To connect an external antenna, always follow
the installation instructions supplied with the
antenna. Use 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 necessary, RadioShack carries a variety
of adapters.
— Signal Stalker.
SCAN — Starts a scan.
FUNC — Function
MAN — Manually select a
channel or enter a channel
PRI – Priority
TEXT – Activates text
buttons.
PSE – Pause
MODE – Changes
receive mode.
KEY/LIGHT – Keypad
lock and backlight.
TUNE – Enters Tune
mode.
ATT – Attenuator.
– Navigates
functions.
SRCH – Search.
1-9 / A-Z– Numbers and letters. Zero enters special
characters.
./DELAY – Decimal point, space, delay functions.
CL – Clear.
L/OUT – Locks out channels, frequencies, or Talk Group
IDs.
PGM – Program.
ENT – Enter.
number.
TRUNK — Accesses
trunking functions.
WX/ — Weather search
and Skywarn.
To attach the supplied
antenna:
1. Align the antenna
2. Turn while pushing
Warning: Use extreme
caution when installing
or removing an outdoor antenna. If the antenna
starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead
power lines. If the antenna touches a power
line, touching the antenna, mast, cable, or guy
wires can cause electrocution and death. Call
the power company to remove the antenna. DO
NOT attempt to do so yourself.
Attaching the Belt Clip
To carry your scanner, slide the
supplied belt clip down on the back
of the scanner. To remove the belt
clip, pull the tab out and slide the
clip upward.
5
Connecting the Antenna
To connect an external antenna, always follow
the installation instructions supplied with the
antenna. Use 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 necessary, RadioShack carries a variety
of adapters.
To attach the supplied
antenna:
1. Align the antenna
slots with the
tabs on the
scanner, and slide
the antenna into
place.
2. Turn while pushing
down until the
antenna locks into
place.
Warning: Use extreme
caution when installing
or removing an outdoor antenna. If the antenna
starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead
power lines. If the antenna touches a power
line, touching the antenna, mast, cable, or guy
wires can cause electrocution and death. Call
the power company to remove the antenna. DO
NOT attempt to do so yourself.
Attaching the Belt Clip
To carry your scanner, slide the
supplied belt clip down on the back
of the scanner. To remove the belt
clip, pull the tab out and slide the
clip upward.
6
7
Powering Your Scanner
You can power your scanner with four AAfour AA
batteries (not supplied), or an external power, or an external power
source.
Batteries
When battery power is low, battery symbol
ashes and the scanner beeps every 30
seconds. When battery power is depleted, the
scanner turns itself off.
For the longest operation and best performance,
use alkaline batteries, available at your local
RadioShack store, or use RadioShack 1600
mAh nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeable
batteries.
Rechargeable batteries last longer and deliver
more power if you let them fully discharge
once a month. To do this, use the scanner until
battery symbol ashes.
Warning: Never install nonrechargeable batteries in the
yellow rechargeable battery
holder. Non-rechargeable
batteries can get hot or
explode if you try to
recharge them.
To install batteries:
1. Slide open the battery compartment cover
2. Place 4 AA batteries into the correct battery
3. Place the battery holder into the battery
To charge batteries:
1. Install rechargeable batteries.
2. Connect an external power source to the
Do not overcharge batteries. Overcharging
7
To install batteries:
1. Slide open the battery compartment cover
on the back of the scanner.
2. Place 4 AA batteries into the correct battery
holder matching polarity symbols (+ / -):
• Black – Alkaline (non-rechargeable)
• Yellow – Rechargeable.
3. Place the battery holder into the battery
compartment and replace the cover.
To charge batteries:
1. Install rechargeable batteries.
2. Connect an external power source to the
PWR DC 9V jack. Using the scanner while
charging will increase charge time.
BatteryCurrentCharge Time
Ni-MH1600 mAh16 hours
Ni-Cd600 mAh6 hours
Ni-Cd850 mAh8 hours
Do not overcharge batteries. Overcharging
shortens battery life.
• Each battery holder ts only one way. Do
not force it.
• 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.
• Always dispose of old batteries promptly
and properly. Do not bury or burn them.
Recycling Seal on the nickel-cadmium
(Ni-Cd) battery indicates RadioShack
voluntarily participates in an industry
program to collect and recycle these batteries
at the end of their useful life, when taken out
of service in the United States or Canada.
The RBRC program provides a convenient
alternative to placing used Ni-Cd batteries into
the trash or the municipal waste stream, which
may be illegal in your area. Please call 1-800THE-SHACK (1-800-843-7422) for information
on Ni-Cd battery recycling and disposal
band/restrictions 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.
