Radio Shack Communications Headset with VOX, 21-1831 Owner's Manual

21-1831.fm Page 1 Thursday, January 13, 2000 12:56 PM

Communications Headset with VOX

Your RadioShack Communications
Headset with VOX (Voice Activation)
allows handsfree operation of your
mobile or handheld communications
transceiver. You can use this headset
with many of the RadioShack hand­held amateur radio, business band,
FRS (Family Radio Service), and citi­zen’s band transceivers that have ex­ternal microphone and speaker jacks.

The headset has these features:

Voice Activation Control (VOX)

lets you set the headset to automati­cally activate the transceiver so you
transmit only when you speak.

Push-To-Talk (PTT) Button

you manually switch between trans­mitting and receiving when the voice
activation feature is not appropriate.

Noise-Canceling Microphone

minimizes the surrounding noise while
you talk into the microphone.

—

— lets

—

chargeable nickel-cadmium battery (not
supplied).

PREPARATION

Installing the Battery

Your headset requires one AAA battery
for power. For the best performance and
longest life, we recommend RadioShack
alkaline batteries.

Caution:

required size and recommended type.
Follow these steps to install the battery.

1. Press down on the battery compart-

2. Install the battery as indicated by the

3. Replace the cover.

Use only a fresh battery of the

ment cover and slide it in the direc­tion of the arrow.

polarity symbols (
inside the compartment.

Cat. No.

+

21-1831

and –) marked

Lightweight Adjustable Headband

— ensures a snug, comfortable fit.

Rotating Microphone Boom

you position the microphone for either
right- or left-ear use.

Low-Power Circuitry

more than 400 hours on one AAA al­kaline battery (not supplied), and
about 200 hours on one AAA re-

RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

— lets

— operates for

1999, 2000 Tandy Corporation.

©

All Rights Reserved.

Note:

If you are using VOX operation
and the transceiver does not switch to
transmit when you begin speaking, re­place the battery.

Warning:

promptly and properly. Do not burn or
bury it.

Caution:

headset for a week or more, remove the

Dispose of the old battery

If you do not plan to use the

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battery. Batteries can leak chemicals
that destroy electronic parts.

Adjusting the Headband
and Microphone

Earpiece

Microphone

1. Place the headset on your head with
the earpiece over either ear.

2. Position the headset band so there
is almost no pressure on your ear or
the top of your head. Make adjust­ments as desired.

• If the headset is loose, push the

earpiece upward slightly to tight­en it.

• If the headset is tight, pull the ear-

piece downward to loosen it.

3. Hold the headset in place and posi­tion the microphone boom up or
down until it is about even with your
chin. You might need to bend the
flexible boom to position the micro­phone so voice activation works
properly. Experiment until you find
the best position.

Microphone Boom

Listening Safely

To protect your hearing, follow these
guidelines when you use a headset.

• Set the volume to the lowest setting
before you begin listening. After you
begin listening, adjust the volume to
a comfortable level.

• Do not listen at extremely high vol­ume levels. Extended high-volume
listening can lead to permanent
hearing loss.

• Once you set the volume, do not in­crease it. Over time, your ears adapt
to the volume level, so a volume lev­el that does not cause discomfort
might still damage your hearing.

Traffic Safety

Do not use your headset when operat­ing a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle in
or near traffic. Doing so can create a
traffic hazard and could be illegal in
some areas.

Using the Belt and Lapel Clips

Use the clip on the back of the control
box to attach the control box to your belt
or pocket.

Use the supplied lapel clip to attach the
headset wire to your clothing, if desired.

Connecting to the Transceiver

Note:

To avoid accidental transmission,

set

VOX

to

OFF

and turn off your trans-

2

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ceiver before you connect the headset
to it.

Insert the headset's

1

/8-inch (3.5-mm)
speaker plug into the transceiver's ear­phone jack. Then insert the headset's

3

/32­inch (2.5-mm) microphone plug into the
transceiver's microphone jack.

OPERATION

You can manually switch between trans­mitting and receiving (see “PTT (Push­To-Talk Button) Operation” on Page 4)
or use VOX to automatically transmit
when you talk, then receive when you
stop talking (see “VOX Operation”).

Caution:

cord or the control box near the trans­ceiver's antenna. If the cord or the con­trol box is too close to the antenna, the
transmitting range might be shortened
or the control box might not correctly
switch between transmit and receive.

Never position the headset’s

2. Set

BOTH

3. Set

AUDIO/BOTH/RADIO

.

to LO (low) or HI (high). If

VOX

to

RADIO

or

you are operating the transceiver
where there is little background
noise, set the switch to

. When

HI

background noise or wind is strong,
set the switch to

LO

.

4. Turn on your transceiver and set its
volume to about mid-range.

5. Adjust the headset’s volume control
to a comfortable level.

6. Speak into the microphone. The
transceiver automatically switches
to transmit. When you stop talking,
the transceiver automatically switch­es to receive after about 2 seconds.

Note:

If you set the switch to

LO

you might have to speak in a louder­than-normal voice.

7. When you finish operation, turn off
the transceiver first, then turn off the
headset by setting

VOX

to

OFF

.

,

VOX Operation

Volume
Control

VOX Switch

1. Set the headset’s volume control
(on the control box) to its lowest set­ting (toward the narrow end of the
arrow).

AUDIO/BOTH/RADIO Switch

Notes:

• The headset quickly switches the
transceiver to transmit after you
start talking. However, some trans­ceivers require more time between
when the transmit circuit is activated
and when it actually begins to trans­mit. On these transceivers, the first
part of the first word you say might
not transmit. You might want to pre­cede your transmission with “Umm,”
or extend the first sound to ensure
your entire message is received.

