Technical Information on Radio Shack™, Archer™, Micronta...

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2/8/2016 Radio Shack™, Archer™ and Realistic™ Information Index http://www.repeaterbuilder.com/radioshack/radioshackindex.html 1/20 Back to Home Technical Information on Radio Shack™, Archer™, Micronta™ and Realistic™ Equipment Compiled by Mike Morris WA6ILQ Web page maintained by Robert Meister WA1MIK I know nothing about this equipment so please don't ask! Quick Links: Twoway Radios Scanner Receivers Test Equipment Accessories Weather Radios Weather Radio Interfacing Articles Weather Radio Test Files On February 5, 2015 RadioShack filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They were later acquired by Sprint. Some corporateowned stores remained open but a lot of franchised stores have closed. If anyone has scans or PDFs of other manuals that should be here please drop an email to the page maintainer. You should read this Radio Shack (Etc.) Introductory Information article before any of the other articles here in this section. Here is a link to the product support section at the Radio Shack web site . I had it bookmarked back in December of 2004, the public side was redone sometime in 2005, and if there is still a link on the new public side I couldn't find it. (January 2009 update the site has been redone again, and the link is back (but well hidden): start at www.radioshack.com then click on the "Help" menu item along the top. Let the new screen appear, and look in the third column for "Legacy Support Information" (right above "MSDS"). Click on the blue text that says "Looking for owner's manuals, parts lists of software updates for products purchased prior to 2006? This is the place"). Some equipment in the old product support info pages has extensive info, some has manuals in Spanish and not English, some products have next to no info. There's no rhyme nor reason for what is or isn't

Transcript of Technical Information on Radio Shack™, Archer™, Micronta...

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Back to Home

Technical Information on

Radio Shack™, Archer™,Micronta™ and Realistic™

EquipmentCompiled by Mike Morris WA6ILQ

Web page maintained by Robert Meister WA1MIKI know nothing about this equipment so please don't ask!

Quick Links: Two­way Radios Scanner Receivers Test Equipment AccessoriesWeather Radios Weather Radio Interfacing Articles Weather Radio Test Files

On February 5, 2015 RadioShack filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcyprotection. They were later acquired by Sprint. Some corporate­owned

stores remained open but a lot of franchised stores have closed.

If anyone has scans or PDFs of other manuals that should be here pleasedrop an email to the page maintainer.

You should read this Radio Shack (Etc.) Introductory Information article before any ofthe other articles here in this section.

Here is a link to the product support section at the Radio Shack web site. I had it bookmarked back inDecember of 2004, the public side was redone sometime in 2005, and if there is still a link on the newpublic side I couldn't find it.

(January 2009 update ­ the site has been redone again, and the link is back (but wellhidden): start at www.radioshack.com then click on the "Help" menu item along the top. Letthe new screen appear, and look in the third column for "Legacy Support Information" (rightabove "MSDS"). Click on the blue text that says "Looking for owner's manuals, parts listsof software updates for products purchased prior to 2006? This is the place").

Some equipment in the old product support info pages has extensive info, some has manuals in Spanishand not English, some products have next to no info. There's no rhyme nor reason for what is or isn't

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there. And some good useful stuff (like the HTX­202 and HTX­404 schematics, or the HTX­204 ownersmanual) that were there then are not there now. And since it's information on "legacy equipment" theinfo on any old model could go away at any time ­ and without any warning. A lot of the info onamateur radio equipment that was there when they were current products is already gone.

Usually any available service manuals can be ordered by contacting either your local Radio Shack storeor by calling RadioShack.com at 800­241­8742. Some manuals are no longer available. Some storeshave intelligent folks that can look up manual numbers by radio name (i.e. HTX­10 = 19­1110), othershave vertical ambulatory hominid life forms of zombie intelligence that are only capable of sellingcellphones or responding to any questions with stupid looks ("You've got questions, we've got ignorantlooks and lots of cellphones™").

If you are trying to find info on older equipment (a lot of it didn't have a model number sticker on it)then this very well done web site (not affiliated with RS) that has scans of catalogs from 1939 to 2005may be of interest... http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com

Here's what we have so far... if you want to donate anything feel free to.We're not really interested in any entertainment electronics devices unless they would be useful to a hamor repeater­builder.

HTA­20 VHF Mobile Power AmplifierAnybody have the service manual?Until one turns up, here's the schematic, and here's the board layout.Owner's Manual 2.1 MB PDF donated by KB9QBTThis is a 144­148 MHz 30w FM out, 1/2 to 5w in FM only amplifierExploded Parts View 20.2 kB PDFCare and MaintenanceFeaturesFrequently Asked QuestionsOperationParts ListPreparationSpecificationsTroubleshooting

HTX­10 Ten Meter Mobile TransceiverOwner's Manual 1.05 MB PDF donated by SkippThis is a 28.0­29.7 MHz 25w SSB and FM, 7w AM unitService Manual 3 MB PDFA note from the donor:Attached are the HTX­10 schematics and manuals. The HTX­10 PDF manual with schematics fromthe Radio Shack service manual is pretty poor. BUT ! The Albrecht AE485s and AE485s_25Wschematics are VERY similar to the HTX­10 schematic and can be used (along with what's in theHTX­10 book) to more easily figure out what you need to do to work on your HTX­10.AE485s schematic AE485s_25W schematics

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See the note below about the HTX­10 and HTX­100 YahooGroup.

HTX­100 Ten Meter Mobile TransceiverHTX­100 Microphone Amplifier analysis and improvement 319kb MS Word DOC file by Jim PollWB5WPAService Manual 5.6 MB PDFOwner's Manual 1.16 MB PDFParts List 21kb MS Word DOC fileCare and maintenanceFrequently Asked QuestionsFeaturesInstallationOperation GuideSpecificationsTroubleshootingThere is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX­10 and HTX­100 located athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx­hf_tech.

