Radio Shack FRS User manual

Cat. No. 21-1822
Owner’s Manual
FRS 2-Way Radio
•Water- and Shock-Resistant
•14 Channels
•300 mW Output Power
•2-Digit Channel Display
•19 Quiet Codes
•Rubberized Case
•Call Button
•Channel Lock
•30-Hour Battery Life
•Headset Jacks
•Low Battery Indicator
•Built-in Charger
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INTRODUCTION
RadioShack welcomes you to the next gener-
ation of personal communication — the Fam-
ily Radio Service (FRS). FRS is a new
license-free, two-way, short-range voice ra-
dio service that lets families and groups keep
in touch with each other on specific reserved
channels.
Your RadioShack Sports FRS 2-Way Radio
is a lightweight, palm-sized radio that you can
carry almost anywhere and use to talk with
another person who has an FRS radio set to
the same frequency as your radio. Your ra-
dio’s quiet code feature is like having a sub-
channel within a channel, giving you greater
communication flexibility.
Your radio has 14 channels and 19 different
quiet codes. If someone else is using the
channel you selected and you do not want to
hear that person, select another channel or
use the quiet feature (see “Using Quiet
Codes” on Page 9). You can talk with other
FRS radio users whose radios are tuned to
the same channel and quiet code as yours.
Your radio has
auto-squelch
, which means
you will not hear anything on a channel un-
less someone is transmitting nearby on the
same channel. You can turn off auto-squelch
to hear weaker, distant transmissions (see
“Auto-Squelch” on Page 11).
©2000 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack and Adaptaplug are trademarks
used by Tandy Corporation.
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PREPARATION
Note: Your radio’s display is protected during
shipment by a piece of film. Peel off this film
before you use the radio.
INSTALLING BATTERIES
Your radio requires three AAA batteries (not
supplied) for power. For the best perfor-
mance and longest life, we recommend alka-
line batteries, or you can use nickel-cadmium
(Ni-Cd) or nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) re-
chargeable batteries and charge them in the
radio with an optional AC adapter. Both types
of batteries are available from your local Ra-
dioShack store.
Before using the radio with rechargeable bat-
teries, you must charge the batteries for a
minimum of 12-16 hours, using an adapter
(not supplied). See “Charging Rechargeable
Batteries” on Page 4.
Warning: Dispose of old batteries promptly
and properly. Do not burn or bury them.
Cautions:
• Use only fresh batteries of the required
size and recommended type.
• Do not mix old and new batteries, differ-
ent types of batteries (standard, alkaline,
or rechargeable), or rechargeable batter-
ies of different capacities.
• If you do not plan to use the radio for a
month or longer, remove the batteries.
Batteries can leak chemicals that can
destroy electronic parts.
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1. Rotate OFF toward OFF until it
clicks to turn off the radio, then pull down
the latch on the bottom of the radio to re-
move the battery compartment cover.
2. Use a pointed object such as a pen to
set AL/NI inside the compartment to AL
(for alkaline batteries) or NI (for re-
chargeable batteries).
Warning: Never set AL/NI to NI if you
use non-rechargeable batteries. Non-re-
chargeable batteries can get hot or ex-
plode if you try to recharge them.
3. Install the batteries inside the battery
compartment, matching the polarity sym-
bols (+ and –) marked inside the com-
partment. Then replace the battery
compartment cover.
The radio’s range decreases as battery pow-
er decreases. To ensure maximum range,
keep fresh batteries in the radio.
If TX/BATT lights when you are not holding
down PTT, replace or recharge the batteries.
Charging Rechargeable
Batteries
You can charge rechargeable batteries in the
radio using either a 9V, 300 mA AC adapter
or a DC cigarette-lighter adapter and a size H
Adaptaplug®adapter (not supplied). All are
available at your local RadioShack store.
It takes between 12 and 16 hours to recharge
rechargeable batteries that are fully dis-
charged. It takes about 14 hours to fully
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5
charge 550mAH Ni-MH batteries in your ra-
dio. For best battery life, do not overcharge.
Warning: Do not charge non-rechargeable
batteries in the radio. Non-rechargeable bat-
teries can get hot and explode if you try to re-
charge them.
Cautions:
You must use a Class 2 power
source that supplies 9V DC
and delivers 300 mA. Its center
tip must be set to positive and its plug
must fit the radio's CHG jack. Using an
adapter that does not meet these specifi-
cations could damage the radio or the
adapter.
• Always connect the adapter to the radio
before you connect it to an external pow-
er source (such as an AC outlet or a ve-
hicle cigarette-lighter socket). When you
finish, disconnect the adapter from the
external power source before you dis-
connect it from the radio.
• Do not charge rechargeable batteries
longer than 12 to 16 hours.
