FYI: Exercise extreme caution: volume/squelch knob

[Boomeranger]

Just like my BC780XLT, the Pro-97 has the same core spindle channel for the volume and squelch knobs.

The nature of the beast is that a simple tip-over that lands on the volume knob can bend it so that turning up the volume will turn up the squelch at the same time, and visa-versa.

Don't ask how the BC780XLT base unit met it's fate! It was simple "Assholism."

Hasn't happened to the Pro-97, but probably will.

Andy
Scannist

 

[Dubbin]

Dont drop the radio and it wont happen. As a matter of fact I have never had this happen to any of the dozens of radios I have owned.

 

[Boomeranger]

Dont drop the radio and it wont happen. As a matter of fact I have never had this happen to any of the dozens of radios I have owned.

Don't drop the radio. How clever.

All of your dozens of radios don't have this design.

This is just an FYI post. If you feel this post is directed only at you, please seek medical attention.

Andy

 

[Dubbin]

:roll:

 

[dustin486]

I knew it looked like a bad idea to put both on the same knob

 

[RocketMan1]

Dont drop the radio and it wont happen. As a matter of fact I have never had this happen to any of the dozens of radios I have owned.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[mciupa]

Hasn't happened to the Pro-97, but probably will.

You're joking ? right ??

What sort of person would spend money on radios and treat them like **** ?

Thanks for the FYI on the spindle, only I think you gave us a little too
much information.

Wish I was as rich as you !

 

[whooey]

I don't think boomeranger meant anything bad, he was just giving all others a heads up. Since he has dropped on with a knob like that he learned the hard way what could happen. Therefore he was sharing his knowledge.

My .02,
Brandon

P.S. Like you give a $@#* about my .02!! LOL!! :lol:

 

[nd5y]

What sort of person would spend money on radios and treat them like **** ?

Ask anybody who is a tech or works in in any service industry.
People destroy all kinds of expensive stuff and then get really pissed
when it isn't replaced under warranty.

If they bought a new car and drove it off the dealership and wrecked it
and then went back to the dealer and demanded to have it replaced or
fixed for free they would be laughed at, but that is exactly what they do
with radios, cell phones, laptops and other stuff.

 

[John_M]

Just like my BC780XLT, the Pro-97 has the same core spindle channel for the volume and squelch knobs.

The nature of the beast is that a simple tip-over that lands on the volume knob can bend it so that turning up the volume will turn up the squelch at the same time, and visa-versa.

Don't ask how the BC780XLT base unit met it's fate! It was simple "Assholism."

Hasn't happened to the Pro-97, but probably will.

Andy
Scannist

Don't think like that, just be careful.

John

 

[Halfpint]

What sort of person would spend money on radios and treat them like **** ?

Ask anybody who is a tech or works in in any service industry.
People destroy all kinds of expensive stuff and then get really pissed
when it isn't replaced under warranty.

If they bought a new car and drove it off the dealership and wrecked it
and then went back to the dealer and demanded to have it replaced or
fixed for free they would be laughed at, but that is exactly what they do
with radios, cell phones, laptops and other stuff.

A M E N ! ! !

Sounds like you've also done your `share' of warranty work for `Adam Henrys', too. {WAN GRIN!}

Funny thing about the PRO-97, and apparently some Uniden models too, is that they actually *could* have made one `little?' `change' or `addition' to the unit that has the `side effect' of drastically, but *not* completely, reducing the chance that particular problem happening. I've got 4 different scanners from 2 makers that have it. All four, AOR AR-1000 and AR-1500, RELM/RacingElectronics HS-200 and RE-2000 have the `duplex' control mounted in between the antenna mount and a `tuning knob'! While *I* have been `lucky' and haven't had the AORs `take a dive' on me over all these years I *have* also been `unlucky' to have had *both* the HS-200 and the RE-2000 `take a dive' on me.

