Radio Shack 20-405 User manual

20-405 / PRO-405
User’s Guide
Desktop Radio Scanner
Thank you for purchasing your Desktop
Radio Scanner from RadioShack. Please
read this user’s guide before installing,
setting up, and using your new scanner

2
Contents
Contents
Package Contents .............................................................................................. 4
Features..............................................................................................................4
Understanding Your Scanner......................................................................................... 6
Channel Storage Banks............................................................................................. 6
Service Banks ............................................................................................................ 6
Preprogrammed Service Bank Frequencies .................................................................. 7
Marine ....................................................................................................................... 7
Fire/Police ................................................................................................................. 8
Aircraft ...................................................................................................................... 9
Ham Amateur Radio.................................................................................................. 9
FM Broadcast ............................................................................................................ 9
Weather Channels..................................................................................................... 9
Understanding the Keypad ......................................................................................... 10
Understanding the Display.......................................................................................... 12
Additional Display Messages.................................................................................. 13
Sub Bank Messages ................................................................................................ 13
Setup ................................................................................................................14
Powering Your Scanner ............................................................................................... 14
AC Power ................................................................................................................ 14
Vehicle Power.......................................................................................................... 14
Connecting the Antenna ............................................................................................. 15
Connecting an Outdoor Antenna ........................................................................... 15
Connecting Headphones ............................................................................................ 15
Connecting an Extension Speaker.......................................................................... 15
Basic Operation................................................................................................16
Turning on the Scanner and Setting Squelch.............................................................. 16
Programming Known Frequencies into Channels ....................................................... 16
Searching for Active Frequencies................................................................................ 17
Tune Search............................................................................................................. 17
Service Bank Search................................................................................................ 17
Storing Found Frequencies into Channels.................................................................. 18
Scanning the Stored Channels .................................................................................... 18
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off ..........................................................19
Monitoring a Stored Channel...................................................................................... 19
Clearing a Stored Channel...................................................................................... 19
Listening to the Marine Bank ...................................................................................... 20
Weather Features.............................................................................................20
Listening to a Weather Channel.................................................................................. 20
Weather Alerts............................................................................................................. 21
Receiving All Weather Alerts ..................................................................................21

3
Contents
Receiving Alerts for Specific Areas ......................................................................... 21
Testing the Weather Alert and Beep Tone.............................................................. 22
Skywarn ................................................................................................................... 22
Setting Delay............................................................................................................... 23
Locking Out Channels and Frequencies ..................................................................... 23
Reviewing and Removing Lock-outs.......................................................................24
Using Priority ............................................................................................................... 25
Turning the Key Tone On and Off ............................................................................... 25
Advanced Operation........................................................................................25
Cloning the Programmed Data................................................................................... 25
Programming with a Personal Computer.................................................................... 26
Initializing the Scanner ................................................................................................26
Preprogrammed Frequencies...................................................................................... 26
Preprogrammed Frequency Banks.............................................................................. 27
Additional Information ..................................................................................... 31
Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................... 31
Birdie Frequencies....................................................................................................... 31
Scanning Legally.......................................................................................................... 32
Care ............................................................................................................................. 32
Specifications............................................................................................................... 32
Service and Repair....................................................................................................... 34
FCC Notice.................................................................................................................. 34
Limited Warranty ......................................................................................................... 34

