Radio Shack PRO-2040 User manual

Cat. No. 20-414
OWNER’S MANUAL
100-Channel Programmable Home Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
PRO-2040
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2
FEATURES
© 1995 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
Your Radio Shack PRO-2040 100-
Channel Programmable Home Scan-
ner lets you in on all the action! This
scanner gives you direct access to
over 30,000 exciting frequencies that
include police and fire departments,
ambulance and transportation ser-
vices, and amateur radio. You can
select up to 100 channels to scan,
and you can change your selections
at any time.
The secret to your scanner’s ability to
scan so many frequencies is its cus-
tom-designed microprocessor — a ti-
ny, built-in computer.
Your scanner also has these fea-
tures:
H
y
perscan —scans 50 channels
per second.
H
y
persearch —searches through
frequencies at 300 steps per second
in bands that have 5 kHz steps to
help you find interesting broadcasts.
Ten 10-Channel Stora
g
e Banks —
let you store 10 channels in each of
10 banks to group frequencies so
you can easily identify calls.
Priorit
y
Channel — checks a speci-
fied channel every 2 seconds so you
do not miss important calls.
Data Detection — you can set it to
detect data signals (nonmodulated
signals such as preamble signals for
pagers) during a limit or a direct
search so it can automatically contin-
ue searching.
Monitor Memories — let you store
up to 10 frequencies you locate dur-
ing a frequency search which you
can then transfer into channels.
Search Function —searches for
new and unlisted frequencies using a
designated frequency range (limit
search) or starting from a specified
frequency (direct search).
Selectable Scan/Search Speeds
—let you select normal or hyper
scan speeds, and normal, high, or
hyper search speeds.
Manual or Scan Channel Select —
lets you manually specify a single
channel or set the scanner to auto-
matically scan all the stored chan-
nels.
Search Skip —lets you select up to
50 frequencies for the scanner to
skip during a limit or direct search, so
you can avoid unwanted frequen-
cies.
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Two-Second Scan Delay — delays
scanning for 2 seconds before mov-
ing to another channel, so you can
hear more replies.
Weather Band Key —scans the
preprogrammed weather frequen-
cies to keep you informed of the most
current weather conditions.
Memory Backup —keeps the chan-
nel frequencies stored in your scan-
ner’s memory for up to 3 days during
a power loss.
Squelch Control —lets you adjust
the receiver’s sensitivity low enough
to receive weak signals or high
enough to eliminate receiver noise
when not receiving a signal.
Lock-Out Function — prevents
channels you select from being
scanned.
Backlit LCD Display —lets you
easily see the indicators on the scan-
ner’s display, even at night.
Audio Output Jack — lets you con-
nect an earphone or headphones for
private listening, or an external
speaker for listening in a remote or
noisy area.
Optional Antenna Terminals —let
you connect the supplied telescoping
antenna to the screw-in terminal, or
an external antenna to the BNC con-
nector.
Optional Power Sources —let you
power your scanner using the sup-
plied AC adapter or an optional DC
adapter.
Warning: To prevent fire or shock
hazard, do not expose this system to
rain or moisture.
This symbol is intended to alert
you to the presence of uninsulat-
ed dangerous voltage within the
scanner’s enclosure that might be
of sufficient magnitude to consti-
tute a risk of electric shock. Do not
open the scanner’s case.
This symbol is intended to inform
you that important operating and
maintenance instructions are in-
cluded in the literature accompa-
nying this scanner.
For your records, please record your
scanner’s serial number in the space
provided. The serial number is locat-
ed on the back of the scanner.
Serial Number:
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.
DO NOT OPEN.
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICE-
ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVIC-
ING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
CAUTION
!
!
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Your PRO-2040 can receive these bands:
FCC Notice
Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference even when it is operating
properly. To determine if your scanner is causing the interference, turn off your
scanner. If the interference goes away, your scanner was causing it. Try to elim-
inate the interference by:
• Moving your scanner away from the receiver
• Connecting your scanner to an outlet that is on a different electrical circuit
from the receiver
• Contacting your local Radio Shack store for help
If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC requires that you stop using
your scanner.
Note: Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a permit in some areas.
Check the laws in your area.
This device complies with Part 15 of
FCC Rules
. Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions:
• This device may not cause harmful interference.
