Related Manuals for Radio Shack PRO-2050
Summary of Contents for Radio Shack PRO-2050
- Page 1 Owner’s Manual Cat. No. 20-430 PRO-2050 VHF/UHF/Air/800MHz 300-Channel TrunkTracker Home Scanner Please read before using this equipment.
- Page 2 50 IDs in each tracking bank (up to a frequencies, it is difficult to listen to total of 500). trunked communications using a regu- lar scanner. The PRO-2050 monitors Triple-Conversion Circuitry — virtu- the data channel frequency sent with ally eliminates any interference from a 2-way radio user’s transmission and...
- Page 3 Scan Delay — delays scanning for signals, making a scan or search fast- about 2 seconds before moving to an- other channel in conventional mode, so you can hear more replies that are Manual Access — lets you directly made on the same channel. In trunk access any stored channel.
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Page 4: Fcc Notice
Your PRO-2050 scanner can receive FCC NOTICE all of these bands: Your scanner might cause TV or radio interference even when it is operating Frequency Types of properly. To determine if your scanner Range Transmissions is causing the interference, turn off your scanner. -
Page 5: Scanning Legally
SCANNING LEGALLY Scanning is a fun and interesting hob- by. You can hear police and fire de- partments, ambulance services, government agencies, private compa- nies, amateur radio services, aircraft, and military operations. It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scanner can receive. -
Page 6: Table Of Contents
CONTENTS Preparation ......................8 Connecting an Antenna ................... 8 Connecting the Supplied Antenna ............... 8 Connecting an Outdoor Antenna ..............8 Connecting Power ................... 9 Using AC Power ..................9 Using Your Vehicle’s Battery Power ............10 Connecting an Extension Speaker ..............10 Connecting an Earphone/Headphones ............ - Page 7 Trunk Tracking ....................26 Types of Trunking Systems ................26 Setting the Scanner to the Trunk Tracking Mode .......... 27 Setting Squelch for the Trunk Tracking Mode ..........27 Programming Trunked Frequencies .............. 28 Scanning a Trunked Bank ................29 Monitoring an Active ID ................
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Page 8: Preparation
PREPARATION This scanner is designed primarily for use in the home as a base station. You can place it on a desk, shelf, or table. Your scanner’s front feet fold up or down. Adjust them to give you the best view of the display. The scanner’s sensitivity depends on the antenna’s length and various envi- ronmental conditions. -
Page 9: Connecting Power
• The antenna should be as high as Cautions: possible on the vehicle or building. • Do not run the cable over sharp • The antenna and its cable should edges or moving parts that might be as far as possible from sources damage it. -
Page 10: Using Your Vehicle's Battery Power
Cautions: • The supplied AC adapter supplies 12 volts DC power and delivers DC 12V 500 milliamps. Its center tip is set to positive, and its plug properly fits the scanner’s jack. DC 12V Cautions: Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could •... -
Page 11: Connecting An Earphone/Headphones
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 per- manent hearing loss. • Set to the lowest setting VOLUME before you begin listening. -
Page 12: Understanding Your Scanner
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 type of communications you want to receive, then set the scanner to scan them. - Page 13 Scans through the stored channels. SCAN Stops scanning and lets you directly enter a channel MANUAL number or frequency. Switches between conventional and trunk tracking TRUNK modes. Selects a service bank. SVC (service) Sets and turns on and off the priority feature; turns the PRIORITY/SPEED HyperSearch mode on and off.
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Page 14: A Look At The Display
Holds on the current ID in the trunk tracking mode; HOLD/ sets the search direction and holds the frequency search. Turns the data signal skip feature on or off or checks DATA the current trunking bank in the trunk tracking mode. A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY The display has indicators that show the scanner’s current operating status. - Page 15 Shows which control/voice channels are currently (channel activity indicator) active. Appears when a priority channel is selected. Appears when you scan channels. SCAN MANUAL Appears when you set the scanner to its manual mode. Appears when the priority feature is turned on. Appears when the scanner is in the hold mode during HOLD a search.
