RadioShack Pro 92 Handheld Trunking Scanner Owners Manual

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FUNC 
(function) — lets you use various functions by
pressing this key along with other keys.
SCAN — scans through the programmed channels.
MANUAL — stops scanning and lets you directly enter a
channel number.
TRUNK — stores the trunking ID code or holds the trunk-
ing ID while scanning.
WX — scans through the 7 preprogrammed weather
channels.
PRI 
(priority) — sets and turns the priority function on or
off.
TEXT — lets you input text.
STEP — changes the frequency step or displays step fre-
quency during search, selects PL or DPL codes when
programming.
MODE — changes the receive mode (AM, FM, PL, DL,
LT, MO, ED. See “Changing the Receive Mode” on Page
53).
/
LIT 
(light) — turns on/off the display’s backlight or
locks/unlocks the keypad to prevent accidental entries.
TUNE — lets you input a frequency and allows you to fine
tune a frequency along with   or  .
ATT 
(attenuate) — turns attenuation on to reduce the
scanner’s sensitivity, or turns it off to increase it.
 or   — selects the search direction during search or
tuning to a frequency.
SEARCH — lets you search the ten search banks.
L/OUT 
(lock out) — lets you lock out a selected channel,
lets you skip a specified frequency during search, or lets
you lock out a selected ID code.
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PGM — programs frequencies into channels.
ENTER — lets you complete the entry of frequencies and
text.
1/DELAY — enters a 1, or programs a 2-second delay for
the selected channel/search bank, or inputs characters 0
through 9.
2/ABC — enters a 2, or inputs characters A, B, or C.
3/DEF — enters a 3, or inputs characters D, E, or F.
4/GHI — enters a 4, or inputs characters G, H, or I.
5/JKL — enters a 5, or inputs characters J, K, or L.
6/MNO — enters a 6, or inputs characters M, N, or O.
7/PQRS — enters a 7, or inputs characters P, Q, R, or S.
8/TUV — enters a 8, or inputs characters T, U, or V.
9/WXYZ — enters a 9, or inputs characters W, X, Y, or Z.
0 — enters a zero, or inputs characters., -, #, _, @, +, *,
&, /, , $,%,!, ^, (
,), ?, , `, and ^.
• — enters a decimal point (necessary when program-
ming frequencies), space, or hyphen (in Motorola type I
code setting).
CL — clears an incorrect entry.
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A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
Manual ModeCurrent 
Manual Mode (AM or FM)
Channel
Stored Text
Current Frequency
Current BankMode is FM Receiving a Signal (
• no signal)
Priority Freq. (T)runked
Attenuate (
• no attenuation)
Delay (
• no delay)
Locked ( 
Out
(  Scanning Up)
Scanning Down)
Bank 0–(9)Out
Channel
00–(49)
Motorola(M)anual Mode
Bank 1
Channel 00–(49)
(P)rogram
(S)can(+) Open
(–) Closed
Detecting a 
Trunking or
Talk Group IDTone Signal
Code
Scan Mode
• Bank Off
+ Selected for Scanning
in Open Mode
–
 Selected for Scanning
in Closed Mode
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Search Mode6 and 7 are turned off
Search Mode
Upper Limit
Stepping
AM
 
Delay Scanning Up
Searching 
Frequency
for Range
in Bank 3
Search Mode
Motorola
Search Bank 5
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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 (0–9)
of 50 (00 to 49) channels each. Use each channel-stor-
age bank to group frequencies, such as those used by
the police department, fire department, ambulance ser-
vices, or aircraft (see “Guide to the Action Bands” on
Page 67). For example, the police department might use
four frequencies, one for each side of town. You could
program the police frequencies starting with 000 (the 1st
channel in bank 0) and program the fire department fre-
quencies starting with 100 (the 1st channel in bank 1).
The 1st digit identifies the bank (0–9). The 2nd and 3rd
digits identify the channel within the bank (00–49).
Search Banks
This scanner is able to search 10 search banks. You can
also replace a bank with one of the 60 pre-programmed
service bands. (For the default setting, see “Searching a
Preprogrammed Frequency Range” on Page 41).
The following list shows the 60 pre-programmed service
bands
Low Freq. 
(MHz)Hi Freq.
(MHz)Step 
(kHz)Description
118.0000 136.9750 25 Air Band
108.0000 118.0000 25 Air Nav
460.6375 460.8625 25 Airlines
460.8750 460.9750 25 Alarms
944.0000 952.0000 12.5 Broadcast Links
42.9600 43.6800 20 Business
151.9850 153.7250 5 Business
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450.9250 452.1875 25 Business
453.9875 454.9875 25 Business
460.9750 462.5500 25 Business
463.1750 465.0000 25 Business
851.0000 866.0000 12.5 Business
935.0000 944.0000 12.5 Business
33.0400 33.9800 20 Fire
29.7000 33.0400 5 Fixed/Mobile
33.9800 42.0200 20 Fixed/Mobile
46.6000 50.0000 20 Fixed/Mobile
928.0000 929.0000 12.5 Fixed
932.0000 935.0000 12.5 Fixed
952.0000 960.0000 12.5 Fixed
462.5500 462.7500 12.5 GMRS/FRS
467.5500 467.7500 12.5 GMRS/FRS
137.0000 144.0000 5 Government
148.0000 150.7750 25 Government
153.7250 156.2500 5 Government
158.6700 159.4650 5 Government
162.0000 173.2250 5 Government
173.4000 174.0000 5 Government
400.0000 420.0000 25 Government
453.0000 453.9875 25 Government
29.0000 29.7000 5 Ham 10 m
50.0000 54.0000 5 Ham 6 mLow Freq. 
