20-566.fm Page 1 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM OWNER’S MANUAL Cat. No. 20-566 PRO-72 50-Channel Portable Scanner Please read before using this equipment.
0-566.fm Page 2 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM FEATURES Your new RadioShack PRO-72 50-Channel Portable Scanner gives you direct access to over 32,000 exciting frequencies, including police and fire departments, ambulance services, and amateur radio services. You can select up to 50 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.
20-566.fm Page 3 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Channel Lockout — keeps channels you select from being scanned. Memory Backup — keeps the channel frequencies stored in memory for about 1 hour during a power loss. Two-Second Scan Delay — delays scanning for 2 seconds before moving to another channel, so you can hear more replies. Key Lock — lets you lock the keys to help prevent accidentally changing the scanner’s programming. Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector — provides excellent reception.
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20-566.fm Page 5 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM FCC NOTICE Your scanner might cause TV or radio interference even when it is operating properly. To determine whether your scanner is causing the interference, turn off your scanner. If the interference goes away, your scanner is causing the interference.
20-566.fm Page 6 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 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. It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scanner can receive. However, there are some transmissions you should never intentionally listen to.
20-566.fm Page 7 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM CONTENTS Preparation .................................................................. 9 Power Sources ...................................................... 9 Using Batteries ............................................... 9 Using Standard AC Power ............................ 12 Using Vehicle Battery Power ........................ 13 Charging a Rechargeable Battery Pack ....... 14 Connecting the Antenna ......................................
20-566.fm Page 8 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Special Features ....................................................... Delay ................................................................... Locking Out a Channel ........................................ Using the Display Backlight ................................. Turning the Key Tone On and Off ........................ Using the Keylock ................................................ 36 36 36 37 38 38 A General Guide to Scanning .................
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20-566.fm Page 10 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM You can also use six rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries (such as Cat. No. 23-125) to power the scanner. To charge or recharge nickel-cadmium batteries, however, you must remove them from the scanner and use an external charger (such as Cat. No. 23-134). Note: If you are using a rechargeable scanner battery pack, you must charge it before you can use your scanner (see “Charging a Rechargeable Battery Pack” on Page 14).
20-566.fm Page 11 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 3. If you are installing individual batteries, insert six AA batteries in the battery holder as indicated by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked on the battery holder. 4. Slide the battery holder or battery pack into the compartment as shown. Caution: The battery holder or battery pack fits only one way inside the battery compartment. Do not force it. 5. Replace the cover.
20-566.fm Page 12 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Using Standard AC Power To power the scanner from AC power, you need an AC adapter (Cat. No. 273-1665). Cautions: • You must use an AC adapter that supplies 9 volts and delivers at least 200 milliamps. Its center tip must be set to negative, and its barrel plug must correctly fit the scanner’s PWR/DC 9V jack. The recommended adapter meets these specifications.
20-566.fm Page 13 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Using Vehicle Battery Power To power the scanner from your vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket, you need a DC adapter (Cat. No. 270-1560). Cautions: • You must use a DC adapter that supplies 9 volts and delivers at least 200 milliamps. Its center tip must be set to negative, and its plug must correctly fit the scanner’s PWR/DC 9V jack. The recommended adapter meets these specifications.
20-566.fm Page 14 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Notes: • Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a permit in some areas. Check the laws in your area. • If the scanner does not operate properly when you connect a DC adapter, unplug the adapter from the cigarette-lighter socket and clean the socket to remove ashes and other debris. Charging a Rechargeable Battery Pack Your scanner has a built-in charging circuit that lets you charge a rechargeable battery pack (Cat. No.
20-566.fm Page 15 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Important! At the end of a rechargeable battery pack’s useful life, it must be recycled or disposed of properly. Contact your local, county, or state hazardous waste management authorities for information on recycling or disposal programs in your area. Some options that might be available are: municipal curb-side collection, drop-off boxes at retailers such as your local RadioShack store, recycling collection centers, and mailback programs.
20-566.fm Page 16 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Connecting an Optional Antenna The ANT jack on the top of the scanner makes it easy to use the scanner with a variety of antennas. Instead of the supplied antenna, you can attach a different one, such as an external mobile antenna or outdoor base station antenna. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of antennas. Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG8, to connect an outdoor antenna.
20-566.fm Page 17 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Listening Safely To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use an earphone or headphones: • Do not listen at extremely high volume levels. Extended high-volume listening can lead to permanent hearing loss. • Set the volume to the lowest setting before you begin listening. After you begin listening, adjust the volume to a comfortable level. • Once you set the volume, do not increase it.
