RadioShack Pro 2051 Trunk Track Scanner Owners Manual

							of Sullivan is Agency 03. Adams Hill and Matthew Junction 
share Agency  08. 
Your scanner shows EDACS talkgroups in AFS (Agency- 
Fleet-Subfleet) format. This helps you see, at a glance, 
who you are monitoring. And with the partial-entry feature 
you can easily include nearby, related channels in the 
same Fleet or Agency. You can just as easily exclude 
entire unwanted Fleets and Agencies. 
When in Search mode, with the system frequencies 
programmed, and your scanner locked to the control 
channel, you can select a desired city by keying in the 
Agency part of the AFS talkgr oup. For example, in Hold 
mode you can select the entire city of Sullivan with 4 key 
presses 0, 3, 
(decimal key), SRCH key. 
When you hear an interesting talkgroup, in Hold mode 
capture it to your Scan List by pressing E during the 
transmission. 
Or hold on it by pressing HOLD/RESUME. 
If you want to monitor the Sullivan Police Dispatch channel  (which is talk 
group 03-062), press 0, 3, (dec imal key), 0, 6, 2, the  key. Your scanner 
can also work in decimal format. 
Talkgroup 03-62 in decimal format is 402. But decimal format does not give you 
any information 
about the system hierarchy. 
For example Sullivan, in decimal, uses cha nnels from 384 to 511. This is not as 
easy to 
remember as Agency 03. But decimal is us eful if you need to work from decimal 
talkgroup lists. 
41 
Special EDACSR Features 
AFS Partial Entry Feature 
AFS is Radio Shacks method of  encoding EDACS talkgroups. 
AFS stands for Agency-Fleet-Subfleet. 
AFS talkgroups are used in all EDACS reception -- in ID Search, ID Lockout 
and ID Scan. The 
powerful AFS Partial Entry feature design ed into the 20-426 lets you use either 
a complete 
talkgroup code, or just the most significant part. 
This feature lets you expa nd or narrow searching and 
scanning to one of 4 levels. By entering only the desired part 
of an AFS talkgroup, you can select 128 talkgroups, 8  
						

							talkgroups, or a single talkgroup. 
For example, you could program every talkgroup in a police 
department with just 4 key presses. You can use the AFS 
Partial Entry feature anywhere you need to specify EDACS 
talkgroup. 
Your 20-426 can also enter or display EDACS talkgroups in decimal format \
(0-2047). 
1. Press and hold TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to 
change. 
2. Use the  or   key to select , then press E. 
3. Use the   or   key to select , then press E. 
4. Use the   or   key to select or , then press 
E. 
You can use this feature to translate decimal talkgroups lists to the much more 
powerful 
AFS format. 
Examples of how you might use AFS are shown above in the description of \
an 
EDACS 
trunked system, and elsewhere in this manual.  It is very easy to use. Be sure to 
become 
familiar with AFS Partial Entry, and your scanning will become far more 
flexible and efficient. 
EDACS ID Range Search 
When the scanner searches EDACS talk group IDs, the scanner can search 
within a range 
you set for Agency or Fleet listings. For  example if you want to search within 
the 01 agency, 
while in Hold mode press 0, 1, (decimal  key) then SRCH. Or if you want to 
search within 
the 01 agency and 01 fleet, while trunking pr ess 0, 1, (decimal key), 0, 1, then 
SRCH. 
To stop the ID range search, press SRCH. 
EDACS SCAT 
With the EDACS SCAT feature, the data stream transmissions will be 
eliminated allowing 
you to clearly monitor the voice communications on EDACS SCAT systems. 
To monitor EDACS SCAT systems you only need to program the frequency in 
the Trunk 
Tracking Programming mode. You do not need to enter group ID’s. 
Note: As EDACS SCAT is different from th e other tracking feature, and it is not 
a feature  
						

							which the scanner tracks any ID, you do not need to program Talk Group ID’s. 
. 
LTRR Reception 
LTRR Tracking 
LTRR (Logic Trunked Radio) systems ar e trunking systems used primarily by 
business or 
private communications service providers, such as taxicabs, delivery trucks, 
and repair 
services. These systems encode all trunk ing information as digital subaudible 
data that 
accompanies each transmission. Users  on an LTR system are assigned to 
specific 
talkgroups, which are identified by  the radio as six digit numbers. 
These numbers are in the form AHHUUU, where: 
A= Area code (0 or 1) 
H= Home repeater (01 through 20) 
U= User ID (000 through 254) 
When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the LTR mode, it 
first 
decodes the LTR data included with the  transmission. In the ID Search mode, 
the scanner 
stops on the transmission and displays th e talkgroup ID on the display. In the 
ID Scan mode, 
the scanner only stops on the transmission if the LTR data matches a talkgroup 
ID that you 
have stored in the bank’s talkgrou p ID list and have not locked out. 
LTR systems are frequently programmed  so that each radio has a unique ID 
code. 
 
