Radio Shack PRO-28 User Manual
20-508 .fm Page 1 Wed nesday, August 4, 199 9 1:50 PM
OWNER’S MANUAL
Direct Entry Programmable Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
Cat. No.
20-508
PRO-28
30 Channel
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FEATURES
Your new Radio Shack PRO-28 30 Channel Direct Entr y Programmable
Scanner lets you in on all the action! This scanner gives you direct access to more than 20,000 frequencies that include the police department, fire department, ambulance, amateur radio, and transportation
services. You can sel ect u p to 3 0 c hannels fo r your sc anner t o scan and
you can change your selection at any time.
The sec ret t o you r sc an ner’s ab ility to sca n s o ma ny f requencies is its
custom-designed microprocessor — a tiny, built-in computer. Your
scanner also has th ese special features:
8-Digit Liquid Crystal Display
bers as well as mode and status indicators.
30 Programmable Cha nnels
ner ’s memory .
Band Search
quencies, and direct the search upward or downward through the
bands.
Direct Search
Lockout Function
channels while scanning.
Search Skip
skip during a band or direct search to avoid unwanted frequencies.
Monitor Memory
during a frequen cy search, which you can then transfer into a channel.
Two-Second Scan Delay
fore moving to another channel, so you can hear more replies.
Weather Band Key
cies so you can hear about current weather conditions.
— lets you search the frequency bands for active fre-
— lets you search from the current frequen cy.
— lets you set your scanner to skip over specified
— lets you select up to 20 frequencies for the scanner to
— lets you temporarily store a frequency you locate
— scans seven preprogrammed weather frequen-
— shows channel and frequency num -
— let you store f requencies i nto the sc an-
— lets you delay scanning for 2 seconds be-
1997 Tandy Corporation.
Radio Shack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
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All Rights Reserved.
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Keylock — prevents you from acc identa lly cha nging the scanner ’s programming.
Memory Backup — keeps the channel frequencies stored in memory
for up to 1 hour during a power loss .
Low Battery Alarm — lets you know when the batteries get low.
Three Power Sources — let you power the scanner from internal bat-
teries, a standard AC outlet (using an optional AC adapter), or a vehicle’s battery (using an optional DC adapter).
Ni-Cd Battery Charging Circuit — lets you recharge nickel-cadmium
batteries while t hey are inside the battery compartment.
BNC Connector — lets you c onnec t the s uppli ed fle xible antenna or an
optional outdoor antenna.
Audio Output Jack — lets you connect optional earphones or headphones so you can listen privately, or external speakers so you can listen in a noisy area.
Your scanner can recei ve all of these bands:
• 29–54 MHz (VHF Low and 6-Meter Ham Band)
• 137–144 MHz (Government)
• 144–148 MHz (2-Meter Ham Band)
• 148–174 MHz (VHF High)
• 406–450 MHz (Ham radio and gove rnment)
• 450–470 MHz (UHF Standard)
• 470–512 MHz (UHF “T” Band)
In addition, your scanner is preprogrammed with the following weather
service channels:
• 162.400 MHz
• 162.425 MHz
• 162.450 MHz
• 162.475 MHz
• 162.500 MHz
• 162.525 MHz
• 162.550 MHz
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This owner’s manual also includes the section “A Guide to the Action
Bands,” which lets you target services in your area by giving you frequency ranges to search. You can then store any of these frequencies
into memory fo r easy scanning.
For your re cords, we r ecommen d yo u recor d your sca nner’s ser ial number in the space provided. The serial number is on the scanner’s back
panel.
Serial Number _____________
FCC NOTICE
Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference even when it is operating properly. To determine whether your scanner is causing the interference, turn off your scanner. If the interference goes away, your
scanner is caus ing i t. Tr y the foll owing metho ds to elim inat e the i nter ference:
• 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 loc al Radio Shack store for help
If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC requires that you stop
using your scanner.
Note:
Mobile use of th is scanner is unlawful or requires a permit i n some
areas. Check the laws in your area.
This device compl ies wit h Part 15 of
the following conditions:
• This device must not cause harmful interference.
• This device must accept any interference that may cause undesired operation.
4
FCC Rules
. Operation i s subject to
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SCANNING LEGALLY
Your scanner cover s freque nci es use d by many dif fe rent gr oups incl uding police and fir e departments , ambulance ser vices, gover nment 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 li sten to. These include:
• Telephone conversations (either cellular, cordless, or other private
means of telephone signal transmission)
• Pager transmissions
• Any scrambled or enc rypted transmissions
According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), you
are subject to fines and possible imprisonment for intent ionally listening
to, using, or divulging the contents of such a transmission unless you
have the consent of a party to the conversation (unless such activity is
otherwise illegal).
Radio Shack encourages responsible, legal scanner use.
