Realistic PRO-37 User manual

\
PRO-37
RADIO SHACK LIMITED WARRANW
This product is warranted against defects for 1 year from date of purchase lrom Radio
Shack company-owned stores and authorized Radio Shack franchisees and dealsrs.
Within this period, we will repair it without charge for parts and labor. Simply brlng your
Radio Shack sales sllp as proof of purchase date to any Radio Shack store. Warranty
does not cover transportation costs. Nor does it cover a product subjected to misuse or
accidental damage.
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RADIO SHACK MAKES NO WARRANTIES,
EXPRESS OB IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some states do not permit limitation or
exclusion of implied warranties; therefore, the aforesaid limitation(s) or exclusion(s) may
not apply to the purchaser.
This warranty giv6s you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary lrom stato to Stata.
We Service What We Sell
RADIO SHACK
Division of Tandyi Corporation
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
OWNER'S MANUAL Programmable Scanner
Please read before using this equipment
cat. No. 20-138
RaLrsfre
A
241 Printed in Japan

INTRODUCTION
Your Realistic PRO-37 Programmable
Scanner lets you in on all the action!
This scanner gives you direct access
to over 31,000 frequencies that in-
clude the police department, fire de-
partment, ambulance service, ama-
teur radio, and transportation ser-
vices. You can store frequencies in
your scanner's 200 channels and you
can change your selections at any
time.
The secret to your scanner's ability to
scan so many frequencies is its
custom-designed microprocessor - a
tiny, built-in computer. Your scanner's
microprocessor also gives your scan-
ner these special features:
Hyperscan - lets you search through
frequencies at up to 50 steps per sec-
ond or scan stored channels at 25
channels/second.
Ten Channel-Storage Banks - let
you group your stored frequencies so
that you can easily identify calls.
Liquid-Crystal Display - shows the
selected channel and frequency.
Two-Second Scan Delay - lrelpspre-
vent the loss of replies on a channel
while you are scanning
Memory Backup - keeps the channel
frequencies stored in your scanner's
memory for up to t hour without the
battery.
Lockout Function - makes your
scanner skip over specified channels.
Priority Channel- helps keep you
from missing important calls on the
selected priority channel.
Monitor Banks - let you save up to
ten channels located during a fre-
quency search.
Your PRO-37 covers allthese bands:
. 30-50 MHz (VHF Lo)
. 50-54 MHz (6-Meter Ham Band)
. 1 0B-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
Government)
. 450-470 MHz (UHF Lo)
. 470-512 MHz (UHF TV)
. 806-823.9375 MHz (UHF Hi)
. 851.1125-808.9375 MHz (UHF Hi)
. 896.1125-960 MHz (UHF Hi)
CONTENTS
lntroduction ..............2
Preparation ..............4
Power Sources .......................4
Connecting the Antenna .........7
Connecting an Earphone ........8
Connecting an Extension Speaker.. ..........8
Understanding Your Scanner...... ...................9
A Look at the Disp1ay................. ................9
A Look at the Keyboard ............. ..............10
Understanding Channel Storage Banks ..................... 11
.Operation ...............12
Using the Reset Button ................ ...........12
Setting the Volume and Squelch Controls...... ............12
Using the Key Lock ..............12
Programming the Scanner............... .......13
Searching for Active Frequencies ............14
Moving a Frequency From Monitor Memory to a Channel ...............................16
A General Guide to Scanning ......................19
Birdies ...............19
Reception Notes.......... .........19
Guide to the Action 8ands......... ..............20
Care and Maintenance ............-23
Troubleshooting ............. ...........24
Specif ications................. ...........25
Your scanner might cause radio or TV lf you cannot eliminate the interfer-
interference, even when it is operat- ence, the FCC requires that you stop
ing properly. To determine whether using your scanner.
your scanner is causing the interfer-
ence. turn off vour scanner. lf the in- For your important records, please re-
- ' -' '::::,';'::^::"^-',^ cord your scanner's serial number in
terference goes away, your scanner is ;;-^:::^ -^:.i;-^"- -,
causins the interrerence. rry to erimi- II"- :t'::^t:f i1t^d'-Il"^::l]'lii[
nate the interference by: oer ls locateo on me DacK oT tne
scanner.
Moving your scanner away from
the receiver
Contacting your local Radio Shack
store for help
@ 1991 Tandy Corporation.
All Rlghts Reserved.
Radio Shack and Realistic are reglstered trademarks used by Tandy Gorporation.
4
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Serial Number:

PREPARATION
POWER SOURCES
You can power your scanner from any
of the following three sources:
. lnternal batteries
. A standard AC outlet (using an op-
tionalAC adapter)
. Your vehicle's battery (using an op-
tional DC adapter)
Using Batteries
You can operate your scanner from
six AA batteries. For longest operation
and best performance, we recom-
mend alkaline batteries (Cat. No. 23-
552). Or, you can use rechargeable
nickel-cadmium batteries (Cat. No.
23-125).
Warning: The scanner has a built-in
circuit that lets you recharge nickel-
cadmium batteries inside the scanner.
However, you must never use this cir-
cuit when you have installed non-re-
chargeable batteries in the scanner.
Be sure to read "lmportant lnforma-
tion about External AdaPters" and
"Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries."
BATT flashes on the display and a
beep sounds every 3 seconds when
the batteries are low. When this hap-
pens, replace all six batteries immedi-
ately (or recharge the nickel-cadmium
batteries).
