20-147.fm Page 1 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
Cat. No.
20-147
OWNER’S MANUAL
PRO-2056 50-Channel
Home/Mobile Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
20-147.fm Page 3 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
External Speaker Jack — makes it
easy to connect an optional external
speaker or headphones to the scanner.
We recommend you record your scan-
ner’s serial number here. The number
is on the scanner’s back panel.
Two Power Options — you can pow-
er the scanner from standard AC pow-
er with the supplied AC adapter or
your vehicle’s battery with the sup-
plied DC power cord or DC cigarette-
lighter power cord.
Serial Number:_______________
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 interfer-
ence goes away, your scanner is
causing it. Try to eliminate the interfer-
ence by:
Frequency Guide — this manual lists
currently known frequencies by state
and local area, so you can quickly
tune to local frequencies.
Your PRO-2056 scanner can receive
all of these frequencies:
• Moving your scanner away from
the TV or radio
• 29–54 MHz (10-Meter Amateur
Radio, VHF Lo, 6-Meter Amateur
Radio)
• Connecting your scanner to an
outlet that is on a different electri-
cal circuit from the TV or radio
• 108–136.975 MHz (Aircraft)
• 137–174 MHz (Government, 2-
Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Hi)
• Contacting
dioShack store for help
your
local
Ra-
• 406–512 MHz
(70-Centimeter
Amateur Radio, UHF “T” Band,
Government)
In addition, your scanner is prepro-
grammed with these weather service
frequencies:
• 162.4000 MHz
• 162.4250 MHz
• 162.4500 MHz
• 162.4750 MHz
• 162.5000 MHz
• 162.5250 MHz
• 162.5500 MHz
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20-147.fm Page 4 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
SCANNING LEGALLY
Your scanner covers frequencies
used by many different groups includ-
ing police and fire departments, ambu-
lance services, government agencies,
private companies, amateur radio ser-
vices, military operations, pager ser-
vices, 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.
These include:
• Telephone conversations (either
cellular, cordless, or other private
means of telephone signal trans-
mission)
• Pager transmissions
• Any scrambled or encrypted
transmissions
According to the Electronic Communi-
cations Privacy Act (ECPA), you are
subject to fines and possible imprison-
ment for intentionally listening to, us-
ing, or divulging the contents of such a
transmission unless you have the con-
sent of a party to the communication
(unless such activity is otherwise ille-
gal). We encourage responsible, legal
scanner use.
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20-147.fm Page 5 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
CONTENTS
Preparation............................................................................................................ 7
Connecting an Antenna ................................................................................... 7
Connecting the Telescoping Antenna ........................................................ 7
Connecting the Window-Mount Antenna................................................... 7
Connecting an External Antenna............................................................... 8
Mounting the Scanner in Your Vehicle ............................................................. 9
Connecting Power from Your Vehicle’s Battery ....................................... 10
Using the Scanner as a Base Station ............................................................ 11
Using the Supplied AC Adapter............................................................... 11
Memory Backup ............................................................................................. 11
Connecting an External Speaker or Headphones.......................................... 12
Listening Safely ........................................................................................ 12
Understanding Your Scanner ............................................................................ 13
Banks ............................................................................................................. 13
Service Search Banks ............................................................................. 13
PRIVATE Bank......................................................................................... 14
Channels........................................................................................................ 14
Search Bands ................................................................................................ 15
A Look at the Front Panel .............................................................................. 17
A Look at the Display ...................................................................................... 18
Operation............................................................................................................. 19
Turning On the Scanner/
Setting Volume and Squelch.......................................................................... 19
Using Service Search .................................................................................... 19
Using Band Search ........................................................................................ 20
Monitoring a Frequency ................................................................................. 20
Storing Frequencies into Channels................................................................ 21
Clearing Frequencies from Channels ............................................................ 22
Special Features................................................................................................. 23
Using Memolock ............................................................................................ 23
Delay.............................................................................................................. 23
Locking Out Channels and Frequencies........................................................ 23
Removing a Lockout from All Channels and Frequencies
within a Bank .......................................................................................... 24
Listening to Weather Broadcasts ................................................................... 24
5
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A General Guide to Scanning ............................................................................ 25
Guide to Frequencies ..................................................................................... 25
US Weather Frequencies ........................................................................ 25
Other Weather Frequencies .................................................................... 25
Ham Radio Frequencies ......................................................................... 25
Birdie Frequencies .................................................................................. 25
Guide to the Action Bands.............................................................................. 26
United States Broadcast Bands .............................................................. 26
Typical Band Usage ................................................................................ 26
Primary Usage ........................................................................................ 27
Specified Intervals .......................................................................................... 28
Band Allocation............................................................................................... 28
Frequency Conversion ................................................................................... 32
Troubleshooting.................................................................................................. 33
Care and Maintenance........................................................................................ 34
Replacing the Fuses....................................................................................... 35
Replacing the Fuse in the DC Power Cord ............................................. 35
Replacing the Fuse in the DC Cigarette-Lighter Power Cord ................. 35
Specifications...................................................................................................... 36
Notes .................................................................................................................... 38
Frequency Guide................................................................................................. 39
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PREPARATION
Connecting the Window-
Mount Antenna
CONNECTING AN
ANTENNA
You can install the supplied window-
mount antenna on the inside of your ve-
hicle’s windshield. Follow these steps to
install the window-mount antenna.
