed stations in your receiver’s
memory for about 30 seconds without
batteries.

Frequency Step Switch

the correct frequency step for different
countries.

12H/24H Clock Switch

lect a 12- or 24-hour time display.

Folding Stand

receiver at an angle.
Because this product is so versatile,

please take a few moments to review
this Owner’s Manual before you operate
your receiver.

— keeps the pro-

— lets you set

— lets you se-

— securely positions the

3

CONTENTS

Preparation .............................................................................................................. 5

Connecting Power .................................... .... ...................................... .... ... ... ... ... 5

Using Internal Battery Power .......... ... .... ... ... ... ....................................... ... ... 5

Using AC Power ........................................................................................... 5

Using Vehicle Battery Power ........................................................................ 6

Setting the Time ....... ....................................... ... ... .... ...................................... ... 7

Choosing the Time Format ..................... ... ... ... .... ...................................... ... 7

Setting the Primary Clock ...................................... ... ................................... 7

Setting the Secondary Clock ........................... .... ... ... ... ... ............................. 8

Setting the AM/FM Tuning Increment ....... .... ...................................... .... ... ... ... ... 8

Using Stereo Headphones ................................................................................. 9

Listening Safely .. ... ....................................... ... .... ... ... ... ................................ 9

Traffic Safety ............................................. ... ... .... ...................................... ... 9

Using the Folding Stand ..................................................................................... 9

Operation ............................................................................................................... 10

Listening to the Receiver .................................................................................. 10

Selecting the Band ..................................................................................... 10

Selecting the International Radio Frequency Band .................................... 10

Tuning to a Radio Station ........................................................................... 11

Using the Sensitivity Switch ....................................................................... 12

Using the Antenna .......................................... .... ...................................... . 12

Storing Station Frequencies ............................ ... ... ....................................... ... . 12

Erasing Stored Frequencies ..................... .... ... ... ....................................... ... ... . 13

Listening Hints ................................. ... ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ... ... . 13

International Broadcast Frequencies ......................................... ... ... ... .... ... ....... 13

Time Standard Frequencies ............................................................................. 14

Frequency Conversion ..................................................................................... 14

Special Features ................................................................................................... 15

Using the Key Lock ........................................................................................... 15

Using the Alarm .................................. ... ... ....................................... ... .... ... ....... 15

Setting the Alarm Time ........................................................... ... ... .... .......... 15

Turning the Alarm On/Off ................................ .... ... ... ... ... ........................... 15

Using the Sleep Timer ...................................................................................... 16

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................... 17

The FCC Wants You to Know ........................................................................... 18

Specifications .......................... .......................... ...................... ....................... ....... 19

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PREPARATION

CONNECTING POWER

You can power your receiver from:

• Internal battery power (two alkaline

C batteries, not supplied).

• Standard household AC power (with

an optional AC adapter).

• Vehicle battery power (with an

optional DC adapter).

Using Internal Battery Power

To use battery power, you need two C
batteries (not supplied). For the best
performance and longest life, we recom­mend RadioShack alkaline batteries.

Cautions:

• Use only fresh batteries of the

required size and recommended
type.

• Do not mix old and new batteries or

different types of batteries.

Follow these steps to install batteries.

1. Slide the battery compartment cover
in the direction of the arrow and
remove the cover.

OPEN

SIZE”C” x2 BATTERIES

2. Place the batteries in the compart­ment and on top of the attached rib­bon, as indicated by the polarity
symbols (+ and –) marked outside
the compartment.

3. Replace the cover.

When

BATTERY flashes on the display

or the receiver stops operating properly,
replace the batteries.

Warning:

Dispose of old batteries
promptly and properly. Do not burn or
bury them.

Caution:

If you do not plan to use the
receiver with batteries for a month, re­move the batteries. Batteries can leak
chemicals that can destroy electronic
parts.

Using AC Power

You can power the receiver using a 3V,
700-mA AC adapter, such as Ra­dioShack Cat. No. 273-1756, and a size
H Adaptaplug
are available at your local RadioShack
store.

®

(neither supplied). Both

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Cautions:

You must use a Class 2
power source that supplies

!

3V DC and delivers at least
300 mA. Its center tip must be set to
positive and its plug must fit the re­ceiver's
er that does not meet these
specifications could damage the re­ceiver or the adapter.

• Always connect the AC adapter to
the receiver before you connect it to
AC power. When you finish, discon­nect the adapter from AC power
before you disconnect it from the
receiver.

• If you disconnect power from the
receiver for about 30 seconds, all
information stored in memory will be
lost. However, if you disconnect the
AC adapter plug from the receiver’s

DC 3V

installed, the memory stays intact.

Follow these steps to power the receiver
from AC power.

1. Connect the Adaptaplug to the
adapter’s cord with the TIP set to
+POS.

2. Insert the barrel plug into the
receiver’s
nects the internal batteries.

DC 3V

jack. Using an adapt-

jack and have batteries

DC 3V

jack. This discon-

Using Vehicle Battery Power

You can power the receiver from a vehi­cle’s 12V power source (such as ciga­rette-lighter socket) using a 3V, 300-mA
DC adapter and a size H Adaptaplug
(neither supplied). Both are available at
your local RadioShack store.

Cautions:

You must use a power
source that supplies 3V DC

!

and delivers at least 300
mA. Its center tip must be set to
positive and its plug must fit the re­ceiver's
er that does not meet these
specifications could damage t he re­ceiver or the adapter.

• Always connect the DC adapter to
the receiver before you connect it to
the power source. When you finish,
disconnect the adapter from the
power source before you disconnect
it from the receiver.

• If you disconnect power from the
receiver for about 30 seconds, all
information stored in memory will be
lost. However, if you disconnect the
DC adapter plug from the receiver’s

DC 3V

installed, the memory stays intact.

DC 3V

jack. Using an adapt-

jack and have batteries

3. Plug the adapter into a standard AC
outlet.

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