Radio Shack 20-422 User Manual
Cat. No. 20-422
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
200CH VHF/Air/UHF Home Scanner
with Scanner Control Protocol and WX Alert
FEATURES
Your RadioShack 200Ch VHF/Air/UHF
Home Scanner lets y ou in on all the action! This scanner gives you direct access to over 23,000 frequencies,
including those used by police and fire
departments, ambulance and transportation services, government agencies,
and amateur radio services. You can select up to 200 channels to scan and you
can change selections at any time.
The scanner ’s frequency bands let you
search specific, preset ranges of frequencies quickly and easily.
Your scanner has all the se special features:
Weather Alert
— warns you of serious
weather conditions by sounding an
alarm if the weather service transmits a
weather alert tone.
Weather Band Key
— scans seven preprogrammed weather cha nnels to keep
you informed about current weather
conditions.
Scanner Control Protocol
— lets you
download channel in formation (frequency, lockout, priority, delay) from your PC
to the scanner.
Ten 20-Channel Storage Banks
— let
you store 20 channels in each of ten
banks to group channels so calls are
easier to identify.
Ten Monitor Memories
— let you temporarily save ten frequencies located
during a frequency search, so you can
decide if you wa nt to st ore them permanently.
Priority Channels
— let you set the
scanner to check u p to ten chann els ev ery 2 seconds so you do not miss important calls.
Band Search
— lets you quickly and
easily search preset frequency ranges,
so you can find new and un liste d bro adcasts.
Direct Search
— lets you searc h for a
transmission starting from a specified
frequency.
Search Skip
— lets you select up to 20
frequencies for t he scanner to skip during a search, so you can search more
efficiently.
Two-Second Channel Scan/Search
— lets you set the sca nner so it
Delay
delays scann ing or sear ching for 2 seconds before moving to another channel /
frequency, so you can hear more replies.
Lock-Out
— keeps channels y ou selec t
from being scanned, so you can skip
over busy ch a nne ls su ch a s t h os e wi t h a
continuous transmission.
©
1999 Tandy Corporation.
RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
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Key Confirmation Tones
— the scanner sounds a tone whe n you per form an
operation correctl y and sounds an error
tone if you make an error.
Memory Backup
— keeps channel fre quencies stored in memory for an extended time even i f your scanner loses
power.
External Speaker Jack
— lets you connect an external speaker, or an earphone or headphones for private
listening.
This table shows the preset frequency
steps your scanner uses for each frequency range.
Frequency
Range (MHz) Step (kHz)
29–54 5
108–136.975 12.5
137–144 5
144–148 5
148–174 5
406–450 12.5
450–470 12.5
470–512 12.5
External Ante nna Term inal
— lets you
connect an external antenna (not supplied) for improved reception.
Your scanner can receive all of these
frequencies:
• 29–54 MHz (10-Meter Amateur
Radio, VHF Lo, 6-Meter Amateur)
• 108–136.975 MHz (Aircraft)
• 137–174 MHz (Government, 2Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Hi)
• 406–512 MHz (UHF Lo, 70-Centimeter Amateur Radio, Gov ernment,
UHF “T” Band)
The frequency steps are preset.
Note:
You cannot change them.
Your scanner can also receive these
preprogrammed weather channel frequencies:
• 162.400 MHz
• 162.425 MHz
• 162.450 MHz
• 162.475 MHz
• 162.500 MHz
• 162.525 MHz
• 162.550 MHz
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FCC NOTICE
Your scanner might cause TV or radio
interference even when it is operating
properly. To determine whether your
scanner is causing the interference, tur n
off your scanner. If the interference goes
away, your scanner is causing i t. Try to
eliminate the interference by:
• moving your scann er away from the
receiver
most every transmission your scanner
can receive. However, there are some
transmissions you should never intentionally listen to. These include:
• telephone conversations (cellular,
cordless, or other p rivate means of
telephone signal transmission)
• pager transmissions
• any scrambled or encrypted transmissions
• connecting your scanner to an outlet
that is on a different electrical circu it
from the receiver
• contacting your local RadioShack
store for help
If you cannot eliminate the interference,
the FCC requires that you stop using
your scanner.
This device compl ies with P art 15 of the
FCC Rules
following conditions: (1) This device
must not cause harmful interference and
(2) this device mus t accept any inte rference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
. Operation is subjec t to the
SCANNING LEGALLY
Your scanner covers frequencies used
by many different groups including police and fire departments, ambulance
services, government agencies, private
companies, amateur radio services, military operations, pager services, and
wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers. It is legal to listen to al-
According to the Electronic Communications Privacy A ct (ECPA), you are subject to fines and possible imprisonmen t
for intentionall y listenin g to, using, o r divulging the contents of su ch a transmission unless you have the consent of a
party to the communication (unless su ch
activity is otherwise illegal).
This scanner has been des igned to prevent reception of illegal transmissions.
This is done to c omply with th e legal r equirement that scanners be manufactured so as to not be easily modifiable to
pick up those transmissions. Do not
open your scanne r’s case to make any
modifications that could allow it to pick
up transmissions that it is not legal to listen to. Doing so could subje ct you to legal penalties.
We encourage responsible, legal scanner use.
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CONTENTS
Preparation .......................... ............................................. ....................................... 6
Removing the Display Protector ......................................................................... 6
Connecting an Antenna ...................................................................................... 6
Connecting Power .............................................................................................. 7
Connecting an External Speaker ........................................................................ 8
Connecting an Earphone or Headphones .......................................................... 8
Understanding Your Scanner ................................... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ...... ....... 9
A Look at the Front Panel ................................................................................... 9
A Look at the Display ....................................................................................... 10
Understanding Banks and Bands ....................................................................... 12
Channel-Storage Banks . ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ..................................... 12
Monitor Memories ........................ ...... ....... ...... ............................................. ..... 12
Frequency Bands ............................................................................................. 12
Operation ............................. ............................................. ..................................... 14
Turning On the Scanner/Setting Volume and Squelch ..................................... 14
Resetting the Scanner ...................................................................................... 14
Manually Storing Frequencies into Channels ................................................... 14
Searching For and Temporarily Storing Active Frequencies ............................ 15
Listening to Monitor Memories ......................................................................... 16
Moving a Frequency From a Monitor Memory to a Channel ............................ 17
Deleting a Frequency From a Channel ............................................................ 17
Scanning Channels .......................................................................................... 17
Manually Selecting a Channel .......................................................................... 18
Special Features ........... ...... ...... ....... ...... .............................................. ...... ........... 19
Delay ................................................................................................................ 19
Skipping Frequencies/Channels ....................................................................... 19
Priority .............................................................................................................. 20
Listening to the Weather Band ......................................................................... 21
Turning the Key Tone On or Off ........................................................................ 21
A General Guide to Scanning .............................................................................. 22
Guide to Frequencies ....................................................................................... 22
Guide to the Action Bands ................................................................................ 23
Band Allocation ................................................................................................ 24
Frequency Conversion ..................................................................................... 27
Troubleshooting ...................................................................... ................... ........... 28
Care and Maintenance .......................................................................................... 29
Specifications ....................................................................................................... 30
5
PREPARATION
This scanner is desi gned for use in the
home as a base station. You can place it
on any flat surfac e su ch as a desk , sh elf ,
or table.
REMOVING THE DISPLAY
PROTECTOR
Your scanner ’s display is prote cted during shipment by a piec e of film. Peel o ff
this film before you use the scanner.
CONNECTING AN
ANTENNA
Connecting the Supplied
Antenna
You must install an antenna before you
can operate the scanner.
The supplied telescopi ng antenna helps
your scanner receive strong local signals. To install the antenna, thread it
clockwise into t he hole on t he scann er ’s
top.
ception of the tran sm is si on s y ou w ant t o
hear, adjust the antenna’s length.
Frequency
(MHz)
29–54 Extend fully
108–174 Collapse one segment
406–512 Collapse both segments
Antenna Length
Connecting an Outdoor
Antenna
Instead of the supplied antenna, you can
connect an outdoor base-st ation antenna (not supplied) t o your scanner. Your
local RadioShack st ore sells a va riety of
antennas. Choose the one that best
meets your needs.
When deciding on a base-s tation ant enna and its location, consider these
points:
• The antenna should be as high as
possible on the house.
• The antenna and its cable should be
as far as possible from sources of
electrical noise such as appliances
or other radios.
The scanner’s sensitivity depends on
the antenna’s length and various environmental conditions. For the best re-
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• The antenna should be vertical for
the best performance.
To connect a base-station antenn a, first
remove the supplied antenna from the
scanner. Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8, to connec t
the base-station antenna. For lengths
over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If the antenna cable’s
connector does not fit in the
you might also need an ante nna plug
ANT
jack,
adapter. Your local RadioShack store
!
carries a wide varie ty of coax ia l antenna
cable and connectors.
Once you choose an antenna, follow the
mounting instructions supplied with the
antenna. Then route the antenna’s cable
to the scanner and co nnect the cable to
ANT
the
Cautions:
jack on the back of the scanner.
• Do not run the cable over sharp
edges or moving parts that might
damage it.
• Do not run the cable n ext to power
cables or other antenna cables.
• Follow all cautions and warnings
included with your antenna.
Cautions:
You must use a Class 2
power source that s upplies
10V AC and delivers 300
mA. Its plug must fit the scanner’s
AC 10V
meets these specifications. Using
an adapter that does not meet these
specifications could damage the
scanner or the adapter.
• A replacement adapter is available
by special order through your local
RadioShack store.
• Always connect the AC adapter to
the scanner befor e you co nne ct it t o
AC power. When you finish, disconnect the adapter from AC powe r before you disconnect it from the
scanner.
Insert the AC adapt er’s barrel plug into
AC 10V
the
ner, then plug the AC adapter into a
standard AC outlet.
jack. The supplied adapter
jack on the back of the scan-
CONNECTING POWER
Use the supplied 10V, 300-mA AC
adapter to power the scanner.
Warning:
polarized plug with an extension cord receptacle unless the blades can be fully
inserted to prevent blade exposure.
Do not use the AC adapt er’s
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CONNECTING AN
EXTERNAL SPEAKER
Insert the earphone’s or headphones’
plug into the
the scanner.
EXT. SP.
jack on the back of
You can connect an optional external
speaker with a
the scanner. Use an 8-ohm external
speaker that can handle at least 2.5
watts of power. Your local RadioShack
store sells scanner accessories, including external speakers.
Insert the speaker’s plug into the
SP.
jack on the back of the scanner.
Plugging in an external speaker
Note:
disconnects the scanner’s internal
speaker.
1
/
8
-inch (3.5-mm) plug to
EXT.
CONNECTING AN
EARPHONE OR
HEADPHONES
You can connect an optional earphone
or pair of monaural headp hon es wit h a
inch (3.5-mm) pl ug to the scanner. Your
local RadioShack store se lls a com plete
line of earphones and headphones.
1
/
Plugging in an earphone or he ad-
Note:
phones disconnec ts the scan ner ’s internal speaker.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these
guidelines when you use an earphone/
headphones.
• Set the volume to the low est setting
before you begin liste ning. A fter yo u
begin listening, adjus t the volume to
a comfortable level.
• Do not listen at e xtremely high volume levels. Extended high-volume
listening can lead to permanent
hearing loss.
• Once you set the volume, do not
increase it. Over time, your ears
8
-
adapt to the volum e level, so a volume level that does not cause discomfort might still damage your
hearing.
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER
A LOOK AT THE FRONT PANEL
VOLUME
SQUELCH
Turns the scanner on or off and adjusts the volume.
Adjusts the scanner’s squelch.
/ Sets the search direction.
BAND
DELAY
Searches a band you select.
Programs a 2-seco nd delay for the selec ted channel ; sets a
delay for all active frequencies during a search.
ALERT/PRIORITY
Sets the scanner to the weather alert mode; turns priority on
or off for a particular channel.
MONITOR
Stores frequencies into, and accesses, the ten monitor
memories.
S/S-LOCKOUT
Skips a specified frequency during a band or direct search
(search/skip/lockout) or locks out selected channels during scanning.
HOLD
PROGRAM
SCAN
Pauses the scanner during a search.
Programs frequencies into channels.
Scans through the channels.
MANUAL
Stops scannin g to let you list en to a monitor me mory or directly enter a channel number.
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1–9, 0
Each key has a single-digit label, and the 1–
also have a range of nu mbers. Us e the
enter the numbers for a channel or a frequency. Use the
range of number s abo ve the key (
lect or deselect the channels in a channel-storage bank.
digits on the keys to
61–80
, for example) to se-
and
9
0
keys
CLEAR/.
WX/E
Clears an incorrect ent ry, or enters the decimal point when
you enter a frequency.
Scans the seven prepr ogrammed weather ch annels; stores
frequencies into channels.
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has indi cators that show the scanner ’s current operating mo de. A good
look at the display will help you understand your scanner.
Appears with a number (1–10) to its right to show which
BANK
channel-storage banks are turned on for scanning.
MON
Appears with a number (1–10) to its right to show which
monitor memory you are listening to.
Appears when you tune to a priority channel.
P
CH
Appears with a number (1–200) to its left to show which
channel the scanner is tuned to.
SCAN Appears when you scan channels.
MAN Appears when you manually select a channel.
PGM Appears when you program the scanner.
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