Connecting the Telescoping
Antenna
The supplied telescoping antenna
helps your scanner receive strong lo-
cal signals. To install this antenna,
hold the antenna so it stands straight
up, then gently push the antenna’s
plug onto the ANT jack on the scan-
ner’s back panel.
Caution: Do not use the window-
mount antenna on a windshield that
has a plastic coating designed to pro-
tect passengers during an accident. If
you use the antenna on this type of
windshield, you might permanently
damage the windshield’s surface.
1. Select a location for the window-
mount antenna. Follow these
mounting guidelines when se-
lecting a location.
• The antenna’s clear wire re-
ceives signals. Mount it verti-
cally against the far right (pas-
senger) side of the windshield.
ANT Jack
The scanner’s sensitivity depends on
the antenna’s length and various envi-
ronmental conditions. Based on the
frequencies of the transmissions you
want to hear, adjust the antenna’s
length.
• Choose a location that does not
block the driver’s view of the
road.
• Some vehicles have Insta-
®
®
Clear or ElectriClear defog-
ging windshields, which have
metal coatings that interfere
with signals. General Motor’s
APV vans have a solar shield
that keeps the vehicle cooler
during the summer, which also
interferes with signals. If you
install a window-mount antenna
in a vehicle with any of these
features, the scanner probably
will not detect weak signals.
Frequency
Antenna Length
(MHz)
29–108
Extend fully
108–174
Extend three
segments
174–512
Extend two
segments
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2. Clean the selected windshield
area, position the antenna’s clear
wire on the windshield, then press
firmly on both suction cups to
secure it in place.
Connecting an External
Antenna
The ANT jack on the back of the scan-
ner makes it easy to use the scanner
with a variety of antennas. Instead of
one of the supplied antennas, you can
attach a different one, such as an exter-
nal mobile antenna or outdoor base sta-
tion antenna. Your local RadioShack
store sells a variety of antennas.
When deciding on an antenna and its
location, consider the following:
3. Route the antenna’s black cable
down the edge of the windshield,
around the edge of the dash, and
underneath it. Be sure the cable
does not interfere with the vehi-
cle’s pedals or other moving parts.
• The location of the antenna
should be as high as possible.
• The antenna and antenna cable
should be as far as possible from
sources of electrical noise (appli-
ances, other radios, and so on).
• The antenna should be vertical for
the best performance.
Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable,
such as RG-58 or RG-8, to connect
an outdoor antenna. 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. 278-120. Your local RadioShack
store carries a wide variety of coaxial
antenna cable and connectors.
4. Align the slots around the
antenna’s connector with the tabs
on the ANT jack. Then push the
antenna’s connector and turn it
clockwise until it locks into place.
Follow the installation instructions sup-
plied with the antenna, route the anten-
na cable to the scanner, then connect
it to the ANT BNC-type jack on the
back of the scanner.
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Warning: Use extreme caution when
installing or removing an outdoor an-
tenna. 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 electro-
cution and death! Call the power com-
pany to remove the antenna. Do not
attempt to do so yourself.
• Wires and cables will not interfere
with vehicle’s pedals or other
moving parts
• The scanner is not directly in front
of any heating vents
Follow these steps to mount the scan-
ner in your vehicle.
1. Choose a mounting location, then
use the mounting bracket as a
template to mark the positions for
the mounting screw holes.
Caution: Do not run the cable over
sharp edges or objects that move.
MOUNTING THE
SCANNER IN YOUR
VEHICLE
(add corrected illus F6)
The most common mounting location
for this scanner is under your vehicle’s
dashboard. If you use this scanner in
a vehicle, mount it securely to avoid
damage to the scanner or vehicle, or
injury to anyone in the vehicle during
sudden starts or stops.
2. In the marked locations, drill holes
slightly smaller than the supplied
screws. Take care not to drill into
or damage objects behind the
mounting surface.
Note: Mobile use of this scanner is
unlawful or requires a permit in some
areas. Check the laws in your area.
3. Attach the mounting bracket to the
mounting location using the sup-
plied screws and lock washers.
When you choose a mounting loca-
tion, be sure:
• You can easily reach the scanner
(add corrected illus F7)
• All wires and cables will reach
their connection points
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4. Attach the scanner to the mount-
ing bracket using the supplied
mounting knobs.
3. Insert the power cord’s barrel plug
into the DC 13.8V jack on the back
of the scanner.
To connect the supplied DC cigarette-
lighter power cord, insert its barrel
plug into the DC 13.8V jack on the back
of the scanner, then plug the power
cord into your vehicle’s cigarette-
lighter socket.
(add corrected illus F8)
Connecting Power from Your
Vehicle’s Battery
Depending on if your scanner is per-
manently installed in your vehicle, you
can power it using either the DC pow-
er cord or the DC cigarette-lighter
power cable (both supplied).
(add corrected illus F10)
Follow these steps to connect the sup-
plied DC power cord.
Cautions:
• Unplug the power cord from your
vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket
when you turn off the ignition. This
prevents vehicle battery drain if
you leave the scanner on when
you turn off the ignition.
(add corrected illus F9. Add
callouts ‘Positive (+)’ and
‘Negative (-)’ to respective
wires)
• Always unplug the power cord
from your vehicle’s cigarette-
lighter socket before you unplug
its barrel plug from the scanner.
1. Connect the power cord’s black
wire to your vehicle battery’s neg-
ative (–) terminal or to a metal part
of the vehicle’s frame that is not
insulated from the frame by a
plastic part.