Important lnformation about External Adapters
The scanner has two external power The CHG jack supplies power to oper-
jacks - PWR and CHG. lt is important ate the scanner and also applies
that you understand the purpose of power to the internal batteries to
each jack before you connect any charge them. Use the CHG jack only
adapter to the scanner. lmproper use when you have installed rechargeable
of the jacks can damage the scanner nickel-cadmium batteries.
and the power adapter' warning: Never use the cHG jack
The PWR jack powers the scanner with non-rechargeable batteries. lf
and disconnects the internal batteries. you try to recharge non-rechargeable
You can use this jack with an external batteries, they become very hot and
power source regardless of the type could even explode.
of batteries lnstalled.
Using an AC Power Source
To power the scanner from AC power,
you need Radio Shack's 9-volt,
300mA AC adapter (Cat. No. 273-
1455). Use of an adapter with differ-
ent ratings could damage your scan-
ner or the adapter.
1Remove the battery compartment cover by
pressing down on the arrow and sliding the
cover in the direction of the arrow.
2Remove the battery holder from the battery
compartment and remove any old batteries.
Then, install six AA batteries in the holder,
observing the polarity (+ and -) as marked
on the battery holder.
3Place the battery holder in the compartmenl
so that the holder's metal contacts line up
with the metal contacts in the battery com-
partment.
4Replace the battery compartment cover.
1Plug the adapter's plug into the scanner's
PWR jack.
Note: lf you have installed rechargeable
nickel-cadmium batteries in your scanner, you
can connect the AC adapter to the cHG jack.
This powers the scanner and recharges the
batteries at the same time. See "Charging
Nickel-Cadm ium Batteries."
2Plug the adapter power module into a stan-
dard AC outlet.
3When you finish using the AC adapter, dis-
connect it from the AC outlet. Then, discon-
nect it from the PWR jack.
4

Using a DC Adapter
You can power the scanner from your
vehicle's cigarette lighter socket, pro-
vided the vehicle has a 12-volt, nega-
tive-ground electrical system. To do
so, you need Radio Shack's Universal
DC Adapter (Cat. No. 270-1560) or an
adapter rated at 9V minimum 300
mA.
Note: ln some areas, mobile use of a
scanner is unlawful or requires a per-
mit. Check the laws in your area.
CHARGING
NICKEL.CADMIUM
BATTERIES
Your scanner has a built-in circuit that
recharges nickel-cadmium batteries.
To charge the batteries, simply con-
nect an AC or DC adapter to the CHG
jack as explained in "Power Sources."
Warning: Do not connect either
adapter to the CHG jack if you have
not installed rechargeable batteries.
Non-rechargeable batteries can be-
come hot and even explode if you
try to recharge them.
It takes 10 to 18 hours to recharge
batteries that are fully discharged.
You can operate the scanner while
you charge the batteries, but the
charging time is longer.
Charging Hints:
. Nickel-cadmium batteries deliver
more power if you occasionally let
them discharge completely. To do
this, use the scanner until recep-
tion becomes poor. Then, fully
charge the batteries. lf you do not
do this occasionally, they can tem-
porarily lose the ability to deliver
fullpower.
. To prevent permanent nickel-cad-
mium battery power loss, never
charge your batteries in an area
where the temperature is above
about B0 degrees Fahrenheit. Also,
if you use an external charger, do
not overcharge the batteries.
. ll you plan to use rechargeable
batteries, do not use any adapter
other than those specified in
"Power Sources." While adapters
of the same voltage rating and at
least the minimum current rating
could power the scanner, other
adapters might not work properly
with the charging circuit in your
scanner, and could permanently
damage the batteries or your scan-
ner.
CONNECTING THE
ANTENNA
Attach the flexible antenna to the ANT
(antenna) jack on top of the scanner.
Slip the slot in the antenna's connec-
tor over the protrusion on the jack.
Then, press down and rotate the base
of the antenna until it locks into place.
1Connect the adapter's green barrel plug to
the adapter's power cable with the tip set to
NEG (negative).
2Set the adapter's voltage switch to 9V.
3lnsert the adapter's barrel plug into the
scanner's PWR jack.
Note: lf you have installed rechargeable bat-
teries in the scanner, you can connect the
DC adapter to the CHG jack. This powers the
scanner and recharges the nickel-cadmium
batteries at the same time. See "Charging
Nickel-Cadm ium Batteries."
4Plug the other end of the adapter into your
vehicle's cigarette lighter socket.
Note: lf the scanner does not operate prop-
erly when you use a DC adapter, unplug the
adapter from the lighter socket and clean the
socket to remove ashes and other debris.
A
?
5When you linish using the DC adapter, dis-
connect it from the cigarette lighter. Then,
disconnect it from the scanner.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNEH
The antenna jack on your scanner
makes it easy to use your scanner
with a variety of antennas. You can
remove the supplied antenna, if you
want, and attach a different one, such
as an external mobile antenna, tele-
scopic antenna, or outdoor base an-
tenna. Radio Shack stores sell the
antenna connector adapters that let
you use these antennas.
Use coaxial cable to connect an out-
door antenna. Always use 50-ohm co-
axial cable. For lengths over 50 feet,
use RG8 low-loss dielectric coaxial
cable.
CONNECTING AN
EARPHONE
For private listening, plug an ear-
phone into the EAR jack on top of
your scanner. This automatically dis-
connects the speaker. We recom-
mend Radio Shack's earphone Cat.
