20-314.fm Page 1 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Owner’s Manual Cat. No. 20-314 PRO-79 200-Channel VHF/Air/UHF Handheld Scanner Please read before using this equipment.
0-314.fm Page 2 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM FEATURES Your new RadioShack PRO-79 200 Channel VHF/Air/UHF Handheld Scanner lets you scan conventional transmissions, and is preprogrammed with search banks for convenience. By pressing a single button, you can quickly search those frequencies most commonly used by public service and other agencies without tedious and complicated programming.
20-314.fm Page 3 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Weather Alert — the scanner automatically sounds an alert when it receives a weather emergency signal, providing more complete information about weather conditions in your immediate area. Weather Band Key — scans seven preprogrammed weather frequencies to keep you informed about current weather conditions.
20-314.fm Page 4 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Key Confirmation Tones — the scanner sounds a confirmation tone when you perform an operation correctly, and an error tone if you make an error. Three Power Options — you can power the scanner from internal (rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries) or external AC or DC power (using an optional AC or DC adapter).
20-314.fm Page 5 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Note: Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a permit in some areas. Check the laws in your area. SCANNING LEGALLY Your scanner covers frequencies used by many different groups including police and fire departments, ambulance services, government agencies, private companies, amateur radio services, military operations, pager services, and wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers.
20-314.fm Page 6 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM CONTENTS Preparation ............................................................................ 8 Installing Batteries ............................................................ 8 Using AC Power ................................................................ 9 Using Vehicle Battery Power ............................................. 9 Charging Rechargeable Batteries .................................. 10 Connecting an Antenna .........................
20-314.fm Page 7 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Special Features .................................................................. Delay ............................................................................... Locking Out Channels or Frequencies ............................ Locking Out Channels ................................................. Locking Out Frequencies ............................................ Reviewing Locked-Out Frequencies ...........................
20-314.fm Page 8 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM PREPARATION Note: If the scanner’s display locks up or does not work properly after you connect a power source, you might need to reset or initialize the scanner. Important: If you have problems, first try to reset the scanner (see “Resetting the Scanner” on Page 26). If that does not work, you can initialize the scanner (see “Initializing the Scanner” on Page 26); however, this clears all information stored in your scanner’s memory.
20-314.fm Page 9 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM When B appears on the display and the scanner beeps continuously, or if the scanner stops operating properly, replace the batteries. Warning: Dispose of old batteries promptly and properly. Do not burn or bury them. Caution: If you do not plan to use the scanner with batteries for a month or more, remove the batteries. Batteries can leak chemicals that can destroy electronic parts.
20-314.fm Page 10 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Cautions: You must use a power source that supplies 9V DC and delivers at least 300 mA. Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must fit the scanner's PWR jack. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the scanner or the adapter. ! • Always connect the DC adapter to the scanner before you connect it to the power source.
20-314.fm Page 11 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Note: Ni-Cd batteries last longer and deliver more power if you occasionally let them fully discharge. To do this, simply use the scanner until B appears on the display. Then fully charge the batteries. 22 1- Important: This radio can use Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries. At the end of a Ni-Cd battery's useful life, it must be recycled or disposed of properly.
20-314.fm Page 12 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Connecting an Outdoor Antenna Instead of the supplied antenna, you can connect an outdoor base-station or mobile antenna (not supplied) to your scanner using a BNC connector. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of antennas. Choose the one that best meets your needs. When deciding on a mobile or base-station antenna and its location, consider these points: • The antenna should be as high as possible on the vehicle or building.
20-314.fm Page 13 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Warning: Use extreme caution when you install or remove an outdoor antenna. If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead power lines. If the antenna touches a power line, contact with the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can cause electrocution and death. Call the power company to remove the antenna. DO NOT attempt to do so yourself.
20-314.fm Page 14 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Traffic Safety • Do not use an earphone/headphones with your scanner when operating a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle in or near traffic. Doing so can create a traffic hazard and could be illegal in some areas. • If you use an earphone/headphones with your scanner while riding a bicycle, be very careful. Do not listen to a continuous transmission.
20-314.fm Page 15 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER Once you understand a few simple terms we use in this manual and familiarize yourself with your scanner’s features, you can put the scanner to work for you. You simply determine the type of communications you want to receive, then set the scanner to scan them. A frequency is the tuning location of a station (expressed in kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies, you can use the search function.
