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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.
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20-566.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, ambu- lance services, and amateur radio services. You can se- lect 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 fre- quencies is its custom-designed microprocessor — a tiny, built-in computer. Your sca
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20-566.fm Page 3 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Channel Lockout — keeps channels you select from be- ing 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 sec- onds before moving to another channel, so you can hear more replies. Key Lock — lets you lock the keys to help prevent acci- dentally changing the scanner’s programming. Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector — provides ex- cellent
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20-566.fm Page 4 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Your PRO-72 scanner can receive all of these frequen- cies: • 29–54 MHz (10-Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Lo, 6- Meter Amateur Radio) • 137–174 MHz (Aircraft/Air Shows, Government, 2- Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Hi) • 380–512 MHz (Military Aircraft, UHF Lo, 70-Centime- ter Amateur Radio, UHF “T” Band, Government) • 806–824 MHz (UHF Public Service, Trunked Ser- vices) • 849–869 MHz (UHF Hi, Trunked Services) • 894–960 MHz (UHF Hi, 33-Centimeter Amateur
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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. Try to eliminate the interference by: • Moving your scanner away from the TV or radio • Connecting your scanner to an outlet that is on a dif- ferent electrical circuit from the TV or radio •
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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, ama- teur radio services, military operations, pager services, and wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers. It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scan- ner can receive. However, there are some transmissions you should never intentionally
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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 .....................................
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20-566.fm Page 8 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM Special Features ....................................................... 36 Delay ................................................................... 36 Locking Out a Channel ........................................ 36 Using the Display Backlight ................................. 37 Turning the Key Tone On and Off ........................ 38 Using the Keylock ................................................ 38 A General Guide to Scanning .....
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20-566.fm Page 9 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM PREPARATION POWER SOURCES You can power your scanner from any of four sources: • Internal batteries (not supplied) with the provided battery holder • A rechargeable scanner battery pack (not supplied) • Standard AC power (using an optional AC adapter) • Vehicle battery power (using an optional DC cigarette- lighter adapter) Notes: • Connecting an AC or DC adapter to the scanner dis- connects any internal batteries, but it does not dis- connect
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20-566.fm Page 10 Thursday, August 5, 1999 8:04 AM You can also use six rechargeable nickel-cadmium batter- ies (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 ex- ternal 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 Page14). Caution: Do not mi
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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 com- partment 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. When battery power is low, BATT flashes and the scanner beeps abou
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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. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the scanner o
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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. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications
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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. 23-288) w
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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. C
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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 anten- na. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of anten- nas. 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-
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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 perma- nent 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. Over time, your ears adapt to the volum
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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. 1 Plug the speaker cable’s /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. Belt Clip 18
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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 fea- tures, 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). To find active frequencies, you can use the search function to search bands, which are pre
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20-566.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 func- tion. WX — scans through the preprogrammed weather chan- nels. BAND — selects a preprogrammed search band. SCAN — scans through the programmed channels. MANUAL — stops scanning to let you directly enter a channel number. / — searches down or up from the currently dis- played frequency, or selects the directi
