Listen Technologies LR-300 User Manual

Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for choosing Listen! All of us at Listen are dedicated to providing

you with the highest quality products available. We take great pride in their
outstanding performance because we care that you are completely
satisfi ed. That’s why we independently certify them to the highest quality
standards and back them with a limited lifetime guarantee. We stand ready
to answer any questions you might have during installation or in the operation
of our products. Should you experience any problems whatsoever with your
Listen products, we are ready to help you in any way we can with prompt,
effi cient customer care. Because at Listen, it’s all about you! And should you
have any comments on how we might improve our products or our
service, we’re here to listen.

Here’s how to reach us:
+1.801.233.8992
+1.800.330.0891
+1.801.233.8995

North America
fax

[e-mail]
www.listentech.com

Thank you and enjoy your listening experience!
Best regards,

Russell Gentner and the Listen Team

• In the few instances where repairs were needed, 99% of all clients indicated that they were happy with
repair turn-around-times and 85% of the time, clients were without their product for less than 10 days!

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Assistive Listening • Language Interpretation • Soundfi eld • Tour Group • Conferencing

Receivers Table of Contents

LR-500 Manual 3

LR-500 Table of Contents 5
LR-400 Manual 19
LR-400 Table of Contents 21

LR-300 Manual 33

LR-300 Table of Contents 35

Table of Contents

Supplementary Information 44

Channel Selection 44
Listen SQ™ 45
RF Reception Maximization Strategies 46
72 MHz Frequency Compatibility Table 47
216 MHz Frequency Compatibility Table 48
Troubleshooting 49
Compliance Notice 51
FCC Statement 51
Warranty 52
Contacting Listen 52
Optional Accessories 53

LR-500

LR-400

LR-300

Information

LR-500 Table of Contents

Package Contents 6
Architectural Specifi cations 7
Specifi cations 7
Quick Reference 7
Setup Instructions 9
Operation Instructions 11
Programming Instructions 13
Squelch Information 14
Squelch Programming 14
Charging Batteries 15
Wall Transformer Operation 16

LR-500

5

LR-500

LR-500 Package Contents

LR-500 Contents

• LR-500 Portable Programmable
Display FM Receiver (72 MHz,

216 MHz)

Listen Part Number

•LR-500-072 (72 MHz)

•LR-500-216 (216 MHz)

3

3

6

LR-500 Specifi cations

Architectural Specifi cations

The FM reciever shall be capable of receiving on 57 wide and narrow band channels with a SNR of
80dB or greater. The receiver shall be programmable to electronically lock out unneeded channels.
The receiver shall be capable of seeking channels. The device shall have an adjustable squelch. The
device shall have an audio frequency response of 63 Hz to 15 KHz, ± 3dB at 72 MHz, or 63 Hz to 10
KHz, ±3dB at 216 MHz. The device will incorporate a stereo headset jack that allows the user to plug
in either a mono or stereo headset. The device shall incorporate an LCD display that indicates
channel, channel lock or lock status, battery level, battery charging, and RF signal strength. The
receiver shall incorporate automatic battery charging circuitry for recharging of NiMH batteries. The
Listen LR-500 is specifi ed.

Specifi cations

LR-500

RF

Audio

Controls

Indicators

Power

Physical

Environmental

RF Frequency Range 72.025-75.950 MHz 216.025-216.975 MHz

Specifi cation LR-500-072 LR-500-216

Number of Channels 57 (17 wide, 40 narrow) 57 (19 wide, 38 narrow)
Sensitivity .6uV typical, 1 uV maximum for 12dB SINAD
Frequency Accuracy ± .005% stability 32 to 122º F (0 to 50º C)
Antenna Uses earphone cable
Antenna Connector 3.5 mm connector
Squelch Programmable in 20 steps
Compliance FCC Part 15, Industry Canada

System Frequency Response 63 Hz-15 Hz (±3dB) 63 Hz-10 kHz (±3dB)
System Signal to Noise Ratio (A-weighted) SQ™ enabled: 80dB;

