Related Manuals for Radio Shack HTX-252
Summary of Contents for Radio Shack HTX-252
- Page 1 Cat. No. 19-1127 OWNER’S MANUAL Please read before using this equipment. HTX-252 2–Meter Amateur FM Mobile Transceiver...
- Page 2 FEATURES Your RadioShack HTX-252 2–Meter FM Mobile Transceiver is a compact and versatile transceiver, perfect either in your vehicle or in your home. Vehicle cables and mounting hardware are sup- plied. Add an optional base-station antenna, cable, and a power supply to make it your home transceiver.
- Page 3 Programmable Frequency Step — lets you set the frequency step for tuning or scanning to 5, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25 kHz. Signal Strength Indicator — a graduated bar shows the relative strength of the received signal and transmitting signal. Digital Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) Frequency Synthesizer —...
-
Page 4: Fcc Information
MANUAL CONVENTIONS Some of your transceiver’s controls perform multiple functions. The abbreviation or symbol for a function is printed on, or above each multi-function button. To activate certain transceiver features, you must press F (func- tion) and then another button. Those key combination instruc- tions are printed as the first button name, +, then the second button name. -
Page 5: Table Of Contents
CONTENTS Introduction to Amateur Radio ..........7 Preparation ................9 Attaching the Microphone Holder ........9 Mounting the Transceiver ..........9 Connecting an Antenna ........... 11 Connecting the Microphone ..........12 Using an External Speaker ..........12 Connecting Power ............13 Using the Transceiver as a Base Station ...... - Page 6 Other Special features ............31 Using Priority Frequency Monitor ........31 Using VFO Priority ........... 31 Using Memory Priority ..........31 Changing the Transmit Frequency Range ...... 32 Selecting the Transmit Power Level ........ 32 Locking the Keypad ............32 Turning the Key Tone On and Off ........
-
Page 7: Introduction To Amateur Radio
INTRODUCTION TO AMATEUR RADIO This transceiver is the perfect first radio for anyone entering the exciting world of amateur radio, as well as a great additional transceiver for the experienced amateur radio operator. This transceiver opens a door for you to the world from almost any- where! All you need is an Amateur Radio Operator’s License (Technician Class or higher) issued by the Federal Communica- tions Commission (FCC). - Page 8 Start studying for the license exams. Do not be intimidated by the word “study,” because most people can go from knowing abso- lutely nothing about amateur radio to passing the Novice and Technician written exams in less than a month. The exams test your knowledge of basic radio regulations and el- ementary radio theory.
-
Page 9: Preparation
PREPARATION ATTACHING THE MICROPHONE HOLDER Follow these steps to attach the microphone holder to your vehicle. 1. Using the holder as a tem- plate, mark the position for the mounting screw holes at the desired location. 2. At each marked position, drill a hole slightly smaller than the supplied mounting screw. - Page 10 Caution: If you use the transceiver in a vehicle, mount it securely to avoid damage to the transceiver or vehicle, or injury to anyone in the vehicle during sudden starts or stops. Follow these steps to mount the transceiver. 1. Using the mounting bracket as a template, mark the posi- tions for the screw holes on the mounting surface, 2.
-
Page 11: Connecting An Antenna
CONNECTING AN ANTENNA You must install an antenna before you can operate the trans- ceiver. There are many different types of antennas suitable for transceiver use. Each has its own benefits, Choose the one best suited to your particular needs. Your local RadioShack store has a wide selection from which to choose. -
Page 12: Connecting The Microphone
CONNECTING THE MICROPHONE 1. Align the notch of the microphone’s plug and the microphone’s jack, located on the left side of the front panel. Then insert the plug and turn the metal ring clockwise to secure the plug. 2. Slide the microphone onto the microphone holder. To disconnect the microphone from the transceiver, turn the met- al ring counterclockwise to loosen it. -
Page 13: Connecting Power
CONNECTING POWER Follow these steps to power the transceiver from your vehicle’s battery. 1. Connect the supplied polarized 13.8V DC power connector to the white power socket and cable on the back of the trans- ceiver. The plug and socket only fit one way. - Page 14 • a base station antenna • coaxial antenna cable and appropriate connectors Your local RadioShack store carries a wide selection of all prod- ucts needed to set up your transceiver as a base station. Follow these steps to use the transceiver as a base station. 1.
