Radio Shack 20-521 User Manual

Owner’s Manual

Cat. No. 20-521

PRO-91 150-Channel

Handheld Trunking Scanner

Please read befor e using this equipment.

FEATURES

Your RadioShack PRO-91 150-Channel Handheld
Trunking Scanner is one of a new generation of scan­ners designed to track Motorola Type I and Type II
(such as Smartnet and Privacy Plus) and hybrid ana­log trunking systems, which are extensively used in
many 800 MHz communicat ion systems.

Trunking communications systems let a large group of
2-way radio users (or even different groups of 2-way ra­dio users) efficiently use a large range of frequencies.
Instead of selecting a specific frequency for a transmis­sion, the user sim ply selects a talk group. The t run ki ng
system automatically transmits the call on the first avail­able frequency, and also sends (on a different frequen­cy called a data channel) a code that uniquely identifies
that transmission.

Since the trun king sys tem m ight send a c all an d its re­sponse on di fferent freq uencies, it i s dif ficult to li sten to
trunked co mmunicat ions using a reg ular scanne r. The
PRO-91 l ets you select and mo nitor the data channe l
frequency sent with a 2-way rad io transmission, so you
can he ar the call and respo nse fo r th at use r and more
easily “follow” the conversation.

The scanner also lets you scan conventional transmis­sions, and is preprogrammed with service banks for
convenience. By pressing a single button, you can
quickly search those frequencies most commonly
used by public service and other agencies without te­dious and complicat ed programming.

This sc an n er gives y o u d ir ec t ac c ess t o ov er 30 ,00 0 e x­citing frequencies, including police and fire depart­ments, ambulance services, and amateur radio
services, and you can change your selection at any
time.

Your scanner also has th ese special features:

Triple-Conversion Circuitry

— virtually eliminates
any interference from IF (intermediate frequency) im­ages, so you hear only the selected fre quency.

©

1998 Tandy Corporation.

RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

Hypersearch and Hyperscan are trademarks used by

All Rights Reserved.

Tandy Corporation.

2

Five Channel-Storage Banks — you can store up to
30 channels in each of 5 different banks to group chan­nels so you can more easily identify calls.

Five Scan Lists — you can store up to 50 trunking IDs
in each trunk tracking bank.

Two-Second Scan Delay — delays scanning for about
2 seconds before moving to another channel, so you
can hear mor e replies that are made on the same chan­nel.

Lock-Out Functi on — le ts you set your scanne r to skip
over specified channels or frequencies when scanning
or searching, and skip over IDs when tracking trunked
systems.

Priority Channels — lets you program one channel in
each bank (5 in all) and then have the scanner check
that channel every 2 seconds while it scans the bank,
so you don't miss transmissions on those channels.

Five Service Banks — frequencies are pres et in sepa­rate police (fire/emergency), aircraft, ham, marine, and
weather banks, to make it easy to locate specific types
of calls.

Hypersearch — lets you set the scanner to search at
up to 300 steps per second. The normal search speed
is 100 steps per second.

Hyperscan — the scanner automatically scans up to
50 channels per second in frequency bands with 5 kHz
steps, to help you quickly find interesting broadcasts.

Key Lock — lets you lock the scanner's keys to help
prevent accidental changes to the scanner's program­ming.

Data Signal Skip — lets you set the scanner to skip
non-modulated or data signals (such as fax or modem
transmissions) during searches. This lets the scanner
avoid non-vo ice signals, making a search faster.

Manual Access — lets you directly access any channel.
Liquid-Crystal Display — makes it easy to view and

change programming information.
Display Backlight — makes the scanner easy to read

in low-light si tuations.

3

Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector — provides
excellent reception and is designed to help prevent an­tenna breakage. Or, you can connect an external an­tenna.

Moni tor Mem o ries — let you temp or arily s tore up to 5
frequencies or IDs.

Memory Backup — keeps the frequencies stored in
memory for an extended time if the PRO-91 loses pow­er.

Three Power Options — let you power the scanner
using internal batteries, external AC power using an
optional AC a dapter/charger, or DC power using an op­tional DC cigarette-l ighter power cable.

Key Confirmation Tones — the scanner sounds a
tone when you perform an operation correctly, and an
error tone if you make an error.

Battery Save — saves battery power when the scan­ner does not detect any transmissions for more than 5
seconds when a channel is manually selected.

Battery Low Alert — warns you when battery power
gets low.

Your scanner can recei ve these bands:

Frequency
Range (MHz)

Step
(kHz)

Transmission

29–29.7 5 10-Meter Ham Band

29.7–50 5 VHF Lo
50–54 5 6-Meter Ham Band
108–136.9750 12.5 Aircraft
137–144 5 Military Land Mobile
144–148 5 2-Meter Ham Band
148–174 5 VHF Hi
406–420 12.5 Federal Government
420–450 12.5 70-cm Ham Band
450–470 12.5 UHF Standard Band
470–512 12.5 UHF “T” Band
806–956 12.5 Public Service

“800” Band, except
cellular band

4

We recommend you record your scanner’s serial num­ber here. The number is on the back panel.

Serial Number: ____ _______________________

FCC NOTICE

Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference
even when it is operating properly. To deter mine wheth­er your scanner is causing the interference, turn off
your scanner. If the interference goes away, your scan­ner is causing it. Try the following methods to eliminate
the interference:

• Move your scanner away from the receiver

• Connect your scanner to an outlet that is on a dif­ferent electrical circuit from the receiver

• Contact your loca l RadioShack store for hel p

Note:

Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires

a permit in some areas. Check the laws in your area.

SCANNING LEGALLY

Your scanner covers frequencies used by many differ­ent groups includin g police and fire depar tmen ts, 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 almost 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 private means of telephone signal transmis­sion)

• Pager transmi ssions

• Any scrambled or encrypted transmissions

According to the Electronic Communications Privacy
Act (ECPA), you are subject to fines and possible im­prisonment f or intentionally listen ing to, using, or divulg­ing the contents of such a transmission unless you
have the consent of a party to the communication (un­less such activ ity is otherwise ill egal).

This scanner is designed to prevent reception of illegal
transmissions, in compliance with the law which re-

5

quires that scanners be manufact ured in such a way as
to not be easily modifiable to pick up those transmis­sions. Do not open your scanner'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 sub­ject you to legal penal ties.

We encourage respon sible, legal scanne r use.

CONTENTS

Preparation ............................................................ 10

Power S ou r ce s ....... .. .......... ......... ... .......... ........ 10

Using Internal Batteries ............................ 10

Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batterie s ......... 12

Using AC Power ....................................... 13

Using Vehicle Battery Power .................... 14

Connecting the Ante nna ........ ........... ............... 16

Connecting an Optional Antenna .............. 16

Connecting an Earphone/Headphones ............ 17

Listening Safely ........................................ 17

Traffic Safety ............................................. 17

Connecting an Extension Speaker ................... 18

Attaching the Belt Clip ...................................... 18

About Your Scanner .............................................. 19

A Look at the Keypad .................................. ..... 20

A Look at the Display ................. ...................... 21

Understanding Bank s ... ................... ................. 23

Service Banks ........................................... 23

Channel Storage Banks ......... .. ........ .. ....... 23

Monitor Memories ..................................... 24

Operation ............................................................... 25

Turning On the Scanner/Setting Squelch ..... .... 25

Storing Known Frequen cies into Channels ...... 26

Searching For and Temporarily Storing

Active Frequencies ........... ......................... ....... 27

Limit Search .............................................. 27

Direct Search ............................................ 28

Service Bank Search ................................ 29

Search Skip Memory ................................ 30

Listening to the Monitor Memories ................... 31

Moving a Frequency From a Monitor Memory

to a Channel ............... ............... ............... ........ 31

Scanning the Stored Channels ........................ 32

Manually Select ing a Channel ......................... 32

6

Special Features .................................................... 34

Delay .......... .............. ............. .............. ............. 34

Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off ... 34

Locking Out Channels ..................... ................. 35

Priority .............................................................. 35

Using the Keylock ............................................ 37

Using the D is play Back li gh t ....... ... .......... ......... . 37

Changing Search Speeds ........................... ..... 37

Turning the Key Tone Off/On ............................ 38

Turning the Battery Save Func tion Off/On ....... 38

Skipping Data Signals ...................................... 39

Trunk Tracking ....................................................... 40

Types of Trunking S ys te ms ............ .......... ... ..... 40

Setting the Scanne r to the

Trunk Tra cking Mode ........... ................. ............ 41

Setting Squel ch for the Trunk Tracking Mode .. 42

Storing Trunked Frequencies ............... ............ 42

Scanning a Trunked Bank ................................ 44

Monitoring an Active ID ............................. 45

Temporarily Storing an ID into the

Monitor ID Memory ................................... 45

Locking Out IDs ........................................ 46

Unlocking a Single ID ................................ 46

Unloc ki n g All ID s .. .......... .. .......... .......... .. ... 46

Using Trunk Trac king Scan Delay ............. 47

Monitoring IDs ........................................... 47

Channe l A ct ivity Bars .... ... ......... .......... ... ......... . 48

Scan Lists ... .. .......... .. .......... .......... .. .......... ........ 49

Manually Storing IDs into Scan Lists ........ 49

Moving IDs to Scan Lists .......................... 50

Deleti ng a Stored ID .. ......... ... .......... ......... . 50

Scanning the Scan Lists ................................... 51

Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked

Systems ............................................................ 51

Selecting a Preset Fleet Map .................... 55

Programming a Fleet Map ........................ 56

Programming a Hybrid System ................. 57

A General Guide to Scanning ............................... 58

Guide to Frequenci es ........... ......... ................... 58

National Weather Frequenci es .................. 58

Canadian Weather Frequencies ............... 58

Birdie Frequenc ies ............... ......... ............ 58

Guide to the Action Bands ............................... 59

Typical Band Usage ........................ .......... 59

Primary Usage ........ ........ ......... ................. 59

Band Allo c a tio n ................ ......... ... .......... ......... . 60

7

Frequency Conversion 63

Troublesh ooting 64

Resetting the Scanner ..................................... 67

Care an d M a in t en a n c e .. .. ... .......... ......... ... .......... ... 68

Spec ific ation s . ..... ... ..... .... ..... ... ..... .... ... ..... ..... .. ..... . 69

8

PREPA RATION

POWER SOURCES

You can power your scann er fr om any of thre e sou rces:

• Internal batteries (not supplied)

• Standard AC power (usin g an opti onal AC adapt er)

• Vehicle battery power (using an optional DC
adapter)

Using Internal Batteries

You can power your scanner using four AA batteries.
For the longest operation and best performance, we
recommend alkaline batteries (such as Cat. No. 23-

552).