HTX­200 Two Meter Handheld TransceiverOwner's Manual 1.06 MB PDFPhotoParts ListCare and MaintenanceFrequently Asked QuestionsFeaturesOperation GuidePreparationsSpecial FeaturesSpecificationsTroubleshootingThis is a mini­transceiver that was made by Standard Radio for RS. It delivers 200mW output with2 "AA" batteries (3 volts) or a full 2 watts (2 meters) with external 9 Volts DC. You can store acalling channel and up to 30 frequencies in memory for quick access. The radio has built­in 47­toneCTCSS encode and decode, programmable repeater offsets plus an LCD display with LEDbacklight, 10­step signal strength meter and low­battery indication. An SMA­type jack lets youconnect an external antenna.Size: 3"3/8 x 2"5/16 x 1"1/16 ", less antenna. Requires 2 "AA" batteries or a DC adapter #273­1815,or any external source of clean 9 vDC. I used a belt pouch with 6 "D" cells in it and it lasted amonth. The stock antenna is junk, use a Smiley slim duck. It does not program like any other radiosI've used, it could be called cumbersome. The menu system is not at all intuitive. The display is

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small and hard to read, the speaker audio is weak.If you are in MARS or CAP you can open up the transmit side from 142.000 to 149.885 by pressingand holding the "SC" button while turning the radio on. Some folks report having to do it twice oreven three times to "take". The display will report the new transmit range when you are sucessful.To undo the mod just repeat the sequence again.Note: If you build up your own speaker­mic or an external equipment interface you need to realizethat the HTX­200 and 400 use a push/pull audio stage that must be connected to a totally floatingspeaker. The speaker audio amp will self destruct if you connect either side of the External Speakerconnector to ground. You want to have NO connection between the speaker side and themicrophone side of the speaker­mic wiring. If you are interfacing some other device, perhaps anAPRS TNC, you will have to include an audio transformer on the speaker connection. Themicrophone side uses an normal ground connection ­ the sleeve of the microphone plug.The HTX­200 2m radio is part number 19­1102, the HTX­400 UHF radio (listed below) is 19­1104.There is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX­200 located athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx200owners.

Other Info Common to the HTX­202 and HTX­404The 202 is the 2 meter HT and the 404 is the 440 MHz HT that were made by Standard for RadioShack and loosely based on the Icom IC­02 and 04 design.From a ham that I know:I worked in a Radio Shack store in Oregon in 1996. During this time I sold several HTX 202's to localhams. On several ocasions Hams would come in asking me to confirm if they were made by Icom.Apperently it is still widely believed the 202 and 404 were made by Icom because they accept the Icombatteries. I asked TWO district Managers about this, and looked for myself inside Tandy's records. Ican tell you DEFINITIVELY that those Radio Shacks units were made by STANDARD. I along withother Sales associates was told NOT to reveal this to the public; To this day I have no idea why. I alsospoke to a Standard Rep one year at a ham swapmeet, and HE told me OFF THE RECORD that theRadio Shack 202 and 404 were, in FACT made for Radio Shack by Standard. I lost my job when it gotback to my District Manager that I had inquired directly of Standard about this. I hope this will helpput the question to rest.

Another person submitted this historical account of these two radios:The HTX­202 and HTX­404 were manufactured by Maxon in South Korea, not by Standard Radio. Iwas the buyer (product manager) for specialized radio equipment, and personally spec’d the HTX­202and HTX­404 (as well as the Uniden ten­meter transceiver and the first Maxon GMRS transceiver)brought into the line. As you can imagine, several of us on the merchandising staff were hams. We werein a unique position to “pay back” our great hobby by making reasonably­priced and decent gearavailable to the new no­code Techs. From December 1979 through July 1992, I was responsible forRadio Shack’s “27­series” (component parts and accessories) and the “22­series” (test equipment,power supplies, radar detectors, and specialized radio equipment (CB and scanners were handled byanother great buyer and ham).

One caution: the length of the two screws that hold the belt clip to an back of the HTX­202 or 404 iscritical. If they are too long, the screws will contact the circuit board inside the radio and short thingsout. Make sure your screws are the appropriate length or you will have some serious problems.

Since Radio Shack as abandoned their amateur radio customers does anyone know of anyone thatservices any of the Radio Shack branded amateur radios? I'll be happy to put a pointer here.

Maxon took the HTX­404 design and made their "GMRS 210" series radios from it. The accessories

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made for the Maxon fit the 202 and 404 just fine.Expanding the coverage in the HTX­404 From the owners manualOut of the box this radio covers only 440­450 MHz. A few keystrokes opens it up to 430­450 MHz.As easy as it is to do, why not? The extra coverage can be useful sometimes, for example in 2mtransmitter hunts (146.565 is the hidden transmitter frequency in many areas, and 439.695 is thethird harmonic. By listening there I can walk up to within a few feet of the fox.)A"cheat sheet" for the HTX­202 Also applicable to the HTX­404 if you mentally replace the 144sand 148s with 440 (or 430 if you've read the article immediately above) and 450.Replacing the Memory Backup Coin Cell in the HTX­202 and HTX­404 Handheld Radios By byRichard Luts KD4SEV and Craig LaBarge WB3GCKAn Overview of the DTMF ­ PL Design defect in the HTX­202 and HTX­404 By Barry SloanVE6SBSThis well written article explains why the HTX202 and HTX404 have DTMF control problems...why you can't run both subaudible tone encode and DTMF at the same time.This is a local (at www.repeater­builder.com) copy of the web page at the VE6SBS web site onlybecause that site was down several times after I referred folks to it. I decided to put a local copy hereat repeater­builder just in case Barry's web site went away completely.When you power up your HTX the internal microprocessor runs a self­check routine that amongother things does a sanity check on the radios configuration (i.e. frequency step info, etc), thefrequencies held in the memorized channels, the CTCSS tone information and a lot more. All of thisis held in a section of RAM that is powered by a coin cell. The self­check routine looks forscrambled data, and if found, stops everything and displays the dreaded "ER 1" code. The RadioShack manuals only mention of "ER 1" says that the coin cell getting old can cause an "ER 1" error.Personally, I think there is a bug in the programming (in the firmware) because I've had three ofthese radios and all seem to get scrambled RAM now and then, even after I've replaced the coin cell.To clear the "ER 1" error you have to give the radio it's own version of the three­finger salute: turnthe radio on while holding down the button above the PTT bar and the "D" button on the keyboard.This totally wipes the memory, then you get to reload all the memory channels.One nice thing about the HTX­202 and 404 is that on squelched receive they draw only about 20milliamps and a single set of penlight cells will last a week of receiving. Most newer HTs draw 150ma (or more) and with the smaller and smaller size HTs the batteries get smaller also. I have anHTX202 and an HTX404 that I bought primarily for tossing in my "go bag" (i.e. to use inemergency communications support). I have the penlight packs for the radios as well as ni­cads,plus spare antennas in the kit. I really like the fact that the antenna connector is a common BNC asthat makes the antenna situation very flexible ­ a rubber duck for close in work, a 50­foot BNCextension cord when needed, a mag mount on a large steel pizza pan tossed on the roof for outlyingareas, or even a small beam antenna if needed. Another nice feature is that it has a better receiverwith a real front end... it does not cover DC to light which makes it a lot less prone to grunge andintermod than most newer HTs.Battery packs for the 202 and 404 are still available from the Batteries America Radio Shack page.Their choices include their own 1.8ah and 2.7ah packs, clones of the BP5, BP7 and BP8 and aholder for eight AA penlight cells that is perfect for EmComm situations.The original "wall wart" charger part number is 19­1120. The label on the stock charger says"DC12V 100mA" and the connector is center pin positive. While you can use a 13 volt or 14 voltunit at a higher current rating you really want to keep the actual DC current through the cells tounder 1/10 the MAH rating of the cells to maximize the life of your NiCad or NiMH battery pack ­i.e. if you are using 1800mah cells you want to keep the current to 180ma or less. Yes, it will take

