RadioShack TRC-504 Owners Manual
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40-Channel Mobile CB Radio
Cat. No. 21-1704
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
TRC-504
with On-Mic Channel Selector
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FEATURES
Your RadioShack TRC-504 Compact
40-Channel Mobile CB Radio is a breakthrough in CB design technology. You
can mount it in a vehicle for mob ile use,
or in your home for use a s a base station.
Your CB has these advanced features:
Dual Channel Controls
— let you tune
the channel from the transceiver or the
handset.
RF Gain Control
— lets you adjust the
receiver’s gain to match the strength of
the signal.
Emer
ency Channel Switch
— lets
you quickly switch to Channel 9 or 19 so
you can monitor or report emergency situations.
Two-Di
it Channel Display with TX
(Transmit) and RX (Receive) Indica-
— lets you see the CB’s operating
tors
status at a glance.
External Speaker Jack
— lets you con-
nect your CB to an external speaker.
Backlit Controls —
help you ea sily find
the right control when you use the CB at
night.
Phase- Locked L oop (PLL ) Freque nc
Synthesizer
— provides highly accurate
and stable tuning.
Two Buil t-In C e ramic Filters
— ensure
superior channel selectivity and freedom
from adjacent channel interference.
Automatic Modulation Control
— prevents the transmitter signal from overmodulating and distorting.
Automatic Noise Limiter
— reduces
impulse-type noises while receiving.
Universal Mountin
Bracket
— lets
you mount your CB securely in your vehicle or on a table or shelf in your home.
To use this CB, you must connect
Note:
a mobile or base st ation antenna. Your
local RadioShack store has a wide variety of antennas. For more information,
see “Connecting an Antenna” on Page
6.
Built-In PA (Public Address) Amplifier
— lets you use your CB as a public address system when you ad d an option al
PA speaker.
We recommend you record your CB’s
serial number here. The number is on
the CB’s bottom cabinet.
Serial Number _________________
©
1998 Tandy Corporation.
RadioShack and Powerhorn are registered trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
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FCC INFORMATION
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not require you to have
a license to operate this CB radio. However, you must know Part 95 of
Rules
. It explains the proper operation of
a Class D citizen’s band transceiver. We
enclosed a copy of Part 95 with your CB
radio.
Warning:
make any internal adjustments. A CB radio is set u p to transmit a regulated si gnal on an assigned frequency. It is
against the law to alter or adjust t he set tings inside the unit to exceed the se limitations.
To be safe and sure:
• Never open your CB radio’s case.
• Never change or replace anything in
Do not open the CB radio to
your CB radio.
FCC
Your CB radio might cause TV or radio
interference even when it is operating
properly. To determine whether your CB
radio is causing the interference, turn off
your CB radio. If the interference goes
away, your CB radio is causing it. Try to
eliminate the interference by:
• moving your CB radio away from the
receiver
• contacting your local RadioShack
store for help
This device complies with Part 95 of
FCC Rules
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.
. Operation is subject to the
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CONTENTS
Install a tion ....... ................. ......... ................. ......... ................................. .......... ......... 5
Attaching the Microphone Holder ....................................................................... 5
Mounting the Transceiver ................................................................................... 5
Connecting an Antenna ... ................................................................................... 6
Connecting the Microphone ................................................................................ 7
External Speaker ................................................... ....... .......... ....... ....... ....... ....... 8
Connecting a CB Speaker ........................................................................... 8
Connecting a PA Speaker ............................................................................ 8
Using Vehicle Battery Power .............................................................................. 9
Using the Transceiver as a Base Station ............................................................ 9
Operation ................ .......... ................ .......... ................ .......... ......... ................. ....... 11
Receiving Transmissions and Adjusting Squelch . ............................................ 11
Transmitting ...................................................................................................... 12
Selecting the Emergency Channel ............................................................ ....... 12
Using the PA Amplifier ...................................................................................... 12
Using the Monitor Feature ................................................................................ 13
Operational Hints .................................................................................................. 14
Common Uses for a CB .................................................................................... 14
Personal Uses ............................................................................................ 14
Business Uses ........................................................................................... 14
Transmission Courtesy ..................................................................................... 14
Using Common 10-Codes ................................................................................ 15
Maximum Range .............................................................................................. 16
Troubleshootin
Reducing Noise ............. ....... ....... ..... ....... ....... ..... ....... ....... ....... ..... ....... ....... ..... 19
Care and Maintenance .......................................................................................... 20
Replacing the Fuse ........................................................................................... 21
Specifications ........................................................................................................ 22
4
.................................................................................................... 17
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INSTALLATION
ATTACHING THE
MICROPHONE HOLDER
You can attach the microphone holder to
either side of the transceiver or to another location in your vehicle.
To attach the holder to the transceiver,
secure the holder to either side using
the supplied 3 mm screws and lock
washers.
If you cannot reach behind
Note:
the mounting surface to attach the
nuts on the machine screws, use
the supplied 3 mm plain washers
and self-tapping screws.
To attach the holder to another location
in the vehicle, such as the dashboard,
follow these steps.