20-566.fm Page 18 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM CONNECTING AN EXTENSION SPEAKER In a noisy area, an extension speaker (Cat. No. 21-549) or an amplified speaker (Cat. No. 21-541) might provide more comfortable listening. Plug the speaker cable’s 1/8-inch plug into your scanner’s jack. USING THE BELT CLIP You can use the belt clip for hands-free carrying when you are on the go. Simply slide the belt clip over your belt or waistband.
20-566.fm Page 19 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 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 communications you want to receive, then set the scanner to scan those frequencies. A frequency is the tuning location of a station (expressed in kHz or MHz).
-566.fm Page 20 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM A LOOK AT THE KEYPAD Your scanner’s keys might seem confusing at first, but this information should help you understand each key’s function. WX — scans through the preprogrammed weather channels. BAND — selects a preprogrammed search band. SCAN — scans through the programmed channels. MANUAL — stops scanning to let you directly enter a channel number.
20-566.fm Page 21 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM — locks/unlocks the keypad to prevent accidental entries. LIGHT — turns on/off the display’s backlight. Number Keys — use these keys to enter the numbers for a channel or frequency. MON/0 — enters a zero or accesses the monitor memory. • DLY/ (delay/decimal point) — programs a 2-second delay for the selected channel, or enters a decimal point (necessary when programming frequencies).
20-566.fm Page 22 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY The display has indicators that show the scanner’s current operation. MAN — appears when you manually select a channel. SCAN — appears when you scan channels. WX — appears when you scan or manually search the preprogrammed weather channels. MON — appears when you listen to the monitor memory. BATT — appears when battery power is low. L/O — appears when you manually select a channel you locked out.
20-566.fm Page 23 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM — appears when you lock the keypad. ch — appears after the digits (1–50) that show which channel the scanner is tuned to. –d — appears during a direct frequency search. 000.0000 — the digits on the right of the display show which frequency the scanner is tuned to. Error — appears when you make an entry error. dUPL (duplicate) — appears when you try to store a frequency that is already stored in another channel.
20-566.fm Page 24 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM UNDERSTANDING BANDS/MONITOR MEMORY Search Bands Your scanner can tune over 32,000 different frequencies. Many of these frequencies are grouped within permanent memory locations called search bands.
20-566.fm Page 25 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM You can search these bands to quickly find active frequencies you might want to store into the scanner’s channels. For example, if you wanted to search for transmissions between amateur radio operators, you could search only the search bands where you are most likely to hear the transmissions (Bands 0, 1, 3, and 6). See “Band Search” on Page 29. Note: The frequencies in the scanner’s search bands are preset. You cannot change them.
20-566.fm Page 26 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM OPERATION TURNING ON THE SCANNER/ SETTING VOLUME AND SQUELCH Note: Make sure the scanner’s antenna is connected before you turn it on. 1. Turn SQUELCH fully counterclockwise. VOL UME OFF SQUELCH M A X MIN MA X 2. Turn VOLUME clockwise until it clicks and you hear a hissing sound. VOL UME SQUELCH OFF M A X MIN MA X 3. Turn SQUELCH clockwise until the hissing sound stops.
20-566.fm Page 27 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM • If you have not stored frequencies into any channels (see “Storing Active Frequencies” on Page 27), the scanner does not scan. STORING ACTIVE FREQUENCIES You can manually store frequencies you already know into the scanner’s channels. You can also store frequencies you found using band search directly into channels. You can also store a frequency into a monitor memory then store it into a channel.
20-566.fm Page 28 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 2. Use the number keys to enter the channel number where you want to store the frequency, then press PGM again. Or, repeatedly press PGM until the desired channel number appears. 3. Use the number keys and DLY/• to enter the frequency (including the decimal point) you want to store into that channel. 4. Press E to store the frequency.
20-566.fm Page 29 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Band Search If you do not know of a frequency to store, you can search your scanner’s preprogrammed search bands (see “Search Bands” on Page 24) for active frequencies, then store any that you find into your scanner’s channels. Follow these steps to search for and store active frequencies using band search. 1. Press BAND. The last selected band number ( b followed by the band number) and the frequency search range appear for about 2 seconds. 2.
20-566.fm Page 30 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Notes: • To reverse the search direction at any time, hold down for about 1 second. • To search the band upward or downward in small increments (in steps of 5 or 12.5 kHz, depending on the band), repeatedly press and release or . • To select a different band after the scanner begins searching the current band, simply repeat Step 2. The scanner stops when it finds an active frequency. 3.
