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20-513.fm Page 1 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM
Owner’s Manual Cat. No. 20-513
PRO-74 100-Channel
VHF/UHF/Air/800 MHz
Race Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
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20-513.fm Page 2 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM FEATURES Your new RadioShack PRO-74 100-Channel VHF/UHF/Air/800 MHz Race Scanner lets you in on the action in the pits at the big race or on the streets of your home town. This scanner gives you direct access to more than 30,000 frequencies, including those used by participants and staff at auto races and air shows, by government agencies, police and fire departments, ambulance and transportation services, and am- ateur radio. You can select
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20-513.fm Page 3 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Hypersearch — lets you set the scanner to search at up to 300 steps per second, to help you quickly find interesting broadcasts. (The nor- mal search speed is 100 steps per second). Two-Second Scan Delay — automatically delays scanning for about 2 seconds before moving to another channel, so you can hear more re- plies. Lock-Out Function — lets you set your scanner to skip over specified channels. Direct Frequency Search — lets you search al
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20-513.fm Page 4 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Resume Start — the scanner saves its settings when you turn the power off. This returns you to the function you were using if you acci- dentally turn the scanner off or the batteries are weak. Triple-Conversion Circuitry — virtually eliminates any interference from IF (intermediate frequency) images, so you hear only the selected frequency. Your scanner can receive these bands: Frequency Range Step Transmission (MHz) (kHz) 29–29.7 5 10-Meter
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20-513.fm Page 5 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM FCC NOTICE Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference even when it is oper- ating properly. To determine whether your scanner is causing the interfer- ence, turn off your scanner. If the interference goes away, your scanner is causing it. Try the following methods to eliminate the interference: • Move your scanner away from the receiver • Connect your scanner to an outlet that is on a different electrical circuit from the receiver •
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20-513.fm Page 6 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM CONTENTS Preparation ....................................................................................... 9 Power Sources ............................................................................ 9 Using Internal Batteries ........................................................ 9 Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries .................................. 11 Using Standard AC Power ................................................. 12 Using Veh
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20-513.fm Page 7 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Special Features ............................................................................. 36 Turning Memory Banks On and Off ........................................... 36 Locking Out Channels ............................................................... 36 Priority ....................................................................................... 36 Using the Keylock ...............................................................
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20-513.fm Page 8 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM PREPARATION POWER SOURCES You can power your scanner from any of three sources: • Internal batteries (not supplied) • Standard AC power using an optional AC adapter • Vehicle battery power using an optional DC adapter Using Internal Batteries You can power your scanner using four AA batteries. For the longest operation and best performance, we recommend you use alkaline bat- teries (such as RadioShack Cat. No. 23-552). You can also use fou
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20-513.fm Page 9 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Warning: Never set ALKALINE JACK NI-CD to NI-CD if you are installing non-rechargeable batteries. Non-rechargeable batteries can get hot or explode if you try to recharge them. 3. Install two batteries in the compartment and two in the cover as indicated by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked inside those locations. Cautions: • Use only fresh batteries of the required size and recommended type. • Always remove old or weak batteries. Batt
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20-513.fm Page 10 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries The scanner has a built-in circuit that lets you recharge nickel-cadmium AL- batteries while they are in the scanner. To charge the batteries, set KALINE JACK NI-CD NI-CD to , install the nickel-cadmium batteries in the scanner, and connect an external AC or DC adapter to the scan- ner’s POWER jack (see “Using Standard AC Power” on Page 11 or “Us- ing Vehicle Battery Power” on Page 12). Warning: Do not
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20-513.fm Page 11 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Using Standard AC Power You can power the scanner from a standard AC outlet using an option- al AC adapter (such as Cat. No. 273-1665). Warning: Do not use an AC adapter’s polarized plug with an extension cord, receptacle, or other outlet unless the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure. Cautions: • The recommended AC adapter supplies 9 volts and delivers at least 300 milliamps. It has a barrel plug with a center negative t
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20-513.fm Page 12 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Using Vehicle Battery Power To power the scanner from your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket, you need a DC adapter, such as Cat. No. 270-1560. Cautions: • The DC adapter must be capable of delivering 9 volts and at least 300 milliamps, its center tip must be set to negative, and its barrel plug must correctly fit the scanner's POWER jack. The recom- mended adapter meets these specifications. Using an adapter that does not meet these specif
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20-513.fm Page 13 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM When you finish using the DC adapter, disconnect it from the cigarette- lighter socket, then disconnect it from your scanner. Note: 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. CONNECTING AN ANTENNA The supplied stub antenna helps your scanner receive most strong transmissions at events and makes the scanner
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20-513.fm Page 14 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Connecting an Optional Antenna The scanner’s antenna jack makes it easy to use the scanner with a variety of antennas. Instead of either of the supplied antennas, you can attach a different one, such as an external mobile antenna or outdoor base station antenna. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of antennas. Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8, to connect an outdoor antenna. For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low
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20-513.fm Page 15 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM CONNECTING AN EXTENSION SPEAKER In a noisy area, an extension speaker (such as Cat. No. 21-549), posi- tioned in the right place, might provide more comfortable listening. Plug 1 the speaker cable’s / 8-inch mini-plug into your scanner’s jack. CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/ HEADPHONES For private listening, you can plug an earphone or headphones with a 1 /8-inch mini-plug (such as Cat. No. 33-178 or 20-210) into the jack on top of your scanner. T
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20-513.fm Page 16 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM Listening Safely To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use an ear- phone or headphones. • Do not listen at extremely high volume levels. Extended high- volume listening can lead to permanent hearing loss. • Set the volume to the lowest setting before you begin listening. After you begin listening, adjust the volume to a comfortable level. • Once you set the volume, do not increase it. Over time, your ears adapt to the vo
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20-513.fm Page 17 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM 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 them. frequency A is the tuning location of a station (expressed in kHz or search MHz). To find active frequencies, you can use the function. memory banks You can also sear
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20-513.fm Page 18 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM RACE — lets you store car numbers and frequencies in the scanner’s channels, add and delete frequencies from car numbers, display car numbers, and listen to the channel where a car number is stored. MAN — stops scanning and lets you directly enter a channel number or frequency. PROG — stores frequencies into channels. BAND — lets you search service banks. SCAN — scans through stored channels. HOLD — holds a frequency search. DATA — turns
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20-513.fm Page 19 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY The display has indicators that show the scanner’s current operating status. A good look at the display will help you understand how your scanner operates. BANK 1 23 4 5 67 8 910 BATT.Lo K/L RACE PRI DATA HOLD WX HYPER NO. P MRN CH MHz S SCAN MAN PGM L/O SEARCH BANK — appears with numbers (1–10) to show which memory banks are turned on for scanning. Service bank indicators — appear when you select the scanner’s ser- vic
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20-513.fm Page 20 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:39 PM No. — appears when a car number is displayed — appears with CH when you select the scanner’s marine service MRN bank (see “Service Banks” on Page 21). P — appears when you listen to a priority channel. CH — digits that precede this indicator show which of the 100 channels the scanner is tuned to. MHz — digits that precede this indicator show which frequency the scanner is tuned to. 5 appears directly above the MHz indicator when the displa