20-314.fm Page 16 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM BAND Lets you search the scanner’s preprogrammed service-search banks. PRI/ALERT Turns the priority feature on and off; turns the WX alert mode on and off. WX Scans the seven preprogrammed weather channels. SCAN Scans any preprogrammed channels. MAN Stops scanning and lets you directly enter a channel number. Number Keys ▼/▲ Each key has single-digit (0 to 9) and a range of numbers.
20-314.fm Page 17 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY The display has indicators that show the scanner’s current operating status. This quick look at the display will help you understand how your scanner operates. Appears when you lock the keypad. ▼ /▲ Indicates the search or scan direction. AIR Indicates that the scanner is searching the air service bank. ALErt Appears when the weather alert is on. -b- Appears during a service bank frequency search.
20-314.fm Page 18 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM dEFAULt Appears when you remove all the lock-outs from the service bank frequencies. D-Err Appears when the scanner receives a data error during wired programming. DLY Appears when you program a 2-second delay. End Appears when the scanner has finished wired programming. Error Appears when you make an entry error. FD/PD Indicates that the scanner is searching the fire/ police service bank.
20-314.fm Page 19 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM on tonE Appears when you turn the key tone on. P Appears when the scanner is tuned to the priority channel. PGM Appears when you program frequencies into the scanner’s channels. PRI Appears when the priority feature is turned on. SCAN Appears when the scanner scans channels. SRCH Appears during service bank and direct frequency searches. StArt Appears when the scanner starts wired programming.
-314.fm Page 20 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Service Banks The scanner is preprogrammed with the frequencies allocated by fire/police, aircraft, ham radio, and marine services. This is handy for quickly finding active frequencies instead of searching through an entire band (see “Searching the Service Banks” on Page 28). Note: The frequencies in the scanner’s service banks are preset. You cannot change them. Fire/Police Group Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz) 1 33.420–33.980 20 37.020–37.
20-314.fm Page 21 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Group Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz) 3 453.0375–453.9625 12.5 458.0375–458.9625 12.5 460.0125–460.6375 12.5 465.0125–465.6375 12.5 Air Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz) 108.000–136.9875 12.5 Amateur Radio Group Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz) 1 29.000–29.700 5 2 50.000–54.000 5 3 144.000–148.000 5 4 420.000–450.000 12.5 Marine Channel Frequency (MHz) 06 156.3000 07 156.3500 08 156.4000 09 156.4500 10 156.
20-314.fm Page 22 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM 22 Channel Frequency (MHz) 14 156.7000 15 156.7500 16 156.8000 17 156.8500 18 156.9000 19 156.9500 20 157.0000/161.6000 21 157.0500 22 157.1000 23 157.1500 24 157.2000/161.8000 25 157.2500/161.8500 26 157.3000/161.9000 27 157.3500/161.9500 28 157.4000/162.0000 64 156.2250 65 156.2750 66 156.3250 67 156.3750 68 156.4250 69 156.4750 70 156.5250 71 156.5750 72 156.6250 73 156.6750 74 156.7250 77 156.
20-314.fm Page 23 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Channel Frequency (MHz) 78 156.9250 79 156.9750 80 157.0250 81 157.0750 82 157.1250 83 157.1750 84 157.2250/161.8250 85 157.2750/161.8750 86 157.3250/161.9250 87 157.3750/161.9750 88 157.
20-314.fm Page 24 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM MONITOR MEMORIES The scanner has 20 monitor memories that you can use to temporarily store frequencies while you decide whether to save them into channels. This is handy for quickly storing an active frequency when you are searching through an entire band. You can store a frequency into a monitor memory during a service bank, or direct search. See “Finding and Storing Active Frequencies” on Page 28.
20-314.fm Page 25 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM OPERATION TURNING ON THE SCANNER/SETTING VOLUME AND SQUELCH 1. Turn SQUELCH fully counterclockwise (until the indicator points to MIN) before you turn on the scanner. 2. To turn on the scanner, turn VOLUME clockwise until you hear a hissing sound. 3. Turn SQUELCH clockwise, just until the hissing sound stops. Notes: • To listen to a weak or distant station, turn SQUELCH counterclockwise.
20-314.fm Page 26 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Resetting the Scanner 1. Turn off the scanner, then turn it on again. 2. Insert a pointed object, such as a straightened paper clip, into the reset opening on the side of the scanner (as shown). Then gently press the reset button inside the opening. Information disappears from the display as you press the reset button. Note: If the scanner still does not work properly, you might need to initialize the scanner (see “Initializing the Scanner”).