Note: If the scanner does not operate
when you turn it on, remove the power
cord from your vehicle’s cigarette-
lighter socket and check the socket for
debris. Also, check the fuse in the
power cord you are using (see “Re-
placing the Fuses” on Page 35) and
your vehicle’s fuse block.
2. Connect the power cord’s red wire
(with in-line fuse) to a source of
voltage that turns on and off with
the ignition switch, such as a
spare accessory terminal in your
vehicle’s fuse box.
10
Plug the adapter’s barrel plug into the
DC 13.8V
the adapter’s power module into a
standard AC outlet.
USING THE SCANNER
AS A BASE STATION
scanner’s
jack. Then plug
You can place this scanner on a desk,
shelf, or table to use it as a base sta-
tion.
Your scanner’s front feet fold up and
down. Adjust them to give you the
best view of the display.
Warning: Do not use the AC adapt-
er’s polarized plug with an extension
cord, receptacle, or other outlet unless
the blades can be fully inserted to pre-
vent blade exposure.
Using the Supplied AC
Adapter
Cautions:
MEMORY BACKUP
• Use only the supplied AC adapter.
Using a different adapter can
damage your scanner and could
present a safety hazard.
When you first power the scanner,
MEMO LOSS (memory loss) appears
until you program the scanner. The
memory backup circuit begins to func-
tion a few minutes after you supply
power to the scanner. How long the
scanner will maintain channels stored
in memory depends on how long pow-
er has been supplied to the scanner.
• To prevent electric shock, the
plug’s blades are polarized and fit
only one way. If the plug does not
fit easily, turn it over and try again.
Do not force it into the AC outlet.
• When you finish using the AC
adapter, disconnect it from the AC
outlet first. Then disconnect it from
the scanner.
11
If power is continuously supplied to
the scanner for at least 24 hours, the
memory backup circuit maintains the
channels stored in memory for up to 5
days. If power is disconnected and the
memory backup circuit becomes too
weak to save the scanner’s program-
ming, MEMO LOSS appears again
when power i barn4ıE(v)-6c cl-6( (m)10k)-6uto 5
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER
Once you understand a few simple
terms we use in this manual and famil-
iarize yourself with your scanner’s fea-
tures, you can put the scanner to work
for you. You simply determine the com-
munications you want to hear, then set
the scanner to scan those frequencies.
you can easily scan the frequencies
typically used by a particular agency.
Your scanner has the following ser-
vice search banks.
• POLICE (contains 739 preset fre-
quencies)
A frequency is the tuning location of a
station (expressed in kHz or MHz). To
find active frequencies, you can use
the search function to search search
bands, which are preset ranges of fre-
quencies. When you find a frequency,
you can store it into a permanent
memory location called a channel,
which is grouped with other channels
in your scanner’s service search
banks and PRIVATE bank. You can
then scan these channels. Each time
the scanner finds an active frequency,
it stays there until the transmission
ends.
• FIRE/EMG (contains 197 preset
frequencies)
• MARINE (contains 90 preset fre-
quencies)
• AIR (contains 1,160 preset fre-
quencies)
Your scanner also has 7 preset
weather frequencies.
You can scan through any service
search bank simply by pressing that
bank’s button, or the weather frequen-
cies by pressing WX. For example, if
you want to scan frequencies where
you are likely to hear police calls,
press POLICE.
BANKS
Notes:
Service Search Banks
• You cannot use the SEARCH key
to search for new frequencies in
the service search banks.
The FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) allocates frequency
ranges for the exclusive use of public
service agencies such as police de-
partments, fire departments, the U.S.
Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration (FAA), and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion (NOAA).
• You cannot change or clear any of
the preset frequencies in the ser-
vice search banks, but you can
store frequencies into channels in
the POLICE and FIRE/EMG ser-
vice search banks (see “Chan-
nels” on Page 14).
Many of the frequencies used by
these agencies are grouped into this
scanner’s service search banks, so
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20-147.fm Page 14 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
cies are included in any search
band (or even another service
search bank), you could store
them in Channels 1–4 of the
POLICE service search bank.
PRIVATE Bank
Your scanner has one PRIVATE bank.
This bank contains 20 channels. You
can store frequencies from any search
band (see “Search Bands” on
Page 15), service search bank, or any
weather frequency into these chan-
nels, then scan the channels by press-
ing PRIVATE.
• Frequencies you assign to FIRE/
EMG channels become part of the
FIRE/EMG service search bank.
For example, the fire department
might use three frequencies to
communicate with paramedic
units only during disaster drills. If
these frequencies are included in
any search band (or even another
service search bank), you could
store them in Channels 1–3 of the
FIRE/EMG service search bank.
Notes:
• You cannot use the SEARCH key
to search for new frequencies in
the PRIVATE bank.
• You cannot scan the PRIVATE
bank until you have stored fre-
quencies in its channels (see
“Storing Frequencies into Chan-
nels” on Page 21).
• The MARINE and AIR service
search banks contain no chan-
nels.
You can also replace frequencies
you stored in these channels with
different frequencies, or you can
clear stored frequencies from the
channels.
CHANNELS
The scanner has 50 empty channels
where you can store frequencies you
find while scanning the banks or
searching through the search bands
— 20 in the POLICE bank, 10 in the
FIRE/EMG bank, and 20 in the PRI-
VATE bank.
Good references for active frequen-
cies are the RadioShack Police Call
Radio Guide Including Fire and Emer-
gency Services, Aeronautical Fre-
quency Directory, and Maritime
Frequency Directory. We update
these directories every year, so be
sure to get a current copy.
