Radio Shack REALISTIC PRO-2042 User manual

OWNER’S MANUAL
PRO-2042
1000-Channel
Programmable Home Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.

INTRODUCTION
Your new Realistic by RadioShack
PRO-2042 1000-Channel Program¬
mable Home Scanner lets you in on all
the action! With its convenient rotary
tuner and keypad, you can quickly tune
to over 196,000 frequencies (within
the ranges of 25-1300 MHz).
The secret to your scanner’s ability to
scan so many frequencies is its custom-
designed microprocessor — a tiny,
built-in computer.
Your scanner has all these special fea¬
tures.
Hyperscan — lets you scan up to 50
channels per second and search up to
50 steps per second.
Ten Channel-Storage Banks — you
can store 100 channels in each bank to
group channels so calls are easier to
identify. The scanner automatically
warns you if you try to store duplicate
frequencies (except when storing fre¬
quencies into channels from monitor
memories).
100 Monitor Memories — temporarily
save up to 100 frequencies located
during a frequency search, letting you
move selected frequencies to perma¬
nent channel storage later.
Priority Channel — you can set the
scanner to check one channel every 2
seconds so you do not miss important
calls.
Auto Store — quickly finds and auto¬
matically stores active frequencies in
each channel, then searches for addi¬
tional active frequencies while skip¬
ping previously stored channels.
TAPE OUT Jack — lets you connect
an optional tape recorder to the scan¬
ner to record transmissions.
Rotary Tuner — lets you manually
tune and select desired frequencies or
channels. The scanner’s tune speed
automatically changes depending on
how fast you turn the rotary tuner.
Two-Second Channel Scan Delay —
delays scanning for 2 seconds before
moving to another channel, so you can
hear more replies.
© 1996 InterTAN Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
2

Memory Backup — keeps channel
frequencies stored in memory for up to
3 months during a power loss.
Lock-Out Function — lets you set
your scanner to skip over specified
channels or frequencies when scan¬
ning or searching.
Frequency Sort — lets you sort fre¬
quencies stored in a bank from the
highest to the lowest or the lowest to
the highest frequency, to help you
organize stored frequencies in your
scanner’s memory.
Ten Preprogrammed Frequency
Ranges — let you search for transmis¬
sions within preset frequency ranges
or within ranges you set, to reduce
search time and select interesting fre¬
quencies more quickly.
Direct Frequency Search — lets you
search for new and unlisted frequen¬
cies.
Sound Squelch — keeps the scanner
from stopping on frequencies with only
a carrier signal and no voice or other
sound, so you can hear only calls in¬
stead of static.
Backlit Display — makes it easy to
view and change programming infor¬
mation.
Two Power Options — let you power
the scanner from standard AC power
(with the supplied AC power cord), or
your vehicle’s battery (with an optional
DC cigarette lighter power cord).
For your records, we urge you to
record your scanner’s serial number in
the space below. The serial number is
located on the scanner’s back panel.
Serial Number:_
Warning: To prevent fire or shock haz¬
ard, do not expose this product to rain
or moisture.
Your PRO-2042 scanner can receive
all of these bands:
• 25-520 MHz
• 760-1300 MHz
3

NOTICE
Your scanner might cause TV or radio
interference even when it is operating
properly. To determine whether or not
your scanner is causing the interfe¬
rence, turn off your scanner. If the in¬
terference goes away, your scanner is
causing it. Try to eliminate the interfe¬
rence by:
• Moving your scanner away from the
receiver.
• Connecting your scanner to an out¬
let that is on a different electrical cir¬
cuit from the receiver.
• Contacting your local Tandy store
for help.
If you cannot eliminate the interfe¬
rence, local regulations may require
you to stop using your scanner.
For U.K. Only
The supplied appliance is fitted with an
approved 13 Amp standard UK type
plug. If this plug is not compatible with
your mains socket outlet it should be
cut off and disposed of immediately as
it is a shock hazard if inserted into a
live socket outlet. An approved type
plug that is compatible with your sock¬
et outlets must then be fitted.
Important: The wires in the mains
lead are coloured in accordance with
the following codes:
Blue.Neutral
Brown.Live
The wires in the mains lead must be
connected to the terminals in the plug
as folows:
Mains Lead Plug
Wire Colour Terminal
Marking
Blue.N or Black or Blue
Brown.L or Red or Brown
Do not connect either wire to the earth
terminal marked or by the letter E or by
the safety earth symbol ( -4=- ) or co¬
loured green or green-and-yellow.
If the plug required for your socket out¬
lets is fitted with a fuse, this must be a
3 Amp type and should carry BS kite or
ASTA mark.
Never use a plug without a fuse cover
fitted.
If the plug is not fusible type, the mas¬
ter fuse for the mains outlet sockets
should not be greater than 5 Amps.
If in doubt refer to a qualified electri¬
cian.
Warning: This equipment should be
disconnected when not in use for an
extended period.
4

