Radio Shack Pro-2032 User manual

OWNER’S MANUAL
PRO-2032
Desk-Top Programmable Scanner
Cat. No 20-409
Radio /hack

INTRODUCTION
Your new Radio Shack PRO-2032 Desk
Top Programmable Scanner lets you
in on all the action! This scanner
gives you direct access to over
31,000 frequencies in ten exciting ra¬
dio bands, including those used by
the police department, the fire depart¬
ment, ambulance services, aircraft,
amateur radio operators, and trans¬
portation services. You can select up
to 200 channels for your scanner to
scan and you can change your chan¬
nel selections at any time.
The secret to your scanner's ability to
scan so many frequencies is its cus¬
tom-designed microprocessor—a tiny,
built-in computer. Your scanner also
has these special features:
Hyperscan - to search through fre¬
quencies at up to 50 channels per
second or scan stored channels at 25
channels per second.
Liquid Crystal Display - shows the
selected channel, frequency, and
other information.
2-Second Scan Delay - delays the
scanning mode for 2 seconds before
moving to another channel, so you
can hear more replies.
Memory Backup - keeps the chan¬
nel frequencies stored in your scan¬
ner’s memory if a power failure
occurs.
Lock-Out Function - keeps chan¬
nels you select from being scanned.
Ten Channel-Storage Banks - lets
you group frequencies so you can
easily identify calls.
Priority Channel - helps keep you
from missing important calls on a
channel you specify.
Direct Search - scans for new and
unlisted frequencies to find interesting
broadcasts.
Monitor Memories - for temporarily
saving up to ten additional channels
you locate during a frequency search.
Your PRO-2032 scanner covers all of
these bands:
30 - 50 MHz (VHF Lo)
50 - 54 MHz (6-Meter Ham Band)
108 - 136.975 MHz (Aircraft)
137-144 MHz (Government)
144-148 MHz (2-Meter Ham Band)
148- 174 MHz (VHF Hi)
380 - 450 MHz (Ham Radio and Gov¬
ernment)
450 - 470 MHz (UHF Lo)
470-512 MHz (UHF T)
806 - 823.9375 MHz (UHF Hi)
851 - 868.9375 MHz (UHF Hi)
896 - 960 MHz (UHF Hi)
2
© 1993 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

A
CAUTION
A
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION;
TO REOUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SMOCK.
00 NOT REMOVE COVER |0R BACK)
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE
REFER SERVICING TO OUALIFIED SERVICE
PERSONNEL.
This symbol is intended to
alert you to dangerous volt¬
age inside this unit that can
cause shock. Do not open
enclosure.
This symbol is intended to
alert you to important oper¬
ating and maintenance in¬
structions in this owner's
manual.
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR
SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EX¬
POSE THIS RECEIVER TO RAIN
OR MOISTURE.
Use of this unit for reception of ra¬
dio communications not intended
for direct reception by the general
public may be subject to licensing
requirements under the Radio Act
of Canada and its regulations. For
licensing information consult the
Department of Communications.
Warning: In some areas, mobile
use of a scanner is unlawful or re¬
quires a permit. Check the laws in
your area. Radio Shack assumes
no responsibility for the use of this
scanner in such areas.
DOC NOTICE
Your scanner might cause radio or TV
interference, even when it is operat¬
ing properly. To determine whether
your scanner is causing the interfer¬
ence, turn off your scanner. If the in¬
terference goes away, your scanner is
causing the interference. Try to elimi¬
nate the interference by:
• Moving your scanner away from the
receiver.
• Connecting your scanner to an out¬
let that is on a different electrical
circuit from the receiver.
• Contacting your local Radio Shack
store for help.
If you cannot eliminate the interfer¬
ence. the DOC requires that you stop
using your scanner.
For your records, record your scan¬
ner’s serial number in the space pro¬
vided. The serial number is located on
the back of the scanner.
Caution: To prevent electrical
shock, match wide blade of plug to
wide slot, fully insert.
Serial Number
3

