OWNER'S MANUAL -c PRO-2037 Programmable Scanner Please read before using this equipment. - \ 1- ~ ~~-.£~~ ~ . =- ~~ ~V~· \0 .,.. ~ "''''''~ . @) F- ~~ 0,-' ~'~/ """~ () "'" ,.., ~O~0"" ...• 0011 @ ~ '40~~ ()~o~ / .CXllO-12D V- •...--- Cat. No.
INTRODUCTION Your new Radio Shack PRO-2037 Programmable Scanner lets you in on all the action! This scanner gives you direct access to more than 31,000 frequencies that include police and fire departments, aircraft communications, amateur radio, and ambulance and transportation services. You can select up to 200 channels to scan and you can change your selection at any time. The secret to your scanner's ability to scan so many frequencies is its custom-designed microprocessor-a tiny, built-in computer.
Your PRO-2037 covers the following bands: 30 - 50 MHz (VHF Lo) 50 - 54 MHz (6-Meter Ham Band) 118 - 136.975 MHz (Aircraft) 137 -144 MHz (Government) 144 - 148 MHz (2-Meter Ham Band) 148 -174 MHz (VHF Hi) 380 - 450 MHz (Ham Radio and Government) 450 - 470 MHz (UHF Lo) 470 - 512 MHz (UHF TV) FCC NOTICE Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference, even when it is operating properly. To determine whether your scanner is causing the interference, turn off your scanner.
• CONTENTS PREPARATION Connecting the Antenna Connecting an Optional Antenna Connecting Power Connecting AC Power Connecting DC Power Resetting and Initializing the Scanner Resetting the Scanner's Display Initializing the Scanner Connecting Headphones Listening Safely Traffic Safety Connecting an External Speaker 6 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER A Look at the Keyboard A Look at the Display 11 11 12 UNDERSTANDING MEMORY Channel-Storage Banks Monitor Memories 13 13 13 OPERATION Tu
SPECIAL FEATURES Changing the AM/FM Mode Delay Locking Out a Channel Priority Using the ATT Switch 18 18 18 19 19 20 A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING Guide to Frequencies National Weather Frequencies Ham Radio Frequencies Birdies Guide to the Action Bands Typical Band Usage Primary Usage Specified Intervals Band Allocation Frequency Conversion 21 21 21 21 22 23 23 24 24 25 27 TROUBLESHOOTING 28 CARE AND MAINTENANCE 29 SPECIFICATIONS 30 5
PREPARATION This scanner is primarily designed for use in the home as a base station. You can place it on a desk, shelf, or table. Your scanner's front feet fold up or down. Adjust them to give you the best view of the display. The scanner's sensitivity depends on the antenna's length and various environmental conditions. For the best reception of the transmissions you want to hear, adjust the antenna length.
To connect an optional antenna, always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG58 or RG-8. For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If the coaxial cable's connector does not fit in the ANT jack, you might also need a PL-259-to-BNC antenna plug adapter, such as Cat. No. 278120. Your local Radio Shack store carries a wide variety of coaxial antenna cable and connectors. Follow the mounting instructions supplied with the antenna.
Connecting DC Power You can power your scanner from your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket using a DC adapter (Radio Shack Cat. No. 270-1533). Cautions: • The vehicle must have a 12-volt, negative ground electrical system. • You must use a DC adapter that supplies 12 volts and delivers at least 500mA and its plug must correctly fit the DC 13.8 V jack on the back of the scanner. The recommended adapter meets these specifications.
Initializing the Scanner Caution: This procedure clears all information you programmed in the scanner's memory. Initialize the scanner only when you are sure the scanner is not working properly. Insert the headphones' plug into the {\ jack on the front of the scanner. 1. Turn off the scanner, then turn it on again. 2. Press and hold down CLEAR and insert a pointed object, such as a straightened paper clip, into the RESET hole on the back of the scanner.
Traffic Safety Do not wear headphones while operating a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle. This can create a traffic hazard and is illegal in some areas. Even though some headphones are designed to let you hear some outside sounds when listening at normal volume levels, they still present a traffic hazard. CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL SPEAKER You can speaker scanner. speaker watts of connect an optional extemal with a 1/s-inch plug to the Use an 8-ohm external capable of handling over 5 power, such as Cat. No.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER A LOOK AT THE KEYBOARD A quick glance at this section should help you understand each key's function. SCAN LIMIT AM/FM 1-20 41-60 21-40 0 0 0 CD @ 0 @ 0 8) ® 0 ® 0 0 ® 0 0 0 @ (0 MANUAL CLEAR DELAY MONITOR PROGRAM 181-200 the pro- MANUAL - stops scanning to let you directly enter a channel number. LOCK OUT - lets you lock out selected channels. DELAY - programs a 2-second delay for the selected channel. LIMIT - sets the frequency range you want to search. .•.