Motorola Reception 
Motorola Tracking 
There are really two types of Motorola  trunking systems. These are usually 
referred to as 
Type I and Type II systems. Type I only  occurs on some 800 MHz systems. All 
VHF and 
UHF trunking systems use Type II. 
One important distinction between these  two systems is the amount of data 
transmitted by 
each radio when its push-to-talk butto n (PTT) is pressed. Every radio in a 
trunked system is 
assigned a unique ID so the central site  computer can identify it when it’s used. 
Both Type I  
						

							and Type II systems place radios (or radio users) into groups, called talkgroups, 
and these 
talkgroups are also assigned unique IDs.  Some radios have access to only one 
talkgroup, 
while others have access to many talkgroups. The talkgroup(s) each radio can 
access is 
called the radio’s affiliation(s). 
In a Type II system, when someone uses  their radio, only the radio ID is 
transmitted when 
PTT is pressed, whereas in a Type I system the radio ID and its current 
affiliation are both 
transmitted when PTT is pressed. 
Why the difference? Type II systems are slightly more advanced because the 
central 
computer maintains a database which is  used to determine each radio’s 
affiliation(s). 
Changes to a Type II system are easier than Type I because the system manager 
only 
needs to update the database instead  of reprogramming individual radios. 
Another difference between the systems is  that Type I systems are arranged in 
a Fleet- 
Subfleet hierarchy. For exa mple, its possible for a city using a Type I system to 
designate 4 
Fleets, each with 8 Subfleets. Their fleets might be the Police Department, the 
Fire 
Department, Utilities, and Administrati on. The Police may decide to further 
divide their fleet 
into subfleets such as Dispatch, Tactical Operations, Detectives, North, South, 
East and 
West Side Patrols, and Supervisors. All  the available police radios would then 
be assigned 
to one of the police subfleets. Determining the exact Fleet-Subfleet hierarchy for 
a particular 
area is referred to as Fleet Map Programmi ng, which is discussed further in this 
manual. 
The disadvantage of a Type I system is  that when PTT is pressed, the brief 
burst of data 
must contain the radio’s ID and its Fleet and Subfleet. This is three times the 
amount of data 
a Type II system radio sends, and as a result Type I systems usually 
accommodate fewer 
users than Type II systems.  
						

							Even though there are many Type II systems, Type I systems are still in use. 
There are also 
Hybrid systems which are a combination of both Type I and Type II. Your 
scanner defaults 
to monitor Type II systems, but its possible to select a Preprogrammed Fleet 
Map or create 
a Custom Fleet Map for your area. 
For VHF and UHF Type II trunking system s, you will need to know the base, 
spacing 
frequencies and offset channels. See page 45 for details. 
Fleet Map Programming 
If you have programmed a trunk tracki ng bank for Motorola, press TRUNK to 
start Multi- 
Track, and you will see user IDs on the display. Since the 20-426 defaults to 
Type II systems, 
all the IDs will appear as numbers. However,  if you notice a mix of odd and even 
user IDs, 
for example 6477, 2560, 6481, 6144, 1 167, etc., then you are probably 
monitoring either a 
Type I or Hybrid systems. 
You may also notice that you are missing  responses when you hold on an active 
ID. Unlike 
Type II, Type I/Hybrid systems require a Fleet Map that sets specific 
Fleet-Subfleet 
parameters. It is easy to select a Fleet  Map for your scanner; what is not always 
easy is 
selecting or programming a map that  matches your particular area. 
There are 16 preset Fleet Maps listed in the Appendix that you can choose, and 
these are 
usually a good place to start when setti ng up a Type I/Hybrid trunk tracking 
bank. If you 
choose a preset map and still have difficu lty following complete conversations, 
then youll 
have to program your own Fleet Map. 
Selecting Preset Fleet Map 
1. Press and hold TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to 
change. 
2. Use the   or   key to select (Type 1 system), then press E. 
3. Use the   or   key to select , then press E. 
4. Use the   or   key to select the map you want, then press 
E. The scanner returns to FLEET Map list item.  
						