1. Using the holder as a template,
mark the positions for the mount ing
screw holes at the desired location.
2. At each marked position, drill a hole
slightly smaller than the supplied
mounting screws.
Caution:
anything behind the mounting surface.
3. Attach the holder at the mounting
location using the supp lied mac hine
screws, spring washers, plain washers, and nuts.
Be careful not to drill into
MOUNTI NG THE
T RANSCEIVER
The most common mounting location for
this CB is under a vehicle’s dashboard.
However, if you plan to use the TRC504 as a base station, you can place it
on a desk, shelf, or table (see “Using the
Transceiver as a Base Station” on Page
9).
If you are mounting the CB in a vehicle,
choose a location where:
• You can easily reach the CB.
• Wires and cables are clear of the
vehicle’s pedals or other moving
parts.
• The CB is not directly in front of
heating vents.
• All wires and cables can reach their
connection points.
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Cautions:
• If you use the CB in a vehicle,
mount it securely to avoid damage
to the CB or vehicle or injury t o anyone in the vehicle during sudden
starts or stops.
• Do not mount the CB where it could
damage or interfere with the operation of any passive restraint safety
device (an airbag or seat belt).
Follow these steps to mount the CB using the supplied hardware.
1. Using the mounting bracket as a
template, mark the positions for the
screw holes on the mounting surface.
Note: If you cannot reach behind
the mounting surface to attach the
nuts on the bolts, use the supplied 5
mm self-tapping screws and plain
washers to secure the bracket.
4. Attach the CB to the mounting
bracket using the supplied rubber
washers and mounting knobs.
2. In each marked location, drill a hole
slightly smaller than the supplied
mounting screws.
Caution: Be careful not to dr ill into
objects behind the mounting surface.
3. Mount the bracket to the mounting
surface with the supplied 5 mm
bolts, spring washers, plain washers, and nuts.
6
CONNECTING AN
ANTENNA
There are many different types of CB
antennas for mobile CBs. Each type has
its own benefits, so cho ose the one that
best meets your n eeds. Your local RadioShack store sells a wide variety of
antennas.
Note: If you are using this CB as a base
station, see “Using the Transceiver as a
Base Station” on Page 9.
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When you choose a n antenna, keep in
mind that, for the bes t perfo rmance, you
should mount the antenna:
• as high as possible on the vehicle
• as far as possible from sources of
electrical noise
• vertically
Once you ch oose an antenna, follo w its
mounting instructions. Then route the
cable to the transceiver and c on nec t the
cable to the
of the transceiver.
ANTENNA
jack on the back
Follow the instructions supplied with the
SWR meter and antenna to adjust your
antenna’s SWR to the lowest possible
value. SWR values of 2 .0:1 a re generally acceptable, with readings of 1.5:1 or
lower being more desirable.
CONNECTING THE
MICROPHONE
1. Align the tab on the side of the supplied microphone’s plug with the
notch in the microphone jack (on the
side of the transceiver). Then insert
the plug into the jack.
2. Slide the microphone onto the
microphone holder.
Cautions:
• Avoid routing the cable next to sharp
edges or moving parts, whi ch might
damage the cable.
• Do not run the cable n ext to power
cables or other radio antenna
cables.
• Do not run the cable through the
engine compartment o r other areas
that produce extreme heat.
To take advantage of your radio’s maximum range, adjust the ant enn a’s S tan ding Wave Ratio (SWR) using an SWR
meter (not supplied).
To disconnect the microphone from the
transceiver, press the tab on the side of
the plug, then pull out the plug.
Caution:
cable.
Never pull on the m icrophone
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CONNECTING AN
EXTERNAL SPEAKER
You can connect your trans ceiver to an
external CB speaker, so you can hear
an incoming call when you are outside
your vehicle, or use the CB as a PA system.
Connecting a CB Speaker
The external speaker you use with the
transceiver should have an impedance
of 8 ohms and be able to handle 3 to 10
watts of power (such as RadioShack
Cat. No. 21-549). The speaker cable
must have a
To connect the external speaker to the
transceiver, insert the speaker cable’s
plug into
the CB.
1
/8-inch plug.
EXT SPEAKER
on the back of
Connecting a PA Speaker
The PA speaker should:
• have an impedance of 8 ohms
• be able to handle at least 5 watt s of
power (the RadioShack Power-
®
series speakers meet this
horn
requirement)
1
• have a cable with a
If your PA speaker meets the other
specifications but does n ot already hav e
1
a
/8-inch plug, you can co nnect it using
a phono plug-to-wire cable, available at
your local RadioShack store.
To connect the P A s pea ke r t o the transceiver, insert the speaker cable’s plug
P A SPEAKER
into
on the back of the CB.
/8-inch plug
To External
Speaker
Note:
When you connect an external
speaker, the CB’s internal speaker disconnects.
8
To External
PA Speaker
Note:
To avoid acoustic feedback, the
speaker should be at least 6 feet from
the CB. If you experience feedback,
avoid keying the microphone until you
have moved the speaker away f rom the
CB.
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