Radio Shack 20-163 User Manual
20-163
Triple Trunking
Mobile / Base Radio Scanner
Thank you for purchasing your Triple Trunking Mobile / Base Radio
Scanner from RadioShack. Your scanner scans conventional frequencies
and trunked systems. Please read this user’s guide before installing,
setting up and using your new scanner.
What’s Included
Scanner Antenna Screw (2)
Mounting bracket DIN sleeve and keys (2) Rubber washer (2)
Lockwasher (2) Rubber feet (3) Knob (2)
AC adapter DC cable with fuse User’s Guide
Preprogrammed Frequency Addendum
www.RadioShack.com
C
ontents
Contents
Scanner Features ....................................................................................4
Scanner Display..........................................................................................6
Installing Your Scanner............................................................................8
Setting Up a Mobile Base .........................................................................8
Bracket Mounting ......................................................................................8
Dashboard Installation ..............................................................................9
Connecting the Antenna.........................................................................10
Powering Your Scanner ...........................................................................11
Wall Outlet............................................................................................11
Vehicle (Power Socket).........................................................................12
Vehicle (Direct) .....................................................................................12
Headphones and Speakers.....................................................................13
Listening Safely ....................................................................................13
Keytones and Brightness.........................................................................14
Squelch and Attenuator ..........................................................................15
Scanner Setup .......................................................................................16
Defining a Channel..................................................................................17
Copying a Frequency ..............................................................................18
Deleting Saved Frequencies...................................................................18
CTCSS and DCS.......................................................................................19
Scanner Cloning.......................................................................................20
Searching...............................................................................................21
Seek Search..............................................................................................21
Search Banks ............................................................................................21
Zeromatic..................................................................................................23
Programming a Search Range................................................................23
Signal Stalker II.........................................................................................24
Special Signal Stalker ..........................................................................25
Locking Out Frequencies........................................................................25
Saving Found Frequencies......................................................................27
Scanning................................................................................................28
Locking Out Channels.............................................................................28
Priority Scanning ......................................................................................29
Weather Alerts .........................................................................................30
SAME Standby Mode..............................................................................31
Skywarn.....................................................................................................33
Monitoring ............................................................................................34
Trunking Setup ......................................................................................35
Defining a Trunking Bank ........................................................................35
Trunking Modes .......................................................................................35
Motorola Trunking Setup ........................................................................36
Fleet Maps............................................................................................36
Base and Offset Frequencies..............................................................38
EDACS Trunking Setup ...........................................................................39
LTR Trunking Setup..................................................................................40
Searching for Talk Group IDs..................................................................40
Saving a Talk Group ID............................................................................41
Deleting Talk Group IDs..........................................................................42
Saving Trunking Channels.......................................................................43
Trunk Scanning ......................................................................................44
Trunking Delay .........................................................................................44
Locking Out Talk Group IDs....................................................................45
Turning Off Sub-Banks.............................................................................46
Talk Group ID Hold..................................................................................46
Additional Information..........................................................................47
Scanner Maintenance..............................................................................47
Text Tags...................................................................................................47
Troubleshooting.......................................................................................49
Birdie Frequencies...................................................................................50
Initializing the Scanner ............................................................................51
Service and Repair...................................................................................52
Scanning Legally......................................................................................52
FCC Notice...............................................................................................53
References.............................................................................................54
Appendix A: Glossary..............................................................................54
Appendix B: Search Banks......................................................................54
Appendix C: CTCSS / DCS Codes .........................................................60
Appendix D: Signal Stalker II ..................................................................61
Appendix E: Talk Group Format.............................................................63
Appendix F: Specifications .....................................................................64
Index .....................................................................................................67
Limited Warranty...................................................................................71
2
3
Scanner Features
Scanner Features
Mounting
bracket
DIN sleeve
and keys (2)
DC cable w/fuse
1-9 / A-Z – Numbers
and letters. Zero enters
special characters.
/DELAY – Decimal
•
point, space, delay
functions.
ENT – Enter.
TRUNK – Accesses
trunking functions.
L/OUT – Locksout
channels, frequencies,
or TalkGroup IDs.
CLEAR
PROG – Program.
Scanner Features
Squelch
VOLUME
/ OFF
Knob (2)
Rubber washer (2)
Lock washer (2)
Screw (2)
Rubber foot (3)
AC adapter
Antenna
4
FUNC – Function.
TUNE – Enters Tunemode.
ATT
– Attenuator.
PAUSE
DIM
– Dimmer.