Note: Ni-CD batteries and other batteries of
lower capacity will fully charge faster, but pro-
vide less operating time
1. Rotate OFF toward OFF until it
clicks to turn off the radio, then pull down
the latch on the bottom of the radio to re-
move the battery compartment cover.
2. Use a pointed object such as a pen to
set AL/NI to NI.
!
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6
3. Install the rechargeable batteries inside
the battery compartment, matching the
polarity symbols (+ and –) marked inside
the compartment. Then replace the bat-
tery compartment cover.
4. Attach the Adaptaplug adapter to the
adapter so the tip reads positive (+).
5. Connect the other end of the adapter to
a standard AC outlet or, if you are using
a DC adapter, attach the other end to a
vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket.
Important: This radio can
use Ni-Cd rechargeable bat-
teries. At the end of a Ni-Cd
battery's useful life, it must
be recycled or disposed of
properly. Contact your local,
county, or state hazardous
waste management authorities for informa-
tion on recycling or disposal programs in your
area or call 1-800-843-7422. Some options
that might be available are: municipal curb-
side collection, drop-off boxes at retailers
such as your local RadioShack store, recy-
cling collection centers, and mail-back pro-
grams.
CONNECTING AN
OPTIONAL MICROPHONE/
SPEAKER
To use the radio privately, connect an option-
al headset with microphone or a microphone
and earphone communication headset (avail-
able at your local RadioShack store) to the
SPK and MIC jacks.
1
-
8
0
0
-
8
4
3
-
7
4
2
2
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This connection automatically disconnects
the internal speaker and the PTT (push to
talk) button.
Or, you can connect a mono earphone (avail-
able at your local RadioShack store) into the
SPK jack and use the PTT button as usual.
USING THE BELT CLIP
To use the supplied belt
clip, slide it down onto the
tab at the back of the radio
until it clicks. To remove
the clip,pull up on the mid-
dle tab of the clip and slide
the clip upward.
USING A HAND STRAP
To attach an optional
hand strap to the ra-
dio, thread the hand
strap’s small loop
through the holes next
to PTT. You might
need to use a small
screwdriver or a
straightened paper clip to do this. Then pull
the strap’s large loop through the small loop.
To attach an optional pager chain to the ra-
dio, simply snap the chain’s small loop into
one of the holes next to PTT.
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OPERATION
CONTROLS
OFF — turn away from OFF to turn the
radio on and adjust the volume. To turn the
radio off, turn OFF toward OFF until it
clicks.
PTT (push to talk) — to talk, hold down for
about 1 second, then speak into the micro-
phone. TX lights. Release PTT when you fin-
ish speaking.
CALL — hold down to send a paging tone or
quiet code to all radios tuned to the same fre-
quency.
Important: Do not hold down CALL for more
than 10 seconds. The FCC does not allow
you to send a continuous tone for more than
10 seconds at a time on FRS frequencies.
MON (monitor) — hold down to turn off auto-
squelch (see “Auto-Squelch” on Page 11). To
turn auto-squelch back on, release MON.
MODE — hold down then turn on the radio to
set the quiet code, press to turn on or off the
quiet feature (see “Using Quiet Codes” on
Page 9), and hold down until Lappears to
lock and to prevent accidental operation.
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Hold down MODE until Ldisappears to un-
lock and .
and — selects the channel number.
DISPLAY AND
INDICATORS
1–19 —indicates the selected channel (1–
14) or quiet code (1–19).
TX/BATT — lights when you transmit a mes-
sage, press CALL, or when the batteries are
low.
L—appears when you lock and .
QUIET —lights when the quiet mode (CTC-
SS) is set and flashes while you are selecting
the quiet (CTCSS) code.
USING QUIET CODES
You can set the radio with a Continuous Tone
Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) quiet code
and screen out unwanted conversations,
even from someone transmitting nearby on
the same channel. When a quiet code is set,
the radio sends the code every time PTT or
QUIET
MODE
CALL
TX
BATT
MODE
CALL
QUIET
TX
BATT
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CALL is pressed and the radio only responds
to signals that have the same code. Radios
you plan to use together must be set to the
same code. This radio has these quiet (CTC-
SS) codes.
To set the radio to use the quiet feature and
set a quiet code:
1. Hold down MODE then rotate OFF
away from OFF to turn on the radio. The
QUIET indicator flashes.
2. While the QUIET indicator flashes, re-
peatedly press or to select the qui-
et code, then press MODE again. The
QUIET indicator stays lit and the quiet
(CTCSS) code is set.
To turn on or off the quiet feature, press
MODE. The QUIET indicator turns on or off.
Channel Frequency
(Hz) Channel Frequency (Hz)
1 67.0 11 97.4
2 71.9 12 100.0
3 74.4 13 103.5
4 77.0 14 107.2
5 79.7 15 110.9
6 82.5 16 114.8
7 85.4 17 118.8
8 88.5 18 123.0
9 91.5 19 127.3
10 94.8
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