Radio Shack PRS-102 UHF 19-902 User manual

Cat. No. 19-902
OWNER’S MANUAL
10-Channel
Please read before using this equipment.
PRS-102 UHF
Personal Radio Service Transceiver
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2
This symbol is intended to alert you to the pres-
ence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within
the product’s enclosure that might be of suffi-
cient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric
shock. Do not open the product’s case.
This symbol is intended to inform you that im-
portant operating and maintenance instructions
are included in the literature accompanying this
product.
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.
DO NOT OPEN.
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICE-
ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVIC-
ING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
CAUTION !
!
1996 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack is a trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
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FEATURES
Your RadioShack PRS-102 10-Channel Personal
Radio Service Transceiver is a portable, two-way
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) transceiver
that you can carry almost anywhere. The transceiver
is compact andlight, making it an ideal choice for your
personal needs.
Your transceiver has the following features:
Ten Frequencies — you can set the transceiver to
operate on any of these frequencies:
Note: Operation on GMRS frequencies requires a
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license.
PLL (Phase-Locked Loop)-Controlled Circuitry —
provides accurate and stable channel selection.
Built-In Modulation Limiter Circuit — automatically
adjusts for a wide variety of voice levels to ensure an
understandable transmission.
Channel Frequency
1 462.5625 MHz
2 462.5875 MHz
3 462.6125 MHz
4 462.6375 MHz
5 462.6625 MHz
6 462.6875 MHz
7 462.7125 MHz
8 462.5750 MHz
9 462.6250 MHz
10 462.6750 MHz
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Rugged Design — built to stand up to daily use in a
wide range of environments.
Battery Low and Transmit Indicator — shows the
batterypack’s condition and lightswhen you transmit.
Supplied Battery Charger — conveniently recharg-
es your transceiver’s supplied battery pack up to sev-
eral hundred times for reduced operating costs.
Earphone Jack and External Microphone Jack —
let you use an earphone or external microphone to
help ensure understandable communications in noisy
areas.
CTCSS (Continuous Tone Coded Squelch Sys-
tem) Option (not supplied) — helps reduce interfer-
ence from other nearby systems operating on the
same frequency.
We recommend you record your transceiver’s serial
number here. The number is on the back ofthe trans-
ceiver.
Serial Number ____________________________
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CONTENTS
FCC Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
FCC License Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
FCC Rules Part 95, Subpart A . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Installing and Removing the Battery Pack . . 10
Installing the Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Charging the Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Checking the Battery Power . . . . . . . . . 14
Attaching and Removing the Belt Clip . . . . . 15
Connecting Audio Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Operational Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CTCSS Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Why Use CTCSS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Setting the CTCSS Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Optional Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
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FCC REGULATIONS
FCC LICENSE REQUIRED
Before you operate the transceiver, you must obtain
your license. It is illegal to transmit without the appro-
priatelicense,which you can get by submitting a com-
pleted Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Form 574.
You can get the latest FCC forms and instructions
from several sources:
• To have the forms faxed to you by the FCC, call
the FCC Fax-On-Demand system at 202-418-
0177 from your fax machine and request Docu-
ment 000574 for all forms and instructions, or
Document 005741 for instructions only.
• To have the forms mailed to you, call the FCC
Forms Hotline at 800-418-FORM.
For questions concerning the license application,
contact the FCC at 717-337-1212 or 1-800-322-1117.
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FCC RULES PART 95, SUBPART A
You must be familiar with Part 95, Subpart A of FCC
Rules and Regulations
before you operate your trans-
ceiver. The operation instructions in this manual con-
form to Part 95, but do not cover all items in Part 95.
In part, Part 95, Subpart A, states that:
• You must be 18 years of age, or older, and not a
representative of a foreign government to get a
license.
• Businesses or associations cannot qualify for a
GMRS license.
• A licensee can let immediate family members
operate under GMRS Rules and Regulations.