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY The display has several indicators that show the scanner's current operating mode. A quick look at the display will help you understand how to operate your scanner. MANUAL SCAN SEARCH MONITOR BANK 1 2 8 9 10 DELAY PROGRAM FM LI LI LI CHLI LI LI LI LI LI 0 AM LOCK-OUT . appears when you manually select a channel. appears 5 6 7 .-, _ .-, _ n _ .-, _' n _ .-,_ Il MANUAL - SCAN - 4 ---------- i' .-, _ ri _ .-, _ PRIORITY ~ 3 when you scan channels.
UNDERSTANDING MEMORY You can store frequencies into either a permanent memory location, called a channel, or a temporary memory location, called a monitor memory. You can store up to 200 channels and 10 monitor memories. CHANNEL-STORAGE BANKS To make it easier to identify and select the channels you listen to most often, channels are divided into 10 channel-storage banks (1 to 10) of 20 channels each.
OPERATION TURNING ON THE SCANNER/SETTING VOLUME AND SQUELCH 1. Turn SQUELCH wise. fully counterclock- SQUELCH 2. Turn VOLUME clockwise until you hear a hissing sound. The scanner automatically scans all 10 banks. VOLUME 3. Slowly turn SQUELCH clockwise, then leave it set to a point just after the hissing stops. Note: If the scanner picks up unwanted weak transmissions, turn SQUELCH clockwise to decrease the scanner's sensitivity to these signals.
To tum on banks while scanning, press the bank's number key until the bar appears under the bank's number. 4. Press ENTER quency. STORING FREQUENCIES Good references for active frequencies are Radio Shack's "Police Call Radio Guide Including Fire and Emergency Services," "Official Aeronautical Frequency Directory," and "Maritime Frequency Directory." We update these directories every year, so be sure to get a current copy. See also "Guide to the Action Bands" in this manual.
Limit Search Limit search lets you search for active frequencies within a range you select, so you can choose which ones you want to store. 6. Press .• to search from the to the upper limit, or press search from the upper to the limit. -L-, SEARCH, and .• appear on the display. MONITOR Note: You can use the scanner's delay feature while using limit search (see "Delay"). Follow these steps to search for active frequencies. 1. Press PROGRAM, then LIMIT. Lo appears on the display.
3. Press .•. to search up or ..•• to search down from the frequency. -d-, SEARCH, and .•. or ..•.appear on the display. MONITOR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 X SEARCH! - d- "_'lInnnn I II.LILIUu MONITOR FM 4. When the scanner finds an active frequency, it stops searching. To save the frequency into a current monitor memory, press MONITOR. The bar under the memory number stops flashing. 5. Press .•. or ..•• again to continue searching for more active frequencies.
SPECIAL FEATURES CHANGING THE AM/FM MODE We designed your scanner to automatically select the most common receive mode for each frequency range. The default settings are: FREQUENCY (MHz) RECEIVE MODE 30.000 - 54.000 FM If you press AMlFM during a limit or direct search, the scanner no longer uses the default AM/FM mode for each frequency. The scanner keeps searching for frequencies in the selected mode and AM or FM blinks on the display.
To program a 2-second delay for any active frequency while searching, press DELAY until DELAY appears on the display. When your scanner stops on a frequency, it waits for 2 seconds after each transmission before it resumes searching. To turn off the programmed delay on any active channel, press DELAY while the channel is still active. DELAY disappears from the display. LOCKING OUT A CHANNEL You can scan channels faster by locking out those that have a continuous transmission, such as a weather channel.
USING THE ATT SWITCH You can set ATT to 1 Oc;IB to reduce interference or noise caused by signals from a strong local broadcast, or to OdB to increase the reception of weak signals ATT OdB 10dB ILJIIIIlJI Note: With the switch set to 10dB, your scanner might not receive weak signals.
A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly "Iine-of-sight." That means you usually cannot hear stations that are beyond the horizon. During the summer months, you might be able to hear stations in the 30 - 50 MHz range located several hundred or even thousands of miles away. This is because of summer atmospheric conditions. This type of reception is unpredictable but often very interesting! GUIDE TO FREQUENCIES National Weather Frequencies 161.650 MHz 162.