4
Features
Package Contents
• Scanner
• Antenna
• AC Adapter
• User’s Guide
• Quick Start Guide
Features
Your new PRO-405 Desktop Scanner lets you scan conventional transmissions
and is preprogrammed with search banks of the most common frequencies
used by public service agencies. Service Banks are accessed by pressing a one-
touch search key—no complicated programming required.
Your new scanner gives you direct access to over 26,000 frequencies, including
those used by police and fire departments, FM broadcast, ambulance services,
aircraft, and amateur radio services.
Your PRO-405 scanner also has these special features:
Service Banks – easily locate types of calls by searching preprogrammed
frequencies in separate marine, fire/police, aircraft, ham, FM broadcast, and
weather banks.
Display Backlight – makes the display easy to read in low-light situations.
Lock-out Function – skip over specified channels or frequencies when
scanning or searching.
Ten Channel-Storage Banks – group and store 20 channels in each bank (200
total channels).
Tune – tune to new and unlisted frequencies starting from a specified
frequency.
SAME/FIPS Weather Alert – displays the weather event and sounds an alert
for the specific cities or counties you choose.
Memory Backup – frequencies remain stored in memory for an extended time
even without power.
Scan Delay – delays scanning for two seconds before moving to another
channel in order to hear replies.
Priority Channel – set the scanner to check one channel every two seconds
while scanning.

5
Features
Data Cloning – transfer the programmed data to another PRO-405 scanner.
Real-time Signal Strength Indicator – shows relative strength of received
signals.
Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) – easy to view and change programming
information.
Telescopic Antenna – provides good reception of strong local signals. You can
also connect an external antenna for improved reception of distant or weak
signals.
Your PRO-405 scanner can receive these bands:
Frequency Range Types of Transmissions
29–54 MHz 10-Meter Ham, VHF Lo, 6-Meter Ham
87.3–107.9 MHz FM Broadcast
108–136.99166 MHz Aircraft
137–174 MHz Military Land Mobile, 2-Meter Ham, VHF Hi
380–512 MHz UHF Aircraft, Federal Government, 70-cm Ham, UHF
Standard, UHF “T”
nNote: See “Specifications” on page 32 for more information about frequency
steps.

6
Features
Understanding Your 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.
Simply 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, use the search function or consult an online resource such
as www.radioreference.com.
When you find a frequency, you can store it into a programmable 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.
Channel Storage Banks
To make it easier to identify and select the channels you want to listen to, your
scanner divides the channels into 10 banks (1 to 10) with 20 channels each,
for a total of 200 channels. You can use each channel-storage bank to group
frequencies, such as those used by the police department, fire department,
ambulance services, or aircraft.
For example, you could program the frequencies used by your local police
department 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).
Service Banks
The scanner is preprogrammed with the frequencies allocated to marine, fire/
police, aircraft, ham radio, FM broadcast and weather services. This is handy for
quickly finding active frequencies instead of searching through an entire bank
(see “Service Bank Search” on page 17).

7
Features
Preprogrammed Service Bank Frequencies
Marine
Channel Frequency (MHz) Channel Frequency (MHz)
01 156.0500 63 156.1750
05 156.2500 64 156.2250 / 160.8250
06 156.3000 65 156.2750
07 156.3500 66 156.3250
08 156.4000 67 156.3750
09 156.4500 68 156.4250
10 156.5000 69 156.4750
11 156.5500 70 156.5250
12 156.6000 71 156.5750
13 156.6500 72 156.6250
14 156.7000 73 156.6750
15 156.7500 74 156.7250
16 156.8000 77 156.8750
17 156.8500 78 156.9250
18 156.9000 79 156.9750
19 156.9500 80 157.0250
20 157.0000 / 161.6000 81 157.0750
21 157.0500 82 157.1250
22 157.1000 83 157.1750
23 157.1500 84 157.2250 / 161.8250
24 157.2000 / 161.8000 85 157.2750 / 161.8750
25 157.2500 / 161.8500 86 157.3250 / 161.9250
26 157.3000 / 161.9000 87 157.3750 / 161.9750
27 157.3500 / 161.9500 88 157.4250
28 157.4000 / 162.0000
nNote: Both frequencies (transmission and reception) are shown for marine
channels used for duplex transmission.

