Back to Home   Technical Information on Radio Shack™ and Realistic™ Equipment
of interest to the repeater community
Compiled by Mike Morris WA6ILQ from
contributions from about 20 individuals
   

If anyone has scans or PDFs of other manuals that should be here please drop an email to article-ideas at repeater-builder dot com

Here is a link to the product support section at the Radio Shack web site. I had it bookmarked back in December of 2004, the public side has been redone since, and if there is still a link on the new public side I couldn't find it.   Some equipment in the product support info pages has extensive info, some has next to none.   There's no rhyme nor reason for what is or isn't there.   And some good useful stuff (like the HTX-202 and HTX-404 schematics, or the HTX-204 owners manual) that were there then are not there now.   And since it's not a public web site it could go away at any time - and without any warning.

It's apparent that RS has totally abandoned the amateur radio market and the ham radios that they sold, and they offer zero support. Maybe the hams that spent their money on RS products (and now find themselves totally on their own) will be able to find some helpful documentation here. We're offering this space to host any mods that have proven useful and any manuals on RS equipment of interest to hams that you may have stashed on your local hard drives. No infringement of RS's copyrights is intended... The only reason we are doing this is that Radio Shack has totally abandoned their amateur radio customers... if they had these files on their public web site we wouldn't need to.

Usually any available service manuals can be ordered by contacting either your local Radio Shack store or by calling RadioShack.com at 800-241-8742.   Some manuals are no longer available.   Some stores have intelligent folks that can look up manual numbers by radio name (i.e. HTX-10 = 19-1110), others have vertical ambulatory hominid life forms of zombie intelligence that are only capable of selling cellphones or responding to any questions with stupid looks ("You've got questions, we've got cellphones™").   If you can use the RS web site support section to get the manual part number before you walk into the store it will be to your advantage as the drone only has to special order that item number.   And make sure the drone fills out the field on the order form titled "Shipping address" so that it will come straight to your house and not get lost in the store...   I'm still waiting (it's been several years now) for my HTX-202 and HTX-404 Schematics and Service Manuals that I special ordered, paid for in advance, were sent to the local store by mistake, and lost.
So you think I'm kidding? I walked into a local store one day (one I'd not been in before, so I didn't know the floor layout) and asked where the transistors were. The salesdroid asked "Do they work with Sprint or Verizon?".

Here's what we are looking for...
We'd be happy to host any modification articles, manuals and schematics on RS equipment of interest to hams, and are especially interested in anything on these:
Catalog #19-1122 HTA-20 VHF Amplifier with Receiver Pre-Amplifier
Catalog #19-1110 HTX-10 Ten Meter Mobile
Catalog #19-1101 HTX-100 Ten Meter Mobile
Catalog #19-1102 HTX-200 2M Mobile Radio
Catalog #19-1124 HTX-204 dual band 2M/440 handheld
Catalog #19-1125 HTX-212 Two-Meter Mobile
Catalog #19-1106 HTX-242 25-Watt 2M FM Mobile
Catalog #19-1106 HTX-245 dual band 2M/440 mobile
Catalog #19-1127 HTX-252 25-Watt 2M FM Mobile
Catalog #19-1104 HTX-400 Mini 440 MHz UHF Handheld
Catalog #19-1108 HTX-420 dual band 2M/440 handheld with weather receiver
Catalog #19-0345 Simplex Repeater Controller
Catalog #20-043 Outdoor Scanner/Ham Discone Antenna
Catalog #277-1008 Mini Audio Amplifier

Here's what we have so far... if you want to donate anything feel free to.
We're not interested in entertainment electronics unless would be useful to a ham or repeater-builder.

Decoding the Radio Shack product date codes... (info from an RS ex-employee)

Many RS products have a little sticker on the back, or maybe inside the battery compartment. The date code consists of a number (from 1 to 12), followed by the letter "A", followed by another number (from 0-9).

The first number represents the month of manufacture, while the last number represents the year. (The "A" itself means nothing and just acts as a separator between the month and the year.) For example, the date code 12A5 would decode to Decamber 1975, December 1985, December 1995, or December 2005.

The date code sitcker was introduced for warranty purposes and since no warranty is longer than a few years the decade does not matter. If you want to figure out what year something was made, look at the catalog archives. Having the A represent 1970-1979, a B in 1980-1989, a C for 1990-1999, etc would have been intelligent, but functional intelligence is against corporate policy (his words, not mine).

HTA-20
Anybody have the service manual?
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Owners Manual   2.1 Mb PDF donated by KB9QBT
This is a 144-148MHz 30w FM out, 1/2 to 5w in FM only amplifier
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Exploded Parts View   20.2kb PDF
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Care and Maintenance
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Features
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Operation
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Parts List
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Preparation
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Specifications
HTA-20 Mobile Power Amplifier Troubleshooting
HTX-10
#19-1110 HTX-10 Ten Meter Mobile Transciever Owners Manual   1.05 Mb PDF donated by Skipp
This is a 28.0-29.7MHz 25w SSB & FM, 7w AM unit
Radio Shack 19-1110 HTX-10 Ten Meter Mobile Transciever Service Manual   3 Mb PDF
A note from the donor:
Attached are the HTX-10 schematics and manuals. The HTX-10 PDF manual with schematics from the Radio Shack service manual is pretty poor.   BUT !   The Albrecht AE485s and AE485s_25W schematics are VERY similar to the HTX-10 schematic and can be used (along with what's in the HTX-10 book) to more easily figure out what you need to do to work on your HTX-10.
AE485s schematic     AE485s_25W schematics
See the note below about the HTX-10 and HTX-100 YahooGroup.
HTX-100
HTX-100 Microphone Amplifier analysis and improvement   319kb MS Word DOC file
HTX-100 Ten Meter Mobile Transciever Service Manual   5.6 Mb PDF
HTX-100 Ten Meter Mobile Transciever Owners Manual   1.16 Mb PDF
HTX-100 Parts List   21kb MS Word DOC file
There is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX-10 and HTX-100 located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx-hf_tech.
HTX-200
HTX-200 2M Radio Owners Manual   1.06 Mb PDF
HTX-200 2M Radio Parts List
There is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX-200 located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx200owners.
Other Info Common to the HTX-202 and HTX-404
The 202 is the 2 meter HT and the 404 is the 440mhz HT that were loosely based on the Icom IC-02 and 04 design, however they were not made by Icom (does anyone know what manufacturer actually made them?)   And does anyone know of anyone that services them ?
A"cheat sheet" for the HTX-202   Also applicable to the HTX-404 if you mentally compensate for the 144s and 148s
An Overview of the DTMF - PL Design defect in the HTX-202 and HTX-404 By Barry Sloan VE6SBS
This well written article explains why the HTX202 and HTX404 have DTMF control problems... why you can't run both subaudible tone encode and DTMF at the same time.
This is a local (at www.repeater-builder.com) copy of the web page at the VE6SBS web site only because that site was down several times after I referred folks to it. I decided to put a local copy here at repeater-builder just in case Barry's web site went away completely.
When you power up your HTX the internal microprocessor runs a self-check routine. Your radios configuration (i.e. frequency step info, etc), the frequencies held in the memorized channels, the CTCSS tone information and a lot more is held in a section of RAM that is powered by a coin cell. The self-check routine looks for scrambled data, and if found, stops everything and displays the dreaded "ER 1" code. The Radio Shack manuals only mention of "ER 1" says that the coin cell getting old can cause an "ER 1" error. Personally, I think there is a bug in the programming (in the firmware) because I've had three of these radios and all seem to get scrambled RAM now and then. To clear the "ER 1" error you have to give the radio it's own version of the three-finger salute: turn the radio on while holding down the button above the PTT bar and the "D" button on the keyboard. This totally wipes the memory, then you get to reload all the memory channels.
One nice thing about the HTX-202 and 404 is that on squelched receive they draw only about 20 milliamps and a single set of penlight cells will last a week of receiving. Most newer HTs draw 150 ma (or more) and with the smaller and smaller size HTs the batteries get smaller also. I have an HTX202 and an HTX404 that I bought primarily for tossing in my "go bag" (i.e. to use in emergency communications support). I have the penlight packs for them as well as ni-cads, plus spare antennas in the kit. Another nice feature is that since it does not cover DC to light like most newer HTs it has a better receiver front end making it less prone to grunge and intermod.
Battery packs for the 202 and 404 are still available from the Batteries America Radio Shack page. Their choices include their own 1.8ah and 2.7ah packs, clones of the BP5, BP7 and BP8 and a holder for eight AA penlight cells that is perfect for EmComm situations.
There is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX-202 and HTX-404 located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx_vhf_uhf.
HTX-202
KB8ZCJs fix for an intermittent transmitter
HTX-202 Owners Manual 1.5 Mb PDF donated by A. Nony Mous
HTX-202 Service Manual 9.1 mb ZIP donated by A. Nony Mous. NOTE: This zip file contains 70 seperate files, one file per page side, and two files per half-schematic. If anybody wants to re-PDF it into a single file and donate that, go ahead. Or if anybody has a paper copy we can borrow we can get that scanned into a proper PDF file with wide-page images for the pull-out schematics.
Care and Maintenance
Detailed Parts List
Exploded Parts Drawing
Errors and how to fix them
Frequently Asked Questions
Features
Hints and Tips
Operation   This file has the basic information you need to use the radio
Preparation
Specs
Specs and Notes   32 pages of info in a 129 Kb PDF
Troubleshooting
HTX-204
We have no manuals for the 204 dual band handheld yet, but battery packs for the 204 are still available from the Batteries America Radio Shack page.
HTX-212
Owners Manual   247 Kb PDF
Service Manual   3.1 Mb PDF
Parts list
HTX-242
Owners Manual   247 Kb PDF
Special Features
Service Manual   3.3 Mb PDF
Parts List
HTX-245
MARS and CAP Addendum   239 Kb PDF
Care and Maintenance
Operations
Service Manual   4.4 Mb PDF
HTX-252
Owners Manual   253 Kb PDF
DTMF Mobile Microphone Schematic   21.6 Kb PDF
Service Manual   3.7 Mb PDF
This manual is for the Albrecht AE-540 which is very close to the HTX-252. Interestingly enough, the photos are of a unit with the "Radio Shack" name on it.
There is a YahooGroup mailing list devoted to the HTX-252 located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/htx252owners.
HTX-400
Owners Manual   1.2 Mb PDF
Exploded View   38 Kb PDF
Parts List
HTX-404
Owners Manual   1.47 Mb PDF
RF Schematic   92 Kb PDF
Digital Schematic   80 Kb PDF
Expanding the coverage in the HTX-404 From the owners manual
Out of the box this radio covers only 440-450MHz. A few keystrokes opens it up to 430-450MHz. As easy as it is to do, why not? The extra coverage can be useful sometimes, for example in 2m transmitter hunts (the 3rd harmonic of a 2m fox lands in this range, and by listening there you can get really close to the fox...)
Advanced Operation
Care and Maintenance
Detailed Parts List
Errors and how to fix them
Frequently Asked Questions
Features
Memory
Operation   This file has the basic information you need to use the radio
Power sources
Preparation
Specs
Service Manual   3.48mb PDF
HTX-420 dual band 2M/440 handheld with weather receiver (also made by Albrecht, and they made a similar unit for Icom)
A clipping from the catalog   1.44 Mb PDF
Detailed parts list   7.7 Kb
Owners Manual   236 Kb PDF
Exploded View   143 Kb PDF
Pro-43 Scanner
The Pro-43 scanner was was their only portable scanner where the "UHF" band was 200-512mhz instead of 400-512Mhz. Yes, it covers amateur 220mhz right out of the box. And it doesn't need a special battery pack - you can use either penlight nicads or penlight alkaline batteries. And if you do put rechargeables in it, you will find a charger jack already installed in the side of the unit waiting for you!
By the way, the Motorola GP-300 handheld radio case is an absolutely perfect fit.
Pro-43 Owners Manual   38.8 Mb PDF
Pro-43 Exploded View   17kb GIF file
Pro-43 Parts List   28kb text file
Anybody have a PDF of the Service Manual??
Pro-2002 Scanner
The Pro-2002 scanner (20-116) was one of the first decent programmable scanners. It uses the so-called "Motorola" antenna jack for the external antenna and the adapters are a little hard to find (RS does carry a motorola-to-female-BNC adapter, part number 278-208, and your store can get it if they don't carry it). Some folks have ended up ignoring the stock antenna jack and adding a BNC next to it, or removing it outright and using the hole for a replacement BNC jack. The screw-in rod antenna uses a metric thread and as a replacement part is pure unobtanium in the USA. The 2002 handles 50 channels in low band (30-50 MHz), high band (138-174 MHz), aircraft (108-136 MHz) and UHF (410-512 MHz). As a scanner, it's nothing special, except that they are usually found in the $1-$25 price range, have a large, clear speaker, and the book is impossible to find, except here. If your local public service agencies run conventional (as opposed to trunked or P25 digital modulation), it's a nice inexpensive unit to park on some local channels.
Pro-2002 Owners Manual   997 Kb PDF
Anybody have a PDF of the Service Manual??
The Pro-2003 Scanners   # 20-9117
The PRO-2003 was the predecessor to the 2004-2005-2006 series of scanners and in late 1985-early 1986 was the top of the line and the price reflected that (and as a result it didn't sell very well), plus it scanned at a rate of only 8 channels per second where the competition did 15 to 16 per second. It offered 50 memory channels and covered low band (30-50MHz or 66-88MHz, depending on the country), 108-136 MHz AM Aircraft, 138-174 MHz (various), the 2m Amateur and high band, 148-174 commercial and public safety, 410-512 MHz (410-420 Government band, 440Mhz amateur band plus connercial), plus (and this was unusual) the FM broadcast band. The packaging was almost identical to the future PRO-2004, but the keyboard labeling was poor.
Pro-2003 Owners Manual   1.3 Mb PDF
Anybody have a PDF of the Service Manual??
Pro-2004, Pro-2005 and Pro-2006 Scanners
The 2004-2005-2006 series of scanners was the top-of-the line of the conventional-only scanners and were built for RS by GRE of Japan. Introduced in mid-late-1986. They covered 25-520MHz continuous (10m, 6m, Aircraft, 2m, 220, 440Mhz amateur bands), 760-824MHz (800mhz repeater inputs), 851-869Mhz (repeater outputs), and 896-1300Mhz (900mhz and 1.2ghz amateur bands) in AM, NBFM and WBFM. Has 300 channels in 10 banks of 30, backed up by conventional 9 volt alkaline battery. Any channel can be designated the priority channel. "Sound Squelch" allows skipping dead carriers during search or scan. One popular mod removed the power transformer, replaced it with a 12v gell-cell and to charge it to run it from 120vAC you would use an external charger or a a 12vDC wall-wart transformer (plugged into the existing +12vDC input jack).
There are some cosmetic differences like the keyboard layout, but the internal electronics design is very similar across the three receivers. The major differences were physical packaging and the position of a few diodes in the configuration matrix plus:
The 2004:  The 2004 (model 200-0119) had a metal case, good internal construction and shielding, but no mobile mounting bracket or DC power cord. It was artifically limited in the number of channels it could listen to and a slower scanning speed. You could cut a diode and get the 400 channels of the 2005 but the channel numbering on the 300-channel keyboard (which was not backlit) would be confusing. Another diode cut got the faster scanning speed of the 2006. Adding either a COS or a TS32 PL decoder (or both) was easy - in fact a Pro-2004 was my across-the-garage link receiver or remote base for repeater experimentation for several years.
See "Product Review: The Radio Shack PRO-2004 Programmable Scanner," by Bob Parnass AJ9S, in Monitoring Times, March 1987.
Anybody have a PDF of the Pro-2004 Owners Manual??
Pro-2004 Operation   A text web page that covers the basic operation.
Pro-2004 Service Manual   38.8 Mb PDF
The 2005:  The 2005 (model 200-0144) was introduced in 1989 and was a size reduced Pro-2004 with but with surface mount components and 400 channels in a smaller plastic cabinet. The unit had a better keyboard but it was not backlit however the layout was easier to use mobile. The 2005 was more sensitive than the 2004 but had a problem where 800 MHz signals leaked into the aircraft band. You could cut a diode and get the faster scanning speed of the 2006.
Anybody have a PDF of the Pro-2005 Owners or Service Manual??
Pro-2005 Operation   A text web page that covers the basic operation.
Pro-2005 Parts List   22kb
The 2006:  The 2006 (model 200-0145) was introduced in 1990 and was essentially a faster scanning PRO-2005. Probably the best conventional-only scanner made to date.
See "The Realistic PRO-2006," by Bob Parnass, AJ9S, in Monitoring Times, October 1990.
Pro-2006 Owners Manual   1.03 Mb PDF (20-145)
Pro-2006 Exploded View   19kb
Pro-2006 Parts List   22kb
Pro-2006 Service Manual   5.2 Mb PDF
Pro-2006 Service Manual Addendum   512 Kb PDF
#19-345 Simplex Repeater Controller
Note that this box is incorrectly called the "Simplexor" by some folks - that name is trademarked by Zetron and used on their Model 19B (and information on that unit is on the Zetron page at this web site).
Anybody have the Service Manual in PDF ?
Users Guide   162 Kb PDF
Operation.
Features.
Hints and Tips.
Specifications.
Power options.
Parts list.

Accessories and Other Products
Radio Shack "Amplified Mobile Extension Speaker" (model 21-541) - Schematic      Parts List.
This unit is a cheap knockoff of Motorola's "Power Voice" mobile speaker with an interesting design twist. It's designed for the situation where the speaker amplifier in a CB doesn't have enough power to be heard, for example in a pickup truck with the windows open. Obviously it's just as usable on ham radio as on CB. The interesting twist is that the DC power to the audio amplifier is controlled by a VOX-type of circuit. Motorola's didn't need it.
20-2006 telescoping antenna   35 KB PDF
21-1384 External Speaker-Microphone   6.3 KB PDF
21-1898 Headset   432 KB PDF   A nice unit, but no schematic.

Weather Radios (or as Radio Shack calls them, WeatheRadios)
  Weather Radios, no matter who makes them, have two purposes. First, they are a receiver preset to the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) services frequencies, and they receive regular, around-the-clock weather status and forecasts information. Second, the newer ones are designed to respond alert signals sent by the NOAA Weather Radio service. When the weather radio receives an alert signal, it will respond with an audible alarm to attract attention.

The Weather Receivers come in three flavors: the plain monitor receivers that listen to the weather channels and has no warning mechanism at all (same functionality as having the local weather channel in your handheld), secondly the simple first generation alert receivers that decode the 1050hz alert tone, and lastly the second generation receivers that use a type of digital coding called Specific Area Message Encoding or SAME. The SAME system divides the United States into geographical weather areas and you program the reciever to respond to the geographic code (called a FIPS code) for your local area (or if you live near a boundary, you program in both codes), or if you want, you can add the codes for the areas surrounding the perimeter of your FIPS area. Most of the codes are aligned along county lines, but as we all know RF doesn't pay attention to political boundaries.

The first weather channel allocated was 162.550 MHz, then 162.40 was addded and 162.475 shortly after that. Most second hand receivers that you find will be single channel (162.55), rarely two channel (162.550 and 162.40 MHz) and usually either three channel (162.550, 162.40 and 162.475 MHz), or seven channels.   There is a lot more information on weather radios and the SAME system on this page.
If anyone has info on other RS receivers, please send it in.
#12-140 "Weatheradio Alert III" – This is an older three channel receiver. It is powered by a normal power cord and has a 9v battery pocket in the bottom of the case.
#12-152A – This is another three channel synthesized receiver, despite the fact that it is labeled as "Crystal Controlled Weatheradio". It uses one 9 volt battery or an external 9v wall wart transformer.
#12-154 – This is also a three channel radio with a 1050 Hz tone decoder.
#12-240 "Weatheradio with Alert" Owners Manual   139kb PDF
This unit is also a three channel unit, and decodes the 1050 Hz alert tone. It is powered by 120vAC.
#12-241 "Desktop Weatheradio" Features, Power Sources, Operation, Specifications Manual   16kb PDF   This is a 3-channel receiver.
#12-247B "Weatheradio Alert"   This is a 7-channel SAME receiver, with the NOAA logo, powered by an AC cord but with a 9v battery compartment. The external antenna connector on the rear is an RCA jack. We don't have a PDF of the owners manual, does anybody?
#12-248 "7 Channel Digital Pocket Weatheradio Alert Manual"   480kb PDF
This unit receives all seven NOAA channels and decodes the 1050 Hz. alert tone.
#12-249 SAME Weather Receiver Owners Manual   684kb PDF
Note that to receive multiple geographic areas (up to 15) you have to set the single/multiple switch on the bottom of the unit to the multiple position, otherwise it monitors position one no matter how many are programmed.
Some of these radios have firmware that does not recognize the EOM signal. These have a fixed 5 minute message timeout.
This unit has an external antenna jack, plus a 2-pin terminal strip (accessible from outside the case) for an external alarm. These terminals on the radio have a constant 1.2 VDC on them until an alert is received, at which point the voltage goes to 7.2 VDC, and remains there for the length of the alert, or until the alert is manually turned off. The 7.2 VDC only appears when an alert is sent by the National Weather Radio service and does not appear when conducting a self-test of the radio. The voltage is at a low current (originally designed to feed an X-10 Encoder, but very useful for other things). Don't plan on powering anything more energy intensive than a Solid State Relay, a switching transistor, or maybe the coil of a reed relay. Here's what the terminal strip was designed for. Here is the RS #12-249 Support Page.
#12-250 SAME Weather Receiver Owners Manual   466kb PDF   A stock photo of a 12-250
An updated version of the above receiver that supports a wider variety of alert codes and has the two pin terminal strip (see the 12-249 above for information on the terminal strip).   If you are going to use an RS Weather receiver this is the one to look for (the 12-249 is your second choice). Here is the RS #12-250 Support Page.
#12-251 SAME Weather Receiver Owners Manual   949kb PDF
A cost reduced unit that cut the geographical areas to two, and deleted the external alarm terminal strip. Here is the RS #12-251 Support Page.
#12-255 SAME Weather Receiver  
We have no information on this unit (yet) except what RS has on their #12-255 Support Page. The owners manual link is broken there, it points to the 12-251 owners manual file.
#12-257 SAME Weather Receiver
We have no information on this unit (yet) other than the #12-257 SAME Weather Receiver Owners Manual   118kb PDF
This is a pocket unit not much larger than an FRS radio, with a cute feature: it has a vibrator mode (like a pager or cellphone) that can be set to trigger during warnings or alerts.
#12-260 SAME Weather Receiver and alarm clock - we have no technical data on this other than it has a channel scanning feature in case the local NOAA transmitter goes down, and only one LED indicator. RS does not have a #12-260 Support Page.
#12-261 SAME Weather Receiver     2003 vintage Owners Manual     2004 vintage Owners Manual
This unit has a 9v battery pocket in the bottom of the case, or can use an external 9v wall wart transformer (the book says the battery is for backup purposes).   It also has an external antenna jack, plus a 2-pin terminal strip accessible from outside the case (like the 12-249) for an external alarm.   Here's what the terminal strip was designed for.   There is an interfacing article below on this unit.
The RadioShack 12-261 Desktop SAME Weather Radio Support Page       A stock photo of a 12-261


