How to hack a Radio Shack 12-589

How to hack a radio shack 12-589

1. Take the case screws out, there should be one in the battery compartment. 

2. Pry the case apart and look around for two bundles of grey wires, one bundle will have 7 wires and the other will have 9 wires. The bundle on the left, will be the one with 7 wires, the second wire from the RIGHT in the bundle of 7 is the mute wire. You can cut that and call it a day.

BUT YOU HAVE TO UNSCREW THE TOP BOARD TO GET TO THOSE WIRES. This next method is much easier and it allows me to do this hack while I have the radio open in about 45 seconds tops. 

 

3. The easiest method is to sever the mute trace. 

Find the ground wire running to a set of solder joints. With the solder joint w the ground wire (sometimes a blue wire and sometimes it's black) attached to it being the first solder joint in that row. Count over to the 6th solder joint. The one right before the last one in the row. 

4. Take a hobby knife or razor blade and cut the trace on the inside of that solder joint. Cut it all the way so the trace no longer has a connection to that 6th solder joint. 

5. Turn the radio on and hold down scan for 2 seconds and let go and if it scans than you are done. If not, you didn't sever the trace well enough and go back in and cut it all the way. But do not cut through the circuit board. 

6. When done, screw it all back down. 

7. Enjoy