RadioShack Pro 93 Handheld Scanner Owners Manual
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11Preparation er, we recommend RadioShack nickel-metal hydride (Ni–MH) batteries. Warning: Never install non-rechargeable batteries in the rechargeable yellow battery holder. Non-rechargeable batteries can get hot or explode if you try to recharge them. Note: You must charge rechargeable batteries before you use them the first time. See “Charging Recharge- able Batteries” on Page 12. Cautions: • The battery holder fits only one way. Do not force it. • Use only fresh batteries of the required size and recommended type. • Always remove old or weak batteries. Batteries can leak chemicals that destroy electronic circuits. • Do not mix old and new batteries, different types of batteries (alkaline or rechargeable), or rechargeable batteries of different capacities. Follow these steps to install the batteries: 1. Press in on the battery compartment cover on the back of the scanner and slide the cover down to remove it. 2. Pull the battery holder out of the battery compart- ment. 3. If you are using non-rechargeable batteries, place them into the black holder, as indicated by the polar- ity symbols ( + and –) marked on the holder. If you are using rechargeable batteries, place them into the yellow holder as indicated by the polarity symbols ( + and –) marked on the holder. 4. Place the battery holder into the battery compart- ment. 5. Replace the cover.
12 Preparation When battery power is low, (FNý â8KK
13Preparation • Rechargeable batteries last longer and deliver more power if you let them fully discharge once a month. To do this, use the scanner until (FNý â8KK
14 Preparation Cautions: You must use a power source that sup- plies 9V DC and delivers at least 300 mA. Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must fit the scanners PWR DC 9V jack. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifi- cations could damage the scanner or the adapter. • Always connect the DC adapter to the scanner before you connect it to the power source. When you finish, disconnect the adapter from the power source before you disconnect it from the scanner. To connect the adapter. 1. Connect the Adaptaplug to the adapters cord with the tip set to positive. 2. Plug the adapters barrel plug into the scanners PWR DC 9V jack. 3. Plug the adapters cigarette-lighter plug into your 12V power source. Note: If the scanner does not operate properly when you connect a DC adapter, unplug the DC adapter from the power source and clean the socket, or check the adapt- er’s internal fuse. CONNECTING THE ANTENNA To attach the supplied flexible antenna to the antenna jack on the top of your scanner, align the slots around the antennas connector with the tabs on the antenna jack. Press the antenna down over the jack and turn the antennas base clockwise until it locks into place. Connecting an Optional Antenna The antenna connector on your scanner makes it easy to use the scanner with a variety of antennas, such as an external mobile antenna or outdoor base station anten- na. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of anten- nas. !
15Preparation 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 antennas cable does not have a BNC connector, you will also need a BNC adapter (not supplied, avail- able at your local RadioShack store). Follow the installation instructions supplied with the an- tenna, route the antenna cable to the scanner, then con- nect it to the antenna jack. Warning: Use extreme caution when installing or re- moving an outdoor antenna. If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead power lines. If the an- tenna 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 1/8-inch (3.5 mm) mini-plug earphone or headphones (not supplied), avail- able at your local RadioShack store, into the jack on top of your scanner. This automatically 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 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.
16 Preparation Traffic Safety Do not wear an earphone or headphones while you drive a vehicle or ride a bicycle. This can create a traffic haz- ard and can be illegal in some areas. Even though some earphones and headphones let you hear some outside sounds when you listen at normal levels, they still can present a traffic hazard. Connecting an Extension Speaker In a noisy area, an amplified speaker (not supplied), available at your local RadioShack store, might provide more comfortable listening. Plug the speaker cables 1/8- inch (3.5 mm) mini-plug into your scanners jack. Note: You must use an amplified speaker with this scan- ner. Non-amplified speakers do not provide sufficient volume for comfortable listening. Using the Belt Clip You can use the belt clip attached to the back of the scanner for hands-free carrying when you are on the go. Slide the belt clip over your belt or waistband. Transferring Data to and from Another Scanner or a PC You can transfer the programmed data to and from an- other PRO-93 or a PRO-2053 using a connecting cable which has 1/8-inch phone plugs on both ends (not sup- plied). Connect the cable between each scanners PC/IF jacks. See “Cloning the Programmed Data” on Page 49. You can also upload or download the programmed data to or from a PC using an optional PC interface kit avail- able through your local RadioShack store.