External Power
You can power your scanner using a 9V, 400mA
AC/DC adaptor and size C adaptaplugTM (neither
supplied).
To use an external power source:
1. Always connect the adapter
(not supplied) to the
scanner rst.
2. Plug the adapter into the
power source.
3. To disconnect, unplug the
adapter from the power
source rst.
If you use an external power source for
regular operation, install alkaline batteries for
emergencies. Rechargeable batteries will self-
discharge, even when not used, and could have
no usable power.
Caution: You must use a Class 2 power source
that supplies 9V DC and delivers at least
400 mA. Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must t the scanner’s PWR DC 9V
jack. Using an adaptor that does not meet these
specications could damage the scanner or the
adaptor.
Headphones and Speakers
You can plug headphones or an amplied
speaker (neither included) into your scanner’s
headphone jack. This automatically mutes the
scanner’s speaker.
Even though some earphones/headphones let
you hear some outside sounds when listening
at normal volume levels, they still can present a
trafc hazard.
To protect your hearing, follow these earphone
or headphones guidelines:
POWER DC 9V — External power
source (not included).
9
If you use an external power source for
regular operation, install alkaline batteries for
emergencies. Rechargeable batteries will selfdischarge, even when not used, and could have
no usable power.
Caution: You must use a Class 2 power source
that supplies 9V DC and delivers at least
400 mA. Its center tip must be set to positive
and its plug must t the scanner’s PWR DC 9V
jack. Using an adaptor that does not meet these
specications could damage the scanner or the
adaptor.
Headphones and Speakers
You can plug headphones or an amplied
speaker (neither included) into your scanner’s
headphone jack. This automatically mutes the
scanner’s speaker.
Even though some earphones/headphones let
you hear some outside sounds when listening
at normal volume levels, they still can present a
trafc hazard.
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.
10
11
Keytones and Keylock
The scanner sounds a tone each time you press
a key. To prevent accidental changes, you can
lock the keypad.
To set the keytone:
1. Turn on the scanner. “Multi-system Trunking
Scanner” appears.
2. While “Multi-system Trunking Scanner”
appears, press 1 to turn on the keytone or 2
to turn it off.
To lock the keypad:
1. Press FUNC then KEY/LIGHT. “Key locked”
appears briey and the keypad is locked.
When locked, the only controls that operate
are FUNC, LIGHT/KEY, SQ, and VOL.
2. To unlock the keypad, press FUNC then
KEY/LIGHT again. “Key unlocked” appears.
Backlight and Contrast
Your scanner features a backlit keypad and
display for easy viewing. You can select from
three backlight modes:
Normal – Press LIGHT to activate the backlight.
Keypress – Press any key on the keypad to
activate the backlight.
Ignore – Keypress mode, but the scanner
ignores the function of the rst key pressed to
activate the backlight.
To turn on the backlight:
1. Hold down LIGHT until the light turns on.
2. To turn off the backlight, press LIGHT.
To change the backlight mode:
1. Turn on the scanner. “Multi-system Trunking
2. While “Multi-system Trunking Scanner”
3. Press or to select a backlight mode
4. Press ENT.
To change the display contrast:
1. Press MAN.
2. Press FUNC then 9.
3. Press or to select the contrast.
4. Press ENT.
Squelch and Attenuator
The squelch and attenuator help you control
your scanner’s sensitivity. If you hear a hissing
sound, the scanner will remain on an active
channel, even after a disconnect tone or a
stopped transmission.
The light remains on for a set time after
the last button is pressed.
11
To turn on the backlight:
1. Hold down LIGHT until the light turns on.
2. To turn off the backlight, press LIGHT.
To change the backlight mode:
1. Turn on the scanner. “Multi-system Trunking
Scanner” appears.
2. While “Multi-system Trunking Scanner”
appears, press LIGHT.
3. Press or to select a backlight mode
and duration (seconds).
NormalKeypressIgnore
3K3I3
5K5I5
10K10I10
20K20I20
4. Press ENT.
To change the display contrast:
1. Press MAN.
2. Press FUNC then 9.
3. Press or to select the contrast.
4. Press ENT.
Squelch and Attenuator
The squelch and attenuator help you control
your scanner’s sensitivity. If you hear a hissing
sound, the scanner will remain on an active
channel, even after a disconnect tone or a
stopped transmission.
12
13
If you set the squelch precisely at the threshold
where the hissing sound stops, the scanner
may pick up unwanted, partial, or very weak
transmissions. To prevent this, most users
prefer a position a bit past the threshold.