WX
/ – Weather search and Skywarn.
PRI – Priority.
TEXT – Activatestext buttons.
MODE – Changesreceive mode.
– Signal Stalker.
SCAN – Starts a scan.
MAN – Manually select a channel or enter a channel number.
SRCH – Search.
ST – Navigatesfunctions.
5
Scanner Features
Scanner Features
ANT
Connect the supplied antenna or
an external antenna.
Scanner Display
Global
attenuator
Func key
pressed
Control channel
processing
Attenuator
on/off
DC 13.8V
Connect power
source.
EXT SP
Connect an external
speaker.
SCREW HOLE
May be used to mount
the scanner in a car.
Scan/search
direction
Signal strength
meter
Bank
0 - 9
S
Scan mode
M
Manual mode
P
Program mode
P
Pch
Priority channel
SR
Search Range
PRI
Priority on
pri
Priority off
Bank or channel
number
Channel tag
Bank tag
ID number
(Trunking/
CTCSS/DCS)
ID tag
Channel
00 - 99
DLY
dly
Receive Mode
AM, FM, CT, DC,
MO, ED
Delay on
delay off
or
LT
LO
Locked out
lo
No lockout
ZM
Zeromatic on
zm
Zeromatic off
VC
Voice Channel
Receiving
Frequency
+
Open mode
–
Closed mode
S
Seek Search
S
Activated
6
7
Installation
Installation
Installing Your Scanner
You can mount your triple trunking scanner in your vehicle or use it
as a base station.
Setting Up a Mobile Base
You can place your scanner on a desk, shelf, or table to use it as a
base station. Because the speaker is on the bottom of the scanner,
you can use the mounting bracket to elevate your scanner off the
surface for better sound.
To use the scanner on a flat surface:
1. Attach the three protective rubber feet to the mounting
bracket.
2. Remove the paper backing from each rubber washer and stick
one inside of each bracket’s ear, aligning the washer’s hole with
the bracket’s hole.
3. Slide the scanner into the
bracket, aligning the scanner’s
side holes with the holes in
the bracket, then screw the
mounting knobs into the
scanner.
Bracket Mounting
You can mount your scanner under or on top of your vheicle’s
dashboard using the mounting bracket.
CAUTION: AVOID AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ZONES. Mounting in
deployment zones can prevent the airbag from performing properly
and may result in injury.
1. Use the supplied mounting bracket as a template to mark
positions for the two mounting screws.
2. At the marked positions, drill holes slightly smaller than the
screws.
Note: When drilling holes, avoid
obstructions behind the mounting
surface.
3. Attach the mounting bracket to
your vehicle’s surface using the
supplied screws and lockwashers.
Dashboard Installation
If you are unsure how to install your scanner in your vehicle, consult
your automobile manufacturer, dealer, or a qualified installer.
Note: To mount in your dashboard, you must connect an
external antenna and speaker.
1. Before installing, confirm your scanner fits in the desired
mounting area and you have all the necessary materials. Your
scanner requires a 2 × 71/8 × 5 5/16 inch (50 × 180 × 135 mm)
space.
2. Remove the four rear screws and pull off the black case before
installing your scanner.
3. Install the DIN sleeve into the opening in your dashboard, lip
facing out.
4. Push out the top and
bottom tabs to hold the
sleeve firmly in place.
5. Slide the scanner into
the sleeve until it locks
in place.
8
9
Installation
Installation
To remove your scanner from the
DIN sleeve, insert the two keys
straight into the scanner’s front
panel and pull the scanner out.
Connecting an Antenna
To connect an external antenna, follow the installation instructions
supplied with the antenna. Use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG58 or RG-8X, to connect an outdoor antenna. For lengths between
50 and 100 feet, use RG-8X low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. For
lengths over 100 feet, use RG8. You also may need a BNC adapter
(not supplied).
Warning: Use extreme caution when installing or removing an
outdoor antenna. If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could
contact overhead power lines. If the antenna contacts a power
line, touching the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can cause
electrocution and death. Call the power company to remove the
antenna. DO NOT attempt to do so yourself.
To attach the supplied antenna:
1. Align the antenna slots with
the tabs on the scanner, and
slide the antenna into place.
2. Turn and push in until the
antenna locks into place.
Powering Your Scanner
You can power your scanner from a wall outlet, or from your
vehicle’s battery.
Note: You must use a power source that supplies 12V DC
and delivers at least 600 mA. Its center tip must be set to
positive and its plug must fit the scanner’s DC 13.8V jack.
