RadioShack Pro 2052 Vhf Uhf Scanner Reciever Owners Manual

							Owner’s ManualCat. No. 20-432
PRO-2052
1000-Channel Dual Trunking
TrunkTracker Home Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
20-432.fm  Page 1  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							2
INTRODUCTION
Your new RadioShack PRO-2052
1000-Channel Dual Trunking Trunk-
Tracker Home Scanner is one of a
new generation of scanners designed
to track Motorolaä
 Type I, Type II
(such as Smartnetä
 and Privacy
Plusä
), GE/Ericsson EDACS, and hy-
brid analog trunking systems, which
are extensively used in many 800
MHz, 900 MHz and UHF communica-
tion systems. 
Trunking communications systems let
a large group of 2-way radio users (or
even different groups of 2-way radio
users) efficiently use a group of fre-
quencies. Instead of selecting a spe-
cific frequency for a transmission, the
2-way radio user simply selects a talk
group. The trunking system automati-
cally transmits the call on the first
available frequency, and also sends a
code that uniquely identifies that 2-
way radio user’s transmission on a dif-
ferent frequency called a data chan-
nel.
Since the trunking system might send
individual 2-way radio user’s calls and
response transmissions on different
frequencies, it is difficult to listen to
trunked communications using a regu-
lar scanner. The PRO-2052 monitors
the data channel frequency sent with
a 2-way radio user’s transmission and
instantly switches to an active fre-
quency, so you can hear the call and
response for that 2-way radio user
and easily “follow” the conversation.The scanner also lets you scan con-
ventional transmissions, and is pre-
programmed with service-search
banks for convenience. By pressing a
single button, you can quickly search
those frequencies most commonly
used by public service and other
agencies without tedious and compli-
cated programming.
This scanner gives you direct access
to over 51,000 exciting frequencies,
including those used by police and fire
departments, ambulance services,
and amateur radio services, and you
can change your selection at any time. 
FEATURES
Your scanner also has these special
features:
Flexible Operation 
— you can track
both Motorola and GE/Ericsson trunk-
ing systems (used by most trunking
communications systems today), let-
ting you hear more calls than many
standard trunking scanners.
Frequency Coverage to 1.3 GHz 
—
provides a wide range of frequencies
you can listen to.
Twenty Channel-Storage Banks
 —
let you store 50 channels in each bank
(1000 total channels), letting you
group channels so you can more easi-
ly identify calls.
©
 1999 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
HyperSearch and HyperScan are trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.
20-432.fm  Page 2  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							3
NWR-SAME/Weather Alert
 — you
can set the scanner to sound an alert
when it receives NOAA’s Specific
Area Message Encoding (SAME) cod-
ed weather emergency signal, provid-
ing more complete information about
weather conditions in your immediate
area and letting you avoid hearing
alerts for geographical areas that do
not interest you.
Remote PC Function
 — lets you con-
trol the PRO-2052 from your personal
computer.
Five Scan Lists 
— let you store up to
50 IDs in each tracking bank (up to a
total of 1000).
Triple-Conversion Circuitry 
— virtu-
ally eliminates any interference from
IF (intermediate frequency) images,
so you hear only the selected frequen-
cy.
Scan Delay
 — delays scanning for
about 2 seconds before moving to an-
other channel in conventional mode,
so you can hear more replies that are
made on the same channel. In trunk
scanning mode, it delays for about 5
seconds before moving to another ID.
Lock-Out Function
 — lets you set
your scanner to skip over specified
channels or frequencies when scan-
ning or searching, and skip over IDs
when tracking trunked systems.
Priority Channels
 — lets you pro-
gram one channel in each bank (10 inall). As the scanner scans a bank, it
checks the bank’s priority channel ev-
ery 2 seconds so you dont miss trans-
missions on that channel.
Five Service-Search Banks
 — let
you search preset frequencies in sep-
arate public service, police, fire/emer-
gency, aircraft, and weather banks, to
make it easy to locate specific types of
calls.
HyperSearchä 
and HyperScanä 
—
let you set the scanner to search at up
to 300 steps per second (in frequency
bands with 5 kHz steps) and scan at
up to 50 channels per second, to help
you quickly find interesting broad-
casts. (The normal search speed is
100 steps per second).
Data Signal Skip
 — lets you set the
scanner to skip non-modulated or data
signals during scanning and searches.
This lets the scanner avoid non-voice
signals, making a scan or search fast-
er.
Manual Access
 — you can directly
access any stored channel by entering
that channel’s number.
Liquid-Crystal Display
 — makes it
easy to view and change program-
ming information.
Display Backlight
 — makes the
scanner easy to read in low-light situa-
tions.
20-432.fm  Page 3  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							4
Supplied Telescoping Antenna 
—
provides good reception of strong lo-
cal signals.
External Antenna Terminal
 — lets
you connect an external antenna with
a BNC connector to the scanner for
improved reception of distant/weaker
signals.
Memory Backup
 — keeps the chan-
nel frequencies stored in memory in
the event AC power goes out.
Key Confirmation Tones
 — the
scanner sounds a tone when you per-
form an operation correctly, and an er-
ror tone if you make an error.