• This device must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
Band Modulation Frequency Range Frequency
Step
10-Meter Ham Band FM 29.00-29.7 MHz 5.0 kHz
VHF-Lo FM 29.7-50.00 MHz 5.0 kHz
6-Meter Ham Band FM 50.00-54.00 MHz 5.0 kHz
Aircraft AM 108-136.975 MHz 12.5 kHz
Government/Ham FM 137-148 MHz 5.0 kHz
VHF-Hi FM 148-174 MHz 5.0 kHz
Ham/Government FM 406-450 MHz 12.5 kHz
UHF-Lo FM 450-470 MHz 12.5 kHz
UHF-T (TV) FM 470-512 MHz 12.5 kHz
UHF-Hi FM 806-823.9375 MHz 12.5 kHz
UHF-Hi FM 851- 868.9375MHz 12.5 kHz
UHF-Hi FM 896.1125-956 MHz 12.5 kHz
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CONTENTS
Preparation .......................................................................................................7
Connecting Power .......................................................................................7
Using Standard AC Power ....................................................................7
Memory Backup ....................................................................................7
Using Vehicle Battery Power.................................................................8
Connecting an Antenna ...............................................................................9
Telescoping Antenna.............................................................................9
Optional Outdoor Antenna.....................................................................9
Resetting the Scanner’s Display................................................................10
Initializing the Scanner...............................................................................11
Connecting an Earphone/Headphones/External Speaker.........................11
Listening Safely...................................................................................12
Traffic Safety .......................................................................................12
Understandin
g
Your Scanner........................................................................13
A Look at the Front Panel..........................................................................13
A Look at the Display.................................................................................15
Understanding the Scanner’s Memory ......................................................17
Channel-Storage Banks......................................................................17
Monitor Memories............................................................................... 17
Operation ........................................................................................................18
Turning On the Scanner/Setting the Volume and Squelch ........................18
Finding Birdie Frequencies........................................................................19
Manually Storing Frequencies in Channels...............................................20
Searching For and Temporarily Storing Active Frequencies......................21
Limit Search ........................................................................................21
Direct Search.......................................................................................22
Search Skip Memory...........................................................................23
Listening to Monitor Memories...................................................................24
Moving a Frequency from a Monitor Memory to a Channel.......................25
Scanning the Stored Channels..................................................................25
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off.......................................26
Manually Selecting a Channel...................................................................26
Listening to the Weather Band...................................................................27
Special Features.............................................................................................28
Designating a Priority Channel..................................................................28
Using the 2-second Delay..........................................................................28
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6
Locking Out Channels............................................................................... 29
Changing Scanning and Search Speeds................................................... 29
Detecting Data Signals.............................................................................. 30
A General Guide To Scanning....................................................................... 31
Guide to Frequencies ................................................................................ 31
National Weather Frequencies............................................................ 31
Ham Radio Frequencies ..................................................................... 31
Guide to the Action Bands......................................................................... 31
International Broadcast Bands............................................................ 31
Typical Band Usage............................................................................ 32
Primary Usage .................................................................................... 32
Specified Intervals............................................................................... 33
Band Allocation................................................................................... 33
Frequency Conversion .............................................................................. 38
Troubleshooting............................................................................................. 39
Care and Maintenance................................................................................... 40
Specifications................................................................................................. 41
Scanning Legally
Scannin
g
is a fun and interestin
g
hobby. You can hear police and fire depart-
ments, ambulance services,
g
overnment a
g
encies, private companies, amateur
radio services, aircraft, and military operations. It is le
g
al to listen to almost every
transmission your scanner can receive. However, there are some electronic and
wire communications that are ille
g
al to intentionally intercept. These include:
• Telephone conversations (cellular, cordless, or other private means of tele-
phone si
g
nal transmission)
•Pa
g
er transmissions
• Scrambled or encrypted transmissions
Accordin
g
to the Federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), as
amended, you could be fined and possibly imprisoned for intentionally listenin
g
to, usin
g
, or disclosin
g
the contents of such a transmission unless you have the
consent of a party to the communication (unless such activity is otherwise ille-
g
al). These laws chan
g
e from time to time and there mi
g
ht be state or local laws
that also affect le
g
al scanner usa
g
e.
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7
PREPARATION
CONNECTING POWER
Using Standard AC Power
You can power your scanner from a
standard AC outlet using the sup-
plied AC adapter.
Warnin
g
:Do not use the AC adapt-
er’s polarized plug with an extension
cord receptacle unless the blades
can be fully inserted to prevent blade
exposure.
Cautions:
• The supplied AC adapter sup-
plies 12 volts and delivers 500
milliamps. Its center tip is set to
positive, and its plug properly fits
the scanner’s DC 12V jack.
Using an AC adapter that does
not meet these specifications
could damage the scanner or
the adapter. The scanner’s dis-
play dims if the AC adapter you
use does not provide the
required 12 volts DC.