The supplied AC adapter and DC power cord meet these
specifications. Using a power source that does not meet
these specifications could damage the scanner or the adapter.
Wall Outlet
1. Connect the tip of the supplied AC adapter to the DC 13.8V
jack at the rear of your scanner.
2. Plug the AC adapter into your wall outlet.
Note: To prevent electric shock, do not use the AC adapter’s
polarized plug with an extension cord, receptacle, or outlet
unless you can fully insert the blades to prevent blade
exposure. To avoid injury, do not connect the provided power
adapter to a ceiling outlet.
10
11
Installation
Installation
Vehicle (Power Socket)
To power your scanner from a 12V power source in your vehicle,
such as a cigarette-lighter socket, you need a 12V, 600 mA DC
cigarette-lighter adapter (not supplied), available at your local
RadioShack store.
1. Insert the adapter’s barrel plug into the scanner’s DC 13.8V
jack.
2. Plug the adapter’s other end into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter
or power socket.
Note: When you use a cigarette-lighter adapter, you might
hear electrical noise from your engine while scanning. This
is normal. This is less of a problem if you connect directly to the
vehicle fuse box.
Vehicle (Direct)
1. Disconnect the cable from your vehicle battery’s negative (–)
terminal.
2. Ground the black wire of the supplied DC power
cord to your vehicle’s chassis. The grounding screw
must make complete contact with your vehicle’s
metal frame.
3. Connect the red wire of the supplied DC power
cord to a voltage source that turns on and off
with the ignition switch, such as a spare accessory
terminal in your vehicle’s fuse box.
4. Insert the power cord’s barrel plug into the scanner’s
DC 13.8V jack.
5. Reconnect the cable to your vehicle battery’s
negative (–) terminal.
Headphones and Speakers
You can plug headphones or a speaker (neither included) into your
scanner.
To use headphones, connect the plug into the headphone jack
on the front panel. Using headphones automatically mutes the
scanner’s speaker.
To use an external speaker, connect the plug into the EXT SP jack
on the rear panel.
Listening Safely
Even though some earphones/headphones let you hear outside
sounds when listening at normal volume levels, they still present a
traffic hazard.
To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines:
• Do not listen at extremely high volume levels. Extended highvolume listening can lead to permanent hearing loss.
• Set the volume to the lowest setting before listening. Turn on
the scanner, and adjust the volume to a comfortable level.
• After you set the volume, do not increase it. Over time, your
ears adapt to the volume level, so a volume level that does
not cause discomfort might still damage your hearing.
• Do not wear headphones while driving. This can create a
traffic hazard and is illegal in some areas.
12
13
Installation
Installation
Keytones and Brightness
Your scanner features a backlit keypad and display for easy viewing
and sounds a tone each time you press a key.
To set the keytone:
1. Turn on the scanner.
appears.
2. While
To change the backlight mode:
Repeatedly press DIM to adjust display backlight brightness to
dim, off, or bright.
“Multi-system Trunking Scanner”
screen, press 1 to turn on the keytone or 2 to turn it off.
Delay
Sometimes several seconds can pass between transmissions. To
avoid missing a reply, a delay is automatically set for each channel.
The scanner pauses for 2 seconds after a transmission stops before
it resumes scanning or searching.
To turn the delay on and off:
1. Press •/DELAY.
2. To turn on the delay, press •/DELAY again.
delay is off.
“Multi-system Trunking Scanner”
remains on
“DLY”
appears if the delay is on.
“dly”
appears if the
Squelch and Attenuator
The squelch and attenuator control the scanner sensitivity. If you
hear a hissing noise, the scanner will remain on the current channel.
To set squelch:
1. Turn SQUELCH down (counterclockwise) until you hear noise.
2. Turn SQUELCH up (clockwise) a little past where the noise
stops. The higher the squelch is set, the stronger the signal
required to break the squelch.
3. If noise starts breaking the squelch, turn SQUELCH up to
decrease the scanner’s sensitivity. To hear weaker signals, turn
SQUELCH down to increase its sensitivity.
With the attenuator on, the scanner might not receive weak signals,
but immunity to adjacent strong signals is improved.
You can reduce interference using two attenuator modes:
• Global – (Default) The attenuator setting is applied to all
channels, bands, or groups.
• Normal – Lets you set the attenuator in each channel, band,
or group.
Note: You cannot set the attenuator while scanning.
To set the attenuator mode:
1. To set Global mode, press FUNC and then ATT. On the display
“G”
appears.”