No. 33-175. ln a noisy environment,
mono headphones (Cat. No. 20-210)
make listening easier.
Always set volume to its minimum po-
sition before you plug in earphones or
headphones. Then, adjust the volume
to a confortable listening level.
Warning: Do not listen at extremely
high volume levels, especially when
using an earphone. Extended high-
volume listening can lead to perma-
nent hearing loss.
CONNECTING AN
EXTENSION SPEAKER
ln a noisy area, an extension speaker
such as Radio Shack Cat. No. 21-
549, positioned in the right place,
might provide more comfortable lis-
tening. Plug the speaker cable's 1/8-
inch mini-plug into the scanner's EAR
jack.
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has several indicators
that show the scanner's current oper-
ating mode. A quick look at the dis-
play will help you understand your
scanner's operation.
The above illustration shows all your
scanner's indicators. The following is
a brief explanation of each indicator.
BANK - bars to the right of this indi-
cator show which memory banks are
turned on for the scan mode. See
"Understanding Channel Storage
Banks."
SCAN - comes on when you are
scanning channels.
DLY - appears when the scanner is
set to a channel that you have pro-
grammed with the delay feature. See
"Using the Delay Feature."
L/O - appears when the channel you
are listening to is locked out of the
scan mode. See "Locking Out Chan-
nels."
MAN-comes on when you have
manually selected a channel.
tr ,x'3[ J3g5gg4gg]g
E rT,-T,r,,-T fl ,-T ff E ff fl ii,'.I
AY sRcH scAN ,o* ,on PRr DLY L/o
ch - digits that precede this indicator
show which of the 200 channels you
have tuned the scanner to.
MHz - digits that precede this indica-
tor show which of the 3'1,000 possible
frequencies you have tuned the scan-
ner to.
MON - appears when you are listen-
ing to a monitor memory.
PRI- appears when you have turned
on the priority channelfeature.
PGM - appears when you are pro-
gramming frequencies into the
scanner's channels.
BATT - flashes every three seconds
when the batteries need to be re-
placed or recharged.
El- appears when you listen to the
priority channel.
SHCH - appears during a limit
search (-L- also displayed) or a direct
frequency search (-d- also displayed).
r and v also appear in the display to
indicate the direction of the search.

PRO-37 t u, [mllTIIlT_l
HYPERSCAN -W'li .o ""
f-sANlmANUAil l--r---..lf 2 -fT--)
I ll lll:20ll2i-4oll41-60l
l:ll:ll:ll:ll:l
truiltLur-lf-,i.--lf s -ll 6 I
I ll ll61-80ll81-ioolhor-12d
lr=ll:llellEllE=l
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l=ll=ll=llc=ll:l
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l:ll=llc=llr=llal
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L=lt=-1tr-lt=-]trj
2OO CHANNEL DIRECT ENTRY
A LOOK AT THE KEYBOARD
Your scanner's keys might seem con-
fusing at first, but a quick glance at
this page should help you understand
each key's function.
Number Keys - each have a single
digit, followed by a range of numbers.
The single digit is the number entered
when you enter a channel number or
a frequency. The range of numbers
(21-40, for example) indicates the
channels that make up a channel
storage bank. See "Understanding
Channel Storage Banks."
SCAN - makes the scanner scan
through the programmed channels.
This button is repeated on the top of
your scanner.
MANUAL - stops scanning and lets
you directly enter a channel number.
This button is repeated on the top of
your scanner.
CLEAH - press to clear an incorrect
entry.
KEY LOCK - disables the keypad to
prevent accidental program changes.
10
UNDERSTANDING CHANNEL STORAGE BANKS
Does not lock out SCAN and MANUAL
on top of the scanner.
L/OUT - turns the lockout function on
and off for the selected channel.
DELAY - turns the delay feature on
or off for the selected channel.
SPEED-changes the scanning and
search speed.
LIcHT - turns on the display light.
MON - used to access the 10 moni-
tor memories. See "Moving a Fre-
quency from Monitor Memory to a
Channel."
PRI- turns the priority feature on
and off.
PGM - used when you program fre-
quencies into channels.
ENTER - used to enter the frequen-
cies when you are programming
channels.
LtMtT, ^, ?fld v - used during fre-
quency searches. See "Searching for
Active Frequencies."
You can store up to 210 frequencies
into your scanner's memory. You
store each frequency into either a
permanent memory, called a channel,
or a temporary memory, called a mon-
itor. There are 200 available channels
and 10 available monitor memories.
To make it easier to identify and se-
lect the channels you want to listen
to, channels are divided into 10
grioups of 20 channels each. Each
group of channels is called a channel
storage bank. Perhaps the best way
to explain the use of channel storage
banks is through a practical example.
Suppose you want to monitor four dif-
ferent agencies: police, fire, ambu-
lance, and aircraft. As a rule, each
agency uses several different fre-
quencies for different purposes. The
police might have four frequencies,
one for each side of town. To make it
easier to quickly determine which
agency you are listening to, you could
program the police frequencies start-
ing with Channel 1 (Bank 1). Then,
start the fire department on Channel
21 (Bank 2), ambulance service on
Channel 41 (Bank 3), and aircraft fre-
quencies on Channel 61 (Bank 4).
Now, when you want to listen to only
fire calls in Bank 2, you can turn off all
of the other banks. You could also
use this feature to group channels by
city or by county.
