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21-1649.fm Page 1 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM
OWNER’S MANUAL Cat. No. 21-1649
TRC-236
40-Channel 5-Watt
CB Walkie Talkie
with LED Display
Please read before using this equipment.
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21-1649.fm Page 2 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM 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 channe
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21-1649.fm Page 3 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM Power/Charging Jack — lets you power your TRC-236 from an AC or DC power source, so you can use the TRC-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
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21-1649.fm Page 4 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM 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 o
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21-1649.fm Page 5 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM 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 ........
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21-1649.fm Page 6 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM POWERING THE CB You can power your TRC-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 POWER The jack lets you connect an ex- ternal power source (such as your vehi- cle’s battery po
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21-1649.fm Page 7 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM •Set it to ALKALINE 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). •Set it to NI-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 ni
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21-1649.fm Page 8 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM 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 bac
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21-1649.fm Page 9 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM 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
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21-1649.fm Page 10 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM 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 i
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21-1649.fm Page 11 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM Follow these steps to charge nickel- cadmium batteries in the TRC-236. 1. If the TRC-236 is on, turn OFF/VOLUME fully counterclockwise until it clicks to turn it off. 2. Set ALKALINE/NI-CD inside the bat- tery compartment to NI-CD (see “Us- ing the Power Jack and Alkaline/NI- CD Switch” on Page 6). 3. Connect the battery charger’s 5.5 mm outer diameter/2.1 mm inner diameter barrel plug to the POWER jack on the side of the TRC-236, then plu
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21-1649.fm Page 12 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM Note: You can use an external charger (such as Cat. No. 23-134, not sup- plied) to recharge the nickel-cadmium batteries. After removing the batteries from the TRC-236, follow the instructions that come with the external charger. Important: Your TRC-236 is capable of using nickel-cadmium batteries. At the end of the batteries’ useful life, they must be re- cycled or disposed of properly. Contact your local, county, or state hazardous waste
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21-1649.fm Page 13 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM • When you finish using the TRC-236, unplug the fused cord from the ciga- rette-lighter socket before you dis- connect it from your TRC-236. 1. If the TRC-236 is on, turn OFF/VOL- UME fully counterclockwise until it clicks to turn it off. 2. Be sure ALKALINE/NI-CD inside the battery compartment is set to ALKA- LINE. 3. Insert the power cord’s 5.5 mm outer diameter/2.1 mm inner diameter bar- rel plug into the POWER jack. 4. Plug the power c
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21-1649.fm Page 14 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM Cautions: • The power supply must be able to deliver 12 volts and at least 1200 mil- liamps of power. The recommended power supply meets these specifica- tions. Using a power supply that does not meet these specifications could damage the TRC-236 or the power supply. • You must use a DC fused cord that supplies 12 volts and delivers at least 1200 milliamps of power. Its center tip must be set to positive, and its barrel plug must correctly
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21-1649.fm Page 15 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM 2. Connect the DC fused cord’s 5.5 mm outer diameter/2.1 mm inner diame- ter barrel plug to the TRC-236’s POWER jack. 3. Be sure ALKALINE/NI-CD inside the battery compartment is set to ALKA- LINE. 4. Plug the DC fused cord’s other end into the power supply’s power socket. 5. Plug the power supply into a stan- dard AC outlet, then turn on the pow- er supply. Note: If the TRC-236 does not operate when you use the DC fused cord, turn the powe
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21-1649.fm Page 16 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM • The antenna and antenna cable should be as far as possible from sources of electrical noise (appli- ances, other radios, and so on). • The antenna should be vertical for the best performance. Note: When connecting an optional an- tenna, always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8. For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coax- ial cable. If the coaxial cable’s connector does not fit into the EXT ANTENNA jack, you
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21-1649.fm Page 17 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM Warning: When installing or removing a base station CB antenna, use extreme caution. If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead power lines. If the antenna touches the power line, 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. 17
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21-1649.fm Page 18 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM OPERATION Before you use your TRC-236, we recom- mend you read “CB Operation Tips” on Page22, which contains information to help you use it effectively and courteously. RECEIVING TRANSMISSIONS AND ADJUSTING SQUELCH 1. If you did not connect an external antenna, fully extend the TRC-236’s telescoping antenna and hold the TRC-236 so the antenna is vertical. Caution: Unless an external an- tenna is attached, if you do not fully extend the a
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21-1649.fm Page 19 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM To redisplay the channel number for several seconds, simply press and release DISPLAY. 3. Repeatedly press CH s to select higher channels, or CH t to select lower channels. To move rapidly through the channels, hold down CH s or t. 4. Adjust OFF/VOLUME to a comfortable listening level. 5. Adjust SQUELCH to cut out the back- ground noise. Wait until there is no signal on the channel, then slowly turn SQUELCH clockwise until the background no
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21-1649.fm Page 20 Thursday, August 5, 1999 11:33 AM TRANSMITTING 1. Follow Steps 1–5 in “Receiving Transmissions and Adjusting Squelch” on Page 18. 2. To increase the transmitted signal strength and increase the TRC-236’s range, set POWER HI/LO on the side of the TRC-236 to HI. To decrease the transmitted signal strength and save battery power, set POWER HI/LO to LO. 3. Hold the TRC-236 2 to 3 inches from your mouth. Hold down PUSH TO TALK on the side of the TRC-236 and speak in a normal voi
