21-1573.fm Page 1 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
Cat. No. 21-1573
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
TRC-445
Deluxe 40-Channel Mobile CB Radio
with Weather Alert
21-1573.fm Page 3 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
WX/Alert Indicator — shows the CB is
ready to receive a weather alert signal.
Warning: Do not open your CB to make
any internal adjustments. Any internal
adjustments can be made only by an au-
thorized service technician.
RX/TX Indicator — shows whether the
CB is transmitting or receiving.
Internal adjustments and/or modifica-
tions can lead to illegal operation as de-
fined by Part 95 of FCC Rules. Such
illegal operation can lead to very serious
consequences.
S/RF/SWR/CAL Switch — lets you
quickly select the display for the RF/sig-
nal meter (radio input/output signal pow-
er strength, standing wave ratio of the
antenna, or SWR calibration).
To be safe and sure:
Universal Mounting Bracket — lets
you mount your CB securely in your ve-
hicle or on a desk or table in your home.
• Never open your CB’s case.
• Never modify your CB.
Note: To use this CB, you need a mobile
or base station antenna. Your local Ra-
dioShack store has a wide variety of an-
tennas. For more information, see
“Installing an Antenna” on Page 6.
Your CB might cause TV or radio inter-
ference even when it is operating prop-
erly. To determine whether your CB is
causing the interference, turn off your
CB. If the interference goes away, your
CB is causing it. Try to eliminate the in-
terference by:
We recommend you record your CB’s
serial number here. The number is on
the CB’s back panel.
• Moving your CB away from the
receiver
Serial Number___________
• Contacting your local RadioShack
store for help
If you cannot eliminate the interference,
the FCC requires that you stop using
your CB.
FCC INFORMATION
The Federal Communications Commis-
sion (FCC) does not require you to have
a license to operate this CB. 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 regu-
lations with your CB.
3
21-1573.fm Page 4 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
CONTENTS
Installation ............................................................................................................... 5
Mounting the Microphone Holder ....................................................................... 5
Mounting the TRC-445 ....................................................................................... 5
Connecting the Microphone ................................................................................ 6
Installing an Antenna .......................................................................................... 6
Selecting an Antenna ................................................................................... 6
Connecting an Antenna ............................................................................... 7
Using Vehicle Battery Power .............................................................................. 7
Using the CB as a Base Station ......................................................................... 8
Connecting Optional External Speakers ............................................................. 9
External CB Speaker ................................................................................... 9
Public Address Speaker ............................................................................... 9
Adjusting the Standing Wave Ratio .................................................................... 10
Standing Wave Ratio Chart .............................................................................. 11
Operation ............................................................................................................... 12
Turning On the CB and Receiving Transmissions ............................................ 12
Transmitting ...................................................................................................... 13
Listening to Weather Broadcasts ...................................................................... 14
Weather Alert ............................................................................................. 15
Using the Public Address Function ................................................................... 15
CB Operation Tips ................................................................................................. 16
Common Uses for a CB Radio ......................................................................... 16
Business Uses ........................................................................................... 16
Personal Uses ............................................................................................ 16
CB Courtesy ..................................................................................................... 16
Using Common 10-Codes ................................................................................ 17
Maximum Range .............................................................................................. 18
Reducing Noise ................................................................................................ 18
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................... 19
Care and Maintenance .......................................................................................... 20
Replacing the Fuses ......................................................................................... 21
Specifications ........................................................................................................ 22
4
21-1573.fm Page 5 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
INSTALLATION
Cautions:
MOUNTING THE
• If you use the TRC-445 in a vehicle,
mount it securely to avoid damage
to the CB or vehicle or injury to any-
one in the vehicle during sudden
starts or stops.
MICROPHONE HOLDER
Using a Phillips screwdriver and the
supplied screws and washers, attach
the supplied microphone holder to the
CB’s left or right side either horizontally
or vertically.
• Do not mount the CB where it could
damage or interfere with the proper
operation of any passive restraint
safety device (an air bag or seat
belt).
Illustration
Star Lock Washer (2)
Small Screws (2)
Follow these steps to mount the CB us-
ing the supplied hardware.
1. Using the slots in the mounting
bracket as a template, mark the
positions for the screw holes.
MOUNTING THE TRC-445
The most common mounting location for
this CB is under a vehicle’s dashboard.
However, if you use the TRC-445 as a
base station, you can place it on a desk,
shelf, or table (see “Using the CB as a
Base Station” on Page 8).