-
Page 15: A Quick Look At The Controls
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CONTROLS Most of the controls on the transceiver have multiple functions. The following charts should help you get a better idea of the func- tion of each control. OFF/VOL Tuning Control (T-SQ) (MS) Base Unit Use with the Key/Control Use it to:... - Page 16 CALL SCAN (STEP) (PRI) LOCK (SHIFT) F (MHz) DTMF Microphone Use with the Key/Control Use it to: F + Key to: Push to Transmit by holding it Change the transmitting Talk (PTT) down. Press to store a power to high or low. setting.
- Page 17 Microphone Use with the Key/Control Use it to: F + Key to: SCAN (PRI) Start and stop Set the transceiver to scanning. dual watch mode. LOCK Lock and unlock the Set the repeater (SHIFT) controls except PTT, F, offset. VOL, and SQ. Alpha- Enter numerical val- Numeric...
-
Page 18: A Quick Look At The Display
A QUICK LOOK AT THE DISPLAY — appears when F key is pressed. FUNC — indicates the keypad is locked. — indicates a negative repeater offset. — indicates a positive repeater offset. — appears when the transceiver is scanning frequen- SCAN cies. -
Page 19: Operation
OPERATION TURNING THE TRANSCEIVER ON AND OFF To turn on the transceiver, rotate clockwise until it clicks. The last used frequency and other settings appear (the default fre- quency is 142.50 MHz, with a frequency step of 5 kHz/.005 MHz). To turn the transceiver off, rotate counterclockwise until it clicks. -
Page 20: Receiving Transmissions
RECEIVING TRANSMISSIONS Follow these steps to receive standard transmissions. 1. With the transceiver on, rotate counterclockwise until you hear a hissing sound. Then slowly rotate clockwise just until the noise stops. Notes: • BUSY appears when the transceiver receives a standard transmission or if the squelch is open. - Page 21 2. Hold the microphone about 3 inches from your mouth. 3. Hold down the ribbed transmit button on the side of the microphone, then speak slowly and clearly into the micro- phone. appears while you transmit, and signal strength bars appear on the bottom to indicate the relative transmit- ting signal output.
-
Page 22: Understanding Repeaters
UNDERSTANDING REPEATERS Operating through a repeater, where you transmit on one fre- quency and receive on another, is called duplex operation. Oper- ating direct to another station, where you transmit and receive on the same frequency, is called simplex operation. A repeater is a station that receives a signal on one frequency (the input frequency) and then retransmits that signal on a differ- ent frequency (the output frequency). -
Page 23: Setting The Repeater Offset Frequency
SETTING THE REPEATER OFFSET FREQUENCY Note: This setting affects only the VFO mode. If you saved a re- peater offset in a memory, that setting is not affected. 1. Press The offset frequency and appear. SHIFT (LOCK). 2. While the offset frequency appears, rotate the tuning control or repeatedly press until the desired offset appears. -
Page 24: Reversing The Transmit And Receive Frequencies
REVERSING THE TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE FREQUENCIES To swap the input and output frequencies, press . For exam- ple, if you have set the transceiver to repeater operation on 146.94 MHz with a positive offset of 600 kHz, the transceiver would normally receive on 146.94 MHz and transmit on 147.54 MHz. -
Page 25: Memory Operation
MEMORY OPERATION Your transceiver has 10 standard memory locations that you can use to store frequencies for quick access. You can also store oth- er settings for each memory location, such as the repeater offset and the CTCSS tones. STORING A TRANSMIT/RECEIVE FREQUENCY 1. -
Page 26: Using The Calling-Frequency Memory
USING THE CALLING-FREQUENCY MEMORY The calling-frequency memory location lets you quickly jump to a specific programmed frequency at any time. The default calling frequency is 146.52 MHz. You can store a different frequency into memory as well as other settings associated with that frequency, such as the repeater offset and CTCSS tone. -
Page 27: Scanning Operation
SCANNING OPERATION SCANNING FOR ACTIVE FREQUENCIES 1. To search for activity on a frequency, press SCAN (PRI) appears. The transceiver begins to scan up or down SCAN the full frequency range. The transceiver stops on each active frequency for 5 seconds if squelch is on. If squelch is off, the transceiver stops on each location for about 1 sec- ond. -
Page 28: Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System Features
CONTINUOUS TONE CODED SQUELCH SYSTEM FEATURES Your transceiver can transmit and receive a low-level, selectable subaudible tone at the same time as it transmits (TX) or receives (RX) a regular signal. This special tone lets you listen only to oth- er transceivers set to the same tone frequency when you use the transceiver in simplex operation. - Page 29 Subaudible Tone Frequencies (Hz) 67.0 107.2 167.9 71.9 110.9 173.8 74.4 114.8 179.9 77.0 118.8 186.2 79.7 123.0 192.8 82.5 127.3 203.5 85.4 131.8 210.7 88.5 136.5 218.1 91.5 141.3 225.7 94.8 146.2 233.6 97.4 151.4 241.8 100.0 156.7 250.3 103.5 162.2...
