RadioShack PRO-162 Owners Manual

20-162

PRO-162 2,000-Channel Handheld Trunking Scanner

Contents

Thank you for purchasing your RadioShack 2000-Channel Handheld Trunking Scanner from RadioShack. Your handheld scanner is one of a new generation of scanners designed to track Motorola® Type I, Type II, hybrid analog systems, (such as Smartnet® and Privacy Plus®) plus M/A-COM EDACS® and EF Johnson LTR. Those systems are extensively used in many 800 MHz, 900 MHz, and UHF communication systems.

• scanner

• antenna

• belt clip (2) screws

• user’s guide

• quick start guide

• preprogrammed frequency guide

Hypersearch, Hyperscan, and Adaptaplug are trademarks used by RadioShack Corporation. Motorola, Smartnet, and Privacy Plus are registered trademarks of Motorola Inc. EDACS is a registered trademark of MA-COM Inc. LTR is a registered trademark of EF Johnson.

The Basics your scanner’s features

SCAN / — scans the stored channels and scans an active ID while trunking, or turn Signal Stalker Ⅰ on and

off.

MAN(Manual)/MENU — manually enter a channel; enter the menu mode. SRCH(Search)/TUNE— start a chain search, start a service search. search a specified frequency range; enter

the fine tune mode.

TRUNK/MODE — enter the Talk Group ID program mode; select the modulation for trunking system. WX/ — starts weather search; activates Skywarn function.

PSE(Pause)/TEXT — stops and resumes searching; change from Program mode to Program Text Tag mode. BANK — enter the select bank menu.

—Search and scan up and down a selected frequency range; selects options during programming;

changes the ID location number while trunking. FUNC(Function)/A/a — let you use to various functions by pressing this key in combination with other keys; let

you use to switch the small letter and capital letter.

PRI (Priority)/ALERT— sets and turns the priority function on or off; SAME weather alert on and off. L/O — lockout selected channels or skip specified frequencies during a search; lock out a selected ID while

trunking. CL/CTCSS/DCS — Press CL to clear an entry; let use to turn on and off the CTCSS/DCS.

ENT/PGM (Program) — programs frequencies into channels. 1-9/WXYZ, 0 — input a number or characters.

•/DELAY — enter a decimal point, space, or programs delay time for the selected channel/search bank, or

enters a hyphen (in trunking ID setting). Programs a 2-second delay for a selected channel or service; programs a 2-second delay while trunking.

OPEN/CLOSE — let you use to change the open mode and close mode.

/KEYLOCK — locks the keypad to prevent changes; turns the display and key backlight on.

POWER DC 9V — connect an external power source here (not included). PC/IF — connect an optional PC interface cable here to use the scanner with your computer.

VOLUME — turn the scanner on or off and adjust the volume.

— connect an earphone or headphone here.

SQUELCH — adjust the squelch.

supplying power to your scanner

You can power your scanner with batteries, DC adapter, or an AC adapter. Warning: Only set the ALKALINE JACK Ni-MH switch to Ni-MH for use with nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeable batteries. Never use non-rechargeable batteries when the switch is set to Ni-MH.

1. Set the ALKALINE JACK Ni-MH switch inside the battery compartment to the appropriate setting.

• ALKALINE when using alkaline batteries (not included). Caution: You must use a Class 2 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 B" of optional AC adaptors. Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the scanner or the adapter.

• Ni-MH when using rechargeable (Ni-MH) AA batteries (not included). The scanner

stops charging automatically after 14 hours when the DC jack is connected to power.

battery cautions

• Use only fresh batteries of the required size and recommended type.

• Always remove old or weak batteries. Batteries can leak chemicals that damage

electronic circuits.

• Do not mix old and new batteries, different types of batteries (standard, alkaline, or

rechargeable), or rechargeable batteries of different capacities.

• When the battery icon flashes and the scanner beeps every 15 seconds, replace

all four batteries.

• Always dispose of old batteries promptly and properly. Do not bury or burn them. Warning: Do not connect a charging adapter to the scanner if non-rechargeable batteries (such as alkaline batteries) are installed in the scanner and ALKALINE JACK Ni-MH is set to Ni-MH, or if you are unsure of the switch’s position. Non-rechargeable batteries will get hot and can even explode if you try to recharge them.

