Radio Shack TRC-234 User Manual

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Cat. No. 21-1678

OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

TRC-234

5-Watt, 40- Ch an ne l

CB Walkie-Talkie

with 10 Weath er Channels

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FEATURES

Your Radio Shack TRC-234 5-Watt 40-Channel CB
Walkie-Talkie is a high performance transceiver that
also lets you tune into local and national weather ser­vice broadcasts. This CB is perfect for recreational,
business, or emergency use. You can call other peo­ple who have CBs at home, in their vehicles, or at
camp sites. You can also connect optional equip­ment to your CB, such as ext ernal speakers, or a DC
power supply and base station antenna to set up a
base station in your home.

Your CB has the following f eatures:

10-Channel WX Band Receiver

— includes seven
national and three international weather frequencies.
You can hear local conditions and forecasts wherev­er you travel.

LCD Digital Display

— lets you see the channel
number you select, incoming and outgoing signal
strength, and the selected mode (such as Weather,
Emergency, etc.)

PLL (Phase-Locked Loop) Frequency Synthesiz­er

— provides highly accurate and stable tuning.

Two Ceramic Filters

— provi de super ior select ivity
and freedom from adjacent channel interference.

Hysteresis Squelch Circuit

— compensates for
fading signals and eliminates signal chopping during
reception.

Automatic Noise Limiting (ANL) Circuit

— reduc­es noise caused by nearby elec tr ical equipment such
as motors or automotive ignition systems.

Emergency Channel 9 Switch

— lets you quickly
switch to Channel 9 so you can report or monitor
emergency situations.

©

1995 Tandy Corporation.

Radio Shack is a registered trademark

All Rights Reserved.

used by Tandy Corporation.

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High/Low Power Button — lets you save power by
selecting a suitable transmitting power for long or
short distances.

For your records, we recommend you record your
CB’s serial number here. The number is located on
the CB’s back panel.

Serial Number _____________________

FCC INFORMATION

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
does not requir e you to have a l ic ense to operate this
CB. However, you must know Part 95 of
It explains the proper operation of a Class D citizen’s
band transceiver . We enclosed a copy of Part 95 with
your CB.

Warning: Do not open the CB to make any internal
adjustments. A CB is set up to transmit a regulated
signal on an assigne d frequency. It is against the law
to alter or adjust the settings inside the unit to exceed
these limitat ions.

FCC Rules

.

Any adjustments to a CB must be made by a quali­fied technician using the proper test equipment.

To be safe and sure:

• Never open your CB’ s case.

• Never change or replace anything in your CB.

Your CB might cause TV or radio interference even
when it is operating properly. To determine whether
your CB is causing the interference, turn it off. If the
interference goes away, your CB is causing it. Try to
eliminate the interference by:

• Moving your CB away from the rece iver

• Contacting a radio/TV technician or your local
Radio Shack store for help

If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC re­quires that you stop using your CB.

This device complies with Part 95 of
eration is subject to the following two conditions:

FCC Rules

. Op-

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1. This device must not cause harmful interfer­ence.

2. This device must accept any interference re­ceived, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.

CONTENTS

Preparation ........................................................... 6

Connecting Power ........................................... 6

Using Internal Batteries ............................ 6

Using Vehicle Battery Power .................... 8

Using Standard AC Power ....................... 9

Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries ............. 11

Connec ting an Ant e nn a ................................ 12

Using an External Speaker ........................... 13

Using an External Speaker/Microphone ........ 13

Using the Wrist Strap .................................... 14

Using the Belt Clip ......................................... 14

Operation ...... .. .. ...................... ... .. ...................... . 15

Receiving Transmissions

and Adjusting Squelch .................................. 15

Transmitting .................................................. 16

Turning On/Off the Light ................................ 17

Locking the Functions ................................... 18

Using Ch a nn e l 9 .. ....... .. ... .............. ... .. ........... 18

Listening t o the Weather Band ........ .......... .... 19

Operational Hints ............................................... 20

Common Uses for a CB ................................ 20

Business Uses ....................................... 20

Personal Uses ....................................... 20

Transmission Courtesy ................................. 21

Maximum Range .............. .. ...................... ..... 21

Using Common 10-Codes ............................. 21

Channel Assignments ................................... 23

Care and Maintenance ....................................... 25

Speci fi ca t io n s ........ ............................................. 26

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PREPARATION

CONNECTING POWER

You can power your transceiver from any of three
sources:

• Internal batteries (not supplied)

• Vehicle battery power (using an optional DC cig-

arette lighter power cord)

• Standard AC power (using an optional DC

power supply)

Note:

Connecting a DC power cord automatically

disconnects int ernal batteries.

Using Internal Batteries

You can power your transceiver with nine AA batter­ies. For the longest operation and best performance,
we recommend alkaline batteries (such as Cat. No.
23-552). Or, you can use rechargeable nickel­cadmium batteries (Cat. No. 23-125).