• Be sure you connect the AC
adapter to the scanner before
you connect it to a standard AC
outlet. Then disconnect the
adapter from the AC outlet
before you disconnect it from the
scanner.
• If you have difficulty inserting the
AC adapter’s polarized plug, do
not force it. Turn it over and rein-
sert it.
1. Insert the supplied AC adapter’s
barrel plug into the scanner’s DC
12V jack.
2. Plug the adapter’s power mod-
ule into a standard AC outlet.
Memory Backup
If a power failure occurs or if the pow-
er cord is disconnected, the scan-
ner’s memory backup circuit keeps
information in memory for up to 3
days.
Note: The memory backup circuit
begins to protect the contents in
memory within a few minutes after
you plug in the scanner.
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Using Vehicle Battery Power
To power your scanner from your ve-
hicle’s battery power, you need a DC
power cord (such as Radio Shack
Cat. No. 270-1533).
Cautions:
• Your vehicle must have a 12-volt
DC, negative-ground electrical
system.
• The recommended DC power
cord supplies 12 volts and deliv-
ers at least 500 milliamps. The
center tip on the barrel plug is
set to positive, and the plug
properly fits the scanner’s DC
12V jack. Using a DC power cord
(or adapter) that does not meet
these specifications could dam-
age the scanner or the cord (or
adapter). The scanner’s display
dims if the DC cord (or adapter)
you use does not provide the
required 12 volts DC.
• Be sure you connect the DC
cord to the scanner before you
connect it to the vehicle’s ciga-
rette-lighter plug. Then discon-
nect the cord from the vehicle’s
cigarette-lighter plug before you
disconnect it from the scanner.
Follow these steps to use vehicle
battery power.
1. Insert the barrel plug into the
scanner’s
DC 12V jack.
2. Plug the other end of the
adapter into your vehicle’s ciga-
rette-lighter socket.
Note: If the scanner does not oper-
ate properly when you use a DC cord
(or adapter), unplug the cord (or
adapter) from the lighter socket and
clean the socket to remove ashes
and other debris.
DC 12V Jack
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9
CONNECTING AN
ANTENNA
You can connect either the supplied
telescoping antenna or an optional
antenna.
Telescoping Antenna
To attach the telescoping antenna,
simply screw it into the hole on top of
your scanner.
The antenna’s length controls its
sensitivity. Adjust the length of the
telescoping antenna as follows for
the best reception.
29-54 MHz Extend all 3 seg-
ments
108-174 MHz Extend only 2 seg-
ments
406-956 MHz Collapse Fully (only
1 segment extend-
ed)
Optional Outdoor Antenna
The supplied antenna is usually ade-
quate for strong, local signals. How-
ever, for the best results in receiving
weaker, more distant signals on all
bands, you can attach an optional
outdoor antenna (not supplied), such
as a mobile, telescoping, multi-band,
or outdoor base antenna.
Warning: When installing or remov-
ing an outdoor antenna, follow all
cautions and warnings included with
the antenna.
Notes:
• This scanner uses a BNC
antenna connector. If the coaxial
cable’s connector does not fit
the ANT jack, you might also
need an adapter. Your local
Radio Shack store sells a com-
plete line of outdoor antennas,
adapters, BNC connectors, and
mounting hardware.
• Always use 50-ohm coaxial
cable to connect an outdoor
antenna. For lengths under 50
feet, use RG58 (Cat. No. 278-
1314) or RG8/M (Cat. No. 278-
1313). For lengths over 50 feet,
use RG-8, low-loss coaxial cable
(Cat. No. 278-1312).
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10
For the best performance, consider
the following when deciding on an
outdoor base antenna and its loca-
tion:
• The location of the external
antenna should be as high as
possible.
• The external antenna and
antenna cable should be as far
away as possible from sources
of electrical noise (appliances,
other radios, and so on).
• The external antenna should be
vertical.
Mount the antenna following the in-
structions supplied with the antenna
and its mounting hardware, then fol-
low these steps to connect an exter-
nal antenna.
1. Route the antenna cable to the
scanner and connect it to the
ANT jack on the back of the
scanner.
Caution:
Do not route the cable
over sharp edges or moving
objects.
2. Remove the supplied antenna
from the top of the scanner.
RESETTING THE
SCANNER’S DISPLAY
If the scanner’s display locks up after
you connect a power source, follow
these steps to reset it.
1. If the scanner is off, press
POWER to turn it on.
2. Using a pointed object, such as
a straightened paper clip, press
RESET on the back of the scan-
ner. The display resets, and the
scanner turns off.
3. Press POWER to turn on the
scanner again.
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