With the attenuator on, the scanner might
not receive weak signals. You can reduce
interference using two attenuator modes:
• Global – (Default) The attenuator setting is
applied to all channels, bands, or groups.
• Normal – Lets you set the attenuator in
each channel, band, or group.
To set squelch:
1. Turn off the scanner and turn SQUELCH
fully counterclockwise.
2. Turn on the scanner. You should hear a
hissing sound.
3. Turn the SQUELCH clockwise to
decrease the scanner’s sensitivity, turn
counterclockwise to increase its sensitivity.
To set the attenuator mode:
1. To set Global mode, press FUNC and then
ATT. On the display “G” appears.”
2. To set the attenuator for each channel, press
FUNC and then ATT. On the display “G”
disappears. To turn the attenuator on or off
for each channel:
• On – Press ATT. “A” appears.
• Off – Press ATT again. “A” disappears.”
Delay
Some conversations might take several seconds
between transmissions. To avoid missing a
reply, a delay is automatically set for each
channel. The scanner stops for 2 seconds after
a transmission stops before it resumes scanning
or searching.
To turn the delay on / off:
1. Press ./DELAY. DLY appears if the delay is
2. To turn on the delay, press ./DELAY again.
Scanner Setup
Afrequency, expressed in kHz or MHz, is the
tuning location of a station.
Your scanner saves frequencies to channelsand
groups the channels into banks. The scanner’s
10 banks each hold 100 channels (1,000
channels total).
The scanner is preset to the most common AM
or FM receive modes for each frequency range.
However, some amateur transmissions may
operate in a different mode. If the transmission
sounds weak or distorted, you may have the
channel set to the wrong receive mode:
AM – Amplitude Modulation, primarily used
You cannot set the attenuator while
scanning.
FM – Frequency Modulation, used for
13
Delay
Some conversations might take several seconds
between transmissions. To avoid missing a
reply, a delay is automatically set for each
channel. The scanner stops for 2 seconds after
a transmission stops before it resumes scanning
or searching.
To turn the delay on / off:
1. Press ./DELAY. DLY appears if the delay is
on.
2. To turn on the delay, press ./DELAY again.
“dly” appears if the delay is off.
Scanner Setup
A frequency, expressed in kHz or MHz, is the
tuning location of a station.
Your scanner saves frequencies to channels and
groups the channels into banks. The scanner’s
10 banks each hold 100 channels (1,000
channels total).
The scanner is preset to the most common AM
or FM receive modes for each frequency range.
However, some amateur transmissions may
operate in a different mode. If the transmission
sounds weak or distorted, you may have the
channel set to the wrong receive mode:
AM – Amplitude Modulation, primarily used
for aircraft, military, some amateur and
government transmissions.
FM – Frequency Modulation, used for
most public safety transmissions,
broadcast, business, and amateur radio
transmissions.
14
15
CT – FM transmissions with Continuous Tone
Coded Squelch System (CTCSS)
DC – FM transmissions with Digital Coded
Squelch (DCS)
MO – Motorola Trunking System
ED – EDACS Trunking System
6. If necessary, press MODE to change the
7. Press ENT.
If the frequency is already stored in the
LT – LTR Trunking System
If you change the receive mode using
MODE key, the scanner shows the receive
mode for small caps (ex. fm, am, ct, or
dc). If you want to change the default
setting, press FUNC then press MODE.
Dening a Channel
Go to www.radioreference.com for the latest
frequency references.
To dene a channel:
1. Press MAN.
2. Enter the bank (0-9) and channel number
(00-99) where you want to store the
frequency (Example: 101 for Bank 1,
Channel 1).
3. Press MAN again. M and the bank and
channel number appear.
4. Press PGM. M changes to P.
5. Use the number keys to enter the frequency
(including the decimal point). If you make a
mistake, press CL to delete a single digit or
hold CL about 2 seconds to start over.
Your scanner automatically rounds to the
nearest valid frequency. For example, if
you enter 151.553, your scanner rounds
to 151.550.
If you made a mistake in Step 5, “Invalid
8. Press MAN again. M and the bank and
Copying a Frequency
When you copy a frequency, all the channel
conditions, including mode, are also copied.
To copy a frequency:
1. Press TUNE.
2. Tune the frequency you want to copy.
3. If necessary, press MODE to change the
4. Press FUNC then ENT. “Bank 9 Store?”
5. To select a new bank, press the bank
6. Press ENT. “Channel Stored!” appears
15
6. If necessary, press MODE to change the
receiving mode.