8
Features
Fire/Police
Group Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz)
1 33.420-33.980 20
37.020-37.420 20
39.020-39.980 20
42.020-42.940 20
44.620-45.860 40
45.880 -
45.900-46.060 40
46.080-46.500 20
2 153.770-154.130 60
154.145-154.445 15
154.650-154.950 15
155.010-155.370 60
155.415-155.700 15
155.730-156.210 60
158.730-159.210 60
166.250 -
170.150 -
3 453.0375-453.9625 12.5
458.0375-458.9625 12.5
460.0125-460.6375 12.5
465.0125-465.6375 12.5

9
Features
Aircraft
Group Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz)
1 108.000-118.000 8.33
2 118.00833-136.99166 8.33
Ham Amateur Radio
Group Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz)
1 29.000-29.700 5
2 50.000-54.000 5
3 144.000-148.000 5
4 420.000-450.000 12.5
FM Broadcast
Frequency Range (MHz) Step (kHz)
87.3–107.9 100
Weather Channels
Channel Frequency (MHz)
1 162.400
2 162.425
3 162.450
4 162.475
5 162.500
6 162.525
7 162.550

10
Features
MAR (Marine)
Search the preprogrammed marine bank.
FD/PD (Fire Dept/Police Dept)
Search the preprogrammed fire/police bank.
/ (Weather / Skywarn)
-Search the seven preprogrammed weather
channels.
-Press and hold to jump to the Skywarn
channel (channel 200). You must first
program your local Skywarn frequency into
channel 200 (see page 22).
HAM
Search the preprogrammed amateur radio
bank.
AIR (Aircraft)
Search the preprogrammed aircraft bank.
FM Broadcast
Search FM radio stations.
Understanding the Keypad
POWER
Turn scanner on and off.
VOLUME
Adjust volume.
SQUELCH
-Turn counterclockwise
to listen to a weak or
distant station.
-Turn clockwise
to cut out weak
transmissions.

11
Features
0–9
-Input a number when
entering frequencies and
selecting banks (0selects
bank 10).
-The number range above
the keys (1–20, 21–40, 41-60,
etc.) indicates the channels
stored in that bank.
SCAN / MAN (Manual)
-Enter Scan mode to scan
programmed channels.
-Enter Manual mode to stop
scanning, directly enter a
channel number, or monitor a
single channel.
e d
Select the direction for
searching and scanning.
PRI / ALERT
-Enable and disable the
priority feature.
-Enable and disable SAME
standby mode when
monitoring a weather
channel.
PSE (Pause)
Stop and restart a search or
tune.
• / DELAY
-Input a decimal point when
entering frequencies.
-Program a two-second
delay for the selected
channel.
ENT (Enter)
Complete the entry of
frequencies.
L/O
/
L/O RVW
-Lock-out selected channels
or frequencies.
-Review locked-out
frequencies.
TUNE / CLEAR
-Enter Tune search.
-Clear an incorrect entry.
PGM
Program frequencies into
channels.

12
Features
Understanding the Display
Row 1
– Skywarn channel active.
FD/PD – Searching the fire/police bank.
BANK – Appears with numbers (1–10) to indicate the scan bank. The bar
under the bank number shows banks that are turned on for scanning.
AIR – Searching the aircraft bank.
HAM – Searching the amateur radio bank.
Row 2
WX – Searching weather channels.
FM radio – Searching for FM radio stations.
000 –Channel number the scanner is tuned to.
CH – Appears with channel number (1–200) or P (priority channel).
000.0000– Frequency the scanner is tuned to.
MAR – Searching the marine bank.
L/0 – A locked out channel/frequency is manually selected or reviewed.
Row 3
ed (Up/Down) – Search or scan direction.
PRI – Priority feature is active.
S–Signal meter; bars indicate strength of signal.
MAN – Manual mode.
SCAN – Scan mode.
SRCH – Searching a service bank.
PGM – Program mode.
DLY – Two-second delay is active.
Row 1
Row 2
Row 3