• Always connect the AC adapter to the scanner before you connect it to AC power.

When you finish, disconnect the adapter from AC power before you disconnect it from the scanner.

connecting the antenna

Attach the supplied antenna to the scanner by align the slots around its base with the tabs on the scanner, and then slide into place. When using an external antenna, always use 50-ohm, RG-58, or RG-8, coaxial cable to connect to it. 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.

connecting an earphone/headphone

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 “mono” and not stereo.

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. 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.

attaching the belt clip

Use a Phillips-head screwdriver and the supplied screws to attach the clip to the scanner.

transferring data to or from another scanner or pc

You can transfer the programmed data to and from another PRO-162 scanner using a connecting cable which has 1/8-inch phone plugs on both ends (not supplied). Connect the cable between each scanner’s PC/IF jacks. See “cloning your scanner”. You can also upload or download the programmed data to or from a PC using an optional PC interface cable and software available through your local RadioShack store. See “wired programming.”

about 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. Simply determine the type of communications you want to receive, and then set the scanner to scan those communications.

The scanner scans conventional frequencies and trunked systems. For more information about trunked transmissions (see “trunking operation”).

A frequency, expressed in kHz or MHz, is the tuning location of a station. To find active frequencies, you use the search function.

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. For example, many amateur radio frequencies are located in the HAM service bank.

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. The scanner has 40 channel-storage banks. Each bank contains 50-channel sets. So the scanner has 2,000 channels. You can scan the channel-storage banks to see if there is activity on the frequencies stored there.

Note: You search frequencies when you want to find your local frequencies and scan channels after you programmed your found frequencies.

understanding banks

service banks

The scanner is preprogrammed with all the frequencies allocated to the ham, marine, aircraft, and police (fire/emergency) services. This helps you quickly find active frequencies instead of doing a chain search (see “service bank search”).

channel storage banks

To make it easier to identify and select the channels you want to listen to, all the channels are divided into 40 banks of 50 channels. Use each channel-storage bank to group frequencies, such as those for the police department, fire department, ambulance services, or aircraft.

For example, the police department might use four frequencies in your town while the fire department uses an additional four. You could program the four police frequencies starting with Channel 1 (the first channel in bank 1), and program the fire department frequencies starting with Channel 51 (the first channel in bank 2).

turning on the scanner and setting squelch

Note: Make sure the scanner’s antenna is connected before you turn it on.

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.

storing known frequencies into channels

You can locate and store specific frequencies into channels for later use.

Note: To store trunked system frequencies, see “programming trunked frequencies.”

Follow these steps to store frequencies into channels.

1. Press ENT/PGM to put the scanner in programming mode. PGM appears.

2. Use the number keys to enter the channel number you want to assign to a frequency.

3. Press MAN.

4. Press FUNC, then press /BANK or (Press FUNC, then press ) to advance the channel with 0 MHz in next bank (or previous bank).

• If the channel with 0MHz is not, the first channel of the bank is selected.

• If you entered an in valid channel number, “Invalid Channel.” Appear. appears and the scanner beeps error tones. Enter a valid channel.

5. Use the number keys and •/DELAY to enter the frequency, including the decimal point you want to store.

6. Press ENT/PGM to store the frequency into the channel.

Notes:

• If you entered an invalid frequency in Step 5, “Invalid Freq.” appears and the scanner beeps error tones. Enter a valid frequency.

• If you entered a frequency in Step 5, which already exists on another channel, the

scanner beeps an error tone and displays that channel. Press CL to clear the display, or press ENT/PGM to store the frequency in both channels.

• The scanner automatically rounds the entered number to the nearest valid frequency.

For example, if you enter 151.473 (MHz), your scanner accepts it as 151.475.

• After a transmission, the scanner automatically pauses for 2 seconds on this channel

before proceeding to the next active transmission. Press •/DELAY to turn the delay function off or on. See “delay”). The scanner stores this setting in the channel.

7. To program the next channel in sequence, press or and repeat Steps 5 and 6.

Programming channels text tag

You can customize your scanner by storing text tags (up to 16 characters) for easy identification of channel.

