RadioShack Pro 72 Portable Scanner Reciever Owners Manual

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3. If you are installing individual batteries, insert six AA
batteries in the battery holder as indicated by the
polarity symbols (+ and –) marked on the battery
holder.
4. Slide the battery holder or battery pack into the com-
partment as shown.
Caution: The battery holder or battery pack fits only
one way inside the battery compartment. Do not
force it.
5. Replace the cover.
When battery power is low, 
BATT flashes and the scanner
beeps about every 3 seconds. Immediately replace all six
non-rechargeable batteries, remove and recharge all six
rechargeable batteries, or recharge the battery pack.
Caution: Always dispose of old batteries promptly and
properly. Do not bury or burn them.
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Using Standard AC Power
To power the scanner from AC power, you need an AC
adapter (Cat. No. 273-1665).
Cautions:
• You must use an AC adapter that supplies 9 volts and
delivers at least 200 milliamps. Its center tip must be
set to negative, and its barrel plug must correctly fit
the scanner’s 
PWR/DC 9V jack. The recommended
adapter meets these specifications. Using an adapter
that does not meet these specifications could damage
the scanner or the adapter.
• When you finish using the AC adapter, disconnect it
from the AC outlet first. Then disconnect it from the
scanner.
Plug the adapter’s 1.3 mm inner diameter/3.4 mm outer di-
ameter barrel plug into the scanner’s 
PWR/DC 9V jack.
Then plug the adapter’s power module into a standard AC
outlet.
Warning:
 Do not use an AC adapter’s polarized plug with
an extension cord, receptacle, or other outlet unless the
blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure.
PWR/DC 9V
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Using Vehicle Battery Power
To power the scanner from your vehicle’s cigarette-lighter
socket, you need a DC adapter (Cat. No. 270-1560).
Cautions:
• You must use a DC adapter that supplies 9 volts and
delivers at least 200 milliamps. Its center tip must be
set to negative, and its plug must correctly fit the
scanner’s 
PWR/DC 9V jack. The recommended
adapter meets these specifications. Using an
adapter that does not meet these specifications
could 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.
1. Connect the DC adapter’s supplied 1.3 mm inner
diameter/3.4 mm outer diameter barrel plug to the
cable, with the tip set to – (negative).
2. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 
9V.
3. Insert the barrel plug into the scanner’s 
PWR/DC 9V
jack.
4. Plug the other end of the adapter into your vehicle’s
cigarette-lighter socket.
2
1
34
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Notes: 
• Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a
permit in some areas. Check the laws in your area.
• If the scanner does not operate properly when you
connect a DC adapter, unplug the adapter from the
cigarette-lighter socket and clean the socket to
remove ashes and other debris.
Charging a Rechargeable Battery Pack
Your scanner has a built-in charging circuit that lets you
charge a rechargeable battery pack (Cat. No. 23-288)
while it is in the scanner. To charge the battery pack, sim-
ply connect an AC or DC adapter to the scanner’s 
PWR/DC
9V
 jack.
It takes about 14–16 hours to recharge a battery pack that
is fully discharged. You can operate the scanner while re-
charging the battery pack, but charging takes longer.
Notes: 
• If you want to take the battery pack out of the scan-
ner to charge it, follow the instructions in “Using Bat-
teries” on Page 9 to remove it, then follow the
instructions provided with the battery pack to charge
it.
• A rechargeable battery pack lasts longer if you let it
fully discharge once a month. To do this, simply use
the scanner until 
BATT flashes and the scanner
beeps about every 3 seconds. Then fully charge the
battery pack.
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Important! At the end of a rechargeable battery pack’s
useful life, it must be recycled or disposed of properly.
Contact your local, county, or state hazardous waste
management authorities for information on recycling or
disposal programs in your area. Some options that might
be available are: municipal curb-side collection, drop-off
boxes at retailers such as your local RadioShack store,
recycling collection centers, and mailback programs.
CONNECTING THE ANTENNA
Follow these steps to attach the supplied flexible antenna
to your scanner.
1. Align the slots around the antenna’s connector with
the tabs on the 
ANT jack.
2. Press the antenna down over the jack and turn the
antenna’s base clockwise until it locks into place.
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Connecting an Optional Antenna
The ANT jack on the top of the scanner makes it easy to
use the scanner with a variety of antennas. Instead of the
supplied antenna, you can attach a different one, such as
an external mobile antenna or outdoor base station anten-
na. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of anten-
nas.
Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-
8, to connect an outdoor antenna. For lengths over 50
feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If your an-
tenna’s cable does not have a BNC connector, you will
also need a BNC adapter (also available at your local Ra-
dioShack store). 
Follow the installation instructions supplied with the anten-
na, route the antenna cable to the scanner, then connect
it to the 
ANT jack. 
Warning: 
Use extreme caution when installing or remov-
ing an outdoor base station 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 electrocution 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 earphone or mono
headphones (available at your local RadioShack store)
with a 
1/8-inch plug into the   jack on top of your scan-
ner. This disconnects the internal speaker. 
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Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you
use an earphone or headphones:
• Do not listen at extremely high volume levels.
Extended high-volume listening can lead to perma-
nent hearing loss.
• Set the volume to the lowest setting before you begin
listening. After you begin listening, adjust the volume
to a comfortable level.
• Once you set the volume, do not increase it. Over
time, your ears adapt to the volume level, so a vol-
ume level that does not cause discomfort might still
damage your hearing.
Traffic Safety
Do not use an earphone or headphones with your scanner
when operating a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle in or
near traffic. Doing so can create a traffic hazard and could
be illegal in some areas.
If you use an earphone or headphones with your scanner
while riding a bicycle, be very careful. Do not listen to a
continuous broadcast. Even though some earphones/
headphones let you hear some outside sounds when lis-
tening at normal volume levels, they still can present a
traffic hazard.
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CONNECTING AN EXTENSION 
SPEAKER
In a noisy area, an extension speaker (Cat. No. 21-549) or
an amplified speaker (Cat. No. 21-541) might provide
more comfortable listening. 
Plug the speaker cable’s 
1/8-inch plug into your scanner’s
 jack.
USING THE BELT CLIP
You can use the belt clip for hands-free carrying when you
are on the go. Simply slide the belt clip over your belt or
waistband.
Belt Clip
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YOUR SCANNER
Once you understand a few simple terms we use in this
manual and familiarize yourself with your scanner’s fea-
tures, you can put the scanner to work for you. You simply
determine the communications you want to receive, then
set the scanner to scan those frequencies.
A frequency
 is the tuning location of a station (expressed
in kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies, you can use
the search
 function to search bands
, which are preset
ranges of frequencies.
When you find a frequency, you can store it into a perma-
nent memory location called a channel
. You can then
scan
 the channels to see if there is activity on the frequen-
cies stored there. Each time the scanner finds an active
frequency, it stays on that channel until the transmission
ends.
Another option is to store the frequency into a temporary
memory location called a monitor memory
 until you de-
cide to move it to a channel.
Just keep in mind — you 
search frequencies and scan
channels.
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A LOOK AT THE KEYPAD
Your scanner’s keys might seem confusing at first, but this
information should help you understand each key’s func-
tion.
WX — scans through the preprogrammed weather chan-
nels.
BAND — selects a preprogrammed search band.
SCAN — scans through the programmed channels.
MANUAL — stops scanning to let you directly enter a
channel number.
/  — searches down or up from the currently dis-
played frequency, or selects the direction when you scan
channels.
CLEAR — clears an incorrect entry.
PGM — lets you program frequencies into channels.
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