Radio Shack TRC-232 User Manual
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OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
4-Watt 40-Channel
CB Walkie-Talkie
Cat. No. 21-1672
TRC-232
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FEATURES
Your Radio Shack TRC-232 4-Watt 40-Channel CB WalkieTalkie is a portable, two-way citizen’s band radio that you can
carry almost anywhere. Use it around the house, in your office,
or in your car or boat. You c an put y our walkie -talki e to good use
on fishing and camping trips, or you can use it in your business
for security patrols, supervisors, or warehouse personnel.
Your walkie-talkie has these advanced features:
Digital Ph ase-Locked Loop (P LL) Frequency Synthesizer
—
provides the highest degree of accurate and stable tuning.
Auto-Scan
Dual Watch
— searches for active channels.
— lets you monitor one channel while listening to
another.
Two Power Levels
— let you save battery power o n short -range
transmissi ons.
Power Saver
— reduces power consumpt ion by 30% when the
walkie-talkie is not receiving a transmission.
Large, Illuminated, Digital Display
— shows the channel num-
ber, battery condition, RF power, and incoming signal strength.
Base-Loaded, Helical Antenna with BNC Connector
— pro-
vides excellent reception and transmission.
©
1997 Tandy Corporation.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
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Built-In, Ceramic Filters — ensure superior select ivity a nd freedom from adjacent-channel interference.
Automatic Modulati on Control — ensures a constant RF modulation level.
Automatic Gain Control — maintains a constant volume level,
regardless of the signal strength.
Automatic Noise Limiter — helps reduce noise caused by
nearby electrical equipment, such as motors or automotive ignition systems.
DC Adapter Cord — lets you operate t he walkie-tal kie from you r
vehicle’s cigarette lighter socket or AC power, and connect the
walkie-talkie to an external, mounted antenna.
Optional Power Sources — let you operate the walkie-talkie
from alkaline batteries, rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries,
your vehicle ’s ci garette lighter socket, or AC power.
Note: You can operate a walkie-talkie without an FCC license.
For your rec ords, we recom mend yo u recor d your wal kie- talki e’s
serial number in t he sp ace provi ded. Th e ser ial number is on the
walkie-talkie’s back panel.
Serial Number ________________
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CONTENTS
Preparation ............................................................................ 6
Connecting an Antenna ................................................... 6
Power Sources ................................................................. 8
Using Alkaline Batteries ............................................ 8
Using Rechargeable Batteries ................................ 10
Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries ....................... 12
Using Vehicle Battery Power.................................... 14
Using AC Power....................................................... 16
Using an External Speaker ............................................. 18
Connecting an External Speaker/Microphone................. 19
Using the Wrist Strap ...................................................... 19
Using the Belt Clip............................................................19
Operation ......... .......... .. .......... .......... .. .......... .......... .. .......... ... 20
Receiving Transmissions and Adjusting Squelch........... 20
Transmitting ...... .......... .......... .. .......... .......... .. .......... ........ 22
Using Special Controls and Functions............................ 23
Turning On/Off the Light .......................................... 24
Using Last Channel Reca ll. .. .......... .. .......... .. ............ 24
Scanning Incoming Signals...................................... 25
Alternating Bet w een Two Channels........ ............ ..... 25
Monitoring Channel 9............................................... 26
Locking the Functions...............................................27
Power Saver.................................................................... 27
Operational Hints ................................................................. 28
Common Uses for a CB Radio........................................ 28
Business Uses......................................................... 28
Personal Uses ......................................................... 28
Transmission Courtesy ................................................... 29
Maximum Range ........... .................... .. .......... ................ 30
Using Common 10-Codes ............................................. 30
Care ..................................................................................... 33
FCC Information ............................................................ 34
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Replacing the DC Car Adapter Fuse ..............................35
Speci fic a t io n s ......... ... ......... .......... .......... .. .......... .......... .. .... 36
PREPARATION
CONNECTING AN ANTENNA
Caution: To prevent damage to your walkie-talkie, you must
connect an antenna bef ore you operate the walkie-talkie.
Your walkie-talkie comes with a helical antenna that is ideal for
most applications. However, the walkie-talkie’s BNC antenna
connector makes it easy to connect other types of antennas.
Your local Radio Shack store sells a wide variety of antennas.
Choose the one that best mee ts your needs.
Follow these steps to connect an antenna.
1. Position the BNC antenna connector over the antenna jack
on the walkie-talkie.
2. Slip the slot in the antenna connector over the antenna
jack’s t ab on top of the walkie-talkie.
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3. Press down and turn the antenna’s base clockwise until it
locks into pl ace.
Note: If you are powering your walkie-talkie from your vehicle’s
cigarette lighter socket or from AC power, you can connect the
supplied DC adapter cord’s antenna connector to an external
antenna (see “Using Vehicle Bat tery Power” on Page 13 or “Using AC Power” on Page 15).