The scanner also has 10 monitor
memories. You use these memories
to temporarily store freouencies while
you decide whether to save them in
channels. This is handy for quickly
storing an active frequency when you
search through an entire band. You
can manually select these memories,
but you cannot scan them. See
"Searchi ng for Active Frequencies."
When you are in the monitor mode,
the 10 numbers at the top of the dis-
play indicate the 10 monitor memo-
ries. The bar indicates the current
monitor memory.
11

OPERATION
USING THE RESET BUTTON
Before using the scanner the first
time, we recommend you reset the
scanner to remove any random fre-
quencies that might be stored in its
channels. Also, the scanner's display
might lock up the first time you con-
nect power to it, or if there are no bat-
teries installed for an extended pe-
riod.
To reset the scanner, turn on the
scanner, hold down CLEAR and use a
ball-point pen or similar object to
press the RESET switch in the battery
compartment. This clears all pro-
grammed channels from the scanner.
Use this procedure only when you are
certain the scanner is not working
properly.
SETTING THE VOLUME AND
SQUELCH CONTROLS
Rotate VOLUME clockwise and
SQUELCH counterclockwise until you
hear a hissing sound. Then, slowly ro-
tate SQUELCH clockwise until the
noise stops. Leave VOLUME set to a
comfortable level.
If the scanner picks up unwanted
weak transmissions, rotate SQUELCH
clockwise to decrease the scanner's
sensitivity to signals.
USING THE KEY LOCK
Once you program your scanner, you
can protect it from accidental program
changes by moving KEY LOCK to
LOCK. ln this position, the only con-
trols that operate are LIGHT, VOL-
UME, SQUELCH, and MANUAL and
SCAN on top of the scanner.
When you want to change the
scanner's programming, move the
switch to KEY.
PROGRAMMING THE SCANNER
Follow these steps to store frequen-
cies in channels.
1Select a channel to program by pressing
MANUAL, entering the channel number you
want to program, and pressing PGM.
PGM appears on the display to indicate the
scanner is in the programming mode.
MANUAL/ -
o miE cr c=!
.t
E=EIEEtr:]I
l
E:lElE-El
E E LT=,E E
PGM
E(=-1 m-l
2Enter a frequency.
A good reference for active frequencies is
Radio Shack's Police Call Directory including
Fire and Emergency Seruices.
We update this directory every year, so be
sure to get a current copy. Also, refer to "Re-
ception Notes" and "Searching for Active
Frequencies" in this manual.
E]E
trlE
E!E
t=E
E-EIE-
3Press ENTER to store the frequency.
lf you made a mistake in Step 2, Error ap-
pears on the display. Press CLEAR and re-
peat Step 2.
ENIEfi
EE-I-E
EET=EE
4lf you want the scanner to pause 2 seconds
after each transmission belore scanning to
the next channel, press DELAY so that DLY
appears in the display. See "Using the Delay
Feature."
lloeuv
llmE-EE
ll==EEt=
ll----E
lt
l-
5Repeat Steps 1-4 to program more chan-
nels. lf you want to program the next chan-
nel in sequence, press PGM and repeat
Steps 2-4.
PGM
EEE@'E
12 13

SEARCHING FOR ACTIVE FREQUENCIES
Use these procedures to search for a Notes:
transmission. This is helpful if you do
not have a reference to frequencies in ' Pressing SPEED switches between
your area. see also "Guide to the Ac- the 8 steps per second and 50
tion Bands,, in this manual. steps per second search speed'
. Press DLV to make the scanner
Limit Search pause 2 seconds after a transmis-
This procedure lets you search within sion before proceeding to the next
a range of frequenties. -t- appears frequency'
on the display during a limit search.
Direct Frequency Search
When you are listening to a channel, display during a direct frequency
you can search up or down from the search.
current frequency. -d- appears in the
6Press v to search down from the upper limit.
Or, press ^to search up from the lower limit. MON\1.2 3 4 5 5 7 8 I 10
zl^
I rilr t fll-r,.l.-
-L - r-l'1.uuLlU,,,
I sBcH
7When the scanner stops on a transmission,
press MON to store the frequency in the cur-
rent monitor memory - the bar under the
memory number stops flashing. 01 press v
or r to continue the search.
MoN r 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910
- L - i{t{.[]115t,.,
I sncn
1Press PGM. Then, press LIMIT.
I lnnr'll.t-
L O -f U.uLtuUu,,
PGM
2Enter the lower limit of the frequency range.
r ,r tr tnnn
L El t'I'l.ul.lu MBr
PGM
3Press ENTER. Then, press LlMlT. H, 55[.[][1[t",,
4Enter the upper limit of the frequency range.
tt ttt,- ,:,:t,:t
Ill t-ltrUl.lu MHr
PGM
5PresS ENTER. H' lY'5.0f,fru,,.
PGM
1Press MANUAL and the channel number to
select a channel in which you have pro-
grammed a frequency. Then, press either
MANUAL OT PGM.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9lO
EANK .
r I.l t rt- nllr-,n.-
-lUch -1 Lf LtuLf Lliius,
MAN
2Press r to search up from the channel's fre-
quency or press v to search down. MoN1234567891O
-d-,h'{5[.[ 115,,.
I sacx
3When the scanner stops on a transmission,
you can store that frequency in the current
monitor memory by Pressing MON.
