PRO-2056 50-Channel Home/Mobile Scanner
(200-0147) Preparation Faxback Doc. # 39988
CONNECTING AN ANTENNA
Connecting the Telescoping Antenna
The supplied telescoping antenna helps your scanner receive strong local
signals. To install this antenna, hold the antenna so it stands straight
up, then gently push the antenna's plug onto the ANT jack on the scanner's
back panel.
The scanner's sensitivity depends on the antenna's length and various
environmental conditions. Based on the frequencies of the transmissions
you want to hear, adjust the antenna's length.
Frequency (MHz) Antenna Length
29-108 Extend fully
108-174 Extend three segments
174-512 Extend two segments
Connecting the Window-Mount Antenna
You can install the supplied window-mount antenna on the inside of your
vehicle's windshield. Follow these steps to install the window-mount
antenna.
Caution: Do not use the window-mount antenna on a windshield that has a
plastic coating designed to protect passengers during an accident.
If you use the antenna on this type of windshield, you might
permanently damage the windshield's surface.
1. Select a location for the window-mount antenna. Follow these mounting
guidelines when selecting a location.
The antenna's clear wire receives signals. Mount it vertically against
the far right (passenger) side of the windshield.
Choose a location that does not block the driver's view of the road.
Some vehicles have InstaClear or ElectriClear defogging windshields,
which have metal coatings that interfere with signals. General Motor's
APV vans have a solar shield that keeps the vehicle cooler during the
summer, which also interferes with signals. If you install a window-
mount antenna in a vehicle with any of these features, the scanner
probably will not detect weak signals.
2. Clean the selected windshield area, position the antenna's clear wire
on the windshield, then press firmly on both suction cups to secure it
in place.
3. Route the antenna's black cable down the edge of the windshield,
around the edge of the dash, and underneath it. Be sure the cable
does not interfere with the vehicle's pedals or other moving parts.
4. Align the slots around the antenna's connector with the tabs on the
ANT jack. Then push the antenna's connector and turn it clockwise
until it locks into place.
Connecting an External Antenna
The ANT jack on the back of the scanner makes it easy to use the scanner
with a variety of antennas. Instead of one of the supplied antennas, you
can attach a different one, such as an external mobile antenna or outdoor
base station antenna. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of
antennas.
When deciding on an antenna and its location, consider the following:
The location of the antenna should be as high as possible.
The antenna and antenna cable should be as far as possible from sources
of electrical noise (appliances, other radios, and so on).
The antenna should be vertical for the best performance.
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. If the coaxial cable's connector does not fit in the ANT
jack, you might also need a PL-259-to-BNC antenna plug adapter, such as
Cat. No. 278-120. Your local RadioShack store carries a wide variety of
coaxial antenna cable and connectors.
Follow the installation instructions supplied with the antenna, route
the antenna cable to the scanner, then connect it to the ANT BNC-type
jack on the back of the scanner.
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, contact with 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.
Caution: Do not run the cable over sharp edges or objects that move.
MOUNTING THE SCANNER TO YOUR VEHICLE
The most common mounting location for this scanner is under your vehicle's
dashboard. If you use this scanner in a vehicle, mount it securely to
avoid damage to the scanner or vehicle, or injury to anyone in the vehicle
during sudden starts or stops.
Note: Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires a permit in some
areas. Check the laws in your area.
When you choose a mounting location, be sure:
You can easily reach the scanner
All wires and cables will reach their connection points
Wires and cables will not interfere with vehicle's pedals or other
moving parts
The scanner is not directly in front of any heating vents
Follow these steps to mount the scanner in your vehicle.
1. Choose a mounting location, then use the mounting bracket as a template
to mark the positions for the mounting screw holes.
2. In the marked locations, drill holes slightly smaller than the supplied
screws. Take care not to drill into or damage objects behind the
mounting surface.
3. Attach the mounting bracket to the mounting location using the supplied
screws and lock washers.
4. Attach the scanner to the mounting bracket using the supplied mounting
knobs.
Connecting Power from Your Vehicle's Battery
Depending on if your scanner is permanently installed in your vehicle, you
can power it using either the DC power cord or the DC cigarette-lighter
power cord (both supplied).
Follow these steps to connect the supplied DC power cord.
1. Connect the power cord's black wire to your vehicle battery's negative
(-) terminal or to a metal part of the vehicle's frame that is not
insulated from the frame by a plastic part.
2. Connect the power cord's red wire (with in-line fuse) to a source of
voltage that turns on and off with the ignition switch, such as a
spare accessory terminal in your vehicle's fuse box.
3. Insert the power cord's barrel plug into the DC 13.8V jack on the back
of the scanner.
