I’m thinking of pairing my RadioShack Pro 95 with a QAT RS3 music server, mostly because I want cleaner audio recordings and a smarter way to manage scanner audio. The Pro 95’s headphone jack gives a simple line-level output, so the basic plan is to feed that straight into the RS3’s analog input. The Pro 95 manual confirms that the 3.5 mm jack works fine for external audio, so the hookup is pretty straightforward.
Once the audio is routed into the RS3, the fun part is the RS-232 control. The RS3 supports command control through its serial port, and the user manual shows the basic protocol. That means I can trigger recordings, play alerts or tones, or even automate playback from a PC or a microcontroller without touching the device. It feels like a nice step up from just relying on the scanner speaker for everything, and since the RS3 is designed for high-fidelity audio, anything recorded from the Pro 95 should sound noticeably cleaner.
The only real concerns so far are the usual ones. There might be a bit of latency when using automation, depending on how quickly the RS3 processes commands. Ground noise is another thing I’ll watch out for, since scanners and audio gear don’t always play nicely without an isolator. And because the QAT is a full-size unit, I need to figure out where to put it in the radio corner without making a cluttered mess.
If anyone has tried using a music server or hi-fi recorder with the Pro 95 or other RadioShack scanners, I’d love to hear how you handled things like noise, cable routing or serial control. I’m planning to build this out soon. Thanks!
Once the audio is routed into the RS3, the fun part is the RS-232 control. The RS3 supports command control through its serial port, and the user manual shows the basic protocol. That means I can trigger recordings, play alerts or tones, or even automate playback from a PC or a microcontroller without touching the device. It feels like a nice step up from just relying on the scanner speaker for everything, and since the RS3 is designed for high-fidelity audio, anything recorded from the Pro 95 should sound noticeably cleaner.
The only real concerns so far are the usual ones. There might be a bit of latency when using automation, depending on how quickly the RS3 processes commands. Ground noise is another thing I’ll watch out for, since scanners and audio gear don’t always play nicely without an isolator. And because the QAT is a full-size unit, I need to figure out where to put it in the radio corner without making a cluttered mess.
If anyone has tried using a music server or hi-fi recorder with the Pro 95 or other RadioShack scanners, I’d love to hear how you handled things like noise, cable routing or serial control. I’m planning to build this out soon. Thanks!
