Your RadioShack BTX-124 VHF FM Business Band Transceiver with CTCSS is a portable, two-way business radio service transceiver that you can carry al- most anywhere. The transceiver is com- pact and light, making it an ideal choice for your business needs.

Your transceiver has these features:

Programmable Channels A and B ??? let you operate the transceiver on two different frequencies.

Preset Frequencies ??? let you quickly begin operation on either 154.600 MHz (Channel A, green dot) or 154.570 MHz (Channel B, blue dot).

PLL-Controlled Circuitry ??? provides accurate and stable channel selection.

Adjustable Squelch ??? helps eliminate

noise between transmissions.

CTCSS (Continuous Tone Control Squelch System) ??? helps reduce inter- ference from other systems in the area operating on the same frequency.

Built-In Modulation Limiter Circuit ??? automatically adjusts for a wide variety of voice levels to ensure an understand- able transmission.

High/Low Power ??? lets you save pow- er by selecting a suitable transmitting power for long or short distances.

Battery Low and Transmit Indicator

??? shows the battery pack???s condition and lights when you transmit or receive.

Removable and Rechargeable Bat- tery Pack ??? lets you use one battery pack while you charge another (addi- tional packs available).

Supplied Battery Charger ??? conve- niently recharges your transceiver???s bat- tery pack.

Earphone Jack and External Micro- phone Jack ??? let you use an earphone or external microphone to help ensure understandable communications in noisy areas.

Belt Pouch ??? protects your transceiver and lets you easily carry it on your belt.

We recommend you record your trans- ceiver???s serial number here. The num- ber is on the back of the transceiver.

Serial Number___________________

FCC LICENSE REQUIRED

The Federal Communications Commis- sion (FCC) requires you to have a li- cense before you operate this transceiver. Unless you qualify to oper- ate on the supplied frequencies, you must apply for a frequency through the PCIA (Personal Communication Indus- try Association), a non-profit organiza- tion that assigns frequencies nationwide to help prevent conflicts between differ- ent businesses using transceivers in the same area. For more information about getting a license, contact the PCIA at 800-759-0300, extension 3068 (in Vir- ginia 703-739-0300, extension 3068).

For other questions concerning the li- cense application, contact the FCC at 717-337-1212, or write:

FCC

P.O. Box 1040

Gettysburg, PA 17325

For the latest FCC application form and instructions, call the FCC???s fax-on-de- mand service from a fax machine at 1- 202-418-0177 and request one or more of the following documents:

If you do not have a fax machine, you can call the Government Forms Distri- bution Center at 1-800-418-FORM and request that the form and instructions be mailed to you.

This transceiver is intended for use in the operation of commercial activities, educational, philanthropic, or ecclesias- tical institutions, and hospitals, clinics, or medical associations.

FCC PART 90 RULES

You must be familiar with Part 90 of FCC Rules before you operate your transceiver. The operation instructions in this manual conform to Part 90, but do not cover all items in Part 90.

Overall, Part 90 states that:

???You must have a valid license before you use the transceiver.

???As licensee, you are responsible for proper operation of all transceivers operating under your license author- ity.

???You can let unlicensed persons operate this transmitter, as long as you take precautions to prevent unauthorized transmissions.

???You must use this transceiver only for the commercial use of your busi- ness, and only when other commer- cial channels (such as the telephone) are either not available or not practical.

???You must always yield the operating frequency to communications that involve the safety of life or property.

???You must take reasonable precau- tions to prevent harmful interference to other services operating on the same frequency.

???You must not transmit program material of any kind used in connec- tion with commercial broadcasting.

???You must not provide a service that is normally handled by telephone or telegraph unless such broadcasts involve the safety of life or property or in emergencies such as an earth- quake, hurricane, flood or a similar disaster where normal communica- tion channels are disrupted.

???During each transmission or exchange of transmissions, you must identify your station with the call sign issued to you by the FCC, or once each 15 minutes during periods of continuous operation.

???You must keep a written record of any maintenance or modification made to the transceiver, and you must make this record available for inspection upon demand by the FCC.

Violating any of the provisions of Part 90 can result in fines and/or confiscation of equipment.

Your transceiver might cause TV or ra- dio interference even when it is operat- ing properly. To determine whether your transceiver is causing the interference, turn off your transceiver. If the interfer- ence goes away, your transceiver is causing it. Try to eliminate the interfer- ence by:

???Moving your transceiver away from the receiver

???Contacting your local RadioShack store for help

Before you use the transceiver, you must be properly licensed by the FCC. If you are licensed to use one or both of the supplied frequencies, you can im- mediately use the transceiver.

If you are licensed on different frequen- cies, your local RadioShack store must send the transceiver to an authorized service facility to have the frequencies programmed into the transceiver. You must tell the store the frequency you are licensed for and any desired CTCSS tone (the factory preset is 100.0 Hz). See ???Why Use CTCSS???? on Page 11 for more information about CTCSS.

CHARGING THE BATTERY

PACK

You must charge the battery pack with the supplied battery charger before you use it the first time, and whenever the battery becomes low.

You can charge the battery pack with it attached to the transceiver or removed.