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10 hours to recharge the battery, but you won't cook the cells. Personally, if I have the time I switchin some additional resistance and cut the charge rate to 1/2 normal and let it take 20 hours. Mybattery packs last a lot longer.Always us the LOW power setting on an unknown, unchecked antenna, before you use HIGHpower. If there is a high VSWR protection circuit in the HTX­202, it doesn't work well! At least itdidn't in mine! I had to replace the final output transistor in mine because of a bad antenna.There is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX­202 and HTX­404 located athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx_vhf_uhf.

HTX­202 Two Meter Handheld TransceiverKB8ZCJs fix for an intermittent transmitterOwner's Manual 1.5 MB PDFService Manual 9.1 MB ZIPNOTE: This zip file contains 70 seperate files, one file per page side, and two files per half­schematic, plus the schematics themselves are a little blurry. If anybody has a paper copy we canborrow we'd appreciate the chance to get it scanned into a nice sharp PDF file with wide­pageimages for the pull­out schematic pages. Look at the GE LBI "full page" scans to see just what wecan do...Here's the above 70 files as one 11 MB PDF... Here's the above 70 files as one 3 MB PDF ­ the same file just shrunk... the bigger file is a little bitmore readable...

Care and MaintenanceDetailed Parts ListExploded Parts DrawingErrors and how to fix them Describes the ER1 and ER2 situations. ER1 is a checksum error in theradios RAM memory, and ER2 is a VCO out­of­lock error... and when it shows up they say "havethe transceiver repaired by a authorized service center". Thats a big help...For what it's worth the ER1 is an easy fix, see the article above about replacing the coin cell.Frequently Asked QuestionsFeaturesHints and TipsOperation This file has the basic information you need to use the radio.PreparationSpecsSpecs and Notes 32 pages of info in a 129 kB PDFTroubleshooting

HTX­204 Dual Band Handheld RadioWe have no manuals for the 204 dual band handheld yet, but battery packs for the 204 are stillavailable from the Batteries America Radio Shack page.Care and MaintenanceParts List

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FeaturesOperations IOperations IIOperations IIIPreparationSpecifications

HTX­212 Two Meter Mobile TransceiverOwner's Manual 247 kB PDFService Manual 3.1 MB PDFParts list

HTX­242 Two Meter Mobile TransceiverOwner's Manual 119 kB PDFSpecial FeaturesService Manual 3.3 MB PDFParts ListExact replacement display illumination bulbs are available. The bulbs are 6.3 volt at 40 ma withwire terminals. As of Nov 2011 Mouser has them in in stock ­ they are made by bothChicago Miniature and by JKL Components as part number 1730 and are rated at 10,000 hours. TheJKL data sheet is here and Mouser's web page is here if they haven't moved it. The JLK part is 38cents each, or $3.36 for ten. Chicago Miniature also makes them under the same part number at 60cents each, or $5.30 for ten. Or you can replace the bulbs with white LEDs ­ but if you do you thatyou may have to change the series resistors. There are seven sets of two 100 ohm surface mountresistors in parallel that are involved. Thanks to Larry Anderton WA7YLI for the info.

In January 2012, Larry sent us an update:

Previously I had identified Mouser part number 560­1730 as a correct replacement forthe display backlight lamps in the radio. I just received those lamps and discovered theyare NOT correct, in that they are 5 mm in diameter rather than the correct 3 mm. Afterinvestigating, I found that the Mouser online catalog is incorrect. It stated that partnumber as being a T1 size lamp, when in fact it is a T1­3/4 size lamp. As a result, theinformation I provided earlier is incorrect.

I did some more research, and have now found what looks like a correct replacementnow. It is available at www.kenselectronics.com/lites.htm as a part number LL2, pricedat $4.99 for a 5 bulb package, or about $1.00 each. The HTX­242 radio takes 7 lamps.Mouser’s online catalog was/is incorrect; they said they'd fix it. Larry AndertonWA7YLI.

HTX­245 Dual Band Handheld TransceiverMARS and CAP Addendum 239 kB PDFCare and Maintenance

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OperationsService Manual 4.4 MB PDFExploded View 185 kB PDFFrequently Asked QuestionsFeaturesParts ListPreparationSpecial FeaturesSpecificationsParts List: HTX­245A

HTX­252 UHF Mobile TransceiverOwner's Manual 253 kB PDFDTMF Mobile Microphone Schematic 21.6 kB PDFService Manual 3.7 MB PDFThis manual is for the Albrecht AE­540 which is very close to the HTX­252. Interestingly enough,the photos are of a unit with the "Radio Shack" name on it.Parts ListThere is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX­252 located athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx252owners.

HTX­400 UHF Handheld TransceiverOwner's Manual 1.2 MB PDFMost of the comments on the HTX­200 (above) apply to this radio as well.Exploded View 38 kB PDFParts List

HTX­404 UHF Handheld TransceiverCheck the notes above on the HTX­202 as most of them apply to the 404... it's the same radio exceptfor the frequencies...Manual ConventionsOwner's Manual 1.47 MB PDFRF Schematic 92 kB PDFDigital Schematic 80 kB PDFAdvanced OperationCare and MaintenanceDetailed Parts ListErrors and how to fix themFrequently Asked Questions

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FeaturesMemoryOperation This file has the basic information you need to use the radioPower sourcesPreparationSpecsService Manual 3.48 MB PDF

HTX­420 Dual Band Handheld TransceiverThis radio can receive the weather channels. It was manufactured by Albrecht, who made a similarunit for Icom.

A clipping from the catalog 1.44 MB PDFDetailed parts list 7.7 KbOwner's Manual 236 kB PDFExploded View 143 kB PDF

#19­345 Simplex Repeater ControllerNote that this box is incorrectly called the "Simplexor" by some folks ­ that name is trademarked byZetron and used on their Model 19B (and information on that unit is on the Zetron page at this website).

