I like my Radio Shack scanners, but...

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nzo012

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... But, the noisy volume controls drives me crazy! I have had various base, mobile, and portable scanners from Radio Shack and not all of them, but almost every one of them has a volume control that sounds like it is horribly dirty, but it's not dirty. It usually starts to become noisy about a month or two from being brand new and it gets a little worse and worse until it is just plain scratchy when you adjust the volume. Contact cleaner and operating the control quiets it down for about a week then it comes right back. I sent my Pro-106 back for service and they replaced the control and that quieted it for about a month, then it started again. I just don't know what could be plaguing these controls that they develop this noise...and have developed this noise for so many years and through so many models? Do the GRE models do this too, or is it just Radio Shack? I have a Realistic base scanner that is 25 years old and it developed the same scratchy volume noise a couple of months after I took it out of the box and it still does it till this day. What gives, this crappy volume control ruins an otherwise perfect radio for me. Last year I asked on this board if anyone else was having the same noisy volume issues and everyone except one person answered that they did.
 

gewecke

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Cheap components by the manufacturer are my guess.


73,
n9zas
 

Chris45

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Consider...

... But, the noisy volume controls drives me crazy! I have had various base, mobile, and portable scanners from Radio Shack and not all of them, but almost every one of them has a volume control that sounds like it is horribly dirty, but it's not dirty. It usually starts to become noisy about a month or two from being brand new and it gets a little worse and worse until it is just plain scratchy when you adjust the volume. Contact cleaner and operating the control quiets it down for about a week then it comes right back. I sent my Pro-106 back for service and they replaced the control and that quieted it for about a month, then it started again. I just don't know what could be plaguing these controls that they develop this noise...and have developed this noise for so many years and through so many models? Do the GRE models do this too, or is it just Radio Shack? I have a Realistic base scanner that is 25 years old and it developed the same scratchy volume noise a couple of months after I took it out of the box and it still does it till this day. What gives, this crappy volume control ruins an otherwise perfect radio for me. Last year I asked on this board if anyone else was having the same noisy volume issues and everyone except one person answered that they did.

Sound quality is also affected by degradation within the systems we monitor as well as changes in our own hearing abilities.
 

fxdscon

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If you are a smoker, and in close proximity to your radios while smoking, that can contribute to it.
 

snorkle

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noisey volume control

Yes, I have a pro-106 and it came out of the box scratchy too. It has to be a cheap control. I have had mine for over 3 years now, so I ignore the noise when I turn it on and leave the volume setting to the loudness I want. The rest of the radio is great. The best scanner I have ever owned. And I have owned alot over the past 40 years.
wb2gye
 
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Do GRE scanners have the same problem? Yes!! My PSR-500 handheld developed the scratchy volume control after about 6 months. All this time I thought it was just me!

So far I haven't had any issues with my mobiles. The Pro-197 and PSR-410 have been scratchy control free.

As for environmental causes. I'm not a smoker and I always keep my radios clean.
 

RadioDaze

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My PSR-500 has the same problem. Another thing I dislike about it is that the rotation has no physical resistance at all, making it subject to being accidentally turned up or down, especially when using the belt clip. And it's extremely touchy in its first few degrees of rotation, going from too quiet to too loud within a very narrow range.

I don't smoke.
 

Rt169Radio

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Are you talking about the speaker inside the scanner? If not have you tried a external speaker?
 

vinzep491

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WD40 with a straw applicator will clear up your problems short term if you do not want to send i in for replacement.

This is a wide spread problem with the RS models, and I believe I've read alot on this issue in other threads.

Just clean it well and reapply as needed. Easiest fix, short of them making it right in the first place.
 

Ensnared

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RS Vs GRE

I recently had the opportunity to have a side-by-side comparison of a Pro-106 & PSR 500 when I picked up a radio for someone. Since both radios were programmed with the same exact Win500, the radio settings were ruled out. In my opinion, there was a significant difference between the audio quality with GRE being superior specific to crispness of audio and volume. But, neither unit had scratchy audio when the volume was turned up or down.