To attach the battery pack, slide it onto the transceiver. To remove the battery pack, press down and slide RELEASE in the direction of the arrow, then slide off the pack.

ILLUSTRATION

Follow these steps to charge the battery pack.

1.If the transceiver is on, turn VOL counterclockwise until it clicks to turn it off.

ILLUSTRATION

2.Plug the charger???s barrel plug into the CHRG jack on the side of the

Note: Charging time is 14 to 16 hours.

Cautions:

???To prevent permanent battery power loss, never charge the batteries in an area where the temperature is above about 80??F. The charger does not operate at all at tempera- tures below 32??F or above 113??F.

???Never use any other charger to recharge the transceiver???s battery pack. This could permanently dam- age your transceiver or the battery pack.

Important: This transceiver uses a re- chargeable nickel-cadmium battery pack. At the end of the battery pack???s useful life, it must be recycled or dis- posed of properly. Contact your local, county, or state hazardous waste man- agement authorities for information on recycling or disposal programs in your area. Some options that might be avail- able are: municipal curbside collection, drop-off boxes at retailers such as your local RadioShack store, recycling collec- tion centers, and mail-back programs.

Checking the Battery Power

1.Rotate VOL clockwise until it clicks to turn on the transceiver.

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2.Press the push-to-talk button on the left side of the transceiver. If BUSY???TX/LO BATT lights red, there is sufficient battery power for trans- mission. If the indicator lights yellow, you need to recharge the battery pack.

ILLUSTRATION

Using the Belt Clip

The supplied belt clip lets you easily clip the transceiver to your belt. Use a small Phillips screwdriver to secure the clip to the transceiver???s back with the supplied screws and washers, then attach it to your belt.

Using an Earphone

To listen privately or to hear better in a noisy area, you can plug a monaural earphone into the EAR jack on the top of the transceiver. This automatically dis- connects the speaker.

CONNECTING AN

ANTENNA

Attach the flexible antenna to the anten- na jack on top of the transceiver. Place the antenna connector???s slots over the antenna jack???s tabs, squeeze the base of the antenna, and push down and turn the connector until the antenna locks into place.

Warning: When installing or removing a base station antenna, use extreme cau- tion. If it starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead power lines. If the an- tenna touches the power line, contact with the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can cause electrocution and death! Call the power company to re- move the antenna. Do not attempt to do so yourself.

ILLUSTRATION

Instead of the supplied antenna, you can connect an optional antenna. The BNC antenna jack on your transceiver makes it easy to use with a variety of antennas, such as an external mobile antenna or an outdoor base antenna.

Caution: Never connect an antenna that is not specifically tuned for the transceiver???s frequency range.

USING AN EXTERNAL

MICROPHONE

An external microphone can make it easier to use the transceiver when you clip it to your belt. Plug the microphone???s cable connector into the MIC jack on top of the transceiver. This automatically disconnects the transceiver???s micro- phone.

Note: The transceiver???s push-to-talk button still works with an external micro- phone attached.

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1.Turn VOL clockwise to turn on the transceiver.

ILLUSTRATION

2.Select Channel A or B using the CHANNEL switch on the top of the transceiver.

ILLUSTRATION

3.To conserve battery power, set POWER to LO. If the person you transmit to has trouble receiving your signal, set POWER to HI.

4.To transmit, hold down push-to-talk, then hold your transceiver about 3 inches from your mouth and speak slowly in a normal tone of voice. The BUSY???TX/LO BATT indicator lights red.

5.When you finish your message, release push-to-talk. The BUSY???TX/ LO BATT indicator lights green when you receive a transmission.

6.Adjust VOL to a comfortable listen- ing level.

7.If you are not using CTCSS, wait until there is no signal on the chan- nel, then slowly turn SQL/CTCSS clockwise until the background noise stops.

Note: Do not turn SQL/CTCSS too far clockwise because you might cut out weak signals.

If you are using CTCSS (see ???Why Use CTCSS???? on Page 11), turn SQL/CTCSS counterclockwise until it clicks.

8.To turn off the transceiver, turn VOL counterclockwise.

WHY USE CTCSS?

CTCSS (Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System) helps eliminate inter- ference between different users of the same frequency. When CTCSS is turned on, the transceiver transmits a selected tone with your transmission. This tone is too low for you to hear, but other transceivers can detect it. If CTC- SS is turned on and set to the same tone on the receiving transceiver, it only receives those transmissions that in- clude the tone.

If two different groups operate transceiv- ers in the same area on the same fre- quency, they do not hear each other???s broadcasts if they both use CTCSS and each select a different CTCSS tone.

There are 38 different CTCSS tones available. The CTCSS tone default for this unit is 100 Hz. See ???Available CTC- SS Tones??? on Page 15 for a complete list. Only authorized RadioShack Ser- vice Centers can change the CTCSS tone.

OPERATIONAL HINTS

Your transceiver???s range varies depend- ing on factors such as position, terrain, and battery condition. Buildings absorb transmitted signals and, if they contain metal, might completely block the sig- nals. Trees and heavy cloud formations have a similar effect, though not as se- vere. If you are near a lake or the ocean, you might get excellent range.

To ensure maximum range, operate the transceiver with the battery pack fully charged. As the voltage decreases, the range decreases.

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