• Channels or channel pairs assigned to GMRS
systems are available on a shared basis and will
not be assigned for the exclusive use of any lic-
ensee.
• As licensee, you are responsible for proper
operation of all transceivers operating under
your license.
• You must take reasonable precautions to pre-
vent harmful interference to others operating on
the same frequency.
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• You must not transmit program material of any
kind used in connection with commercial broad-
casting.
• You must not provide a service that is normally
handled by telephone or telegraph unless such
broadcasts involve the safety of life or property
or in emergencies such as an earthquake, hurri-
cane, flood, or a similar disaster where normal
communication channels are disrupted.
Violating any of the provisions of Part 95 can result in
fines and/or confiscation of equipment.
The General Mobile Radio Service is under the juris-
diction of the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC).Any adjustments or alterations that would alter
the performance of the transceiver so it no longer
meets the original FCC type acceptance or would
change the frequency-determining method are strictly
prohibited.
Replacement or substitution of crystals, transistors,
ICs, regulator diodes, or any other component that is
of a unique nature, with components other than those
recommended, can violate the technical regulations
of
FCC Rules and Regulations or violate type accep-
tance requirements of the rules.
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Your transceiver might cause TV or radio interference
even when it is operating properly. To determine
whether your transceiver is causing the interference,
turn off your transceiver. If the interference goes
away, your transceiver is causing it. Try to eliminate
the interference by:
• Moving your transceiver away from the TV or
radio
• Contacting your local RadioShack store for help
If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC re-
quires that you stop using your transceiver.
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PREPARATION
Before you use the transceiver, you must be properly
licensed by the FCC. If you already have a GMRS li-
cense, you can immediately use the transceiver.
INSTALLING AND REMOVING
THE BATTERY PACK
Caution: Do not remove the plastic wrap from the
battery pack. Doing so can permanently damage the
battery.
1. Be sure the transceiver is turned off.
2. Unlock the battery compartment cover latch on
each side. (The orange tabs should be visible.)
Then slide the cover down and lift it off.
Battery
Compartment
Cover
Cover
Latch
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3. With the battery label facing up, align the battery
pack and radio’s battery contacts. Apply slight
pressure to the bottom of the battery pack and
press it into the compartment, as shown.
4. Slide the battery cover back into place and lock
it with the latches.
To remove the battery pack, unlock the compartment
and remove the cover. Then turn the transceiver face
down and gently tap the battery pack into your palm.
INSTALLING THE ANTENNA
To install the antenna, place the threaded end of the
antenna over the antenna connector on top of the
tranceiver and screw it into place.
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CHARGING THE BATTERY PACK
You must charge the battery pack with the supplied
battery charger or with an optional charger (see “Op-
tional Accessories” on Page 24) before you use the
tranciever for the first time and whenever the battery
becomes low.
Follow these steps to charge the battery pack using
the supplied charger.
1. If the transceiver is on, turn VOL•OFF counter-
clockwise to turn it off.
2. Lift the protective cover away from the acces-
sory jacks.
3. Plug the charger into the small (lower) jack, then
connect the charger to a standard AC outlet.
The charger’s charge indicator lights.
Note: Charging takes about 10 hours.
Charger
Charge
Indicator
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Cautions:
• Do not operate the transceiver while you charge
the battery pack. Using the battery charger
mutes the transceiver’s speaker.
• To ensure a full charge, do not charge the bat-
tery pack in an area where the temperature is
above 95°F. To prevent permanent battery
power loss, do not charge the battery at temper-
atures below 43°F.
• Use only the supplied or recommended charg-
ers to recharge the transceiver’s battery pack.
Using any other charger could permanently
damage your transceiver or the battery pack.
• A fully charged battery will last about 8 hours in
the PRS-102.
Important: This transceiver uses a rechargeable
nickel-cadmiumbattery pack. At the end of thebattery
pack’s useful life, it must be recycled or disposed of
properly. Contact your local, county, or state hazard-
ous waste management authorities for information on
recycling or disposal programs in your area. Some
options that might be available are: municipal curb-
side collection, drop-off boxes at retailers, recycling
collection centers, and mail-back programs.
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Checking the Battery Power
1. Rotate VOL•OFF clockwise to turn on the trans-
ceiver.
2. Press the push-to-talk button on the left side of
the transceiver. If the indicator next to the
antenna lights red, there is sufficient battery
power for transmission. If the indicator does not
light, you need to recharge the battery pack.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
0
VOL • OFF
Top View
Battery Low/Transmit
Indicator
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ATTACHING AND REMOVING THE
BELT CLIP
To attach the belt clip, align it with the rails on the
back of the transceiver and slide the clip down until it
snaps into place.
To remove the belt clip, lift the release tab away from
the radio. While holding the tab, slide the belt clip up
off the mounting rails.
Release
Tab
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CONNECTING AUDIO
ACCESSORIES
You can order a wide variety of audio accessories for
your transceiver from your local RadioShack store.
See “Optional Accessories” on Page 24.
Follow these steps to connect an audio accessory.
1. Turn off the transceiver.
2. Lift the protective cover away from the acces-
sory jacks.
3. If the accessory has two plugs, align the smaller
plug with the small jack and the larger plug with
the large jack and plug them in. If the accessory
has a single plug, plug it into the matching jack.
Protective
Cover
Audio
Accessory
Jacks
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OPERATION
1. Turn VOL•OFF clockwise to turn on the trans-
ceiver, then rotate the channel knob to select the
desired channel.
2. Press the transceiver’s monitor button, below
the push-to-talk button. While you hold the mon-
itor button, adjust the volume to a comfortable
level.
3. To transmit, press and hold the push-to-talk but-
ton, then hold your transceiver about 3 inches
from your mouth and speak clearly in a normal
tone of voice. The indicator next to the antenna
lights red when you hold down the push-to-talk
button.
4. When you finish speaking, release the push-to-
talk button to hear a response.
5. To turn off the transceiver, turn VOL•OFF coun-
terclockwise.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
0
VOL
•
OFF
Push-to-Talk
Monitor
Button
Button
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OPERATIONAL HINTS
Your transceiver’s range varies depending on factors
such as position, terrain, and battery condition.
Range can best be described as
line of sight . The
fewerobstructions you have between two tranceivers,
the better range you can expect. Buildings absorb
transmitted signals and, if they contain metal, might
completely block the signals. Trees and heavy cloud
formations have a similar effect, though not as se-
vere. If you are near a lake or the ocean, you might
get excellent range.
To ensure maximum range, operate the transceiver
with the battery pack fully charged. As the voltage de-
creases, the range decreases.
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CTCSS OPTION
WHY USE CTCSS?
CTCSS (Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System)
is available as an optional add-on to your transceiver.
When CTCSS is turned on, the transceiver transmits
a selected tone with your transmission. This tone is
too low for you to hear, but other transceivers can de-
tect it. If CTCSS is turned on and set to the same tone
on the receiving transceiver, itonly receives transmis-
sions that include the tone. This way, CTCSS can
help keep you from hearing other users on the same
frequency.
For example, if two different groups operate trans-
ceivers in the same area on the same frequency but
use a different CTCSS tone, they only hear their own
broadcasts.
Note: CTCSS does not make your conversations pri-
vate. Other users can still hear your transmissions if
they use the same frequency.
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SETTING THE CTCSS TONE
Notes:
• If you are a part of a talk group, be sure all of the
radios in the talk group use the same tone.
• You must install the CTCSS option before you
can set the CTCSS tone.
1. Turn off the radio.
2. Unlock the battery compartment cover latch on
each side. (The orange tabs should be visible.)
Then slide the cover down and lift it off.
3. Remove the battery pack and tray. This exposes
the bank of CTCSS switches.
Battery
Compartment
Cover
Cover
Latch
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