I've never ever experienced degraded audio on my GRE unit. I've had this unit for quite some time. It is as crisp as the day I bought it.

I also own a Pro-90 and Pro-2042 & never experienced dirty contact sounds.

I am familiar with dirty pots on JCM 900 Marshall Guitar amp, but I've never experienced such on my scanner. I guess I've been lucky.
 

pathalogical

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My 106 and PSR 300 suffer from this as well. From the off position, it usually occurs in the 1-3 range of volume setting. I'm a low volume listener, it doesn't need to be cranked, my usual volume setting is around 1. My guess is, if you're knob is always in the same position (volume level), this could be the cause of the scratchy noise. Ya don't use it, ya loose it ! Therefore you must work your knob by rotating it full up and full down a few times, this might temporarily clean things up.

My guitar amp knob is on 1, rotating it makes the same noise...cuz it's always on 1. My guitar volume knob, same thing. However, it is always on 10, fully cranked is mandatory !
 

vinzep491

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I still stick by wd40, I don't know why more people are not commenting on this yet.

It really is the cure for this disease.
 

gewecke

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I haven't experienced noisy pots on either my pro-197/ pro-106 ....but then I keep the dust bunnies at bay! :cool:

73,
n9zas
 

W4BOZ

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I still stick by wd40, I don't know why more people are not commenting on this yet.

It really is the cure for this disease.

I've been told by a lot of folks that WD-40 is not the way to go with stuff like this. From what I remember, it doesn't evaporate like a proper contact cleaner and can eventually gum up the pot or whatever you're using it on causing it to fail. Anyone else care to comment on this?

I use Deoxit D5 on every scratchy pot I encounter and it works really well for that and other issues with dirty electronics. The hardest part with the pots in RS and GRE scanners is that they're relatively sealed off. In the past I've taken a small syringe with a really thin sharp on it (with the end cut off) or an eyedropper in a pinch and used it to get contact cleaner in the small holes on the volume control inside the radio.

This has happened on both GRE and RS scanners I've owned. The GRE PSR-500 seemed to develop it a lot sooner than my RS Pro-96.
 

gewecke

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I've been told by a lot of folks that WD-40 is not the way to go with stuff like this. From what I remember, it doesn't evaporate like a proper contact cleaner and can eventually gum up the pot or whatever you're using it on causing it to fail. Anyone else care to comment on this?

I use Deoxit D5 on every scratchy pot I encounter and it works really well for that and other issues with dirty electronics. The hardest part with the pots in RS and GRE scanners is that they're relatively sealed off. In the past I've taken a small syringe with a really thin sharp on it (with the end cut off) or an eyedropper in a pinch and used it to get contact cleaner in the small holes on the volume control inside the radio.

This has happened on both GRE and RS scanners I've owned. The GRE PSR-500 seemed to develop it a lot sooner than my RS Pro-96.

You're right about WD40 not being the correct contact cleaner for electronics, but so many people are adopting it as a cure-all that I wasn't going to delve into this.
I have sources for better quality potentiometers that could replace the cheaper one's used by GRE , but I honestly haven't been wanting to try it yet.

73,
n9zas
 

ridgescan

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my old patrolman 6 and patrolman 9 multiband portables suffered from this but one shot of contact cleaner solved it. My pro 2066 and pro 62 never had this problem. I have heard that deoxit is great stuff.
 

ratboy

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I still stick by wd40, I don't know why more people are not commenting on this yet.

It really is the cure for this disease.

I wouldn't put WD40 anywhere on any radio I own. There are cleaners made that won't turn into s sticky mess after a while.
 

SquierStrat

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i would never use wd40 in an electronic device for cleaning, especially knowing that there are electronics specific contact cleaners on the market.

but yes, i have had this problem with a GRE PSR 100 and a PSR 500 in the past..
 
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