Greetings folks - after a very brief bout with some not-so-technical support I turn to you the experts for advice and guidance.
A while back I was in need of a basic "no frills" scanner to pull in some Fire/EMS stuff in my area. I tuned to e-bay for help.
I ended up getting a nice RS Pro 2044 (for which I am also looking for a manual but I digress)
This particular auction also included an RCA RP-6150 hand held scanner w/ no antenna. It was clearly represented by the seller as "works intermittently".
Now me in my naiveté thought "well that's because there's no antenna - silly guy"
After receiving my new goodies I went out an slapped a nice RS scanner antenna on the RCA, poked in some fresh batteries, and programmed in a couple of frequencies. Lo & behold it scanned and received like a champ . . . . for about 2 minutes.
At this point it still appears to be scanning but it never locks in on anything. I even "forced" it to the weather frequency and nothing - I have adjusted the external squelch and that's also not the problem.
Here is where the fun starts - I called the 888 number on the scanner and was greeted by a very nice lady w/ Thomson Consumer Electronics. After a quick conversation she informed me that this product had been discontinued some 8-10 years ago and that no source of support / repair was available. Her only suggestion was to take it to a CB / Radio repair shop.
Here is where you come in - is it really worth what they would charge to repair this unit (provided it CAN be repaired) or should I just toss it on e-bay for parts and look for a new hand held ?
Aside from missing the antenna & A/C power adapter - the unit look fresh out of the box. No wear, no scratches, nothing.
BTW - if one of you here happen to be the guy who sold me these scanners - I'm still satisfied w/ the deal. The Pro 2044 was still a heckuva deal even w/o the RCA Unit.
A while back I was in need of a basic "no frills" scanner to pull in some Fire/EMS stuff in my area. I tuned to e-bay for help.
I ended up getting a nice RS Pro 2044 (for which I am also looking for a manual but I digress)
This particular auction also included an RCA RP-6150 hand held scanner w/ no antenna. It was clearly represented by the seller as "works intermittently".
Now me in my naiveté thought "well that's because there's no antenna - silly guy"
After receiving my new goodies I went out an slapped a nice RS scanner antenna on the RCA, poked in some fresh batteries, and programmed in a couple of frequencies. Lo & behold it scanned and received like a champ . . . . for about 2 minutes.
At this point it still appears to be scanning but it never locks in on anything. I even "forced" it to the weather frequency and nothing - I have adjusted the external squelch and that's also not the problem.
Here is where the fun starts - I called the 888 number on the scanner and was greeted by a very nice lady w/ Thomson Consumer Electronics. After a quick conversation she informed me that this product had been discontinued some 8-10 years ago and that no source of support / repair was available. Her only suggestion was to take it to a CB / Radio repair shop.
Here is where you come in - is it really worth what they would charge to repair this unit (provided it CAN be repaired) or should I just toss it on e-bay for parts and look for a new hand held ?
Aside from missing the antenna & A/C power adapter - the unit look fresh out of the box. No wear, no scratches, nothing.
BTW - if one of you here happen to be the guy who sold me these scanners - I'm still satisfied w/ the deal. The Pro 2044 was still a heckuva deal even w/o the RCA Unit.