RadioShack Pro 63 Portable Event Scanner Reciever Owners Manual

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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 tone.
Follow these steps to turn the scanner’s key tone on or off.
1. If the scanner is on, turn 
VOLUME OFF/MAX counterclockwise
until it clicks to turn it off.
2. While you press and hold down the 
2 and ENTER keys, turn
on the scanner.
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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 down   for about 3 sec-
onds until the scanner beeps three times and   disappears
from the display.
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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 correctly fit the scanner’s 
PWR and
CHG jacks. The recommended adapter meets these specifi-
cations. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifi-
cations could seriously damage the scanner or the adapter.
• Always plug the AC adapter’s barrel plug into the scanner
before you plug the adapter’s power module into the AC out-
let. Always unplug the adapter’s power module from the AC
outlet before you unplug the adapter’s barrel plug from the
scanner.
Plug the adapter’s barrel plug into the scanner’s 
PWR jack. Then
plug the adapter’s power module into a standard AC outlet.
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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 cigarette lighter adapter such as Cat. No. 270-1560.
Cautions:
• You must use a DC adapter that supplies (regulated) 9-volt
power and delivers at least 300 milliamps. Its center tip must
be set to negative, and its plug must correctly fit the scan-
ner’s 
PWR and CHG jacks. The recommended adapter meets
these specifications. Using an adapter that does not meet
these specifications could seriously damage the scanner or
the adapter.
• To protect your vehicle’s electrical system, always plug the
adapter into the scanner before you plug it into your vehicle’s
cigarette-lighter socket. Always unplug the adapter from the
vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket before you unplug it from
the scanner.
Follow these steps to connect the DC adapter.
1. Connect the DC adapter’s orange barrel plug to the
adapter’s cable, with the tip set to 
– (negative).
2. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 
9V.
3. Plug the adapter’s barrel plug into the scanner’s 
PWR jack.
Then plug the other end of the adapter into your vehicle’s
cigarette lighter socket.
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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 a DC
cigarette lighter adapter, unplug the adapter from the lighter
socket and clean the socket to remove ashes and other
debris.
CONNECTING A MOBILE OR BASE-
STATION ANTENNA
Instead of the supplied flexible antenna, you can connect a mobile
or base-station antenna (not supplied) to your scanner. Your local
Radio Shack store sells a wide variety of antennas. Choose the
one that best meets your needs.
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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 50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric
coaxial cable (Cat. No. 278-1312). If the coaxial cable’s connector
does not fit in the scanner’s 
ANT jack, you might also need a PL-
259-to-BNC antenna plug adapter, such as Cat. No. 278-120.
Your local Radio Shack store carries a wide variety of coaxial an-
tenna cable and connectors.
Follow the mounting instructions supplied with the antenna. Then
route the antenna cable to the scanner, and connect it to the 
ANT
jack on the top of the scanner.
Cautions: 
• Do not route the cable over sharp edges or moving parts.
• Do not run the cable next to power cables.
• Do not run the cable through a vehicle’s engine compart-
ment or other areas that produce extreme heat.
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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 or Cat. No. 20-210,
not supplied) into the   jack on top of your scanner. This auto-
matically disconnects the internal speaker. Your local Radio
Shack store has a wide selection of earphones.
Note: In a noisy area, monaural headphones might provide more
comfortable listening.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use an
earphone or headphones.
• Set the volume to the lowest setting before you begin listen-
ing. After you begin listening, adjust the volume to a comfort-
able level.
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• 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 are designed to
let you hear some outside sounds when listening at normal vol-
ume levels, they still present a traffic hazard.
CONNECTING AN EXTENSION SPEAKER
In a noisy area, an extension speaker (such as Cat. No. 21-549)
or an amplified speaker (such as Cat. No. 21-541), positioned in
the right place, might provide more comfortable listening. Plug the
speaker cable’s 
1/8-inch mini-plug into your scanner’s   jack.
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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 the 470
–512 MHz por-
tion of the UHF band.
TYPICAL BAND USAGE
The following charts show the types of broadcasts you can hear in
each band, the number of the search band where you can search
for them, and the frequency range of the broadcasts.
VHF Band (30.00-300.0 MHz)
Broadcast TypeSearch 
BandFrequency Range (MHz)
10-Meter Amateur, VHF 
Lo0 29.00 50.00
6-Meter Amateur 1 50.00 54.00
Aircraft/Air Shows 2 108.00 136.975
Aircraft/Air Shows/Gov-
ernment3 137.00 144.00
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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 450.00 470.00
FM-TV Audio Broad-
cast, Wideband9 470.00 512.00
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