3

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• To transmit continuously during
VOX operation, even if you stop
talking for a few seconds, hold down

PTT. When you release PTT, trans-

mitting stops after about 2 seconds
of silence.

• After the volume controls are set,
you can adjust the volume with ei­ther the headset’s or the transceiv­er’s volume control.

PTT (Push-To-Talk Button)
Operation

Push-to-Talk Button

1. Set the headset’s volume control to
its lowest setting.

2. Set

3. Set

4. Turn on your transceiver and set its

5. Adjust the headset’s volume control

6. Press

7. When you finish operation, turn off

AUDIO/BOTH/RADIO to RADIO or

BOTH.

VOX to OFF.

volume to about mid-range.

to a comfortable level.

PTT to transmit and release it

to receive.

the transceiver.

Using the AUDIO IN Jack

You can attach an audio source (such
as a cassette player, CD player, or ra­dio) to the headset so you can listen to
music while talking to others. Simply
plug one end of the
audio input cable (not supplied) to the

AUDIO IN jack, and the other end to the

headphone jack on the audio source.

Setting

AUDIO/BOTH/RADIO affects what

you hear through the earpiece.

• To listen to music but still receive
transceiver signals, set

BOTH/RADIO

• To hear only transceiver signals, set

AUDIO/BOTH/RADIO to RADIO.

• To listen to music only, set

BOTH/RADIO

You can transmit (talk) in PTT mode
with

AUDIO/BOTH/RADIO in any setting.

However, VOX works only with this
switch set to

RADIO or BOTH.

1

/8-inch (3.5-mm)

to BOTH.

to AUDIO.

AUDIO IN Jack

AUDIO/

AUDIO/

4

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SPECIFICATIONS

Power Supply .................................................................. 1.5 Volt (One AAA Battery)

Current Drain:

VOX Operation ............................................................................................. 2 mA

PTT Operation ............................................................... 2 mA with PTT Pressed

Battery Life ......................................................... About 400 Hours of VOX Operation

(No Drain with VOX Off)

Electret Microphone:

Plug Size . ... ... ....................................... ... .... .............................

3

/32 Inch (2.5 mm)

Impedance .... ....................................... ... ....................................... ....... 2.2 koh m

Speaker:

Plug Size . ... ....................................... ... ... ...................................

1

/8 Inch (3.5 mm)

Impedance ............................................................................................. 32 Ohms

Sensitivity ............................................................... 111 dB SPL (at 1 kHz, 1 mW)

VOX Activation Time ........................................................... Less than 5 Milliseconds

(Some Transceivers Have Additional Delays)

VOX Recovery Time ........................................................................ About 2 Seconds

(Some Transceivers Have Additional Delays)

VOX Sensitivity:

LO ..................................................................................................... 105 dB SPL

HI ........................................................................................................ 96 dB SPL

Dimensions (HWD, Control Box Without Belt Clip) ................ 2

15

/16 × 13/4 × 2/3 Inches

(75 × 44 × 17 mm)

Weight (Control Box Without Battery) .......................................................... ... .. 3.7 oz

(106 g)

Specifications are typical; individual units might vary. Specifications are subject to
change and improvement without notice.

5

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Limited Ninety-Day Warranty

This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workman­ship under normal use for ninety (90) days from the date of purchase from RadioShack company­owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED
HEREIN, RadioShack MAKES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,
ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THE WRITTEN LIMITED WA RRANTIES
CONTAINED HEREIN. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RadioShack SHALL HAVE NO LIABIL­ITY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO CUSTOMER OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY WITH RE­SPECT TO ANY LIABILITY, LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY USE
OR PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCT OR ARISING OUT OF ANY BREACH OF THIS WAR­RANTY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM INCONVE­NIENCE, LOSS OF TIME, DATA, PROPERTY, REVENUE, OR PROFIT OR ANY INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENT AL, OR CONSEQ UENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF RadioShac k HAS BEEN AD­VISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or the exclusion or limit a­tion of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to
you.
In the event of a product defect during the warranty period, take the product and the RadioShack
sales receipt as proof of purchase date to any RadioShack store. RadioShack will, at its option, un­less otherwise provided by law: (a) correct the defect by product repair without charge for parts and
labor; (b) replace the product with one of the same or similar design; or (c) refund the purchase
price. All replaced parts and products, and products on which a refund is made, become the prop­erty of RadioShack. New or reconditioned parts and products may be used in the performance of
warranty service. Repaired or replaced parts and products are warranted for the remainder of the
original warranty period. You will be charged for repair or replacement of the product made after the
expiration of the warranty period.
This warranty does not cover: (a) damage or failure caused by or attributable to acts of God, abuse,
accident, misuse, improper or abnormal usage, failure to follow instructions, improper installation or
maintenance, alteration, lightning or other incidence of excess voltage or current; (b) any repairs
other than those provided by a RadioShack Authorized Service Facility; (c) consumables such as
fuses or batteries; (d) cosmetic damage; (e) transportation, shipping or insurance costs; or (f) costs
of product removal, installation, set-up service adjustment or reinstallat i on.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from
state to state.

RadioShack Customer Relations, 200 Taylor Street, 6th Floor, Fort Worth, TX 76102

We Service What We Sell

12/99

01A00 Printed in China

RadioShack

A Division of Tandy Corporation

Fort Worth, Texas 76102

6621-30294