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CONTENTS
Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Power Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Using Internal Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Important Information about the Exter nal Power Jacks . . . . . . . . 9
Using Standard AC Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Using Vehicle Battery Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Connecting the Ant enna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connecting an Opti onal Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Connecting an Earphone/Headphones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Listening Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Traffic Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Connecting an Extension Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Attaching the Belt Clip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Understanding Your Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A Look at the Keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A Look at the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Turn ing on the Scanner and Setting Squelch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Storing Freque ncies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Searching For and Sto ring Active Frequencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Band Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Direct Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Search Skip Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Listening to the Monitor Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Moving a Frequency fr om the Monitor Memory to a Channel. . .25
Scanning the Stored Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Using the 2-Second Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Locking Out Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Manually Select ing a Channel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Listening to the Weather Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using the Keylock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
A General Guide to Scanning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Guide to Frequenci es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
National Weather Frequencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Birdie Frequen cies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Guide to the Action Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Typical Band Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Primary Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Specified Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Band Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Avoiding Image Frequencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Frequency Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
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Trou bleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Resetting the Scanner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
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PREPARATION
POWER SOURCES
You can power your scanner from any of three sources:
• Internal batteries (not supplied)
• Standard AC power (usi ng an optional AC adapter)
• Vehicle battery power (using an optional DC adapter)
USING INTERNAL BATTERIES
You can power your scanner with four AA batteries. For the l ongest operation and best performance, we recommend alkaline batteries (such
as Cat. No. 23 -552). Or, you can use recha rge able ni ckel- cadmi um batteries (Cat. No. 23- 125).
Warning:
nickel-ca dmium batter ies inside t he battery compartmen t. However, you
must never use this circuit when you have installed non-rechargeable
batteries in the scanner. Be sure to read “Important Information about
the External Power Jacks” and “Charging Nicke l-Cadmium Batteries.”
Follow these steps to install or replace bat teries.
1. If the scanner is on, turn
2. Press the tab on the battery compartment cover, and lift off the
3. Remove any old batteries from the compartment and cover.
The scanner has a built-in circuit that lets you recharge
VOLUME/OFF
clicks to turn it off.
cove r.
Caution:
promptly and properly. Do not bury or burn them.
Always dispose of old non-rechargeable batteries
counterclockwise until it
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4. Install two batteries in the compartment and two in the cover as
indicated by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked inside.
Cautions:
• Never mix rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, or
rechargeable bat teries of different capacities.
• Use only fresh batteries of the required size and type. Always
remove old or weak batteries. Batteries can leak chemicals that
destroy electr onic circuits.
5. Replace the cover.
If
flashes on the display and the scanner beeps ever y 15 seconds, im-
B
mediately replace or recharge all four batteries.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE
EXTERNAL POWER JACKS
The scanner has two external power jacks —
is important that you understand the purpose of each jack before you
connect any adapter to the scanner.
POWER
POWER
CHARGE
and
CHARGE
. It
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POWER
The
jack powers the scanner and
disconnects
the internal batteries. You can use this jack to connect an external power source (AC
adapter or DC power cord ) regardl ess of t he type of batter ies you i nstall.
CHARGE
The
charges
jack supplies power to operate the scanner and
the internal batteries. Use the
CHARGE
jack only when you in-
also
stall rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries.
Warning:
Never use the
CHARGE
jack with non- rechar geable b atter ie s.
If you try to recharge non-rechar geable batteri es, they becom e very hot
and could explode.
USING STANDARD AC POWER
To power the scanne r from AC powe r, you need an AC ad apte r such as
Cat. No. 273-1652 (not supplied).
Warning:
cord, receptacle, or other outlet unless the blades can be fully inserted
to prevent blad e exposure.
Cautions:
• You must use an AC adapter that supplies 12 volts and delivers at
• Be sure you connect the AC adapter to the scanner before you
Note:
jack and reduces it to the 6 volts required by the scanner.
Do not use an AC adapter’s polarized plug with an extension
least 200 milliamps. Its center tip must be set to positive, and its
plug must correctly fit the scanner’s
POWER
and
CHARGE
jacks.
The recommended adapter meets these specifications. Using an
adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the
scanner or the adapt er.
connect it to a standard AC outlet. Then disconnect the adapter
from the AC outlet before you disconnect it from the scanner.
The scanner receives a 12-volt input at the
CHARGE
POWER
or
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1. Connect the adapter’s blu e-ti pped barrel plug to the adapter’s cor d
and set the barrel plug’ s tip to positive.
2. Insert the adapter’s blue-tipped barrel plug into your scanner’s
POWER
jack.
Note:
If you ins talled rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries in the
scanner, remove the plastic cap from the
cap in the
POWER
jack. Connect the AC adapter to the
CHARGE
jack and put the
CHARGE
jack. This powers the scanner and recharges the batteries at the
same time. See “Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries.”
3. Plug the adapter’s power module into a standard AC outlet.
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USING VEHICLE BATTERY POWER
You can power the scanner from your vehicle’s cigarette lighter socket
with an optional DC cigarette lighter power cord (such as Cat. No. 270-
1533).
Cautions:
• The recommended DC power cord supplies 12 volts and delivers
at least 200 milliamps. Its center tip is set to positive and its plug
properly fits the scanner’s
POWER
power cord that does not meet these specifications could damage
the scanner or the power cord.
• To protect your vehicle’s electrical system, always plug the power
cord into the scanner before you plug it into your vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket. Always unplug the power cord from the vehicle’s ci garette lighter socket before you unpl ug it from the scanner.
and
CHARGE
jacks. Using a
Note:
The scanner receives a 12-volt input at the
CHARGE
or
POWER
jack and reduces it to the 6 volts required by the scanner.
1. Plug the power cord’s barrel plug into your scanner’s
POWER
jack.
2. Plug the other end of the power cord into your vehicle’s cigarettelighter socket.
Notes:
• If you installed rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries in the
scanner, remove the plastic cap from the
the cap in the
CHARGE
POWER
jack. Connect the DC power cord to the
jack. This powers the scanner and recharges the bat-
CHARGE
jack and put
teries at the same time. See “Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries.”
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