To connect the supplied DC cigarette-lighter power cord, insert its barrel
plug into the DC 13.8V jack on the back of the scanner, then plug the
power cord into your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket.
Cautions:
Unplug the power cord from your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket when
you turn off the ignition. This prevents vehicle battery drain if you
leave the scanner on when you turn off the ignition.
Always unplug the power cord from your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket
before you unplug its barrel plug from the scanner.
Note: If the scanner does not operate when you turn it on, remove the
power cord from your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket and check
the socket for debris. Also, check the fuse in the power cord you
are using and your vehicle's fuse block.
USING THE SCANNER AS A BASE STATION
You can place this scanner on a desk, shelf, or table to use it as a base
station.
Your scanner's front feet fold up and down. Adjust them to give you the
best view of the display.
Using the Supplied AC Adapter
Cautions:
Use only the supplied AC adapter. Using a different adapter can damage your
scanner and could present a safety hazard.
To prevent electric shock, the plug's blades are polarized and fit only one
way. If the plug does not fit easily, turn it over and try again. Do not
force it into the AC outlet.
When you finish using the AC adapter, disconnect it from the AC outlet
first. Then disconnect it from the scanner.
Plug the adapter's barrel plug into the scanner's DC 13.8V jack. Then plug
the adapter's power module into a standard AC outlet.
Warning: Do not use the AC adapter's polarized plug with an extension cord,
receptacle, or other outlet unless the blades can be fully
inserted to prevent blade exposure.
MEMORY BACKUP
When you first power the scanner, MEMO LOSS (memory loss) appears until
you program the scanner. The memory backup circuit begins to function a
few minutes after you supply power to the scanner. How long the scanner
will maintain channels stored in memory depends on how long power has been
supplied to the scanner.
If power is continuously supplied to the scanner for at least 24 hours, the
memory backup circuit maintains the channels stored in memory for up to
5 days. If power is disconnected and the memory backup circuit becomes
too weak to save the scanner's programming, MEMO LOSS appears again when
power is reconnected until you reprogram the scanner.
CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL SPEAKER OR HEADPHONES
In a noisy area, an extension speaker or pair of monaural headphones (Cat.
No. 21-549 or 20-210) might provide more comfortable listening. Use an 8-
ohm external speaker capable of handling 3 watts of power.
Plug the speaker cable's or headphones' 1/8-inch plug into the EXT SP jack
on the back of the scanner.
Caution: Do not turn the scanner's volume all the way up while using
headphones. The headphones could be damaged.
Note: Plugging in an external speaker or headphones disconnects the
scanner's internal speaker.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use 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.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER
Once you understand a few simple terms we use in this manual and familiarize
yourself with your scanner's features, you can put the scanner to work for
you. You simply determine the communications you want to hear, then set
the scanner to scan those frequencies.
A frequency is the tuning of the location of a station (expressed in kHz or
MHz). To find active frequencies, you can use the search function to
search for search bands, which are preset ranges of frequencies. When you
find a frequency, you can store it into a permanent memory location called
a channel, which is grouped with other channels in your scanner's service
search banks and PRIVATE bank. You can then scan these channels. Each
time the scanner finds an active frequency, it stays there until the
transmission ends.
BANKS
Service Search Banks
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) allocates frequency ranges for
the exclusive use of public service agencies such as police departments,
fire departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Many of the frequencies used by these agencies are grouped into this
scanner's service search banks, so you can easily scan the frequencies
typically used by a particular agency.
Your scanner has the following service search banks.
POLICE (contains 739 preset frequencies)
FIRE/EMG (contains 197 preset frequencies)
MARINE (contains 90 preset frequencies)
AIR ( contains 1,160 preset frequencies)
Your scanner also has 7 preset weather frequencies.
You can scan through any service search bank simply by pressing that
bank's button, or the weather frequencies by pressing WX. For example,
if you want to scan frequencies where you are unlikely to hear police
calls, press POLICE.
Notes:
You cannot use the SEARCH key to search for new frequencies in the service
search banks.
You cannot change or clear any of the preset frequencies in the service
search banks, but you can store frequencies into channels in the POLICE
and FIRE/EMG service search banks.
PRIVATE Bank
Your scanner has one PRIVATE bank. This bank contains 20 channels. You
can store frequencies from any search band, service search bank, or any
weather frequency into these channels, then scan the channels by pressing
PRIVATE.
Notes:
You cannot use the SEARCH key to search for new frequencies in the PRIVATE
bank.
You cannot scan the PRIVATE bank until you have stored frequencies in its
channels.
CHANNELS
The scanner has 50 empty channels where you can store frequencies you find
while scanning the banks or searching through the search bands - 20 in the
POLICE bank, 10 in the FIRE/EMG bank, and 20 in the PRIVATE bank.