2. To set Normal mode, press FUNC and then ATT. On the display
“G”
disappears.
Then for each channel:
“A”
• On – Press ATT.
• Off – Press ATT again.
appears.
“A”
disappears.”
14
15
Setup
Setup
Scanner Setup
A frequency, expressed in kHz or MHz, is the tuning location of a
station.
Your scanner saves frequencies to channels and groups the
channels into banks. The scanner’s 10 banks each hold 100
channels (1,000 channels total).
The scanner is preset to the most common AM or FM receive
modes for each frequency range. However, some amateur
transmissions may operate in a different mode. If the transmission
sounds weak or distorted, you may have the channel set to the
wrong receive mode:
AM – Amplitude Modulation, primarily used for aircraft, military,
some amateur and government transmissions.
FM – Frequency Modulation, used for most public safety
transmissions, broadcast, business, and most amateur radio
transmissions.
CT – FM transmissions with Continuous Tone Coded Squelch
System (CTCSS)
DC – FM transmissions with Digital Coded Squelch (DCS)
MO – Motorola Trunking System
ED – EDACS Trunking System
LT – LTR Trunking System
Note: If you change the receive mode using MODE key,
the scanner shows the receive mode for small caps (ex.
am, ct, or dc
press FUNC then press MODE.
). If you want to change the default setting,
fm,
Defining a Channel
Go to www.radioreference.com for the latest frequency references.
To define a channel:
1. Press MAN.
2. Enter the bank (0-9) and channel number (00-99) where you want
to store the frequency (Example: 101 for Bank 1, Channel 1).
3. Press MAN again. “M” and the bank and channel number
appear.
4. Press PROG. “M” changes to “P”.
5. Use the number keys to enter the frequency (including the
decimal point). If you make a mistake, press CLEAR to delete a
single digit or hold CLEAR about 2 seconds to start over.
Note: Your scanner automatically rounds to the nearest
valid frequency. For example, if you enter 151.553, your
scanner rounds to 151.550.
6. If necessary, press MODE to change the receiving mode.
7. Press ENT.
If the frequency is already stored in the bank,
ChXXX”
press ENT or press CLEAR to cancel.
If you made a mistake in Step 5,
appears and the scanner beeps when you press ENT. Go back
to step 5 again.
8. Press MAN again. “
appear.
Note: For information about adding text tags to a channel
or bank, see “Text Tags” on Page 47.
appears. To copy the duplicate frequency anyway,
“Invalid Freq.”
M”
and the bank and channel number
“Dupl.Freq.
briefly
16
17
Setup
Setup
Copying a Frequency
When you copy a frequency, all the channel conditions, including
mode, are also copied.
To copy a frequency:
1. Press TUNE.
2. Tune the frequency you want to copy.
3. If necessary, press MODE to change the receiving mode.
4. Press FUNC then ENT.
5. To select a new bank, press the bank number.
6. Press ENT.
If the frequency is already stored in the bank,
ChXXX”
ENT or press CLEAR to cancel.
7. Press MAN.
“Channel Stored!”
appears. To copy the duplicate frequency anyway, press
“Bank 9 Store?”
appears briefly.
appears.
“Dupl.Freq.
Deleting Saved Frequencies
To delete a saved frequency:
1. Press MAN.
2. Use the number keys to enter the frequency’s channel number.
3. Press MAN.
4. Press PROG.M changes to
5. Press FUNC.
6. Press CLEAR.
“0.0000”
P.
appears.
To delete all saved frequencies in a bank:
1. Press PROG.
2. Press FUNC.
3. Use the number keys to enter the bank number.
selected. Fn + CLR to delete all frequencies.”
appears.
4. Press FUNC then CLEAR.
5. Press 1 to clear all. Pressing any other key aborts.
M
changes to
P.
“Bank ##
“Clear entire bank?”
appears.
CTCSS and DCS
CTCSS and DCS allow multiple users to share a single radio
frequency without hearing each other’s transmissions. Your scanner
features an advanced, CTCSS and DCS decoder that displays
CTCSS or DCS codes when available.
To define a channel’s CTCSS or DCS code:
1. Press PROG.M changes to P.
2. Navigate to the channel.
3. Enter a conventional frequency.
4. Press MODE until the desired mode (CT or DC) appears with
the default search code value.
5. Press FUNC, then MODE.
6. Use the S or T to select the desired CTCSS or DCS code.
Note: You can enter the code manually. The scanner automatically
fills in the code. See “Appendix C” on page 60 for a list of codes.
