Pro-97 Belt Clip and Mounting Flange

[JohnA]

I have two Pro-97 Scanners and on both of them the right lip of the mounting flange for the
belt clip has broken off after just 3 months of daily use on one of them and after 4 months on the second scanner. It seems that the plastic of the scanner rear case cover which includes the belt clip mounting bracket is too soft and easyly deforms under the pressure of the clip being pulled outwards to place the scanner onto your belt. As the plastic of the
mount deforms, the clip becomes a looser and looser fit in the bracket until it fails. Since
it seemed useless to keep buying replacement rear case covers from Radio Shack, I have
modified both of my Pro-97's by filing off part of the flange and then using a brass plate
inserted into what remains of the plastic mounting flange to attach a belt clip from a Pro-96
Scanner. This is now a very solid and secure fit and seems to be what I hope is a
permanent fix for the poor design of the original Pro-97 belt clip mounting arrangement,
which because of it's un-bolted and loose fit, could only keep getting looser until it failed.
I am wondering what other peoples experence has been with the belt clips on the Pro-97?
John

[Grog]

That's the 1st thing I noticed when I bought mine. I don't know why they went away from the screw mount. If you removed the clip on the older ones, you had a smooth back.

Do you happen to have any pics of the mods you've done?

I never really trusted any plastic clips, but the metal clip on the Pro-35, that was a real clip

[JohnA]

I don't have any photos of the modification I did to the Pro-97 in order to mount a Pro-92/96 belt clip onto it, but perhaps I can describe it well enough that you can form a mental image of the repair. Basically the brass plate I mentioned is shaped like the letter
"T", but a very fat "T". The vertical part of the T is the same width as the inside distance
between the two vertical flanges on the back of the Pro-97 rear case cover or about 13/16". The horizontal part of the T is the same size as the base of the Pro-92/96 belt clip or 7/16" X 1 5/32". (If a belt clip other then a Pro92/96 is used, the size of this part of the
brass plate could be adjusted accordingly.) I made the brass T from 1/16" thick X 3/4" wide brass bar
stock. 1/16" is a perfect and snug fit for the space inside under the lip on the Pro-97 plastic mounting flange.
Part of the plastic flange on the Pro-97 rear
cover must be removed to create a flat surface for the brass plate to fit against. I used
files, but if you have access to a metal working machine shop, a milling machine or a drill
press would make the job much simpler. Remove enough of the plastic flange and all of the small plastic locking tab for the original Pro-97 belt clip, so that
the bottom edge of the T rests against the bottom inside edge of the horizontal plastic
flange. When filing the upper part of the plastic flange off of the case cover, be sure to
protect the surrounding area with several layers of masking tape, so that if the file slips,
you don't make a nasty gouge in the case cover. To support the rear case cover while filing on it,
clamp a piece of two by four wood in a vise and place the plastic cover on the wood using
rubber bands. That way you can use both hands on the file and better control the smoothness of the surface that you are creating. Drill 2 holes in the upper part of the T
spaced to fit the mounting holes in the Pro-92/96 belt clip. I used 4-40 binder head machine screws because on the ones I had available, the head diameter was the same size
as the molded counter-sunk hole in the belt clip. Drill one hole centered in the vertical part
of the T. File the brass plate edges to remove any burrs and fit it to the rear case cover.
Using the brass plate as a guide, drill 3 holes through the Pro-97 rear case cover.
Using a succession of drills, enlarge the 2 belt clip mounting holes in the plastic cover to the
point that the hole diameter is almost the size of 4-40 nuts. Install the plate and 4-40 bolts and
nuts. Using a soldering iron, CAREFULLY heat the nuts and tighten up on the screws so as
to draw the nuts down into the plastic until the nuts are completely sunk into the rear case cover. DO NOT OVERHEAT THE NUTS. The plastic used in Pro-97 rear case cover is very soft and easily damaged beyond repair. After I had the 2 belt clip nuts sunk, I then epoxyed
them into place and also epoxyed the nut for the one bolt in the vertical part of the T.
I did this repair on both of my Pro-97's which had the right vertical flange lip broken off. Even with
only one flange left, the completed assembly is very solid. The one bolt in the vertical
part of the brass plate is what keeps the whole assembly in place. Be sure to file down the
bolt ends so they do protrude beyond the nuts on the inside of the radio. There is not a
whole lot of space under the rear case cover, especially on the right side where there is a
metal shield over an area of the radio components. This is the main reason I sunk the belt clip nuts into
the plastic, but it also helps to anchor the nuts to keep them from turning when installing the belt clip. I have my
Pro-97's in fitted leather cases that in order to insert the radio into the leather case, the
belt clip must be removed and then replaced after the radio is in the case.
I hope all of this make sense and you end up with a Pro-97 that has a belt clip on it that
should have been there from the GRE factory.
John