Radio Shack RS-500, 49-805 Owner's Manual

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OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

Auto Security Alarm System

Cat. No.

49-80 5

RS-500

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FEATURES

Your RadioShack RS-500 Auto Security Alarm System pro­vides both easy installation and advanced vehicle protection.
Its simple, two-wire hookup lets you install your alarm in min­utes, and its 115 dB alar m aler ts anyone nearby that your ve­hicle is being tampered with.

Its features include:

Current Sensing System

— triggers the alarm when a door
or trunk is opened and the vehicle’s dome or trunk light turns
on or when your vehicle is hot wired, by sensing the current
draw.

Current Sensor Bypass

— lets you turn off current sensing
if other electronic devices in your vehicle (such as a high­power audio system or cellular phone) make your alarm
sound false alarm s.

Adjustable Shock Sensing System

— sounds the alarm

when the system detects an impact.

Electric Fan Sensing

— can tell the difference between your
vehicle’s electric fan (which can make other alarms sound a
false alarm) and the dome or trunk light, without using addi­tional wiring.

115 dB Siren

— loud enough to get attention from hundreds

of feet away.

Four-Button Keychain Remote

— lets you easily control

your alarm from a distance.

©

1996 Tandy Corporation.

RadioShack is a trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

2

All Rights Reserved.

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Car Finder — lets you make the alarm sound four loud
beeps to help you find your vehicle in a crowded parking lot.

Instant Panic Alarm — sounds a loud alarm to alert others
that you need assistance while you are in or near your vehi­cle.

No-Tool In s tal la tio n — uses an adhesi ve backing f or mount ­ing and spring clamps for connecti ng to power, so you can in­stall the alarm in minutes.

Toll-Free Help — just call:

1-800-598-2527

if you have any questions about or problems with your alarm
system.

Warning: This alarm produces an extremely loud (115
dB) siren when triggered. Extended exposure to the siren
from a close range can be painful and might damage
your hearing.

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INSTALLATION

Follow these simple steps to install your alarm.

1. Select a location f or the alarm that is:

• Flat so the alarm’s adhesive surface makes good con­tact

• Within 1 foot of you r vehicle’s battery

• Not on an engine part or any part that moves or gets
hot

• Not in the way of normal engine operation or mainte­nance

Note:

If there is space, the battery itself is usually an

ideal location.

2. Clip the alarm’s red clip to the battery’s positive (+) termi­nal.

3. Clip the alarm’s black clip to the battery’s negative (–)
terminal. The alar m chir ps three times.

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4. Wash the surface with soap and water and al low it to dry.
Then use the supplied alcohol wipes to thoroughly clean
the mounting surface. Allow the surface to completely
dry.

5. Peel off the alarm’s adhesive backing and press it onto
the prepared surface. Hold the alarm in place for 10 sec­onds to help ensure a secure mount.

Note: If the surface is not flat, you can cut the adhesive
to fit into surface grooves for a more secure mount.

Straighten the alarm’s yellow antenna wire and let it
hang down. For the greatest remote control range, avoid
running the yellow wir e along metal parts.

6. Press

DISARM

on the remote control. The alarm beeps
very loudly twice. This trains the alarm to recognize the
remote.

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OPERATION

USING THE SYSTEM

To ar m the sy s t e m,

alarm activates the shock sensor 6 seconds after arming and
activates t he current sensor 20 seconds after arming.

If the alarm detects a violation while it is armed, it sounds a
loud alert for about 30 seconds, then resets and is ready to
detect addit ional violations.

To silence the alert sooner, press any button on the remote
control. The alar m disarms.

To disarm the system,

twice if there have been no alarms, or three times if the alar m
sounded while you were away.

To find your vehicle in a crowded parking lot,

ER

. If you are within rang e of the alarm, it chirps four times.

Note:

The alarm must be armed for the car finder to work.

To sound the alarm at any time,

The alarm sounds the alert tone for about 30 seconds. To si­lence the alert sooner, press any button on the remote con­trol.

Caution:

even when your vehicl e’s engine is running and the vehicle is
moving. Operating a siren on a moving non-emergency vehi­cle is illegal in some areas.

You can sound the panic alarm or arm the alarm

press

press

ARM

. Th e alarm chirps once . The

DISARM

. The alarm beeps

press

press and release

FIND-

PANIC

.

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SETTING THE CURRENT SENSOR

If another electronic device installed in your vehicle, such as
a cellular phone, causes your alarm to sound when it should
not, press
current sensing turns off. To turn current sensing back on,
press

PANIC

for 2 seconds. The alarm beeps twice and

PA N I C

for 2 seconds. The alarm bee ps once.

SETTING THE SHOCK SENSOR

The shock sensor is preset for average conditions. Follow
these steps to set the shock sensor to a different level.

1. Disarm the system.

2. Press and hold
four time s.

3. Within 3 seconds, tap or hit your vehicle direc tl y over the
alarm with the amount of force you want the alarm to
respond to. The alarm chirps three times.

FINDER

for 2 seconds. The alarm chirps

Notes:

• If you do not tap or hit your vehicle within 3 seconds, the
alarm chirps three times and is set to maximum sensitiv­ity.

• If your alarm loses power, the shock sensor resets to its
average settin g when power i s restored.

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ADDING A REMOTE CONTROL

You can add one additional remote control to your system or
replace a lost remote control. Remote controls (Cat. No. 49-

845) are available from your local RadioShack store. Each re­mote control has i ts own unique electronic code.

Follow these steps to teach your system to respond to an ad­ditional remote’s code.

1. Press and hold
seconds. The alarm beeps once when you first press

ARM

, then three times when it is ready to learn the new

remote’s code.

2. Press

To replace a lost remote, disconnect power from the alarm.
Then restore power and immediately press any button on the
replacement remote.

DISARM

beeps once and now works with ei ther remote.

ARM

on the original remote for about 10

on the new remote control. The alarm

Note:

If your alarm loses power, it loses all remote codes. To
restore the first remote’s code, immediately press any button
after you restore power. Then follow the above steps to re­teach the alarm the second remote’s code.

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REPLACING THE REMOTE
CONTROL’S BATTERY

When the remote’s range is reduced, or if the remote’s indi­cator does not turn on when you press a button, follow these
steps to replace its battery with a fresh 12-Volt remo te battery
(RadioShack Cat. No. 23-144).

Note:

We recommend you change the remote’s battery in­doors on a flat surface, as it involves keeping track of small,
easily lost parts .

1. Lay the remote face down on a flat surface, then use a
small Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws on
the remote’s back cover.

2. Carefull y remove the remote’s back cov er.

Note:

Leave the remote laying face down on a flat sur-

face. If you turn over the remote, the buttons fall out.

3. Remove the battery.

4. Place the new battery between the power contacts,
according to the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked in the
remote’s case.

5. Replace the back cover and secure it with the screws
you removed in Step 1.

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TROUBLESHOOTING

This section describes some problems you might encounter,
and gives their possible solutions.

Problem Solution

Alarm does not operate.
Frequent false alarms. •Another electronic accessory is

Alarm does not sound
when it should.

The remote control’s
range is poor.

Check all power connections.

triggering the alarm. Try turning
off current sensing temporaril y to
see if this solves the problem.

Note:

Your alarm is not triggered
if your vehic le’s electri c fan turns
on while the system is armed.

•Your alarm’s electrical connec­tors are not making good con­tact. Secure the connections.

•The shock sensor is too sensi­tive. See “Setting the Shock
Sensor” to change t he setting.

•The shock sensor is not sensi­tive enough. See “Setting the
Shock Sensor.”

•Confirm that you have not dis­abled current sensing. See “Set­ting the Current Sens or.”

• The antenna wire is too close to
metal. Move it away from metal.

• The antenna wire has been cut
or extended. Changing the
antenna’s length (longer or
shorter) makes the range worse.

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SPECIFICATIONS

Main System

Sound Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . More than 115 dB at 1 Meter

Current Drain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 mA (Standby)

1 Amp (Sounding)

Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10–14 Volts DC

Remote Control

Carrier Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303.875 MHz

RF Output Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,580 µV at 1 Meter

Power . . . . . One 12-V olt Alkaline Battery (Cat. No. 23-144)

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

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RadioShack Limited Warranty

This security product is warranted against manufacturing defects in
material and workmanship for ninety (90) days from the date of pur­chase from RadioShack company owned stores and authorized
RadioShack franchisees and dealers. Within this period RadioShack
will repair the se curity product without charg e for parts and la bor.
Simply

brin

our RadioShack sales slip

date to any RadioS hack stor e.
This war ra nt y does not cov er da mag e o r fai lu re ca us ed by or att rib ut ­able to Ac ts of God, abus e, misuse, improper or abnormal us age,
faul ty installation, improper maintenance, lightning or other inciden c e
of excess voltage, or any repairs other than those provided by a
RadioShack Authorized Service Facility, or transportation costs.

RadioShack is no t resp onsib le or liable for i ndire ct, s pecial, or
consequential dama

es arising out of or i n co nn ection with the
use or performance of the product or other dama
respect to loss of prop ert

, loss o f re venues or profit, or c osts

of removal, installation or reinstallation.

EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RadioShack MAKES NO
EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARE
LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THE WRITTEN
LIMITED WARRANTIES CONTAINED HEREIN. Some states do not
allow the limitation or exclusion of incidental or consequential dam­ages an d som e sta tes do not all ow l imit ati on or exclus i on of im plie d
warranties; therefore, the aforesaid limitation(s) or exclusion(s) may
not apply to the purchaser. There will be charges rendered for
repairs to the product made after the expiration of the aforesaid
ninety (90) day warranty period.

This warra nty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights
which var

from state to state.

We Service What We Sell

as proof-of-purchase

es with

10/95

8/96 Printe d in th e US A

RadioShack

A Division of Tandy Corporation

Fort Worth, Texas 76102