Radio Shack TRC-236 User manual

OWNER’S MANUAL Cat. No. 21-1649
TRC-236
40-Channel 5-Watt
CB Walkie Talkie
with LED Dis
p
la
y
Please read before using this equipment.
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FEATURES
Your RadioShack TRC-236 40-Channel 5-
Watt CB Walkie Talkie with LED Display is
a portable, two-way radio you can carry al-
most anywhere. You can use your TRC-
236 around the house, in your office, or in
your car or boat. You can also use it on
fishing trips, or at your business for super-
visory, security, or warehouse personnel.
Your TRC-236 has the following features:
2-Digit LED Display — lets you easily
see the selected channel number.
Automatic Display Dimmer — the chan-
nel display automatically brightens when
you press most buttons. Then, after a few
seconds, it dims to save battery power.
High/Low Power Switch — lets you in-
crease the transmitted signal strength to
increase the TRC-236’s range, or de-
crease it to save battery power.
Telescoping Antenna with Center-
Loading Coil — provides excellent re-
ception and transmission.
Adjustable Squelch — helps to eliminate
noise between transmissions.
Battery Test Button and Battery Indica-
tor — lets you check the batteries’ condi-
tion to find out if they need replacing.
Built-In Modulation Limiter Circuit —
automatically adjusts to a variety of voice
levels to ensure a clear transmission.
Automatic Noise Limiter (ANL) Circuit
— reduces noise caused by nearby elec-
trical equipment such as motors or auto-
motive ignition systems.
©1997, 1998 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack is a registered trademark
used by Tandy Corporation.
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Power/Charging Jack — lets you power
your TRC-236 from an AC or DC power
source,so you can use theTRC-236 with-
out draining the batteries. And, lets you
charge nickel-cadmium batteries without
removing them from the TRC-236.
Note: To power your TRC-236 with inter-
nal batteries, you need eight AA alkaline
batteries or ten nickel-cadmium recharge-
able batteries (not supplied).
We recommend you record the TRC-
236’s serial number here. The serial
numberislocatedonthewalkietalkie’s
back panel:
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FCC INFORMATION
The Federal Communications Commis-
sion (FCC) does not require you to have
a license to operate this walkie talkie.
However, the FCC does require that you
read and know Part 95 of
FCC Rules .
These rules apply to the operation of a
Class D CB. We have provided a copy of
these regulations with your TRC-236.
Internal adjustments and/or modifications
can lead to illegal operation as defined by
Part 95 of
FCC Rules . Such illegal opera-
tion can lead to very serious consequenc-
es.
To be safe and sure:
• Never open your TRC-236’s case.
• Never modify your TRC-236.
Your TRC-236 might cause TV or radio
interference even when it is operating
properly. To determine whether your
TRC-236 is causing the interference, turn
off your TRC-236. If the interference goes
away, your TRC-236 is causing it. Try to
eliminate the interference by:
• Moving your TRC-236 away from the
TV or radio
• Contacting your local RadioShack
store for help
Warning: Do not open your TRC-236 to
make any internal adjustments. Any inter-
nal adjustments should be made only by
authorized service personnel.
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CONTENTS
Powering the CB ................................ 6
Using the POWER Jack and
ALKALINE/NI-CD Switch .................. 6
Using Batteries ................................. 7
Testing the Battery Power .......... 10
Recharging Nickel-Cadmium
Batteries ..................................... 10
Using Vehicle Battery Power........... 12
Using AC Power ............................. 13
Connecting an Optional Antenna .... 15
Operation .......................................... 18
Receiving Transmissions and
Adjusting Squelch .......................... 18
Transmitting .................................... 20
CB Operation Tips ........................... 22
Common Uses for a CB Radio ....... 22
Business Uses ........................... 22
Personal Uses ........................... 22
Using Common 10-Codes .............. 23
CB Courtesy ................................... 25
Maximum Range ............................ 25
Troubleshooting ............................... 26
Maintenance ..................................... 27
Specifications .................................. 28
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POWERING THE CB
You can power yourTRC-236 from any of
these sources (none supplied):
• Eight AA alkaline batteries with the
two supplied dummy batteries
• Ten rechargeable AA nickel-
cadmium batteries
• 12-volt vehicle battery power using a
fused power cord
• Standard AC power using a power
supply
USING THE POWER JACK
AND ALKALINE/NI-CD
SWITCH
The POWER jack lets you connect an ex-
ternal power source (such as your vehi-
cle’s battery power or AC power), or
connect a battery charger to charge
nickel-cadmium batteries while they are in
the TRC-236.
