RadioShack Pro 92b Handheld Scanner Owners Manual

21About Your Scanner
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 (I)D Program
Note: If you enter the ID...

22
About Your Scanner
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-
storage bank to group frequencies, such as those used
by the police department, fire department, ambulance
services, or aircraft (see “Typical Band Usage” on
Page 61). For example, the police department might use
four frequencies, one for each side of town. You could
program...

23About Your Scanner
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 pre-programmed ser-
vice bands. (For the default setting, see “Searching a
Preprogrammed Frequency Range” on Page 34.)
Note:
 You can increase the number of preprogrammed
frequency ranges your scanner can receive (up to 100)
using an optional PC interface kit (available at...

24
About Your Scanner
UNDERSTANDING YOUR 
SCANNER’S MODES
You can program each channel with any of seven re-
ceive modes. Each mode affects how your scanner op-
erates when scanning and receiving transmissions, and
also affects what transmissions you receive when you
set the scanner to the closed mode (see “Open and
Closed Modes” on Page 57). The following sections de-
scribe each mode and how they affect your scanners op-
eration. See “Changing the Receive Mode” on Page 45.
PL, DPL and trunking systems...

25About Your Scanner
You can set each of the scanner’s channel storage
banks to open or closed mode.
In open mode, the scanner scans signals transmitted in
all systems. In closed mode, the scanner scans signals
transmitted only under the following conditions:
• When the signals are in the FM mode.
• When the signals are in the LT, MO, or ED mode
and the signals ID code matches the programmed
ID code.
• When the signals are in the PL or DPL mode 
and
the signals ID code matches the programmed ID
code....

26
About Your Scanner
FM Mode
This sets the scanner to receive transmissions using fre-
quency modulation (FM). FM is used for most public
safety transmissions, as well as broadcast, business,
and amateur radio transmissions. When the scanner re-
ceives a transmission on a channel set to the FM mode,
it always stops on the transmission.
LTR (E. F. Johnson) Mode
You can set your scanner so it decodes the talk group
IDs used with LTR systems. This setting is called the
LTR mode.
LTR systems are trunking...

27About Your Scanner
Motorola Mode
You can set your scanner so it decodes the talk group
IDs used with Motorola trunking systems. This setting is
called the 
Motorola mode.
Motorola systems are trunking systems used primarily
by business and public safety groups to efficiently allo-
cate a small number of frequencies (as few as 5) to
many groups of users (as many as several thousand).
To do this, each group of users in the system is assigned
to a specific talk group. For example, the east side patrol...

28
About Your Scanner
widely available on the Internet for most Type I systems
in use.
Type II system talk groups are identified by a 5-digit
number. Valid talk group IDs are divisible by 16. If you
try to enter an invalid talk group ID, the scanner rounds
the ID down to the next valid ID.
Type I/II hybrid systems use both fleet-subfleet and 5-
digit formats for talk group IDs.
Note:
 If the scanner decodes control channel data while
receiving transmissions from a Motorola trunking sys-
tem, 
CNTRL...

29Operation
greatly improve EDACS scanning in a fringe area. If you
are having trouble scanning an EDACS system, try man-
ually selecting the data channel. If you are getting good
reception, the scanner will indicate talk group 
CTL-01.
Try changing your location or using an outdoor antenna
to improve reception.
ˆOperation
TURNING ON THE SCANNER AND 
SETTING SQUELCH
1. Turn SQUELCH fully counterclockwise until the indi-
cator points to 
MIN before you turn on the scanner.
2. To turn on the scanner, turn...

30
Operation
nals. If you want to listen to a weak or distant sta-
tion, turn 
SQUELCH counterclockwise.
•If 
SQUELCH is adjusted so you always hear a
hissing sound, the scanner will not scan properly.
• To ensure the scanner operates properly while in
the trunking mode, we suggest you set 
SQUELCH
using the above steps, even if the scanner is
automatically muted.
STORING KNOWN FREQUENCIES 
INTO CHANNELS
Good references for active frequencies are Ra-
dioShack’s 
Police Call, Aeronautical Frequency...