Anybody have the Service Manual? We can scan one if necessary.User's Guide 162 kB PDFOperation.Features.Hints and Tips.Specifications.Power options.Parts list.Photo

General Guide to Scanning published by Radio Shack, aimed at the PRO­series scanners.

Pro­43 ScannerThe Pro­43 scanner (model number 200­0300) was introduced in 1992 and for a long time was theironly portable scanner where the "UHF" band was 200­512 MHz instead of 400­512 MHz (theymarketed the addition as adding military aircraft coverage), and "low band" was 30­54 MHz instead of30­50 MHz. Yes, not only did it cover 6 meters but it also covers amateur 220­225 MHz right out ofthe box. And it doesn't need a special battery pack ­ you can use either penlight nicads or penlightalkaline batteries. And if you do put rechargeables in it, you will find a charger jack already installed inthe side of the unit waiting for you! It was made by GRE for RS, and was before the days of CTCSS orDCS, alpha tags and trunking. This unit was the first portable triple conversion scanner from RS and

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the first to come with AM mode selectable on bands other than the aircraft band.By the way, the Motorola GP­300 handheld balistic nylon radio case is an absolutely perfect fit(anybody have the Moto part number? I'll add it here).

Owner's Manual 930 kB PDFExploded View 17kb GIF fileParts List 28kb text fileService Manual 2.4 MB PDFInfo Including a note on removing a capacitor to improve the audio.A Pro­43 modifications writeup by Howard BornsteinThis writeup includes adding coverage of the 824­851 MHz and 869­896 MHz bands.The early Pro­43s can be modified to receive 6­1000 MHz Al Mellon N8KLI figured out how.

Pro­2002 ScannerThe Pro­2002 scanner (20­116) was one of the first decent programmable scanners. It uses the so­called"Motorola" antenna jack for the external antenna and the adapters are a little hard to find (RS does offera Motorola­to­female­BNC adapter, part number 278­208, and your store can get it if they don'tnormally stock it). Some folks have ended up ignoring the stock antenna jack and adding a BNC nextto it, or removing it outright and using the hole for a replacement BNC jack. The screw­in rod antennauses a metric thread and as a replacement part is pure unobtanium in the USA. The 2002 handles 50channels in low band (30­50 MHz), high band (138­174 MHz), aircraft (108­136 MHz) and UHF (410­512 MHz). As a scanner, it's nothing special, except that they are usually found in the $1­$25 pricerange, have a large, clear speaker, and the book is impossible to find, except here. If your local publicservice agencies run conventional (as opposed to trunked or P25 digital modulation), it's a good­sounding inexpensive programmable unit to park on some local channels.

Owner's Manual 997 kB PDFAnybody have a PDF of the Service Manual??

Pro­2003 Scanner # 20­9117The PRO­2003 was the predecessor to the 2004­2005­2006 series of scanners and in late 1985­early1986 was the top of the line and the price reflected that (and as a result it didn't sell very well), plus itscanned at a rate of only 8 channels per second where the competition did 15 to 16 per second. Itoffered 50 memory channels and covered low band (30­50 MHz or 66­88 MHz, depending on thecountry), 108­136 MHz AM Aircraft, 138­174 MHz (various), the 2m Amateur and high band, 148­174commercial and public safety, 410­512 MHz (410­420 Government band, 440 MHz amateur band plusconnercial), plus (and this was unusual) the FM broadcast band. The packaging was almost identical tothe future PRO­2004, but the keyboard labeling was poor.

Owner's Manual 1.3 MB PDFAnybody have a PDF of the Service Manual??

Pro­2004, Pro­2005 and Pro­2006 ScannersThe 2004­2005­2006 series of scanners was the top­of­the line of the conventional­only scanners andwere built for RS by GRE of Japan. Introduced in mid­late­1986. They covered 25­520 MHzcontinuous (10m, 6m, Aircraft, 2m, 220, 440 MHz amateur bands), 760­824 MHz (800 MHz repeaterinputs), 851­869 MHz (repeater outputs), and 896­1300 MHz (900 MHz and 1.2 GHz amateur bands)in AM, NBFM and WBFM. Has 300 channels in 10 banks of 30, backed up by conventional 9 voltalkaline battery. Any channel can be designated the priority channel. "Sound Squelch" allows skippingdead carriers during search or scan. There is a tape recorder output jack on the back which provides

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600 mV of audio at about 10,000 ohms impedance. There is a design oversight in all three models ­ theaudio level of AM signals is somewhat below that of NBFM signals, requiring a different setting of thevolume control. When scanning both AM and NBFM modes, one has to find a compromise position ofthe volume control. A trimpot or two in the audio mixer that combines the outputs of both detectors canbe added, but a bit more care in the initial design would have precluded that necessity. One popularmod makes the unit portable by removing the power transformer and replacing it with a 12v gell­cell.You can charge it with a 12vDC wall­wart transformer (plugged into the existing +12vDC input jack).There are some cosmetic differences like the keyboard layout, but the internal electronics design is verysimilar across the three receivers. The major differences were physical packaging and the position of afew diodes in the configuration matrix plus:The 2004: The 2004 (model 200­0119) was introduced in late 1986 and nearly 45,000 were sold until

until it was discontinued in early 1988. It had a metal case, good internal construction andshielding, but was designed as a table top unit, there no way to add a mobile mountingbracket. Yet they had a DC power jack on the back panel, however RS didn't offer a DCpower cord. It was artifically limited in the number of channels it could listen to and had aslower scanning speed. You could cut a diode and get the 400 channels of the 2005 but thechannel numbering on the 300­channel keyboard (which was not backlit) would beconfusing. Cutting another diode got the faster scanning speed of the 2006. Adding either aCOS or a TS32 PL decoder (or both) was easy ­ in fact a Pro­2004 was my across­the­garage link receiver or remote base receiver for repeater experimentation for several years.You can improve the squelch action by replacing R148 (47K) with a 220K resistor. Youcan add coverage of the 824­851 MHz and 869­896 MHz bands by clipping D513. See "Product Review: The Radio Shack PRO­2004 Programmable Scanner," by BobParnass AJ9S, in Monitoring Times, March 1987. Anyone have a scan?

One common problem with the PRO­2004 involves the memory backup battery circuit.The 9v Alkaline is the only thing keepng the memory alive. Sometimes the low batterywarning keeps activating even when a fresh battery is installed. Memory loss when theradio is unplugged is also a symptom of the same problem.

Make sure the contacts on the battery connector are tight. The snaps widen and losecontact, and you can squeeze them gently with a pliers to tighten them. Unplug the ACcord from power and remove the battery. After a few minutes, insert a good battery, plugthe power cord back in the wall and perform a full reset according to the owners(instruction) manual.

Check the through­board solder joint at connector CN6, pin 3. Check the wires from thebattery connector to the printed circuit board for continuity.

If a new battery goes dead after just a few days, it is likely that the memory regulator hasgone bad. The regulator is in a TO­92 package and looks like a small transistor with threeleads. It is labeled IC9 on the printed circuit board. The part is made by Seiko, typeS81250HG. Type NJU7201L50, available from Mouser Electronics, may be used as asubstitute.

The PRO­2004 had serious quality problems with its printed circuit boards, especiallyduring the 1987 production year. There are copper traces on the top and bottom of theboards. In places where it is necessary to connect top and bottom traces together, a holewas drilled and then plated with copper to make the connection. This plating was faultyand over time it cracks, breaking connection from top to bottom. The symptoms can range

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from corrupted memory to the squelch not working. Sometimes the problem comes andgoes or may be sensitive to temperature. The only way to permanently fix the problem is toput wires in all the holes and solder the connections on top and bottom. Pop the tops offthe shields and repair the connections inside too. This takes a huge amount of time andmany repair shops consider the PRO­2004 to be unrepairable. When the unit was inwarranty Radio Shack just swapped the boards, then crushed the old ones.

Another problem involves the glue GRE used to secure the large power supply capacitorsto the main PC board. It's often black in color and you should see it around the base of thecapacitors. There is a corrosive element in the glue and given enough time it eats throughthe copper on the PC board. The glue can be scraped off the board with a toothpick (don'tuse a metal tool) and you can then assess the amount of damage due to corrosion. Repairany broken traces with small lengths of wire soldered down to bridge the gaps.Operation Manual 1.48 MB PDFOperation Guide A text web page from the RS fax­back system that covers the basicoperation.Service Manual 34.4 MB PDF

The 2005: The 2005 (model 200­0144) was introduced in 1989 and was essentially a 400 channelsize­reduced Pro­2004 packaged in a smaller plastic cabinet (which reduced the shielding).The size reduction was accomplished by converting from through­hole to surface mountcircuit boards. The unit had a better keyboard (but it was not backlit) however the layoutwas easier to use when mobile. The 2005 was a bit more sensitive than the 2004 but had aproblem where 800 MHz signals leaked into the aircraft band. You can add coverage of the824­851 MHz and 869­896 MHz bands by clipping D502. You could cut another diodeand get the faster scanning speed of the 2006.Owner's Manual 610 kB PDF donated by Eric B.Anybody have a PDF of the Pro­2005 Service Manual??Operation A text web page that covers the basic operation.Parts List 22kb

The 2006: The 2006 (model 200­0145) was introduced in 1990 and was essentially a faster scanningPRO­2005. It's probably the best conventional­only scanner made to date.You can improve the squelch action by replacing R152, a 33K resistor, with a 100K. Youcan add coverage of the 824­851 MHz and 869­896 MHz bands by clipping D502.See "The Realistic PRO­2006," by Bob Parnass, AJ9S, in Monitoring Times, October1990. Anyone have a scan?Owner's Manual 1.03 MB PDF (20­145)Exploded View 19kbParts List 22kbService Manual 5.2 MB PDFService Manual Addendum 512 kB PDF

If anybody repairs the PRO­2004­2005­2006 series I'll be happy to mention them here.

RS scanner mods can be found at KC5KTO's Radio Shack Scanner Modification Page (offsite link)

PRO­2038 Scanner #200­0413

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This is a VHF and UHF scanner receiver that can operate on 13.8VDC or 120VAC with an included ACadapter. It comes pre­programmed with hundreds of frequencies grouped by service: police,fire/emergency, marine, air, and weather, as well as your own private frequencies.

Exploded View 287 kB PDFFront Panel FeaturesFront Panel Functions 254 kB PDFBasic Operations Guide Provided by Vince PostonOperationsPreparation/InstallationSpecial FeaturesSpecificationsTroubleshootingUnderstanding Key Functions

Test Equipment22­305 LCD Frequency Counter Owner's Manual 2.38 MB PDF donated by JohnAnderson WD8RTHThis is a two­range hand­held frequency counter that is good from 1 MHz to 1 GHz, packaged in aVERY sturdy metal case with minimal controls: a power switch, a Hi­Z / 50 ohms switch, a rangeswitch, a gate speed selector and a LCD backlight pushbutton. It's a lot better built than the averagepiece of RS equipment.22­305 Frequency Counter Operation 46 kB PDF donated by "Sal C" ­ appears to be a faxbackpage that is no longer on the RS server. A viewable text file of the same document can be foundhere.22­305 LCD Frequency Counter Service Manual 535 kB PDF donated by A. Nony Mous, but has aRadioAmateur.eu tagline. It's a pretty poor scan, but it's all we have.Additional info: Features Parts List Power Source SpecificationsSerial DVMs ­ RS has sold several DVMs that had a serial port. Of the ones I am familiar with theolder unit is the 22­812 and the newer unit is a 22­168, later replaced with the 22­168A (yes, anumerically lower model number on the newer unit). The 22­168 series is made by Metex of Japan.There is also a 22­182 and a 22­805 but I do not know where they fit into the marketing sequence.

If you are going to be buying any computer­connected meter make sure that the serial port isisolated from the rest of the DMM via an infrared link in the DMM's case ­ this means there is noconnection between the serial data pins and any meter input terminals.

If you are going to use any battery operated serial meter to do some long­term data logging youmight want to power it with a 9vDC wall wart transformer with an appropriate battery­snap­clip sothat you aren't replacing the meters internal 9v battery on a regular basis. Or use 9 volts of "D" cellsin a length of PVC water pipe.

Like most DVMs all of these meters have internal fuses. You might want to keep an extra set inyour meter case.

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It's interesting that Sears sold a similar unit: the "Craftsman Professional, PC interface auto­rangingdigital multimeter 82324". Click here for a photo. Courtesy of Joseph Szczech Jr, K1IKE we havethe Craftsman software.