13
Features
Additional Display Messages
ALL CH L-out –All channels locked out during scan or marine band search.
b X Ch-FULL –All displayed bank channels are full.
b X StorE –Frequency programmed into displayed bank’s channel.
CLOnE –Clone mode.
-dUPL- –Frequency is already stored in another channel.
Error –Entry error.
FLo ALL-CL –All the locked-out frequencies removed during a FD/PD,
AIRCRAFT, or HAM bank search.
L-r–Review the locked-out frequencies.
L-O Fr-FULL –Maximum of 50 frequencies already locked out.
oFF tonE –Key tone deactivated.
On tonE –Key tone activated.
P–Scanner is tuned to the priority channel.
-t- –Tune mode.
Sub Bank Messages
Lo VHF –Sub-bank 1 of the fire/police bank.
Hi VHF –Sub-bank 2 of the fire/police bank.
UHF –Sub-bank 3 of the fire/police bank.
10 M –Sub-bank 1 of the HAM bank.
6 M –Sub-bank 2 of the HAM bank.
2 M –Sub-bank 3 of the HAM bank.
70CM –Sub-bank 4 of the HAM bank.

14
Setup
Setup
Powering Your Scanner
You can power your scanner using with AC power using the supplied AC
adapter or from your vehicle using an optional DC adapter (not supplied).
AC Power
1. Connect the supplied adapter to the scanner’s DC 9V jack.
2. Plug the adapter into a standard household power socket.
3. To disconnect, unplug the adapter from the power source first.
wCaution: To avoid injury, do not connect the adapter to a ceiling outlet.
Vehicle Power
1. Connect a 9V, 400mA DC CLA adapter (not supplied), to the scanner’s DC
9V jack.
2. Plug the adapter into your vehicle’s power port.
3. To disconnect, unplug the adapter from the power source first.
n Notes:
• If the scanner does not work properly after connecting it to power, try
resetting it (see “Initializing the Scanner” on page 26).
• If you are powering from your vehicle’s power port and your vehicle’s
engine is running, you might hear electrical noise from the engine. This
is normal when using a CLA adapter. The problem can be remedied by
connecting directly to the vehicle fuse box.
wCaution: You must use a Class 2 power source that supplies 9V DC and
delivers at least 400mA. Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug
must fit the scanner’s DC 9V jack. Using an adapter that does not meet these
specifications could damage the scanner or the adapter.

15
Setup
Connecting the Antenna
To attach the supplied telescopic antenna:
1. Insert the antenna in the hole on the top of the scanner.
2. Turn the antenna clockwise to tighten.
Connecting an Outdoor Antenna
To connect an external antenna, follow the installation instructions supplied
with the antenna. Use 50-ohm coaxial cable to connect your scanner to the
outdoor antenna. For lengths between 50 and 100 feet, use RG-8X low-loss
dielectric coaxial cable. For lengths over 100 feet, use RG8. You also may need
a BNC adapter (available at your local RadioShack store).
wWarning: Use extreme caution when installing or removing 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, touching 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 Headphones
For private listening, you can plug Çinch (3.5 mm) mini-plug earphones or
headphones (not supplied), into the HEADPHONE jack on the back of the
scanner. This automatically disconnects the internal speaker.
Listening Safely
Do not wear headphones, earphones, or earbuds while operating a motor
vehicle or riding a bicycle. This can create a traffic hazard and could be illegal
in some areas.
To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines:
• Do not listen at high volume levels. Extended high-volume listening can
lead to permanent hearing loss.
• Set the volume to the lowest setting. Then turn on your audio device and
adjust the volume to a comfortable level.
• Avoid increasing the volume. Your ears will adapt to the volume level, so a
level that does not cause discomfort could still damage your hearing.
Connecting an Extension Speaker
In a noisy area, an amplified extension speaker (available from your local
RadioShack store or www.RadioShack.com), might provide more comfortable
listening. Plug the speaker cable’s Çinch (3.5 mm) miniplug into your scanner’s
HEADPHONE jack.
nNote: Use an amplified speaker with this scanner. Non-amplified speakers
do not provide sufficient volume for comfortable listening.

