Radio Shack TRC-488 User manual

Cat. No. 21-1585A
OWNER’S MANUAL
40-CHANNEL 2-WAY CB RADIO
Please read before using this equipment.
TRC-488
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2
FEATURES
© 1996 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
Your Radio Shack TRC-488 40-Chan-
nel 2-Way CB Radio is a high perfor-
mance citizen’s band radio that also
lets you tune to national weather ser-
vice broadcasts. This CB is perfect for
recreational, business, or emergency
use. It lets you talk to other people with
CBs at home, in their vehicles, or at
camp sites. You can also connect op-
tional equipment to your CB, such as a
DC power supply and base station an-
tenna to set up a base station in your
home.
Your CB has the following features:
7-Channel WX Band Receiver — lets
you tune to seven national weather fre-
quencies so you can hear your local
weather conditions as well as weather
forecasts wherever you travel.
Emer
g
enc
y
Channel Selector — lets
you quickly switch to Channel 9 so you
can report or monitor emergency situ-
ations.
PLL (Phase-Locked Loop) Frequen-
c
y
S
y
nthesizer — provides reliable
and exact tuning.
H
y
steresis Squelch — automatically
adjusts receiver sensitivity to compen-
sate for fading signals and to eliminate
signal chopping during reception.
Two Ceramic Filters — provide supe-
rior channel selectivity and eliminate
adjacent-channel interference.
Automatic Noise Limitin
g
(ANL) —
reduces noise caused by nearby elec-
trical equipment such as motors or au-
tomotive ignition systems.
LED Channel Displa
y
— displays the
selected channel (1-40). When chan-
nel 9 is selected with the emergency
channel switch, the 9 flashes continu-
ously. When a weather channel is se-
lected, the display “blanks-out.”
RF Gain Control — lets you adjust the
receiver gain to match the strength of
the received signal.
Universal Mountin
g
Bracket — lets
you mount your CB securely in your
vehicle or on a table or shelf in your
home.
Important: To use this CB, you must
connect a mobile or base station an-
tenna (available at your local Radio
Shack store). See “Installing an Anten-
na” on Page 8.
For your records, we recommend you
record your CB’s serial number in the
space below. The serial number is lo-
cated on the CB’s back panel.
Serial No.
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CONTENTS
Installation ............................................................................................................ 4
Mounting the TRC-488 .................................................................................... 4
Mounting the Microphone Holder .................................................................... 5
Connections ......................................................................................................... 6
Connecting the Microphone ............................................................................ 6
Connecting an Optional External Speaker ...................................................... 6
Connecting Power ........................................................................................... 7
Using Vehicle Battery Power .................................................................... 7
Using Standard AC Power ........................................................................ 7
Installing an Antenna ...................................................................................... 8
Adjusting the Antenna’s SWR ......................................................................... 9
Operation ............................................................................................................ 10
Setting Squelch ............................................................................................. 10
Using Automatic Noise Limiting .................................................................... 10
Listening to Weather Broadcasts .................................................................. 10
Receiving Transmissions on the Channels ................................................... 11
Transmitting .................................................................................................. 12
CB Tips ............................................................................................................... 13
Common Uses for a CB Radio ...................................................................... 13
Business Uses ........................................................................................ 13
Personal Uses ........................................................................................ 13
CB Courtesy .................................................................................................. 13
Using Common 10-Codes ............................................................................. 14
Troubleshootin
g
................................................................................................ 15
Maximum Range ........................................................................................... 16
Reducing Noise ............................................................................................. 16
Maintenance ....................................................................................................... 17
Replacing the Fuses ..................................................................................... 18
FCC Information ............................................................................................ 18
Specifications .................................................................................................... 19
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INSTALLATION
MOUNTING THE TRC-488
If you use the TRC-488 as a base sta-
tion, you can mount it on a desk, shelf,
or table.
The most common mounting location
for the CB is under a vehicle’s dash-
board. If you use the TRC-488 in a ve-
hicle, mount it securely to avoid
damage to the CB or vehicle or injury
to anyone in the vehicle during sudden
starts or stops.
When you mount the CB in a vehicle,
make sure:
• You can easily reach the CB.
• Its wires and cables do not inter-
fere with any of the vehicle’s mov-
ing parts.
• The CB is not directly in front of
heating vents.
• All wires and cables reach their
connection points.
Follow these steps to mount the CB
using the supplied bracket, screws,
washers, and knobs.
1. Using the mounting bracket as a
template, mark the positions for
the screw holes.
2. In each marked location, drill a
hole slightly smaller than the sup-
plied screws.
Caution: Be careful not to drill into
any objects behind the mounting
surface.
3. Using a Phillips screwdriver,
attach the mounting bracket to the
mounting location with the sup-
plied screws and lock washers.
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4. Attach the CB to the mounting
bracket using the supplied rubber
washers and mounting knobs.
MOUNTING THE
MICROPHONE HOLDER
With a Phillips screwdriver and the
supplied screws and washers, attach
the supplied microphone holder to the
CB’s right side.
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CONNECTIONS
CONNECTING THE
MICROPHONE
1. Make sure the pins on the micro-
phone cable’s plug are aligned
with the holes in the CB’s MICRO-
PHONE jack on the CB’s left side
and insert the plug into the jack.