CONTENTS
PREPARATION .6
Connecting the Antenna.6
Connecting an Optional Antenna.6
Power Sources .7
Connecting to AC Power.7
Connecting to Vehicle Battery Power .7
Using the Feet .8
Connecting Headphones.8
Listening Safely .8
Traffic Safety.8
Connecting an External Speaker.9
Resetting and Initializing the Scanner.9
UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER. 10
A Look at the Display. 1 0
A Look at the Keyboard . 11
UNDERSTANDING CHANNEL-STORAGE BANKS . 12
Channel-Storage Banks .12
Monitor Memories. 1 2
OPERATION . 13
Setting the Volume and Squelch .13
Storing Frequencies .13
Searching for and Temporarily Storing Active Frequencies.14
Limit Search. 14
Direct Search . 1 5
Listening to Monitor Memories . 16
Moving a Frequency From a Monitor Memory to a Channel . 16
Scanning Channels . 16
SPECIAL FEATURES. 17
Delay . 17
Scanning and Search Speeds. 17
Locking Out Channels . 17
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off. 18
Priority . 18
Manually Selecting A Channel.18
4

A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING .19
Birdies . 19
Reception Notes.19
Guide to the Action Bands.19
TROUBLESHOOTING.21
CARE AND MAINTENANCE .22
SPECIFICATIONS .23
5

PREPARATION
CONNECTING THE
ANTENNA
fTi f ■ ■ It)
To attach the supplied telescoping an¬
tenna, simply screw it into the hole on
the top of the scanner.
Antenna length controls the sensitivity
of the scanner. The table below
shows how to adjust the length of the
antenna to specific frequencies.
30- 174 MHz Extend Fully
380-512 MHz
Extend 2 segments
806 - 960 MHz
Collapse Fully (1
segment only)
CONNECTING AN
OPTIONAL ANTENNA
The telescoping antenna is adequate
for strong local signals. For best re¬
sults, attach a multi-band outdoor an¬
tenna (not supplied) to the scanner.
Your local Radio Shack store sells a
complete line of outdoor antennas.
Follow these steps to install an out¬
door antenna.
1. Select a location as high as possi¬
ble.
2. Mount the antenna following the in¬
structions that come with the an¬
tenna and its mounting hardware.
3. Plug the antenna cable into the
scanner’s ANT (antenna) jack on
the rear of the scanner using 50-
ohm coaxial cable (RG-58. RG-8/M
or RG-8 not supplied). For lengths
over 50 feet, use RG-8/M or RG-8
low-loss, coaxial cable.
Note: This scanner uses a BNC an¬
tenna connector. You may need an
antenna adapter to use another an¬
tenna.
Warning: When installing or re¬
moving an outdoor antenna, use
extreme caution. If the antenna
starts to fall, let it go! It could
contact overhead power lines. IF
THE ANTENNA TOUCHES THE
POWER LINE, CONTACT WITH
THE ANTENNA, MAST, CABLE,
OR GUY WIRES CAN CAUSE
ELECTROCUTION AND DEATH!
Call the power company to re¬
move the antenna. Do not at¬
tempt to do so yourself.
6

POWER SOURCES
You can power your scanner from
these sources:
« A standard AC outlet
• Your vehicle’s battery (using an op¬
tional DC adapter)
Connecting to AC Power
Connect the scanner's AC power cord
to a standard AC outlet.
Caution: The power cord is equipped
with a polarized AC plug (one blade is
wider than the other). The plug fits
into an outlet in only one way. Do not
attempt to defeat this safety feature.
The memory backup circuit begins to
function a few minutes after you plug
in the scanner. If a power failure oc¬
curs or if the power cord is discon¬
nected, this circuit holds information
in the scanner's memory for about 3
months.
Connecting to Vehicle
Battery Power
You can power your scanner from
your vehicle's cigarette lighter socket
by using a DC Adapter (not supplied).
The vehicle must have a 12-volt,
negative ground electrical system.
Connect the DC power cable's small
barrel plug into the DC 13.8V jack on
the scanner’s back panel. Then plug
the other end of the DC power cable
into your vehicle's cigarette lighter
socket.
Note: Mobile use of scanners might
be unlawful or require a special per¬
mit in certain areas. Check with your
local authorities for current regula¬
tions.
7