System Distortion < 2% total harmonic distortion (THD) at 80% deviation
Output

Set Up Controls

User Controls

Programming

LCD Display

LED

Battery Type
Battery Life (Listen batteries) 30 hours alkaline (LA-361), 15 hours NiMH rechargeable (LA-362)
Battery Charging (NiMH only) Fully automatic, 14 hours

Power Supply Connector
Compliance UL Listed

Dimensions W x D x H
Unit Weight 3.9 oz. (111 g)
Unit Weight with batteries 5.8 oz. (164.4 g)
Shipping Weight 1.0 lbs. (453.6 kg)

Door

Temperature - Operation
Temperature - Storage -4 to 122º F (-20 to 50º C)
Humidity 0 to 95% relative humidity, non-condensing

** All system specifi cations are wireless end-to-end

SQ™ disabled: 60dB

3.5 mm connectors, unbalanced, 0dBu nomial output level, 16mW maximum,
impedance 32 Ohms

Programmable channel selection (see below), alkaline/NiMH batteries and squelch,
SQ™ enable/disable

Volume, channel UP/DOWN/SEEK. All controls except volume are electronically
lockable

Unit can be programmed so that only desired channels are displayed. Squelch can be
adjusted for sensitivity and signal capture control. Channel selection can be locked by
holding the SEEK button for 5 seconds.

Indicates channel, RF signal strength, lock status, squelch, battery power level and
channel programming

Red, illuminates when unit is on. Flashes when batteries are low. Flashes when charg­ing. Flashes when locked and user attempts to seek to another channel.

Two AA batteries, alkaline or NiMH

2.3 mm OD by 0.7 mm ID, barrel type connector. 7.5VDC, center positive <250mA.
Drop in contact points for use with Listen charging cases

3.0 x 1.0 x 4.25 in. (7.6 x 2.5 x 13 cm)

Manually lockable. UP, DOWN and SEEK through door, other controls behind door
(see Controls above)

14 to 104º F (10 to 40º C)

SQ™ enabled: 80dB;
SQ™ disabled: 50dB

7

LR-500 Quick Reference

Articulating Flexible Antenna:

Place in upright position when
in use.

3.5 mm Output Jack: Connect a Listen earphone(s) here.
LED: When lit, indicates unit has power. When batteries

are low or charging the LED fl ashes

On/Off and Volume Control Dial

Look&Listen™ Display:

Shows receive level, channel, programming,
battery status, and lock status.

LR-500

Power/Charging Port

Channel Select Buttons

Front Door Lock

SEEK Button: Allows the user to search for

or lock onto an active channel.

Battery Select Switch: Choose the type of
batteries being used - Alkaline or NiMH.

SQ™ Switch: Turns SQ™ On/Off.

Battery Compartment:

Place two (2) AA batteries in compartment.
Be sure to follow polarity pattern.

RF Receive Indicator:
Indicates the RF receive level.

PGM:
Program function is in process.

8

Channel Display: Displays the
channel the LR-500-863 is currently on.

L/O: Indicates while in programming
mode the specifi c channel has been
locked out.

Lock Icon: Indicates the unit is locked
on current channel.

Battery Level Indicator

LR-500 Setup Instructions

Remove the product

1

Remove outer packaging and plastic cover. Inspect for physical damage.
If damage is apparent, please contact Listen Technologies Corporation
technical support for assistance.

Open the front access door

2

If locked, use a pocketknife or small screwdriver to unlock the door locks
on both sides of the unit. To unlock the door, rotate the lock 1/4 turn
counterclockwise.

Grip the two tabs with your thumb and index finger and pull the door
downward. Do NOT place batteries in the unit yet.

Select Battery Type

3

You have two choices: NiMH and Alkaline. The unit is shipped with the switch
in the Alkaline position. Use a pen or small screwdriver to select the battery
type.

CAUTION: If you are using any battery type other than rechargeable Nickel

Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, make sure the BATTERY selection switch is in
the alkaline position.

Unlocked

LR-500

Locked

WARNING: Do not place the BATTERY switch in the NiMH position if you are not using Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries. The NiMH position

will attempt to charge any batteries in the unit, even if they are not the proper type. Charging non-Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries
will result in physical harm, destruction of property and/or fire.

Set SQ switch

4

The SQ switch is inside the battery compartment next to the Battery Select switch. The unit is
shipped with SQ in the ON position. To turn it off, use a small screwdriver or pen to slide the switch to
the OFF position (to the right). See page 45 for more information on SQ.

Battery Select Switch

Place Batteries in Unit

5

Place two AA batteries in the compartment, making note of the battery polarity shown in the
battery compartment, and again verifying that the BATTERY SELECT switch is in the correct position
for the batteries you are using. (ALK should be selected for all battery types other than NiMH).

SQ™ Select Switch

NOTE: Listen provides industrial strength AA alkaline batteries (part number LA-361) and high

performance AA Nickel Metal Hydride batteries (part number LA-362). These may be
purchased from your Listen dealer.

9

LR-500

LR-500 Setup Instructions

Connect an Earphone or Headset

6

Your headset or earphone will connect to the jack on the top of the unit. Either mono or stereo
connectors may be used with a Listen receiver. Make certain you push the plug all the way
into the jack.

Turn the Unit On

7

Receivers are turned on by rotating the volume dial counterclockwise. The red LED on top of
the unit should activate and the LCD display should illuminate. If they do not, make sure you
have installed the batteries correctly and that you are using fully charged batteries.

Select Channel(s)

8

See page 44 for complete channel selection information.

Set Squelch

9

See pages 13 and 14 for squelch and programming information.

Program Channels

10

see page 13.

Earphone/Headset jack

LCD display will activate
when on

Red LED will illuminate when on

Turn volume knob counterclockwise to
turn on

10

LR-500 Operation Instructions

Make Sure the Unit is On

1

Rotate the volume knob counterclockwise with an earphone or headset connected to the unit.
Listen receivers use the cable of the earphone or headset as a receiving antenna.

Be careful when turning the unit on - if you turn the knob too far you might get too much
volume in your earphone!

Select a Channel

2

Select the channel to match the transmission channel by pressing the UP and DOWN buttons on
the receiver. Listen recommends the use of wide band channels.

At 72 MHz:

72 MHz receivers operate on 17 wide band channels and 40 narrow band channels.

Channels represented by letters on the display (i.e. A) are wideband channels;
channels represented by numbers are narrowband channels.

At 216 MHz:

216 MHz receivers operate on 19 wide band channels and 38 narrow band channels.

Channel numbers starting with a “2” are wide band; channels beginning with a “1” or “3”
are narrow band channels.

LR-500

Refer to the Frequency Compatibility Tables (pages 47-48) for specific frequencies and
compatibility with other manufacturers.

Test the audio

3

If a transmitter is broadcasting on that channel, you will be able to hear the audio. If the signal is
too weak, the audio will be muted (squelched).

Find an audio transmission using SEEK

4

Another way to find a channel on the LR-500 is to use the SEEK button. When you do this, the Listen
receiver looks for the next active channel. Sometimes the unit will mistake interference for a real
broadcast signal. If you get interference, press the SEEK button again. The unit may stop on a
channel that is close to the actual broadcast channel, in which case the channel will sound noisy
or distorted. Simply press SEEK again until you find the clearest operating channel.

Adjust the volume control

5

Use the control dial on the top of the unit to adjust the volume to a comfortable level.

Volume Control Dial

11

LR-500

LR-500 Operation Instructions

To Lock into Only One Channel

6

Press and hold the SEEK button for 5 seconds to lock a receiver onto the currently tuned
channel. Press and hold the button again to unlock. When locked the LED on top of the unit
will flash when you press the SEEK button.