16
Basic Operation
Basic Operation
Turning on the Scanner and Setting Squelch
1. Turn SQUELCH counterclockwise until the indicator points to MIN before
you turn on the scanner.
2. Slide POWER to ON. A welcome message appears. After about 3 seconds,
you might hear a hissing sound. Adjust VOLUME to a comfortable listening
level.
3. Turn SQUELCH clockwise, just until the hissing sound stops.
To perform a quick check of scanner operation, press . If you are near a
NOAA weather station, you should hear weather information.
nNotes:
• Make sure the scanner’s antenna is connected before you turn it on.
• To listen to a weak or distant station, turn SQUELCH counterclockwise.
• If reception is poor, turn SQUELCH clockwise to cut out weak
transmissions.
• If SQUELCH is adjusted so you always hear a hissing sound, the scanner
will not scan or search properly.
Programming Known Frequencies into Channels
1. Press PGM. PGM appears. Enter the channel number (1–200) where you
want to store a frequency, then press PGM again.
2. Use the number keys and • to enter the frequency (including the decimal
point).
3. Press ENT to store the frequency into the channel.
4. To program the next channel in sequence, press PGM and repeat Steps 2
and 3.
nNotes:
• If you made a mistake entering the frequency, Error appears and the
scanner beeps three times when you press ENT. Start again from Step 2.
• Your scanner automatically rounds the entered frequency down to the
closest valid frequency. For example, if you enter a frequency of 151.473,
your scanner accepts it as 151.470.
• If you entered a frequency that is already stored in another channel, the
scanner beeps three times and displays -dUPL- (duplicate) and the lowest
channel number where the frequency is already stored. Press ENT if you still
want to store the frequency. Press TUNE/CLEAR to cancel.
• Press •/DELAY to set a two-second delay on this channel. The scanner stores
this setting in the channel.

17
Basic Operation
If you do not have a list of frequencies in your area, use a Tune search or a
Service Bank search to find transmissions. Or refer to an online resource such as
www.radioreference.com.
Searching for Active Frequencies
Tune Search
During a tune search, the scanner tunes up or down starting from a frequency
you specify.
1. Press TUNE. The display alternates between PSE and –t–.
2. If you want to change the starting frequency, enter a new frequency and
press ENT.
3. Press PSE to start tune search. –t–appears on the display.
4. To change the tuning direction, press eor d.
nNotes:
• Press •/Delay to turn the two-second delay feature on and off.
• Press PSE to pause searching. Press PSE again to resume.
Service Bank Search
Your scanner contains groups of preset frequencies called Service Banks. You
can search for marine, fire/police, aircraft, ham, FM, and weather transmissions
even if you do not know the specific frequencies that are used in your area.
Then you can store the frequencies you find into the scanner’s channels (except
for weather and marine banks, which are already stored as channels).
1. Press , , ,, , or .
MAr, FIrE POLICE, AIr, HAM, FM, or WEAtHEr appears respectively. After
about two seconds, the service search starts.
2. To search for another active frequency in the selected bank, press eor d.
See “Preprogrammed Service Bank Frequencies” on page 7 for a list of the
frequencies.
nNotes:
• Press •/Delay to turn the two-second delay feature on and off.
• Press L/O to lock-out a frequency (except Weather band).
• Press PSE to pause searching. Press PSE again to resume.
• To reverse the search direction at any time, press eor d.
• If necessary, you can select search groups using the number keys.
• The frequencies in the scanner’s Service Banks are preset. You cannot change
them.