2. In each marked location, drill a hole
slightly smaller than the supplied
mounting screws.
Caution: Be careful not to drill into
anything behind the mounting sur-
face.
If you are mounting the CB in a vehicle,
choose a location where:
3. Using a Phillips screwdriver, attach
the mounting bracket to the mount-
ing surface with the large mounting
screws and star lock washers.
• You can easily reach the CB.
• Wires and cables are clear of the
vehicle’s pedals or other moving
parts.
Illustration
Star Lock Washer (2)
Mounting Screws (3)
• The CB is not directly in front of
heating vents.
• All wires and cables can reach their
connection points.
5
21-1573.fm Page 6 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
4. Attach the CB to the mounting
bracket using the rubber washers
and mounting knobs.
To disconnect the microphone, unscrew
the locking nut and gently pull out the
microphone plug.
Illustration
Mounting Knobs (2)
Rubber Washers (2)
Caution: Never pull on the microphone
cable.
INSTALLING AN
ANTENNA
CONNECTING THE
MICROPHONE
Caution: To prevent damage to your
CB, you must connect an antenna to it
before you operate it.
1. Align the slot on top of the micro-
phone’s plug with the ridge inside
Selecting an Antenna
MIC
the
jack. Then fully insert the
plug into the jack.
When deciding on an antenna and its lo-
cation, consider these points:
Illustration
• The location of the antenna should
be as high as possible.
• The antenna and antenna cable
should be as far as possible from
sources of electrical noise (ignition
systems, gauges, and so on).
2. Turn the plug’s locking nut clockwise
to tighten it.
Your local RadioShack store sells a vari-
ety of CB antennas for both mobile and
base-station use. Choose the one that
best meets your needs.
3. Slide the microphone onto the
microphone holder.
Illustration
6
21-1573.fm Page 7 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
Follow these steps to power the CB from
your vehicle’s battery.
Connecting an Antenna
Once you choose an antenna, follow the
mounting instructions supplied with the
antenna. Route the antenna cable to the
CB, then screw the cable into the AN-
TENNA jack on the back of the CB.
Illustration
Red Wire
Orange Wire
Black Wire
Illustration
1. Plug the single connector end of the
power cord into the POWER 13.8V
DC jack on the CB’s back panel.
2. Connect the black wire to your vehi-
cle battery’s negative (–) terminal or
to a metal part of the vehicle’s frame
that is not insulated from the frame
by a plastic part.
Cautions:
• Do not run the cable over sharp
edges or moving parts that might
damage it.
3. Connect the red wire, with in-line
fuse, to a source of voltage that
turns on and off with the ignition
switch, such as a spare accessory
terminal in your vehicle’s fuse box.
This prevents the battery from being
drained if you leave the CB on when
you turn off the ignition.
• Do not run the cable next to power
cables or other CB antenna cables.
• Do not run the cable through a vehi-
cle’s engine compartment or other
areas that produce extreme heat.
USING VEHICLE BATTERY
POWER
4. Connect the orange wire, with in-line
fuse, to a source of voltage that sup-
plies constant positive (+) power, or
directly to your vehicle’s positive (+)
battery terminal. This enables the
radio to “remember” the last channel
you tuned to when you turn the radio
back on.
You can power this CB from your vehi-
cle’s battery or from standard AC power
with an optional DC power supply. For
information on using AC power, see “Us-
ing the CB as a Base Station.”
7
21-1573.fm Page 8 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
1. Mount the base station antenna as
described in its owner’s manual.
USING THE CB AS A
BASE STATION
Warning: Use extreme caution
when you install or remove a base
station CB antenna. 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.
Although this CB is designed for mobile
use, you can also use it as a base sta-
tion. For base-station installation, you
need the following items.
• 12-volt DC power supply (such as
Cat. No. 22-504)
Caution: Most 12-volt DC power
supplies plug into a standard AC
outlet to produce DC power. Before
connecting your CB to a 12-volt DC
power supply, read and follow the
instructions included with the power
supply.
2. Route the antenna cable to the CB,
then connect the cable to the
ANTENNA
jack on the back of the
CB.
• Base station antenna (such as Cat.
No. 21-921)
3. Plug the single connector end of the
POWER 13.8V
power cord into the
• Coaxial antenna cable and connec-
tors
DC jack on the CB’s back panel.