							Note: You will now begin to see Type I Fleet-Subfleet IDs. For 
example, 100-12, 100-9, 000-12, 400-8, etc. 
See User Defined Fleet Maps in the Appendix for 
more information about Type I IDs. 
How do you know if the preset map is correct? You will have to listen to see if 
youre 
following complete conversations. If not, you should try another preset map. 
Programming a User Fleet Map 
You may want to read User Defined Fleet Maps in the Appendix before 
programming a 
Fleet Map. It contains a detailed explanation of Scanner Fleet Map 
Programming, as well as 
a table listing the Fleet Map Size Codes. 
1. Press and hold TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to 
change. 
2. Use the  or   key to select (Type 1 system), then press 
E. 
3. Use the   or   key to select , then press E. 
4. Use the   or   key to select , then press E. 
5. Use the   or   key to select the size code for the first block, 
then press E. 
The next available block appears on the display. 
6. Repeat step 5 until you have  selected a size code for each 
block. 
For details about each size code, see Fleet Map Size Codes 
in the Appendix. 
Programming a Hybrid System 
A Hybrid system is simply a Type I system with some blocks designated as Type 
II blocks. 
To program a Hybrid system, follow the  steps listed in Programming a User 
Fleet Map in 
the previous section. However, if you want a block to be Type II, select Size 
Code . 
When you begin searching a trunking ban k with a Hybrid Fleet Map, you will 
see both types 
of system IDs. That is, Type II IDs usua lly appear as an even number without a 
dash; Type I 
IDs appear as a three or four digit num ber, followed by a hyphen, followed by a 
one or two 
digit number. 
Setting the Base, Spacing Frequencie s and Offset Channel for Motorola  
						

							VHF/UHF Trunked Systems 
To properly track Motorola VHF and UHF trunked systems, you must enter 
what is known as 
the Base, Spacing Frequencies and Offset Channels for each system. 
To find these out, check the scanner.Radio Shack.com or www.trunktracker.com 
and other 
web sites and frequency resources. 
To enter the Base, Spacing Frequencies an d Offset Channel: (You can set up to 
three sets 
of these, but almost all  systems only use one set) 
1. Press and hold TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to 
change. 
2. Use the  or   key to select (Motorola Ty pe2 VHF) or (Motorola Type2 
UHF), then press E. 
3. Use the  or   key to select , then press E. 
4. Use the keypad to enter Co nfiguration Block Number(1-3). 
5. Use the keypad to enter a new Base Frequency, then press 
E. 
6. Press the   key and select for entering the Spacing 
Frequency. 
7. Use the keypad to enter a  new Spacing Frequency, then 
press E. 
Note: You can only enter within  a range of 5-100 kHz, and 5 or 
12.5 kHz multiples. 
8. Press the   key and select for entering the Offset 
Channel. 
 
9. Use the keypad to enter a new  Offset Channel, then press E. 
Note: . You can only input within a range of 380-759. 
. If the system is not tracking properly, you may need to 
try a new Base Frequency or Offset Channel, or you 
may be missing frequencies from the system. 
. You can set up to three Base, Spac ing and Offsets for Motorola VHF/UHF 
trunked 
systems. 
Toggling the Status Bit 
On Type II trunking systems there is a  method by which specialized types of 
communications 
utilize unique talkgroup numbers. An emergency call will occur on a unique 
talkgroup from its 
primary assignment, for example. Because the 20-426 defaults to Status-Bit ON  
						

							mode, you 
never need to worry about missing these transmissions. If you have 
programmed talkgroup 
33264 into Scan List memory, for example, and there is an emergency call 
within the group, 
you will hear it on 33264. 
The only time you may wish to turn Status Bits OFF is if youre trying to figure 
out the proper 
Fleet Map of a Type I trunking system. 
1. Press and hold TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to 
change. 
2. Use the   or   key to select (Motorola TY PE2 800MHz), (Motorola Type2 
VHF) or (Motorola Type2 UHF), then press E. 
3. Use the  or   key to select , then press E. 
4. Use the   or   key to select or , then pr ess E. The scanner returns to 
Status Bit list item. 
Control Channel Only Mode 
When this function is activated, trunk ing is performed using Control Channel 
data only. 
Voice channel (also known as DATA channel) frequencies do not have to be 
programmed 
into memory. This feature only applies to Motorola 800 MHz systems. 
1. Press and hold TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to 
change. 
2. Use the   or   key to select (Motorola Type2 800MHz) or (Motorola Type1 
800 MHz), then press E. 
3. Use the   or   key to select , then press E. 
4. Use the   or   key to select a plan from 4 frequency plans, 
then press E. The scanner retu rns to Control Channel Only 
list item. 
Note: You must choose a plan before you begin to Control Channel Trunk (Only 
when 800 
MHz system is selected). 
When you deselect Control Channel only mode, appears on the display. 
Read the descriptions of the Plan 1~4 for details on which may apply for you. 
 