17About Your Scanner ˆAbout Your Scanner Once you understand a few simple terms used in this manual and familiarize yourself with your scanners fea- tures, you can put the scanner to work for you. You sim- ply determine the type of communications you want to receive, then set the scanner to scan them. A frequency is the receiving signal location (expressed in kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies, you can use the search function. You can also search the SEARCH banks, which are pre- programmed frequencies in the scanners memory (see “Searching a Preprogrammed Frequency Range” on Page 30 for the frequency list). You can even change the frequency range on one of the SEARCH banks (SR5) to limit the search. When you find a frequency, you can store it into a pro- grammable memory location called a channel, which is grouped with 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 Here is a brief overview of your scanners keys and their functions. SCAN — scans through the programmed channels. FUNC (function) — lets you use various functions by pressing this key in combination with other keys. MANUAL — stops scanning and lets you directly enter a channel number. WX — scans through the seven preprogrammed weather channels. TRUNK — stores the trunking ID code or holds the trunk- ing ID while scanning.
18 About Your Scanner PRI (Priority) — sets and turns the priority function on or off. TEXT — lets you input text. PAUSE — stops search. MODE — changes the receive mode (AM, FM, MOT, ED). / — turns on/off the displays backlight or when used with FUNC locks/unlocks the keypad to prevent ac- cidental entries. TUNE — lets you input a frequency and allows you to fine tune a frequency along with 8 88 8 or 9 99 9. AT T (Attenuate) — turns attenuation on to reduce the scanners sensitivity and block extremely strong signals, or turns it off to increase sensitivity. 8 88 8 or 9 99 9 — selects the scan or search direction. SEARCH — lets you search the six search banks. L/OUT (Lock Out) — lets you lock out a selected chan- nel, skip a specified frequency during search, or lock out a selected ID code. PGM — programs frequencies into channels. ENTER — completes the entry of frequencies and text. 1 — enters a 1, or inputs characters 0 through 9 in text mode. 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 an 8, or inputs characters T, U, or V.
19About Your Scanner 9/WXYZ — enters a 9, or inputs characters W, X, Y, or Z. 0 — enters a zero, or inputs characters ., -, #, _, @, +, *, &, /, , $, %, !, ^, (, ), ?, ->, ` or
20 About Your Scanner 10 banks (ò òò ò to é éé é) of 30 (òò òòòò òò to ðé ðéðé ðé) channels each, a total of 300 channels. You can use each channel-storage bank to group frequencies, such as those used by Mo- torola trunking, EDACS trunking, Marine, CB, Police, Fire, Aircraft and Ham (see “Typical Band Usage” on Page 67). For example, a police department might use four fre- quencies, one for each side of town. You could program the police frequencies starting with òòò òòòòòò òòò (the first channel in bank 0) and program the fire department frequencies starting with ñòò ñòòñòò ñòò (the first channel in bank 1). The first digit identifies the bank ( ò òò ò to é éé é). The second and third digits identify the channel within the bank ( òò òòòò òò to ðé ðéðé ðé). Search Banks Your scanner has five preprogrammed search banks and one limit search bank. You can set the lower and higher frequency limit in the limit search bank. (For the default setting, see “Searching a Preprogrammed Fre- quency Range” on Page 30). UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNERS MODES You can program each channel with any of four receive modes (AM, FM, MOT, and ED). However, you can not program MOT (Motorola), or ED (EDACS) mode in VHF. Each receive 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 “Changing the Receive Mode” on Page 46. AM Mode The AM mode sets the scanner to receive transmissions using amplitude modulation (AM), primarily used for air- craft, military, some amateur radio, and some govern- ment transmissions. (Refer to “Specifications” on Page 81 for a list of the frequencies covered.) When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the AM mode, it always stops on the transmission.