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CORDLESS MODIFICATIONS
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CORDLESS MODIFICATIONS
Souce: Monitoring Times Sept. 1990
By: Bob Kay
Reprinted By: John (Topol) Johnson, KWV8BP
of The Hotline BBS 304-736-9169
If you own a Pro-2004 Scanner radio, you're probably an experienced
radio surgeon. As you poked around the innards of the radio, you were
gaining valuable experience. Sure, snipping a diode was easy, but it
wasn't the only modification that required your attention. To add an
additional 100 channels, you needed a steady hand, a keen eye and a
thorough knowledge of soldering techniques. Now that you have
successfully completed your internship, why not use your newly
developed talents to extend the operating range of your cordless phone?
The entire operation will take less than an hour, and it can be
accomplished on your kitchen table.
We begin by taking apart the cordless handset. The screws that hold the
two halves together are usually hidden beneath the front panel. On most
handsets, a retaining screw is locatted under the plastic holder that
displays your telephone number. After the two sections have been
separated, remove the factory antenna and replace it with a 72"
telescoping whip antenna, Radio Shack part #270-1408. Reconnect the
antenna wire, assemble the handset, and check you work by making a call
to a friend.
The Base unit modification requires a little more expertise, but it is
certainly within the skill level of most scanner buffs. After taking the
base apart, remove the small antenna, and install a BNC chassis mount
connector into the existing antenna hole. If the connector won't fit
into this location, the hole can be enlarged, or you can drill a hole
and install the connector at a more suitable location. Don't forget to
solder the antenna wire to the center lug of the connector. Should the
wire be too sho rt, splice into and extend the length as needed. The
trick here is to keep the wire as short as possible. When the "mods" are
complete, reassemble the base and grab your ladder. For my cordless base
antenna, I chose "Cushcrafts" 10 meter, vertical ground plane. The
height of the antenna's vertical element can be changed by adjusting a
few screw clamps. I set the height at 10 feet and used 25 feet of RG-59
Coax. The Coax was temporarily routed through a window and connected to
the cordless base by using a solderless male BNC, Radio Shack #278-104.
You can eliminate the cost and inconvenience of erecting a seperate
antenna by simply hanging ten feet of wire along an outside wall of
your home. Solder the RG-59 directly to the wire and weatherproof the
connection.
The performance of my modified Cordless phone was oustanding. The
improved antenna system increased the operating distance to
approximately 3000 feet. It was now possible to answer my cordless
phone from across the street! However there were some disadvantages.
The increased transmitting range was also accompanied by an increase in
the reception range. On many occasions, I could hear voices of other
cordless phone users. And during several phone calls, I could actually
talk to a third party! Readers that live in Rural areas may not have
this problem. But if you live in the city or nearby suburbs, don't be
surprised if you suddenly find yourself talking to a complete stranger.
Scanner Buffs that live nearby will also enjoy the increased range and
clarity of your cordless signal. It's similar to a "catch 22" situation.
If you increase the operating range, you also increase the possibility
of being monitored..
This file was brought to you by, John Johnson, KWV8BP of The Hotline
BBS, give us a call, we have many files on Scanner & Radio related
subjects..
THE HOTLINE BBS 304-736-9169
2 phone lines, HST-14.4 Modems
Notes from John:
I also did these Mod's way back when I first got a cordless phone many
years back I accomplished a few phone calls from my cordless at ranges
of near a mile at times.. I wish to also note that this type of
modifications can also be done on Maxon type Communicators, this will
dramatically extend your ranges of Transmission and Reception, however
it is against the FCC rules to extend these types of transmissions..
Have fun and enjoy, any questions can be left to me most anywhere..
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