20-566.fm Page 31 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Direct Search You can search up or down from the currently displayed frequency and store the frequency into the monitor memory. 1. Press MANUAL or PGM, then use the number keys and DLY/• to enter the frequency where you want to start the search. Note: To start from a frequency already stored in one of your scanner’s channels, press MANUAL or PGM, enter the desired channel number, then press MANUAL or PGM again. 2.
20-566.fm Page 32 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM MOVING A FREQUENCY FROM THE MONITOR MEMORY TO A CHANNEL 1. Press MANUAL, enter the channel number where you want to store the frequency, then press PGM. PGM, the frequency number or 000.0000, and the selected channel number appear. 2. Press MON. MON and the frequency appear and the channel number flashes. 3. Press E. MON disappears, the channel number stops flashing, and the scanner stores the frequency in the selected channel.
20-566.fm Page 33 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM SCANNING THE CHANNELS To begin scanning channels or to start scanning again after monitoring a specific channel, press SCAN. SCAN and appear, and the scanner begins to rapidly scan upward until it finds an active frequency. If the scanner finds an active frequency, it stops and displays that channel and frequency number, then it automatically begins scanning again when the transmission ends on that frequency.
20-566.fm Page 34 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM LISTENING TO THE MONITOR MEMORY To listen to the frequency stored in the monitor memory, press MANUAL then MON . MAN, MON, and the frequency stored in the monitor memory appear. CLEARING A CHANNEL 1. Press MANUAL. 2. Use the number keys to enter the channel number containing the frequency you want to delete, then press PGM. Or, repeatedly press PGM until the desired channel number appears. PGM appears. 3. Press CLEAR. The frequency number flashes. 4.
20-566.fm Page 35 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM LISTENING TO A WEATHER BAND The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has allocated channels for use by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Regulatory agencies in other countries have also allocated channels for use by their weather reporting authorities. Your local weather reporting authority broadcast your local forecast and regional weather information on one or more of these channels.
20-566.fm Page 36 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM SPECIAL FEATURES DELAY Many agencies use a two-way radio system that might have a pause of several seconds between a query and a reply. To avoid missing a reply, you can program a 2-second delay into any of your scanner’s channels. Then, when the scanner stops on the channel, DELAY appears and the scanner continues to monitor the channel for 2 seconds after the transmission stops before it resumes scanning.
20-566.fm Page 37 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM To remove the lockout from a channel, manually select the channel then press L-OUT until L/O disappears. Notes: • You can still manually select locked-out channels. • Your scanner automatically locks out empty channels. USING THE DISPLAY BACKLIGHT You can turn on the display’s backlight for easy viewing in dimly-lit areas. Press LIGHT to turn on the display light for 5 seconds. To turn off the light before it automatically turns off, press LIGHT again.
20-566.fm Page 38 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM TURNING THE KEY TONE ON AND OFF Each time you press any of the scanner’s keys (except and LIGHT), the scanner sounds a tone. Follow these steps to turn the scanner’s key tone off or back on. 1. If the scanner is on, turn VOLUME counterclockwise until it clicks to turn it off. 2. While you hold down the 2 and E keys, turn on the scanner. 3. After 1 second, release 2 and E.
20-566.fm Page 39 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 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 US Weather Frequencies 162.400 162.500 162.425 162.525 162.450 162.550 162.475 Other Weather Frequencies 161.650 161.775 162.440 163.
20-566.fm Page 40 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Birdie Frequencies Every scanner has birdie frequencies. Birdies are signals created inside the scanner’s receiver. These operating frequencies might interfere with broadcasts on the same frequencies. If you program one of these frequencies, you hear only noise on that frequency. If the interference is not severe, you might be able to turn SQUELCH clockwise to cut out the birdie. The birdie frequencies on this unit to watch for are: 30.735 40.000 51.
20-566.fm Page 41 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS United States Broadcast Bands In the United States, there are several broadcast bands. The standard AM and FM bands are probably the most well known. There are also four television audio broadcast bands — the lower three transmit on the VHF band and the fourth transmits on the UHF band. Typical Band Usage VHF Band Low Range 6-Meter Amateur U.S. Government 2-Meter Amateur High Range 29.00–50.00 MHz 50.00–54.00 MHz 137.00–144.
