20-417.fm Page 1 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Owner’s Manual Cat. No. 20-417 PRO-2048 200-Channel Programmable Home Scanner Please read before using this equipment.
0-417.fm Page 2 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM FEATURES Your RadioShack PRO-2048 200Channel Programmable Home Scanner lets you in on all the action! This scanner gives you direct access to over 30,000 exciting frequencies that include police and fire departments, ambulance and transportation services, and amateur radio. You can select up to 200 channels to scan, and you can change your selections at any time.
20-417.fm Page 3 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Adjustable Tone — lets you turn on or off the beep you hear when you press a key. antenna to the screw-in terminal, or an external antenna to the BNC connector. Two-Second Scan Delay — delays scanning for 2 seconds before moving to another channel, so you can hear more replies. Optional Power Sources — you can power your scanner using the supplied AC adapter or an optional DC cigarette-lighter power cable.
20-417.fm Page 4 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Your PRO-2048 can receive these bands: Band Frequency Range (MHz) 10-Meter Ham Band 29.00–29.7 VHF-Lo 29.7–50.00 6-Meter Ham Band 50.00–54.00 Aircraft 108–136.975 Government/Ham 137–148 VHF-Hi 148–174 Ham/Government 406–450 UHF-Lo 450–470 UHF-T (TV) 470–512 UHF-Hi 806–823.9375 851–868.9375 896.1125–956 FCC NOTICE Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference even when it is operating properly.
20-417.fm Page 5 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules . Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
20-417.fm Page 6 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM CONTENTS Preparation ..................................................................................................... 8 Connecting Power ..................................................................................... 8 Using Standard AC Power .................................................................. 8 Using Vehicle Battery Power ............................................................... 8 Connecting the Antenna ...................
20-417.fm Page 7 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM A General Guide To Scanning ..................................................................... 30 Guide to Frequencies ............................................................................... 30 US Weather Frequencies .................................................................. 30 Canadian Weather Frequencies ......................................................... 30 Ham Radio Frequencies .................................................
20-417.fm Page 8 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM PREPARATION Your scanner’s display is protected during shipment by a piece of blue film. Peel off this film before you use the scanner. CONNECTING POWER Note: If a power failure occurs or if the DC cigarette-lighter power cable or AC adapter is disconnected, the scanner’s memory backup circuit keeps information in memory for up to 3 days.
20-417.fm Page 9 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Cautions: • The DC cigarette-lighter power cable must be capable of delivering 12 volts and 500 milliamps, its center tip must be set to positive, and its barrel plug must correctly fit the scanner's DC 12V jack. The recommended power cable meets these specifications. Using a power cable that does not meet these specifications could damage the scanner or the power cable.
20-417.fm Page 10 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Connecting an Optional Antenna The supplied telescoping antenna receives strong, local signals. However, to receive weaker, more distant signals in all bands, you can attach an optional antenna, such as an external mobile antenna or outdoor base station antenna. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of antennas. Note: If you connect an external antenna, remove the telescoping antenna from the top of the scanner.
20-417.fm Page 11 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM INITIALIZING THE SCANNER If the scanner or its display does not work properly even after resetting it, follow these steps to initialize the scanner. 2. Using a pointed object, such as a straightened paper clip, press RESET on the back of the scanner. The display resets, and the scanner turns off. Caution: Initializing the scanner clears all the channels you stored in memory. Initialize the scanner only when you are sure it is not working properly. 1.
20-417.fm Page 12 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/ HEADPHONES/ EXTERNAL SPEAKER The 1/8-inch EXT SP jack on the back of the scanner lets you connect an optional earphone (such as Cat. No. 33-175), headphones (such as Cat. No. 20-210), or an external speaker (such as Cat. No. 21-549). ANT EXT SP DC 12V RESET Listening Safely To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use an earphone or headphones. • Do not listen at extremely high volume levels.
20-417.fm Page 13 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM 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 find 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).
20-417.fm Page 14 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM SCAN Starts scanning through the stored channels. MANUAL Stops scanning and lets you manually enter a channel number. L/O/SEARCH SKIP Turns the selected channel’s lockout function on and off, or skips a specified frequency during a limit or direct search. DELAY Programs a 2-second delay for the selected channel. PRI/HYPER SEARCH Sets and turns on and off the priority function for a particular channel, or selects the HyperSearch speed.
20-417.fm Page 15 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY The display’s indicators show the scanner’s current operating mode. MON Appears when you listen to a monitor memory. BANK Appears with numbers (1–10) next to it to show which channel-storage banks are turned on for scanning. SCAN Appears when you scan channels. Blinks when the scanner is in the HyperScan mode. MANUAL Appears when you manually select a channel.