Both times it happened in a vehicle I happened to be driving as part of my job at the time. When I was using either one I usually had it clipped `into' the ashtray in the dash. While that is actually a quite safe location that usually takes a bit of work to remove the radio but, getting `T-boned' *will* `do the job'! Both times, I am *very* glad to say, both *I* and the radio managed to `walk away' intact! (The second `T-boning' was in a Explorer and I actually ended up rolling completely over and back onto the wheels! Even with all the stuff that was flying about in the interior I only suffered a few scratches and bruises whilst the radio just had the battery compartment pop open and the battery pack disgourged. I was actually able to find the pack and door and listened to the radio as the emergency personel was dispatched. I suppose I could have left the radio hooked up to the adapter but that would have meant turning the ignition back on and I *really* didn't think I wanted to do that preferring to just get away from the vehicle. While I couldn't, and wouldn't have if I could, get the gal who hit me out of her vehicle I *was* able to reach in and turn off her ignition, too. I didn't feel that we needed a possible `car-b-que'. [The company who owned the Explorer's insurance company agent was really freaked out that I basically walked away. {GRIN!!} But, like I explained to him, I had *just enough* `warning' that I was pretty much able to `roll with the events' and `duck' when I needed to. I didn't want to try and explain that way back in my `mis-spent youth' I actually used to roll old cars just for the fun of it after they had gotten to `clapped out' to be `repaired'. {CHORTLE!} On top of that I'd had a few wrecks sports and stock car racing and learned from those, too. I *will* say that I *definitely wouldn't* recommend trying that these days *and* also recommend that *everyone* should wear their seatbelts and drive `defensively!'! 20/20 hindsight can be such a wonderful thing as I now realize that with those old '40s and '50s cars I, and the rest of the group, were *very, very, very* `lucky' and living `proof' that "G_D protects `fools'' and `children'"! {WAN GRIN!} (Out of the 6 of us only one is dead and he `died at the hands of a jealous husband' for something he didn't do and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. {GRIMMACE!} Which is a whole `nother tale for a whole `nother time. Sometimes, when we manage to get together, we still wonder, "Why Bernie?". Of the 6 of us he was probably the least `rowdy' / `daring' one. And... *Don't* ask where *I* `rated'! You just might be very disappointed.) Yep! I *have* led an `interesting?' life! I hope to continue living an interesting life for as long as possible, too. After all, in the words of an old Mason Williams song, "Isn't life beautiful, isn't life gay? Isn't life the perfect thing to pass the time away?" {CHORTLE!}])

 

[kikito]

(The second `T-boning' was in a Explorer and I actually ended up rolling completely over and back onto the wheels! Even with all the stuff that was flying about in the interior I only suffered a few scratches and bruises whilst the radio just had the battery compartment pop open and the battery pack disgourged. I was actually able to find the pack and door and listened to the radio as the emergency personel was dispatched.

And the Hardcore ScannerHead award goes to: Halfpint!


Even after a rollover accident, you managed to put the radio back together and keep on listening!!! :wink: :lol:

 

[bsavery]

(The second `T-boning' was in a Explorer and I actually ended up rolling completely over and back onto the wheels! Even with all the stuff that was flying about in the interior I only suffered a few scratches and bruises whilst the radio just had the battery compartment pop open and the battery pack disgourged. I was actually able to find the pack and door and listened to the radio as the emergency personel was dispatched.

And the Hardcore ScannerHead award goes to: Halfpint!


Even after a rollover accident, you managed to put the radio back together and keep on listening!!! :wink: :lol:

lol... I can just picture him running up to the ambulance... "naw... I'm fine... but what talk group are ya'll on?" !!

:lol: :lol:

Bob

 

[eyes00only]

Don't ask how the BC780XLT base unit met it's fate! It was simple "Assholism."
Scannist

Before "Da Man" locks this forum out, I just wanted to say " I hate that when it happens :lol: .

Jerry

 

[eyes00only]

Sounds like you've also done your `share' of warranty work for `Adam Henrys', too. {WAN GRIN!}

Gee, even us Alpha Hotels have legitimate questions sometimes :wink: .