1. Press ENT/PGM to put the scanner in programming mode.

2. Enter the channel number where you want to store a text tag. If you make a mistake, press CL repeatedly until the display is cleared.

3. Press MAN to advance the channel.

4. Press TEXT to put the scanner in program channel text tag edit mode. The cursor appears.

5. Press ?or ? to move the cursor in the right or the left. Press the number key and decimal key to enter the letter. (See “text input chart”).

6. Input the word (Public Ch) and press ENT/PGM to store.

Programming bank text tag

You can customize your scanner by storing text tags (up to 16 characters) for easy identification of bank.

1. Press ENT/PGM to put the scanner in programming channel mode.

2. Enter the channel number where you want to store a text tag. If you make a mistake, press CL repeatedly until the display is cleared.

3. Press MAN to advance the channel.

4. Press FUNC, and then press TEXT to put the scanner in program bank text tag edit mode. The cursor appears.

5. You can store same as channel text tag.

text input chart

User can use the number keypad on scanner to enter text by referring to the alphabet printed on each number key. When user presses the number key in the text entry field, the

scanner displays the first alphabet printed on the number key. Press the number key twice to display the second alphabet and three times to display the third. When user wants to input the small letter, press [A/a] to switch the capital letter and small letter.

For example, to enter "Scanner":

1. Press [7/PQRS] 4 times to enter "S".

2. Press [A/a] to switch the capital letter and small letter.

3. Then press [2/ABC] 3 times to enter "c".

4. Press [?] to move cursor.

5. Press [2/ABC] 1 times to enter "a".

6. Press [6/MNO] 2 times to enter "n".

7. Press [?] to move cursor.

8. Press [6/MNO] 2 times to enter "n".

9. Press [3/DEF] 2 times to enter "e".

10. Press [7/PQRS] 3 times to enter "r".

11. Press [ENT] to end your text entry.

Number of times key is pressed

Keys 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1 . ( ) - + * / @ ^ & 2/ABC A B C 2 3/DEF D E F 3

4/GHI G H I 4 5/JKL J K L 5

6/MNO

7/PQRS

8/TUV T U V 8

9/WXYZ

Press A/a to choose the input mode. (Capital letter, Small letter, Numeric)

M N O 6 P Q R S 7

W X Y Z 9

Space

# ? _ , $ % ! ~ '

programming channel CTCSS/DCS code

Your scanner can monitor systems using a Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) and Digital Coded Squelch (DCS) system, which allow squelch to open only when the tone you have programmed with a specific frequency is received along with a transmission.

1. Press ENT/PGM to put the scanner in programming mode.

2. Enter the channel number where you want to store a CTCSS/DCS code. If you make a mistake, press CL repeatedly until the display is cleared.

3. Press MAN to advance the channel.

4. Press FUNC, and then press CL/CTCSS/DCS to put the scanner in program

CTCSS/DCS mode.

5. Press ? or ? to select a CTCSS/DCS code. CTCSS/DCS code flashes. The CTCSS/DCS code is changed below:

NO TONE -> CT 67.0 -> ... -> CT 254.1 -> DCS 023 -> ... -> DCS 754 -> CODE SRCH

-> OFF -> CT 67.0 -> ...

6. Press ENT/PGM to store the CTCSS/DCS code.

about CTCSS/DCS

CTCSS and DCS are subaudible tone signaling systems sometimes referred to as PL or DPL (Motorola’s trademarked terms for Private Line and Digital Private Line respectively). CTCSS and DCS are used only for FM signals and are usually associated with both amateur and commercial two-way frequencies. These systems make use of a special subaudible tone that accompanies a transmitted signal.

CTCSS and DCS are used for many purposes. In many cases, CTCSS and DCS are used to restrict access to a commercial repeater, so that only those units which transmit the

correct tone along with their signal can “talk” to the repeater. CTCSS and DCS are also used in areas that receive interference where there are several

stations with output frequencies close to each other. When this occurs, you might hear multiple communications on the same frequency. The stations might even interfere with each other to the point where it is impossible to clearly receive any of the stations. A scanner equipped with CTCSS and DCS (like your scanner) can code each received frequency with a specific CTCSS or DCS frequency. Then, when you receive multiple signals, you only hear the transmission with the CTCSS or DCS tone you programmed. If you do not receive the correct tone with a signal, the scanner’s squelch remains closed and you hear nothing.