As you store frequencies in monitor memo-
ries, the bar under the memory number indi-
cates the current monitor memory. You can
listen to monitor memories by pressing nnnN'
UAL, MON, and then the number for the
monitor memory you want to listen to.
MoN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9lO
-r-{-,hY5[.[ lr'!],,,
I sncx
14 15

MOVING A FREQUENCY FROM MONITOR MEMORY TO A
CHANNEL
To move a frequency from a monitor
memory to a channel memory, follow
these steps.
SGANNING THE CHANNELS
To begin scanning, press SCAN. The
scanner scans through all non-locked
channels in the activated banks. You
must set SOUELCH so that you do not
hear the hissing sound between
transmissions. Be sure to read the fol-
lowing sections to get the full benefit
from all of your scanner's special fea-
tures.
1Press MANUAL, enter the channel number
you want to store the monitor frequency in,
and press PGM.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91O
EANK -
nn nflnnt-'tft..
L:IUch ULIU.ULIUUu*.
PCM
2Press MON and enter the monitor memory
number that has the frequency you want to
store.
MON 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910
-Y51.651s,,.
PGM
3Press ENTER.
The scanner stores the monitor frequency in
the channel.
lf you want to return to a limit search after
this procedure, press LIMIT, and eithere or v
to continue.
1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 910
BANK
fl il,r tl li r'.8, 5,-r 5,,.
PGM
16 17
Using the Delay Feature
Many agencies use a two-way radio
system that might have a period of
several seconds between a query and
a reply. To keep from missing a reply,
program a delay on the channels you
identify as operating this way.
To program a delay, select the chan-
nel and press DELAY so that DLY ap-
pears on the display. Now, when your
scanner pauses at an active channel
when scanning, it waits for 2 seconds
after the completion of each transmis-
sion on that channel before it resu-
mes scanning.
Some radio systems, notably those
above 800 MHz, use a special
trunked system. ln these systems, the
transmitter selects an available fre-
quency each time the operator keys
the radio. lt is therefore possible that
the query can be on one frequency
and the reply on another. To have the
best possibility of hearing the full
reply, you want the scanner to begin
scanning immediately when the first
transmission ends. ln this case, man-
ually select the channel and ensure
that DLY is not in the display. lf it is,
press DELAY to turn off this feature for
that channel.
Setting the Scanning Speed
The scanner has two different scan-
ning speeds-B channels/second
and 25 channels/second. To switch
between the two scanning speeds,
press SPEED during scanning.
Locking Out Channels
You can increase the effective scan-
ning speed by locking out channels
that you have not programmed. Man-
ually select the channel and press
L/OUT so that UO appears on the dis-
play. This is also handy for locking out
channels that have a continuous
transmission. You can still manually
select locked-out channels.
To unlock a channel, manually select
the channel and press L/OUT so that
L/O disappears from the display.
Note: There must be at least one ac-
tive channel in each bank. You cannot
lockout all channels.
Turning Banks On and Off
As explained in "Understanding
Channel Storage Banks" the scanner
splits the 200 channels into ten banks
of 20 channels each. The small bars
under the numbers at the top of the
display are the bank indicators.
You can turn each bank on and off.
When you turn off a bank, the scan-
ner does not scan any channel in the
bank. While scanning, press the num-
ber key corresponding to the bank
you want to turn on or off. lf the mem-
ory bank indicator is on, the bank is
turned on and the scanner scans all
channels within that bank that are not
locked out. lf the indicator is off, the
scanner does not scan any of the
channels within that bank.

You can still manually select any
channel in a bank, even if the bank is
turned off. You cannot turn off all
banks. One bank is always active.
Using the Priority Feature
You can scan through the pro-
grammed channels, and still not miss
an important or interesting call on a
specific channel. Just program the
channel as the priority channel and
turn on the priority feature by pressing
PRI during scanning. The scanner
now checks the priority channel every
2 seconds, and stays on the channel
if there is activity.
To program a channel as the priority
channel, press PGM, the desired
channel number, and then press PRl.
flappears in the upper left corner of
the display whenever the scanner is
set to the priority channel. You can
only select one channel as the priority
channel.
MANUALLY SELECTING A
CHANNEL
You can monitor a channel without
scanning. This is useful if you hear an
emergency broadcast on a channel
and do not want to miss any details
- even though there might be peri-
ods of silence - or if you want to
monitor a locked-out channel.
To select a channel, just press MAN-
UAL, enter the channel number, and
press MANUAL again. Or, if the scan-
ner is scanning and stops at the de-
sired channel, just press MANUAL
one time. Pressing MANUAL addi-
18
tional times makes the scanner step
through the channels.
BATTERY.SAVING FEATU RE
Your scanner has a special battery-
saving feature. When you have man-
ually selected a channel, if the scan-
ner does not detect a signal within 5
seconds and you do not press a key,
the scanner enters the standby mode.
ln this mode the scanner rests for 1
second, then checks for a signal for
1/2 second. The scanner continues
doing this until you press a button or it
receives a signal.
During standby, the scanner uses
only 40 percent of the normal power
consumption.
A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING
BIRDIES
Birdies are frequencies that your
scanner generates internally that in-
terfere with broadcasts on the same
frequencies. This makes it difficult or
impossible to hear transmissions on
these frequencies. lf you program one
of these frequencies, you hear only
noise on the channel.
lf the interference is not severe, you
might be able to turn SQUELCH clock-
wise to cut out the interference. The
most common birdies to watch for are
listed below.