• Frequencies you assign to
POLICE channels become part of
the POLICE service search bank.
For example, the police depart-
ment might use four temporary
frequencies while providing secu-
rity for a parade. If these frequen-
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SEARCH BANDS
Your scanner has 11 preprogrammed search bands. Each band covers a specific
range of frequencies which you can search for specific broadcasts by using the
SEARCH
BAND
keys. For example, you can search through all frequencies be-
and
tween 29.000 and 30.000 MHz for specific broadcasts.
This table shows the search band range displayed by the scanner and the typical
usage, frequency coverage, and step rate for each search band range.
Search
Band
Range
Step
Rate
(kHz)
Frequency Coverage
(MHz)
Typical Usage
10-Meter Amateur Radio
VHF Lo
29.0000–30.0000
5.0
5.0
29–30
30–50
30.0000–50.0000
6-Meter Amateur Radio
Aircraft
50.0000–54.0000
5.0
50–54
108.0000–136.9750
137.0000–144.0000
144.0000–148.0000
148.0000–174.0000
406.0000–420.0000
420.0000–450.0000
450.0000–470.0000
470.0000–512.0000
25.0
5.0
108–137
137–144
144–148
148–174
406–420
420–450
450–470
470–512
Government
2-Meter Amateur Radio
VHF Hi
5.0
5.0
Government
12.5
12.5
12.5
12.5
70-Centimeter Amateur Radio
UHF Lo
UHF “T” Band
Notes:
• Your scanner searches at the preset frequency step rate (5, 12.5, or 25 kHz) for
each search band.
• You cannot change the frequency step rate.
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20-147.fm Page 16 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
While searching through a search
band, you might hear a frequency
that you want to store with other fre-
quencies of the same type, so you
can scan them all together. You can
store any frequency into a channel in
the POLICE or FIRE/EMG service
search banks or the PRIVATE bank.
See “Storing Frequencies into Chan-
nels” on Page 21.
Notes:
• Some of the frequencies in the
search bands are also included in
the scanner’s service search
banks.
• When you store a frequency in a
channel, that frequency also
remains in the search band.
• You cannot change or clear any of
the frequencies in the search
bands.
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A LOOK AT THE FRONT PANEL
A quick glance at this section will help you better understand each key’s function.
HOLD
SEARCH
— stops scanning or searching.
— searches for active fre-
quencies within selected band
a
s and t — moves up or down through
frequencies and channels or changes
the search direction.
range, starting from the lowest fre-
quency. See “Using Band Search” on
Page 20.
FIRE/EMG AIR POLICE MARINE
L/OUT
,
,
,
—
— locks out selected frequen-
scans the preset frequencies in the
named service search bank. See
“Service Search Banks” on Page 13.
cies or channels.
BAND
— selects any of the 11 search
bands to search.
PRIVATE
— scans the frequencies you
PROG
stored in the PRIVATE bank’s chan-
nels. See “PRIVATE Bank” on
Page 14.
— programs frequencies into
channels.
SQ
— adjusts the scanner’s squelch.
WX
— scans through the prepro-
OFF/VOLUME
grammed weather frequencies.
— turns the scanner on
or off and adjusts the volume.
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20-147.fm Page 18 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has indicators that show the scanner’s operating mode. A good look at
the display will help you understand your scanner’s operation.
PRIVATE— appears when you scan
the frequencies you stored in the PRI-
VATE bank’s channels.
L/O — appears when you lock out a
channel or frequency or manually se-
lect a locked-out channel or frequency
(see “Locking Out Channels and Fre-
quencies” on Page 23).
POLICE, FIRE/EMG, AIR, MRN
— appear when you scan the preset
frequencies in the named service
search bank.
MEMOLOSS— appears when you first
turn on the scanner until you program
the scanner, and when you turn on the
scanner after a power loss when the
scanner’s memory backup circuit is
too weak to save the scanner’s pro-
gramming.
WX— appears when you scan the pre-
set weather frequencies.
HOLD — appears when you press
HOLD to stop scanning or searching.
Error— appears when you make an
incorrect entry.
SCAN — appears when you scan
channels until a frequency appears.
Prg-Loc— appears when you try to
SRCH s or t — appears during a
program
the
scanner
while
search to show the search direction.
MEMOLOCK OFF/ON is set to ON (see
“Using Memolock” on Page 23).
— ap-
Search Band Range Numbers
pear instead of a frequency to show
which of the scanner’s 11 search
bands you selected.
CH — flashes when you program the
scanner.
— appears on the
Channel Number
left side of the display to show which of
the scan bank channels the scanner is
tuned to.
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20-147.fm Page 19 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
OPERATION
of the beep you hear when you
press the scanner’s keys.
TURNING ON THE
SCANNER/SETTING
VOLUME AND SQUELCH
USING SERVICE
SEARCH
Note: Make sure the scanner’s anten-
na is connected before you turn it on.
To scan a service search bank, press
any of these buttons:
1. Turn SQ fully clockwise.
• POLICE
• FIRE/EMG
• AIR
• MARINE
2. Turn OFF/VOLUME clockwise until
it clicks and you hear a hissing
sound.
To scan the PRIVATE bank, press
PRIVATE.
Note: You cannot scan the PRIVATE
bank until you have stored frequen-
cies in it. See “Storing Frequencies
into Channels” on Page 21.