Frequencies you assign to POLICE channels become part of the POLICE service
search bank. For example, the police department might use four temporary
frequencies while providing security for a parade. If these frequencies
are included in any search band (or even another service search bank), you
could store them in Channels 1-4 of the POLICE service search bank.
Frequencies you assign to FIRE/EMG channels become part of the FIRE/EMG
service search bank.
For example, the fire department might use three frequencies to communicate
with paramedic units only during disaster drills. If these frequencies are
included in any search band (or even another service search bank), you
could store them in Channels 1-3 of the FIRE/EMG service search bank.
The MARINE and AIR service search banks contain no channels.
You can also replace frequencies you stored in these channels with different
frequencies, or you can clear stored frequencies from the channels.
Good references for active frequencies are the RadioShack Police Call
Radio Guide Including Fire and Emergency Services, Aeronautical Frequency
Directory, and Maritime Frequency Directory. We update those directories
every year, so be sure to get a current copy.
SEARCH BANDS
Your scanner has 11 preprogrammed search bands. Each band covers a specific
range of frequencies which you can search for specific broadcasts by using
the SEARCH and BAND keys. For example, you can search through all
frequencies between 29.000 and 30.000 MHz for specific broadcasts.
This table shows the search band range displayed by the scanner and the
typical usage, frequency coverage, and step rate for each search band
range.
Search Typical Usage Frequency Step Rate
Band Range Coverage (MHz) (kHz)
29-30 10-Meter Amateur Radio 29.0000-30.0000 5.0
30-50 VHF Lo 30.0000-50.0000 5.0
50-54 6-Meter Amateur Radio 50.0000-54.0000 5.0
108-137 Aircraft 108.0000-136.9750 25.0
137-144 Government 137.0000-144.0000 5.0
144-148 2-Meter Amateur Radio 144.0000-148.0000 5.0
148-174 VHF Hi 148.0000-174.0000 5.0
406-420 Government 406.0000-420.0000 12.5
420-450 70-Centimeter Amateur Radio 420.0000-450.0000 12.5
450-470 UHF lo 450.0000-470.0000 12.5
470-512 UHF "T" Band 470.0000-512.0000 12.5
Notes:
Your scanner searches at the preset frequency step rate (5, 12.5, or 25 kHz)
for each search band.
You cannot change the frequency step rate.
While searching through a search band, you might hear a frequency that you
want to store with other frequencies of the same type, so you can scan
them all together. You can store any frequency into a channel in the
POLICE or FIRE/EMG service search banks or the PRIVATE bank.
Notes:
Some of the frequencies in the search bands are also included in the
scanner's service search banks.
When you store a frequency in a channel, that frequency also remains in
the search band.
You cannot change or clear any of the frequencies in the search bands.
A LOOK AT THE FRONT PANEL
A quick glance at this section will help you better understand each key's
function.
HOLD - stops scanning.
UP/DOWN ARROWS - moves up or down through frequencies and channels or
changes the search direction.
FIRE/EMG, AIR, POLICE, MARINE - scans the preset frequencies in the named
service search bank.
PRIVATE - scans the frequencies you stored in the PRIVATE bank's channels.
WX - scans through the preprogrammed weather frequencies.
SEARCH - searches for active frequencies within a selected band range,
starting from the lowest frequency.
L/OUT - locks out selected frequencies or channels.
BAND - selects any of the 11 search bands to search.
PROG - programs frequencies into channels.
SQ - adjusts the scanner's squelch.
OFF/VOLUME - turns the scanner on or off and adjusts the volume.
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has indicators that show the scanner's operating mode. A good
look at the display will help you understand your scanner's operation.
PRIVATE - appears when you scan the frequencies you stored in the PRIVATE
band's channels.
POLICE, FIRE/EMG, AIR, MRN - appear when you scan the preset frequencies
in the named service search bank.
WX - appears when you scan the preset weather frequencies.
HOLD - appears when you press HOLD to stop scanning or searching.
SCAN - appears when you scan channels until a frequency appears.
SRCH UP/DOWN - appears during a search to show the search direction.
Search Band Range Numbers - appear instead of a frequency to show which
of the scanner's 11 search bands you selected.
L/O - appears when you lock out a channel or frequency or manually select
a locked-out channel or frequency.
MEMO LOSS - appears when you first turn on the scanner until you turn on
the scanner, and when you turn on the scanner after a power
loss when the scanner's memory backup circuit is too weak to
save the scanner's programming.
Error - appears when you make an incorrect entry.
Prg-Loc - appears when you try to program the scanner while MEMOLOCK OFF/ON
is set to ON.
CH - flashes when you program the scanner.
Channel Number - appears on the left side of the display to show which of
the scan bank channels the scanner is tuned to.
(km-06/12/1997)
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