CONTENTS
Preparation. 7
Connecting an Antenna . 7
Connecting Power. 8
Using Your Vehicle’s Battery. 9
Restarting/Resetting the Scanner. 9
Connecting Optional Equipment. 11
Connecting an External Speaker . 11
Connecting Headphones . 11
Listening Safely . 12
Connecting a Tape Recorder . 12
Understanding Your Scanner. 13
A Look at the Keyboard . 13
A Look at the Display . 15
Understanding Banks/Memories. 17
Channel-Storage Banks. 17
Monitor Memories . 17
Operation. 18
Turning on the Scanner/Setting Volume and Squelch . 18
Using the Rotary Tuner . 18
Tuning Channel Numbers. 18
Tuning Frequencies . 18
Using Monitor Memories . 19
Searching For and Storing Active Frequencies . 19
Manually Storing Frequencies. 20
Automatically Storing Frequencies . 20
Limit Search. 23
Searching a Preprogrammed Frequency Range. 23
Changing a Preprogrammed Range. 24
Direct Search. 25
Scanning the Channels. 26
Turning Channel-Storage Banks Off and On . 26
Moving Frequencies. 27
Moving a Frequency from a Monitor Memory to a Channel. 27
Moving Frequencies from Monitor Memories to a Bank . 27
Moving Frequencies Within Banks . 28
Moving Frequencies from Banks to Monitor Memories . 28
5

Deleting Frequencies. 29
Deleting a Frequency from a Channel or Monitor Memory. 29
Deleting Frequencies from All Locked-Out Channels Within a Bank . 29
Deleting Frequencies from All Channels Within a Bank. 29
Sorting Frequencies Within a Bank. 30
Special Features. 31
Delay. 31
Using the ATT Switch. 31
Using the Sound Squelch Switch. 31
Locking Out Channels and Frequencies. 32
Reviewing Locked-Out Channels and Frequencies . 33
Deleting All Locked-Out Frequencies . 33
Priority. 33
Manually Selecting a Channel . 34
Band Mode and Frequency Step . 35
Changing/Resetting the Band Mode . 35
Changing/Resetting the Frequency Step . 35
A General Guide to Scanning. 37
Guide to Frequencies. 37
Ham Radio Frequencies. 37
Birdie Frequencies . 38
Specified Intervals . 39
Frequency Conversion. 40
Troubleshooting . 41
Care and Maintenance . 42
Specifications . 43
6

PREPARATION
This scanner is primarily designed for
use in the home as a base station. You
can place it on a desk, shelf, or table.
Your scanner's front feet fold up or
down. Adjust them to give you the best
view of the display.
The scanner’s sensitivity depends on
the antenna's length and various envi¬
ronmental conditions. For the best re¬
ception of the transmissions you want
to hear, adjust the antenna’s length.
Frequency
Antenna Length
25-300 MHz
Extend fully
300-520 MHz
Extend three
segments
760-1300 MHz
Collapse all
segments
CONNECTING AN
ANTENNA
The supplied telescoping antenna
helps your scanner receive strong lo¬
cal signals. To install the antenna,
screw it clockwise into the hole on the
scanner’s top.
Instead of the supplied antenna, you
can connect an outdoor base antenna
(not supplied) to your scanner. Your lo¬
cal Tandy store sells a variety of anten¬
nas. Choose the one that best meets
your needs.
When deciding on an outdoor base an¬
tenna and its location, consider the fol¬
lowing:
• The location of the antenna should
be as high as possible.
• The antenna and antenna cable
should be as far as possible from
sources of electrical noise (appli¬
ances, other radios, and so on).
• The antenna should be vertical for
the best performance.
7