The scanner scans through all non-
locked channels (see “Locking Out
Channels and Frequencies” on
Page 23) in the bank you selected,
SCAN scrolls, and the bank’s name
appears at the top of the display.
3. Turn SQ counterclockwise until
the hissing sound stops.
Notes:
• If the scanner picks up unwanted,
partial, or very weak transmis-
sions, turn SQ counterclockwise to
decrease the scanner’s sensitivity
to these signals. If you want to lis-
ten to a weak or distant station,
turn SQ clockwise.
The scanner scans the channels with-
in the bank from the lowest to the
highest channel number. If the scan-
ner detects a broadcast, it stops on
the channel. When the broadcast
ends, the scanner continues to scan
higher channels in the bank. When the
scanner finishes scanning all chan-
nels in the bank, it returns to the low-
est channel in the bank and starts
scanning again.
• If SQ is adjusted so you always
hear a hissing sound, the scanner
does not scan properly.
• OFF/VOLUME adjusts both the
broadcast volume and the volume
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20-147.fm Page 20 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
range. Hold down s or t to quickly step
through the frequencies. Press
USING BAND SEARCH
SEARCH
to return to automatic search.
Follow these steps to search for trans-
missions within any of the scanner’s
11 search bands.
MONITORING A
FREQUENCY
MEMOLOCK OFF/ON
OFF
1. Be sure
is
(see “Using Memolock”
on Page 23).
set to
When the scanner displays a specific
frequency while scanning the banks or
searching the search bands, you can
continuously monitor that frequency.
This is useful if you hear an emergen-
cy broadcast on a frequency and do
not want to miss any details (even
though there might be periods of si-
lence).
SEARCH
2. Press
.
BAND
3. Repeatedly press
until you
see the search band you want to
search.
SRCH and the range for each
search band appears. Then, after
about 3 seconds, SRCH s or
SRCHt appears, and the scanner
starts to automatically search the
frequencies in the band. When the
scanner finds a transmission, it
stops on that frequency and the
frequency’s number appears until
the transmission stops, then the
scanner starts searching again.
To monitor a frequency while it ap-
pears during scanning or searching,
HOLD
press
until HOLDappears. The
scanner stays on the frequency.
To continue scanning a bank, press
WX,
a service search bank button,
PRIVATE
or
searching
SEARCH
. To continue automatically
a
You can change the direction of either
an automatic or manual search by
pressing the opposite arrow key (s or
t) once.
search band, press
To continue manually
searching a search band, press s or t.
.
To manually search the search band,
HOLD
press
after the scanner starts
automatically searching the frequen-
cies. HOLD, SRCHs or SRCHt, and a
frequency within the band you select-
ed appear.
Repeatedly press s to search from the
lower to the upper range, or t to
search from the upper to the lower
20
20-147.fm Page 21 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
SEARCH
press
then start again
STORING FREQUENCIES
INTO CHANNELS
from Step 1.
PROG
3. Press
to store the fre-
1. When the scanner displays a fre-
quency you want to store while
scanning the banks or searching
quency in the displayed channel.
Or, repeatedly press s or t, select
a channel number, then press
PROG
PROG
. The scanner displays the
the search bands, press
.
CHflashes, and HOLDand the fre-
quency number appear.
channel number where you stored
the frequency.
Note: If you select a channel with
a frequency already stored in it,
the scanner replaces the fre-
quency with the new one.
PRIVATE POLICE
FIRE/
2. Press
,
, or
To cancel storing the frequency,
EMG
to store the frequency into a
BAND
press
.
channel. For example, if you want
to store the frequency in one of
the channels in the POLICE ser-
4. Repeat Steps 1–3 to store more
frequencies into channels.
POLICE
vice search bank, press
.
5. When you finish storing frequen-
MEMOLOCK OFF/ON
cies, set
ON
to
to prevent accidentally chang-
If the search bank you selected
has an empty channel, the fre-
quency number flashes alternately
with the lowest empty channel
number and 000.0000. If the
search bank you selected has no
empty channels, the frequency
number flashes alternately with
the channel number of the last
channel where you stored a fre-
quency.
ing them (see “Using Memolock”
on Page 23).
Note: If you press a service
PRI-
search bank key other than
VATE POLICE FIRE/EMG
,
, or
, the
scanner beeps several times and
Error appears. If you are scan-
PRIVATE
ning the banks, press
,
POLICE FIRE/EMG
, or
, then start
again from Step 1. If you are
searching the search bands,
21
20-147.fm Page 22 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
5. Press s or t until 000.0000
CLEARING
FREQUENCIES FROM
CHANNELS
appears.
PRIVATE POLICE
FIRE/
6. Press
,
, or
EMG
to select the bank that con-
tains the channel you want to
clear.
You can clear a frequency from a
channel by storing an empty frequen-
cy in its place.
HOLD and PRIVATE, POLICE,
or FIRE/EMG appears, and a
channel number flashes.
Notes:
• You cannot clear or change any of
the frequencies in the scanner’s
search bands, any of the scan-
ner’s preset weather frequencies,
or the preset frequencies in the
service search banks.
7. Repeatedly press s or t until the
scanner displays the channel you
want to clear. 000.0000flashes
alternately with the channel num-
ber and the frequency number.
PROG
8. Press
to store the empty
• When you clear a channel, the
scanner automatically locks out
the channel (see “Locking Out
Channels and Frequencies” on
Page 23).
frequency. The channel number
and 000.0000appear.
To cancel clearing the channel,
BAND
press
.
9. Repeat Steps 2–8 to clear more
channels.
