Radio Shack HTX-200 User Manual

Cat. No. 19-1102

OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

HTX-200

Mini Handheld Two-Meter FM

Amateur Transceiver

FEATURES

Your RadioShack HTX-200 Mini Handheld Two-Meter FM Ama­teur Transceiver is compact and lightweight, making it easy to
carry almost anywhere. The crystal controlled circuitry provides
accurate and stable frequency selection, making it an ideal
choice for your amateur communications needs.

Note

: You must have a Technician Class or higher Amateur Ra­dio Operator’s License, and a call sign issued by the FCC, to le­gally transmit using this transceiver. Transmitting without a
license carries heavy penalties. Getting a license is easier than
ever. See “Introduction t o Amate ur Radio ” on Page 7 f or more in­formation.

Here are some of your transceiver’s features.

Up To 2 Watt Output

— the transceiver transm its at 200 mW out­put when powered by int erna l al kaline batteries, or at 2 W att o ut­put when pow ered by an ext ernal 9-volt power source.

CTCSS
Tone

(Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System)

— both encodes and decodes 47 subaudible tones to help

Subaudible

reduce interference from other nearby systems operating on the
same frequency.

Repeater Offset

— lets you select t he appr opriate offs et value to

match a local repeater.

Scan

— the transceiver s cans the frequency ran ge and t he mem-

ory locations for transmissions.

Power Save

— conserves battery pow er wh en t he trans c eiv er i s

not transmitting or receiving.

Programmable Frequency Steps

— let you set the frequency
increment for tuning or scanning t o 5, 10, 12.5, 1 5, 20, 25, 50 k Hz,
or 1 MHz steps.

©1999 Tandy Corporation.

RadioShack and Adaptaplug are registered trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

2

Paging Tones

— you can set the radio to play a shor t, sele ctable
paging tone when it transmits, and sound the same tone when it
receives a signal.

Signal Strength Indicator

— a graduated bar show s the relat ive

strength of the received signal.

Time-Out Timer

terval from 0 to 16

Busy Channel Lock Out

— lets you set a maximum tr ansmissi on time in-

1

/2 minutes in 10-second increments.

— prevents tran smitt ing wh ile the s e-

lected channel is receiving a signal.

TX Delay

— reduces squelch tail when communicating using

CTCSS.

Scan Delay

— delays the restart of scanning when the radio

locks onto a channel.

Earphone Jack and External Mic r ophon e J ack

— let you con­nect an optional earphone, external microphone, or combination
headset, for more flexible operation.

External Power Jack

— lets you use an external power source

for maximum output.

30 Memory Locations

— let you store up to 30 frequencies and

other settings.

Back Light

— makes your transceiver easy to operate in low-

light situations.

Key Lock

— lets you lock the transceiver’s keys to prevent acci-

dentally changing settings.

We recommend you record your transceiver’s serial number
here. The number is on the transceiver’s back panel.

Serial Number ____________________________

3

MANUAL CONVENTIONS

Your transceiver’s button s perform multiple function s. The ab bre­viation or symbol for a function is printed on, below, or above
each button.

To activate ce rtain transceiv er features, you mus t press
(function) and another button at the same time. Those key com­bination instructions are printed as the first button name, +, then
the second button name. For example,
hold down

Button names are printed in small, bold, capital letters such as

BEEP

display are printed using a distinctive typeface, such as

146.940

FUNC

while you press

or SC. Words, symbols, and numbers that appear on the

or

BUSY

.

LOCK

FUNC+LOCK

.

FUNC

means

FCC INFORMATION

This device complies wit h Part 15 of the FCC Rules . Ope ration i s
subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not
cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause un­desired operation.

4

CONTENTS

Introduction to Amateur Radio ............................................. 7

Preparation ............................................................................. 9

Power Sources .................................................................. 9

Using Internal Batteries ............................................. 9

Testing Internal Batteries ......................................... 10

Using AC Power .............................................................. 11

Using Ni-Cd or Ni-MH Battery Power .............................. 11

Using Vehicle Battery Power ........................................... 12

Connecting the Antenna ................................................. 13

Attaching the Belt Clip .................................................... 13

Attaching the Wrist Strap .............................................. .. 14

Connecting a Microphone/Speaker ................................. 14

Using the Menus .................................................................. 16

Using the HTX-200’s Menus ........................................... 16

A Quick Look at the Controls .............................................. 19

A Quick Look at the Display ................................................ 22

Operation .............................................................................. 23

Turning on the HTX-200 .................................................. 23

Selecting Frequencies (Direct Tuning) ............................ 23

Receiving Transmissions ................................................. 24

Temporarily Opening Squelch ......................................... 24

Transmitting ..................................................................... 25

Understanding Repeater s ...................................... ...... ....... 26

Setting the Repeater Offset Frequency .......................... 27

Turning Duplex Operation On and Off ............................. 27

Setting the Repeater Offset Direction ............................. 28

Reversing the Transmit and Receive Frequencies .......... 28

Memory Operation ............................................................... 29

Storing a Transmit/Receive Frequency ........................... 29

Recalling Memories ........................................................ 30

Clearing A Single Memory .............................................. 30

Using the Calling-Frequency Memory ............................. 31

5

Scanning Operation ............................................................. 32

Scanning for Active Frequencies ..................................... 32

Using Scan Delay ..................................................... 32

Scanning Standard Memory Locations ........................... 32

Setting A Memory Location to Always Skip

During Scanning ...................................................... 33

Temporarily Locking Out (Skipping) Locations

During Memory Scanning ............................... ...... ... 34

Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System Features ......... 35

Tone Paging ..................................................................... 37

Sending Pag ing Tones ....................................... ..... ...... ... 37

Other Special features ................................................ ...... ... 38

Changing the Transmit Frequency Range ....................... 38

Locking the Keypad ......................................................... 38

Lighting the Display ......................................................... 38

Turning the Key Tone On and Off .................................... 39

Checking the Current Memory Settings .......................... 39

Setting the Frequency Step ............................................. 39

Po wer Save ................................................. ...... .............. 40

Time-Out Timer ............................................................... 40

Reducing Squelch Tail .................................................. ... 41

Busy Channel Lockout .................................................... 41

Troubleshooting .................................................................... 42

Care and Maintenance ......................................................... 43

Using the Keypad Diagnostic .......................................... 44

Resetting the HTX-200 .................................................... 44

Specifications ....................................................................... 45

6

INTRODUCTION TO AMATEUR RADIO

Your transceiver is the perfect first radio for anyone entering the
exciting world of amateur radio, as well as a great additional
transceiver for the experienced amateur radio operator. Your
transceiver opens a door for you to the world from almost any­where! All you need is an Amateur Radio Operator’s License
(Technician Class or higher) issued by the Federal Communica­tions Commissio n (FC C). If you do not h av e a l ic ens e, it is easier
than ever to get one, and help from licensed operators is avail­able. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

You can turn on your transceiver and sca n the entire band to hear
what is going on;

you get your license

in violation of federal law that can lead to severe penalties. Note
that ham operators take the FCC rules very seriously and want
nothing to do with “bootleggers” — their term for people who op­erate without a license.

Find out if there is a ham rad io club in your area. Mos t cl ubs w el ­come newcomers and are glad to help you get your license.
There are thousands of clubs across th e country, so there is prob­ably one in or near your community. The staff at your local Ra­dioShack store often can help you locate a club.

If you do not hear anyone talking about a local club as you listen
to local transmissions, write to the American Radi o Relay League
(ARRL) at the following addres s to find out how to conta ct a local
affiliate. The ARRL is the national organization representing am­ateur radio in the United States. The league has more than
150,000 members. Most are ham operators, or members in the
process of obtaining their license.

however, do not attempt to transmit until

. If you transmit without a license, you are

The American Radio Relay League

225 Main Street

Newington, CT 06111

http://www.arrl.org

7

Start studying for the li cense ex ams. Do not b e intimid ated by the
word “study,” because most people can go from knowing abso­lutely nothing about amateur radio to passing the Novice and
Technician written exams in less than a month.

The exams test your knowle dge of bas ic radio regulation s and el­ementary radio theory. Many clubs hold license classes which
can be a fun and easy way to learn about amateur radio. There
are good books, cassette tapes, computer programs, and many
other study aids available. You r local Radio Shack store se lls

License Preparation

censes. While yo u are no lo nger re quired to l earn M orse code for
a Technician Cl as s lic ense, we encourag e y ou to learn it anywa y
so you can advance to higher levels of operating privileges.

There is no fee to take the No vice exam. As so on as you pass the
Novice exam, you can immediately take the Technician exam.
There is a small fee required for taking the Technician exam. All
license level tes ts are admini stered by a three -member Vol unteer
Examiner Team. Contact the ARRL for a schedule of exam op­portunities in your area.

The Technician Class license lets you use the HTX-200 to com­municate directly w i th o the r op erators, and use repe ate rs fo r di s­tant communication.

Amateur radio is a great ho bby tha t has en ric hed the l iv es of m il­lions of people all over the w orld. The ARRL would be glad t o hear
from you if you need more information or would like to join!

study guides for amateur radio operator li-

FCC

8

PREPARATION

POWER SOURCES

You can operate your transceive r from any of thre e power sourc ­es:

• internal batteries

• AC power (using an optional power supply and DC adapter)

• vehicle battery power (using an optional DC adapter)

Using Internal Batteries

Your transceiver can use tw o AA batte ries (not supp lied) for p ow­er. 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, d ifferent types of batteries
(standard, alkaline, or rechargeable), or rechargeable bat­teries of different capacities.

Follow these steps to install batteries.

LOCK Tab (on bottom)

1. Move the
marked on the bottom of the transceiver.

tab in the opposite direction of the arrow

LOCK

9

2. Press down and slide the battery compartment cover in the
direction of the arrow marked on the cover.

3. Put the batteries into the compartment and on top of the
attached ribbon, according to the polarity symbols (+ and –)
marked inside the compartment.