To connect an optional antenna, al¬
ways use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such
as RG-58 or RG-8. For length over
14.24 m (50 feet), use RG-8 low-loss
dielectric coaxial cable. If the coaxial
cable’s connector does not fit in the
ANT jack, you might also need a PL-
259-to-BNC antenna plug adapter.
Your local Tandy store carries a wide
variety of coaxial antenna cable and
connectors.
CONNECTING POWER
Plug the scanner’s attached AC power
cord into a standard AC outlet.
To standard AC outlet
Follow the mounting instructions sup¬
plied with the antenna. Then route the
antenna cable to the scanner, and con¬
nect it to the ANT jack on the back of
the scanner.
Caution: Do not run the cable over
sharp edges or moving objects.
The memory backup circuit begins to
function a few minutes after you supply
power to the scanner. How long the
scanner will maintain channels stored
in memory depends on how long pow¬
er has been supplied to the scanner.
For example, if power is supplied to the
scanner for at least 4 days, the memo¬
ry backup circuit maintains the chan¬
nels stored in memory for up to 3
months.
Warning: Use extreme caution when
you install or remove an outdoor an¬
tenna. If the antenna starts to fall, let it
go! It could contact overhead power
lines. If the antenna touches a power
line, contact with the antenna, mast,
cable, or guy wires can cause electro¬
cution and death. Call the power com¬
pany to remove the antenna. DO NOT
attempt to do so yourself.
8

Using Your Vehicle’s Battery
If your AC power does not work in an
emergency, you can power your scan¬
ner from your vehicle's cigarette lighter
socket with an optional DC cigarette
lighter power cable (not supplied).
To connect an optional DC cigarette
lighter power cable, insert its barrel
plug into the DC 13.8V jack on the back
of the scanner, then plug the power ca¬
ble into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter
socket.
Caution: If you use a DC cigarette
lighter power cable with the scanner, it
must supply 12 volts and deliver at
least 1 amp. Its center tip must be set
to positive, and its plug must correctly
fit the DC 13.8V jack on the back of the
scanner. Using a power cable that
does not meet these specifications
could seriously damage the scanner or
the power cable.
Note: Mobile use of this scanner is un¬
lawful or requires a permit in some ar¬
eas. Check the laws in your area.
RESTARTING/
RESETTING THE
SCANNER
If the scanner’s display locks up or the
scanner does not work properly after
you connect power, you might have to
restart or reset the scanner.
Restarting the scanner clears and re¬
sets the scanner’s display, but does
not erase any channel information
stored in the scanner’s memory. Fol¬
low these steps to restart the scanner.
1. Use OFFWOLUME to turn off the
scanner, then turn it on again.
2. Insert a pointed object, such as a
straightened paper clip, into the
RESTART hole on the back of the
scanner.
9

If the scanner still does not work pro¬
perly, you might have to reset it.
Caution: This procedure clears all the
information you have programmed into
the scanner. Use this procedure only
when you are sure your scanner is not
working properly.
1. Use OFF/VOLUME to turn off the
scanner, then turn it on again.
2. Press and hold down CLEAR.
3. While inserting a pointed object
such as a straightened paper clip
into the RESTART hole on the back
of the scanner, press it until the
information on the display disap¬
pears. Then release it.
4. After the information reappears on
the scanner’s display, release
CLEAR.
10

CONNECTING OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
CONNECTING AN CONNECTING
EXTERNAL SPEAKER HEADPHONES
You can connect an optional external
speaker with a 3.5 mm (Va-inch) plug to
the scanner. Use an 8-ohm external
speaker capable of handling over 2.5
watts of power (not supplied).
Insert the speaker’s plug into the EXT
SPKR jack on the back of the scanner.
Note: Plugging in an external speaker
disconnects the scanner's internal
speaker.
You can connect an optional pair of
headphones with a 3.5 mm (Vs-inch)
plug to the scanner. Use monaural
headphones.
Insert the headphones’ plug into the
A jack on the front of the scanner.
Note: Plugging in headphones discon¬
nects the scanner’s internal speaker.
11

Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these
guidelines when you use headphones.
• Set OFF/VOLUME to the lowest set¬
ting before you begin listening.
After you put on the headphones,
adjust OFF/VOLUME to a comfort¬
able level.
• Do not listen at extremely high vo¬
lume levels. Extended high-volume
listening can lead to permanent
hearing loss.
• Once you set OFF/VOLUME, do not
increase it. Over time, your ears
adapt to the volume level, so a vo¬
lume level that does not cause dis¬
comfort might still damage your
hearing.
CONNECTING A TAPE
RECORDER
You can connect an optional tape re¬
corder to your scanner to record trans¬
missions. To record from the scanner,
you need a tape recorder with a micro¬
phone jack (not supplied). Also, you
need a connecting cable with a phono
plug and a 3.5 mm (Vs-inch) plug (not
supplied).
1. Insert the connecting cable’s phono
plug into the TAPE OUT jack on the
back of the scanner.
2. Connect the other end of the con¬
necting cable to your tape re¬
corder’s microphone jack.
Follow the instructions provided with
your tape recorder to record transmis¬
sions while the scanner is on.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER
A LOOK AT THE KEYBOARD
A quick glance at this section should
help you understand each key’s func¬
tion.
PRIORITY — sets and turns on and off
priority for a particular channel.
MODE — changes the band mode (AM,
NFM, or WFM).
STEP — changes the frequency step (5,
12.5, or 50 kHz).
RESET — resets the default band mode
and frequency step.
DIRECT — starts a direct frequency
search.
L/OUT — lets you lock out selected
channels or frequencies.
L/O RVW — lets you review locked-out
channels or frequencies.
DELAY — programs a 2-second delay
for the selected mode.
Number Keys — each key has a single¬
digit label and a range of numbers. Use
the digits on the keys to enter the num¬
bers for a channel or a frequency. Use
the range of numbers above the key
(201-300, for example) to select the
channels in a channel-storage bank.
See "Understanding Banks/Memories”
on Page 17.
WEATHER — scans through the ten
preprogrammed weather channels. The
channels are not available in the U.K.
SOUND SQUELCH — sets the scanner
to continue to scan if it stops on a carrier
signal with no voice or other sound.
OFF/VOLUME — turns the scanner on
or off and adjusts the volume.
SQUELCH — adjusts the scanner’s
squelch.
13

• — enters the decimal point when you
enter a frequency.
CLEAR — clears an incorrect entry.
LIMIT — sets the frequency range you
want to search.
A and V — searches up or down
from the currently displayed frequen¬
cy.
MONITOR — accesses the 100 monitor
memories.
TUNING knob — turn to tune through
channels or frequencies. Turn TUNING
faster to increase the speed at which
you tune.
SCAN — scans through the channels.
MANUAL — stops scanning to let you
directly enter a channel number or fre¬
quency.
TUNE — lets you use the scanner’s ro¬
tary tuner to tune through frequencies.
PROGRAM — lets you program fre¬
quencies into channels.
AUTO — automatically programs fre¬
quencies into channels.
ENTER — enters frequencies into
channels.
14