2. Slide the microphone onto the
microphone holder.
To disconnect the microphone cable,
press and hold down the small tab on
the microphone plug, then pull out the
plug.
Caution: Never pull on the micro-
phone cable.
CONNECTING AN
OPTIONAL EXTERNAL
SPEAKER
You can connect an external speaker
to the CB.
Notes:
• You must use an 8-ohm speaker
capable of handling up to 5 watts
of power (such as Radio Shack
Cat. No. 21-549).
• The speaker’s cable must have a
1/8-inch plug.
To connect an external speaker, sim-
ply plug the speaker’s cable into the
CB’s EXT jack.
Note: When you connect an external
speaker, the CB’s internal speaker dis-
connects.
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CONNECTING POWER
Using Vehicle Battery Power
Follow these steps to power the CB
from your vehicle’s battery.
1. Make sure the CB is turned off.
2. Disconnect the cable from your
vehicle battery’s negative (–) ter-
minal.
3. Connect the black GROUND wire
to a metal part of your vehicle’s
frame.
Note: Be sure the metal part is not
insulated from the vehicle’s frame
by a plastic part.
4. Connect the red TO SWITCHED
ACCESSORY wire, with in-line
fuse, to a source of voltage that
turns on and off with the ignition
switch, such as a spare accessory
terminal in your vehicle’s fuse box.
5. Connect the orange BATT +wire,
with in-line fuse, to your vehicle
battery’s positive (+) terminal or to
a point in the vehicle’s fuse box
fuse that provides a continuous
source of 12 volts even when the
ignition is turned off.
This connection is for last-channel
memory backup.
6. Reconnect the cable to the vehi-
cle battery’s negative (–) terminal.
Using Standard AC Power
You can power the CB from a standard
AC outlet using a 12-volt DC power
supply (such as Cat. No. 22-120)
Caution: Most 12-volt DC power sup-
plies plug into a standard AC outlet to
produce DC power. Before connecting
your CB to a 12-volt DC power supply,
read and follow the instructions includ-
ed with the power supply.
1. Make sure the CB is turned off.
2. Make sure the power supply is
turned off.
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3. Connect the black GROUND wire
to the DC power supply’s negative
(–) terminal.
4. Connect both the red TO
SWITCHED ACCESSORY and
orange
BATT +wires, with in-line
fuses, to the DC power supply’s
positive (+) terminal.
These wires supply power to oper-
ate your CB and backup the last-
channel memory.
5. Connect the DC power supply to a
standard AC outlet.
INSTALLING AN
ANTENNA
Caution: To prevent damage to your
CB, you must connect an antenna to
the CB before you operate it.
Note: Your local Radio Shack store
sells a variety of CB antennas for both
mobile and base-station use, and co-
axial antenna cable and connectors.
For the best performance,consider the
following when deciding on an antenna
and its location:
• The antenna and cable should be
as far as possible away from
sources of electrical noise.
• The antenna should be located
vertically and as high as possible.
Follow these steps to connect an an-
tenna.
1. Follow the mounting instructions
that come with the antenna.
Warnin
g
: Use extreme caution
when you install or remove a base
station CB antenna. If the antenna
starts to fall, let it go! It could con-
tact overhead power lines. If the
antenna touches the power line,
your 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 so yourself.
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2. Route the cable between the
antenna and the CB.
3. Connect the cable to the
ANTENNA jack on the back of the
CB.
Caution: Do not run the cable:
• Over sharp edges or moving parts
that might damage the cable
• Next to power cables or other CB
antenna cables
• Through the engine compartment
or other areas that produce
extreme heat
ADJUSTING THE
ANTENNA’S SWR
To achieve your CB’s maximum range,
the antenna’s Standing Wave Ratio
(SWR) should be adjusted using an
SWR meter (not supplied).
Follow the instructions supplied with
the SWR meter and antenna to adjust
your antenna’s SWR to the lowest pos-
sible value. SWR values of 2.0:1 are
generally acceptable, with readings of
1.5:1 or lower being more desirable.
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OPERATION
SETTING SQUELCH
Caution: Do not attempt to use your
CB without first connecting it to an an-
tenna.
1. Turn VOLUME clockwise until it
clicks to turn on the CB, then set it
to about halfway between the min-
imum and maximum settings. The
CB tunes to the last-selected
channel.
2. Turn
SQUELCH fully counterclock-
wise. You hear background noise
and the green BUSY LED lights.
3. Adjust VOLUME to a comfortable
setting.
4. Turn SQUELCH clockwise just until
the background noise stops.
Note: To receive weaker transmis-
sions, turn SQUELCH counter-
clockwise.
USING AUTOMATIC
NOISE LIMITING
If you hear low-level popping noises
while receiving transmissions, slide
ANL/OFF to ANL to turn on the auto-
matic noise limiting circuit. Otherwise,
leave ANL/OFF set to OFF (see “Re-
ducing Noise” on Page 16).
LISTENING TO
WEATHER
BROADCASTS
The FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) has allocated 11 chan-
nels for use by the National Oceano-
graphic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration (NOAA). NOAA broadcasts
your local forecast and regional weath-
er information on one or more of these
channels in your area.
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