18
Basic Operation
Storing Found Frequencies into Channels
Once you find interesting frequencies during a Tune or Service Bank search,
you can store them in the scanner’s channel-storage banks.
1. Press ENT when you find a frequency. The bank number and StorE appear.
2. If you want to change banks, enter the new bank number.
3. Press ENT to store the frequency. The channel and frequency flash twice. To
cancel the operation, press TUNE/CLEAR.
nNotes:
• The frequency is automatically stored in the first empty channel of the
selected bank.
• If the scanner displays -dUPL-, the frequency is already stored in another
channel. Press ENT if you want to continue storing the frequency. Press
TUNE/CLEAR to cancel.
• If there are no empty channels in the bank, Ch-FULL appears. You can select
another bank or clear some channels in the current bank (see “Clearing a
Stored Channel” on page 19).
• If the scanner displays -dUPL- or CH-FULL, you can store another channel
location by pressing PGM. The channel number flashes and 000.0000 (or
previous frequency) appears. Press the desired channel number then press
ENT. Repeat if needed. Press ENT again when an empty channel is found.
Scanning the Stored Channels
Press SCAN/MAN until SCAN appears to continuously scan through all
channels with stored frequencies.
If the scanner finds an active frequency, it stops and displays that channel
and frequency number, then it automatically begins scanning again when the
transmission on that frequency ends.
nNotes:
• Press eor d to reverse the scanning direction.
• Press •/DELAY to set the scanner to remain on the current channel for two
seconds after the transmission ends.
• To set the scanner to remain on the current channel, even after the
transmission stops, press SCAN/MAN at any time during the transmission
so MAN appears and SCAN disappears (see “Monitoring a Stored Channel” on
page 19).
• Press L/O to lock-out a channel.

19
Basic Operation
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off
To turn a channel-storage bank on or off, press the bank’s number key (1–0,
using 0for bank 10) during scanning. The channel-storage banks are on when
they have a bar underneath them and off when no bar appears underneath
them.
nNotes:
• The scanner does not scan any of the channels within the banks you have
turned off.
• You cannot turn off all banks; there must be at least one active bank.
• You can manually select any channel in a bank, even if the bank is turned
off.
• When you turn on a bank during scanning, the scanner moves to the
selected bank and scans it.
• If no transmission is found, the scanner continues to scan through all
selected banks.
Monitoring a Stored Channel
You can continuously monitor a specific channel without scanning. This could
be useful if you hear a transmission on a channel and do not want to miss any
details, even though there might be periods of silence.
1. Press SCAN/MAN until MAN appears.
2. Enter the channel number (1–200).
3. Press SCAN/MAN again.
Clearing a Stored Channel
To remove a frequency stored in a channel.
1. Press SCAN/MAN to stop scanning.
2. Press the number keys to enter the channel number (1–200).
3. Press PGM. PGM appears.
4. Press 0then ENT. The frequency number changes to 000.0000to indicate
the channel is cleared.
5. To clear another channel, use the number keys to enter that channel
number then press PGM again. Or, repeatedly press PGM until the desired
channel number appears. Repeat Step 4.

20
Basic Operation
Listening to the Marine Bank
1. Press to search the marine bank. MAr appears for about two seconds,
then the scanner starts searching from marine channel 16. To change the
search direction, press eor d.
2. Press PSE to stop searching. SRCH disappears and MAN appears.
• To change the channel manually, press eor d.
• To select a channel directly, enter the two-digit channel number. See “Marine
Service Bank” on page 7 for a list of channels.
• To lock-out a frequency, press L/O.
3. Press PSE again to restart the marine bank search.
Weather Features
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has allocated channels for use
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Regulatory
agencies in other countries have also allocated channels for use by their
weather reporting agencies.
The NOAA and your local weather reporting agency broadcast the local
forecast and regional weather information on one or more of these channels.
Listening to a Weather Channel
Press to hear your local forecast and regional weather information. WEAthEr
appears for about two seconds, then the scanner starts searching the weather
bank.
Press PSE to stop searching the channels. SRCH disappears and MAN appears.
To change the channel manually, press eor d.
nNote: Your scanner incorporates weather alert as one of its features and
is an extremely sensitive high quality receiver on the weather frequencies.
However, the included antenna is optimized for general purpose scanning. If
you use this scanner as your only means for receiving weather alerts, please
make sure you are receiving a clear signal on the antenna or switch to an
external antenna that gives you clear reception of a local NOAA weather
broadcast.