-
Page 30: Using Dtmf Tones
USING DTMF TONES DTMF (Dual-Tone, Multiple Frequency) is another term for touch- tones (the tones a telephone produces when you press a digit). This standard set of tones is used by many different amateur transceiver systems for accessing programmable features and dialing through autopatches to a standard telephone. -
Page 31: Other Special Features
OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES USING PRIORITY FREQUENCY MONITOR You can designate one frequency as primary (in either VFO or memory mode) and another frequency as secondary (VFO only). Once you do that, the transceiver tunes the primary frequency or memory location for 5 seconds. Then it checks the secondary fre- quency for second. -
Page 32: Changing The Transmit Frequency Range
CHANGING THE TRANSMIT FREQUENCY RANGE You can change the standard transmit frequency range from 144–148 MHz to an extended range of 142.000–149.885 MHz. To set the transceiver to its extended range, turn it off. Then while holding down , turn on the transceiver. LOCK To return to the standard frequency range, repeat the above pro- cedure. -
Page 33: Turning The Key Tone On And Off
TURNING THE KEY TONE ON AND OFF The transceiver is preset to sound a beep each time you press a key. To turn off the beep, hold down the PTT button while you turn on the transceiver’s power. To restore the key tone, repeat the procedure. - Page 34 • Replace old ignition wires with new, high-voltage, noise sup- pression wires. • Install noise suppressors on your spark plugs, or install new spark plugs that have built-in noise suppressors. • If problems persist, check to ensure your alternator and electrical system are operating correctly.
-
Page 35: Troubleshooting
TROUBLESHOOTING If your transceiver is not working as it should and it displays an error message, these suggestions might help you eliminate the problem. If the transceiver still does not operate properly, take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance. Symptom Possible Cause and Solution Problems with reception... -
Page 36: Care And Maintenance
CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack 2-Meter FM Mobile Amateur Transceiver is an example of superior design and craftsmanship. The follow- ing suggestions will help you care for your transceiver so you can enjoy it for years. Keep the transceiver dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. -
Page 37: Resetting The Transceiver
RESETTING THE TRANSCEIVER If the transceiver’s display locks up or the transceiver does not work properly after you turn it on, you might need to reset it. Important: This procedure clears all the information you have programmed into the transceiver. Before you reset the transceiv- er, try turning it off then on again to see if it begins working prop- erly. -
Page 38: Specifications
SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL Frequency: TX ..........144.000–148.000 MHz Extended TX Range ....142.000–149.885 MHz RX ..........136.000–174.000 MHz Frequency Control ......Digital PLL Synthesizer Display Type..............LCD Operating Temperature ........–4° to 122°F (–22.5° to 49.5°C) Power Requirements ..........13.8V DC (12–16V DC, negative ground) Antenna ........ - Page 39 TRANSMITTER Max Power Output: High ..............25 watts Low ..............10 watts Spurious Emission ........Better than –65dB Deviation ..............± 5 kHz Battery Drain: High ................5A Low ................3A Specifications are typical; individual units might vary. Specifica- tions are subject to change and improvement without notice.
- Page 40 Limited One-Year Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for one (1) year from the date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized Ra- dioShack franchisees and dealers. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, Ra- dioShack MAKES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FIT- NESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO...