Radio Shack BTX-121 &123

markandjere · #1 (**permalink**) 01-07-2013, 3:54 PM

I've had these laying around here for a few years and thought I would take a peek inside. These are old crystal controlled business radios. I see a spot at the bottom of the radio for the second set of crystals. What do you have to do to set a second channel in these old radios ? There is a spot for tx and one for rx . What is the pairing for crystals ? The factory setting is 154.600 for one channel. Would I be correct in thinking that I need 4 total crystals for both radios ,all the same for another freq or two sets of two paired up for tx and rx? Thanks and please excuse my ignorance on these.

EC-7 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-07-2013, 4:38 PM

Yes, you would need 4 crystals total. 2 transmit, 2 receive.
Those radios are not narrow-band compliant so you cant transmit on them anymore, except maybe on the 154.600. I think that freq was exempt??

Honestly, with the price ($15 each crystal) and wait time to order crystals these days, its only a few $$ more to buy a new programmable Chinese made radio.

I do still use a BTX123 with a extra receive crystal for one scanner feed, but I already had the crystal from an old scanner.

markandjere · #3 (**permalink**) 01-07-2013, 4:42 PM

Thanks , I actually picked them up at a flea market for $8 just to see if I could use the belt clip on my PRO-96. I just opened them up out of curiousity today. I figured I could use them for parts somehow.

KF4ZTO · #4 (**permalink**) 01-21-2013, 7:46 PM

154.600 is exempt from narrowbanding. It and 154.570 both fall under MURS which is FCC Part 95 rules. MURS allows for 11.25kHz bandwidth on 151.820, 151.880 and 151.940 MHz, and up to 20kHz (+/- 5kHz deviation) operations on 154.570 and 154.600 MHz. Your BTX-121 and BTX-123 are legal to use on 154.57 and 154.60.