Duplicate Channel Alert
 — warns
you when the frequency you are stor-
ing already exists in memory.
Disconnect Tone Detect 
— the scan-
ner automatically tunes to the trunking
data channel when it receives a dis-
connect transmission. You can turn
this feature off to continuously monitor
a channel with a weak transmission
during disconnected conversations.Your PRO-2052 scanner can receive
these bands:
Note: 
See “Specifications” on Page 68
for more information about the scan-
ner’s frequency steps.
Frequency 
Range (MHz)Types of 
Transmissions
29–29.7 10-Meter Ham Band
29.7–50 VHF Lo
50–54 6-Meter Ham Band
108–136.975 Aircraft
137–144 Military Land Mobile
144–148 2-Meter Ham Band
148–174 VHF Hi
179.75–215.75 VHF TV
216–225 1-Meter Ham Band
225–400 UHF Aircraft
400–420 Federal 
Government
420–450 70-cm Ham Band
450–470  UHF Standard Band
470–512 UHF “T” Band
806–824
851–869
896–956Public Service “800” 
except
Cellular Band
1240–1300 25-cm Ham Band
20-432.fm  Page 4  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							5
FCC NOTICE
Your scanner might cause radio or TV
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 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 cir-
cuit from the receiver.
• Contact your local RadioShack
store for help.
Note:
 Mobile use of this scanner is
unlawful or requires a permit in some
areas. Check the laws in your area.
SCANNING LEGALLY
Your scanner covers frequencies
used by many different groups includ-
ing police and fire departments, ambu-
lance services, government agencies,
private companies, amateur radio ser-
vices, military operations, pager ser-
vices, and wireline (telephone and
telegraph) service providers. It is legal
to listen to almost every transmission
your scanner can receive. However,
there are some transmissions you
should never intentionally listen to.
These include:• telephone conversations (cellular,
cordless, or other private means
of telephone signal transmission)
• pager transmissions
• any scrambled or encrypted trans-
missions
According to the Electronic Communi-
cations Privacy Act (ECPA), you are
subject to fines and possible imprison-
ment for intentionally listening to, us-
ing, or divulging the contents of such a
transmission unless you have the con-
sent of a party to the communication
(unless such activity is otherwise ille-
gal).
This scanner is designed to prevent
reception of illegal transmissions, in
compliance with the law which re-
quires that scanners be manufactured
in such a way as to not be easily mod-
ifiable to pick up those transmissions.
Do not open your scanners case to
make any modifications that could al-
low it to pick up transmissions that it is
not legal to listen to. Doing so could
subject you to legal penalties.
We encourage responsible, legal
scanner use.
20-432.fm  Page 5  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							6
CONTENTS
Preparation ........................................................................................................... 8
Connecting an Antenna  ................................................................................... 8
Connecting Power  ........................................................................................... 9
Connecting an Extension Speaker  ................................................................ 10
Connecting an Earphone/Headphones  ......................................................... 11
Understanding Your Scanner  ............................................................................ 12
A Look at the Front Panel  .............................................................................. 12
A Look at the Display ..................................................................................... 14
Understanding Banks  .................................................................................... 17
Understanding Trunking ................................................................................. 17
Operation ............................................................................................................ 18
Turning On the Scanner and Setting Squelch  ............................................... 18
Storing Known Frequencies into Channels .................................................... 18
Searching Service Banks  .............................................................................. 19
Limit Search ................................................................................................... 20
Scanning the Stored Channels  ...................................................................... 21
Manually Selecting a Channel  ....................................................................... 21
Deleting a Frequency from a Channel  ........................................................... 21
Priority ........................................................................................................... 21
Special Features  ................................................................................................ 23
Delay ............................................................................................................. 23
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off  ................................................. 23
Locking Out Channels and Frequencies ........................................................ 23
Turning the Key Tone On and Off ................................................................... 24
Changing Search Speeds .............................................................................. 25
Skipping Data Signals  ................................................................................... 25
Using NWR-SAME and Weather Aler t  .......................................................... 25
Testing Weather Alert Reception  ................................................................... 28
Trunk Scanning  .................................................................................................. 30
Types of Trunking Systems  ............................................................................ 30
Setting the Scanner to the Trunk Scanning Mode  ......................................... 31
Setting Squelch for the Trunk Scanning Mode ............................................... 31
Programming Trunked Frequencies  ............................................................... 32
Scanning a Trunked Bank .............................................................................. 33
Monitoring IDs  ............................................................................................... 37
Channel Activity Indicators  ............................................................................ 37
Scan Lists  ...................................................................................................... 37
Scanning the Scan Lists  ................................................................................ 39
Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked Systems  .............................................. 40
20-432.fm  Page 6  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							7
PC Remote Function  .........................................................................................  46
Connecting the Scanner to a Computer  ........................................................  46
Setting the Remote Communication Format  .................................................  46
Turning the Remote Function On and Off  .....................................................  47
PC to Scanner Commands  ...........................................................................  47
PC to Scanner Functions List  .......................................................................  48
Scanner to PC Responses  ............................................................................  52
Scanner Mode Codes  ...................................................................................  53
A General Guide to Scanning  ...........................................................................  55
Guide to Frequencies  ....................................................................................  55
Guide to the Action Bands  ............................................................................  56
Band Allocation  .............................................................................................  57
Frequency Conversion  ..................................................................................  63
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................  64
Resetting the Scanner  ..................................................................................  66
Care and Maintenance  ......................................................................................  67
Specifications ....................................................................................................  68
20-432.fm  Page 7  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							8
PREPARATION
This scanner is designed primarily for
use in the home as a base station.
You can place it on a desk, shelf, or
table.
Your scanner’s front feet fold up or
down. Adjust them to give you the
best view of the display.
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 install the antenna,
thread it clockwise into the hole on the
scanner’s top.The scanner’s sensitivity depends on
the antenna’s length and various envi-
ronmental conditions. For the best re-
ception of the transmissions you want
to hear, adjust the antenna’s length.
Connecting an Outdoor 
Antenna
Instead of the supplied antenna, you
can connect an outdoor base-station
or mobile antenna (not supplied) to
your scanner using a BNC connector.
Your local RadioShack store sells a
variety of antennas. Choose the one
that best meets your needs.
When deciding on a mobile or base-
station antenna and its location, con-
sider these points:
Frequency Antenna Length
29–54 MHz Extend fully
108–400 MHz Collapse one
segment
406–1300 MHz Collapse both
segments
20-432.fm  Page 8  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							9
• The antenna should be as high as
possible on the vehicle or build-
ing.
• The antenna and its cable should
be as far as possible from sources
of electrical noise (appliances,
other radios, etc.).
• The antenna should be vertical for
the best performance.
To connect an optional base-station or
mobile antenna, first remove the sup-
plied antenna from the scanner. Al-
ways use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such
as RG-58 or RG-8, to connect the
base-station or mobile antenna. For
lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-
loss dielectric coaxial cable. If the an-
tenna cable’s connector does not fit in
the 
ANT. jack, you might also need a
Motorola-to-BNC antenna plug adapt-
er, such as RadioShack Cat. No. 278-
117. Your local RadioShack store car-
ries a wide variety of coaxial antenna
cable and connectors.
Once you choose an antenna, follow
the mounting instructions supplied
with the antenna. Then route the an-
tenna’s cable to the scanner and con-
nect the cable to the 
ANT. jack on the
back of the scanner.Cautions:
• Do not run the cable over sharp
edges or moving parts that might
damage it.
• Do not run the cable next to power
cables or other antenna cables.
Warning: 
Use extreme caution
when you install or remove an out-
door antenna. If the antenna starts to
fall, let it go! It could contact over-
head power lines. If the antenna
touches a power line, contact with
the antenna, mast, cable, or guy
wires can cause electrocution and
death. Call the power company to re-
move the antenna. DO NOT attempt
to do so yourself.
CONNECTING POWER
Using AC Power
The scanner’s supplied AC adapter
lets you power the scanner from a
standard AC outlet. To connect power
to the scanner, insert the AC adapter’s
barrel plug into the 
DC 12V jack on the
back of the scanner, then plug the AC
adapter into a standard AC outlet.
AN T
20-432.fm  Page 9  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM 
						

							10 Cautions:
You must use a Class 2
power source that sup-
plies 12V DC and deliv-
ers at least 500 mA. Its center tip
must be set to positive and its
plug must fit the scanners 
DC 12V
jack. The supplied adapter meets
these specifications. Using an
adapter that does not meet these
specifications could damage the
scanner or the adapter.
• Always connect the AC adapter to
the scanner before you connect it
to AC power. When you finish, dis-
connect the adapter from AC
power before you disconnect it
from the scanner.
Warning: 
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 ex-
posure.
Using Your Vehicle’s Battery 
Power
If your AC power fails (during an
emergency, for example), you can
power your scanner from your vehi-
cle’s cigarette lighter socket with an
optional DC cigarette lighter power ca-
ble, (not supplied).
To connect an optional DC cigarette
lighter power cable, insert its barrel
plug into the 
DC 12V jack on the back
of the scanner, then plug the power
cable into your vehicle’s cigarette
lighter socket.Cautions:
You must use a power
source that supplies 12V
DC and delivers at least
500 mA. Its center tip must be set
to positive and its plug must fit the
scanners 
DC 12V jack. The sup-
plied adapter meets these specifi-
cations. Using an adapter that
does not meet these specifica-
tions could damage the scanner
or the adapter.
• Always connect the adapter to the
scanner before you connect it to
the power source. When you fin-
ish, disconnect the DC adapter
from the power source before you
disconnect it from the scanner.
Note:
 If you use a cigarette lighter
power cable and your vehicle’s engine
is running, you might hear electrical
noise from the engine while scanning.
This is normal.
CONNECTING AN 
EXTENSION SPEAKER
In a noisy area, an amplified extension
speaker (available at your local Ra-
dioShack store) positioned in the right
place, might provide more comfortable
listening. 
!
D C  12V AN T
!
20-432.fm  Page 10  Friday, July 14, 2000  11:30 AM