RadioShack Pro 91 Handheld Trunking Scanner Owners Manual

							11
If BATT.Loflashes and the scanner beeps every 15
seconds, replace (standard/alkaline) or recharge (re-
chargeable nickel-cadmium) the batteries.
Caution: Always dispose of old batteries promptly and
properly. Do not bury or burn them.
Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries
The scanner has a built-in circuit that lets you recharge
nickel-cadmium batteries while they are in the scanner.
To charge the batteries, set 
ALKALINE  JACK  NI-
CD
 to NI-CD, install the nickel-cadmium batteries in the
scanner, and connect an external AC or DC adapter to
the scanner’s 
POWER jack (see “Using AC Power” on
Page 12 or “Using Vehicle Battery Power” on Page 13).
Warning: Do not connect either adapter to the scanner
if non-rechargeable batteries (such as alkaline batter-
ies) are installed in the scanner and 
ALKALINE  JACK
 NI-CD
 is set to NI-CD, or you are unsure of the
switch’s position. Non-rechargeable batteries will get
hot and can even explode if you try to recharge them.
Before you use nickel-cadmium batteries for the first
time, charge them at least 24 hours to bring them to a
full charge.
Discharged batteries take about 10 to 18 hours to fully
recharge. If you use the scanner while the batteries are
charging, charging takes longer.
Notes:
 Nickel-cadmium batteries last longer and deliver
more power if you occasionally let them fully dis-
charge. To do this, simply use the scanner until it
beeps every 15 seconds and 
BATT.Loflashes.
 To prevent damage to nickel-cadmium batteries,
never charge them in an area where the tempera-
ture is above 113°F or below 40°F. 
						

							12
Important: At the end of a rechargeable battery’s use-
ful 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 Ra-
dioShack store, recycling collection centers, and mail-
back programs.
Using AC Power
You can power the scanner from a standard AC outlet
using an optional AC adapter (such as Cat. No. 273-
1665).
Warning: Do not use an AC adapter’s polarized plug
with an extension cord, receptacle, or other outlet un-
less the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade
exposure.
Cautions:
 The recommended AC adapter supplies 9 volts
and delivers at least 300 milliamps. It has a barrel
plug with a center negative tip that correctly fits the
scanner’s 
POWER jack. Using an adapter that
does not meet these specifications could damage
the scanner or the adapter.
 To protect your scanner and AC adapter, always
plug the adapter into the scanner before you plug
it into the AC outlet, and always unplug the
adapter from the AC outlet before you unplug it
from the scanner.
 If batteries are installed, make sure the battery
switch inside the battery compartment is set to the
correct position (see “Using Internal Batteries” on
Page 9). 
						

							13
1. Turn VOLUME/OFF counterclockwise until it clicks
to make sure the power is turned off.
2. Plug the adapter’s 3.4 mm outside diameter/1.3
mm inside diameter barrel plug into your scanner’s
POWER jack. 
3. Plug the other end of the adapter into a standard
AC outlet.
If rechargeable batteries are installed and 
ALKALINE 
JACK  NI-CD
 is set to NI-CD, the adapter powers the
scanner and recharges the batteries at the same time.
Using Vehicle Battery Power
You can power the scanner from your vehicle’s battery
power using an optional DC adapter such as Cat. No.
270-1560.
Cautions:
 The recommended DC adapter supplies 9 volts
and delivers at least 300 milliamps. It has a barrel
plug with a center negative tip that correctly fits the
scanner’s 
POWER jack. 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 scan-
ner.
 If batteries are installed, make sure the battery
switch inside the battery compartment is set to the
correct position (see “Using Internal Batteries” on
Page 9). 
						

							14
1. Turn VOLUME/OFF counterclockwise until it clicks
to make sure the power is turned off.
2. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 9V.
3. Connect the 3.4 mm outer diameter/1.3 mm inner
diameter tip to the adapter cord, matching TIP to –.
4. Plug the adapter’s barrel plug into your scanner’s
POWER jack. 
5. Plug the other end of the adapter into your vehi-
cle’s cigarette-lighter socket.
If you have installed rechargeable batteries and
set 
ALKALINE  JACK  NI-CD to NI-CD, the
adapter powers the scanner and recharges the
batteries at the same time.
Note: 
If the scanner does not operate properly when
you use a DC adapter, unplug the adapter from the cig-
arette-lighter socket and clean the socket to remove
ashes and debris. 
						