Follow these steps to ins tal l or replace batteries.

1. If the transceiver is on, turn
terclo c kwise until it c licks to turn it off.

2. Remove the battery compartment cover by slid­ing it in the direction of the arrow.

illustra tion

3. Remove any old batteries from the compart­ment.

Cautions

• Always dispose of old batteries promptly and

:

properly.

VOLUME/OFF

coun-

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• Never leave dead, old, or weak non­rechargeable batteries in the transceiver.
They can leak chemicals an d corrode or dam­age electronic circuits.

• Do not expose batteries to extreme heat or
fire. They might explode and cause personal
injury or damage equipm ent.

4. Position the

NI/AL

switch to match the battery

type.

NI

•

: for rechargeable nickel-cadmium batter­ies (see “Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batter­ies”).

AL

•

: for standard or alkal ine batteries.

illustration

5. Install nine fresh non-rechargeable batteries or
nine nickel-cadmium batteries as indicated by
the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked inside the
battery compartment.

illustration

Cautions:

• Improper installation (incorrect polarity) might

damage the transceiver .

• Use only fresh batteries of the required size

and type. Never mix new and old batteries or
rechargeable and non-chargeable batteries in
the transcei ver.

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• If you do not plan to use batteries in the trans­ceiver for a month or more, remove the bat­teries. This protects the transceiver from
possible battery leakage.

6. Replace the cover.

When

(battery low) appears on the display, re-

BATT

place or recharge the batteries.

Using Vehicle B attery Power

You can power your transceiver from your vehicle’s
cigarette lighter socket with an optional DC cigarette
lighter power cord (such as Cat. No. 270-1534).

Cautions:

• You must use a DC power cord that supplies 12
volts and delivers at least 2.5 amps. Its center tip
must be set to positive, and it must have a plug
that properly fits your transceiver’s

CHARGE

jack. The recommended power cord
meets these requirements. Using a power cord
that does not meet these specifications could
damage the transceiv er or the power cord.

• To protect your vehicle’s electrical system,
always plug the power cord into the transceiver
before you plug it into your vehicle’s cigarette
lighter socket. Always unplug the power cord
from the vehicle’s cigarette lighter socket before
you unplug it from the transceiver.

DC13.8V

illustration

1. Insert the power cord’s barrel plug into th e trans­ceiver’s

DC13.8V CHARGE

jack.

2. Plug the other end of the cord into your vehicle’s
cigarette lighter socket.

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Notes:

• If you installed rechargeable nickel-cadmium
batteries in the transceiver, connect the DC
power cord to the
be sure the

NI/AL

DC13.8V CHARGE

switch is set to NI. This pow-

jack and

ers the transceiver and recharges the batter­ies at the same time. See “Charging Nickel­Cadmium Batteries.”

• If the transceiver does not operate when you
use the power cord, unplug the cord from the
cigarette lighter socket and clean the socket
to remove ashes and debris. If it still does not
operate properly, check the in-line fuse in the
power cord.

Using Standard AC Power

You can operate the transceiver from AC power us­ing a 12-volt DC power supply (such as Cat. No. 22­120, not supplied), a DC cigarette lighter power cord
(such as Cat. No. 270-1534, not suppli ed), and a cig­arette lighter accessory outlet (such as Cat. No . 270­1539, not supplied).

Cautions:

• You must use a DC power cord that supplies 12
volts and deli vers at l east 2.5 amps. Its cent er ti p
must be set to positive, and it must have a plug
that properly fits your transceiver’s

CHARGE

jack. The recommended power cord

DC13.8V

meets these requirements. Using a power cord
that does not meet these specifications could
damage the transceiver or the power cord.

• Be sure you connect the DC power cord to the
transceiver before you connect it to the power
supply. Then disco nnect the power cord from th e
power supply before you disconnect it from the
trans ce iver.

Note: Most 12-volt DC power supplies plug into a
standard AC outlet to produce DC power. Before
connecting your transceiver to a 12-volt DC power
supply, read and follow the instructions included with
the power supply.

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Follow these steps to power the transceiver from AC
power.

1. Using the double-sided foam tape supplied with
the cigarette lighter accessory outlet, mount the
accessory outlet to the DC power supply.

2. Insert the power cord’s barrel plug into th e trans­ceiver’s

Note:

DC13.8V CHARGE

jack.

If you installed rechargeable nickel-cad­mium batteries in the transceiver, connect the
power cord to the
sure the

NI/AL

DC13.8V CHARGE

jack and be

switch is set to NI. This powers
the transceiver and recharges the batteries at
the same time. See “Charging Nickel-Cadmium
Batteries.”

3. Insert the cigarette lighter plug on the DC power
cord into the cigaret te lighter accessor y outlet.

4. Connect the DC power supply to a standard AC
outlet.

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