4. Connect the black wire to the DC
power supply’s negative (–) termi-
nal.
Note: Your local RadioShack store
carries coaxial antenna cable and
connectors.
5. Connect the red wire and orange
wire, with in-line fuses, to the DC
power supply’s positive(+) terminal.
Follow these steps to install the CB as a
base station.
Note: When you turn off the DC power
supply, the CB “remembers” the last
channel you tuned for only a few min-
utes. After that, when you turn on the
DC power supply again, the radio auto-
matically selects Channel 9.
Illustration
Red Wire
Orange Wire
Black Wire
8
21-1573.fm Page 9 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
Public Address Speaker
CONNECTING OPTIONAL
EXTERNAL SPEAKERS
To connect a PA speaker to the CB, use
an 8-ohm speaker cable capable of han-
dling 5 or more watts of power (such as
Cat. No. 40-1235 or 40-1236). Plug the
You can connect your CB to an external
CB speaker and
speaker.
a
public-address
1
speaker cable’s /8-inch plug into the
PA SP
CB’s
jack.
Note: When you connect an external or
PA speaker, the CB’s internal speaker
automatically disconnects.
Illustration
External CB Speaker
To connect an external CB speaker, use
an 8-ohm speaker capable of handling
3–10 watts of power (such as Cat. No.
To use the CB as a PA system, see “Us-
ing the Public Address Function” on
Page 15.
21-549). Simply plug the speaker ca-
1
EXT SP
ble’s /8-inch plug into the CB’s
jack.
Illustration
9
21-1573.fm Page 10 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
ADJUSTING THE STANDING WAVE RATIO
Most antennas are factory tuned. How-
ever, you can usually improve radio per-
formance by tuning your antenna
system to the CB’s RF output power us-
ing the SWR meter on this radio.
3. Hold down the microphone’s talk
button and adjust SWR CAL so the
SWR/RF/signal meter’s needle
points to CAL (on the top SWR
t
scale).
Once you have installed the antenna ac-
cording to its instructions, follow these
steps to adjust the standing wave ratio
to your equipment.
Illustration
Figure 13 and
Figure 19
Note: You cannot change the SWR on
some mobile and base-station anten-
nas.
1. Turn on the CB by turning OFF/VOL-
UME clockwise until it clicks.
4. Release the microphone’s talk but-
ton.
Illustration
Figure 13
5. Set S/RF/SWR/CAL to SWR.
6. Press the microphone’s talk button
again and read the meter’s needle
on the top SWR scale for the
antenna’s actual SWR measure-
ment. Refer to the Standing Wave
Ratio Chart on Page 11 to interpret
the SWR meter readings.
2. Set S/RF/SWR/CAL to CAL.
Illustration
Figure 13
The SWR is keyed to the actual frequen-
cy of the RF signal transmitted. There-
fore, you will get a different SWR
reading from one CB channel to anoth-
er. Almost all the CB transmissions usu-
ally fall within an acceptable range.
However, for optimum radio perfor-
mance, we recommend you “fine tune”
the antenna’s system to the most com-
monly used CB channel. If you have no
particular channel preference, set your
antenna’s SWR for maximum perfor-
mance on Channel 19.
10
21-1573.fm Page 11 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
STANDING WAVE RATIO CHART
The ideal standing wave ratio (SWR) reading is a 1:1 ratio, or a meter reading of 1 on
the SWR meter’s top scale (which you can usually get only in laboratory test condi-
tions). A 1.5:1 to 2:1 SWR ratio is excellent for most mobile CB antenna applications.
This chart explains the different readings you might see.
Standing Wave Ratio Chart
Ratios
Rating
Description
1:1 to 1.5:1
Superior
Perfect match between the antenna/cable system and
the CB’s RF output power.
1.5:1 to 2:1
2:1 to 3:1
Excellent
The antenna/cable system are an outstanding match
with this CB transmitter’s RF output power. Ideal for
most CB installations.
Good
The antenna/cable system with this CB transmitter will
perform to specifications under most normal conditions.
Higher
than 3.1
Inefficient
Requires inspection of antenna system’s mounting
hardware or ground, or adjustment/replacement.
Note: Prolonged exposure to the elements (salt spray, humidity, corrosion, and so
on) or vehicle vibration can cause degradation in antenna performance and a rise in
the SWR meter’s normal reading. Once a month, or anytime the SWR reading is
greater than 3, check the condition of the antenna and its coaxial cable, RF electrical
connections, and so on.