USING THE FEET
To more easily view the keyboard and
display, elevate the front of the scan¬
ner by unfolding the front feet.
CONNECTING
HEADPHONES
For private listening or in a noisy envi¬
ronment, plug headphones with a 1/8-
inch 3.5 mm plug (not supplied) into
the jack on the front of your scanner.
Note: Plugging in headphones auto¬
matically disconnects the internal
speaker.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these
guidelines when you use head¬
phones.
• Do not listen at extremely high vol¬
ume levels. Extended high-volume
listening can lead to permanent
hearing loss.
• Set the volume to its lowest level
before you begin listening. After
you put on the headphones, adjust
the volume to a comfortable listen¬
ing level.
• Do not increase the volume once
you establish a comfortable listen¬
ing level. Over time, your ears
adapt to the volume level, so a vol¬
ume level that does not cause dis¬
comfort might still damage your
hearing.
Traffic Safety
Do not wear earphones while operat¬
ing a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle.
This can cause a traffic hazard and is
illegal in some areas. Even though
some earphones are designed to let
you hear some outside sounds when
you listen at normal volume levels,
they still present a traffic hazard.
8

CONNECTING AN
EXTERNAL SPEAKER
In a noisy area, an extension speaker
positioned in the right place might
provide more comfortable listening.
Plug the speaker cable’s Vfc-inch (3.5
mm) mini plug into the EXT SPKR
jack on the back of the scanner. This
automatically disconnects the internal
speaker.
RESETTING AND
INITIALIZING THE SCANNER
If the scanner’s display locks up or
does not work properly after you con¬
nect the power source, you might
have to reset the scanner's display or
initialize the scanner.
Follow these steps to reset the scan¬
ner.
1. Push VOLUME to turn on the scan¬
ner.
2. Press RESET at the rear of the
scanner using a pointed object,
such as a bail-point pen. If this is
not effective, initialize the scanner
as directed below.
Follow these steps to initialize the
scanner.
Caution: Initialize the scanner only
when you are sure the scanner is not
working properly. This procedure
clears all information in the scanner’s
memory.
1. Push VOLUME to turn on the scan¬
ner.
2. Press and hold CLEAR. Press RE¬
SET at the rear of the scanner us¬
ing a pointed object such as a ball¬
point pen. Release RESET and
then release CLEAR after the dis¬
play reappears.
Note: You must release RESET before
releasing CLEAR in order to clear the
memory.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has several indicators that show the scanner’s current operating
mode. A quick look at the display will help you understand how to operate your
scanner.
MANUAL
MONITOR 123456789 10
DELAY
SCAN
BANK “ — — —
SEARCH at o O o o n n n n n
PROGRAM
PRIORITY P U U LI ch U U UU U U O MHz LOCK-OUT I
MANUAL - comes on when the scan¬
ner is in the manual channel-selection
mode.
MONITOR - appears when you listen
to a monitor memory.
Numbers 1—10 - represent the ten
memory banks and the ten monitor
memories.
delay - appears when the scanner
is set to a channel programmed with
the delay feature. See “Delay".
BANK - appears with bars to the right
to show which channel-storage banks
are turned on for the scan mode. See
“Understanding Channel-Storage
Banks."
SCAN - appears when you scan
channels.
SEARCH - appears during a limit
search (when -L- also appears) or a
direct frequency search (when —d—
also appears).
PROGRAM - appears while you pro¬
gram frequencies into the scanner's
channels.
PRIORITY - appears when you turn
on the priority channel feature.
P - appears when you listen to the
priority channel.
ch - digits that precede this indicator
show which of the 200 channels the
scanner is tuned to.
MHz - digits that precede this indica¬
tor show which of the 31,000 possible
frequencies the scanner is tuned to.
LOCK-OUT - appears when you
manually select a locked-out channel.
10