Radio Shack PRO-433 User Manual

20-433

PRO-433 1,000 ch Trunking

Desktop/Mobile Scanner

Thank you for purchasing your PRO-433 1,000 Channel Trunking

Desktop/Mobile Scanner from RadioShack. Your scanner is one of

a new generation of scanners designed to track Motorola® Type I,
Type II, hybrid analog, and many other systems.

Quick Start

p. 4- 10

Scanner AC adapter
DC cable with fuse Antenna
DIN sleeve Removal keys (2)
Mounting bracket Knobs (2)
Lock washers (2) Screws (2)
Rubber feet (4) User’s guide
Preprogrammed frequency sheet

Please read this user’s guide before installing,
setting up and using your new scanner.

www.radioshack.com

Contents

quick start 4

step 1: installing your scanner 4
step 2: power your scanner 5
step 3: connect your scanner 6
step 4: setting up your scanner 8
step 5: monitoring and scanning 10

the basics 11

your scanner’s controls 12
your scanner’s display 13
replacing the fuse 15

beyond the basics 16

channel-storage banks 16
priority channels 16
chain search 17
service bank search 18
weather search and alert 18
FIPS codes 19
Skywarn 20
Signal Stalker I 21
data skip 22
keytones 23
delay 23
memory lock 23

trunking operations 24

programming trunked frequencies 24
talk group ID 25
AFS Format 28
talk group ID search range (EDACS) 28
Status Bit (S-Bit) Ignore 29
trunk search and scan 30

2

Contents

type I and hybrid trunked systems 30
programming base and offset frequencies 33
Motorola disconnect tone detect function 34

special features 35

PC programming 35
scanner cloning 35

care 37

troubleshooting 37
resetting the scanner 38
service and repair 38

specifi cations 39
RF emissions information 40
limited one-year warranty 40

3

Quick Start

quick start

step 1: installing your scanner

You can mount your scanner as a base station or in your vehicle. If
you are unsure how to install your scanner in your vehicle, consult
your automobile manufacturer, dealer, or a qualifi ed installer.

base station

Attach the four protective rubber feet to the mounting bracket
when you use the scanner as a base station on a fl at surface such
as a desk, shelf, or table. Because the speaker is on the bottom
of the scanner, you can use the mounting bracket to elevate your
scanner off the surface for better sound.

vehicle mounting

To mount your scanner under or over the dashboard, use the
mounting bracket. Before installing, confi rm that your scanner
fi ts in the desired mounting area and you have all the necessary
materials to complete the task.

IMPORTANT: AVOID AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ZONES. This can

prevent the airbag from performing properly and result in injury.

1. Use the supplied mounting bracket as a template to mark

positions for the two mounting screws.

2. At the marked positions, drill holes slightly smaller than the

screws. When drilling holes, be sure to avoid obstructions and
wires behind the mounting surface.

3. Attach the mounting bracket to the surface using the supplied

screws.

4. Slide the scanner into the bracket, aligning the scanner’s holes

with the holes in the bracket, and then screw the mounting
knobs into the scanner.

4

4

Quick Start

Your scanner requires a 2 x 7-1/8 x 5-5/16 inch (50 x 180 x 135
mm) mounting area. Allow an additional 2-3/8 inch (60 mm) space
behind the scanner for connectors and wires.

1. Remove the four rear screws that secure the outer metal case

and pull off the case with care.

2. Insert the DIN sleeve into the opening in your dashboard, lip

facing out.

3. Push out the top and bottom tabs to hold the sleeve fi rmly in

place.

4. Slowly slide the scanner into the sleeve until it locks in place.

• When mounting in your dashboard, you will need to

NOTES

connect an external antenna and an external speaker.

• To remove your scanner from the DIN sleeve, insert the

two removal keys straight into the scanner’s front panel
and pull the scanner out.

step 2: power your scanner

You can power your scanner from a wall outlet, through your
vehicle’s ignition, or from your vehicle’s cigarette lighter or power
port. You must use a Class 2 power source that supplies 12V DC
and delivers at least 500mA. Its center tip must be set to positive
and its plug must fi t the scanner’s DC 12V jack. Using an adapter
that does not meet these specifi cations could damage the scanner
or the adapter.