You can also use four rechargeable nickel-cadmium
batteries (Cat. No. 23-125). Before you use nickel-cad­mium batteries, you must charge them (see “Charging
Nick el-Cadmium Batt er i e s” on Pag e 11).

Follow these steps to i nstall batteries.

1. Turn

VOLUME/OFF

to make sure the power is turned off.

counterclockwise until it clicks

2. Slide up and hold t he tab on the back of the scan­ner, then pull up the battery compartment cover.

9

3. If you are installing alkaline batteries, use a
pointed object such as a pencil to set

JACK NI-CD

ALKALINE

. Or,if you are installi ng nickel-cadmium

batteries, set i t to

inside the compartment to

NI-CD

.

ALKALINE

Warning:

NI-CD

to

Never set

if you are install ing non-rechargeable bat-

ALKALINE JACK NI-CD

teries. Non-rechargeable batteries can get hot or
explode if you try to recharge them.

4. Install two batteri es in the compartment and two in
the cover as indicated by the polarity symbols (+
and –) marked inside those locations.

Cautions:

• Use only fresh bat teries of the required size and

recommended ty pe.

• Always remove old or weak batteries. Batteries

can leak chemicals that destroy electronic cir­cuits.

• Do not mix old and new batteries, different

types of batteries (standard, alkaline, or
rechargeable), or rechargeable batteries of dif­ferent capacities.

5. Replace the cover.

10

If

BATT.Lo

flashes and the scanner beeps every 15
seconds, replace (standard/alkaline) or recharge (re­chargeable nickel-cadmium) the batt eries.

Caution: Always dispose of old batteries promptly and
properly. Do not bury or burn them.

Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries

The scanner has a built-in ci rcuit that lets you recharge
nickel-cadm ium batteries while they are in the scanner.
To charge the batter ies, set

CD

to

, install the nickel-cadmium batteries in the

NI-CD

scanner, and connect an external AC or DC adapter to
the scanner’s

POWER

Page 12 or “Using Vehicle Battery Power” on Page 13).
Warning: Do not connect either adapter to t he scanner

if non-rechargeable batter ies (such as alkaline batter­ies) are ins tal led in the scanner and

is set to

NI-CD

NI-CD

switch’s position. Non-rechargeable batteries will get
hot and can even explode if you try to recharge them.

Before you use nickel-cadmium batteries for the first
time, charge them at least 24 hours to bring them to a
full charge.

ALKALINE JACK NI-

jack (see “Using AC Power” on

ALKALINE JACK

, or you are unsure of the

Discharged batteries take about 10 t o 18 hours to fully
recharge. If you use the scanner while the batteries are
charging, char ging takes longer.

Notes:

• Nickel-cadmium batteries last longer and deliver
more power if you occasi onally let them fully dis­charge. To do this, simply use the scanner until it
beeps every 15 seco nds and

BATT.Lo

flashes.

• To prevent damage to nickel-cadmium batteries,
never charge them in an area where the tempera­ture is above 113°F or below 40°F.

11

Important: At the end of a rechargeable battery’s use­ful life, it must be recycled or disposed of properly.
Contact your local, county, or state hazardous waste
management authorities for information on recycl ing or
disposal programs in your area. Some options that
might be available are: municipal curb-side collect ion,
drop-off boxes at retailers such as your local Ra­dioShack store, recycling collection centers, and mail­back programs.

Using AC Power

You can power the scanner fr om a standard AC outlet
using an optional AC adapter (such as Cat. No. 273-

1665).
Warning: Do not use an AC adapter’s polarized plug

with an extensi on cord, r eceptacle, or other outlet un­less the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade
exposure.

Cautions:

• The recommended AC adapter supplies 9 volts
and delivers at least 300 milliamps. It has a barrel
plug with a c enter negative tip that correctly fits the
scanner’s
does not meet these specifications could dam age
the scanner or the adapter.

• To protect your scanner and AC adapter, always
plug the adapter into the scanner before you plug
it into the AC outlet, and always unplug the
adapter from the AC outlet before you unplug it
from the scanner.

• If batteries are installed, make sure the battery
switch inside the battery compartment is set to the
correct position (see “Using Internal Batteries” on
Page 9).

POWER

jack. Using an adapter that

12

1. Turn

VOLUME/OFF

counterclockwise until it clicks

to make sure the power is turned off.

2. Plug the adapter’s 3.4 mm outside diameter/1.3

mm inside diameter barrel plug into your scanner’s

POWER

jack.

3. Plug the other end of the adapter into a standard

AC outlet.

If rechargeable batteries are installed and

JACK NI-CD

is set to

NI-CD

, the adapter powers the

ALKALINE

scanner and recharges the batteries at the same time.

Using Vehicle Battery Power

You can power the scanner f rom your vehicle’s battery
power using an optional DC adapter such as Cat. No.
270-1560.

Cautions:

• The recommended DC adapter supplies 9 volts
and delivers at least 300 milliamps. It has a barrel
plug with a center negative tip that correctly fits the
scanner’s
not meet these specifications could damage the
scanner or the adapter.

• To protect your vehicle’s electrical system, always
plug the adapter into the scanner before you plug it
into your vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket. Always
unplug the adapter from the vehicle’s cigarette­lighter socket before you unplug it from the scan­ner.

• If batteries are installed, make sure the battery
switch inside the battery compartm ent is set to the
correct position (see “Using Internal Batteries” on
Page 9).

POWER

jack. Using an ad apter that does

13

1. Tur n

VOLUME/OFF

counterclockwise until it clicks

to make sure the power is turned off.

2. Set the adapter’s voltage switch to 9V.

3. Connect the 3.4 mm outer diameter/1.3 mm inner
diameter tip to t he adapter cord, mat ching TIP to –.

4. Plug the adapter ’s barrel plug into your scanner’s

POWER

jack.

5. Plug the other end of the adapter into your vehi­cle’s cigarette-lighter socket.

If you have installed rechargeable batteries and

ALKALINE JACK NI-CD

set

to

NI-CD

, the
adapter powers the scanner and recharges the
batteries at the same ti m e.

Note:

If the scanner does not operate properly when
you use a DC adap ter, unplug the adapter from the cig­arette-lighter socket and clean the socket to remove
ashes and debris.

14

CONNECTING THE ANTENNA

Follow these st eps to attach t he supplied flexible anten­na to the connector on the top of your scanner.

1. Align the slots around the antenna’s connector with
the tabs on the scanner’s BNC connector.

2. Slide the ant enna’s connector down over the scan­ner’s connector and rotate the antenna connector’s
outer ring clockwise until it locks into place.

Connecting an Optional Antenna

The scanner’s BNC connector makes it easy to connect
a variety of optional antennas (such as an external mo­bile antenna or outdoor base stat ion antenna). Your lo­cal RadioShack sto re sel ls a variety of antennas.

Note:

Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG­58 or RG-8, to connect an outdoor antenna. If the dis­tance from the scanner to the antenna is over 50 feet,
use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If your an­tenna’s cable does not have a BNC connector, your lo­cal RadioShack store carries a variety of BNC
adapters.

15

CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/
HEADPHONES

For private listening, you can plug an earphone or
mono headphones (such as Cat. No. 33-178 or 20-

210) into the jack on top of your scanner. This auto­matically disconnects the internal speaker.

Listening Safely

To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when
you use an earphone or headphones.

• Do not listen at extremely high volume levels.
Extended high-volume listening can lead to per­manent hearing loss .

• Set the volume to the lowest setting before you
begin listening. After you begin listening, adjust
the volume to a comfortable level.

• Once 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.

Traffic Safety

Do not use an earphone or headphones with your
scanner when operating a motor vehicle in or near traf­fic. Doing so can create a traffic hazard and could be il­legal in some areas.

If you use an earphone or headphones with your scan­ner, be very careful. Do not listen to a continuous
broadcast. Even though some earphones/headphones
let you hear some outside sounds when listening at
normal volume levels, they still can present a traffic
hazard.

16

CONNECTING AN EXTENSION
SPEAKER

In a noisy area, an extensi on speaker (such as Cat. No.
21-549), positioned in the right place, might provide
more comfortable listening. Plug the speaker cable’s

1

/8-inch mini-plug into your scanner’s jack.

ATTACHING THE BELT CLIP

You can attach the supplied belt clip to make your
scanner easier to use when you are on the go. Use a
Phillips screwdriver and the supplied screws to attach
the belt clip to the scanner. Then sl ide the clip over your
belt or wai stband.

17

ABOUT YOUR SCANNER

Once you under stand a few simple terms we use in this
manual and familiarize yourself with your scanner’s
features, you can put the scanner to work for you. You
simply determin e the ty pe of comm unications you want
to receive, then set the scanner to scan those commu­nications.

frequency

A
pressed in kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies,
you use the

Besides searching within a frequency range you deter­mine, you can also search your scanner’s

banks

categorized by type of service. For example, many am­ateur radio frequencies are located in the
bank.

When you find a frequency, you can store it into a pro­grammable memory location called a
nels are grouped into
scanner has 5 channel-storage banks of 30 channels
each). You can then
to see if there is activity on the frequencies stored
there.

is the tuning location of a station (ex-

search

functio n.

service

. Service banks are preset groups of frequencies

HAM2

service

channel

channel-storage banks

scan

the channel-storage banks

. Chan-

. (This

Or, when you find a frequency, you can store it into a
temporary memory location called a monitor memory
until you decide whether or not to move it to a channel.

Just keep in mind — you
channels.

You can also use your scanner to track trunked trans­missions (see “Trunk Tracking” on Page 39).

18

search

frequencies and

scan

A LOOK AT THE KEYPAD

Your scanner’s keys might seem confusing at first, but
this information should help you understand each key’s
function.

HOLD

— holds the frequency search; holds on the cur-

rent ID in the trunk tracking mode.

SCAN

— scans through the stored channels.

MAN (ma nual)

— stops scanning and lets you directly

enter a channel number or frequency.

PROG (program)

— stores frequencies into channels;
programs the trunking frequency, fleet map, and ID
memories.

TRUNK

— switches between conventional and trunk

tracking.

LIMIT/SRC (search)

— starts a limit search; searches a
specified f requency range to find frequencies; searches
for another active ID while trunk tracking.

DATA

— turns on or off the data signal skip feature;

moves through menu settings while trunk tracking.

PRIORITY/H/S (Hypersearch)

;

the priority fe ature

L-OUT/S/S (search skip)

turns on and off Hypersearch.

—sets and turns on and off

— lets you lock out selected
channels or skip specified frequencies during a search;
lets you lock out a selected ID while trunk tracking.

KEYLOCK/

— locks the keypad to prevent acciden­tal program changes; t urns on the display light for 15
seconds.

19

DELAY

— programs a 2-second delay for the selected
channel, a limit sear ch, or each service scan; programs
a 5-second delay while trunk trackin g.

t — searches down through a selected frequency
range during a frequency search; selects options dur­ing program operation; changes the I D location number
while trunk tracking.

s — searches up through a selected frequency range
during a frequency search; selects options during pro­gram operation; changes the ID locati on number while
trunk tracking.

Number Keys — each key has a sin gle-digit label and a
range of numbers. The single digits are used to enter a
channel, frequency, service bank, or ID number. The
range of numbers (31–60, for example) are used to en­ter the channels that make up a memory bank.

MON/CLEAR/

ories during a search; recalls frequencies from monitor
memories when programming a channel; stores
searched IDs into monitor memories or selects options
while trunk tracking; enters a decimal point or clears an
incorrect entry.

SVC (service)/E (enter)

enters frequencies into channels.

— stores frequencies into monitor mem-

•

— starts a service bank search;

A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY

The display has in dicators that show the scanner’s cur­rent operating status. A good look at the display will
help you understand how your scanner operat es.

— appears with numbers (1–5). The numbers

BANK

show which channel-storage banks are turned on for
scanning.

TRUNK

tracking.

20

— appears when the scanner is set for trunk

(trunking channe l activi ty bars) — each repres ents a
received tr unking frequency or a data frequency while
trunk tracking (s ee “Chann el Acti vity Bar s” on Page 47).

— appears when the weather service band is se-

-1-

lected.

— appears when the amateur radio service band

-2-

is selected.

— appears when the marine service band is se-

-3-

lected.

— appears when the air service band is selected.

-4-

— appears when the police service band is select-

-5-

ed.

— appears when a priority channel is selected.

P

BATT. Lo

DATA

SCAN

LIST

tracking. Numbers with a bar under them show which
ID scan list banks are turned on for scanning.

SVC

SEARCH

search, and blinks when you monitor IDs (see “Monitor­ing IDs” on Page 46).

PRI

HOLD

or when the scanner is holding during a search.

DLY

L/O

frequency you locked out.

K/L

— blinks when the scanner’s battery is low.

— appears when the data skip fun cti on is active.

— appears when you scan channels.

— appears with numbers (1–5) during trunk

— appears during a service search.

— appears during a limit search and ID

— appears when the priority feature is turned on.

— appears when you manually select a channel

— appears when you program a del ay.
— appears when you manually select a channel or

(keylock) — appears when you lock the keypad.

— appears when you make an entry error.

Error

21

— appears during search modes or when you

MON

select a monitor memory. The number to the right of

this indicator shows the current monitor memory num­ber.

— appears when you press

MAN

— appears while you store a frequency into a

PGM

channel, while you enter a frequency range during a
limit search, or when you program trunking frequen­cies, fleet maps, or ID memories while trunk tracking.

HYPER

is active during a direct or limit search.
t and s — appears during a limit, direct, or service

search, indicating the search direction.

S

(during convent ional scanning only).

— appears while Hyperscan or Hypersearch

— appears when t he battery save function is active

MAN

.

UNDERSTANDING BANKS

Service Banks

The scanner is preprogrammed with all the frequencies
allocated to the weather, ham, marine, air craft, and po­lice (fire/emergency) services. This is handy for quickly
finding active frequencies instead of doing a limit
search (see “Servi ce Bank Search” on Page 28).

Channel Storage Banks

To make it easier to identify and select the channels
you want to listen to, channels are divided into 5 banks
of 30 channels each. Use each channel-storage bank
to group frequencies, such as those for the police de­partment, fi re depart ment, ambulance services, or air­craft (see “Guide to t he Acti on Bands” on Page 58).

For example, the police department might use four fre­quencies, one for each side of town. You could pro­gram the police frequencies starting with Channel 1
(the first channel in bank 1), and program the fire de­partment frequencies starting with Channel 31 (the fir st
channel in bank 2).

22

Monitor Memories

The scanner also has 5 temporary memory locations
called monitor memories. You can use these monitor
memories to temporarily store frequencies while you
decide whether to store them into a channel. This is
handy for quickly storing an active frequency when you
search through an entire band ( see “Searching For and
Temporarily St ori ng Active Frequencies” on Page 26).

While you are searching frequencies, the 5 numbers at
the top of the display indicate the 5 monitor memories.

appears and the number beside it that flashes in-

MON

dicates the currently active monitor memor y.

23

OPERATION

TURNING ON THE SCANNER
AND SETTING SQUELCH

Note:

Make sure the scanner’s antenna is connected

before you turn it on.

1. Tur n

2. Tur n

3. Press

SQUELCH

VOLUME/OFF

hear a hissing sound.

MAN

scanning, turn
set to a point just after the hissing sound stops.

fully counterclockwise.

clockwise until it clicks and you

(manual) to stop the scanner from

SQUELCH

clockwise, t hen leave it

24

STORING KNOWN FREQUENCIES
INTO CHANNELS

Good references for active frequencies are Ra­dioShack's “Beyond Police Call,” “Aeronautical Fre­quency Directory,” and “Maritim e Frequency Directory.”
We update these directories every year, so be sure t o
get a current copy.

Follow these steps to store frequencies into channels.

1. Press

2. Use the number keys and

MAN

, enter the channel number where you
want to store a frequency, then press
channel number appears.

•

to enter the frequency

(including the decimal point) you want to store.

PROG

1

. The

3. Press

E

to store the frequency into the channel.

Notes:

• If you entered an invalid frequency in Step 2,

Error

times. Simply enter the frequency agai n.

appears and the scanner beeps three

25

• Your scanner automatically rounds the entered
frequency to the nearest valid frequency. For
example, if you enter a frequency of 151.473,
your scanner acc epts it as 151.475.

DELAY

• Press
seconds after a transmission ends before it pro­ceeds to the next channel (see “Delay” on
Page 33). The scanner also stores this setting
in the channel.

4. If you want to program the next channel in
sequence, pre ss

if you want the scanner to pause 2

PROG

and repeat Steps 2 and 3.

SEARCHING FOR AND
TEMPORARILY STORING ACTIVE
FREQUENCIES

If you do not have a reference to frequencies in your
area, use a limit, direct, or service search to find a
transmission. Also see “Guide to the Action Bands” on
Page 58.

Notes:

search, you can press

While doing a limit, direct, or service bank

:

DELAY

•

• if you want the scanner to skip data signals

if you want the scanner to pause 2 seconds
after a transmission ends before it proceeds to the
next frequency (s ee “Delay” on Page 33).

DATA

(such as fax or modem signals) and search only
for audio (voice) signals (see “Skipping Data Sig­nals” on Page 38).

Limit Search

A limit search lets you search within a specific range
of frequencies.

1. Press

26

PROG

appear.

appears during a limit search.

-L-

LIMIT

, then

.Lo and

29.000 MHz

2. Enter the frequency that is the lower limit of the
range you want to search (including the decimal
point), then press

3. Press

LIMIT

E

.Hi and

.

956.000 MHz

appear.

4. Enter the frequency that is the upper limit of the
range you want to search (including the decimal

E

point), then press

again.

5. Press t to search from the upper to the lower limit,
or s to search from the lower to the upper limit.

6. When the scanner stops
on a transmission,
quickly press either:

HOLD

•

to stop search­ing so you can listen
to the transmission.

appears.

HOLD

MON/CLEAR

•

to store
the displayed fre­quency into the cur­rent monitor memory.

To release hold and continue searching, press

HOLD

or hold down t or s for at least 1 second. Or,

if you did not press

HOLD

, simply press t or s to

continue searching.

Direct Search

Direct search lets you search up or down from the cur­rently displayed frequency.

1. Press

2. Use the number keys to enter the frequency you

MAN

.

want to start the search from. Press
decimal point.

to enter a

•

27

Notes:

• If you want to start the search from a frequency
already stored in one of your scanner’s chan­nels, press
to enter the chan nel number, then press

again.

PROG

MAN

or

, use the number keys

PROG

MAN

or

• If you enter an invalid frequency, the scanner
displays

Error

. Simply re pe a t th is step.

3. Press t to search downward or s to search upward
from the selected frequency.

-d-,SEARCH

, and t

or s appear.

4. When the scanner stops on a transmission,
quickly press ei ther:

•

•

to stop searching so you can listen to the

HOLD

transmission.

MON/CLEAR

appears.

HOLD

to store the displayed frequency

into the current monitor memory.

To release hold and continue searching, press

or hold downt or s for at least 1 second. Or,

HOLD

if yo u did no t pres s

, simply press t or s to

HOLD

continue searching.
Note: To step through the frequencies while

HOLD

is displayed, press t or s.

Service Bank Search

You can search for weather, ham, marine, aircraft, or
police (fire/emergency) transmissions even if you do
not know the specific frequencies being used in your
area. The scanner is preprogrammed with all the fre­quencies allocated to these services. To use thi s fea­ture, press
searches through the weather service band. To select
a different service bank, press the desired service bank
key (

WX1,HAM2,MRN3,AIR4

sponding servic e band number (
or

) appears, and the scanner starts searching the

-5-

band.

28

SVC

.

appears and the scanner

SVC

, or

POL5

-1-,-2-,-3-,-4-

). The corre-

,

When the scanner stops on a transmission, quickly
press either :

HOLD

•

•

to stop searching so you can listen to the

transmission.

MON/CLEAR

appears.

HOLD

to store the displayed frequency into

the current monitor memory.
To release hold and continue searching, press

HOLD

or hold down t or s for at least 1 second. Or,

if you did not press

HOLD

, simply press t or s to

continue searching.

Note:

Because there are many different frequencies al­located to fire and police departments, it takes several
minutes to search all these frequencies.

Search Skip Memory

You can skip up to 20 specified frequencies during a
limit or direct search and up to 20 speci fied frequencies
during a service bank search. This lets you avoid un­wanted frequencies or ones you have already stored in
a channel.

To skip a frequency, press

S/S

when the scanner
stops on the frequency dur­ing a limit, di rect, or service
search. Th e scanner stores
the frequency in memory
and automatically re­sumes the search.

To clear a single frequency from skip memory so the
scanner once again stops on i t during a limit, direct, or
service ban k search:

1. Press

2. Press t or s to select the frequency.

3. Press

HOLD

to hold the search.

S/S

.

disappears.

L/O

L/O

ap-pears.

To clear all the skip frequencies at once while search­ing, press

HOLD

, then hold down

S/S

until the scanner

beeps twice (about 3 seconds).

29

Notes:

• If you marked all frequencies to be skipped within
the search range, the scanner beeps 3 times and
does not search.

• If you program more than 20 frequencies to skip,
each new frequency replaces one you already
stored, starting from the first frequency you stored.

• Press t or s to select a skipped frequency while

appears.

HOLD

skipped frequency.

appears when you select a

L/O

LISTENING TO THE MONITOR
MEMORIES

You can listen to the fre­quency you st ored in any
one of the five monitor
memories by pressing

MAN,MON/CLEAR

the number of the moni­tor memory you want to
listen to (1–5).

Note: To listen to the
monitor memories, the
priority channel feature
must be turned off (see
“Priority” on Page34).

, then

MOVING A FREQUENCY FROM A
MONITOR MEMORY TO A
CHANNEL

1. Press
appears.

2. Enter the number of
the channel where
you want to store
the frequency in a
monitor memory,
then press

appears.

PGM

30

MAN

.

PROG

MAN

.

3. Press

4. Press

MON/CLEAR

monitor memory that contains the frequency you
want to store.

E

. The scanner stores the frequency into the

selected channel.

and enter the number of the

SCANNING THE STORED
CHANNELS

To begin scanning channels, press
scans through all non-locked channels in the activated
banks. (See “Locking Out Channels” on Page 34 and
“Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off” on
Page 33). When the scanner finds a transmission, it
stops on it. W hen the transmission ends, the scanner
resumes scanni ng.

Notes:

• If you have not stored frequencies into any chan­nels, the scanner does not scan.

• If the scanner picks up unwanted, partial, or very
weak transmissions, turn
decrease the scanner's sensitivity to these signals.
If you want to listen to a weak or distant station,
turn

SQUELCH

•If

SQUELCH

ing sound, the scanne r does not scan properl y.

• To scan in the trunk tracking mode, see “Scanning
a Trunked Bank” on Page 43.

counterclockwise.

is adjusted so you always hear a hiss-

SCAN

SQUELCH

. The scanner

clockwise to

MANUALLY SELECTING A
CHANNEL

You can continuously monit or a single 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 periods of silence
— or if you want to monitor a specific channel.

Follow these steps to manually select a channel.

1. Press

2. Enter the channel number.

3. Press

MAN

MAN

.

again.

31

Or, if your scanner is scanning and stops at the desired
channel, press

MAN

one time. (Pressing

MAN

addition­al times causes your scanner to step through the chan­nels.)

To resume automa tic scanning, press

SCAN

.

32

SPECIAL FEATURES

DELAY

Many agencies use a two-way radio system that might
have a period of 2 or more seconds between a query
and a reply. To keep from missing a reply on a specific
channel, you can program a 2-second delay into any
channel or fr equency. The scanner continues to moni­tor the channel frequency for 2 seconds after the trans­mission stops before resuming scanning or searching.

To program a 2-second delay:

• If the scanner is
scanning and stops
on an active channel
where you want to
store a delay, quickly

DELAY

press
continues scanning
again.

• If the desired channel is not selected, manually
select the channel, then press
pears.

• If the scanner is searching, press
scanner is searching.
ner automatically adds a 2-second delay to every
frequency it stops on in t hat band.

DLY

before it

appears.

DELAY

DELAY

appears and the scan-

DLY

.

ap-

DLY

while the

To turn off the 2-second delay, press
scanner is monitoring a channel, scanning, or search­ing.

disappears.

DLY

DELAY

while the

TURNING CHANNEL-STORAGE
BANKS ON AND OFF

You can turn each channel-storage bank on and off.
When you turn off a bank, the scanner does not scan
any of the 30 channels in that bank.

While scanning, press the number key that corresponds
to the bank you want to turn on or off. Numbers appear
at the top of the display, showing the currently selected
banks.

33

The scanner scans all the channels within the dis­played banks that are not locked out (see “Locking Out
Channels”).

Notes:

• You can manually select any channel within a
bank, even if that bank is tur ned off.

• You cannot turn off all banks. One bank must
always be active.

LOCKING OUT CHANNELS

You can increase the scanning speed by locking out
channels that have a continuous transmission, such as
a weather channel. To lock out a channel, manually
select the channel, then press

Note: You can still manually select locked out chan­nels.

To remove the lockout from a channel, manually select
the channel, then press

To unlock all channels in the banks that are turned on,
press
til the scanner beeps twice.

to stop scanning, then hol d down

MAN

S/S

.

L/O

.

L-OUT

L/O

disappears.

appears.

un-

L-OUT

PRIORITY

The priority feature lets you scan through channels and
still not miss important or interesting calls on specific
channels. You can program one stored channel in each
bank as a priority channel (for up to a total of 5 stored
channels). If the priority feature is turned on, as the
scanner scans the bank, it checks that bank’s priority
channel every 2 seconds for activity.

The scanner automatically designates each bank's first
channel as its priority channel. Follow these steps to
select a di fferent channel in a bank as the priority chan­nel.

34

1. Press

PROG

.

2. Enter the channel number you want to select as

the priority channel, then press

PRIORITY

.

P

appears to the right of the channel number.

3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the channel in each bank

you want to program as a priority channel .

To review all priority channels, press
peatedly press

PRIORITY

to see the numbers of the pri-

PROG

, then re­ority channel s.

To turn on the priority feature, press
scanning.

appears. Every 2 seconds the scanner

PRI

PRIORITY

during

checks the prior ity channel in each bank that is turned
on.

To turn off the priority feature, press

PRIORITY

.

PRI

disappears.

Notes:

• The priority feature must be turned off to listen to
the monitor memories or to use the data skip fea­ture.

• You can lock out pri­ority channels. If you
lock out all priority
channels,

LOC OUt

appears when you
turn on the priority
feature.

35

USING THE KEYLOCK

Once you program your scanner, you can protect it
from accidental program changes by turning on the
keylock feature. When locked, the only controls that
operate are

SQUELCH

Note:

scanning channels.

SCAN,MAN,KEYLOCK,VOLUME/OFF

.

The keylock does not prevent the scanner from

, and

To turn on the keylock, hold down
appears. To turn it off, hold down
disappears.

KEYLOCK

KEYLOCK

until

until

K/L
K/L

USING THE DISPLAY BACKLIGHT

You can turn on the display light for easy viewing at
night. Press to turn on the display light for 15 sec­onds. To turn off the light before 15 seconds elapse,
press the button again.

CHANGING SEARCH SPEEDS

The PRO-91 has two search speeds.

Normal Search Hypersearch

100 steps/second 300 steps/second

To switch between the normal and Hypersearch
speeds during limit search or direct search, press

appears during Hypers earch.

HYPER

Note:

You can use Hypersearch only i n the 5 kHz step

bands (29–54 MHz and 137–174 MHz).

36

H/S

.

TURNING THE KEY TONE OFF/ON

To turn off the key tone, follow these steps.

1. Turn off the scanner.

2. While holding down
ner.

OFF bEEP

L-OUT/S/S,

appears.

turn on the scan-

To turn the key tone back on, repeat these steps.

appears.

bEEP

on

TURNING THE BATTERY SAVE
FUNCTION OFF/ON

To save battery power when a channel is manually se­lected or while you program the scanner, the scanner
automatically sets itself to a standby (battery save)
mode if no button is pressed for more than 5 seconds
and no signal is received. appears when battery
save is set to on.

While the batt ery save mode is set to on, the scanner
repeatedly turns off the internal power for 1 second,
then turns it back on for about
transmission.

The scanner is pre set with the bat tery save mode set to
on, but you can turn it off or back on.

Note:

The battery save mode does not work if the pr ior ­ity function is on, even if a channel is manually select­ed.

To turn the batt ery save function off or back on, turn off
the scanner, then hold down
scanner.

•

OFF SAVE

been turned off.

•

on SAVE

been turned on.

briefly appears when battery save has

briefly appears when battery save has

S

1

/2 second to check for a

PRIORITY

and turn on th e

37

SKIPPING DATA SIGNALS

A

A

You can set the scanner so it skips nonmodulated or
data signals (such as fax or modem transmissions)
during a search or scan.

Note:

Since data signals are not generally found in the

air band, this feat ure does not work in the air band.

To turn on the data skip feature, be sure the priority
feature is turned off (see “Priority” on Page 34), then

DATA

press . appears. To turn off the feature,

DATA

press again. disappears .

DAT

DAT

38

TRUNK TRACKING

Your scanner is designed to track transmissions on Mo­torola Type I, Type II, and hybrid analog trunking sys­tems, which are extensively used in 800 MHz
communications. Remember these important points
when tracking transmissions:

• Your scanner monitors Type II systems by default.
However, you can change this if the system in your
area is different (see “Types of Trunking Systems”
below and “Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked
Systems” on Page 50 for more information).

• Your scanner cannot track transmissions on non­Motorola t runking systems.

• Your scanner cannot track an 800 MHz trunked
system and scan conventional frequencies at the
same time.

• The frequencies for many of the 800 MHz public
safety systems are listed in the separate “National
Public Safety Trunked System Frequency Guide”
included wit h your PRO-91.

TYPES OF TRUNKING SYSTEMS

Your trunk tracking scanner can monitor two basic types
of systems —
specific frequency to transmit on, a trunked system
chooses one of seve ral frequencies in a 2- way radio us­er’s talk group when that user presses PTT (push to
talk). Thus, trunking systems allocate a few frequencies
among many different user s, but the way Type I and
Type II sy stems do this is sli ghtly dif ferent. One impo r­tant dist inction between these systems is the amount of
data transmitted by each radio when its push-to-talk
(PTT) button is pressed. In a Type I system, the radio’s
ID and its c urrent affilia tion (the trunk syste m it be longs
to) are both transmitted. In a Type II system, only the ra­dio’s ID is transmitted.

Why the difference? In Type I systems, each radio in
the trunk group indivi dually transmits its own affiliation,
while the trunk system maintains a database that deter­mines each radio's affiliation(s) in Type II systems.

Another difference between the systems is that Type I
systems are arranged in a fleet-subfleet hierarchy. For
example, it is possible for a ci ty using a Type I system
to designate 4 fleets, each with 8 subfleets.

Type I

and

Type II

. Instea d o f sel ecti ng a

39

The fleets might be the police department, the fire de­partment, utilities, and city administration. The police
might decide to further divide its fleet into subfleets
such as dispatch, tactical operations, detectives, north,
south, east and west side patrols, and supervisors. All
the available polic e radios would then be assigned to
one of the police subfleets, letting the police centralize
their communications and control the type of users on
a single system. Determining the exact fleet-subfleet
hierarchy for a particular area is referred to as fleet
map programming.

The disadvantage of a Type I system is that the brief
burst of data sent when a user transmi ts must contain
the radio’s ID and its fleet and subfleet. This is three
times the amount of data a Type II system radio sends.
Since the data capaci ty of Type I syst ems is limi ted and
the amount of data increases with each user, Type I
systems usually accom modate fewer users than Type
II systems. Nevertheless, Type I systems are still in
use.

There are also
of both Type I and Type II. Your scanner defaults to
monitor Type II systems, but you can change to Type I
or a hybrid of Type I and Type II systems by selecting a
preprogrammed fleet map or creating a custom fleet
map for your area (see “Scanning Type I and Hybrid
Trunked Systems” on Page50).

You do not need to determine the fleet-subfleet hierar­chy for Type II systems unless you are tracking hybrid
systems that contain both Type I and Type II systems.

hybrid

systems which are a combinati on

SETTING THE SCANNER TO THE
TRUNK TRACKING MODE

TRUNK

Press
and trunk tracking.

to switch between conventional scanning

40

SETTING SQUELCH FOR THE
TRUNK TRACKING MODE

Your scanner’s squelch setting is automatically adjust­ed during trunk tracking, which means it is not neces­sary to manually adjust squelch while tracking trunked
transmissions. However, the squelch setting can affect
how fast your scanner acquires the dat a channel, and,
in some instances, can prevent your scanner from ac­quiring the data channel at all.

We recommend you set
selecting a tr unked bank.

Note:

You can change this setting, i f necessary, to pro-

vide better performance in your area.

SQUELCH

to this position before

STORING TRUNKED
FREQUENCIES

Before you set up your scanner to track a trunked sys­tem, consider the following:

• Valid trunked system frequencies range from

851.0000–868.9875 in 12.5 kHz steps.

• You can use any of your scanner’s banks as either
a trunk tracking bank or conventional scanning
bank, but you cannot mix the two.

• The scanner only scans one trunked system at a
time. Although you can store frequencies for more
than one trunked system in one of your scanner’s
banks, the scanner only scans the frequencies
associated with the first data channel it finds.

41

Before scan ning a trunked system’s t ransmissions, you
must store the trunked system’s frequenci es in one of
the banks in your scanne r by fol lowing these steps.

1. Press

PROG

then

TRUNK

.

TRUNK

appears and

one or more bank numbers flash.

2. Select the bank you want to store the trunked sys­tem’s frequencies in by pressing a number key.
The scanner automatically selects the first channel
in the bank when you select the bank.

3. Use the number keys to enter one of the trunked
system’s frequencies, then press

and the bank number, the channel number,

BANK

E

.

TRUNK,

and the frequency appear.

Note:

If you entered an invalid frequency, the

scanner beeps, the channel number flashes and

appears. If this happens, press • to clear

Error

the frequency, then repeat this step.

4. Press either

PROG

or s to select the next channel

in the bank.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until all frequencies have
been entered in that bank.

42

6. Press
searching for the trunk’s
data channel (t he channel
that controls the trunk).

SEARCH

scanner searches for the
data channel.

While the scanner looks through the frequencies,
you see them on the display. When the scanner
finds the data chan nel, it begins trunk tracking.

SRC

to begin

flashes as the

SCANNING A TRUNKED BANK

You can scan one trunked bank at a time. Once you
have stored fr equencies for a trunked system in one or
more of the 5 available banks and you are scanning
conventional (non-trunked) frequencies, follow these
steps to begin trunk scanning.

1. Press

TRUNK

along with

. The numbers for all banks flash,

BANK

and

TRUNK

.

2. Use the number keys to enter the number for the
trunked bank you want to scan, then press
The scanner searches for a data channel. When
the scanner finds it, it begins trunk tracking.

If you entered all of the trunk’s frequencies, you
should be able to follow conversations between
broadcasters even when they change frequen­cies. IDs, which represent different service
groups , a pp ear.

ID

3. To return to conventional scanning, press
again.

SRC

TRUNK

43

.

Hint: While scanning, you will not know exactly who
the IDs are assigned t o until you listen awhile or until
you locate ID lists in frequency guides or on internet
sites such as
minutes, you can usually figure out if what you are lis­tening to is a police, fire, or emergency medical 2- way
radio user. Other IDs might take some time, but deter­mining who each ID represents is half the fun of trunk
tracking!

www.trunkscanner .com

. Within a few

Monitoring an Active ID

When the scanner stops on a transmission, you can
hold the scanner on that transmission.

1. Press
stays on the current ID.

2. If you want to listen to a different ID, use the num­ber keys to enter the ID you want to hold.

3. Press
flash and the scanner monitors that ID.

4. When you want to stop the hold and resume
searching for a data channel so you can continue
trunk tracking, press

HOLD

HOLD

.

again.

appears and the scanner

HOLD

and the channel number

HOLD

.

SRC

Note: You can also foll ow these steps to hold on an ID

while scanning a scan list. See “Scan Lists” on
Page 48.

T emporarily Storing an ID into t he Monitor
ID Memory

1. When your scanner stops on an ID you want to
store, press
ID into th e monitor ID memory.

2. Press

Note: To progra m the ID stored in the monitor ID mem­ory into the ID scan list, see “Scan Lists” on Page 48.

44

MON/CLEAR

to resume searching.

SRC

. The scanner stores the

Locking Out IDs

As with conventional scanning, it is possible to lock out
unwanted traffic. This is particularly important i n trunk­ed systems because signals you cannot listen to (such
as water meters, door alarms, traffic signals, and en­crypted signals) are assigned IDs just like other users.
You can have up to 100 IDs locked out at one tim e.

Note:

If you lock out an ID while searching, it is also
locked out of the scan list(s). See “Scan Lists” on
Page 48.

To lock out an ID, press

L-OUT

when the ID appears.

The ID is locked out, and the next active ID appears.

Unlocking a Single ID

1. Hold down

2. Repeatedly press t or s to select the ID you want to
unlock.

3. Press
The ID is unlocked, and the next locked ID or

–– –––

4. Press
tion.

L-OUT

until you hear two short beeps.

L-OUT

.

(if there are no othe r locked IDs) appears.

SRC

to continue the scanner’s pre vious fun c-

Unlocking All IDs

Hold down
press
beeps twice.

L-OUT

until you hear two short beeps. Then

to unlock all the IDs at once. The scanner

E

Note:

When you unlock all the IDs, the scan list ap­pears. Press
lists or press

SCAN

to scan the IDs stored in your scan

SRC

to continue the scanner’s previous
function. For more information about scan lists, see
“Scan Lists” on Page 48.

45

Using Trunk Tracking Scan Delay

Many trunked systems have a period of 2 or more sec­onds between a query and a reply. You can program a
5-second delay to hold on an ID for 5 seconds to wait
for a reply. The scanner continues to monitor the fre­quency for 5 seconds after the transmission stops be­fore resumi ng scanning.

DELAY

Press

appears when trunk tracking scan delay is set.

DLY

Note:

trunk tracking scan delay set, you might need to
change the default system type or the fleet map you
are using. See “ Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked
Systems” on Page 50.

to turn trunk tracking scan delay on or off.

If you consistently miss responses even with

Monitoring IDs

You can use your scanner’s display to monitor the fr e­quencies in a trunked system for acti vity. You cannot
hear conversations in this mode, but this is an exce ll ent
way to determine which talk groups are the most ac­tive. To set the scanner to monitor IDs, hold down

MON/CLEAR

flash, and all active talk group IDs appear in quick suc­cession. To stop monitoring IDs, press

Note:

pear.

46

until

SEARCH

When you monitor I Ds, locked-out IDs also ap-

and the channel number

SRC

again.

CHANNEL ACTIVITY BARS

Your scanner has 20 channel activity indicators (bars)
which show the activity taking place on a trunked sys­tem. You can see how many frequencies are being
used and generally monitor how much communication
traffi c is oc c ur ring.

Each frequency you store in a trunking bank has a cor­responding acti vity bar. However, since there are only
20 bars, but you can store up to 30 frequencies, some
bars might indicate more than one frequency if the
trunked system you are scanning has more than 20
channels.

• The bar that remai ns on steadily even when there
are no current transmissions represents the fre­quency being used as the dat a channel.

• The bar that flashes when an ID appears repre­sents the frequency being used by the radio to
transmit what you are currently hear ing.

• If a bar turns on but you do not hear a conversa­tion, the channel is probably being used for a tele­phone interconnect call or a private call, or the bar
might be a locked-out ID. Your scanner does not
monitor these types of calls.

BANK 2

• If the scanner is holding on an ID which is not
active, the other activity bars turn on and off as
other groups use the system.

47

SCAN LISTS

When you program trunked frequencies into a bank
(see “Storing Trunked Frequencies” on Page 41), your
scanner sets up 5 scan lists into which you can store
your favorite IDs. Each list can contain up to 10 IDs, so
you can store a total of 50 IDs for each trunk tracking
bank (250 IDs if you use all banks as t runking banks!).
Scan lists hel p you organize trunking system use rs into
categories. For example, you might use List 1 for polic e
IDs, List 2 for fir e department IDs, List 3 for emergency
medical service IDs, and so on. Once IDs are stored in
lists, you can scan them like you scan conventional
channels. You can program IDs into scan lists manual­ly, during a search, or automatically.

Manually Storing IDs into Scan Lists

1. Select the t runking bank you want (see “Scanning
a Trunked Bank” on Page43).

2. After the scanner begins trunk tracking, press

MAN

. A number showing the current scan list
appears steadily at the top of the display, and bars
which show activity in other banks appear.

3. Press

4. Enter the Type II ID you want to store, then press

48

MAN

then repeatedly press s or t to select
the ID scan list location (shown at the top of the
display) where you want to store an ID. Then,

PROG

press

E

.

to select the ID you want to store.

ID Scan List

Or , to ent er a Ty pe I ID:
a. Use the number keys to enter the block number

and fleet number, then press

b. Enter the subfleet number, then press

Note:

To clear a mistake while entering an ID,

0

press

5. Repeatedly press
scan list location you want to program. Then repeat
Step 4 to enter another ID.

then E, then start over at Step 1.

PROG

.

•

or s to select the next

Moving IDs to Scan Lists

E

.

1. Press

2. Select the I D scan list location where you want to

3. Press

4. Press

MAN

.

appears.

MAN

store the IDs. Then press

MON/CLEAR

E

. The scanner stores the IDs into the

selected ID scan lists.

. A monitor ID appears.

PROG

.

PGM

appears.

Deleting a Stored ID

1. Press

2. Repeatedly press s or t to select the scan list loca-

3. Press

PROG

.

appears.

PGM

tion (shown at the top of the display) you want to
delete.

0

then E.

49

SCANNING THE SCAN LISTS

SCAN

Press
stored.

Note:

the display, but your scanner does not stop on an ac­tive conversation.

To remove a scan list from active scanning, use the
number keys t o enter the scan list’s number. The scan
list number turns off, and the IDs in that list are not
scanned.

Note:

remove all of the scan lists.

To restore a scan list to active scanning, use the num­ber keys to enter its number again.

Press

to begin scanning the lists you have

If you have not stored any IDs,

One scan list must always be active. You cannot

SRC

to return to the scanner’s previous function.

SCAN

scrolls on

SCANNING TYPE I AND HYBRID
TRUNKED SYSTEMS

Your PRO-91 is set to sc an Type II user IDs by default.
When you scan trunked frequencies, each Type II user
ID you see appears as an even number without a dash
(such as 2160). Your PRO-91 can also scan Type I
trunked systems. Each Type I ID appear s as a three- or
four-digit number, followed by a hyphen, followed by a
one- or two-digit number (such as 200-14). If you no­tice a mix of odd- and even-user IDs (such as 6477,
2160, 6481, 6144, and 1167), then you are probably
monitoring either a Type I or hybrid (a combination of
Type I and Type II user IDs) system (see “Types of
Trunking Systems” on Page 39).

You might also notice that you are missing responses
when you hold on an active ID. Unli ke Type II systems,
Type I and hybrid systems require a fleet map that sets
specific fleet-subfleet parameters. It is easy to select a
fleet map to scan; what is not always easy is selecting
or programm ing a map that is being used in your par ti c­ular area.

50

4. Press again.

DATA

5. Repeatedly press s or t to select the name of the
map you want (such as

). The prepro-

E1P7

grammed fleet map appears.

6. Press

E

, then

SRC.

The scanner then searches for

transmissions using the preset map you chose.

Note:

When the scanner searches for transmissions,

you see Type I fleet and subfleet IDs such as

100-9,000-12

, or

400-8

.

100-12

How do you know if the preset map you selected is cor­rect? List en to see if you are f ollowing complete conver­sations. If not, try another preset map.

Programming a Fleet Map

1. Set the scanner for conventional scanning, press

PROG

, then press

2. Select the bank where you want to program the
fleet map by pressing a number key.

3. Press

DATA

4. Repeatedly press s or t to select E1, then press

DATA

. A preprogrammed fleet map appears.

5. Repeatedly press s or t until

E

press

.

TRUNK

.

.

appears. Then

USr

,

6. Press .

DATA

7. Repeatedly press s or t to select the size code for
the first block, then press

E

. The next available

block appears.

Block

8. Repeat Step 7 until you have selected a size code
for each block you want to work with.

51

When a Type I system is designed, the address infor­mation for all its user IDs is divided into 8 equal-size
blocks, numbered 0–7, and each block is assigned a
size code. When you set up your scanner to track a
Type I system, you must choose a size code for each
block. When you have chosen a size code for all 8
blocks, you will have duplicated the
system you are tracking. If you have chosen correctly,
you will be able to track transmissions in that syst em .

Each size code defines the number of fleets, subfleets,
and IDs each block has. For example, you can see in
the following table that a size code of S-4 has one fleet,
which is div ided into 16 separate subfleets, and it has a
total of 512 individual IDs.

fleet m ap

for the

Size Fleets Subfleets IDs Blocks

S-0 Reserved block for Type II IDs
S-1 128 4 16 1
S-2 16 8 64 1
S-3 8 8 128 1
S-4 1 16 512 1
S-5 64 4 32 1
S-6 32 8 32 1
S-7 32 4 64 1
S-8 16 4 128 1
S-9 8 4 256 1
S-10 4 8 256 1
S-11 2 16 256 1
S-12 1 16 1024 2
S-13 1 16 2048 4
S-14 1 16 4096 8

Each ID in the block is unique. The left-most digit is the
block number in the ID. The next two digits identify
which fleet is active, and the last digit(s) (after the hy­phen) identifies the subfleet .

Used

52

The size codes selected by a Type I system designer
depend on the specific needs of the system's users.
Some organizations might want many subfleets with
only a few radios each, while another organization
might want onl y a few subfleets, with m any radios each.
To scan Type I systems, you must select or program a
fleet map with the same size code assignments as the
trunked system. If you do this accurately, you will track
all the fleet and subf leet combinations used by the sys­tem. In other wo rds, y ou will hea r comp lete comm uni­cations whi le monitori ng a trunked system.

Note: Preset fleet maps might be available at

www.trunkscanner .com

.

If you do not al ready know the size codes used, you will
have to guess them. But since you do not have to figure
out all the blocks at once, this is not as hard as it
seems. Select a size code for a block, then press

SRC

Now listen to the communicat io ns. If you decid e you are
receiving most of the replies to the conversations with
IDs assigned to the block you just programmed, then
you have probably selected the right size code and can
work on the next block of the map.

There are 16 preset fleet maps to choose from, and it is
best to start with these when setting up a Type I or hy­brid trunk tracking bank. If none of the following preset
fleet maps allow you to follow complete conversations,
then you probably need to program your ow n fleet map
(see “Programming a Fleet Map” on Page 51).

.

E1P1 E1P2 E1P3

Block

0S110S40S4
1S111S41S4
2S112S42S4
3S113S43S4
4S114S44S4
5S115S45S4
6 S11 6 S4 6 S12
7 S11 7 S4 7 (S12)

Size
Code Block

Size
Code Block

Size
Code

53

E1P4 E1P5 E1P6

Block

0S120S40S3
1 (S12) 1 S4 1 S10
2 S4 2 S12 2 S4
3S43(S12)3S4
4S44S44S12
5 S4 5 S4 5 (S12)
6S46S46S12
7 S4 7 S4 7 (S12)

Block

0S100S10S4
1S101S11S4
2S112S22S0
3S43S23S0
4S44S34S0
5S45S35S0
6S46S46S0
7S47S47S0

Size
Code Block

E1P7 E1P8 E1P9

Size
Code Block

Size
Code Block

Size
Code Block

Size
Code

Size
Code

E1P10 E1P11 E1P12

Block

0S00S40S0
1S01S01S0
2S02S02S0
3S03S03S0
4S04S04S0
5S05S05S0
6S46S06S0
7S47S07S4

Size
Code Block

Size
Code Block

Size
Code

54

E1P13 E1P14

Block

0S30S4
1S31S3
2S112S10
3S43S4
4S44S4
5S05S4
6 S0 6 S12
7 S0 7 S12

Block

0S40S3
1 S4 1 S10
2 S4 2 S10
3S113S11
4S114S0
5S05S0
6S126S12
7S127S12

Size
Code Block

E1P15 E1P16

Size
Code Block

Size
Code

Size
Code

Selecting a Preset Fleet Map

1. Set the scanner for conventional scanning, press

PROG

, then press

2. Select the bank wher e you want to store the preset
fleet map by pressing a number key.

3. Press .

DATA

4. Repeatedly press s or t to select

flashes, press E.

E1

TRUNK

.

. Then, when

E1

55

9. Press

Note:

restrictions apply:

• S-12 can only be assigned to Blocks 0, 2, 4, or 6.

• S-13 can only be assigned to Blocks 0 and 4.

• S-14 can only be assigned to Block 0.

Since these size codes requi re multiple bl ocks, you will
be prompted for the next available block when pro­gramming a fleet map. For example, if you assign
Block 0 as an S-12, the scanner prompts you for
the next block available, instead of b1. And if you as­sign Block 0 as an S-14, you would not see another
prompt because it uses all available blocks.

SRC

. The scanner exits the trunking pro­gramming mode, tunes the data channel, then
begins to search using the map you programmed.

If you select size co de S-1 2, S-13, o r S-14, the se

b2

Programming a Hybrid System

A hybrid system is simply a Type I system with some of
its blocks designated as Type II blocks. To program a
hybrid system, fol low the steps listed in “Programming
a Fleet Map” on Page 51. However, if you want a block
to be Type II, select size code

S-0

in Step 7.

,

56

A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING

Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner
is mainly “line-of-sight.” That means you usually cannot
hear stations that are beyond the horizon.

GUIDE TO FREQUENCIES

National Weather Frequencies

162.400 162.475 162.525

162.425 162.500 162.550

162.450

Canadian Weather Frequencies

161.650 161.775 163.275

Note:

These frequencies are not preprogrammed in the
weather servi ce bank but can be manually programmed
into a channel.

Birdie Frequencies

Every scanner has birdie frequencies. Birdies are sig­nals created inside the scanner’s receiver. These oper­ating freque ncies might interfere with broadcasts on the
same frequencies. If you program one of these frequen­cies, you hear only noise on that frequency. If the inter­ference is not severe, you might be able to turn

SQUELCH

clockwise to cut out the bi rdi e.

This scanner’s birdie frequencies (in MHz) are:

31.2000 41.6000 52.0000 138.7100

138.7150 145.6000 148.6200 165.3000

171.2500 406.2250 407.7625 407.8125

413.1750 413.2250 416.1375 426.0375

426.0500 435.9500 455.7625 455.8625

455.7750 465.6750 475.5875 485.4875

489.2500 495.4000 505.3000 505.3125

813.4000 820.9500 822.3625 899.2375

57

GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS

T y pic al Band Usage

VHF Band

Low Range 29.00–50.00 MHz
6-Meter Am ate ur 50.00 –5 4.00 MHz
U.S. Government 137.00–144.00 MHz
2-Meter Am ate ur 144.0 0– 148.00 MH z
High Range 148.00–174.00 MHz

UHF Band

U.S. Government 406.00–420.00 MHz
70-cm Amateur 420.00–450.00 MHz
Low Range 450.00–470.00 MHz
FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide
Band
Public Ser v i ce 806 .0 0–823.93 MH z
Conventional Systems 851.00–856.00 MHz
Conventional/Trunked Sys­tems
Trunked Systems 861.00–866.00 MHz
Public Safety 866.00–868.93 MHz
High Range 896.11–902.00 MHz
33-Centimeter Amateur 902.00–928.00 MHz
Privat e Trunk ed 935.0 0– 940.00 MH z
General Trunked 940.00–941.00 MHz
Fixed Services 941.00 –944.00 MHz
Studio-to-Transmitter Broad­cast Links
Private Fixed Services, Paging 952.00–956.00 MHz

470.00 –512.00 MHz

856.00 –861.00 MHz

944.00 –952.00 MHz

Primary Usage

As a general rule, most of the radio acti vity is concen­trated on the following frequencies:

VHF Band

Activities Frequencies

Government, Police, and Fire 153.78 5–155.980 MHz
Emergency Services 158.730–159.460 MHz
Railroad 160.00 0–161.900 MHz

58

UHF Band

Activities Frequencies

Land-M ob ile “Paired ” Fre­quencies

Base Stations 451.02 5–454.950 MHz
Mobile Units 456.025–459.950 MHz
Repeater Units 460.025–464.975 MHz
Control Stations 465.025–469.975 MHz

450.000–470.000 MHz

Note: Remote contr ol stations and mobile units operate
at 5 MHz higher than their associat ed base stations and
relay repeate r units.

BAND ALLOCATION

To help decide which freque ncy ra nges to scan, use the
following list ing of the typical services that use the fre­quencies your scanner receives. These freq uencies are
subject to change, and might vary from area to area.
For a more com plete listing, refer t o the “Police Call Ra­dio Guide including Fire and Emergency Services,”
available at your l ocal RadioShack store.

Abbreviations Services

BIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boise (ID) Interagency Fire Cache

BUS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Business

CAP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Civil Air Patrol

CB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Citizens Band

CCA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Common Carrier

CSB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conventional Systems

CTSB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conventional/Trunked Systems

FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fire Department

HAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amateur (Ham) Radio

GOVT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Federal Government

GMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .General Mobile Radio

GTR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .General Trunked

IND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Industrial Services

. . . (Manufacturing, Construction, Farming, Forest Products)

MAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Military Amateur Radio

MARI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maritime Limited Coast

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Coast Guard, Marine Telephone,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shipboard Radio, Private Stations)

MARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Military Affiliate Radio System

MED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emergency/Medical Services

MIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . U.S. Military

MOV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Motion Picture/Video Industry

NEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Mobile Narrow

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Relay Press (Newspaper Reporters)

OIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil/Petroleum Industry

POL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Police Department

PUB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Public Services

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Pub-

lic Safety, Local Government, Forestry Conservation)

PSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Public Safety

PTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Private Trunked

59

ROAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Road & Highway Maintenance

RTV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Radio/TV Remote Broadcast Pickup

TAXI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taxi Services

TELB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mobile Telephone

(Aircraft, Radio Common Carrier, Landline Comp anies)

TELC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cordless Phones

TELM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone Maintenance

TOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T o w Trucks

TRAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Transportation Services

TSB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Trunked Systems

TVn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FM-TV Audio Broadcast

USXX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Government Classified

UTIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power & Water Utilities

WTHR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weather

VERY HIGH FREQUENCY (VHF)
VHF Low B and—(29–50 MHz—in 5 kHz steps)

29.000–29.700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM

29.900–30.550 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL

30.580–31.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, PUB

32.000–32.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL

33.020–33.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS, IND, PUB

34.010–34.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL

35.020–35.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS, PUB, IND, TELM

36.000–36.230 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL

36.250. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil Spill Cleanup

36.270–36.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL

37.020–37.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB, IND

38.000–39.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL

39.020–39.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB

40.000–42.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, MARI

42.020–42.940 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POL

42.960–43.180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND

43.220–43.680 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TELM, IND, PUB

43.700–44.600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TRAN

44.620–46.580 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POL, PUB

46.600–46.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, TELC

47.020–47.400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB

47.420. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Red Cross

47.440–49.580 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, PUB

49.610–49.990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIL, TELC

6-Meter Amateur Band—(50–54 MHz)

50.00–54.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM

Aircraft Band—(108–137 MHz)

108.00–121.490 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AIR

121.500. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AIR Emergency

121.510–136.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AIR

U.S. Government Band (137–144 MHz)

137.000–144.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, MIL

2-Meter Amateur Band (1 44–148 MHz)

144.000–148.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM

VHF High Band (148–174 MHz)

148.050–150.345 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CAP, MAR, MIL

150.775–150.790 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED

150.815–150.980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOW, Oil Spill Cleanup

150.995–151.475 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ROAD, POL

151.490–151.955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IND, BUS

151.985. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELM

(Trucks, Tow Trucks, Buses, Railroad, Other)

60

152.0075 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED

152.030–152.240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB

152.270–152.480 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI, BUS

152.510–152.840 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB

152.870–153.020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, MOV

153.035–153.725 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, OIL, UTIL

153.740–154.445 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PUB, FIRE

154.490–154.570 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, BUS

154.585 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil Spill Cleanup

154.600–154.625 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS

154.655–156.240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MED, ROAD, POL, PUB

156.255–157.425 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OIL, MARI

157.450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED

157.470–157.515 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TOW

157.530–157.725 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI

157.740 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS

157.770–158.100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB

158.130–158.460 . . . . . . . . . . . .BUS, IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL

158.490–158.700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB

158.730–159.465 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .POL, PUB, ROAD

159.480 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OIL

159.495–161.565 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRAN

161.580–162.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OIL, MARI, RTV

162.0125–162.35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX

162.400–162.550 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WTHR

162.5625–162.6375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX

162.6625 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED

162.6875–163.225 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX

163.250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED

163.275–166.225 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX

166.250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GOVT, RTV, FIRE

166.275–169.400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, BIFC

169.445–169.505 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wireless Mikes, GOVT

169.55–169.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL, USXX

170.000–170.150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BIFC, GOVT, RTV, FIRE

170.175–170.225 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT

170.245–170.305 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wireless Mikes

170.350–170.400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL

170.425–170.450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIFC

170.475 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PUB

170.4875–173.175 . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, PUB, Wireless Mikes

173.225–173.5375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOV, NEWS, UTIL, MIL

173.5625–173.5875 . . . . . . . . . . . .MIL Medical/Crash Crews

173.60–173.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT

ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY (UHF)
U. S. Government Band (406–420 MHz)

406.125–419.975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, USXX

70-cm Am ateur Band (420–450 MHz)

420.000–450.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM

Low Band (450–470 MHz)

450.050–450.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RTV

451.025–452.025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL

452.0375–453.00 . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI, TRAN TOW, NEWS

453.0125–454.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PUB, OIL

454.025–454.975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TELB

455.050–455.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RTV

457.525–457.600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS

458.025–458.175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED

460.0125–460.6375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FIRE, POL, PUB

460.650–462.175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS

462.1875–462.450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BUS, IND

462.4625–462.525 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL

462.550–462.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GMR, BUS

61

462.9375–463.1875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MED

463.200–467.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUS

FM-TV Audio Broadcast, UHF Wide Band (470–512 MHz)
(Channels 14 through 69 in 6 MH z steps)

475.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 14

481.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 15

487.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 16

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

511.750. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Channel 20

Note:

Some cities use the 470–512 MHz band for land/

mobile service.

Conventional Systems Band – Locally Assigned

851.0125–855.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CSB

Conventional/Trunked Systems Band – Locally Assigned

856.0125–860.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CTSB

Trunked Systems Ban d – Locally Assigned

861.0125–865.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TSB

Public Safety Band – Locally Assigned

866.0125–868.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PSB

33-Centimeter Amateur Band (902–928 MHz)

902.0000–928.0000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM

Private Trunke d

935.0125–939.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PTR

General Trunked

940.0125–940.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GTR

FREQUENCY CONVERSION

The tuning location of a station can be expressed in
frequency (kHz or MHz) or in wavelength (meter s). The
following infor m ati on can help you make the neces sary
conversions.

1 MHz (million) = 1,000 kHz (thousand)

To convert MHz to kHz, multiply the number of mega­hertz by 1,000:

9.62 (MHz) x 1000 = 9620 kHz

To convert from kHz to MHz, divide the number of kilo­hertz by 1,000:

2780 (kHz) ÷ 1000 = 2. 780 MHz

To convert MHz to m eters, divide 300 by the number of
megahertz:

300 ÷ 7.1 MHz = 42.25 meters

62

TROUBLESHOOTING

If you have problems, here are some suggestions that
might help. If they do not, take your scanner t o your
local RadioShack store for assistance.

PROBLEM

Scanner is on but
will not scan.

Scanner is totally
inoperative.

The scanner’s
displa y di ms or
the scanner
sounds a tone
every 15
onds.

30 sec-

–

POSSIBLE

CAUSE

SQUELCH

adjusted cor­rectly.

Only one cha nnel
or no channels
are stored.

No power. Check the batter-

The AC adapter
or DC adapter is
not connected.

Batteries are not
correctly
installed.

The batteries are
weak.

is not

REMEDY

Turn

SQUELCH

clockwise.

Store f requencies
into mor e than
one channel.

ies or make sure
the AC adapt e r or
DC adapter is
connected prop­erly.

Recharge the
rechargeable bat­teries or replace
the non-recharge­able batteries.

Be sur e the
adapte r’s barrel
plug is fully
plugged into the

jack.

POWER

Make sure the
batteries are
installed properly.

Recharge the
rechargeable bat­teries or replace
the non-recharge­able batteries.

Keypad does not
work.

BATT. Lo

flashes.

The keylock func­tion is activated.

The batteries are
weak.

To turn off the
keylock, press

KEYLOCK

K/L

Recharge the
rechargeable bat­teries or replace
the non-recharge­able batteries.

until

disapp ea r s .

63

PROBLEM

POSSIBLE

CAUSE

REMEDY

PROBLEM

Error

appears.

The scan ner
locks on frequen­cies t hat have an
unclea r transmis­sion.

Scanner will not
track a trunked
system.

POSSIBLE

CAUSE

An ante nna is not
connec te d or
connec te d incor­rectly.

Programming
error.

Stored frequen­cies are the same
as “bi rdie” fre­quencies.

The transmis­sion might not
use a system t hat
can be tracked by
your scanner.

The data fre­quency is miss­ing.

REMEDY

Make sure an
antenna is con­nected to the
scanner.

Re-enter the fre­quency correctly,
including the deci­mal poin t.

Avoid stor i ng fre ­quencies listed
under “Birdie Fre­quencies” on
Page 57 or onl y
listen to them
manually.

Scan another
transmission.

Find the da ta fre­quency (see
“Storing Trunked
Frequencies” on
Page 41).

Scanner is set to
receiv e Type I
trunked frequen­cies, but does
not scan them.

64

The system you
are trying to track
is a Type I sys­tem, and the
scanner is set to
scan Type II sys­tems.

The fleet map
you have sel ect­ed or entered
might be incor­rect.

Set the s canne r to
receive Type I
trunked frequen­cies. See “Scan­ning Type I and
Hybrid Trunked
Systems” on
Page 50.

Check the fleet
map an d c orr e ct it
if necess ary (see
“Scanning Type I
and Hybrid
Trunked Sys­tems” on Page50
and “Program­ming a Fleet Map”
on Page 51).

PROBLEM

POSSIBLE

CAUSE

REMEDY

Scanner will not
stop while scan­ning a scan list.

Scanner will not
acquire a data
channel.

Missin g replies to
conversations.

No IDs have
been stored.

The IDs you hav e
stored are not
active.

SQUELCH

is not
correct ly adjust ed
for trunk tracking.

The frequency
used for the data
channel is miss­ing.

The syst em you
are tryin g to trac k
is a Type I sys­tem, and the
scanner is set to
scan Type II sys­tems.

Store on e or more
IDs (see “Scan
Lists ” on Page 48.

Scan an other
transmission.

Adjust sq ue lc h fo r
trunk tracking.
See “Setting
Squelc h for the
Trunk Track ing
Mode” on
Page 41.

Press

SRC

to
search for the
data ch an nel ( s ee
“Storing Trunked
Frequencies” on
Page 41).

Set the scann er to
receive Type I
trunked frequen­cies. See “Scan­ning Type I and
Hybrid Trunked
Systems” on
Page 50.

Missin g replies to
conversations
(continued)

The selected
fleet map is incor ­rect.

Not all of the
trunk’s frequen­cies have been
entered.

Try another preset
fleet map or pro­gram your own
fleet map (see
“Sca nn in g Type I
and Hybrid
Trunke d Sy s­tems” on
Page 50).

Enter all of the
trunk’s frequen­cies (see “Storing
Trunked Frequen­cies” on Page 41).

65

PROBLEM

POSSIBLE

CAUSE

REMEDY

Channel activity
bars are flashing
but no soun d is
heard.

The tra n smis­sion might be a
private or tele­phone intercon­nect call. The
scanner does not
scan these types
of transmissions.

The ID s hown is
not active.

Scan for anot he r
transmission.

Wait for the ID to
become active, or
scan another
transmission.

RESETTING THE SCANNER

If the scanner’s display locks up or does not work prop­erly, you might need to reset the scanner.

Caution:

have stored into the scanner. Before you reset the
scanner, tr y turning it off and on to see if it begins work­ing properly . Reset the scanner only when you are sure
it is not working properly.

1. Turn off the scanner.

2. While you hold down the

Note:

flashing. Otherwise, the scanner might not clear its
memory properly.

This procedure clears all the information you

2

and 9 keys, turn on the

scanner.

flashes for about 8 seconds as

CLEAR

the scanner clears its memory.

Do not turn off the scanner until

CLEAR

stops

66

CARE AND MAINTENANCE

Your RadioShack PRO-91 150-Channel Handheld
Trunking Scanner is an example of superior design and
craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you
care for your scanner so you can enjoy it for years.

Keep the scanner dry. If it gets wet, wipe
it dry immediately. Liquids can contain
minerals that can corrode the electronic
circuits.

Use only batter ies of the recommended
size and type. Always remove old and
weak batteries. They can leak chemicals
that destroy electronic circuits.

Handle the scanner gently and carefully.
Dropping it can damage circuit boards
and cases and can cause the scanner to
work improperly.

Use and store the scanner only i n normal
temperature environments. 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 prem ature wear of
parts.

Wipe the scanner with a damp 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 the scanner’s internal com­ponents can cause a malfunction, invalidate your scan­ner’s warranty and void your FCC authorization to
operate it. If your scanner is not operating as it should,
take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance.

67

SPECIFICATI ONS

Frequency Coverage: ..... 29–54 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)

108–136.975 MHz ( in 12. 5 kHz steps)

137–174 MHz (in 5 kHz steps)

406–512 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps)

806.0000–823.9375 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps)

851.0000–868.9875 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps)

896.1125–956.0000 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps)
Monitor Channels 5
Number of Banks 5
Sensitivity (AM/FM ):

NFM: 20 dB S/N at 3 kHz deviation):

29–54 MHz 0.5 µV
137–174 MHz 0.4 µV
406–512 MHz 0.4 µV
806–956 MHz 0.6 µV

AM: 20 dB S/N at 60% modulation):

108–136.9875 MHz 1.5 µV
Spurious Reject ion (at 40.84 MHz) 50 dB
Selectivity:

10 kHz –6 dB

15 kHz –50 dB
IF Rejection (at 162.4 MHz) 80 dB

Channels ...... ........................ .............. ... ................ 150

Operating Temperature .... –4 to 140

Scan Speed ............................... 50 Channels/Second

Search Speed:

Normal .................. ................... .. 100 Steps/Second

Hypersearch ..................... ......... 300 Steps/Second

Servic e ......... ... .......... ........ 50 Fre q uen cies/Se c on d

Priority Sampling ........................................ 2 Seconds

Delay Time ................................................. 2 Seconds

IF Frequencies 380.7 MHz, 10.85 MHz, and 450 kHz
Antenna Impedance 50 Ohms

Audio Output ................................. 350 mW maximum

Built-in Speaker ...............1

Maximum Current Drain ................ ......... .. ....... 180 mA

7

/16 Inches (36 mm) 8 Ohm,

F (–20 to 60° C)

°

Dynamic Type

68

Power Requirement:
4 AA Alkaline Batteries (6.0 VDC),

or 4 AA Rechargeable Ni-Cd Batteries (4.8 VDC),
or AC Adapter (Cat. No. 273-1665),
or DC Adapter (Cat. No. 270-1560)

Current Drain:

Squelched ............................... ................... 70 mA

Full Output ......... ................... ................... 180 mA

1

1

Dimensions (HWD) ............... 6

4

× 2

/

/2× 19/16 Inches

(158 × 63 × 40 mm)

Weight (without antenna, batteries, belt clip) ..... 8.1 oz

(229 g)

Specifications are typical; individual units might vary.
Specifications are subject to change and improvement
without notice.

69

NOTES

70

71

Limited One-Year Warrant y

y

y

g

y

y

g

y

y

g

g

y

y

g

y

y

g

g

g

y

g

j

yg

g

This product is warrant ed by RadioShack against manufacturi ng de­fects in material and work manshi p under nor mal use for one (1)
from the date of p urchase from RadioSha ck compan
and authorized R adioShack franchisees and deale rs. EXCEPT AS
PROVIDED HEREIN, RadioShack MAKES NO EXPRESS WAR­RANTIES AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PART ICULAR PUR­POSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THE
WRITTEN LIMITED WARRANTIES CONTAINED HEREIN. EXCEPT
AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RadioS hack SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY
OR RESPONSIBILITY TO CUSTOMER OR ANY OTHER PERSON
OR ENTIT Y WITH RE SPECT TO AN Y LIABILIT Y, LOSS OR D AM­AGE CAUSED DIRECTLY O R INDIRECTLY BY USE OR PERFOR­MANCE OF THE PRODUCT OR ARISING OUT OF ANY BREACH
OF THIS WARRANTY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY
DAMAGES RESULTING FROM INCONVENIENCE, LOSS OF TIME,
DATA, PROPERTY, REVENUE, OR PROFIT OR ANY INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN
IF RadioShack HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGES.
Some states do not allow the limitations on how lon
rant

lasts or the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages,
so the above limitations or exclusions ma
In the event of a product defe ct durin
product and th e Radi oSh ack sale s rec ei pt as pr oof of pu rchas e da te
to an

RadioShack store. RadioShack will, at its option, unless other­wise provided b
char

e for parts and l abor; (b) replace the pr oduct with one of the
same or similar desi
parts and products, and products on which a refund is made, become
the propert
ma

be used in the performance of w arranty service. Repaired or re­placed parts and products are warranted for the remainder of the
ori

inal warranty period. You will be charged for repair or replace­ment of the product made after the expiration of the warrant
This warrant
tributable to acts of God, abuse, accident, misuse, improper or abnor­mal usa
maintenance, a lteration, li
a

e or current; (b) any repairs other than tho se provided by a Ra­dioShack Authorized Service Facilit
or batteries; (d) cosmetic dama
surance costs; or (f) costs of product removal, installation, set-up ser­vice ad
This warrant
othe r ri

RadioShack Customer Relations, Dept. W, 100 Throckmorton St.,

law: (a) correct the defect by product repair without

n; or (c) refund the purchase price. All replac ed

of RadioShack. New or reconditioned parts and products

does not cover: ( a) damage or failure caused by or at-

e, failure to follow instructions, improper installation or

ustment or reinstallation.

ives you specific l egal rights, and you may also have

hts which vary from state to state.

htning or other incidence of excess volt-

Suite 600, Fort Worth, TX 76102

not apply to you.

the warranty period, take the

; (c) consumables such as fuses

e; (e) transportatio n, shipping or in-

-owned stores

an implied war-

We Service What We Sell

ear

period.

3/97

RadioShack

A Division of Tandy Corporation

Fort Worth, Texas 76102

3A8 Printed in the Philippines

UBZZ01274ZZ