RadioShack Pro 2040 Home Scanner Owners Manual

Cat. No. 20-414
OWNER’S MANUAL
100-Channel Programmable Home Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
PRO-2040
20-414.fm  Page 1  Wednesday, August 4, 1999  11:12 AM 

2
FEATURES
© 1995 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
Your Radio Shack PRO-2040 100-
Channel Programmable Home Scan-
ner lets you in on all the action! This
scanner gives you direct access to
over 30,000 exciting frequencies that
include police and fire departments,
ambulance and transportation ser-
vices, and amateur radio. You can
select up to 100 channels to scan,
and you can change your selections
at any time.
The secret to your...

3
Two-Second Scan Delay — delays
scanning for 2 seconds before mov-
ing to another channel, so you can
hear more replies.
Weather Band Key
 — scans the
preprogrammed weather frequen-
cies to keep you informed of the most
current weather conditions.
Memory Backup
 — keeps the chan-
nel frequencies stored in your scan-
ner’s memory for up to 3 days during
a power loss.
Squelch Control
 — lets you adjust
the receiver’s sensitivity low enough
to receive weak signals or high
enough to eliminate receiver...

4 Your PRO-2040 can receive these bands:
FCC Notice
Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference even when it is operating
properly. To determine if your scanner is causing the interference, turn off your
scanner. If the interference goes away, your scanner was causing it. Try to elim-
inate the interference by:
• Moving your scanner away from the receiver
• Connecting your scanner to an outlet that is on a different electrical circuit
from the receiver
• Contacting your local Radio Shack store for...

5
CONTENTS
Preparation ....................................................................................................... 7
Connecting Power ....................................................................................... 7
Using Standard AC Power .................................................................... 7
Memory Backup .................................................................................... 7
Using Vehicle Battery Power...

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Locking Out Channels ............................................................................... 29
Changing Scanning and Search Speeds................................................... 29
Detecting Data Signals .............................................................................. 30
A General Guide To Scanning....................................................................... 31
Guide to Frequencies ................................................................................ 31...

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PREPARATION
CONNECTING POWER
Using Standard AC Power
You can power your scanner from a
standard AC outlet using the sup-
plied AC adapter.
Warnin
g: Do not use the AC adapt-
er’s polarized plug with an extension
cord receptacle unless the blades
can be fully inserted to prevent blade
exposure.
Cautions:
• The supplied AC adapter sup-
plies 12 volts and delivers 500
milliamps. Its center tip is set to
positive, and its plug properly fits
the scanner’s 
DC 12V jack.
Using an AC adapter that does
not meet...

8
Using Vehicle Battery Power
To power your scanner from your ve-
hicle’s battery power, you need a DC
power cord (such as Radio Shack
Cat. No. 270-1533).
Cautions:
• Your vehicle must have a 12-volt
DC, negative-ground electrical
system.
• The recommended DC power
cord supplies 12 volts and deliv-
ers at least 500 milliamps. The
center tip on the barrel plug is
set to positive, and the plug
properly fits the scanner’s 
DC
12V
 jack. Using a DC power cord
(or adapter) that does not meet
these...

9
CONNECTING AN 
ANTENNA
You can connect either the supplied
telescoping antenna or an optional
antenna.
Telescoping Antenna
To attach the telescoping antenna,
simply screw it into the hole on top of
your scanner.
The antenna’s length controls its
sensitivity. Adjust the length of the
telescoping antenna as follows for
the best reception.
29-54 MHz Extend all 3 seg-
ments
108-174 MHz Extend only 2 seg-
ments 
406-956 MHz Collapse  Fully  (only
1 segment extend-
ed)
Optional Outdoor Antenna
The supplied...

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For the best performance, consider
the following when deciding on an
outdoor base antenna and its loca-
tion:
• The location of the external
antenna should be as high as
possible.
• The external antenna and
antenna cable should be as far
away as possible from sources
of electrical noise (appliances,
other radios, and so on).
• The external antenna should be
vertical.
Mount the antenna following the in-
structions supplied with the antenna
and its mounting hardware, then fol-
low these steps to connect...