RadioShack Pro 94 Handheld Scanner Owners Manual
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Owner’s ManualCat. No. 20-524 PRO-94 1000-Channel Handheld Trunking Scanner Please read before using this equipment. 20-524.fm Page 1 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
2 FEATURES Your RadioShack PRO-94 1000-Channel Handheld Trunking Scanner is one of a new generation of scan- ners designed to track Motorola Type I, Type II, hybrid analog systems, (such as Smartnet and Privacy Plus) plus GE/Ericsson EDACS. Those systems are exten- sively used in many 800 MHz, 900 MHz, and UHF com- munication 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 set of frequencies. Instead of se- lecting a specific frequency for a transmission, the user simply selects a talk group. The trunking system auto- matically transmits the call on the first available frequen- cy, and also sends (on a different frequency called a data channel) a code that uniquely identifies that transmis- sion. Since the trunking system might send a call and its re- sponse on different frequencies, it is difficult to listen to trunked communications using a regular scanner. The PRO-94 lets you select and monitor the data channel fre- quency sent with a 2-way radio transmission, so you can hear the call and response for that user and more easily “follow” the conversation. The scanner also lets you scan conventional transmis- sions, and it is preprogrammed with service 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 complicated programming. This scanner gives you direct access to over 37,000 ex- citing frequencies, including police and fire departments, ambulance services, and amateur radio services, and you can change your selection at any time. Your scanner also has these special features: Triple-Conversion Circuitry — virtually eliminates any interference from IF (intermediate frequency) images, so you hear only the selected frequency. © 1999 Tandy Corporation. All Rights Reserved. RadioShack and Adaptaplug are registered trademarks used by Tandy Corporation. Hypersearch and Hyperscan are trademarks used by Tandy Corporation. 20-524.fm Page 2 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
3 20 Channel-Storage Banks — you can store up to 50 channels in each of 10 different banks, in two separate groups, for a total of 1000 channels, so you can more easily identify calls. Five Scan Lists — you can store up to 50 trunking talk group IDs in each trunk scanning bank. NWR-SAME Circuitry — lets you listen to coded weather emergency information using Specific Area Message Encoding. Two-Second Scan Delay — delays scanning for about 2 seconds before moving to another channel, so you can hear more replies that are made on the same chan- nel. Lock-Out Function — lets you set your scanner to skip over specified channels or frequencies when scanning or searching, and skip over talk group IDs when track- ing trunked systems. Priority Channels — lets you program one channel in each bank (20 in all) and then have the scanner check that channel every 2 seconds while it scans the bank, so you dont miss transmissions on those channels. Five Service Banks — frequencies are preset in sepa- rate police (fire/emergency), aircraft, ham, marine, and weather banks, to make it easy to locate specific types of calls. Hypersearchä — lets you set the scanner to search at up to 300 steps per second in frequency bands with 5 kHz steps, compared to the normal search speed of 100 steps per second. Hyperscanä — the scanner automatically scans up to 50 channels per second to help you quickly find inter- esting broadcasts. Key Lock — lets you lock the scanners keys to help prevent accidental changes to the scanners program- ming. Data Signal Skip — lets you set the scanner to skip non-modulated or data signals (such as fax or modem transmissions) during searches. This lets the scanner avoid non-voice signals, making a search faster. 20-524.fm Page 3 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
4 Disconnect Tone Detect — the scanner automatically tunes to the trunking data channel when it receives a disconnect transmission. You can turn this off, so you can continuously monitor a channel with a weak trans- mission where conversations are often disconnected. Manual Access — lets you directly access any chan- nel. Liquid-Crystal Display — makes it easy to view and change programming information. Display Backlight — makes the scanner easy to read in low-light situations. Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector — provides adequate reception in strong signal areas and is de- signed to help prevent antenna breakage. Or, you can connect an external antenna for better reception. Monitor Memories — let you temporarily store up to 10 frequencies or talk group IDs. Memory Backup — keeps the frequencies stored in memory for an extended time if the PRO-94 loses pow- er. Three Power Options — let you power the scanner using internal batteries, external AC power using an op- tional AC adapter/charger, or DC power using an op- tional DC cigarette-lighter power cable. Key Confirmation Tones — the scanner sounds a tone when you perform an operation correctly, and an error tone if you make an error. Battery Save — saves battery power when the scan- ner does not detect any transmissions for more than 5 seconds when a channel is manually selected. Battery Low Alert — warns you when battery power gets low. Weather Alert Indicator — your scanner also func- tions as a severe weather alert monitor. 20-524.fm Page 4 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
5 Your scanner can receive these bands: Frequency Range (MHz)Step (kHz) Transmission 29–29.7 5 10-Meter Ham Band 29.7–50 5 VHF Lo Band 50–54 5 6-Meter Ham Band 108–136.9750 12.5 Aircraft Band 137–144 5 Military Land Mobile 144–148 5 2-Meter Ham Band 148–174 5 VHF Hi Band 216–224.9950 5 1-Meter Ham Band 406–420 12.5 Federal Government 420–450 12.5 70-cm Ham Band 450–470 12.5 UHF Standard Band 470–512 12.5 UHF “T” Band 806–956 12.5 Public Service “800” Band, except cellular band 1240–1300 12.5 25-cm Ham Band 20-524.fm Page 5 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
6 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 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 dif- ferent electrical circuit 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 differ- ent groups including police and fire departments, am- bulance services, government agencies, private companies, amateur radio services, military opera- tions, pager services, and wireline (telephone and tele- graph) service providers. It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scanner can receive. Howev- er, there are some transmissions you should never in- tentionally listen to. These include: • telephone conversations (cellular, cordless, or other private means of telephone signal transmis- sion) • pager transmissions • any scrambled or encrypted transmissions According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), as amended, you are subject to fines and possible imprisonment for intentionally listening to, us- ing, or divulging the contents of such a transmission unless you have the consent of a party to the communi- cation (unless such activity is otherwise illegal). 20-524.fm Page 6 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
7 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 modifiable to pick up those transmis- sions. Do not open your scanners case to make any modifications that could allow it to pick up transmis- sions that it is not legal to listen to. Doing so could sub- ject you to legal penalties. We encourage responsible, legal scanner use. 20-524.fm Page 7 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