11
21-1573.fm Page 12 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
OPERATION
Before you start using your CB, you
should know how to use it effectively
and courteously. “CB Operation Tips”
contains information that will help you
get more enjoyment from using your CB.
3. To turn on the CB, turn OFF/VOL-
UME clockwise until it clicks and
continue turning until you hear a
hissing sound. The TX/RX indicator
lights, the CB displays the last-tuned
channel number, and the SWR/RF/
signal meter lights.
Caution: Do not attempt to use your CB
without first connecting an antenna.
DIM/BRT to
Note: If necessary, set
DIM to dim the meter and channel
display, or to BRT to brighten them.
TURNING ON THE CB
AND RECEIVING
TRANSMISSIONS
Illustration
1. Turn SQUELCH fully counterclock-
wise.
4. Turn SQUELCH clockwise until the
hissing sound stops.
Illustration
Note: If the CB picks up unwanted,
partial or very weak transmissions,
turn
SQUELCH
clockwise
to
decrease the CB’s sensitivity to
these signals. Turn SQUELCH coun-
terclockwise if you want to listen to a
weak or distant station.
2. Set CH-9/NOR/CH-19 to NOR, S/RF/
SWR/CAL to S/RF (send and
receive), and CB/WX/PA to CB.
5. Adjust OFF/VOLUME to a comfort-
able listening level.
Illustration
12
21-1573.fm Page 13 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
RF GAIN
clockwise
to boost the strength of a signal.
6. To manually tune channels, turn the
tuning control at the right end of the
control panel to select a channel.
The channel number appears on the
display, and the SWR/RF/signal
meter shows the signal strength.
7. If necessary, turn
Illustration
Illustration
8. If you hear low-level popping-type
NB/OFF
NB
to turn on
noises, set
to
the noise blanking circuit.
Notes:
Illustration
• If you turn the tuning control
slightly to the left or right, the
TRC-445 rapidly scans down or
up.
OFF/
9. To turn off the TRC-445, turn
VOLUME
hear it click.
counterclockwise until you
• To quickly tune to Channel 9 or
CH-9/NOR/CH-19
CH-9
19, set
or
to
CH-19
. 9 or 19 flashes on the
display.
TRANSMITTING
CH-9/NOR/CH-19
CH-9
• If you set
to
CH-19
or
, you cannot tune other
Note: We recommend you try receiving
transmissions before you transmit.
channels using the tuning control.
Important! Channels 9 and 19
are reserved for motorist assis-
tance and for reporting emer-
1. Follow Steps 1–8 under “Turning On
the CB and Receiving Transmis-
sions” on Page 12.
gency
information
about
accidents, hazardous road condi-
tions, and so on. Always give
emergency communications pri-
ority on Channels 9 and 19.
2. Hold down the microphone’s talk
button and speak into the micro-
phone in a normal voice from about
TX/RX
2–3 inches away. The
indica-
tor changes to red, and the SWR/
RF/signal meter indicates the
strength of your transmission.
13
21-1573.fm Page 14 Thursday, August 5, 1999 9:22 AM
Note: Do not speak too loudly when
transmitting. It does not make your
signal any stronger, and might dis-
tort your transmission.
Your TRC-445 receives these weather
service frequencies:
Frequency (MHz)
Channel
162.400
162.425
162.450
162.475
162.500
162.525
162.550
WX 2
WX 4
WX 5
WX 3
WX 6
WX 7
WX 1
Illustration
3. When you finish transmitting,
release the microphone talk button.
TX/RX
The
indicator changes to
green. The TRC-445 can now
receive transmissions.
To listen to one of the seven available
CB/WX/PA WX
weather channels, set
to
to choose the de-
WX/ALERT
,
OFF/
4. To turn off the TRC-445, turn
WEATHER
then turn
VOLUME
counterclockwise until you
sired channel. The
lights green.
indicator
hear it click.
LISTENING TO WEATHER
BROADCASTS
Illustration
The TRC-445 is preprogrammed to re-
ceive seven channels which have been
allocated by the Federal Communica-
tions Commission (FCC) for use by the
National Oceanographic and Atmo-
spheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA
broadcasts your local forecast and re-
gional weather information on one or
more of these channels in your area.
CB/WX/PA
WX
,
Note: When you set
to
the channel display and SWR meter turn
off.
OFF/VOLUME
Readjust
if necessary.
14
|