MEMOLOCK OFF/ON
OFF
1. Be sure
is
(see “Using Memolock”
on Page 23).
set to
10. When you finish clearing chan-
MEMOLOCK OFF/ON
nels, set
ON
to
to prevent accidentally chang-
SEARCH
2. Press
, then repeatedly
BAND
press
to select a search
ing them (see “Using Memolock”
on Page 23).
band. SRCHand the search band
range for each band appear.
HOLD
3. Press
when the scanner
starts automatically searching that
band. HOLDappears.
PROG
4. Press
. CHflashes.
22
20-147.fm Page 23 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
SPECIAL FEATURES
USING MEMOLOCK
LOCKING OUT
CHANNELS AND
FREQUENCIES
(add corrected illus F25 showing
antenna cable connected to
ANT jack. Please make sure
vendor places illus properly)
You can scan banks faster by locking
out frequencies or channels that have
a continuous transmission or static.
However, you cannot lock out any
weather frequencies or any frequen-
cies within the AIR or MRN service
search banks.
To keep from accidentally changing
the scanner’s programming, you can
lock the scanner’s memory by setting
the MEMOLOCK OFF/ON switch on the
back of the scanner to ON. If you try to
change the scanner’s programming,
Prg-Locappears, and the program-
ming does not change.
To lock out a frequency or channel
while scanning, press L/O when the
scanner displays the frequency or
channel number.
To remove the lockout, manually se-
lect the frequency or channel, then
press L/O when the frequency or
channel number appears. L/Odisap-
pears.
Set MEMOLOCK OFF/ON to OFF to add
or change information in the scanner’s
channels.
DELAY
Notes:
• The scanner automatically locks
out empty channels.
Many agencies use a two-way radio
system that might have a pause of
several seconds between a query and
a reply.
• You can lock out all frequencies
and channels in a bank. However,
if all frequencies and channels
within a bank are locked out, the
scanner beeps three times when
you press that bank key and does
not scan the bank.
When the scanner tunes to an active
frequency or channel, the scanner
automatically waits for 2 seconds after
the completion of each transmission
on that frequency or channel before it
resumes searching or scanning.
• You can manually select locked
out channels.
23
20-147.fm Page 24 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
Your scanner has these weather fre-
quencies preprogrammed:
Removing a Lockout from All
Channels and Frequencies
within a Bank
• 162.4000 MHz
• 162.4250 MHz
• 162.4500 MHz
• 162.4750 MHz
• 162.5000 MHz
• 162.5250 MHz
• 162.5500 MHz
1. Press the bank key to select the
bank containing the channels or
frequencies you want to remove a
lockout from.
2. Press HOLD.
3. Hold down L/O until the scanner
beeps softly three times. The
scanner removes the lockout from
all channels and frequencies
within the selected bank.
To hear your local forecast and re-
gional weather information, simply
press WX. Your scanner scans
through the weather frequencies. Your
scanner should stop within a few sec-
onds on your local weather broadcast.
Note: When you store a frequency in
an empty channel, the scanner auto-
matically removes the lockout.
Follow these steps to manually tune to
a specific preprogrammed weather
frequency.
LISTENING TO
WEATHER
BROADCASTS
1. Press WX.
The FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) has allocated frequen-
cies for use by the National Oceanic
2. Press HOLD.
3. Repeatedly press s or t to move
forward or backward through the
frequencies.
and
Atmospheric
Administration
(NOAA). Regulatory agencies in other
countries have also allocated frequen-
cies for use by their weather reporting
authorities.
Your local weather reporting authority
broadcasts your local forecast and re-
gional weather information on one or
more of these frequencies. If your
scanner is within a weather reporting
authority’s broadcast range, you can
scan these frequencies.
24
20-147.fm Page 25 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 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
US Weather Frequencies
162.400
162.500
162.425
162.525
162.450
162.550
162.475
163.275
Other Weather Frequencies
161.650
161.775
162.440
Ham Radio Frequencies
Ham radio operators often transmit emergency information when other means of
communication break down. The following chart shows the frequencies the scanner
receives that Ham radio operators normally use.
Wavelength (meters)
10-Meter
6-Meter
Frequencies (MHz)
29.000–29.700
50.000–54.000
2-Meter
70-cm
33-cm
144.000–148.000
420.000–450.000
902.000–928.000
Birdie Frequencies
Every scanner has birdie frequencies. Birdies are signals created inside the scan-
ner’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 SQ coun-
terclockwise to cut out the birdie.
25
20-147.fm Page 26 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
The birdie frequencies to watch for on this unit are:
31.2000 161.8950 446.3000
41.6000 162.2950 508.7000
52.0000 168.3250 511.4000
114.4000 169.5300 511.4125
155.8700 173.1450
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. Use the search function and scan every frequency range from
its lowest frequency to the highest. Occasionally, the searching will stop as if it had
found a signal, often without any sound. That is a birdie. Make a list of all the birdies
in your scanner for future reference.
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 broad-
cast bands — the lower three transmit on the VHF band and the fourth transmits on
the UHF band.