PL1 (plan 1): This plan is the most common.  Use Plan 1 if the last three digits of 
ALL the 
frequencies in use end in one of the following three digits:  125, 375, 625, or 875 
(example: 
856.1125, 860.7375, 859.6625, 855.8875).  
						

							PL2 (plan 2): If the last three digits of frequencies are less than 860.000 and end 
in one of 
the following three digits (125, 375, 625,  or 875) and if ANY other frequencies 
end in (000, 
250, 500, or 750) use Plan 2. 
PL3 (plan 3): If the last three digits of  ALL the frequencies in use end in one of 
the 
following three digits (000,  250, 500, or 750) use Plan 3. 
PL4 (plan 4): If the last three digits  of frequencies are less than 866.0000 and 
end in one 
of the following three digits (000, 250,  500, or 750) and if ANY other frequencies 
end in 
(125, 375, 625, or  875) use Plan 4. 
Of course you will know the Control Channe l frequency itself so that will help 
you determine 
the proper plan. If you try one plan and  you receive errors (such as the scanner 
jumping to 
channels that are obviously not part of the system), you should try an alternate 
Plan. 
Note: . You can assign a Fleet Map to  TYPE 1 or Hybrid systems scanned in 
Control 
Channel Only mode by going into the Trunk Programming mode. You can also 
program 
IDs, set a delay, and all the other pa rameters for systems scanned in this 
mode. You can then either search the system to find new IDs or you can 
program 
IDs into memory and then scan them. 
. The Control Channel Only feature is an  extremely powerful tool. You can use it 
to 
determine if systems you are familiar wi th may have added new frequencies or 
you 
can use it to discover new systems by  simply finding active control channels 
(using 
Search) and then programming them for Control Channel operation only. 
Remember that this feature only applie s to Motorola 800 systems, that you do 
have 
to set the proper system type (800 MHz of Type 1 or Type 2) and you do have to 
program the Control Channel frequency into memory and identify the frequency 
as 
trunked in the Trunk Programming mode. 
Disconnect Tone Detect Option (End Code) 
When this function is disabled, the radi o looks for squelch before returning to  
						

							the Control 
Channel instead of waiting for the Disconnect Tone. Only in rare instances will 
you need to 
adjust the default settings. The condition to return to Control Channels 
depends on whether 
the signal is present or not. 
1. Press and hold TRUNK for 1.5 seconds and select the bank you want to 
change. 
2. Use the   or   key to select (Motorola TY PE2 800MHz), (Motorola Type2 
VHF) or (Motorola Type2 UHF), then press E. 
3. Use the  or   key to select , then press E. 
4. Use the   or   key to select or , then press E. 
Note: Set the SQL control so that you  hear a hissing, and the scanner will 
remain on the 
voice channel (even when a disconnect tone  is transmitted or there is no signal 
at 
all). 
 
Remote Interface 
You can communicate and program your 20-426 in numerous ways with 
peripheral devices 
using a Remote Interface Cable port. Th is radio offers the following modes: 
. PC Control mode 
Program and control your scanner from a PC using Radio Shack’s 20-426 
Scanner Software. 
. Clone mode 
Clone all the frequencies, trunking talkgroups, and fleet maps programmed into 
your 
scanner to another 20-426 scanner or another 20-426. 
PC Control Mode 
To connect Scanner to PC: 
Plug the scanner end of the RS232C straig ht cable into the remote port which is 
on the rear 
of the scanner. Plug the other end of the cable (DB-9 serial connector) into a 
personal 
computer ’s serial port. A few PC’s may re quire an adapter, most will not. Of 
course, make 
sure your PC is turned ON. 
To program your scanner: 
You can program and control your scanner remotely from a PC using Radio 
Shack’s 20-426