The TRC-236 also has a slide switch (AL-
KALINE/NI-CD) inside the battery com-
partment that you must set correctly,
depending on what power source you are
using and whether or not you want to
charge rechargeable batteries while they
are in the TRC-236.
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•SetittoALKALINE before you con-
nect an external power source (vehi-
cle battery power or AC adapter) to
the POWER jack or while you are us-
ing internal batteries (alkaline or re-
chargeable).
•SetittoNI-CD
only when you con-
nect a battery charger to the POWER
jack to charge the installed recharge-
able batteries.
Warning: To avoid injuring yourself or
damaging the TRC-236, connect a bat-
tery charger to the POWER jack
only
when nickel-cadmium batteries are in-
stalled (see “Recharging Nickel-Cadmium
Batteries” on Page 10). Never try to re-
charge non-rechargeable batteries. They
could get very hot and explode.
Note: You can connect an external pow-
er source for power regardless of the type
of batteries you installed.
USING BATTERIES
You can power the TRC-236 from eight
AA alkaline batteries (such as Ra-
dioShack Cat. No. 23-552) with the two
supplied dummy batteries, or 10 re-
chargeable AA nickel-cadmium batteries
(such as Cat. No. 23-125).
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Cautions:
• Always use fresh, or freshly charged,
batteries of the required size and
recommended type.
• Do not mix old and new batteries,
different types of batteries (stan-
dard, alkaline, or rechargeable
nickel-cadmium), or rechargeable
batteries of different capacities.
Follow these steps to install the batteries.
1. If the TRC-236 is on, turn OFF/VOLUME
fully counterclockwise until it clicks to
turn it off.
2. Slide the strap on the back of the
TRC-236 through the buckle and the
battery compartment cover to re-
move it.
3. Slide the battery compartment cover
in the direction of the arrows to
remove it.
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4. Be sure ALKALINE/NI-CD inside the
battery compartment is set to ALKA-
LINE.
5. Put eight AA alkaline batteries and
the two supplied dummy batteries, or
ten AA nickel-cadmium batteries into
the battery compartment, as indi-
cated by the polarity symbols (+ and
–) marked inside.
Note: Before you use the TRC-236
with nickel-cadmium batteries, you
need to charge the batteries (see
“Recharging Nickel-Cadmium Batter-
ies” on Page 10).
6. Slide the strap on the back of the
TRC-236 through the battery com-
partment cover to reattach it.
7. Replace the battery compartment
cover.
Cautions:
• If you will not be powering the TRC-
236 from internal batteries for sev-
eral months, remove the batteries.
• Dispose of old batteries promptly
and properly.
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Testing the Battery Power
1. Turn on the TRC-236 by rotating
OFF/VOLUME clockwise until it clicks.
2. Hold down BATT TEST. If the indica-
tor lights, there is enough battery
power to operate the CB. If the indi-
cator is dim or does not light, replace
or recharge the batteries.
Recharging Nickel-Cadmium
Batteries
You can use a battery charger, Cat. No.
23-249 (not supplied), to charge or re-
charge nickel-cadmium batteries while
they are inside the TRC-236’s battery
compartment.
Do not use the TRC-236 while you are
charging the nickel-cadmium batteries.
Cautions:
• Use only the recommended battery
charger to recharge the batteries in
the TRC-236. Other chargers could
damage your TRC-236 or the batter-
ies.
• Be careful not to overcharge nickel-
cadmium batteries.
• To prevent damage to rechargeable
nickel-cadmium batteries, never
charge them in an area where the
temperature is above 90°F (32°C) or
below 40°F (4.5°C).
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