22­168 and 22­168A:Denny Golden sent in a 4.1 MB PDF file, so now the 22­168A Owner's Manual can be foundhere.Denny also sent in some very nice photos of his 22­168A:Rear photo Rear photo with the stand / hanger extendedFront photo Serial cable and receptacle on right side

Radio Shack's own product support web page has zero info on the 22­168A, not even anoperating manual. The 22­168 page has some info ­ but again no operating manual!Here is what they have plus they have a download of the last version of their software(DVMPC121).exe. A 605 KB zip file of all 13 info files and the DVMPC121.exe is here. Thenumber at the end of the file name is Radio Shack's faxback file number. The "Addendum­1"file has the only programming info that I have found. Basically you send an specific ASCIIcharacter followed by a CR and it sends back 13 bytes plus a CR containing the value andunits ­ which is MUCH more useful that what the 22­812 sends. The 22­805 DVM also sendsuseful ASCII strings. Dan Ponte has written a Mac OSX program called RSMeter that readsthe 22­168 series.The Addendum­2 file has a very important note on the 9v battery.

22­182:Anyone have one and would like to supply some photos? Or to scan their operating manual?The www.linuxtoys.com web site has an interesting writeup on the 22­182. The serialprotocol is similar to the 22­168 series ­ send a specific ASCII characer and a CD, get back a13 byte string with the value in ASCII followed by the units (i..e V for volts) followed by aCR.

22­812:The 22­812 unit has a sliding panel that exposes either the transistor test socket or the testprobe jacks.Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7 22­812 OperatingManualExploded View The white cable in photo 1 is the cable that connects to the PC ­ it is a simple DB­9 extensioncord. The test probes in the photo look funny because they have a piece of cardboard wrappedaround the tips (points).

We have Radio Shack's "Meter View" software that shipped with the 22­812. It came on aCD, the zip contains everything that was on the CD. The software is known to work with XP­SP3. The 22­812 communications protocol sends 9 bytes at 4800 baud, and is documented inthe programming notes here. The data sent is essentially the raw display segment info, if youare going to be writing your own software you need to include a translation routine for 7­segments into a BCD digit. The 22­168, 22­182 and 22­805 have a much better data protocolthat sends the avtual value and units as an ASCII string.

The 22­812 meter has a 2 amp 5x20mm fast­blow glass fuse (270­1052) and a3AG 20A 250V ceramic fuse (270­1041) inside.

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Micronta 22­195 benchtop DVM (looks like a clone of my old HP) small file 2.78 MB PDF large file 4.58 MB PDFModel 277­1008 "Mini Audio Amplifier" ­ This is a single LM386­based audio test amplifier unitthat is VERY handy when debugging repeater controller interfacing problems or IRLP node audioproblems. The official RS users guide is here as a 118 kB PDF.Thomas Myers N9LHK sent me a very good, well­lit closeup photograph of the schematic stickerthat was in the "B" model units (they no longer do that). I played with and cleaned up the image alittle using a couple of graphic programs. The final schematic of the "B" version is here as a 71 KBGIF image. Note that the capacitor values are expressed in a strange format: "16 10" is a 10 µF 16vunit, "10 100" is a 100 µF 10v unit, and "10 47" is a 47 µF 10v unit.If you examine the schematic you will notice that the unit has a design flaw due to the fact that itwas designed to meet a sales price target. There is no input DC blocking capacitor, it has an inputimpedance of 5K Ohms, and may load down a high impedance source. The first part I fixed byadding a series cap to the test lead set, the second I will fix if I ever have to replace the input pot. I'lluse a 100K or 500K pot, and add the DC blocking cap internally. The simplest way will be to use a25µF nonpolarized ceramic chip cap with one end stuck into the solder pool at the top of the pot,and the wire from the "Input" jack soldered onto the other end.The "C" revision that is currently being sold has an additional 22 µF cap in series with a 100 ohmresistor between pins 1 and 8... this, according to the data sheet adjusts the audio gain. The next timeI get inside mine I'll try it.If the 9v battery seems to die 'way too soon check for excessive leakage in the 47 µF 10velectrolytic cap that goes from pin 6 to pin 4 on the LM386 chip. The cap in my unit was leaking 19to 20 ma worth... a new cap fixed it (the LM386 chip itself is spec'd for less than 5ma at idle).Here's the mod to add a normal / de­emphasis switch. The de­emphasis curve is dependent on theRC values ­ do not subsitute and use a 5% resistor and a close­tolerance capacitor. Manyinexpensive caps are ­60%/+100% tolerance, for this mod go out and buy a 5% cap. Adding theswitch and the two parts allows you to monitor receiver discriminator ("flat audio") sourcesproperly.Here's the LM386 data sheet (local copy)If you are going to build your own version of this unit a better choice is the LM4951 (and it has anoptional mute/PTT input as well). You can build one into an old Motorola mobile speaker housing,and put the volume control and power switch into the side or back wall ­ or even into the center ofthe grille.

Accessories and Other ProductsRadio Shack "Amplified Mobile Extension Speaker" (model 21­541) ­ Schematic Parts List.This unit is a cheap knockoff of Motorola's "Power Voice" mobile speaker with an interestingdesign twist. It's designed for the situation where the speaker amplifier in a CB doesn't have enoughpower to be heard, for example in a pickup truck with the windows open. Obviously it's just asusable on ham radio as on CB. The interesting twist is that the DC power to the audio amplifier iscontrolled by a VOX­type of circuit. Motorola's design didn't need it.20­2006 telescoping antenna 35 kB PDF21­1384 External Speaker­Microphone 6.3 kB PDF (anyone have the schematic?)21­1898 Headset 432 kB PDF A nice unit, but no schematic is provided.

SAFETY ALERT On 02 July 2008, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission

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(CPSC), in cooperation with RadioShack, announced a voluntary recall of 13.8 V dc powersupplies, catalog numbers 22­507 and 22­508 with date codes from 08A04 through 01A08, soldnationwide from October 2004 through January 2008 for between $50 and $85. The catalog numberand date code are located on the back of the power supply. Power supplies with a green dot on theproduct and the product's packaging have already been repaired and are not included in the recall.The CPSC said that consumers should stop using these power supplies immediately, as the "powersupplies are wired incorrectly, posing electrocution and fire hazards." The CPSC recommends forconsumers to unplug the recalled power supply immediately and take it to any RadioShack store fora free repair.Also reported at http://www.arrl.org/?artid=8320.

Weather Radios (or as some Radio Shack literature calls them, WeatheRadios) Weather Radios, no matter who makes them, have two purposes. First, they are a receiver preset tothe NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) services frequencies, and they receive regular, around­the­clockweather status and forecasts information. Second, the newer ones are designed to respond togeographically­based alert signals sent by the NOAA Weather Radio service. When the weatherradio receives an alert signal, it will sound an audible alarm to attract attention.

