RadioShack TRC-495 Owners Manual

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40-Channel CB Base Station Transceiver

Cat. No. 21-1579

OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

TRC-495

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FEATURES

Your Radio Shack TRC-495 40­Channel CB Base Station Transceiv­er is a compact, 40-channel CB spe­cially designed for use as a Class D
citizen's band base station. The
TRC-495 transmits with the maxi­mum power allowed by the FCC, so
your signal really gets out. Its built-in
PLL (phase-locked loop) frequency
synthesizer uses a precise frequency
reference crystal for reliable and ex­act tuning.

You can operate the CB from either
120 volts AC or 12 volts DC, so you
can use it at home or the office, even
when AC power fails. With a base
station in your home or office and a
mobile CB in your vehicle, you can
stay in touch wherever you go, with­out the expense of m obile te lephon e
operation. You can also talk with oth­er CBs for business or just for fun.

Your CB also has the following valu­able features:

Switchable Noise Blanker an d Au­tomatic Noise Limiter

— reduce in­terference from ignition systems,
motors, and other electrical equip­ment.

RF Gain Control

— helps prevent

overloading from strong signals.

H

steresis Squelch Circuit

— com­pensates for signal fadi ng and eli mi­nates signal chopping when you
listen to a broadcast.

Two Cer am ic Fil ters

— give superi­or selectivity and freedom from adja­cent channel interference.

CH9 Switch

— lets you quickly
switch to Channel 9, used for emer­gencies or motorist assistance.

Channel Displa

— shows the se­lected channel i n l arge red digits, for
easy viewing in most lig hting condi­tions.

Lar

e Analog Meter

— lets you see
how well you are “getting out,” and
how well others are “getting in.”

— seeks out other CB users by

Scan

searching through all channels for
transmissions.

© 1995 Tandy Corporation.

Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

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NB, ANL, and SCAN Indicators

—
show you when you are in the Noise
Blanker, Automatic Noise L imiter, or
Scan mode.

External Speaker and Headphone

— let you connect another

Jacks

speaker or headphones to your CB.

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: You need a base station an-

Note

tenna to operate this CB. Your local
Radio Shack store has a variety of
antennas. See “Connecting an An­tenna.”

For your records, we urge you to
record the serial number of your C B
in the space below. You'll find the se­rial number on the back panel of the
CB.

Serial Number _________________

Warning

: To prevent fire or shock
hazard, do not expose this product to
rain or moisture.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.

DO NOT OPEN.

CAUTION

ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICE­ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVIC­ING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF

This symbol is intended to alert
you to th e pres ence of un insu lat­ed dangerous voltage within the
produc t ’ s en closur e that mi gh t be
of suffici ent magnitude to con sti­tute a risk of electric shock. Do not
open the produ c t’s case.

FCC STATEMENT

The Federal Communications Com­mission (FCC) does not require y ou
to get a CB license to operate your
CB. However, you are required to
know Part 95 of

FCC Rules

formation applies to the operation of
a Class D citizen's band CB . A copy
of Part 95 is enclosed with your CB.

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

!

• Moving your CB away from the
receiver.

• Connecting your CB to an outlet
that is on a different electrical
circuit from the receiver.

• Contacting your local Radio
Shack store for help.

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

. This in-

This symbol is intended to inform
you that important operating and

!

maintenance instructions are in­cluded in the literature accompa­nying this product.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Install a tion ....... ............................................................................................... 5

Selecting a Location .................................................................................. 5

Connecting an Antenna ............................................................................. 5

Connecting the Microphone ....................................................................... 6

Connecting Power ..................................................................................... 7

Using Standard 120-Volt AC Power .................................................... 7

Using 12-Volt DC Power ..................................................................... 7

Connecting an External Speaker ............................................................... 8

Connecting Headphones ........................................................................... 8

Operation ........................................................................................................ 9

Receiving Transmissi o n s ........................................................................... 9

Transmitting ............................................................................................. 10

Using Special Controls ........................................................................... 10

Using CH9 .......................................................................................... 11

Using SCAN ....................................................................................... 11

Using NB and ANL ............................................................................. 11

Using RF GAIN ................................................................................. 12

CB Courtesy ............................................................................................ 12

Maximum Range ..................................................................................... 12

Using Common 10-Codes ....................................................................... 13

Troubleshootin

Noise Reduction ...................................................................................... 15

Care and Maintenance ................................................................................. 16

Replacing the Fuse .................................................................................. 17

Specifications ............................................................................................... 18

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........................................................................................... 14

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INSTALLATION

SELECTING A
LOCATION

Choose a location for your CB that is
near a standard AC power outlet and
your antenna installation and away
from sources of electrical noise.

CONNECTING AN
ANTENNA

An antenna is an important part of
your CB installation. Choose and in­stall the antenna with care.

Consider the following when you in­stall the antenna:

• Mount the antenna as far as
possible from soures of electri­cal noise (power lines, trans­formers, ignition systems,
electrical motors, and so on) and
keep the antenna's cable away
from these noise sources.

• Provide a good ground for the
antenna with UL-listed compo­nents.

• For the best performance, the
antenna must be tuned (see t he
instructions provided with the
antenna) and positioned verti­cally.

Select an antenna with a PL-259
connector. This type of antenna
works most efficiently as a base sta­tion antenna. For example, a
wave base station antenna (Radio
Shack Cat. No. 21-967) is a high-effi­ciency antenna that has omni-direc­tional characteristics. You can use
this type of antenna for medium a nd
long-range communications.

Use coaxial cable with an impedance
of 50 ohms to connect the antenna to
your CB. We suggest you use RG­58/U for lengths under 10 feet, or
RG-8/U for longer lengths, and keep
the length of the antenna cable to a
minimum.

Once you select the antenna, mount
it following the instructions supplied
with it. Then route the cable to the CB
and connect the cable to the
connector on the back of the CB.

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ANT

• Be sure the antenna cable's
shield is securely connected.

• Mount the antenna as high as
possible without exceeding 60
feet above the ground or 20 feet
higher than the highest point on
a building.

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Warning: When installing or remov­ing a base station CB antenna, use
extreme caution. If the antenna starts
to fall, let it go! It could contact over­head power lines. If the antenna
touches the 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 s o yo urself.

CONNECTING THE
MICROPHONE

Mount the supplied microphone clip
on the left side of the CB, horizontally
or vertically, using the two supplied
screws. Then slide the microphone
onto the microphone holder.

Connect the microphone cable to the
MIC jack on the front panel. Press
the tab on the top of the microphone
plug and match the not ch in the plug
with the top notch in the jack. Then
insert the plug into the jack.

To remove the microphone cable,
press the tab and pull the plug out of
the jack. Never pull on the micro­phone cable.

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