RadioShack Pro 89 Vhf Uhf Handheld Race Scanner Reciever Owners Manual

							11
Note:
 Do not overcharge Ni-Cd batteries. Overcharging caus-
es them to get hot and shortens their life.
It takes between 14 and 16 hours to recharge Ni-MH or 7 and 8
hours to recharge Ni-Cd batteries that are fully discharged.
You can operate the scanner while recharging the batteries,
but charging takes longer.
Note:
 Ni-Cd batteries last longer and deliver more power if you
occasionally let them fully discharge. To do this, simply use the
scanner until   flashes on the display and the scanner
beeps. Then fully charge the batteries.
Important:
 The EPA certified RBRC® Battery Recycling
Seal on the nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery indicates
RadioShack is voluntarily participating in an industry
program to collect and recycle these batteries at the end
of their useful life, when taken out of service in the Unit-
ed States or Canada.  The RBRC program provides a convenient al-
ternative to placing used Ni-Cd batteries into the trash or the
municipal waste stream, which may be illegal in your area.  Please
call 1-800-THE-SHACK (1-800-843-7422) for information on Ni-Cd
battery recycling and disposal bans/restrictions in your area.
RadioShack’s involvement in this program is part of the company’s
commitment to preserving our environment and conserving our natu-
ral resources.
CONNECTING AN ANTENNA
Connecting a Supplied Antenna
You must install an antenna before you can operate the scan-
ner. 
The supplied stub antenna helps your
scanner receive most strong transmis-
sions at events and makes the scanner
easier to carry and use. The supplied
flexible antenna provides slightly better
reception and helps your scanner re-
ceive strong local signals. Follow these
steps to attach either antenna to the
scanner.
B 
						

							12
1. Align the slots around the antenna’s connector with the
tabs on the antenna jack.
2. Press the antenna down over the jack and turn the
antenna’s base clockwise until it locks into place.
Connecting an Outdoor Antenna
Instead of a supplied antenna, you can connect an outdoor
base-station or mobile antenna (not supplied) to your scanner
using a BNC connector. Your local RadioShack store sells a
variety of antennas. Choose the one that best meets your
needs.
When deciding on a mobile or base-station antenna and its lo-
cation, consider these points:
• The antenna should be as high as possible on the vehicle
or building.
• The antenna and its cable should be as far as possible
from sources of electrical noise, such as appliances or
other radios.
• The antenna should be vertical for the best performance.
Always use 50 Ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8, to
connect the base-station or mobile antenna. For lengths over
50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If the anten-
na cable’s connector does not fit in the scanner’s antenna jack,
you might also need a PL-259-to-BNC antenna plug adapter.
Your local RadioShack store carries a wide variety of coaxial
antenna cable and connectors.
Once you choose an antenna, follow the
mounting instructions supplied with the an-
tenna, after removing a supplied antenna.
Then route the antenna’s cable to the scan-
ner and connect the cable to the scanner’s
antenna jack. 
						

							13
Cautions:
• Do not run the cable over sharp edges or moving parts that
might damage it.
• Do not run the cable next to power cables or other antenna
cables.
Warning: 
Use extreme caution when you install or remove
an outdoor 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 com-
pany to remove the antenna. DO NOT attempt to do so your-
self.
CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/
HEADPHONES
For private listening, you can connect an earphone or head-
phones with a 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) plug to the   jack on the top of
the scanner. (Your local RadioShack store carries a wide se-
lection of earphones and headphones). Connecting an ear-
phone or headphones automatically disconnects the internal
speaker.
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 lis-
tening. After you begin listening, adjust the volume to a
comfortable level. 
						

							14
• 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 hear-
ing. 
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 transmission. Even though some earphones or
headphones let you hear some outside sounds when lis-
tening at normal volume levels, they still can present a traf-
fic hazard.
CONNECTING AN EXTENSION SPEAKER
In a noisy area, an amplified extension speaker (available at
your local RadioShack store) might provide more comfortable
listening. Plug the speaker cable’s 
1/8-inch (3.5-mm) plug into
your scanner’s    jack.
Note: 
Connecting an external speaker disconnects the scan-
ner’s internal speaker. 
						

							15
UNDERSTANDING THE SCANNER
Once you understand a few simple terms used in this manual
and familiarize yourself with your scanner’s features, you can
put the scanner to work for you. You simply determine the type
of communications you want to receive, then set the scanner to
scan them.
A frequency
 is the tuning location of a station (expressed in
kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies, you can use the
search
 function. 
You can also search the service-search banks
, which are
preset groups of frequencies categorized by type of service.
When you find a frequency, you can store it into a programma-
ble memory location called a channel
, which is grouped with
your other channels in a channel-storage bank
. You can then
scan
 the channel-storage banks to see if there is activity on
the frequencies stored there. Each time the scanner finds an
active frequency, it stays on that channel until the transmission
ends.
A LOOK AT THE KEYPAD
If your scanner’s keys seem confusing at first, the following il-
lustration and information should help you understand each
key’s function.
Note: 
Some of the scanner’s keys perform more than one
function and are marked with more than one label. The steps in
this Owner’s Manual show only the label on the key appropri-
ate to the action being performed. 
						