The Weather Receivers come in three flavors: First, there are the plain monitor receivers that listento the weather channels and has no warning mechanism at all. This is the same functionality ashaving the local weather channel programmed into an extra memory in your 2m handheld radio.Secondly there are the simple first generation alert receivers that decode the 1050 Hz alert tone.Thirdly, there are the second generation receivers that use a type of digital coding called SpecificArea Message Encoding or SAME. The SAME system divides the United States into geographicalweather areas and you program the reciever to respond to the geographic code (called a FIPS code)for your local area (or if you live near a boundary, you program in both codes), or if you want, youcan add the codes for the areas surrounding the perimeter of your FIPS area. Most of the codes arealigned along county lines, but as we all know RF doesn't pay attention to political boundaries.

The first weather channel allocated was 162.550 MHz, then a year or so later the politicos wised upand realized that you can't provide local weather info to the whole nation with just one radiochannel. They added 162.400 and shortly there after added 162.475 MHz. Most second handreceivers that you find will be single channel (162.550), rarely two channel (162.550 and 162.400MHz) and usually either three channel (162.550, 162.400 and 162.475 MHz), or seven channels.There is a lot more information on weather radios and the SAME system on this page.If anyone has info on other RS receivers such as the 12­093, 12­521, or 12­991 please send it in. Asof the beginning of 2012 RS is selling Midland, Eton and Sangean radios on their web site.There is an article on interfacing a Reecom brand weather receiver on the Arcom page at this website. The Reecom is a decent knockoff of the very desirable Radio Shack 12­250.

#12­140 "Weatheradio Alert III" – This is an older three channel receiver. It is powered by a normalpower cord and has a 9v battery pocket in the bottom of the case.#12­152A – This is another three channel synthesized receiver, despite the fact that it is labeled as"Crystal Controlled Weatheradio". It uses one 9 volt battery or an external 9v wall wart transformer.#12­154 – This is also a three channel radio with a 1050 Hz tone decoder.#12­240 "Weatheradio with Alert" Owner's Manual 139 kB PDF

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This unit is also a three channel unit, and decodes the 1050 Hz alert tone. It is powered by 120vAC.#12­241 "Desktop Weatheradio" Features, Power Sources, Operation, Specifications Manual 16kB PDF This is a 3­channel receiver.#12­247B "Weatheradio Alert" This is a 7­channel SAME receiver, with the NOAA logo, poweredby an AC cord but with a 9v battery compartment. The external antenna connector on the rear is anRCA jack. We don't have a PDF of the owners manual, does anybody?#12­248 "7 Channel Digital Pocket Weatheradio Alert Manual" 480 kB PDFThis unit receives all seven NOAA channels and decodes the 1050 Hz alert tone.#12­249 SAME Weather Receiver Owner's Manual 684 kB PDFNote that to receive multiple geographic areas (up to 15) you have to set the single/multiple switchon the bottom of the unit to the multiple position, otherwise it monitors position one no matter howmany are programmed.Some of these radios have firmware that does not recognize the EOM signal. These have a fixed 5minute message timeout.This unit has an external antenna jack, plus a 2­pin terminal strip (accessible from outside the case)for an external alarm. These terminals on the radio have a constant 1.2 VDC on them until an alert isreceived, at which point the voltage goes to 7.2 VDC, and remains there for the length of the alert,or until the alert is manually turned off. The 7.2 VDC only appears when an alert is sent by theNational Weather Radio service and does not appear when conducting a self­test of the radio. Thevoltage is at a low current (originally designed to feed an X­10 Encoder, but very useful for otherthings). Don't plan on powering anything more energy intensive than a Solid State Relay, aswitching transistor, or maybe the coil of a reed relay. Here's what the terminal strip was designedfor. Here is the RS #12­249 Support Page.#12­250 SAME Weather Receiver Owner's Manual 466 kB PDF A stock photo of a 12­250An updated version of the above receiver that supports a wider variety of alert codes and has the twopin terminal strip (see the 12­249 above for information on the terminal strip). If you are going touse an RS Weather receiver this is the one to look for (the 12­249 is your second choice). Here is theRS #12­250 Support Page.I'm told that there are at least two different revisions of the firmware in this unit, and that one doesnot respond to an EOM code ­ but that the built in 5 minute timer does re­mute the audio.

#12­251 SAME Weather Receiver Owner's Manual 949 kB PDF PhotoA cost reduced unit that cut the geographical areas to two, and deleted the external alarm terminalstrip. Here is the RS #12­251 Support Page.#12­255 SAME Weather ReceiverWe have no information on this unit (yet) except what RS has on their #12­255 Support Page. Theowners manual link is broken there, it points to the 12­251 owner's manual file.#12­257 SAME Weather ReceiverWe have no information on this unit (yet) other than the #12­257 SAME Weather Receiver Owner'sManual 118 kB PDFThis is a pocket unit not much larger than an FRS radio, with a cute feature: it has a vibrator mode(like a pager or cellphone) that can be set to trigger during warnings or alerts. You could replace themotor with a relay coil...#12­260 SAME Weather Receiver and alarm clockAs of April 2009 this is a current product, and is sold as a bedside radio/alarm clock. The official12­260 Bedside Weather Radio Owner's Manual can be found here. We have no technical data onthis other than the advertisement on the RS web site, which by the way says it has a scan function in

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case the local weather transmitter goes off the air. The photo shows only one LED indicator. The RSweb site does not have a #12­260 Support Page, but courtesy of Robert Stiles we have a PDF of theowners manual: high resolution (2.8 MB) and a slightly lower resolution (530 KB). There is no techinfo in the owner's manual other than a page of specifications.#12­261 SAME Weather Receiver 2003 vintage Owner's Manual 2004 vintage Owners ManualThis unit has a 9 volt battery pocket in the bottom of the case, or can use an external 9vDC wallwart transformer (the book says the battery is for backup purposes). It also has an external antennajack, plus a 2­pin terminal strip accessible from outside the case (like the 12­249) for an externalalarm. Here's what the terminal strip was designed for. There is an interfacing article below on thisunit.The RadioShack 12­261 Desktop SAME Weather Radio Support Page Photo Parts List#12­519 All­Hazards Weather Alert Clock Radio with Skywarn Model 732R Owner's Manual 1.15MB PDF file Programming Addendum 105 kB PDF PhotoThis is a multifunctional design that is not really appropriate for a mountaintop repeater SAME alert­ this is intended as a bedside clock radio with a bonus ­ it is an alarm clock, an AM/FM stereoradio, a weather radio AND a 20 channel scanning 2m or 440 MHz receiver! The owners manualcalls it the "Skywarn band" and the owners manual says it covers 144.39­148.00 and 441.0­452.0,but in some areas the Skywarn folks also use GMRS channels in the 462 MHz region and this radiowill not hear them.The unit has a extendible rod antenna AND a BNC antenna jack on it for the external antenna. Thewall wart is 12vDC at 400ma and the connector is tip positive. There is a pocket in the unit for sixpenlight cells ("AA" size) for backup (you can also use Ni­MH rechargeable batteries, but you mustremember to flip the switch inside the battery compartment from ALK (alkaline) to RCH(rechargeable). There is a 2­pin terminal strip accessible from outside the case (like the 12­249) foran external alarm (like a pillow shaker). The speakers are small and tinny, the only other complaint Ihave heard is that the blue display is a little bright at night even at "low" setting (there is no OFFselection).#120­1455 "Weatheradio 3" Operation Manual 16 kB PDFThis AM/FM/Weather radio boasts a mechanical 120VAC clock.#120­1458 "Weatheradio 6" Operation Manual 25 kB PDFThis AM/FM/Weather radio also has a mechanical 120VAC clock.

