RadioShack Pro 72 Portable Scanner Reciever Owners Manual

OWNER’S MANUAL
PRO-72
50-Channel Portable Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
Cat. No. 20-566
20-566.fm  Page 1  Thursday, August 5, 1999  8:04 AM 

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FEATURES
Your new RadioShack PRO-72 50-Channel Portable
Scanner gives you direct access to over 32,000 exciting
frequencies, including police and fire departments, ambu-
lance services, and amateur radio services. You can se-
lect up to 50 channels to scan, and you can change your
selection at any time.
The secret to your scanner’s ability to scan so many fre-
quencies is its custom-designed microprocessor — a tiny,
built-in computer.
Your scanner has these special features:
Ten Preprogrammed Search...

3
Channel Lockout — keeps channels you select from be-
ing scanned.
Memory Backup — keeps the channel frequencies
stored in memory for about 1 hour during a power loss.
Two-Second Scan Delay — delays scanning for 2 sec-
onds before moving to another channel, so you can hear
more replies.
Key Lock — lets you lock the keys to help prevent acci-
dentally changing the scanner’s programming.
Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector — provides ex-
cellent reception. The BNC connector makes it easy to at-
tach and...

4
Your PRO-72 scanner can receive all of these frequen-
cies:
• 29–54 MHz (10-Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Lo, 6-
Meter Amateur Radio)
• 137–174 MHz (Aircraft/Air Shows, Government, 2-
Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Hi)
• 380–512 MHz (Military Aircraft, UHF Lo, 70-Centime-
ter Amateur Radio, UHF “T” Band, Government)
• 806–824 MHz (UHF Public Service, Trunked Ser-
vices)
• 849–869 MHz (UHF Hi, Trunked Services)
• 894–960 MHz (UHF Hi, 33-Centimeter Amateur
Radio, Trunked Services)
For a list of the frequency ranges...

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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 interference goes away, your scanner is causing
the interference. Try to eliminate the interference by:
• Moving your scanner away from the TV or radio
• Connecting your scanner to an outlet that is on a dif-
ferent electrical circuit from the TV or radio
• Contacting your local RadioShack store for help
This device...

6
SCANNING LEGALLY
Your scanner covers frequencies used by many different
groups including police and fire departments, ambulance
services, government agencies, private companies, ama-
teur radio services, military operations, pager services,
and wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers.
It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scan-
ner can receive. However, there are some transmissions
you should never intentionally listen to. These include: 
• Telephone conversations (either...

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CONTENTS
Preparation  ..................................................................  9
Power Sources  ......................................................  9
Using Batteries  ...............................................  9
Using Standard AC Power  ............................  12
Using Vehicle Battery Power  ........................  13
Charging a Rechargeable Battery Pack  .......  14
Connecting the Antenna  ......................................  15
Connecting an Optional Antenna...

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Special Features  .......................................................  36
Delay  ...................................................................  36
Locking Out a Channel  ........................................  36
Using the Display Backlight  .................................  37
Turning the Key Tone On and Off  ........................  38
Using the Keylock  ................................................  38
A General Guide to Scanning  ................................... 39
Guide to...

9
PREPARATION
POWER SOURCES
You can power your scanner from any of four sources:
• Internal batteries (not supplied) with the provided
battery holder
• A rechargeable scanner battery pack (not supplied)
• Standard AC power (using an optional AC adapter)
• Vehicle battery power (using an optional DC cigarette-
lighter adapter)
Notes:
• Connecting an AC or DC adapter to the scanner dis-
connects any internal batteries, but it does not dis-
connect a rechargeable battery pack. If you install a
rechargeable...

10 You can also use six rechargeable nickel-cadmium batter-
ies (such as Cat. No. 23-125) to power the scanner. To
charge or recharge nickel-cadmium batteries, however,
you must remove them from the scanner and use an ex-
ternal charger (such as Cat. No. 23-134).
Note: If you are using a rechargeable scanner battery
pack, you must charge it before you can use your scanner
(see “Charging a Rechargeable Battery Pack” on
Page 14).
Caution: Do not mix old and new batteries, different types
of batteries...