							15
CONNECTING THE ANTENNA
Follow these steps to attach the supplied flexible anten-
na to the connector on the top of your scanner.
1. Align the slots around the antenna’s connector with
the tabs on the scanner’s BNC connector.
2. Slide the antenna’s connector down over the scan-
ner’s connector and rotate the antenna connector’s
outer ring clockwise until it locks into place.
Connecting an Optional Antenna
The scanner’s BNC connector makes it easy to connect
a variety of optional antennas (such as an external mo-
bile antenna or outdoor base station antenna). Your lo-
cal RadioShack store sells a variety of antennas.
Note:
 Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-
58 or RG-8, to connect an outdoor antenna. If the dis-
tance from the scanner to the antenna is over 50 feet,
use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If your an-
tenna’s cable does not have a BNC connector, your lo-
cal RadioShack store carries a variety of BNC
adapters. 
						

							16
CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/
HEADPHONES
For private listening, you can plug an earphone or
mono headphones (such as Cat. No. 33-178 or 20-
210) into the   jack on top of your scanner. This auto-
matically disconnects the internal speaker.
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 per-
manent 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 in or near traf-
fic. Doing so can create a traffic hazard and could be il-
legal in some areas.
If you use an earphone or headphones with your scan-
ner, be very careful. Do not listen to a continuous
broadcast. Even though some earphones/headphones
let you hear some outside sounds when listening at
normal volume levels, they still can present a traffic
hazard. 
						

							17
CONNECTING AN EXTENSION 
SPEAKER
In a noisy area, an extension speaker (such as Cat. No.
21-549), 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.
ATTACHING THE BELT CLIP 
You can attach the supplied belt clip to make your
scanner easier to use when you are on the go. Use a
Phillips screwdriver and the supplied screws to attach
the belt clip to the scanner. Then slide the clip over your
belt or waistband. 
						

							18
ABOUT YOUR SCANNER
Once you understand a few simple terms we use 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 those commu-
nications.
Afrequency
 is the tuning location of a station (ex-
pressed in kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies,
you use the search
 function. 
Besides searching within a frequency range you deter-
mine, you can also search your scanner’s service
banks
. Service banks are preset groups of frequencies
categorized by type of service. For example, many am-
ateur radio frequencies are located in the 
HAM2 service
bank.
When you find a frequency, you can store it into a pro-
grammable memory location called a channel
. Chan-
nels are grouped into channel-storage banks
. (This
scanner has 5 channel-storage banks of 30 channels
each). You can then scan
 the channel-storage banks
to see if there is activity on the frequencies stored
there. 
Or, when you find a frequency, you can store it into a
temporary memory location called a monitor memory
until you decide whether or not to move it to a channel.
Just keep in mind — you 
search frequencies and scan
channels.
You can also use your scanner to track trunked trans-
missions (see “Trunk Tracking” on Page 39). 
						

							19
A LOOK AT THE KEYPAD
Your scanner’s keys might seem confusing at first, but
this information should help you understand each key’s
function.
HOLD— holds the frequency search; holds on the cur-
rent ID in the trunk tracking mode.
SCAN — scans through the stored channels. 
MAN (manual)— stops scanning and lets you directly
enter a channel number or frequency.
PROG (program) — stores frequencies into channels;
programs the trunking frequency, fleet map, and ID
memories.
TRUNK— switches between conventional and trunk
tracking.
LIMIT/SRC (search) — starts a limit search; searches a
specified frequency range to find frequencies; searches
for another active ID while trunk tracking.
— turns on or off the data signal skip feature;
moves through menu settings while trunk tracking.
PRIORITY/H/S (Hypersearch)— sets and turns on and off
the priority feature
;turns on and off Hypersearch.
L-OUT/S/S (search skip) — lets you lock out selected
channels or skip specified frequencies during a search;
lets you lock out a selected ID while trunk tracking.
KEYLOCK/— locks the keypad to prevent acciden-
tal program changes; turns on the display light for 15
seconds.
DATA 
						

							20
DELAY— programs a 2-second delay for the selected
channel, a limit search, or each service scan; programs
a 5-second delay while trunk tracking.
t — searches down through a selected frequency
range during a frequency search; selects options dur-
ing program operation; changes the ID location number
while trunk tracking.
s — searches up through a selected frequency range
during a frequency search; selects options during pro-
gram operation; changes the ID location number while
trunk tracking.
Number Keys — each key has a single-digit label and a
range of numbers. The single digits are used to enter a
channel, frequency, service bank, or ID number. The
range of numbers (31–60, for example) are used to en-
ter the channels that make up a memory bank.
MON/CLEAR/— stores frequencies into monitor mem-
ories during a search; recalls frequencies from monitor
memories when programming a channel; stores
searched IDs into monitor memories or selects options
while trunk tracking; enters a decimal point or clears an
incorrect entry.
SVC (service)/E (enter)— starts a service bank search;
enters frequencies into channels.
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has indicators that show the scanner’s cur-
rent operating status. A good look at the display will
help you understand how your scanner operates.
BANK — appears with numbers (1–5). The numbers
show which channel-storage banks are turned on for
scanning.
TRUNK — appears when the scanner is set for trunk
tracking.