RadioShack Pro 2049 Programmable Scanner Owners Manual

Cat. No. 20-419
OWNER’S MANUAL
PRO-2049
90-Channel Direct Entry
Programmable Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
20-419.fm  Page 1  Wednesday, March 24, 1999  2:43 PM 

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FEATURES
Your RadioShack PRO-2049 90-
Channel Direct Entry Programmable
Scanner lets you in on all the action!
This scanner gives you direct access
to over 23,000 frequencies, including
those used by police and fire depart-
ments, ambulance and transportation
services, government agencies, and
amateur radio services. You can se-
lect up to 90 channels to scan and you
can change selections at any time. 
The scanner’s frequency bands let
you search specific, preset ranges of
frequencies quickly and...

3
External Speaker Jack 
— lets you
connect an external speaker, or an
earphone or headphones for private
listening.
External Antenna Terminal 
— lets
you connect an external antenna (not
supplied) for improved reception.
Your PRO-2049 scanner can receive
all of these frequencies:
• 29–54 MHz (10-Meter Amateur
Radio, VHF Lo, 6-Meter Amateur) 
• 108–136.975 MHz (Aircraft) 
• 137–174 MHz (Government, 2-
Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Hi) 
• 406–512 MHz (UHF Lo, 70-Centi-
meter Amateur Radio, Govern-
ment, UHF...

4
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:
• moving your scanner away from
the receiver
• connecting your scanner to an
outlet that is on a different electri-
cal circuit from the receiver
• contacting your local RadioShack
store for help
If you cannot eliminate the...

5
CONTENTS
Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
Removing the Display Protector  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
Connecting an Antenna   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
Connecting the Supplied Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
Connecting an Outdoor Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

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A General Guide to Scanning  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ham Radio Frequencies   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
National Weather Frequencies   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Birdie Frequencies  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
United States Broadcast Band   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

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PREPARATION 
This scanner is designed for use in the
home as a base station. You can
place it on any flat surface such as a
desk, shelf, or table.
REMOVING THE 
DISPLAY PROTECTOR
Your scanner’s display is protected
during shipment by a piece of film.
Peel off this film before you use the
scanner.
CONNECTING AN 
ANTENNA
Connecting the Supplied 
Antenna
You must install an antenna before
you can operate the scanner. 
The supplied telescoping antenna
helps your scanner receive strong lo-
cal signals. To...

8
To connect an optional base-station
antenna, first remove the supplied an-
tenna from the scanner. Always use
50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58
or RG-8, to connect the base-station
antenna. For lengths over 50 feet, use
RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable.
If the antenna cable’s connector does
not fit in the 
ANT. jack, you might also
need an antenna plug adapter such as
RadioShack Cat. No. 278-208. Your
local RadioShack store carries a wide
variety of coaxial antenna cable and
connectors.
Once...

9
• Use only the supplied AC adapter
to power your scanner. Using
another adapter could damage
your scanner. A replacement
adapter is available by special
order through your local
RadioShack store.
• Be sure to connect the AC adapter
to the scanner before you connect
it to an AC outlet, and disconnect
the AC adapter from the AC outlet
before you disconnect it from the
scanner.
CONNECTING AN 
EXTERNAL SPEAKER
You can connect an optional external
speaker with a 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) plug
to the scanner. Use an...

10
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these
guidelines when you use an earphone
or headphones.
•Set 
OFF/VOLUME to the lowest
setting before you begin listening.
After you put on the earphone or
headphones, adjust 
OFF/VOLUME
to a comfortable level.
• Do not listen at extremely high
volume levels. Extended high-vol-
ume listening can lead to perma-
nent hearing loss.
• Once you set 
OFF/VOLUME, do
not increase it. Over time, your
ears adapt to the volume level, so
a volume level that does...