BIRDIES Birdies are frequencies your scanner uses when it operates. These operating frequencies might interfere with broadcasts on the same frequencies. If you program one of these frequencies, the scanner locks up and you hear only noise on that frequency. If the interference is not severe, you might be able to rotate SQUELCH clockwise to cut out the birdie. The most common birdies to watch for are listed below. Birdie Frequencies: 32.100 32.250 42.975 44.085 48.185 52.400 MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz MHz 150.
GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS Typical Band Usage VHF Band (30.00-300.0 MHz) Low Range 6-Meter Amateur Aircraft U.S. Government 2-Meter Amateur High Range (30.00 - 50.00 (50.00 - 54.00 (108.00 - 136.00 (137.00 -144.00 (144.00 -148.00 (148.00 - 174.00 MHz) MHz) MHz) MHz) MHz) MHz) (380.00 (406.00 (420.00 (450.00 (470.00 (806.00 (851.00 (856.00 (861.00 (866.00 (894.01 (902.00 (935.00 (940.00 (941.00 (944.00 (952.
Primary Usage As a general rule, most of the radio activity is concentrated on the following frequencies: VHF Band Activities Frequencies Government, Police, and Fire Emergency Services 153.785 - 155.980 MHz 158.730 - 159.460 MHz Railroad 160.000 - 161.900 MHz UHF Band Activities Land-Mobile Paired Frequencies Base Stations Mobile Units Relay Repeater Units Remote Control Stations Frequencies 450.000 - 470.000 MHz 451.025 456.025 460.025 465.025 - 454.950 459.950 464.975 469.
BAND ALLOCATION To help decide which frequency ranges to scan, use the following listing of the typical services that use the frequencies your scanner receives. These frequencies are subject to change, and might vary from area to area. For a more complete listing, refer to the "Police Call Radio Guide including Fire and Emergency Services," available at your local Radio Shack store.
6-Meter Amateur Band - (50--54 MHz) 162.6875-163.225 50.00--54.00 HAM Aircraft Band (108-136 MHz) 108.000--121.490 AIR 121.500 121.51 0--136.000 U.S. Govemment 137.000--144.000 AIR Emergency AIR Band (138-144 MHz) GOVT, MIL 2-Meter Amateur Band (144-148 144.000--148.000......................... VHF-Hi BAND (148-174 MHz) . HAM MED 163.275-166.225 GOVT, MIL, USXX 166.250 GOVT, RTV, FIRE 166.275-169.400 GOVT, BIFC 169.445 169.500 169.505 Wireless Mikes GOVT Wireless Mikes 169.55-169.
FM-TV Audio Broadcast. MHz) (Channels UHF Wide Band (470-512 475.750 481.750 487.750 FREQUENCY CONVERSION 14 through 69 in 6 MHz steps) Channel 14 . Channel 15 __ __ __.. 805.750 .. Channel 16 . __..__. Channel 69 The tuning location of a station can be expressed in frequency (kHz or MHz) or in wavelength (meters). The following information can help you make the necessary conversions. Note: Some cities use the 470-512 MHz band for land/mobile service.
, TROUBLESHOOTING Your PRO-2037 Programmable Scanner should require very little maintenance. If you have problems, refer to this chart for possible solutions. Problem Scanner is totally inoperative. Poor or no reception. Probable Cause Solution The AC plug is not properly connected. Check to see that the scanner is plugged into a working AC outlet. The optional DC power adapter is not properly connected. Check to be sure the adapter is fully inserted into the DC 13.8V jack.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your Radio Shack PRO-2037 Programmable Scanner is an example of superior design and craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you care for your scanner so you can enjoy it for years. Keep the scanner dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. Liquids can contain minerals that can corrode the electronic circuits. Handle the scanner gently and carefully. Dropping it can damage circuit boards and cases and can cause the scanner to work improperly.
SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage 30 - 54 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 118.0000 - 136.9750 MHz (in 25 kHz steps) 137.0000 -174.0000 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 380.0000 - 512.0000 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) 806.0000 - 823.9875 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) 849.0125 - 868.9875 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) 894.0125 - 960.0000 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) Channels of Operation 200 Channels in any band (20 channels x 10 banks) plus 10 monitor memories Sensitivity (FM - 20 dB (S+N)/N at 3 kHz deviation): 30 - 54 MHz 1 /lV 118-136.975 MHz 1).
NOTES 31
.• RADIO SHACK LIMITED WARRANTY This product is warranted against defects for 1 year from date of purchase from Radio Shack company-owned stores and authorized Radio Shack franchisees and dealers. Within this period, we will repair it without charge for parts and labor. Simply bring your Radio Shack sales slip as proof of purchase date to any Radio Shack store. Warranty does not cover transportation costs. Nor does it cover a product subjected to misuse or accidental damage.