7. Press ENT.
To save a CTCSS or DCS code, press ENT while the code appears.
18
19
Setup
Searching
Scanner Cloning
You can transfer the programmed data to and from another PRO163 or PRO-164 scanner using a connecting cable which has 1/8inch (3.5mm) stereo (TRS) phone plugs on both ends (not supplied).
You can also upload or download programmed data to or from
a PC using a USB cable available through your local RadioShack
store. The application software is available online at www.starrsoft.
com and www.scancat.com, or use a search engine to find “scanner
programming software.”
To clone the scanner data:
1. Turn on both scanners.
2. Connect the connecting cable to each scanner’s PC/IF jack.
** CLONE MODE **
3. Press S.
4. Press 1 to send the data to the other unit or press any other key
to cancel.
5. To exit the clone mode, remove the cable.
Note:
connect a scanner other than a PRO-163 or PRO-164.
“Confirm to send data?”
“CLONE MODE Incorrect Model”
appears.
appears.
appears if you
Searching
You can search for transmissions using the preprogrammed search
bank, which is divided into eight search bands.
Seek Search
When Seek Search is active, the scanner stops on active frequencies
for five seconds and then resumes searching automatically.
To activate Seek Search:
1. Press FUNC then 7.
appears on the display.
2. To turn off Seek Search, press FUNC then 7 again.
Search OFF”
“Seek Search ON”
appears briefly.
appears briefly and
Search Banks
To search preprogrammed search banks:
1. Press SRCH repeatedly to select a bank.
Bank Band Freq. Chart
SR0 Marine Page 55
SR1 CB Page 56
SR2 FRS/GMRS/MURS Page 57
SR3 Public Safety Page 58
SR4 Aircraft Page 59
SR5 Amateur Bands Page 59
SR6 Railroad Page 59
SR7 Limit search (User changeable)
“Seek
S
20
21
Searching
Searching
SR3 to SR5 banks contain several groups. To turn off a group,
press the group number; the group number disappears. To turn
the group back on, press the group number again.
2. Adjust the Squelch. After the set delay, the scanner starts searching.
When the scanner finds an active frequency, it stops searching.
3. To pause while searching, press PAUSE. The scanner stops searching
and
*** PAUSED ***
appears. To resume, press PAUSE again.
4. If the scanner stops on an unwanted frequency, you can press
L/OUT to lock out the frequency.
In the SR6 Railraod and SR7 Limit Search bands, press FUNC
then S or T to start searching up from the lowest or down
from the highest frequency.
To search banks SR0-SR2:
1. Press SRCH repeatedly to select SR0, SR1, or SR2.
2. To search the entire band, press FUNC then SRCH.
(Manual select) or
The scanner starts searching and
“SRCH”
(searches through the band) appears.
“SRCH”
appears on the display.
“MAN”
When the scanner finds an active frequency, it stops searching.
Press FUNC then SRCH again to return to the previous mode.
3. To select a channel while
“MAN”
appears on the display, press a
channel number or use S or T.
4. Adjust the Squelch.
5. If the scanner stops on an unwanted frequency, you can press
L/OUT to lock out the frequency. For more information, see
Locking Out Frequencies on Page 25.
6. To pause while searching, press PAUSE. The scanner stops
searching and
*** PAUSED ***
appears. To resume, press
PAUSE again.
Zeromatic
While searching, the scanner stops if a transmission triggers the
squelch setting. A narrow-band FM transmission can have a
deviation of +/- 5 KHz, and the actual total bandwidth, including
the tails of the sidebands, can be even greater. However, search
intervals smaller than that can stop your scanner short of the correct
(center) frequency.
The Zeromatic function allows the scanner to find the correct center
frequency for search banks SR3, SR4, SR5, SR6 and SR7. Zeromatic
automatically tunes the step-increment frequency closest to the
center frequency.
To activate Zeromatic:
1. Press FUNC then 0.
“Zeromatic ON.”
appears briefly, then
“ZM”
appears.
2. To turn Zeromatic off, press FUNC then 0 again.
to
“zm.”
“ZM”
changes
Programming a Search Range
To program the search range of Bank SR7:
1. Repeatedly press SRCH to select SR7.
2. Press PROG then SRCH.
Limits”
appears. L blinks for the lower-limit of the range.
3. Use the number keys to enter the lower-limit frequency
(including the decimal point).
4. Press ENT.U blinks for the upper-limit of the range.
5. Use the number keys to enter the upper-limit frequency
(including the decimal point), then press ENT.
“Enter SR7 Search Range
22
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