Hi everybody,

My family often uses Motorola Talkabout and Radio Shack FRS radios.
Once my daughter pressed on the PTT button while standing within 6-7
feet of me. After this, the channel I had been using on my reciever
was broken (although all the other channels worked just fine).

I have now aquired a Radio Shack PRO-97 scanner which I use for, among
other things, monitoring my kids playing outside. Is there a risk that
a close-distance transmission from my kids could "fry" my scanner or,
at least, one of its frequencies/channels?

Do you keep you scanners off when FRS are around?

Also,

On the following website
http://support.radioshack.com/suppor...fq-rdio07A.htm
Radio Shack says that Radio Shack and Motorola have different CTCSS
frequencies. However, on my two FRS sets it appears that they are
using exactly the same ones. For example, when I set all my FRS to
channel 8, CTCSS 28, my PRO-97 receives them both very well on CT:
162.2 which, according to this web page should work for the Radio Shack
but not the Motorola FRS. Conversly, when I set the CTCSS on the
Motorola on 26 as this website suggests and my scanner's CT at 162.2 it
ignores the transmission.

Any idea what might be going on? Did Motorola FRS change their CTCSS
frequencies? Is the Radio Shack info just wrong?

Cheers,

TN

wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi everybody,

My family often uses Motorola Talkabout and Radio Shack FRS radios.
Once my daughter pressed on the PTT button while standing within 6-7
feet of me. After this, the channel I had been using on my reciever
was broken (although all the other channels worked just fine).

I have now aquired a Radio Shack PRO-97 scanner which I use for, among
other things, monitoring my kids playing outside. Is there a risk that
a close-distance transmission from my kids could "fry" my scanner or,
at least, one of its frequencies/channels?

Do you keep you scanners off when FRS are around?

Also,

On the following website
http://support.radioshack.com/suppor...fq-rdio07A.htm
Radio Shack says that Radio Shack and Motorola have different CTCSS
frequencies. However, on my two FRS sets it appears that they are
using exactly the same ones. For example, when I set all my FRS to
channel 8, CTCSS 28, my PRO-97 receives them both very well on CT:
162.2 which, according to this web page should work for the Radio Shack
but not the Motorola FRS. Conversly, when I set the CTCSS on the
Motorola on 26 as this website suggests and my scanner's CT at 162.2 it
ignores the transmission.

Any idea what might be going on? Did Motorola FRS change their CTCSS
frequencies? Is the Radio Shack info just wrong?

Cheers,

TN


I use GMRS 4 watt radio's at work and have a RS Pro-95 and Uniden 246. If
the scanner is within a foot or two of the radio when I key up it knocks the
signal out on the scanner. I have been doing this for years started with a
Pro79. The scanners work fine.
--
"Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites.
Moderation is for monks."
[Lazarus Long]

FRS radios are very low power, and will not damage your scanner.

As for your second question about CTCSS tones, and Motorola vs. the other
guys...The Motorola FRS tones can be different from other manufactures,
depending on the model.

Bill Crocker


wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi everybody,

My family often uses Motorola Talkabout and Radio Shack FRS radios.
Once my daughter pressed on the PTT button while standing within 6-7
feet of me. After this, the channel I had been using on my reciever
was broken (although all the other channels worked just fine).

I have now aquired a Radio Shack PRO-97 scanner which I use for, among
other things, monitoring my kids playing outside. Is there a risk that
a close-distance transmission from my kids could "fry" my scanner or,
at least, one of its frequencies/channels?

Do you keep you scanners off when FRS are around?

Also,

On the following website
http://support.radioshack.com/suppor...fq-rdio07A.htm
Radio Shack says that Radio Shack and Motorola have different CTCSS
frequencies. However, on my two FRS sets it appears that they are
using exactly the same ones. For example, when I set all my FRS to
channel 8, CTCSS 28, my PRO-97 receives them both very well on CT:
162.2 which, according to this web page should work for the Radio Shack
but not the Motorola FRS. Conversly, when I set the CTCSS on the
Motorola on 26 as this website suggests and my scanner's CT at 162.2 it
ignores the transmission.

Any idea what might be going on? Did Motorola FRS change their CTCSS
frequencies? Is the Radio Shack info just wrong?

Cheers,

TN

On 22 Feb 2006 09:12:10 -0800, wrote:

My family often uses Motorola Talkabout and Radio Shack FRS radios.
Once my daughter pressed on the PTT button while standing within 6-7
feet of me. After this, the channel I had been using on my reciever
was broken (although all the other channels worked just fine).

I have now aquired a Radio Shack PRO-97 scanner which I use for, among
other things, monitoring my kids playing outside. Is there a risk that
a close-distance transmission from my kids could "fry" my scanner or,
at least, one of its frequencies/channels?

I regularly run 30 watts with my scanner turned on (with the internal
antenna inside the car and the transmitting antenna outside the car).
You'll find that many people and even public service departments and
media organizations do the same. Would I put my scanner near my
transmitting antenna? No. But I checked out the Close Call function
of my BCD396T with a 5 watt portable about 2 feet away.

BTW, the only way to "break" a single channel in a scanner would be if
it were crystal controlled and the crystal broke. You might knock out
a band, or a group of bands, but not just one channel. If the scanner
was programmable maybe you should have tried reprogramming it.

Hi everybody,

Thanks for the explanations.

However, I still wonder, what makes a FRS receiver fundamentally
different from a scanner in the inability of the former to handle close
transmissions (my daughter did "fry" this one channel on my Motorola
FRS).

Any ideas as to why one is so fragile and the other is not?

On 23 Feb 2006 07:57:39 -0800, wrote:

(my daughter did "fry" this one channel on my Motorola
FRS).

Either it's crystal controlled and the crystal is bad, or the channel
switch is bad. If you fry the front end it won't receive. If it
receives some channels, the front end isn't fried. It's a
coincidence, but I doubt that a nearby signal would fry either a
crystal or a switch. It's possible, but so unlikely that it would be
something technicians would talk about for a while.

wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi everybody,

My family often uses Motorola Talkabout and Radio Shack FRS radios.
Once my daughter pressed on the PTT button while standing within 6-7
feet of me. After this, the channel I had been using on my reciever
was broken (although all the other channels worked just fine).
[clipped]
Cheers,

TN



If it's a programmable scanner, have you tried reprogramming it? Simpler
yet, maybe you just hit the L/O (lock-out) button?

Bill Crocker