Birdie Frequencies
RECEPTION NOTES
Reception on the frequencies covered
on your scanner is mainly line of
sight. That means that you usually
cannot hear stations at your listening
location that are located beyond the
horizon.
During summer months, you might be
able to hear stations in the 30-50
MHz range located several hundred
or even thousands of miles away.
This is due to summer atmospheric
conditions. This type of reception is
unpredictable, but often very interest-
ing.
One very uselul service is the Na-
tional Oceanic Atmospheric Adminis-
tration (NOAA) Weather Radio's con-
tinuous weather broadcasts. These
broadcasts contain weather forecasts
and data for the area around the sta-
tion, plus bulletins on any threatening
weather conditions. These stations
use three frequencies - 162.40,
162.475, and 162.55 MHz. ln most
areas of the country, you can receive
one or more of these frequencies.
32.0000 MHz
32.1 1 00
33.1 000
37.1300
38.1300
38.4000
39.1 300
40.2000
40.9800
43.1 500
44.8000
47.1950
48.2000
51.2000
51.2250
52.2150
108.4500
108.8000
115.2000
121 .6000
123.2000
124.4750
125.6250
126.7250
128.0000
128.4750
134.4000
136.5650
140.7000
140.8000
144.6000
147.2000 MHz
147.6200
to
147.7000
148.5700
152.7600
153.6000
158.7900
1 60.0000
160.8000
164.8200
166.4000
172.8000
384.4500
407.5500
433.3500
453.8750
457.2450
458.4250
465.4500
467.3250
469.4250
474.9625
477.3750
484.0000
492.8000
494.O375
498.0500
51 0.1000
512.0000
19

GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS
With the right frequencies pro-
grammed into your scanner, you can
monitor exciting events. With a little
investigation, you can find active fre-
quencies in your community. We can
give you some general pointers, and
you can take it lrom there. Please use
caution and common sense when you
hear an emergency call. Never go to
the scene of an emergency - it could
be the most dangerous thing you
could ever do.
Find out if there is a local club that
monitors your community's frequen-
cies. Perhaps a local electronics re-
pair shop that works on equipment
similar to your scanner can give you
channel frequencies used by local
radio services. A volunteer police or
fire employee can also be a good
source for this information.
As a general rule on VHF, most activ-
ity is concentrated between 153.785
and '155.98 MHz and then again from
158.73 to 159.46 MHz. Here you find
local government, police, Iire, and
most emergency services. lf you are
near a railroad or major railroad
tracks, look around 160.0 to 161.9 for
signals.
ln some large cities, there has been a
move to the UHF bands for emer-
gency services. Here, most of the ac-
tivity is between 453.025 and 453.95
MHz and between 456.025 and
467.925MH2.
ln the UHF band, frequencies be-
tween 456.025 and 459.95 MHz and
20
between 465.025 and 469.975 MHz
are used by mobile units and control
stations associated with base and re-
peater units that operate 5 MHz lower
(that is, 451.025 to 454.95 MHz and
460.025 to 464.975 MHz). This
means that if you find an active fre-
quency inside one of these spreads,
you can look 5 MHz lower (or higher)
to find the base station/repeater for
that service.
A newer technology is now available
that uses the 800 MHz band for many
services. Trunked radio, introduced to
business systems in 1979, is now
used by some public safety agencies.
With up to twenty channels available,
the transmitter automalically selects
an unused frequency each time it is
activated. Several agencies can
share such a system without interfer-
ing, and the system can provide se-
cure communications for selected
units, with unselected units unable to
hear the message.
Frequencies in different bands are ac-
cessible only at specific intervals. ln
the VHF-Lo, HAM, Government, and
VHF-Hi bands, frequencies are avail-
able in 5 kHz steps, and in the aircraft
band, frequencies are available in 25
kHz steps. ln all other bands, fre-
quencies are available in 12.5 kHz
steps. Your scanner rounds the en-
tered frequency down to the nearest
valid frequency. For example, if you
try to enter 151.473, the scanner ac-
cepts this as 151 .470 MHz.
Typical Band Usage
The following is a brief listing of the
typical services using the bands your
scanner can receive. This listing can
help you decide which ranges you
would like to scan.
Abbreviations:
BA ................... Remote Broadcast (Radio & TV)
CA................................. General Mobile (Radio)
CAP............... ......Civil Air Patrol
18.................... .............Business
1F..................... ..Forest Products
I M...................................Motion Picture lndustry
lP.................... Petroleum lndustry
IS Special lndustrial (Construction,farming, etc.)
1T.................................. Telephone Maintenance
lW .............................. Power and Water Utilities
|X.................... .... Manufacturers
lY ................. Relay Press (newpaper reporters)
LA ..............Automotive Emergency (tow trucks)
LJ......................................Motor Carrier, Trucks
LR .................. ............... Rai|road
LU.................. Motor Carrier, Buses
LX .................. ......................Taxi
MC..... Maritime Limited Coast (private stations)
MG........... Maritime Government (Coast Guard)
MP ... Maritime Public Coast (marine telephone)
MS ...................................... Maritime Shipboard
PF .................. ...................... Fire
PH ................................... Highway Maintenance
PL ......................................... Local Government
PM................. .Medical Services
PO................................... Forestry Conservation
PP.................. .................. Police
PS.................. Special Emergency
RA............................Mobi|e Telephone (aircraft)
RC..... Mobile Telephone (radio common carrier)
RT........ Mobile Telephone (landline companies)
Bl FC.................... Boise lnteragency Fire Cache
Government Agencies:
UAF................ ..............Air Force
UAR................ ...................Army
UBW ...........................1nternationa| Boundary &
Water Commission
UCE ....... Environmental Besearch Laboratories
UCF ......................... Maritime Fisheries Service
UCG............... ........Coast Guard
UCM........,..................... Maritime Administration
These frequencies are subject to
change, and might vary some from
area to area. For a more complete
listing, refer to the Police Call Radio
Guide lncluding Fire and Emergency
Seruice and for aircraft, Official Aero-
nautical Frequency Directory avail-
able at your local Fladio Shack store.