7. Press ENT.
If the frequency is already stored in the
bank, “Dupl.Freq. ChXXX” appears. To copy
the duplicate frequency anyway, press ENT
or press CL to cancel.
If you made a mistake in Step 5, “Invalid
Freq.” briey appears and the scanner
beeps when you press ENT. Go back to step
5 again.
8. Press MAN again. M and the bank and
channel number appear.
For information about adding text tags
to a channel or bank, see “Text Tags” on
Page 44.
Copying a Frequency
When you copy a frequency, all the channel
conditions, including mode, are also copied.
To copy a frequency:
1. Press TUNE.
2. Tune the frequency you want to copy.
3. If necessary, press MODE to change the
receiving mode.
4. Press FUNC then ENT. “Bank 9 Store?”
appears.
5. To select a new bank, press the bank
number.
6. Press ENT. “Channel Stored!” appears
briey.
16
17
If the frequency is already stored in the
bank, “Dupl.Freq. ChXXX” appears. To copy
the duplicate frequency anyway, press ENT
or press CL to cancel.
7. Press MAN.
Deleting Saved Frequencies
To delete a saved frequency:
1. Press MAN.
2. Use the number keys to enter the
frequency’s channel number.
3. Press MAN.
4. Press PGM. M changes to P.
5. Press FUNC.
6. Press CL. “0.0000” appears.
To delete all saved frequencies in a bank:
1. Press PGM. M changes to P.
2. Press FUNC.
3. Use the number keys to enter the bank
number.
4. Press FUNC then CL. “Clear entire bank?”
appears.
5. Press 1 to clear all. Any other key aborts.
CTCSS AND DCS
CTCSS and DCS allow multiple users to share
a single radio frequency without hearing each
other’s transmissions. Your scanner features an
advanced, DSP-based CTCSS and DCS decoder
that displays CTCSS or DCS codes when
available.
CTCSS, DCS, and digital voice
To dene a channel’s CTCSS or DCS code:
1. Press PGM. M changes to P.
2. Navigate to the channel.
3. Enter a conventional frequency.
4. Press MODE until the desired mode (CT or
5. Press FUNC, then MODE.
6. Use the or to select the desired CTCSS
6. Press ENT.
To save a CTCSS or DCS code:
Press ENT while the code appears.
Scanner Cloning
You can transfer the programmed data to and
from another PRO-164 (or PRO-163) scanner
using a connecting cable which has 1/8-inch
stereo (TRS) phone plugs on both ends (not
supplied).
You can also upload or download the
programmed data to or from a PC using an
optional USB cable and application software
available through your local RadioShack store.
17
transmissions operate independently of
each other. Your scanner will not decode
digital voice transmissions for CTCSS or
DCS channels. Use FM mode for mixed
analog and digital voice transmissions.
To dene a channel’s CTCSS or DCS code:
1. Press PGM. M changes to P.
2. Navigate to the channel.
3. Enter a conventional frequency.
4. Press MODE until the desired mode (CT or
DC) appears with the default search code
value.
5. Press FUNC, then MODE.
6. Use the or to select the desired CTCSS
or DCS code.
You can enter the code manually. The
scanner automatically lls in the code.
See Appendix B for a list of codes.
6. Press ENT.
To save a CTCSS or DCS code:
Press ENT while the code appears.
Scanner Cloning
You can transfer the programmed data to and
from another PRO-164 (or PRO-163) scanner
using a connecting cable which has 1/8-inch
stereo (TRS) phone plugs on both ends (not
supplied).
You can also upload or download the
programmed data to or from a PC using an
optional USB cable and application software
available through your local RadioShack store.
18
19
The application software is also available online
at www.starrsoft.com and www.scancat.com.
To clone the scanner data:
2. To turn off Seek Search, press FUNC then 7
1. Turn on both scanners.
PC/IF — PC interface
cable for use with
your computer.
2. Connect the connecting cable
to each scanner’s PC/IF jack. **
CLONE MODE ** appears.
3. Press . “Conrm to send data?” appears.
4. Press 1 to send the data to the other unit or
press any other key to cancel.
5. To exit the clone mode, remove the cable.
“CLONE MODE Incorrect Model” appears
if you connect a scanner other than a
PRO-164 (or PRO-163).
Searching
You can search for transmissions using the
preprogrammed search bank, which is divided
into eight search bands.
Search Banks
To search preprogrammed search banks:
1. Press SRCH repeatedly to select a bank.
For SR0-SR2, you can directly select a
SR3 to SR5 banks contain several groups.