20-417.fm Page 16 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM DATA Appears while the data skip function is turned on. DELAY Appears when you program a channel for a two-second delay before scanning or when you listen to a channel programmed with the delay feature. WX Appears when the scanner is in the weather band mode. s and t Indicates the search direction. Blinks in the high speed search mode. SEARCH Appears during a limit (-L-) or direct (-d-) search or weather scan. Blinks in the HyperSearch mode.
20-417.fm Page 17 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM UNDERSTANDING THE SCANNER’S MEMORY You can store up to 210 frequencies into your scanner’s memory. This scanner has 200 channel memories and 10 monitor memories. Channel-Storage Banks To make it easier to identify and select the channels you want to listen to, channels are divided into 10 channel-storage banks of 20 channels each.
20-417.fm Page 18 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM OPERATION TURNING ON THE SCANNER/SETTING THE VOLUME AND SQUELCH 4. Turn VOLUME clockwise to set the scanner’s volume about 1/4 of the way between MIN and MAX. 1. Turn SQUELCH fully clockwise. 5. Turn SQUELCH counterclockwise until you hear a hissing noise. 2. Press POWER to turn on your scanner. The scanner continuously scans the unlocked channels. 6. Adjust VOLUME to a comfortable level. 7.
20-417.fm Page 19 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM MANUALLY STORING FREQUENCIES IN CHANNELS 3. Press PGM. BANK and the bank number, the selected channel number and CH, 000.0000 MHz, and PROGRAM appear. You can manually store up to 200 frequencies into your scanner’s channels. Great references for active frequencies are the RadioShack “Police Call Guide including Fire and Emergency Services,” “Official Aeronautical Frequency Directory,” and “Maritime Frequency Directory.
-417.fm Page 20 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM SEARCHING FOR AND TEMPORARILY STORING ACTIVE FREQUENCIES You can search for frequencies using a limit or direct search, then temporarily store frequencies into monitor memories. Limit Search Note: If you enter an invalid frequency, Error appears. To correct this, simply repeat the step. 3. Press LIMIT. Hi and a frequency appear. A limit search lets you search for active transmissions within a specified range of frequencies.
20-417.fm Page 21 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM 6. When the scanner finds an active frequency, you can do one of the following: • To store the displayed frequency into the current monitor memory, quickly press MON. Follow these steps to search for active frequencies using a direct search. 1. Press MANUAL . • To continue the search, press D or —. • To hold the frequency, press LIMIT. -H- appears. Press LIMIT again to cancel the hold and resume the limit search.
20-417.fm Page 22 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM 4. When the scanner finds an active frequency, you can do one of the following: • To store the frequency into the current monitor memory, press MON . To skip a frequency, press L/O/ SEARCH SKIP when the scanner stops on the frequency during a limit, direct, or weather search. • To continue the search, press D or —. • To hold the frequency, press LIMIT. -h- appears. Press LIMIT again to cancel the hold and resume the direct search.
20-417.fm Page 23 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Notes: • If you program more than 20 skip frequencies, each new frequency replaces old ones, starting from the first stored frequency. • You can select the skipped frequency when the scanner is in the hold mode. The scanner displays LOCKOUT when you select a skipped frequency. • If you skip all frequencies in the weather band or within a search range, the scanner sounds three beeps and will not start searching.
20-417.fm Page 24 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM 3. Press MON, then enter the monitor memory number that has the frequency you want to store. MON and the entered frequency appear, and the channel number blinks. When you turn off a bank, the scanner does not scan any of the 20 channels in the bank. 4. Press ENTER. The scanner stores the frequency into the selected channel. Notes: SCANNING THE STORED CHANNELS To scan the stored channels, press SCAN .
20-417.fm Page 25 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Your scanner searches through the weather band and stops on an active broadcast. If a broadcast is weak, press WX again to continue to search through the weather band. If the scanner is scanning and stops at the desired channel, press MANUAL once. Repeatedly press MANUAL to step through the channels one at a time. You can press LIMIT to pause the weather search, then press D or — repeatedly to move forward or backward through the channels.
20-417.fm Page 26 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM SPECIAL FEATURES USING PRIORITY CHANNELS The priority feature lets you scan through channels and still not miss important or interesting calls on specific channels. You can program one stored channel in each bank as a priority channel (up to 10 stored channels in total). As the scanner scans the bank, if the priority feature is turned on, the scanner checks the priority channels every 2 seconds for activity.
20-417.fm Page 27 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM USING THE 2-SECOND 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 or frequencies.
