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20-522.fm Page 1 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM
Owner’s Manual Cat. No. 20-522
PRO-92 500-Channel
Portable Trunking Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
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20-522.fm Page 2 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM FEATURES Your RadioShack PRO-92 500-Channel Portable Trunk- ing Scanner is one of a new generation of scanners de- ® signed to track Motorola Type I and Type II (such as ® ® Smartnet and Privacy Plus ) and hybrid analog trunking ® systems, plus GE/Ericsson (EDACS ) and EF Johnson ® (LTR ) type systems, which are extensively used in many communication systems. Trunking communications systems let a large group of 2- way radio users (or even
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20-522.fm Page 3 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM Your scanner includes these special features: — tracks three Simultaneous Trunking Operation trunking systems, LTR, Motorola, and EDACS at the same time, as well as conventional systems. — lets you input a text label for each channel, Text Input talk group ID, bank, or other memory so you can easily know about the transmission you are hearing. — decodes and displays the Subaudible Tone Decode Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS)
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20-522.fm Page 4 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM — let you 60 Preprogrammed Frequency Ranges search for transmissions within preset frequency ranges or within ranges you set, to reduce search time and select interesting frequencies more quickly. — delays scanning for about 2 seconds be- Scan Delay fore moving to another channel in conventional mode, so you can hear more replies that are made on the same channel. — you can set the scanner to check Priority Channel one channel every 2 se
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20-522.fm Page 5 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM — let you power the scanner with Three Power Options internal batteries (non-rechargeable batteries or re- chargeable batteries). You can also use an AC adapter (not supplied) or power the scanner in a vehicle using a DC adapter (not supplied). — provides a Supplied Police Call Trunking Guide quick reference to public safety trunking radio systems in the United States. Your PRO-92 scanner can receive these frequencies: • 29–54 MHz • 108–1
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20-522.fm Page 6 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC requires that you stop using your scanner. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Op- eration is subject to the following conditions: (1) This de- vice must not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Note: Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a permit in some
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20-522.fm Page 7 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM CONTENTS Preparation ................................................................ 10 Power Sources .................................................... 10 Using Batteries ............................................. 10 Charging Rechargeable Batteries ................ 13 Using AC Power ........................................... 14 Using Vehicle Power .................................... 15 Connecting the Antenna .......................
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20-522.fm Page 8 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM Storing a Frequency While Searching for a Specified Channel ........................................ 42 Changing a Search Range with One of the 60 Preprogrammed Ranges ....... 43 Manually Changing a Search Range ........... 43 Scanning the Channels ....................................... 44 Turning Channel-Storage Banks Off and On ......................................... 44 Manually Tuning a Frequency ............................. 45 De
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20-522.fm Page 9 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM Clearing Talk Group ID’s .............................. 62 Clearing All Talk Group ID’s in One Bank .................................................. 63 Open and Closed Modes ..................................... 63 Changing the Open/Closed Mode ................ 64 A General Guide to Scanning .................................. 65 Guide To Frequencies ......................................... 65 US Weather Frequencies ......................
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20-522.fm Page 10 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM PREPARATION POWER SOURCES You can power your scanner from any of three sources: • internal non-rechargeable batteries or rechargeable batteries (not supplied — see “Using Batteries”) • standard AC power (with an optional AC adapter — see “Using AC Power” on Page 14) • vehicle power (with an optional DC adapter — see “Using Vehicle Power” on Page 15) Notes: • Connecting an AC or DC adapter to the scanner dis- connects internal batteries whe
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20-522.fm Page 11 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM Never install non-rechargeable batteries in the Warning: rechargeable yellow battery holder. Non-rechargeable batteries can get hot or explode if you try to recharge them. You must charge rechargeable batteries before Note: you use them the first time. See “Charging Rechargeable Batteries” on Page 13. Follow these steps to install the batteries. 1. Press down on the battery compartment cover on the bottom of the scanner and slide the cov
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20-522.fm Page 12 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM 3. Insert six AA batteries in the battery holder as indi- cated by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked on the holder. Cautions: • Use only fresh batteries of the required size and recommended type. • Always remove old or weak batteries. Batteries can leak chemicals that destroy electronic circuits. • Do not mix old and new batteries, different types of batteries (alkaline or rechargeable), or rechargeable batteries of different capacitie
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20-522.fm Page 13 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM When battery power is low, Low Battery! appears and the scanner beeps continuously. When battery pow- er is depleted, the scanner turns itself off. Replace all six non-rechargeable batteries, or recharge the rechargeable batteries. See “Charging Rechargeable Batteries”. Always dispose of old batteries promptly and Warning: properly. Do not bury or burn them. If you do not plan to use the scanner with bat- Caution: teries for a month or l
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1 - 8 0 0 - 8 20-522.fm Page 14 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM • Rechargeable batteries last longer and deliver more power if you let them fully discharge once a month. To do this, use the scanner until Low Battery! appears on the display. Then fully charge the rechargeable batteries. This scanner can use nickel- Important: cadmium rechargeable batteries. At the end of a nickel-cadmium battery's useful life, it must be recycled or disposed of properly. Contact your local, county, or sta
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20-522.fm Page 15 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM 2. Plug the adapter’s barrel plug into the scanner’s jack. PWR DC 9V 3. Plug the adapter into a standard AC outlet. Using Vehicle Power You can power the scanner from a vehicle’s 12V power source (such as a cigarette-lighter socket) using a 9V, 300 mA DC adapter and a size H Adaptaplug (neither supplied). We recommend RadioShack Cat. No. 273- 1810 (available at your local RadioShack store). Note: For charging batteries with an optional
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20-522.fm Page 16 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM 3. Plug the adapter’s cigarette-lighter plug into your vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket. If the scanner does not operate properly when you Note: connect a DC adapter, unplug the DC adapter from the cigarette-lighter socket and clean the socket to remove ashes and other debris. CONNECTING THE ANTENNA Follow these steps to attach the supplied flexible antenna to the jack on the top of your scanner. ANT 1. Align the slots around the anten
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20-522.fm Page 17 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM Connecting an Optional Antenna The antenna connector on your scanner makes it easy to use the scanner with a variety of antennas, such as an external mobile antenna or outdoor base station antenna. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of antennas. Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG- 8, to connect an outdoor antenna. For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If your antenna’s cable does n
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20-522.fm Page 18 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM 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 vo
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20-522.fm Page 19 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM USING THE BELT CLIP You can use the belt clip attached to the back of the scanner for hands-free carrying when you are on the go. Slide the belt clip over your belt or waistband. CONNECTING THE CLONE CABLE You can transfer the programmed data to and from an- other PRO-92 using the supplied clone cable. Connect the cable between each scanner’s PC/IF jacks. See “Cloning the Programmed Data from Scanner to Scan- ner” on Page 56. You can also
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20-522.fm Page 20 Friday, September 17, 1999 12:46 PM ABOUT YOUR SCANNER Once you understand a few simple terms used in this manual and familiarize yourself with your scanner’s fea- tures, you can put the scanner to work for you. You sim- ply determine the type of communications you want to receive, then set the scanner to scan them. A frequency is the receiving signal location (expressed in kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies, you can use the search function. You can also search the SEA