Typical Band Usage
VHF Band
Low Range
29.00–50.00 MHz
50.00–54.00 MHz
137.00–144.00 MHz
144.00–148.00 MHz
148.00–174.00 MHz
6-Meter Amateur
U.S. Government
2-Meter Amateur
High Range
26
20-147.fm Page 27 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
UHF Band
Military Aircraft
U.S. Government
70-cm Amateur
Low Range
FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide
Band
380.00–384.00 MHz
406.00–420.00 MHz
420.00–450.00 MHz
450.00–470.00 MHz
470.00–512.00 MHz
Primary Usage
As a general rule, most of the radio activity is concentrated on the following fre-
quencies:
VHF Band
Activities
Frequencies
Government, Police, and Fire
Emergency Services
Railroad
153.785–155.980 MHz
158.730–159.460 MHz
160.000–161.900 MHz
UHF Band
Activities
Frequencies
Land-Mobile “Paired”
Frequencies
450.000–470.000 MHz
Base Stations
Mobile Units
Repeater Units
Control Stations
451.025–454.950 MHz
456.025–459.950 MHz
460.025–464.975 MHz
465.025–469.975 MHz
Note: Remote control stations and mobile units operate at 5 MHz higher than
their associated base stations and relay repeater units.
27
20-147.fm Page 28 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
SPECIFIED INTERVALS
Frequencies in different bands are accessible only at specific intervals. For exam-
ple:
Frequency Range(s)
Specified Interval
29–54 and 137–174 MHz
380–512 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 typi-
cal 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, avail-
able at your local RadioShack store.
Abbreviations
Services
AIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aircraft
BIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boise (ID) Interagency Fire Cache
BUS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Business
CAP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Civil Air Patrol
CB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Citizens Band
CCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Common Carrier
CSB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conventional Systems
CTSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conventional/Trunked Systems
FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fire Department
HAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amateur (Ham) Radio
GOVT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Federal Government
GMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .General Mobile Radio
GTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .General Trunked
IND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Industrial Services
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Manufacturing, Construction, Farming, Forest Products)
MAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Military Amateur Radio
MARI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maritime Limited Coast
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Coast Guard, Marine Telephone,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shipboard Radio, Private Stations)
MARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Military Affiliate Radio System
MED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emergency/Medical Services
MIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . U.S. Military
MOV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Motion Picture/Video Industry
NEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Mobile Narrow
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Relay Press (Newspaper Reporters)
OIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil/Petroleum Industry
28
20-147.fm Page 29 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
POL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Police Department
PUB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Public Services
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Public Safety, Local Government, Forestry Conservation)
PSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Public Safety
PTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Private Trunked
ROAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Road & Highway Maintenance
RTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Radio/TV Remote Broadcast Pickup
TAXI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Taxi Services
TELB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mobile Telephone
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Aircraft, Radio Common Carrier, Landline Companies)
TELC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cordless Phones
TELM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone Maintenance
TOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tow Trucks
TRAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transportation Services
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Trucks, Tow Trucks, Buses, Railroad, Other)
TSB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trunked Systems
TVn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FM-TV Audio Broadcast
USXX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Government Classified
UTIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power & Water Utilities
WTHR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weather
VERY HIGH FREQUENCY (VHF)
VHF Low Band—(in 5 kHz steps)
29.900–30.550 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL
30.580–31.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, PUB
32.000–32.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL
33.020–33.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS, IND, PUB
34.010–34.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL
35.020–35.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS, PUB, IND, TELM
36.000–36.230 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL
36.250. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil Spill Cleanup
36.270–36.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL
37.020–37.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB, IND
38.000–39.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL
39.020–39.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB
40.000–42.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, MARI
42.020–42.940 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .POL
42.960–43.180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND
43.220–43.680 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELM, IND, PUB
43.700–44.600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRAN
44.620–46.580 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POL, PUB
46.600–46.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, TELC
47.020–47.400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB
47.420. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Red Cross
47.440–49.580 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, PUB
49.610–49.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MIL, TELC
29
20-147.fm Page 30 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
6-Meter Amateur Band
50.00–54.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TOW, Oil Spill Cleanup
150.995–151.475 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROAD, POL
151.490–151.955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, BUS
151.985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TELM
152.0075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED
152.030–152.240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB
152.270–152.480 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI, BUS
152.510–152.840 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB
152.870–153.020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, MOV
153.035–153.725 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, OIL, UTIL
153.740–154.445 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PUB, FIRE
154.490–154.570 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, BUS
154.585 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil Spill Cleanup
154.600–154.625 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS
154.655–156.240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MED, ROAD, POL, PUB
156.255–157.425 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OIL, MARI
157.450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED
157.470–157.515 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOW
157.530–157.725 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI
157.740 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS
157.770–158.100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB
158.130–158.460 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUS, IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL
158.490–158.700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB
158.730–159.465 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .POL, PUB, ROAD
159.480 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OIL
159.495–161.565 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRAN
161.580–162.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OIL, MARI, RTV
162.0125–162.35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX
162.400–162.550 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WTHR
162.5625–162.6375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX
162.6625 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED
162.6875–163.225 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX
163.250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED
163.275–166.225 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX
166.250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, RTV, FIRE
30
20-147.fm Page 31 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
166.275–169.400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, BIFC
169.445–169.505 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wireless Mikes, GOVT
169.55–169.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL, USXX
170.000–170.150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIFC, GOVT, RTV, FIRE
170.175–170.225 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT
170.245–170.305 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wireless Mikes
170.350–170.400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT
ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY (UHF)
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL
452.0375–453.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI, TRAN TOW, NEWS
453.0125–454.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB, OIL
454.025–454.975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TELB
455.050–455.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RTV
457.525–457.600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUS
458.025–458.175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED
460.0125–460.6375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FIRE, POL, PUB
460.650–462.175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUS
462.1875–462.450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUS, IND
462.4625–462.525 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL
462.550–462.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GMR, BUS
462.9375–463.1875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED
463.200–467.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUS
FM-TV Audio Broadcast, UHF Wide Band
(Channels 14 through 69 in 6 MHz steps)
475.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 14
481.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 15
487.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 16
...