(MHz)Hi Freq.
(MHz)Step 
(kHz)Description
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144.0000 148.0000 20 Ham 2 m
420.0000 450.0000 25 Ham 70 cm
902.0000 928.0000 12.5 Ham/ISM 33cm
150.9650 151.9850 5 Highways
462.9250 463.1750 25 Medical
156.2500 157.4250 25 Marine Band
161.7600 161.9150 25 Marine Band
380.0000 400.0000 50 Military
806.0000 823.9875 12.5 Mobile Units
894.0000 902.0000 12.5 Mobile Units
161.5650 161.7600 5 News Media
173.2250 173.4000 5 News/Film
450.0000 450.9250 12.5 News Media
452.9625 452.9875 25 Newspapers
462.7500 462.9250 25 Paging
929.0000 932.0000 12.5 Paging
42.0200 42.9600 20 Police
44.6000 46.6000 20 Police/Fire
460.0000 460.6375 25 Police/Fire
866.0000 868.9875 12.5 Police/Fire
160.2150 161.5650 15 Railroads
455.0000 460.0000 25 Reptr Inputs
465.0000 470.0000 25 Reptr Inputs
157.4250 158.6700 5 Taxi/Tow
159.4650 160.2150 5 TaxiLow Freq. 
(MHz)Hi Freq.
(MHz)Step 
(kHz)Description
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Note: The steps shown above are default values. You
can select any desired step setting.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR 
PRO-92’S MODES
You can program each channel with any of seven receive
modes. Each mode affects how your scanner operates
when scanning and receiving transmissions, and also af-
fects what transmissions you receive when you set the
scanner to the Closed mode (see “Open and Closed
Modes” on Page 63). The following sections describe
each mode and how they affect your scanners operation.
See “Changing the Receive Mode” on Page 53.
PL, DPL and trunking systems all use some form of 
cod-
ed
 squelch. Coded squelch techniques involve the trans-
mission of a special “code” signal along with the audio of
a radio transmission. A receiver with coded squelch only
activates when the received signal has the correct “code.”
This lets many users share a single frequency, and de-
creases interference caused by distant transmitters on
the same channel.
In all major metropolitan areas of the United States, every
available radio channel is assigned to more than one us-
er. Public safety radio systems on the same frequency
are usually set up at a distance of forty miles apart, or
more. This means that you may hear transmissions from
a distant system when your local system is not transmit-
ting. By entering the PL for a local system, and operating
the bank in closed mode, the scanner will not stop on
transmissions from the distant system.
452.1875 452.9625 25 Taxi/Busses
470.0000 512.0000 12.5 T-Band
150.7750 150.9650 5 Tow TrucksLow Freq. 
(MHz)Hi Freq.
(MHz)Step 
(kHz)Description
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With few exceptions, such as the VHF Aircraft and Ma-
rine bands, almost every other VHF or UHF radio system
uses some form of coded squelch. By far, PL is the most
popular mode among non-trunked systems. For most
scanning use, try setting PL mode for all non-trunked
channels. If you operate the bank in open mode, the
scanner will display the appropriate code.
AM Mode
This sets the scanner to receive transmissions using am-
plitude modulation (AM). AM is used for aircraft, military,
some amateur radio, and some government transmis-
sions. When the scanner receives a transmission on a
channel set to the AM mode, it always stops on the trans-
mission.
FM Mode
This sets the scanner to receive transmissions using fre-
quency modulation (FM). FM is used for most public safe-
ty transmissions, as well as broadcast, business, and
amateur radio transmissions. When the scanner receives
a transmission on a channel set to the FM mode, it al-
ways stops on the transmission.
CODED SQUELCH MODES 
(PL, DPL, AND TRUNKING)
PL Mode
This sets the scanner to decode subaudible tones that
are transmitted with many FM transmissions. Radio sys-
tem users use these tones to allow multiple users to
share a single frequency and to prevent interference from
other systems operating nearby on the same frequency.
When you select the PL mode for a channel, you can also
set a specific PL tone for that channel.
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When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel
set to the PL mode, it first decodes the PL tone included
with the transmission. In the Open mode, the scanner
stops on the transmission and displays the PL tone on
the bottom line of the display (or displays None if no tone
is included). In the Closed mode, the scanner only stops
on the transmission if the PL tone matches the tone that
you specified for the channel.
PL tones range in frequency from 67 Hz to 254.1 Hz. You
select a PL tone by pressing 
STEP while programming a
channel.
DPL Mode
This sets the scanner to decode digital PL tones used
with some FM transmissions. Similar to PL, DPL is a digi-
tal “signature” encoded on a subaudible carrier. In addi-
tion to preventing interference from other nearby radio
systems, DPL can also identify a specific user or group of
users on a radio system. When you select the DPL mode
for a channel, you can also set a specific DPL code for
that channel.
When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel
set to the DPL mode, it first decodes the DPL code in-
cluded with the transmission. In the Open mode, the
scanner stops on the transmission and displays the DPL
code on the bottom line of the display (or displays None if
no code is included). In the Closed mode, the scanner
only stops on the transmission if the DPL code matches
the code that you specified for the channel.
DPL codes range from D017 to D754 (only 100 codes are
actually used within this range). You select a DPL code
by pressing 
STEP while programming a channel.
DPL is not as popular as PL, because the effective range
of DPL-encoded signals is less than PL.
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