2. Adjust the Squelch. After the set delay, the
Seek Search
When Seek Search is active, the scanner stops
on active frequencies for ve seconds and then
resumes searching automatically.
To activate Seek Search:
1. Press FUNC then 7. “Seek Search ON”
appears briey and “S” appears on the
3. To pause while searching, press PSE. The
4. If the scanner stops on an unwanted
19
display.
2. To turn off Seek Search, press FUNC then 7
again. “Seek Search OFF” appears briey.
Search Banks
To search preprogrammed search banks:
1. Press SRCH repeatedly to select a bank.
BankBand
SR0Marine
SR1CB
SR2FRS/GMRS/MURS
SR3Public Safety
SR4Aircraft
SR5Amateur Bands
SR6Railroad
SR7Limit search (User changeable)
For SR0-SR2, you can directly select a
channel or search through the band.
SR3 to SR5 banks contain several groups.
To turn off a group, press the group
number; the group number disappears. To
turn the group back on, press the group
number again.
2. Adjust the Squelch. After the set delay, the
scanner starts searching. When the scanner
nds an active frequency, it stops searching.
3. To pause while searching, press PSE. The
scanner stops searching and *** PAUSED
*** appears. To resume, press PSE again.
4. If the scanner stops on an unwanted
frequency, you can press L/OUT to lock out
the frequency.
20
21
To search banks SR0-SR2:
1. Press SRCH repeatedly to select SR0, SR1,
or SR2.
2. To search the entire band, press FUNC then
SRCH. “MAN” (Manual select) or “SRCH”
(searches through the band) appears. The
scanner starts searching while “SRCH”
appears on the display. When the scanner
nds an active frequency, it stops searching.
Press FUNC then SRCH again to return to
the previous mode.
3. To select a channel while “MAN” appears on
the display, press a channel number or use
or .
4. Adjust the Squelch.
frequency that is the closest step increment to
the correct center frequency.
To activate Zeromatic:
1. Press FUNC then 0. “Zeromatic ON.”
2. To turn Zeromatic off, press FUNC then 0
Programming a Search Range
To program the search range of Bank SR7:
1. Repeatedly press SRCH to select SR7.
2. Press PGM then SRCH. “Enter SR7 Search
5. If the scanner stops on an unwanted
frequency, you can press L/OUT to lock out
the frequency. For more information, see
Locking Out Frequencies....
6. To pause while searching, press PSE. The
scanner stops searching and *** PAUSED
*** appears. To resume, press PSE again.
Zeromatic
While searching, the scanner stops if a
transmission triggers the squelch setting. A
narrow-band FM transmission can have a
deviation of +/- 5 Khz, and the actual total
bandwidth, including the tails of the sidebands,
can be even greater. However, search intervals
smaller than that can stop your scanner short of
the correct (center) frequency.
The Zeromatic function allows the scanner to
nd the correct center frequency for search
banks SR3, SR4, SR5, SR6 and SR7. When
active, Zeromatic automatically tunes to the
3. Use the number keys to enter the lower-limit
4. Press ENT. U appears.
5. Use the number keys to enter the upper-
6. Press SRCH to start searching.
7. Adjust the Squelch. After the set delay, the
Signal Stalker II
Signal Stalker II provides a powerful tool to
rapidly detect, monitor and save frequencies
of nearby or high-power transmissions. Signal
Stalker II resembles more expensive portable
frequency counters, but provides many
21
frequency that is the closest step increment to
the correct center frequency.
To activate Zeromatic:
1. Press FUNC then 0. “Zeromatic ON.”
appears briey, then ZM appears.
2. To turn Zeromatic off, press FUNC then 0
again. “ZM” changes to “zm.”
Programming a Search Range
To program the search range of Bank SR7:
1. Repeatedly press SRCH to select SR7.
2. Press PGM then SRCH. “Enter SR7 Search
Range Limits” appears. L blinks for the
lower-limit of the range.
3. Use the number keys to enter the lower-limit
frequency (including the decimal point).
4. Press ENT. U appears.
5. Use the number keys to enter the upperlimit frequency (including the decimal
point), then press ENT.
If either entered frequency is incorrect,
“Invalid Freq” appears briey.
6. Press SRCH to start searching.
7. Adjust the Squelch. After the set delay, the
scanner starts searching. When the scanner
nds an active frequency, it stops searching.
Signal Stalker II
Signal Stalker II provides a powerful tool to
rapidly detect, monitor and save frequencies
of nearby or high-power transmissions. Signal
Stalker II resembles more expensive portable
frequency counters, but provides many
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