8 CONTENTS Preparation ....................................................................... 10 Using Internal Batteries ............................................. 10 Using Non-Rechargeable Batteries ................... 10 Using Rechargeable Batteries ........................... 12 Using AC Power ........................................................ 13 Using Vehicle Battery Power ..................................... 14 Connecting the Antenna ............................................ 16 Connecting an Optional Antenna ....................... 16 Connecting an Earphone/Headphone ....................... 17 Listening Safely ................................................. 17 Traffic Safety ...................................................... 17 Connecting an Extension Speaker ............................ 18 Attaching the Belt Clip ............................................... 18 About Your Scanner ........................................................ 19 A Look at the Keypad ................................................ 20 A Look at the Display ................................................. 22 Understanding Banks ................................................ 24 Service Banks .................................................... 24 Channel Storage Banks ..................................... 24 Monitor Memories .............................................. 24 Operation .......................................................................... 25 Turning on the Scanner and Setting Squelch ............ 25 Storing Known Frequencies into Channels ................ 26 Searching For and Temporarily Storing Active Frequencies ................................................... 27 Limit Search ....................................................... 27 Direct Search ..................................................... 28 Service Bank Search ......................................... 29 Search Skip Memory ......................................... 29 Listening to the Monitor Memories ............................. 30 Moving a Frequency From a Monitor Memory to a Channel ................................................. 31 Scanning the Stored Channels .................................. 31 Manually Selecting a Channel ................................... 31 Special Features .............................................................. 33 Delay .......................................................................... 33 Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off ............. 33 Locking Out Channels ............................................... 34 Priority ........................................................................ 34 Using the Keylock ...................................................... 36 Using the Display Backlight ....................................... 36 Changing Search Speeds .......................................... 36 Turning the Keytone Off/On ....................................... 37 Turning the Battery Save Function Off/On ................. 37 Skipping Data Signals ................................................ 38 Receiving NWR-SAME and Weather Alert Signals ............................................................... 38 Turning On the SAME Weather Alert Feature ..................................................... 38 SAME Signal Detection Updating ...................... 39 NWR-SAME Alert Tone Test .............................. 40 NWR-SAME Code Detection Tests .................... 40 20-524.fm Page 8 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
9 Trunking Operation .......................................................... 41 Types of Trunking Systems ........................................ 41 Setting the Scanner to the Trunking Mode ................. 42 Setting Squelch for the Trunking Mode ...................... 43 Storing Trunked Frequencies ..................................... 43 Scanning a Trunked Bank ............................................... 46 Turning a Trunked Bank On or Off ............................. 47 Skipping a Trunked Bank ........................................... 47 Turning the Status Bit Ignore (S-bit) On or Off ........... 47 Identifying a Trunked Frequency ............................... 48 Selecting the EDACS Talk Group ID Format ............. 48 EDACS Talk Group ID Range Search ........................ 48 Using HOLD to Monitor an Active Talk Group ID ..................................... 49 Temporarily Storing a Talk Group ID into the Monitor ID Memory ................ 49 Locking Out Talk Group IDs ....................................... 50 Unlocking a Single Talk Group ID .............................. 50 Unlocking All Talk Group IDs ..................................... 50 Using Trunk Scanning Scan Delay ............................ 51 Monitoring Talk Group IDs ......................................... 51 Channel Activity Bars ................................................. 52 Using Talk Group ID Lists .......................................... 52 Manually Storing Talk Group IDs in Talk Group ID Lists ................................................ 53 Moving Talk Group IDs to Talk Group ID Lists .................................................... 54 Scanning the Talk Group ID Lists .............................. 54 Deleting a Stored Talk Group ID List ......................... 54 Priority Talk Group ID Scanning ................................. 55 Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked Systems .......... 55 Selecting a Preset Fleet Map ..................................... 59 Programming a Fleet Map ......................................... 60 Programming the Base and Offset Frequencies .................................................... 61 Programming a Hybrid System ................................. 61 Turning On/Off the Motorola Disconnect Tone Detect Function ............................. 62 A General Guide to Scanning ......................................... 63 Guide to Frequencies ................................................. 63 National Weather Frequencies .......................... 63 Birdie Frequencies ............................................ 63 Guide to the Action Bands ........................................ 64 Typical Band Usage ........................................... 64 Primary Usage ................................................... 64 Band Allocation ......................................................... 65 Frequency Conversion .............................................. 68 Troubleshooting ............................................................... 69 Resetting the Scanner ............................................... 72 Care and Maintenance ..................................................... 73 Specifications ................................................................... 74 20-524.fm Page 9 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM
10 PREPARATION 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 alkaline, lithi- um, or rechargeable (Ni-Cd, or Ni-MH) AA batteries (not supplied). For the longest operation and best per- formance, we recommend the selected batteries avail- able from your local RadioShack store. Using Non-Rechargeable Batteries Follow these steps to install non-rechargeable batteries. 1. Turn VOLUME/OFF counterclockwise until it clicks to make sure the power is turned off. 2. Slide up and hold the tab on the back of the scan- ner, then pull up the battery compartment cover from the top edge. 20-524.fm Page 10 Tuesday, August 31, 1999 3:55 PM