							16
CAR Lets you store car numbers and frequencies in
the scanner’s channels, add and delete fre-
quencies from car numbers, display car num-
bers, and listen to the channel where a car
number is stored. 
Each time you press 
CAR,
 you see the following
information in the following order:
– Manual Mode
– Car Number Input Mode
– Car Number Display Mode
– Car Number Input Mode
– Manual Mode
BAND Lets you search the scanner’s preprogrammed
service-search banks.
PRI/ALERT Turns the priority feature on and off; turns the
WX alert mode on and off.
WX Scans the seven preprogrammed weather
channels.
SCANScans any programmed channels.
MAN Stops scanning and lets you directly enter a
channel number.
Number Keys 
Each key has single-digit (0 to 9) and a range of
numbers. Use the single digits to enter a chan-
nel or frequency. The range of numbers above
the key (21–40 for example) indicate the chan-
nels that make up a channel-storage bank. See
“Understanding Banks” on Page 20.
t
/s
Searches up or down for active frequencies or
selects the direction when scanning channels.
L/O RVW/L/O Reviews locked-out frequencies; lets you lock
out selected channels or frequencies. 
						

							17
MON/CL Lets you listen to frequencies stored in the 20
monitor memories; clears an incorrect entry.
LIGHT/  Locks and unlocks the keypad to prevent acci-
dental entries; turns the backlight on and off.
PGM Programs frequencies into channels.
DELAY
/• Programs a 2-second delay for the selected
channel; enters a decimal point.
ENT (enter) Enters frequencies into channels.
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has indicators that show the scanner’s current op-
erating status. This quick look at the display will help you un-
derstand how your scanner operates.
Appears when you lock the keypad.
BANK Appears with numbers (1–10) to indicate the
scan bank. Bank numbers with a bar under
them show which banks are turned on for scan-
ning (see “Understanding Banks” on Page 20).
MRN Indicates that the scanner is searching the ma-
rine service bank.
CAR# Appears when you store car numbers and fre-
quencies into the scanner’s channels, add and
delete frequencies from car numbers, display
car numbers, and move to the channel where a
car number is stored.
WX Indicates that the scanner is searching the
weather channels. 
						

							18
FD/PD Indicates that the scanner is searching the fire/
police service bank.
AIR Indicates that the scanner is searching the air
service bank.
HAM Indicates that the scanner is searching the am-
ateur radio service bank.
s
/t
Indicates the search or scan direction.
 Flashes with a number (1–20) to show which
monitor memory you are listening to.
CH Appears with digits (1–200) or P and a frequen-
cy 
to show which channel the scanner is tuned
to.
Appears when the batteries are low.
 (lockout) 
Appears when you manually select a channel
that was previously locked out during scanning
or when you review a locked-out frequency.
SRCH Appears during service bank and direct fre-
quency searches.
SCANAppears when the scanner scans channels.
MANAppears when you manually select a channel.
PGM Appears when you program frequencies into
the scanner’s channels.
PRIAppears when the priority feature is turned on.
DLYAppears when you program a 2-second delay.
ErrorAppears when you make an entry error.
-dUPL- Appears when you try to store a frequency that
is already stored in another channel.
-d-Appears during a direct frequency search.
-b- Appears during a service bank frequency
search (except auto race and marine bank).
M
B
L/O 
						

							19
CAr Appears when you listen to the car race
service bank.
CAr No. _ _ _  Appears when you input the car number.
Ch-FULL Appears when you try to enter a frequency
into a channel during a search when all
channels are full.
F L-out Appears when you start a direct search
from a locked-out frequency.
FLo-FULL Appears when you try to lock out a fre-
quency during a search when 50 frequen-
cies are already locked out.
L-r Appears when you review the locked-out
frequencies.
dEFAULt Appears when you remove all the lock-
outs from the service bank frequencies.
FLo ALL-CL Appears when you remove all the locked-
out frequencies during a service bank or
direct search.
L-o Ch0000 Appears when you clear all locked-out
channels.
Lo ALL-CL Appears when you remove all lockouts
from channels.
ALL Ch0000 Appears when you clear all stored chan-
nels.
P Appears when the scanner is tuned to the
priority channel.
ALErtAppears when the weather alert is on.
On AirAppears when you set on-air program-
ming mode to program frequencies into
your scanner.
WirEdAppears when you set wired programming
mode to program frequencies into your
scanner. 
						

							20
StArt Appears when the scanner starts wired or
on-air programming.
C-Err Appears when the scanner receives a check-
sum error during wired or on-air program-
ming.
d-Err Appears when the scanner receives a data
error during wired or on-air programming.
End Appears when the scanner has finished
wired or on-air programming.
oFF tonEAppears when you turn off the key tone.
on tonEAppears when you turn on the key tone. 
P.-SAAppears when the power save function is
turned on.
on P.-SAAppears when you turn on power save.
oFF P.-SAAppears when you turn off power save.
UNDERSTANDING BANKS
Channel Storage Banks
To make it easier to identify and select the channels you want
to listen to, channels are divided into 10 banks of 20 channels
each. Use each channel-storage bank to group frequencies,
such as those used by the police department, fire department,
ambulance services, or aircraft (see “Guide to the Action
Bands” on Page 53). 
For example, the police department might use four frequen-
cies, one for each side of town. You could program the police
frequencies starting with Channel 1 (the first channel in bank 1)
and program the fire department frequencies starting with
Channel 21 (the first channel in bank 2).