RadioShack Pro 63 Portable Event Scanner Reciever Owners Manual

31
USING THE ATTENUATOR
To reduce interference or noise caused by strong signals, you can
reduce the scanner’s sensitivity to these signals. Press 
ATT until
AT T appears on the display to reduce the scanner’s sensitivity.
Note: 
If you turn on this feature, the scanner might not receive
weak signals.
To turn off the attenuator, press 
AT T again. AT T disappears from
the display.
TURNING THE KEY TONE ON AND OFF
Each time you press any of the scanner’s keys (except   and
LIGHT), the scanner sounds a...

32
3. After a second, release 2 and ENTER.
USING THE KEYLOCK
Once you program your scanner, you can protect it from acciden-
tal program changes by turning on the keylock feature. When the
keypad is locked, the only controls that operate are 
LIGHT, VOL-
UME OFF/MAX
, and SQUELCH MIN/MAX. (However, the scanner
continues to scan channels).
To turn on the keylock, press and hold down   for about 3 sec-
onds until the scanner beeps three times and   appears on the
display. To turn it off, press and hold...

33
OPTIONS 
CONNECTING OPTIONAL POWER 
SOURCES
Using AC Power
To operate the scanner from AC power, you need an AC adapter
such as Radio Shack Cat. No. 273-1665.
Cautions:
• To prevent electric shock, the plug’s blades are polarized
and fit only one way. If the plug does not fit easily, turn it over
and try again. Do not force the plug into the AC outlet.
• You must use an AC adapter that supplies 9 volts and deliv-
ers at least 300 milliamps. Its center tip must be set to nega-
tive, and its plug must...

34
Note: If you installed rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries in
the scanner, you can connect the AC adapter to the 
CHG jack.
Simply remove the rubber cap from the CHG jack, connect the AC
adapter’s barrel plug to the jack, then plug the adapter’s power
module into a standard AC outlet. This powers the scanner and re-
charges the batteries at the same time. See “Charging Nickel-
Cadmium Batteries” on Page 12.
Using Vehicle Battery Power
To operate the scanner from your vehicle’s battery, you need a
DC...

35
Notes: 
• If you installed rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries in the
scanner, you can connect the DC cigarette lighter adapter to
the 
CHG jack. Simply remove the rubber cap from the CHG
jack, connect the adapter’s barrel plug to the jack, then plug
the other end of the adapter into your vehicle’s cigarette
lighter socket. This powers the scanner and recharges the
batteries at the same time. See “Charging Nickel-Cadmium
Batteries” on Page 12.
• If the scanner does not operate properly when you use...

36
When deciding on a mobile or base-station antenna and its loca-
tion, consider the following:
• The antenna should be mounted as high as possible.
• The antenna and antenna cable should be as far as possible
from sources of electrical noise (appliances, ignition sys-
tems, gauges, and so on).
• The antenna should be vertical for the best performance.
When connecting an optional antenna, always use 50-ohm coax-
ial cable, such as RG-58 (Cat. No. 278-1314) or RG-8/M (Cat. No.
278-1313). For lengths over...

37
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
overhead power lines. If the antenna touches a power line, contact
with the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can cause electrocu-
tion and death. Call the power company to remove the antenna.
DO NOT attempt to do so yourself.
CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/
HEADPHONES
For private listening, you can plug an optional earphone or mon-
aural headphones (such as Cat. No. 33-175...

38
• Do not listen at extremely high volume levels. Extended
high-volume listening can lead to permanent hearing loss.
• Once you set the volume, do not increase it. Over time, your
ears adapt to the volume level, so a volume level that does
not cause discomfort might still damage your hearing.
Traffic Safety
Do not wear an earphone or headphones while operating a motor
vehicle or riding a bicycle. This can create a traffic hazard and is
illegal in some areas.
Even though some earphones and headphones...

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A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING 
Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly
“line-of-sight.” This means you cannot usually hear stations that
are beyond the horizon.
UNITED STATES BROADCAST BAND
In the United States, there are several broadcast bands. The stan-
dard AM and FM bands are probably the most well known. There
are also four television audio broadcast bands — the lower three
transmit on the VHF band and the fourth transmits on the UHF
band. You can use your scanner to monitor...

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UHF Band (300.00 MHz — 3.0 GHz)
Broadcast TypeSearch 
BandFrequency Range (MHz)
2-Meter Amateur 4 144.00 148.00
Auto Racing, Motion Pic-
ture/Video Industry, Pro 
Sports Teams, Radio/TV 
Remote Broadcast Pick-
up, Stadiums/Venues5 148.00 174.00
Broadcast TypeSearch 
BandFrequency Range (MHz)
Military Aircraft/Air 
Shows6 380.00 384.00
US Government 6,7 406.00 450.00
70-Centimeter Amateur 7 420.00 450.00
Auto Racing, Pro Sports 
Teams, Radio/TV Re-
mote Broadcast Pickup, 
Stadiums/Venues8 450.00...