DC 12V

wall outlet

To prevent electric shock,
do not use the AC adapter’s
polarized plug with an
extension cord, receptacle,
or other outlet unless you
can fully insert the blades.

Power source connection.

1. Connect the tip of the supplied AC adapter to the DC 12V jack.

2. Plug the AC adapter into your wall outlet.

5

5

Quick Start

vehicle cigarette lighter or power port

To power your scanner from your vehicle’s 12V power source,
use a 12V DC cigarette-lighter adapter (not supplied, available at

RadioShack).

NOTE

If you use a cigarette-lighter adapter, you might hear some
electrical interference from your engine while scanning.
This is normal.

vehicle ignition (negative ground only)

NOTE

If you are not experienced in connecting accessories to
the vehicle fuse box, use a certifi ed installer.

1. Disconnect the cable from the negative (-) terminal of your

vehicle’s battery.

2. Ground the black wire of the supplied DC power cord to your

vehicle’s chassis. The grounding screw must make complete
contact with the metal frame of your vehicle.

3. Connect the red wire of the supplied DC power cord to a

voltage source that turns on and off with the ignition switch,
such as a spare accessory terminal in your vehicle’s fuse box.

4. Insert the adapter’s barrel plug into the scanner’s DC 12V jack.

5. Reconnect the cable to the negative (-) terminal of your

vehicle’s battery.

step 3: connect your scanner

ANT
Antenna connection.

EXT SP
External speaker connection.

6

Quick Start

antenna

Expand the antenna according to the
frequencies you want to montitor:

Frequency ..................................... Antenna Length

25-174 MHz .....................Extend fully (4 segments)

400-512 MHz ................... Extend half (2 segments)

806-1300 MHz ................Collapse fully (1 segment)

The scanner’s ANT jack supports a variety of

antennae (available at RadioShack).

• An external antenna is optional if

NOTES

you use your scanner as a base
station. If you mount your scanner
in your vehicle, you will need to
connect an external antenna.

• The antenna should be as high

as possible and vertical for best
performance.

• Keep the antenna and cable as far as possible from

sources of electrical noise, such as appliances or other
radios.

Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8, to
connect an outdoor antenna. For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8
low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. You also may need a BNC adapter
(not supplied).

ANT
Match the
antenna
connector
arrow to
the ANT
jack’s upper
projection.

external speaker

To use an external speaker (available at your local RadioShack

store), plug the speaker’s 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) plug into the scanner’s

EXT SP jack.

NOTE

CAUTION: Use extreme caution when installing or removing

an outdoor antenna. If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! 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.

Connecting an external speaker mutes the scanner’s
internal speaker.

7

Quick Start

step 4: setting up your scanner

turning on your scanner

To turn on your scanner, turn the VOLUME knob clockwise
until it clicks. To set the squelch, turn the SQUELCH knob fully

counterclockwise, then rotate it clockwise until the hissing sound
stops.

storing frequencies in channels

Your scanner comes with 150 preprogrammed frequencies. You
can manually store frequencies using a frequency guide such as

the “RadioShack Police Call Guide including Fire and Emergency

Services, and Offi cial Aeronautical Frequency Directory.”

1. Press E/PGM. PGM appears in the display.

2 Enter the channel number where you want to store a frequency.

3. Press SCAN/MANUAL.

4. Enter the frequency including the decimal point.

5. Press E/PGM to store the frequency. The scanner automatically

rounds the entered number to the nearest valid frequency. For
example, 151.473 (MHz) becomes 151.475.

If you entered a frequency that is already saved on

NOTE

another channel, the scanner beeps and displays the
channel. Press . /CLR /DELAY to exit, or press E/PGM to
store the frequency on both channels.

copying / moving frequencies

To copy or move a frequency, complete the following steps:

1. Press or to select the channel that contains the frequency,

and press E/PGM.

2. Press and hold E/PGM. The scanner copy/move menu appears.

3. Press or to select Copy or Move, then press E/PGM.

8

Quick Start

4. Select the target bank. The smallest empty channel number

fl ashes over the frequency.

