Page 2 - FEATURES; Its features include:
2 FEATURES Your lightweight and compact Ra-dioShack DX-396 AM/SW/FM-StereoPLL Portable Receiver lets you choosefrom a wide variety of broadcasts onFM, AM, and SW (shortwave) bands.The 12 international SW bands let youtune in to the news and other programsfrom such sources as the British Broad-castin...
Page 4 - CONTENTS
4 CONTENTS Preparation .............................................................................................................. 5 Connecting Power .............................................................................................. 5 Using Internal Battery Power ........................
Page 5 - PREPARATION; CONNECTING POWER; Using Internal Battery Power; BATTERY; Using AC Power
5 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, y...
Page 6 - Using Vehicle Battery Power
6 Cautions: You must use a Class 2power source that supplies3V DC and delivers at least 300 mA. Its center tip must be set topositive and its plug must fit the re-ceiver's DC 3V jack. Using an adapt- er that does not meet thesespecifications could damage the re-ceiver or the adapter. • Always connec...
Page 7 - SETTING THE TIME; Choosing the Time Format; FM
7 Follow these steps to power your receiv-er from your vehicle’s battery power. 1. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 3V. 2. Connect the Adaptaplug to the adapter’s cord with TIP set to+POS. 3. Insert the adapter's barrel plug into the receiver’s DC 3V jack. This dis- connects the internal batterie...
Page 8 - Setting the Secondary Clock
8 • When the receiver is off, the display always shows local time. When thereceiver is turned on, the time disap-pears and a radio frequencyappears. To see the time when thereceiver is on, press CLOCK . Press CLOCK again to return to the radio frequency display. Setting the Secondary Clock Follow th...
Page 9 - Listening Safely; • Set the volume to the lowest setting; Traffic Safety
9 USING STEREO HEADPHONES For private listening, connect optionalstereo headphones into the receiver's 1 / 8 -inch jack. Your local RadioShack store offers a wide selection of stereo head-phones. Note: The built-in speaker disconnectswhen you plug in headphones. Listening Safely To protect your hear...
Page 10 - OPERATION; Selecting the Band; If you select FM
10 OPERATION LISTENING TO THE RECEIVER Warning: To prevent possible ear injuryand hearing loss, set VOLUME to mini- mum before you turn on the receiver. Af-ter you turn on the receiver, set VOLUME to a comfortable listening level. Follow these steps to listen to the re-ceiver. 1. Press POWER to turn...
Page 11 - SW SELECT; Tuning to a Radio Station; • Search; ENTRY; ENTER; EEEE; • Preset; SCAN
11 2. Press SW SELECT . m (meter) flashes for 10 seconds. 3. While m flashes, press the desired band key ( 120m - 13m ). The receiver tunes to the lowest fre-quency in the selected band. Tuning to a Radio Station You can tune to a station using the man-ual, search, direct access, preset, orscan tuni...
Page 12 - Using the Sensitivity Switch; LOCAL; If you are listening to a weak station; DX; Using the Antenna; DC; MEMORY; Band Antenna Adjustments
12 Using the Sensitivity Switch If you are listening to a strong FM, AM,or SW station , and the sound is distort- ed, set the sensitivity switch to LOCAL . This decreases the receiver’s sensitivitywhich reduces distortion from strong sig-nals and prevents reception of weak andnoisy signals which are...
Page 13 - To clear all the memory buttons; must reset the receiver.; To clear a single memory button; ory location button,; dELE; press; LISTENING HINTS; Band
13 ERASING STORED FREQUENCIES Your shortwave receiver permanentlykeeps programmed stations stored inmemory. However, you can erase all orsingle stored frequencies from the mem-ory buttons. To clear all the memory buttons , you must reset the receiver. Note: Resetting the receiver clears thecurrent c...
Page 14 - 00 by the number of MHz.
14 **The 41-meter band is shared by hamoperators in the United States and inter-national stations. TIME STANDARD FREQUENCIES The following frequencies announce theexact time of day at specified intervalsfor the United States. Note: Other countries also have signalstations transmitting this type of i...
Page 15 - SPECIAL FEATURES; USING THE KEY LOCK; Setting the Alarm Time
15 SPECIAL FEATURES USING THE KEY LOCK The lock feature prevents you from acci-dentally turning the receiver on or off,changing the band or frequency, orchanging other front-panel controls. Youcan still adjust VOLUME , TONE , and the sensitivity switch. To lock the controls, set LOCK to IN . LOCK ap...
Page 16 - BUZZER; or; STANDBY; disappears; USING THE SLEEP TIMER; Note: Each time you press; SLEEP
16 To turn off the alarm so it will not soundagain the next day, press SET/OFF . BUZZER or STANDBY disappears when the alarm is turned off. USING THE SLEEP TIMER The sleep timer sets the radio to turn offafter 90, 60, 30 or 15 minutes so youcan fall asleep as you listen to the radio.To set the sleep...
Page 17 - TROUBLESHOOTING; Problem
17 TROUBLESHOOTING Your receiver should give you years of trouble-free service if you follow the care in-structions given in this manual. If you do have problems, the chart below might helpyou solve them. Problem Probable Cause Solution No display or incorrect display. • Batteries are weak or dead. ...
Page 18 - THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW; To try to eliminate the interference:; • Press SCAN or press the
18 THE FCC WANTS YOU TO KNOW Your RadioShack DX-396 AM/SW/FM-Stereo PLL Portable Receiver might causetelevision or radio interference even when it is operating properly. To determinewhether your receiver is causing the interference, turn it off. If the interference goesaway, your receiver is causing...
Page 19 - SPECIFICATIONS
19 SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Range (with frequency stepswitch set to AM 10 kHz FM 200 kHz): FM.................................87.5-108.0 MHz AM ................................... 530-1710 kHz SW ............................... 2300-21850 kHz ( . . . set to AM 9 kHz FM 100 kHz): FM.....................
Page 20 - Limited Ninety-Day Warranty
RadioShack A Division of Tandy Corporation Fort Worth, Texas 76102 12A99 Printed in Hong Kong Limited Ninety-Day Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workman-ship under normal use for ninety (90) days from the date of purchase from RadioShack...
