Ghost Box Hacks: 01/10/15

How to hack a Radio Shack 12-150

Use a flat head screwdriver to break free the case screws as they are easily stripped. Once you have them free, you can use a Phillips head to back them all the way out. There will be a case screw in the battery compartment.
Gently pry the case apart and be careful to not break any of the solder connections holding the two sides of the case together.
Locate the GREEN circuit board inside, you can't miss it. In the center of that board, there will be a a square cut out with a couple wires running out from within the cut out to the board. Use that square cut out as your guide.
Using that cut out, locate the two rows of soldering pins in the picture above. Ignore the first set on the left that has 8 pins..
Pay attn to the second row of 9 soldering pins just to the right of that first set.
Use either a razor blade or an exacto knife to cut the trace on BOTH SIDES of the third pin from the left in that row of 9 pins. Right where those arrows are pointing to, that's where you want to make your cuts (in the picture above).
Cut the trace until you can see the copper underneath so there is no longer a connection to that pin. That's the mute pin and you are cutting the mute trace. Remember to do BOTH SIDES of that pin.
Place the case back together, and power it up, hit scan, and if it scans than you are done and can screw the case back down. If it doesn't scan, you didn't cut the trace well enough on both sides. If that's the case, keep trying until you can get it to scan.
Enjoy

Take out all case screws, there's one in the battery compartment.
Gently pry the radio apart, be careful to not break the solder joints at the battery terminal on the inside of the radio.
Looking at the inside, the top board needs to lift up. Lift that up to see the board underneath it. In the far back, on the side of the radio where the battery terminal is. There will be a set of multicolored wires connecting the top board to the board in your hand. On the bottom board, MUTE will be labeled.
Whichever wire is connected to where it says mute, cut that wire.
Place the board you are lifting up back in place and screw the case back down.
Enjoy.

Turbo Hack for this model coming soon!

-Wes King

Take out case screws, there will be one in the battery compartment.
Gently pry the case apart.
With the back off, you will looking at a circuit board. That board needs to lift, swinging left. Grab it from the right side and swing it left. If it is screwed down, take those screws out to free the board.
With that board swung up to the left side, pay attn to the wires on the left hand side that connects the board in your hand and the board in the radio. They will all be different colors.
Look on the board in the radio at the spot where that series of multicolored wires connects to that board, and it will be labeled. It will be labeled mute (3rd from the top) - should be connected to a red wire. That's the mute wire. Severe that w a razor blade or an exacto knife, finger nail clippers will even do the trick.
Put everything back how you found it and screw the case back down.
Enjoy