A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
TUNE
AUTO
SCAN Ma S EARCHBANKj.iii^^i^^i 0
SEARCH iT P 1000 10 00 0 00 n 30kHz
PRIORITY MON IO O 0 CH 1 0 U U.U U U 8 MHz 30kH
PROGRAM LOCK-OUT DELAY AM NFM WFM 12.50kHz
The display has indicators that show
the scanner’s current operating mode.
A good look at the display will help you
understand your scanner.
SCAN — appears when you scan
channels.
MANUAL — appears when you manu¬
ally select a channel.
SEARCH — appears during a direct
search and a limit search.
PRIORITY — appears when the pri¬
ority feature is turned on.
PROGRAM — appears when you press
PROGRAM while selecting a channel to
store a frequency in, or while selecting
a search bank.
WX — appears when you scan the ten
preprogrammed weather band chan¬
nels. The weather band channels are
not available in the U.K.
A and ▼ — appear when the scan¬
ner is scanning, when you press ^
and v while the scanner is doing a
limit or direct search, when you tune
through weather channels, or when
you store frequencies.
MON — appears with a number (1-100)
to show which monitor memory you
are listening to.
P — appears when the scanner is set
to the priority channel.
SEARCH BANK — appears with num¬
bers (1-10). Numbers with a bar under
them show which search banks are
turned on for a limit search.
BANK — appears with numbers (1-10).
Numbers with a bar under them show
which channel-storage banks are
turned on for scanning. See “Under¬
standing Banks/Memories” on Page
17.
CH — appears with a number (1-1000)
to show which of the scanner’s 1,000
channels it is tuned to.
LOCK-OUT — appears when you lock
out a channel or frequency.
15

MHz — appears with digits to show
which frequency your scanner is cur¬
rently tuned to.
DELAY — appears when scanning
stops at a channel you have pro¬
grammed for a 2-second delay.
AM — appears when the scanner
scans a frequency set to the AM mode
or when you change a frequency to the
AM mode. See “Band Mode and Fre¬
quency Step” on Page 35.
NFM — appears when the scanner
scans a frequency set to the narrow-
band FM mode, or when you change a
frequency to the narrowband FM
mode. See “Band Mode and Frequen¬
cy Step” on Page 35.
wfm — appears when the scanner
scans a frequency set to the wideband
FM mode, or when you change a fre¬
quency to the wideband FM mode.
See “Band Mode and Frequency Step”
on Page 35.
TUNE — appears when you press
TUNE to use the scanner’s rotary tuner.
auto — appears when the scanner
automatically stores frequencies into
channels.
kHz — appears with digits to show
which frequency step (5, 12.5, or 50)
the scanner is set to.
-d- — appears instead of the chan¬
nel number during a direct search.
Error — appears when you make an
invalid entry.
Sor. — appears when the scanner
sorts frequencies. See “Sorting Fre¬
quencies Within a Bank” on Page 30.
A-FULL — appears when you select
a full bank, or when you finish sorting
a full bank. See “Automatically Storing
Frequencies” on Page 20.
AC — appears with a number to show
the number of empty channels in a
bank.
dUPL — briefly flashes when you try
to program a duplicate frequency
within a channel. See "Manually
Storing Frequencies” on Page 20.
16

UNDERSTANDING BANKS/MEMORIES
You can store frequencies into either a
permanent memory location called a
channel, or a temporary memory loca¬
tion called a monitor memory. You can
store up to 1,000 channels and up to
100 monitor memories.
CHANNEL-STORAGE
BANKS
To make it easier to identify and select
the channels you want to listen to,
channels are divided into 10 channel-
storage banks (1-10) of 100 channels
each. You can use each channel-
storage bank to group frequencies.
MONITOR MEMORIES
The scanner also has 100 monitor
memories. Use these memories to
temporarily store frequencies while
you decide whether to save them into
channels. This is handy for quickly
storing an active frequency when you
are searching through an entire band.
To store a frequency into a monitor
memory, you must perform a limit or di¬
rect search. See “Searching For and
Storing Active Frequencies” on Page
19.
You can select monitor memories ei¬
ther manually or by using the scan¬
ner’s rotary tuner, but you cannot scan
them. See “Using Monitor Memories”
on Page 19.
17