Is the Channel Locked on My Receiver?

On the LR-500, when the channel is locked, the padlock icon will appear on the display. If the
unit is locked, the red LED on the top of the unit will flash when you press the SEEK button.

If locked, LED fl ashes on all
portable receivers when SEEK
button is pressed

Padlock appears when locked

12

LR-500 Programming Instructions

The LR-500 Display Receiver has some special features not available in the other receivers: you may
lock out unwanted channels, and you can adjust the squelch in the unit.

Locking Out Unwanted Channels

For applications where users are required to select a channel (such as language interpretation or
classrooms), and you don’t want them to have to go through all 57 available channels to find the
appropriate channel, you can lock out all channels except the ones you are using in your facility.

UP and DOWN buttons on front of LR-500

Enter the PROGRAM mode

1

Press the UP and DOWN buttons simultaneously for 5 seconds, until the PGM symbol appears in the
display.

Use the UP and DOWN keys to select channels

2

As channels are displayed on the unit, those channels that are locked out from user access will be
indicated by the L/O (Locked Out) symbol. When a channel is locked out, the receiver will skip over
that channel when a user is tuning the receiver.

Press the SEEK button to toggle channels between locked out and non-locked out modes

3

LR-500

Exiting PROGRAM mode

To exit the PROGRAM mode, let the receiver sit idle (don’t press any buttons) for 5 seconds. The
receiver will automatically return to normal operation. If you haven’t finished programming the
unit and it automatically exits, press and hold the UP & DOWN buttons simultaneously for 5
seconds to re-enter the PROGRAM mode.

13

LR-500

LR-500 Squelch

Squelch

The purpose of squelch is to mute the audio output of your receiver when the
signal from the transmitter is turned off or is too weak to be received. Without squelch you
would hear radio noise in your earphone. The squelch on your receiver can be adjusted so that
it will mute the audio on different RF signal strengths. This is useful as follows:

• To ensure that users don’t hear transmissions from other transmitters, set the squelch setting to
the highest level that doesn’t squelch the receiver.

• If the receiver is going to be close to the transmitter (i.e. in a classroom), setting the squelch
setting high so that when the transmitter is turned off it immediately squelches and ignores
transmitters in other rooms.

• If you are in an area that has a lot of inference, you may want to set the squelch setting to a
high setting to ensure the interference is not picked by the receiver.

• If you need the maximum amount of range, you may want to consider setting the squelch
setting to a low level (0, 1 or 2).

CAUTION: When setting the squelch level low the reliability of squelch function is comprised.

This will cause radio noise to be heard in the earphone and there is a possibility of
hearing damage.

Squelch Programming Instructions

Squelch Programming

To enter Squelch programming mode

• Turn the unit off

• Press and hold the seek button; while still holding seek turn the ON/OFF dial to turn the
unit on.

• Release the seek button when the Listen name disappears and a two digit display is seen.

To adjust the Squelch level

• Use the Channel UP and DOWN buttons to raise or lower the squelch sensitivity settings.

• Lower numbers mean that a less powerful and possibly noisy signal will be heard, but you
can have a longer range.

• Higher numbers mean that a more powerful signal with no noise will be heard, but you may
have a shorter range.

• Once the desired squelch setting is found, press “seek” to exit the squelch programming
mode.

Squelch setting 00 is no squelch; this effectively disables Squelching capabilities of the receiver.
Squelch setting 20 is maximum squelch sensitivity; you must have a very strong and stable RF
signal for the unit to not engage the squelch feature.

Adjusting the squelch setting will keep your LR-500 receiver from picking up noise when the
transmitter is not transmitting, or when you lose the signal by being out of range or if
encountering interference.

Note: For squelch settings 1-3, the squelch function is slow which allows for maximum

transmission range. For squelch settings 4-20 the squelch function is fast to ensure little
radio noise is heard during the squelch function.

(The Listen SQ™ feature is not squelch, please refer to page 45 for information on Listen SQ™).

14