UCO................ .....Ocean Survey
UCP................ National Capitol Police
UCW..........................Nationa| Weather Service
UCX .......................... Department of Commerce
U EP ............... Environmental Protection Agency
UER................ Department of Energy
UFA................... Federal Aviation Administration
UFC .......Federal Communications Commission
UGC.......................... Soil Conservation Service
UGF................ .... Foresl Service
UGS................ General Services Administration
UGX...........................Department ol Agriculture
UHW........ Dept. of Health and Human Services
U 1B.................. Bonneville Power Administration
U1F......... Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife
UIG ....................................... Geological Survey
U11................... BureauoflndianAffairs
U|L....................... Bureau of Land Management
U|M................. . Bureau of Mines
U I P................................... National Park Service
U I R ................................ Bureau of Reclamalion
U 1S............. Southwestern Power Administration
U|X............................ Department of the lnterior
UNO................ ....United Nations
uNS................ ..................NASA
UPO................ .... Postal Service
USA................ Federal Govt. Misc.
USD ....................................... State Department
USN ................ ................... Navy
UTC ..................................... Bureau of Customs
UTM...................................... Bureau of the Mint
UTR ..................... Department of Transportalion
UTV .........................Tennessee Valley Authority
UTX ..................................Treasury Department
UVA ..............................Veterans Administration
UXX ................ ............ Classified
Abbreviations used by permission of
the publishers of Police Call Radio
Guide, Copyright Hollins Radio Data.
21

Band Usage:
30-50 MHz
30.00-30.5s.............. usA,uAR,usN,ucG,uAF
30.58-A1.98... .....ls,lBIB,LU,PO
32.00-32.99 . USA,UAR,USN,UCG,UGX,UAF,UIR
33.02-33.98... PS,PH,IS,lB,lRPF
34.01 -34.99............. UCG,UER,USA,UAR,UAF,
USN,UGX,UIP,UIF
35.02-35.98... |B,IT,HC,RT,IS,PS
36.0.I -36.99...... UIX,UEH,USA, UAR,USN,UTR,
UCO,IRUHWUGF,UGX,UAF
37.02-37.98... ..PP,PL,IWPH,PS
38.27-38.99............. USA,USN, UGX, UGF,UAR,
UAF,UIX,UTV,UVA
39.02-39.98... ...................PP,P1
40.01 -41.99 UrA, UAR,UIRUAF,USA,UVA,UER,
USN,UIF,UIR,UryUIM,IRUIX,UEB
UCG,UIL,BIFC,UHWUTX
42.0242.94... ....................... PP
42.96-4s.68... IB,IS,IT,RC,RT,PS
43.7044.60... ................... LU,LJ
44.6246.58...................... PB PO, PL, PH, PF, PS
46.61 -46.99.. USA,UIL,BIFC,UAF,UAR,UGX,UGF
47.0249.s8... PH,PS,rS,lW,lF,lP
49.61 -49.99............... UIL,UAR,UGC,UAF,UAR,
UGX,UGF,USA
150-173 MHz
1 50.775-1 51 .985............ PM,LA, I F, PH, PO, lS, I B
1 s2.007 5-152.84................ PM,RC,LX,lF,lB,BT
1 52.87-153.7 25....................... lM, lS,lP,lX,lF,lW
153.7+.156.24 PL,PF,IS,IB,PP,PM,PH
1 56.255-t s7.45.............. IP,MC,MS,MG,MePM
1 s7.47-158.70 LA,LX,lF,lS, IB,RI lW lelX,lT, RC
158.73-1s9.48 .PRPL,PH,PO,IP
1 59.495-1 61 .565...................................... LR,LJ
1 61 .58-162.00 ......|P,MC,BA,MP
1 62.025-1 7 3.9875............ Misc. Govt. Ag enci es
406-512 MHz
406.1 25-41 9.975.............. Misc. Govt. Agencies
450.05-450.925............................................ BA
451.00-451.70 ....... lwlF,lP,lT,lx
451.725452.175............................... ls, lF,lP,Lx
452.2M52.95 .......LX,LJ,LR,LA
452.975453.975................ IYPL,PH,PF,PO,PP
454.00-457.60..................... lP,RC,RT,RA,BA,lB
458.025467.925.... PM,PP,tB,lX,rF, lRlT,lW,GM
482.00-508.9875................ Mixed Public Safety
Unlike the lower bands, frequencies
in the 800 MHz band are not allo-
cated by the FCC to specific services.
ln each area, the channels are li-
censed on a first come, first served
basis. There are two calegories for li-
censing: Public Safety and lndustrial.
Systems using one to five channels
are conventional. Five channel sys-
tems might use trunking, but all sys-
tems with more than five channels
must use trunking.