...
511.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 20
Note: Some cities use the 470–512 MHz band for land/mobile service.
31
20-147.fm Page 32 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
FREQUENCY CONVERSION
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.
1 MHz (million) = 1,000 kHz (thousand)
To convert MHz to kHz, multiply the number of megahertz by 1,000:
30.62 (MHz) ¥ 1000 = 30,620 kHz
To convert from kHz to MHz, divide the number of kilohertz by 1,000:
127,800 (kHz) ÷ 1000 = 127.8 MHz
To convert MHz to meters, divide 300 by the number of megahertz:
300 ÷ 50 MHz = 6 meters
32
20-147.fm Page 33 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
TROUBLESHOOTING
If your scanner is not working as it should, these suggestions might help you elimi-
nate the problem. If the scanner still does not operate properly, take it to your local
RadioShack store for assistance.
Problem
Possible Causes
Remedies
The scanner does not The AC adapter is not
Be sure the AC adapter is
plugged into a working AC
outlet.
work at all.
properly connected.
The DC power cord or
DC cigarette-lighter
power cord is not con-
nected.
Be sure the power cord is ful-
ly inserted into the DC 13.8V
jack.
Be sure the power cord’s red
wire is connected correctly to
a voltage source and the
black wire is connected cor-
rectly to ground.
Poor or no reception. Improperly connected
antenna.
Be sure the antenna is prop-
erly connected.
Scanner is on but
does not scan.
SQ is not correctly ad-
justed.
Adjust SQ counterclockwise
(see “Turning On the Scan-
ner/Setting Volume and
Squelch” on Page 19).
In the scan mode, the Birdies.
scanner locks on fre-
quencies that have an
Avoid programming frequen-
cies listed under “Birdie Fre-
quencies” on Page 25 or only
listen to them manually.
unclear transmission.
33
20-147.fm Page 35 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
REPLACING THE FUSES
The fuses in the scanner’s DC power
cord and DC cigarette-lighter power
cord help protect your scanner from
power surges and short circuits. If the
fuse in the DC power cord has blown,
replace it with a 1-amp, fast-acting
glass fuse (such as RadioShack Cat.
No. 270-1005). For the fuse in the DC
cigarette-lighter power cord, replace it
with a 2-amp, fast-acting glass fuse
(such as RadioShack Cat. No. 270-
1007).
(add corrected illus F26,
deleting curved arrow)
3. If the fuse is blown, replace it.
4. To close the fuse holder, push the
fuse holder ends together, then
turn either end clockwise.
Warnings:
• Before you begin, turn off the
scanner and your vehicle’s igni-
tion.
Replacing the Fuse in the DC
Cigarette-Lighter Power Cord
• Make sure you replace the fuse
only with another fuse of the same
type and rating.
1. Turn off the scanner and your
vehicle’s ignition.
2. To open the cigarette-lighter plug,
turn the cap counterclockwise and
remove it.
Replacing the Fuse in the DC
Power Cord
1. Turn off the scanner and your
vehicle’s ignition.
2. To open the fuse holder, push the
fuse holder ends together, then
turn either end counterclockwise
and release it.
3. If the fuse is blown, replace it.
4. Replace the cap.
35
20-147.fm Page 36 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency Coverage:
Ham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29–29.7 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)
VHF Lo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.7–50 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)
Ham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50–54 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)
Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108–136.975 MHz (in 25 kHz steps)
Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137–144 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)
Ham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144–148 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)
VHF Hi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148–174 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)
Ham/Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406–450 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps)
UHF Lo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450–470 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps)
UHF T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470–512 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps)
Programmable Channels:
POLICE Service Search Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
FIRE/EMG Service Search Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PRIVATE Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Sensitivity (20 dB S/N with 60% modulation for AM, 3 kHz deviation for FM):
29–54 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 µV
108–136.975 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7 µV
137–174 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 µV
406–512 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 µV
Scanning Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Up to 100 frequencies or channels/second
Search Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Up to 100 steps/second
Delay Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 seconds
Intermediate Frequencies (IF):
1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.85 MHz
2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 kHz
Squelch Sensitivity:
Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4µV
Tight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (S+N)/N 25 dB
Antenna Impedance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Ohms
Audio Power:
Maximum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 W
Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 W
36
20-147.fm Page 37 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
Current Drain:
Squelched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 mA
Unsquelched, full volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 mA
Built-in Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Inch (77 mm)
8-ohm, Dynamic Type
Power Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AC 120V, 60 Hz, 14 Watts
+13.8V DC
Dimensions (HWD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ¥ 51/8 ¥ 615/16 Inch-
es
(50 ¥ 130 ¥ 175 mm)
(with feet folded up)
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.11 lbs
(755 g)
Supplied Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DC Power Cord
DC Cigarette-Lighter Power Cord
AC Adapter
Telescoping Antenna
Window-Mount Antenna
Vehicle Mounting Hardware
Specifications are typical; Individual units might vary. Specifications are subject to
change and improvement without notice.
37
20-147.fm Page 38 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
NOTES
38
20-147.fm Page 39 Tuesday, August 3, 1999 3:23 PM
39
RadioShack
A Division of Tandy Corporation
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
UBZZ01225HZ
|