Jerry

 

[markle]

Radios sometime do go to ground. Didn't have my 780 a week when it hit the ground bending the volume/squelch knob. To set the squelch, I hold the volume knob steady and turn the squelch apparatus. The radio has a "nice" look with the volume/squelch pointing up.

My best drop was a few years ago after watching/monitoring trains. Put the PRO 92 on the roof of my car while putting my camera inside. Off I went. At about 50 MPH my wife and I heard a noise and through the rear view mirror I saw the radio bouncing down the road. The battery compartment was opened and the batteries were scattered all over. Putting everything back together, I held my breath and turned it on. Despite some scratches, it worked and still works well.

With no drops and better care than I gave my own kids, all the rubber bumpers on my PRO 96 have all fallen off. Don't build them like they used to.
This radio gets its "nice" look from the electrical tape which has replaced the bumpers. Despite the lack of rubber bumpers, it's the best scanner I've owned. Works great on the APCO 25 systems with great volume/clarity.

 

[Halfpint]

(The second `T-boning' was in a Explorer and I actually ended up rolling completely over and back onto the wheels! Even with all the stuff that was flying about in the interior I only suffered a few scratches and bruises whilst the radio just had the battery compartment pop open and the battery pack disgourged. I was actually able to find the pack and door and listened to the radio as the emergency personel was dispatched.

And the Hardcore ScannerHead award goes to: Halfpint!


Even after a rollover accident, you managed to put the radio back together and keep on listening!!! :wink: :lol:

lol... I can just picture him running up to the ambulance... "naw... I'm fine... but what talk group are ya'll on?" !!

:lol: :lol:

Bob

Actually it was fairly easy finding the battery pack since it had somehow managed to end up wedged between the cushion and back of what was left of the passenger side front seat. The cover was a bit harder. I finally found it when I went to dig out my registration out of the pile of stuff that had dumped out of the glove box. It was between the floor mat and the tunnel carpeting. (The floor mats were those kind that are sort of `tray like' molded things.) For some reason I happened to look down next to the tunnel and I saw this piece of black plastic I didn't quite recognize and when I dug it out it turned out to be the door. In a way it was my searching for the registration that caused me to find both and I was *very* amazed that I *had* found them at both that time and a few days later after I'd had time to think about it. (I also think that it was SWMBO's remarking on my finding both of them several times during those days that also increased my `amazment factor, too.)

As for my *supposed* `running up to the ambulance crew and saying... "naw... I'm fine... but what talk group are ya'll on?" !!... Nope! After the first hectic moments had passed and what had happened finally `hit' me all I really was able to do was sit there off to the side listening to the radio and shaking like crazy. Besides, the radio was a RE-2000 and wasn't capable of trunking and the system that I was monitoring was a VHF-Hi system. Oh, and I would *really* like to thank whomever it was who called in the accident! Never did find out and I actually tried with basically no luck. I *did* thank the couple other people who stopped to help *and* the two EMTs who helped me make it to the ambulance because I was still way too shaky to navigate on my own. I figure, and they did too, that between what I knew about `shock' and my listening to the radio I was able to pretty much keep quite a bit `at bay' so to speak. Even with all from my `mis-spent youth' I'd learned about accidents and my attitude of "*this* isn't going to get me down I'm going to lick it!" it was a very traumatic experience. It *wasn't* because I was a `scanner head' that I listened. If I hadn't been lucky and found the pieces of the radio and gotten it working I would have tried something else to keep me `focused' and `awake' / `alert'. The whole time I felt, to paraphrase a line from "The Hithhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", `Like a military academy, bits-n-pieces' of me kept passing out'. {WAN GRIN!}

Oh, I *did* manage to keep that part time job, BTW. My boss was a pretty understanding guy. Also the gal who hit me manage to come through in pretty good shape. Ended up with only a broken foot and lots of bruises. She *did* get `the book' thrown at her, though.