851 .01 25-855.9875 ....... Conveniional Systems
856.01 25-860.9875 .... Conventional or Trunked
861 .01 25-865.9875 ............... Trunked Systems
866.000-869.9999............. Reserved-Satellite
You might discover one of your regu-
lar stations on another frequency that
is not listed. lt might be what is known
as an image. For example, you sud-
denly find 453.275 also on 474.675.
To see if if is an image, do a little
math. Double the intermediate fre-
quency of 10.7 MHz and subtract that
number (21.4) from the new frc-
quency. lf the answer is the regular
frequency, then you have tuned to an
image. Occasionally you might get in-
terference on a weak or distant chan-
nel from a strong broadcast 21.4 MHz
below the tuned frequency. This is
rare, and the image signal is usually
cleared whenever there is a broad-
cast on the actual frequency.
22 23
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Your PRO-37 Programmable Scanner is an example of superior design and
craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you care for your scanner so
that you can enjoy it for years.
Keep the scanner dry. lf it does get wet, wipe it dry immedi-
ately. Liquids can contain minerals that can corrode the
electronic circuits.
Use only fresh batteries of the recommended size and type.
Always remove old or weak batteries. They can leak chemi-
cals that destroy electronic circuits.
Handle the scanner gently and carefully. Dropping it can
damage circuit boards and cases and can cause the scan-
ner to work improperly.
Use and store the scanner only in normaltemperature envi-
ronments. Temperature extremes can shorten the life of
electronic devices, damage batteries, and distort or melt
plastic parts.
Keep the scanner away from dust and dirt, which can cause
premature wear of parts.
Wipe the scanner with a dampened cloth occasionally to
keep it looking new. Do not use harsh chemicals, cleaning
solvents, or strong detergents to clean the scanner
Modifying or tampering with your scanner's internal components can invalidate
the scanner's warranty and might void your FCC authorization to operate it' lf
your scanner is not operating as it should, take it to your local Radio Shack store.
Our personnel can assist you and arrange for service, if needed.

TROUBLESHOOTING
IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS...
We hope you don't, but here are some suggestions,
lf none of the above suggestions
help, take your scanner to your local
Radio Shack store for assistance.
Trouble Check
Does not function. Batteries correctly installed ?
Batteries are good?
No or poor reception. . Antenna correctly installed?
. Poor reception environment (metal
building, etc.)?
. Frequencies correctly program-
med?
Error appears on the display. . Programming error--confirm proce-
dure.
Keyboard does not work. . KEYLOCK Set to LOCK?
Keys do not work and random display. . Hold CLEAR and press RESET.
24 25
SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency Coverage:
VHF-Lo ................30-50 MHz (in 5 kHz steps
Ham ........... 50-54 MHz (in 5 kHz steps
Aircraft .... 108-136.975 MHz (in 25 kHz steps
Government.................. ......137-144 MHz (in 5 kHz steps
Ham........... ......144-148MHz (in 5 kHz steps
VHF Hi 148-174 MHz (in skHz steps
Ham/Government.......... 380-450 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps
UHF-Lo .......450-470 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps
UHF-TV...... .470-512 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps
UHF-H|....... ..806.0000-823.9375 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps
851 .1125-868.9375 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps
896.1125-960.0000 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps
Channels of Operation ...Any 200 channels in any band combinations.
(20 channels x 10 banks) and 10 Monitor channels.
Sensitivity (20 dB Signal-to-Noise ratio):
30-54 MHz ..... 1.0 pV
108-136.975 MHz ........... .' 2.0 pv
137-174 MH2........... 1.0 pV
380-512 MHz....'.'.'.. 1'o Pv
806-960 MHz...'...."' 2'o PV
Spurious Rejection:
30-54 MHz .........50 dB at 40 MHz
108-136.975 MH2........... ....50 dB at124MHz
137-174 MH2........... ...........50 dB at 154 MHz
3Bo-512MHz '.'.'......Not specified
806-960 MH2........... Not specified
Selectivity:
+10 kH2...... ......-O dB
+20kH2...... '..'-50 dB
lF Rejection:
10.7 MHz .........50 dB at 154 MHz
Scanning Rate:
Fast............ .........25 channels/sec

NOTES
Search Rate:
Fas1............ ...............50 steps/sec
srow..............................:.:.................::.:......:....... .................8 steps/sec
Priority Sampling .........2 seconds
Delay Time. 2 seconds
Modulation Acceptance .....+8 kHz
lF Frequencies............... 10.7 MHz and 455 kHz
Filters......... ......1 Crystal filter, 'l Ceramic filter
Squelch Sensitivity:
Threshold... ........ Less than 1 .0 pV
Tight (VHF Lo, Hi, UHF) .......... (S + N)/N 25 dB
light (Aircraft).................. ...... (S + N)/N 20 dB
Antenna lmpedance .......50 ohms
Audio Power................. ........200 mW nominal
Built-in Speaker ........1 314" (45 mm) 8 ohm, dynamic type
Power Requirement........................... +9 VDC, 6AA batteries, or a suitable adapter
(negative ground only)
Current Drain:
Squelched.. .....40 mA
Max. Audio Power......... ....160 mA
Dimensions .............6 112x2314x113/16 inches (HWD)
weisht ........ ll*:rt:.i?#T]
U.S. PATENT NUMBERS.
3,794,925
3,961,261
3,962,644
26
4,027,251
4,092,594 4,123,715 4,245,349