OPERATION
TURNING ON THE
SCANNER/SETTING
VOLUME AND SQUELCH
1. Turn SQUELCH fully counterclock¬
wise.
2. Turn VOLUME clockwise until you
hear a hissing sound. The scanner
turns on and SCAN, a channel
number, and a frequency appear
on the display. Then the scanner
scans any frequencies already
stored in any active banks.
Note: If you have not stored any
frequencies or activated any banks
yet, the scanner does not scan.
3. Turn SQUELCH clockwise, then
leave it set to a point just after the
hissing sound stops.
Note: If the scanner picks up unwan¬
ted, partial, or very weak transmis¬
sions, turn SQUELCH clockwise to de¬
crease the scanner’s sensitivity to
these signals. If you want to listen to a
weak or distant station, turn SQUELCH
counterclockwise.
USING THE ROTARY
TUNER
When you set the scanner to scan or
search, it uses hyperscan to automati¬
cally scan up to 50 channels or search
up to 50 steps per second.
The scanner’s rotary tuner lets you
quickly select channels and frequen¬
cies manually. As you turn TUNING one
click, the channel or frequency chan¬
ges one step at a time.
Note: If you quickly turn TUNING, the
rate at which the scanner tunes
through the channels or frequencies
becomes faster.
Tuning Channel Numbers
To tune channel numbers, press MA¬
NUAL, then turn TUNING clockwise (to
tune to higher channel numbers) or
counterclockwise (to tune to lower
channel numbers).
Notes:
• If you have not stored any fre¬
quencies into channels yet, the
scanner displays the empty chan¬
nels.
• You cannot use the rotary tuner to
tune to a channel while the scan¬
ner is scanning the priority chan¬
nel.
Tuning Frequencies
Notes:
• You can use the rotary tuner to
tune frequencies during a search
(see “Searching For and Storing
Active Frequencies” on Page 19).
18

• If you turn TUNING too slowly, the
scanner might accidentally
change the search or scan direc¬
tion.
Follow these steps to use the rotary
tuner to tune frequencies.
1. When the scanner stops on a fre¬
quency while searching, press
TUNE. The frequency number and
TUNE appear.
2. To tune frequencies, turn TUNING
clockwise (to tune to higher fre¬
quencies) or counterclockwise (to
tune to lower frequencies).
USING MONITOR
MEMORIES
Monitor memories are temporary sto¬
rage areas where you can store up to
100 frequencies while you decide
whether or not to save them into chan¬
nels. You can manually select monitor
memories, but you cannot scan them.
You can store frequencies you find
during a limit or direct search, or while
tuning, into monitor memories. Simply
press MONITOR when the desired fre¬
quency appears on the display. The
channel number to the right of MON in¬
dicates the current monitor memory.
To listen to a monitor memory, press
MANUAL, then press MONITOR. The
current monitor memory appears. To
select other monitor memories, either:
• Turn TUNING one click to select
each monitor memory.
• Use the number keys to enter the
monitor memory’s number, then
press MONITOR.
Both MON and the frequency stored in
the monitor memory are displayed.
SEARCHING FOR AND
STORING ACTIVE
FREQUENCIES
You can store frequencies into chan¬
nels using any of the following me¬
thods:
• Manual storage
• Auto storage
• Limit search (within a range of pre¬
programmed frequencies or fre¬
quencies you select)
• Direct search (within a range of fre¬
quencies before or after a fre¬
quency you select)
• Moving a frequency from a monitor
memory
19

you do not have a reference to fre-
uencies in your area, follow the steps
i “Automatically Storing Frequencies”
n this page, “Limit Search” on Page
3, or “Direct Search” on Page 25 to
earch for transmissions.
Manually Storing
: requencies
: you know a frequency you want to
tore, you can store it manually.
. Press PROGRAM. PROGRAM
appears.
To select the channel where you
want to store the frequency, use
the number keys to enter the chan¬
nel number, then press PROGRAM.
Or, turn TUNING until the channel
number appears.
!. Using the number keys, enter the
frequency you want to store into
that channel.
i. Press ENTER to store the fre¬
quency.
totes:
• If you entered an invalid fre¬
quency in Step 3, the scanner
beeps and displays the channel
number and Error. Simply
repeat Steps 3 and 4.
• Your scanner automatically
rounds the entered frequency
down to the closest valid fre¬
quency. For example, if you try
to 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 the
lowest channel number where
the frequency is already
stored, and dUPL briefly
flashes. If you want to store the
frequency anyway, press
ENTER again.
5. Repeat Steps 2-4 to store more fre¬
quencies into channels.
Automatically Storing
Frequencies
Your scanner can automatically store
active frequencies from a particular
frequency range into empty channels
in the banks you specify.
!0