20-417.fm Page 28 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM To unlock a channel, manually select the channel, then press L/O/SEARCH SKIP so LOCKOUT disappears. To unlock all channels, while the scanner is scanning, select the banks containing the locked channels you want to unlock, press MANUAL, then hold down L/O/SEARCH SKIP until the scanner beeps twice. CHANGING SCANNING AND SEARCH SPEEDS The PRO-2048 has two scan and three search speeds.
20-417.fm Page 29 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM TURNING THE KEY TONE ON OR OFF Your scanner beeps each time you press a key. Follow these steps to turn off the key tone beep. 1. Turn off the scanner. 2. Hold down L/O/SEARCH SKIP, then turn on the scanner. OFF bEEP appears. To turn on the beep, repeat these steps. on bEEP appears.
20-417.fm Page 30 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 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 162.400 162.425 162.450 162.475 162.500 162.525 162.550 Canadian Weather Frequencies 161.650 161.775 163.
20-417.fm Page 31 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM The birdie frequencies on this unit to watch for are: 31.200 MHz 116.0375 MHz 132.1755 MHz 145.600 MHz 823.800 MHz 36.0500 MHz 120.1625 MHz 140.1900 MHz 163.2200 MHz 940.900 MHz 114.400 MHz 128.1750 MHz 145.195 MHz 813.400 MHz To find the birdies in your scanner, begin by disconnecting the antenna and moving it away from the scanner. Make sure that no other nearby radio or TV sets are turned on near the scanner.
20-417.fm Page 32 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM UHF Band U.S. Government 0.6-Meter Amateur Low Range FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band Conventional Systems Conventional/Trunked Systems Trunked Systems Public Safety Private Trunked General Trunked 406.00–420.00 MHz 420.00–450.00 MHz 450.00–470.00 MHz 470.00–806.00 MHz 851.00–856.00 MHz 856.00–861.00 MHz 861.00–866.00 MHz 866.00–869.00 MHz 896.00–940.00 MHz 940.00–950.00 MHz UHF Band 10-Meter Amateur Band 29.00–29.70 MHz High Range 29.70–29.
20-417.fm Page 33 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 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.
20-417.fm Page 34 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM 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 RadioShack store. Abbreviations Services AIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-417.fm Page 35 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM TELB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mobile Telephone (Aircraft, Radio Common Carrier, Landline companies) TELC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cordless Phones TELM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Telephone Maintenance TOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-417.fm Page 36 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM 47.440–49.580 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, PUB 49.610–49.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIL, TELC 6-Meter Amateur Band 50.00–54.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM Land Mobile Service Band 72.00–76.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-417.fm Page 37 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM 154.655–156.240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED, ROAD, POL, PUB 156.255 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OIL 156.275–157.425 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARI 157.450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED 157.470–157.515 . . .
20-417.fm Page 38 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Ultra High Frequency (UHF) (300 MHz–3 GHz) U. S. Government Band 406.125–419.975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, USXX 70-cm Amateur Band 420.000–450.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM Low Band 450.050–450.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RTV 451.025–452.025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-417.fm Page 39 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Conventional/Trunked Systems Band—Locally Assigned 856.0125–860.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CTSB Trunked Systems Band—Locally Assigned 861.0125–865.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSB Public Safety Band—Locally Assigned 866.0125–868.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-417.fm Page 40 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM TROUBLESHOOTING If you have problems, here are some suggestions that might help. If they do not, take your scanner to your local RadioShack store for assistance. PROBLEM Scanner is on but will not scan. POSSIBLE CAUSE SQUELCH is not correctly REMEDY Adjust SQUELCH clockwise. adjusted. Only one channel or no channels are stored. Store frequencies into more than one channel. The scanner’s display must be reset.
20-417.fm Page 41 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack PRO-2048 200-Channel Programmable Home 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. Handle the scanner gently and carefully.
20-417.fm Page 42 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage: VHF-Lo ............................................................... 29-50 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) Ham ................................................................... 50-54 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) Aircraft ................................................ 108-136.975 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) Government ................................................... 137-144 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) Ham ....................................
20-417.fm Page 43 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 AM Built-In Speaker ................................... 21/4-Inch (57 mm), 8-ohm, dynamic type Power Requirements .......................................................... AC 120 Volts, 60 Hz Current Drain ................................................................ DC 230 mA (squelched) DC 400 mA (full volume unsquelched) Dimensions (HWD) ...................................................... 23/4 × 81/16 × 711/16 Inches (70 × 205 × 195 mm) Weight ...
20-417.fm Page 44 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 11:33 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.