To use a base-station or mobile antenna, attach an appropriate
connector adapter (not supplied) to the end of the antenna’s cable. Then inser t it onto the walkie-talki e’s antenna connector.
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Warning: Use extreme caution when installing or removing an
outdoor antenna. If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could
contact overhead power lines. If the antenna touches a power
line, contact with the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can
cause electrocution and death. Call the power company to remove the antenna. DO NOT attempt to do so yourself.
POWER SOURCES
You can power the walkie-talkie from any of four sour ces:
• Alkaline batteries (using the supplied alkaline batter y case)
• Rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries (using the sup-
plied nickel-cadmium battery case)
• Your vehicle’s battery (usi ng the supplied DC adapter)
• Standard AC power (u sing the supplied DC adapter and an
optional 12- volt DC power supply)
Using Alkaline Batteries
You can operate the wal kie-talki e with six AA batter ies, using the
supplied alkaline battery case. For the longest operation and
best performance, we recommend Radio Shack Cat. No. 23-
552.
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Follow these steps to install batteries in the alkaline battery
case.
1. If the alkaline battery case is connected to the walkietalkie, push the battery latch up and slide the battery case
off the walkie-talkie.
2. Using your thumb, press down on one of the arrow marks
on top of the battery case and pull it open.
3. Remove old batteries, if necessary, and install six fresh AA
alkaline batteries, according to the polarity marks (+ and –)
inside the batte ry case.
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4. Press the battery case back together and slide it onto the
walkie-t alki e.
Cautions:
• Never mix different types of batteries, and never mix old
and new batteries.
• Do not put alkaline batteries in the rechargeable battery
case.
• Use only replacement batteries of the required type.
• Do not dispose of the batteries in a fire because they can
explode.
• Do not open or mutilate a battery. Swallowing a battery can
be fatal .
• Be careful not to short the batteries with conducting m aterials, such as rings, bracelets, and keys. The batteries or
conductor might overheat and burn.
If
BATT LOW
appears on the display, replace the batteries.
Using Rechargeable Batteries
You can ope rate the walki e-talkie with nine rechargeabl e nickelcadmium AA batteries (Cat. No. 23-125) using the supplied
rechargeable battery case. You need a charger to recharge
batteries in the rechar geable battery case ( see “Cha rging Nic kelCadmium Batteries” on Page 11).
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Follow these steps to install batteries in the rechargeable battery
case.
1. If the rech argeable battery c ase is connected to t he walkietalkie, push the battery latch up and slide the battery case
off the walkie-talkie.
2. Using your thumb, press down on one of the arrow marks
on top of the battery case and pull it open.
3. Remove old batteries, if necessary, and install nine AA
rechargeable batteries, according to the polarity marks (+
and –) inside the bat tery case.
4. Press the battery case back together.
5. Charge the batteries. See “Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries” on Page 11.
6. Slide the battery case onto the walkie-tal kie.
If
BATT LOW
appears on the display, you need to recharge th e
batteries .
Cautions:
• Use only replacement batteries of the required type.
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• Do not dispose of the batteries in a fire because they can
explode.
• Do not open or mutilate a battery. Swallowing a battery can
be fatal .
• Be careful not to short the batteries with conducting m ateri-
als, such as rings, bracelets, and keys. The batteries or
conductor might overheat and burn.
• At the end of a rechargeable battery’s useful life, it must be
recycled or disposed of properly. Contact your local,
county, or state hazardous waste management authorities
for information on recycling or disposal programs in your
area. Some options that might be available are municipal
curbside collection, drop-off boxes at retailers such as your
local Radio Shack store, recycling collection centers, and
mail-back programs.
Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries
You need a battery charger (Cat. No. 273-1652) and the supplied adapter plug to charge batteries in the supplied rechargeable battery case.
Caution:
Never use any charger other than Cat. No. 273-1652
to recharge the batteries in the rechargeable batte ry case. Even
battery cha rgers with t he s ame volt age a nd curr ent ra tings could
permanently damage your walkie-talkie or the batteries.
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Uncap the power jack cover on the battery case, attach the
adapter plu g to t he ad apter, inser t th e ada pter p lug i nto the power jack, then plug the charger into a standard AC outlet.
Warning: Never try to recharge alkaline or other nonrechargeable batteries. Charging non-rechargeable batteries
can cause them to become very hot and possibly explode.
Notes:
• You can recharge the batteries with the battery case at-
tached to the walkie-talkie, but be sure to turn off the
walkie-talkie before you charge them.
• Charging time is 14 to 16 hours the first time. Subsequent
recharging t akes about 8 to 10 hours.
• Occasionally, let the nickel-cadmium batteries totally dis-
charge by using the walkie-talkie until
BATT LOW
appears
on the display. Then fully charge the batteries. This conditions the batteries so they use their full charging capacity.
Caution: To prevent permanent nickel-cadmium power loss,
never charge the batteries in an area where the temperature is
above about 90°F.
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