4. Replace the cover and slide the
cover.

tab to secure the

LOCK

Testing Internal Batteries

When you turn on the HTX-200,
graduated bar (the signal strentgth meter) next to
the battery strength. If the batteries are weak, the graduated bar
shows less than 4 boxes. The battery symbo l ( ) constantly in­dicates the battery strength. When only one or two bars appear
inside the battery strength indicator, replace both batteries as
soon as possible.

Warning

burn or bury them.

Caution

for a two week period, remove the batteries. Batteries can leak
chemicals that can destroy electronic parts.

: Dispose of old batteries promptly and properly. Do not

: If you do not plan to use the transceiver with batteries

BAT

appears briefly and the

BAT

indicates

10

USING AC POWER

You can operate the HTX-200 from AC power using a regulated
power supply capable of supplying 13.8 VDC at least 1A and a
vehicle power adapter (see “Using Vehicle Battery Power” on
Page 12). The supply should also have an accessory power
socket into which the DC-to-DC power adapter fits. If your power
supply does not have an accessory power socket, you can either
wire the power cord directly to your power supply or add an ac­cessory power socket to the supply. Suitable connectors, power
supplies, power cords, and sockets are available at your local
RadioShack store.

The following illustration shows how to connect a typical power
supply, a DC-to-DC power adapter, and the HTX-200.

RE

GUL

AT

ED

PO

W

ER

SU

PP

LY

AMP

3

13.8 VDC

USING NI-CD OR NI-MH BATTERY
POWER

You can use either Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries to power your HTX­200; however, you cannot re charge th ese batte ries while they are
inside the HTX-200. You can use a separate external charger for
recharging the batterie s outside the radio. Your lo cal RadioSha ck
store carries a selection of suitable batteries and chargers.

As these batteries provide less voltage than that typically

Note:

supplied by alkaline batteries, expect less transmitting output
power when you use the HTX-200 with Ni-Cd or Ni-MH battery
power.

11

USING VEHICLE BATTERY POWER

You can power the HTX-200 from a vehicle’s 12V power source
(such as cigarette-lighter socket) using an 9-volt, 900 mA DC-to­DC power adapter and a size I Adaptaplug® (neither supplied)
with TIP se t to +. Both are available at your local RadioShack
store.

Cautions:

Y ou mu st use a pow er sourc e that supp lies 9V DC
and delivers at least 900 mA. Its center tip must

!

be set to positive and its plug must fit the HTX-

DC 9V

200's
these specifications could damage the HTX-200 or the
adapter.

• Always connect the DC adapter to the HTX-200 before you
connect it to the power source. When you finish, disconnect
the adapter from the power source before you disconnect it
from the HTX-200.

Follow these steps to operate the HTX-200 from a vehicle’s bat­tery power.

1. Insert the Adaptaplug into the HTX-200’s

2. Plug the other end of the adapter into the cigarette-lighter
socket in the vehicle.

jack. Using an adapter that does not meet

jack.

DC 9V

12

CONNECTING THE ANTENNA

Place the threaded ba se socket of the supp lie d an ten na over the
antenna connector on to p of the transc eiver and tu rn the antenna
clockwise to tighten it

. Turn it clockwise to remove it.

Caution:
Note:

an SMA-to-BNC adapter. This adapter, as well as suitable anten­nas, are available through your local RadioShack store.

Do not over-tighten the antenna

You can connect an external antenn a to the HTX-200 using

ATTACHING THE BELT CLIP

Use a Phillips screwdriver and the two supplied screws to attach
the supplied belt clip to your transceiver. Do not overtighten the
screws.

13

ATTACHING THE WRIST STRAP

To attach the supp lied wrist s trap to the top of the b elt clip, thread
the strap’s small loop through the opening in the top of the clip.
Then insert the longer loop through the smaller loop and pull on
the strap until the loop is tight.

CONNECTING A MICROPHONE/
SPEAKER

You can connect an external communications headset (con­sisting of a microphone and speaker) to the transceiver so you
can use it privately. Lift the hinged, rubber dust cover from the

and

MIC

the plug of an optional voice activated headset with micro­phone, or an optional communication headset, i nto t he j acks.

jacks on the top of the transceiver, then insert

SPK

14

Caution:

not share a common gro und for the speaker and the m icrophone .
Doing otherwise might damage the transceiver.

Note:

ternal spea ker.

Use only microphone and speaker accessories that do

Inserting a head set’s plug automati cally disconnec ts the in-

You can also connect an optional mono earphone to the
jack. This lets you use the transceiver’s push-to-talk button to
transmit as usual. Your local RadioShack store carries a wide se­lection of suitable communications headsets, earphones, and
separate components.

The following schematic diagram shows the typical wiring for a
suitable external mic and speaker.

External Speaker

Speaker Plug

Barrel

SPK

–

+

Tip

MIC Plug

Barrel

External Microphone

ΩΩΩΩ

22k

–

+

Tip

PTT

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