20-566.fm Page 42 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Primary Usage As a general rule, most of the radio activity is concentrated on the following frequencies: VHF Band Activities Government, Police, and Fire Emergency Services Railroad Frequencies 153.785–155.980 MHz 158.730–159.460 MHz 160.000–161.900 MHz UHF Band Activities Land-Mobile “Paired” Frequencies Base Stations Mobile Units Repeater Units Control Stations Frequencies 450.000–470.000 MHz 451.025–454.950 MHz 456.025–459.950 MHz 460.025–464.
20-566.fm Page 43 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM SPECIFIED INTERVALS Frequencies in different bands are accessible only at specific intervals. For example: Frequency Range(s) Specified Interval 29–54 and 137–174 MHz 380–512 and 806–960 MHz 5.0 kHz steps 12.5 kHz steps 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.
20-566.fm Page 44 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM OIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil/Petroleum Industry POL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Police Department PUB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Public Services (Public Safety, Local Government, Forestry Conservation) PSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Public Safety PTR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-566.fm Page 45 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM U.S. Government Band 137.000–144.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL 2-Meter Amateur Band 144.000–148.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM VHF High Band 148.050–150.345 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CAP, MAR, MIL 150.775–150.790 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED 150.815–150.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-566.fm Page 46 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 170.425–170.450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIFC 170.475. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PUB 170.4875–173.175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, PUB, Wireless Mikes 173.225–173.5375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOV, NEWS, UTIL, MIL 173.5625–173.5875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIL Medical/Crash Crews 173.60–173.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-566.fm Page 47 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Public Safety Band — Locally Assigned 866.0125–868.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PSB 33-Centimeter Amateur Band 902.0000–928.0000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM Private Trunked 935.0125–939.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PTR General Trunked 940.0125–940.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-566.fm Page 48 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 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 The scanner does not work at all. Poor or no reception. 48 Possible Causes Remedies The AC or DC adapter is not properly connected.
20-566.fm Page 49 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Problem Possible Causes Scanner is on but does not scan. SQUELCH is not In the scan mode, the scanner locks on frequencies that have an unclear transmission. Programmed frequencies are the same as birdie frequencies. correctly adjusted. Remedies Adjust SQUELCH clockwise (see “Turning On the Scanner/Setting Volume and Squelch” on Page 26). Avoid programming frequencies listed under “Birdie Frequencies” on Page 40 or only listen to them manually.
20-566.fm Page 50 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM RESETTING/INITIALIZING THE SCANNER 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 it. Important: If you have problems, first try to reset the scanner. If that does not work, you can initialize the scanner; however, initializing clears all frequencies you stored in the scanner’s memory and initializes the scanner to its default settings. Resetting the Scanner 1.
20-566.fm Page 51 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Initializing the Scanner Important: This procedure clears all frequencies you stored in the scanner’s memory and initializes the scanner to its default settings. Initialize the scanner only when you are sure the scanner is not working properly. 1. Turn off the scanner, then turn it on again. 2. While holding down CLEAR, insert a pointed object, such as a straightened paper clip, into the reset hole on the side of the scanner.
20-566.fm Page 52 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack PRO-72 50-Channel Portable 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.
20-566.fm Page 53 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Modifying or tampering with the scanner’s internal components can cause a malfunction and might invalidate your scanner’s warranty and void your FCC authorization to operate it. If your scanner is not performing as it should, take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance.
20-566.fm Page 54 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage: Ham .............................. 29–30 MHz (5.0 kHz steps) VHF Lo ......................... 30–50 MHz (5.0 kHz steps) Ham .............................. 50–54 MHz (5.0 kHz steps) Government .............. 137–144 MHz (5.0 kHz steps) Ham .......................... 144–148 MHz (5.0 kHz steps) VHF Hi ...................... 148–174 MHz (5.0 kHz steps) Ham/Government ... 380–450 MHz (12.5 kHz steps) UHF Lo ..................
20-566.fm Page 55 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Squelch Sensitivity: Threshold ...................................... Less than 1.0 µV Tight ................................................. (S+N)/N 25 dB Antenna Impedance ......................................... 50 Ohms Audio Output Power (10% THD) ......... 200 mW Nominal Built-in Speaker ................................... 13/8 Inch (36 mm) 8 ohm, Dynamic Type Power Requirements .................. 9 V DC, 6 AA batteries AC Adapter (Cat. No.
20-566.fm Page 56 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM 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. In the event of a product defect during the warranty period, take the product and the RadioShack sales receipt as proof of purchase date to any RadioShack store.