You can search for the following CTCSS frequencies and DCS codes.

CTCSS Frequencies (Hz)

67.0

82.5

100.0

123.0

151.4

171.3

189.9

210.7

250.3

DCS Codes (Octal)

023 051 114 143

69.3

85.4

103.5

127.3

156.7

173.8

192.8

218.1

254.1    

025 053 115 145

71.9

88.5

107.2

131.8

159.8

177.3

196.6

225.7

026 054 116 152

74.4

91.5

110.9

136.5

162.2

179.9

199.5

229.1

031 065 122 155

77.0

94.8

114.8

141.3

165.5

183.5

203.5

233.6

032 071 125 156

79.7

97.4

118.8

146.2

167.9

186.2

206.5

241.8

036 072 131 162

043 073 132 165

047 074 134 172

174 245 266 332 411 452 506 612 703

205 246 271 343 412 454 516 624 712

212 251 274 346 413 455 523 627 723

223 252 306 351 423 462 526 631 731

225 255 311 356 431 464 532 632 732

226 261 315 364 432 465 546 654 734

243 263 325 365 445 466 565 662 743

244 265 331 371 446 503 606 664 754

copying/moving a frequency

If you want to copy/move a frequency to a channel, follow the steps below:

1. Press ENT/PGM to put the scanner in programming mode. Enter the channel which contains the frequency you want to copy or move.

2. Press MAN to advance the channel.

3. Press and hold ENT/PGM during program mode.

4. Select the bank where you want to copy or move the frequency.

5. Press ENT/PGM. The smallest empty channel number and “000.0000” appear. If there is no empty channel, the scanner automatically selects the first channel of the bank.

6. Press ENT/PGM to enter the frequency, “Delete Source Channel?” appears.

7. To moving a frequency, press ENT/PGM. Or to copying a frequency, press CL.

searching for and temporarily storing active frequencies

If you do not have a reference to frequencies in your area, use a chain, fine tune, or service search (except weather search) to find a transmission.

Beyond the Basics

Notes:

• While doing a chain, fine tune, or service bank search, press • /DELAY if you want to turn the delay on or off (see “delay”).

• While doing a chain, fine tune, or service bank search, press FUNC, then MENU if you want the scanner to skip data signals (such as fax or modem signals) and search only for

audio (voice) signals to enter the menu mode and turn Data Skip Option to off (see “skipping data signals”).

chain search

This feature lets you search through preset frequency ranges. You can also preset a range. There are three modes within this feature: chain search mode, chain search pause mode, and program band select mode. The preset frequency ranges are: Bank No. Frequency (MHz) Step (kHz) 0 25.0000-27.9950 5 1 28.0000-54.0000 5 2 137.0000-174.0000 5

3 216.0000-224.9950 5 4 225.0000-399.9875 12.5 5 400.0000-512.0000 6.25 6 764.0000-775.9875 12.5 7 794.0000-805.9875 12.5 8 806.0000-956.0000 12.5 9 1240.0000-1300.0000 12.5

starting chain search

1. Press SRCH. SRCH appears.

2. Press 0 – 9 to enable or disable the search bank number being searched. Note: At least one bank needs to be entered. If you disable all the banks, the error tone

beeps.

3. Press to search down or to search up.

4. When the scanner stops on a transmission, quickly press PSE to stop searching to listen to the transmission. “SRCH PAUSE” appears.

5. To release the hold and continue searching, press PAUSE.

Note: To step through the frequencies while “SRCH PAUSE” appears, press or .

storing found frequencies during chain search

You can store frequencies you find in chain search mode or chain search pause mode.

1. Press ENT/PGM when you find a frequency.

2. Press or to select a bank.

3. Press ENT/PGM the smallest empty channel number and “000.0000” and the frequency you want to store are displayed..

3. Press ENT/PGM to enter the frequency. After programming, the scanner returns to the previous mode.

programming search ranges

You can define the search range during a chain search in each search bank.