    Weather Receiver Interfacing Articles    

Interfacing the Weather Radio to a repeater controller   Scott Zimmerman N3XCC connected a #12-251 Weather Radio to an Arcom repeater controller, but the 12-249, 12-250, 12-251 and similar receivers would work just as well.   This article describes the hardware interface only.   The outputs for Statement, Watch, Warning and COS connect to alarm inputs on the RC210, and the receiver reset input is connected to a digital output (and is used to acknowledge or clear the Statement, Watch and Warning alerts).   See the "More than three ports?" article on the Arcom page at this site for a method of interfacing a Weather Radio without using one of the three ports on a RC-210 or one of the 8 ports on an RC-810.
Another take on interfacing a Weather Radio to a repeater controller   Kevin Thomas W6KGT (ex-KB5ZVK) uses two opto-isolators and two relays to connected any Weather Radio to a CAT-1000 repeater controller.   The design is generic and can be used on any brand of repeater controller.   A digital output on the controller programmed for pulse mode could drive a reed relay whose contacts are wired across the reset button in the weather receiver.
A third take on interfacing the Weather Radio to a repeater controller  Fred Vobbe W8HDU connected a #12-249 Weather Radio to a Link brand repeater controller.   This article gives an overview, a list of links to geographic zones, a codes table, describes the hardware interface he built, and covers the Link RLC-series controller programming in detail.   The 12-250 and 12-251 and similar Midland receivers would interface very similarly.
This is a local copy (at repeater-builder) of Fred's original article, which was at http://vobbe.net/hamradio/wxrad/index.html but it's gone now.
Yet another take on interfacing a Weather Radio to a repeater controller   KF4PXZ connected a #12-250 to an Arcom RC-210 repeater controller.   This short article shows where to pick up the decode alert logic line and the audio. The 12-249 and 12-251 would interface very similarly.
An Automated Repeater SAME Weather Alert by Stewart Radinowitz KE5UT       This writeup uses a 12-261 WeatheRadio.   A stock photo of a 12-261
This writeup describes how to use an inxpensive VOX unit to generate the Alert or Warning signal for the COR lead of the radio port on the repeater controller. The technique could be used on any receiver (RS or otherwise), just remember that the properly designed SAME radios (i.e. one that uses the audio "turn off" code) will forward the entire alert (no matter how long), whereas the Midlands use a shutoff timer.
The RadioShack 12-261 Desktop SAME Weather Radio Support Page


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This page initially created 14-Oct-2004.

Radio Shack, Realistic, Archer and probably others are legal trademarks / service marks of Tandy Corp and no infringement is intended.   The amateur radio equipment manual PDFs are here due to the interest expressed in the Tandy-Radio Shack-made equipment by the amateur radio community and the fact that they are no longer available on the public RS web site.   The scanner manuals are here because most are not available in any form.

This web page, this web site, the information presented in and on its pages and in these modifications and conversions is © Copyrighted 1995 and (date of last update) by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors.   All Rights Reserved, including that of paper and web publication elsewhere.