20-314.fm Page 27 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM STORING KNOWN FREQUENCIES INTO CHANNELS Good references for active frequencies are the RadioShack Police Call 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. Follow these steps to store frequencies into channels. 1.
20-314.fm Page 28 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM • Press DELAY if you want the scanner to pause 2 seconds on this channel before it proceeds to the next channel after a transmission ends (see “Delay” on Page 36). The scanner also stores this setting in the channel. 4. To program the next channel in sequence, press PGM and repeat Steps 2 and 3. FINDING AND STORING ACTIVE FREQUENCIES Searching the Service Banks Your scanner contains groups of preset frequencies called service banks.
20-314.fm Page 29 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM • To pause the search while receiving a signal, press ▲ or ▼. To resume searching, hold down ▲ or ▼. • To quickly move up or down through the frequencies, hold down ▲ or ▼. The scanner tunes through the frequencies until you release ▲ or ▼. • If necessary, you can select search groups using the number keys. 3. When the scanner finds an active frequency, it stops searching and displays the frequency’s number.
20-314.fm Page 30 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Note: You can use the scanner’s delay feature while using direct search. 1. Press MAN then enter the frequency (including the decimal point) you want to use as a starting point for the search. Note: To start from a frequency already stored in one of your scanner’s channels, press MAN and enter the desired channel number, then press MAN again. 2. Hold down ▲ or ▼ for about 1 second to search up or down. –d–, SRCH, and ▲ or ▼ appear.
20-314.fm Page 31 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM • If you entered a frequency that is already stored in another channel, -dUPL- (duplicate) and the lowestnumbered channel containing the duplicate frequency flash on the display for about 3 seconds. If you want to store the frequency anyway, press ENT again. 4. To store the displayed frequency in a monitor memory, press MON/CL. M, the monitor memory number, and the frequency flash twice. 5.
20-314.fm Page 32 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM 2. Press MON/CL. M, a monitor memory number, and CH flash, and the frequency in the selected monitor memory appears. 3. Enter the desired monitor memory’s number (1–20), then press MON/CL again. The selected monitor memory’s frequency appears. 4. Press ENT. The scanner stores the frequency in the selected channel. 5. To move another monitor memory frequency to the next channel, press PGM and repeat Steps 2–4.
20-314.fm Page 33 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM TURNING CHANNEL-STORAGE BANKS OFF AND ON Channel-storage banks (1–10) are on when they have a bar underneath them and off when no bar appears underneath them. To turn off a channel-storage bank, press SCAN to see which banks are currently on, then press the bank’s number key. The bar under the bank’s number disappears. Note: The scanner does not scan any of the channels within the banks you have turned off.
20-314.fm Page 34 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM CLEARING A STORED CHANNEL If you no longer want a frequency stored in a channel (and you do not want to replace that frequency with a different one), follow these steps to clear the stored frequency. 1. Press MAN to stop scanning. 2. To select the desired channel number, use the number keys to enter that channel number (1–200). 3. Press PGM. PGM appears. 4. Press 0 then ENT. The frequency number changes to 000.0000 to indicate the channel is cleared. 5.
20-314.fm Page 35 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Your scanner should stop within a few seconds on your local weather broadcast. If the broadcast is weak, you can press WX again to resume scanning. Channel Frequency (MHz) 1 162.400 2 162.425 3 162.450 4 162.475 5 162.500 6 162.525 7 162.550 WX Alert Your scanner’s WX alert warns you of serious weather conditions by sounding an alarm if a National Weather Service broadcaster in your area broadcasts a weather alert tone.
20-314.fm Page 36 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM SPECIAL FEATURES DELAY Many agencies use a two-way radio system that has a period of several seconds between a query and a reply. To avoid missing a reply, you can program a 2-second delay into any channel or set a delay for all frequencies.
20-314.fm Page 37 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM To remove the lockout from a channel, manually select that channel again, then hold down L/O/L/O RVW until L/O disappears. Notes: • Your scanner automatically locks out empty channels. • You can still manually select locked-out channels. Locking Out Frequencies To lock out a frequency during a service bank or direct search, press L/O/L/O RVW when the scanner stops on that frequency. The scanner locks out the frequency then continues searching.