5. Press or to access the target channel.

6. Press E/PGM. If there is no empty channel, the scanner

automatically selects the fi rst channel of the bank.

To cancel the copy or move, press . /CLR /DELAY.

searching for frequencies

You can search for frequencies up or down using direct search.

1. Press and hold SRCH. SRCH appears in the display.

2. (Optional) To set a starting frequency, press HOLD and enter

the frequency.

3. Press or to begin searching up or down the frequencies.

4. (Optional) To avoid unwanted frequencies, you can skip up to

200 specifi ed frequencies during a search. To skip a frequency,

press L/O when the scanner fi nds the frequency.

• You cannot skip frequencies during a weather service

NOTES

To clear a skipped frequency, complete the following steps:

search.

• If you skip all frequencies within the search range, the

scanner cannot search.

• If you try to skip more than 200 frequencies, the

scanner will stop skipping the earliest skipped
frequencies.

1. Press HOLD/RESUME to stop the search.

2. Select the frequency. L/O appears.

3. Press L/O. L/O disappears.

4. (Optional) To clear all the skipped frequencies, press HOLD/

RESUME, then hold down L/O until the scanner beeps twice.

9

Quick Start

step 5: monitoring and scanning

monitoring

To monitor a channel, press SCAN/MANUAL while the scanner is
pausing on the channel, or stop the scanning by pressing SCAN/
MANUAL, enter the channel number, and press SCAN/MANUAL.

scanning

To scan, press SCAN/MANUAL. When the scanner fi nds a

transmission, it monitors the transmission until it ends.

• If you have not stored frequencies into any channels,

NOTES

Press SCAN/MANUAL to stop scanning, or press HOLD/RESUME

to pause the scan without losing your position.

earphones / headphones

For private listening, you can plug earphones or headphones into
your scanner’s headphone jack. Do not use headphones with your
scanner when operating a motor vehicle in or near traffi c. Doing so
can create a traffi c hazard and could be illegal in some areas. Some
headphones let you hear some outside sounds when listening at
normal volume levels, but they still can present a traffi c hazard.

the scanner cannot scan.

• If the scanner picks up 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 protect your hearing, follow these guidelines for 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,

then 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

The Basics

the basics

A frequency is the tuning location of a station. A channel is a

programmable memory location for storing frequencies that

you can scan for activity. Channels are grouped into 10 channel-
storage banks, each of which contains 100-channels. Service banks

are preset channel-storage banks of frequencies used by HAM
operators, marine, aircraft, and police (fi re/emergency) services.
For example, many amateur radio frequencies are located in the
HAM service bank.

Your scanner provides many features that help you locate,
monitor, and organize useful transmissions in your area, including
frequencies used by police and fi re departments, ambulance
services, government agencies, private companies, amateur
radio services, military operations, pager services, and wireline
(telephone and telegraph) service providers.

This scanner is designed to prevent reception of illegal
transmissions, in compliance with laws that require that scanners
be manufactured to not be easily modifi able to pick up those
transmissions. Do not open your scanner’s case to make any
modifi cations that could allow it to pick up transmissions that it is
not legal to listen to. Doing so could subject you to legal penalties.

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 transmissions

• any scrambled or encrypted transmissions

According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA),
as amended, you are subject to fi nes and possible imprisonment
for intentionally listening to, using, or divulging the contents of
such a transmission unless you have the consent of a party to the
communication (unless such activity is otherwise illegal).

We encourage responsible, legal scanner use.

11

The Basics

your scanner’s controls

SQUELCH
Adjusts the squelch.

VOLUME
Turns on the scanner and
adjusts the volume.

SCAN/MANUAL

Starts and stops channel scans, or lets you
directly enter a frequency or channel number.

SRCH

Searches for frequencies, or active talk group IDs.

SVC

Starts a service bank search.

TRUNK

Accesses trunk tracking and stores trunked frequencies.

PC/IF
PC interface cable connection.

Headphone connection.

WX /

Controls weather searches and activates the Skywarn function.

MENU

Accesses the scanner menu, which appears in the display.

PRI

Activates and sets the priority features.

L/O

Locks out selected channels, skips specifi ed talk group IDs and
frequencies during a search.

Accesses the Signal Stalker I function.

12