1. Press ENT/PGM to go to program mode.

2. Press SRCH to go to programming search bank mode.

3. Press or to select the bank number that you want. Press ENT/PGM.

4. Using the number keys, enter the lower limit frequency, and then press ENT/PGM.

5. Press or to move the cursor from lower to upper.

6. Using the number keys, enter the upper limit frequency, and then press ENT/PGM.

programming search bank text tag

You can customize your scanner by storing text tags (up to 16 characters) for easy identification of search bank.

1. Press ENT/PGM to go to program mode.

2. Press SRCH to go to programming search bank mode.

3. Press ? or ? to select the desired bank number, and then press ENT/PGM.

4. Press TEXT to go to programming search bank text tag mode.

5. Press the number key and decimal key to edit desired search bank text tag. (See “text

input chart”).

6. Press ENT/PGM to store the search bank text tag.

fine tune

You can search up or down from the currently displayed frequency using fine tune. TUNE appears during searching.

Press FUNC, and then press SRCH when the frequency you want to start from appears. Or, enter the frequency you want to start from using the number keys in search pause mode, then press FUNC, and then SRCH.

Note: If you enter an invalid frequency, the scanner displays Error. Press CL.

service bank search

You can search for ham, marine, aircraft, or police (fire/emergency) transmissions without knowing the specific frequencies used in your area. The scanner is preprogrammed with all the frequencies allocated to these services. To select the service search bank, press SRCH. The current service symbol appears and the scanner starts searching. To select a different service bank, press SRCH. The newly selected service symbol appears. To search, Press or . Or automatically start searching after two seconds.

Note: Because there are many different frequencies allocated to fire and police departments, it can take several minutes to search all the service frequencies.

weather search

You can also search for weather transmissions. To start weather search:

1. Press WX/ . WX appears. You can change the search direction by using or .

2. If you want to stop the search, press PSE. PAUSE appears.

search skip memory

You can skip up to 200 specified frequencies during a chain, fine tune and service search and Signal Stalker I. This lets you avoid unwanted frequencies or those already stored in a channel.

Note: You cannot skip frequencies during WX service search.

To skip a frequency, press L/O when the scanner stops on the frequency during a chain, fine tune and service search and Signal Stalker I. The scanner stores the frequency in memory and automatically resumes the search.

To clear a single frequency from skip memory so the scanner stops on it during a chain, fine tune and service search and Signal Stalker I:

1. Press PSE to stop the search.

2. Press or to select the frequency. L/O appears.

3. Press L/O. L/O disappears. To clear all the skip frequencies at once while searching, press PSE, and then hold down

L/O until the scanner beeps twice. Notes:

• If you selected all frequencies to be skipped within the search range, the scanner beeps 3

times and does not search.

• If you select more than 200 frequencies to skip, “L/O List Full!” appears.

• Press or select a skipped frequency while PAUSE appears. L/O appears when you

select a skipped frequency.

scanning the stored channels

To begin scanning channels, press SCAN/ . The scanner scans through all non-locked channels in the activated banks. (See “locking out channels” and “turning channel-storage

banks on and off”). When the scanner finds a transmission, it stops on it. When the transmission ends, the scanner resumes scanning.

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 SQUELCH

clockwise to decrease the scanner’s sensitivity to these signals.

• To listen to a weak or distant station, turn SQUELCH counterclockwise.

• To ensure proper scanning, adjust SQUELCH until the audio mutes

• To scan in the trunk scanning mode, see “trunking operation.”

manually selecting a channel

You can continuously monitor 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.

Press MAN to stop scanning, enter the channel number, and then press SCAN/ . The selected channel appears. Or, during scanning, if the radio stops at a desired channel, press PSE. During pausing scan mode, you can’t select the channel by or . Press PSE to resume automatic scanning.

special features

delay

Sometimes a user might pause before replying to a transmission. To avoid missing a reply on a specific channel, the scanner automatically programs a 2-second delay into any channel or frequency. You can monitor the channel frequency for an additional 2 seconds after the transmission stops before resuming scanning or searching.

Depending on the scanner operation, follow one of these steps to turn off or on a delay.

• To turn off the 2-second delay, press

•/DELAY while the scanner is monitoring a channel, scanning, or searching. DLY disappears.

• To turn on the 2-second delay to a channel again, select the channel and press • /DELAY. DLY appears.

• To turn on the 2-second delay to search again, press • /DELAY while the scanner is searching.

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