Weather Receiver InterfacingArticles

These articles cover only the interfacing aspects. At some sites the Weather Radio may suffer from RFoverload, which may require other methods to resolve, up to and including repackaging the WeatherRadio receiver in a shielded box and feeding it with an outside antenna. Extreme situations may requirea cavity filter between the antenna and the receiver­in­a­box. One acquaintance ended up tracing thecircuitry in a Radio Shack receiver and completely disconnecting the receiver section and feeding aMICOR receiver into the RS decoder.Depending on your circumstances you may want to have your repeater transmit in response to a"Watch" or to a "Warning" or to both. The NWS describes the difference as:1) A watch alerts you to potential severe weather approaching your area. It doesn’t mean severeweather will occur, but that the right conditions exist which could lead to severe storms. You should beprepared for deteriorating weather2) A warning states the severe weather is imminent or present in your vicinity. You should immediatelytake precautions to protect yourself and your family.

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Interfacing the Weather Radio to a repeater controller Scott Zimmerman N3XCC connected a #12­251 Weather Radio to an Arcom repeater controller, but the 12­249, 12­250 and similar receivers(like the Reecom) would work just as well. This article describes the hardware interface only. Theoutputs for Statement, Watch, Warning and COS connect to alarm inputs on the RC210, and thereceiver reset input is connected to a digital output (and is used to acknowledge or clear theStatement, Watch and Warning alerts). See the "More than three ports?" article on the Arcom pageat this site for a method of interfacing a Weather Radio without using one of the three ports on aRC­210 or one of the 8 ports on an RC­810.Another take on interfacing a Weather Radio to a repeater controller Kevin Thomas W6KGT (ex­KB5ZVK) uses two opto­isolators and two relays to connected any Weather Radio to a CAT­1000repeater controller. The design is generic and can be used on any brand of repeater controller. Adigital output on the controller programmed for pulse mode could drive a reed relay whose contactsare wired across the reset button in the weather receiver.A third take on interfacing the Weather Radio to a repeater controller Fred Vobbe W8HDUconnected a #12­249 Weather Radio to a Link brand repeater controller. This article gives anoverview, a list of links to geographic zones, a codes table, describes the hardware interface he built,and covers the Link RLC­series controller programming in detail. The 12­250 and 12­251 andsimilar Midland receivers would interface very similarly. This is a local copy of Fred's originalarticle; the original link is gone now.Yet another take on interfacing a Weather Radio to a repeater controller KF4PXZ connected a #12­250 to an Arcom RC­210 repeater controller. This short article shows where to pick up the decodealert logic line and the audio. The 12­249 and 12­251 would interface very similarly.An Automated Repeater SAME Weather Alert by Stewart Radinowitz KE5UT This writeupuses a 12­261 WeatheRadio. A stock photo of a 12­261This writeup describes how to use an inxpensive VOX unit to generate the Alert or Warning signalfor the COR lead of the radio port on the repeater controller. The technique could be used on anyreceiver (RS or otherwise), just remember that the properly designed SAME radios (i.e. one thatuses the audio "turn off" code) will forward the entire alert (no matter how long), whereas theMidlands use a shutoff timer.An Automated Repeater SAME Weather Alert by Stewart Radinowitz KE5UT This writeupuses a 12­261 WeatheRadio. A stock photo of a 12­261This writeup describes how to use an inxpensive VOX unit to generate the Alert or Warning signalfor the COR lead of the radio port on the repeater controller. The technique could be used on anyreceiver (RS or otherwise), just remember that the properly designed SAME radios (i.e. one thatuses the audio "turn off" code) will forward the entire alert (no matter how long), whereas theMidlands use a shutoff timer.

Weather Receiver Test FilesOnce you have the weather receiver interfaced, you need to test it. Here are some test files. It will takecareful level setting to avoid trashing the digital data. Kindly do it on a channel not in use in your area,with a shielded cable between your generator and your weather receiver, and with the lowest power ­you don't want to panic your neighbors.

The digtial coding of the SAME data burst has the Julian day (i.e. day 001 to day 365) and the locationemdoded into the data burst. Some decoders do not look at either, some do not look at the day (i.e. ifit's outside 24 hours of the time the box says it is), some do not look at the location... they figure that if

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the receiver can hear it then it's worth alerting.The SAME system is set up so that an alert issued for California won't trigger an alert for a box inColorado. One rule of thumb is that if you don't have to set the date on the receiver (i.e. most low endreceivers) then it ignores the date.

So if you have a well designed box these samples may not work.

These samples were download from the GORMAN REDLICH web site, specifically the EAS testmessages page.

An MP3 recording of a Required Weekly Test 288 KB MP3 file

An MP3 recording of a Required Monthly Test 396 KB MP3 file

An MP3 recording of a Tornado Warning 386 KB MP3 file

Thunder Eagle has a few at their web site (off site link)Note that you may have to add a specific location code (a FIPS code) mentioned on the web page toyour receiver before these will work.

Drew Kirkman has a web based encoder that produces downloadable WAV files.

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This page initially created 14­Oct­2004.This page was last updated on 03­Feb­2016

Radio Shack, Realistic, Archer and probably others are legal trademarks / service marks of Tandy Corpand no infringement is intended. The amateur radio equipment manual PDFs are here due to the interestexpressed in the Tandy­Radio Shack­made equipment by the amateur radio community and the fact thatthey are no longer available on the public RS web site. The scanner manuals are here because most arenot available from anywhere else and in any form.

This web page, this web site, the information presented in and on its pages and in these modifications and conversions is ©Copyrighted 1995 and (date of last update) by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors. All Rights Reserved,including that of paper and web publication elsewhere.