20-314.fm Page 38 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Removing Lockouts From All Frequencies in All Service Banks Notes: • These steps do not clear any lockouts in the marine service bank. • If you locked out frequencies which are within the range of any of the service banks during direct search, the scanner also removes those locked-out frequencies when you use these steps. For example, if you lockout 29.000 MHz during direct search, the scanner removes it since 29.
20-314.fm Page 39 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Note: If you program a weather frequency into the priority channel and the scanner detects a WX alert tone on that frequency (see “WX Alert” on Page 35), the scanner sounds the alert tone and ALErt flashes. Press any key to turn off the alarm. USING THE DISPLAY BACKLIGHT You can turn on the display’s backlight for easy viewing in the dark. Press LIGHT to turn on the light for 5 seconds. To turn off the light sooner, press LIGHT again.
20-314.fm Page 40 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM To turn on the keylock, hold down for about 3 seconds until the scanner beeps three times and appears. To turn it off, hold down for about 3 seconds until the scanner beeps three times and disappears. AVOIDING IMAGE FREQUENCIES You might discover one of your regular stations on another frequency that is not listed. It might be what is known as an image frequency. For example, you might find a service that regularly uses a frequency of 453.
20-314.fm Page 41 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly “line-of-sight.” That means you usually cannot hear stations that are beyond the horizon. GUIDE TO FREQUENCIES National Weather Frequencies 162.400 162.500 162.425 162.525 162.450 162.550 162.475 Birdie Frequencies Every scanner has birdie frequencies. Birdies are signals created inside the scanner’s receiver.
20-314.fm Page 42 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS Typical Band Usage (MHz) VHF Band Low Range 6-Meter Amateur Aircraft U.S. Government 2-Meter Amateur High Range 29.00–50.00 50.00–54.00 108.00–136.00 137.00–144.00 144.00–148.00 148.00–174.00 UHF Band Military Aircraft U.S. Government 70-Centimeter Amateur Low Range FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band 311.00–384.00 406.00–420.00 420.00–450.00 450.00–470.00 470.00–512.
20-314.fm Page 43 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Note: Remote control stations and mobile units operate at 5 MHz higher than their associated base stations and relay repeater units. 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.
20-314.fm Page 44 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM TELM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone Maintenance TOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tow Trucks TRAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transportation Services (Trucks, Tow Trucks, Buses, Railroad, Other) TSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trunked Systems TVn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-314.fm Page 45 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM VHF High Band (148–174 MHz) 148.050–150.345 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CAP, MAR, MIL 150.775–150.790 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED 150.815–150.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOW, Oil Spill Cleanup 150.995–151.475 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROAD, POL 151.490–151.955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-314.fm Page 46 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Low Band (450–470 MHz) 450.050–450.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RTV 451.025–452.025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL 452.0375–453.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI, TRAN TOW, NEWS 453.0125–454.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PUB, OIL 454.025–454.975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-314.fm Page 47 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM TROUBLESHOOTING If your scanner is not working as it should, these suggestions might help you eliminate the problem. If the scanner still does not operate properly, take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance. PROBLEM POSSIBLE CAUSE REMEDY Scanner is totally inoperative. The AC or DC adapter is not connected. Be sure the adapter’s barrel plug is fully inserted into the PWR jack. The batteries are dead.
20-314.fm Page 48 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack PRO-79 200 Channel VHF/Air/UHF Handheld 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 might contain minerals that can corrode the electronic circuits. Use and store the scanner only in normal temperature environments.
20-314.fm Page 49 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage (MHz): 10 Meter Amateur Radio ..................... 29–30 (in 5 kHz steps) VHF Lo ................................................ 30–50 (in 5 kHz steps) 6 Meter Amateur Radio ....................... 50–54 (in 5 kHz steps) Aircraft ............................... 108–136.9875 (in 12.5 kHz steps) Government ..................................... 137–144 (in 5 kHz steps) 2 Meter Amateur Radio ...................
20-314.fm Page 50 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Power Requirements ...................... 6 Volts DC, 4 AA Batteries AC Adapter (Optional) DC Adapter (Optional) Current Drain (Squelched) .............................................. 45 mA Dimensions (HWD) .............................. 511/16 × 23/8 × 13/8 Inches (145 × 62 × 34 mm) Weight (without antenna and batteries) ........................... 7.9 oz (224 g) Supplied Accessories .........................
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20-314.fm Page 52 Monday, December 13, 1999 12:55 PM Limited One-Year Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for one (1) year from the date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers.