RadioShack PRO-135 Owners Manual

Handheld Radio Scanner
Thank you for purchasing your 200–channel Handheld Radio Scanner from RadioShack.
20-135
PRO-135
What’s Included
Scanner
Antenna
Belt Clip (2) Screws
Preprogrammed Frequency List
User’s Guide
Quick Start Guide
Please read this user’s guide before installing, setting
up, and using your new scanner
C
ontents
Scanner Setup .............................................4
Scanner Features....................................................4
Connecting the Antenna.........................................6
Attaching the Belt Clip............................................6
Powering Your Scanner...........................................6
Installing Batteries..............................................7
Battery Notes....................................................8
Recycle Rechargeable Batteries.......................9
Using External Power..........................................9
Connecting Headphones..................................... 10
Listening Safely................................................10
Understanding Your Scanner..............................10
Birdie Frequencies .......................................... 11
Turning on the Scanner........................................12
Programming Frequencies into Channels........ 12
Searching ..................................................14
Limit Search.......................................................... 14
Starting Limit Search ......................................14
Programming Search Ranges........................ 14
Fine Tune................................................................15
Service Bank Search............................................ 16
Storing Frequencies Found During a Search.... 16
Search Skip Memory.............................................17
Search Speeds...................................................... 18
Signal Stalker I......................................................18
Using Signal Stalker I......................................18
Setting the Signal Stalker I Options.............. 19
Signal Stalker I Options...................................19
Scanning.................................................... 21
Scanning Stored Channels..................................21
2
3
Contents
Manually Selecting a Channel............................ 22
Weather Scan........................................................22
Weather Alert........................................................22
Testing the Weather Alarm.............................23
Skywarn.................................................................23
About Skywarn................................................. 23
Settings ..................................................... 25
Setting Delay.........................................................25
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On or Off........25
Locking Out Channels..........................................26
Setting Priority......................................................26
Using Keylock.........................................................27
Using the Display Backlight.................................27
Setting the Auto Backlight Display.................27
Setting the Power On Backlight..................... 28
Setting the Keytone ............................................. 28
Setting the Battery Save Function.....................28
Advanced Programming .............................. 30
Transferring Data To or From another Scanner30
Cloning Your Scanner...................................... 30
Transferring Data From a PC...............................31
Wired Programming.........................................31
Additional Information................................32
FCC Notice............................................................. 32
Scanning Legally...................................................32
Care........................................................................ 33
Service and Repair...........................................33
6SHFLÀFDWLRQV....................................................... 34
Troubleshooting.................................................... 36
Resetting your Scanner....................................37
Scanner Setup
Scanner Setup
Scanner Features
SCAN
/
Scan the stored channel frequencies. Press and hold to activate Signal Stalker I.
MAN
Go to manual mode.
SRCH
Start a limit search.
/
TUNE
MENU
Operate Fine Tune. Press and hold to enter menu.
MENU
SCAN
WX
PSE
SVC
ALERT
PRI
L/O
CL
MAN
SRCH
MAR
1
HAM
4
7
0
POL
2
5
8
DELAY
TUNE
AIR
3
6
9
PGM
ENT
KEYLOCK
SVC
Press to put the scanner in service mode.
1/MAR (Marine) Press after SVC to select the marine band.
2/POL (Police) Press after SVC to select the police and fire band.
3/AIR Press after SVC to select the air band.
4/HAM
Select the ham band in service mode.
0-9
Input a number.
4
5
Scanner Setup
WX
/
Start weather scan. Press and hold to activate Skywarn.
PSE (Pause)
Stop and resume search or scan.
S/T
Search up and down a selected frequency range; selects options in menu mode.
KEYLOCK
/
Turns the display and key backlight on. Press and hold to lock the keypad.
PRI (Priority)/ALERT
Turns the priority function on or off. Press and hold to turn weather alert on and off.
L/O
Lockout selected channels or skip specified frequencies during a search.
CL
Press to clear an entry.
MENU
SCAN
WX
PSE
KEYLOCK
SVC
ALERT
PRI
L/O
CL
MAN
SRCH
MAR
1
HAM
4
7
0
POL
2
5
8
DELAY
TUNE
AIR
3
6
9
PGM
ENT
•/ DELAY
Enter a decimal point. Turn delay on or off.
ENT (Enter)
PGM (Program)
/
Complete the entry of frequencies. Put the scanner in programming mode.
Scanner Setup
VOLUME/OFF
Turn the scanner on or off; adjust the volume.
SQUELCH
Adjust the squelch.
Connecting the Antenna
Attach the supplied antenna to the scanner by aligning the slots around its base with the tabs on the scanner, and then slide into place.
Headphones
When using an external antenna, always connect with 50-ohm, RG-58, or RG-8, coaxial cable. If the antenna is over 50 feet from the scanner, 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.
Attaching the Belt Clip
Use a Phillips-head screwdriver and the supplied screws to attach the clip to the scanner.
Powering Your Scanner
You can power your scanner with batteries or an AC adapter.
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7
Scanner Setup
Installing Batteries
1. Remove the battery compartment cover.
2. Set the Battery Switch inside the battery compartment to the appropriate setting:
ALKALINE when using alkaline batteries.
Ni-MH when using rechargeable (Ni-MH) AA batteries.
3. Insert two AA batteries (not included) into the battery compartment and two AA batteries into the battery compartment cover, matching the polarity symbols (+ and -) marked inside.
4. Replace the cover.
Battery Switch
Warning: Only set the Battery Switch to Ni­MH for use with nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH)
rechargeable batteries. Never use non-rechargeable batteries when the
switch is set to Ni-MH.
Scanner Setup
To charge batteries:
1. Set the Power Switch to Ni-MH.
2. Install rechargeable batteries.
3. Connect an external power source to the DC 9V 300mA jack.
The scanner stops charging automatically after a maximum of 14 hours.
Warning: Do not attempt to charge batteries if non-rechargeable batteries are installed in the scanner and the switch is set to Ni-MH, or if you are unsure of the switch’s position. Non­rechargeable batteries will get hot and can explode if you try to recharge them. The scanner displays
Er CHArg
if the wrong batteries are detected.
Battery Notes
When battery power is low, flashes and the scanner beeps every 15 seconds. When battery power is depleted, the scanner turns itself off.
Rechargeable batteries last longer and deliver more power if you let them fully discharge once a month. To do this, use the scanner until
Use only fresh batteries of the required size and recommended type. Do not mix old and new batteries, different types (alkaline or rechargeable), or rechargeable batteries of different capacities.
Remove old or weak batteries. If you will not use the scanner with batteries for a month, remove the batteries. Batteries can leak chemicals that destroy electronic circuits.
flashes.
Always dispose of old batteries promptly and properly. Do not bury or burn them.
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9
Scanner Setup
Recycle Rechargeable Batteries
Placing rechargeable batteries into the trash or the municipal waste system can be harmful to the environment. RadioShack
participates in an industry program to collect and recycle rechargeable batteries at the end of their useful life.
You can return your rechargeable batteries to your local RadioShack store for recycling free of charge. Or call 1-800-THE-SHACK (1-800-843-
7422) for information on recycling rechargeable batteries in your area. RadioShack’s involvement in this program is part of the company’s commitment to preserving our environment and conserving our natural resources.
Using External Power
You can power your scanner using a power source that supplies 9V DC and delivers at least 300mA. Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must fit the scanner’s DC 9V 300mA jack. You can use an “Adaptaplug C” for AC adapters. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the scanner or the adapter.
To use an external power source:
1. Connect the adapter (not supplied) to the scanner’s DC 9V jack.
2. Plug the adapter into the power source.
3. To disconnect, unplug the adapter from the power source first.
Scanner Setup
Warning: Do not connect a charging adapter to the scanner if non-rechargeable batteries (such as alkaline batteries) are installed in the scanner and the switch is set to Ni-MH, or if you are unsure of the switch’s position.
Connecting Headphones
For private listening, you can plug headphones (not included) into the headphone jack on top of your scanner. This automatically disconnects the internal speaker. Note that the sound is not in stereo.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these earphone or headphones guidelines:
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 listening. Turn on the scanner, and adjust the volume to a comfortable level.
After you set the volume, do not increase it. Over time, your ears adapt to the volume level, so a volume level that does not cause discomfort might still damage your hearing.
Even though some earphones/headphones let you hear some outside sounds when listening at normal volume levels, they still can present a traffic hazard.
Understanding Your Scanner
We use a few simple terms in this manual to explain the features of the scanner. Familiarize yourself with these terms and the scanner’s features, and you can put the scanner to work for you right away.
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11
Scanner Setup
The scanner scans conventional frequencies. A frequency, expressed in kHz or MHz, is the tuning location of a station. To find active frequencies, use the search function or consult an online resource such as www.radioreference.com.
Besides searching within a selected frequency range, you can also search your scanner’s service banks. Service banks are preset groups of frequencies categorized by the type of services that use those frequencies. The scanner is preprogrammed with all the frequencies allocated to the Ham, Marine, Aircraft, and Police (Fire/ Emergency) services.
When you search and find a desired frequency, you can store it into a programmable memory location called a channel. Channels are grouped into channel-storage banks. Your scanner has 10 channel-storage banks (numbered 0-9) Each bank contains 20 channels (numbered 0-19). So the scanner has 200 channels total. You can scan the channel storage banks to see if there is activity on the frequencies stored there.
Note: Search for frequencies to find your local frequencies, after you have programmed these frequencies into channels, you can scan the channels.
Use each channel-storage bank to group frequencies. For example, the police department might use four frequencies in your town while the fire department uses an additional four. You could program the police frequencies in bank 0, and program the fire department frequencies in bank 1.
Birdie Frequencies
Every scanner has birdie frequencies. Birdies are signals created by the scanner’s internal circuits. These stray frequencies might interfere with broadcasts on the same or similar frequencies. If
Scanner Setup
you program one of these frequencies, you hear only noise on that frequency. This scanner’s known birdie frequencies (in MHz) are:
449.18125 449.24375 449.30625
Turning on the Scanner
1. Turn SQUELCH fully counterclockwise.
2. Turn VOLUME/OFF clockwise until it clicks and you hear a hissing sound.
3. Turn SQUELCH clockwise until the hissing stops.
Note: Make sure the scanner’s antenna is connected before you turn it on.
To perform a quick check of scanner operation, press the WX key. If you are near a NOAA weather station, you should hear weather information.
Programming Frequencies into Channels
Before the scanner can begin to scan, you must program a frequency into at least one channel.
To locate and store specific frequencies into channels for later use:
1. Press MAN.
2. Press ENT/PGM to put the scanner in
PGM
programming mode.
3. Use the number keys to enter both the channel storage bank and the channel number you want to assign to a frequency.
Example shows entering bank 1 channel 00.
appears.
4. Press MAN.
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