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Page 16: Understanding Banks
UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDING BANKS TRUNKING In the past, groups that broadcast fre- Channel Storage Banks quently, such as police departments, were restricted to transmitting on just To make it easier to identify and select a few frequencies. This resulted in the channels you want to listen to, heavy traffic and often required 2-way channels are divided into 10 banks of radio users to wait for a specific fre-... -
Page 17: Operation
OPERATION TURNING ON THE STORING KNOWN SCANNER AND SETTING FREQUENCIES INTO SQUELCH CHANNELS 1. Turn fully Good references for active frequen- SQUELCH VOLUME counterclockwise. cies are the RadioShack “Police Call Guide including Fire and Emergency Services,” “Official Aeronautical Fre- quency Directory,” and “Maritime Fre- quency Directory.”... -
Page 18: Searching Service Banks
3. Press to store the frequency into stores this setting in the chan- the channel. nel. 4. If you want to program the next channel in sequence, press MAN- and repeat Steps 2 and 3. SEARCHING SERVICE BANKS You can search for public service, po- lice, fire/emergency, aircraft,... -
Page 19: Limit Search
LIMIT SEARCH To select another service bank, re- peatedly press until the scanner displays the name of the bank you If you do not know a frequency to want to use. store, you can search for transmis- sions within a range of frequencies Notes: you select, called the limit search range . -
Page 20: Scanning The Stored Channels
quency into the channel. The MANUALLY SELECTING scanner stores the frequency. A CHANNEL • s or t to stop searching so you can listen to the transmission. You can continuously monitor a single appears. HOLD channel without scanning. This is use- ful if you hear an emergency broad- To release hold and continue cast on a channel and do not want to... -
Page 21: Special Features
SPECIAL FEATURES To turn off the 2-second delay, press DELAY while the scanner is monitoring DELAY the channel or searching service Many agencies use a two-way radio banks or limit ranges. disap- DELAY system that might have a period of 2 pears. -
Page 22: Locking Out Channels And Frequencies
LOCKING OUT scanning, then hold down until the scanner beeps twice. CHANNELS AND FREQUENCIES Locking Out Frequencies You can scan existing channels or To lock out a frequency during a limit search frequencies faster by locking search or service bank search, press out channels or frequencies that have when the scanner stops on the a continuous transmission, such as a... -
Page 23: Turning The Key Tone On And Off
CHANGING SEARCH To turn on the data skip feature, be SPEEDS sure the priority feature is turned off (see “Priority” on Page 24), then press PRO-2050 search DATA appears. To turn off the DATA speeds for a limit search. - Page 24 800 MHz public safety systems are listed in the separate “National 4. Repeat Steps 2–3 for the channel Public Safety Trunked System Fre- in each bank you want to program quency Guide” included with your as a priority channel. PRO-2050.
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Page 25: Types Of Trunking Systems
TYPES OF TRUNKING subfleets such as dispatch, tactical operations, detectives, north, south, SYSTEMS east and west side patrols, and super- visors. All the available police radios Your trunk tracking scanner can moni- would then be assigned to one of the tor two basic types of systems —... -
Page 26: Setting The Scanner To The Trunk Tracking Mode
SETTING THE SCANNER TO THE TRUNK Note: You can change this setting, if necessary, to provide better perfor- TRACKING MODE mance in your area. Press to switch between the TRUNK scanner’s conventional trunk PROGRAMMING tracking modes. TRUNKED FREQUENCIES Before you program your scanner to track a trunked system, consider the following: •... -
Page 27: Scanning A Trunked Bank
2. Select the bank you want to store 6. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until all fre- the trunked system’s frequencies quencies have been entered. in by pressing a number key. The scanner automatically selects the first channel in the bank. SCANNING A TRUNKED BANK 3. -
Page 28: Monitoring An Active Id
the ID you want to hold. LIST 1 appears 3. Press again. flashes HOLD HOLD and the scanner monitors that ID. Note: To see the bank currently in use for about 5 seconds, press while in the trunk tracking DATA mode. -
Page 29: Unlocking A Single Id
To lock out an ID, press when the Using Trunk Tracking Scan ID appears. Delay Many trunked systems have a period of 2 or more seconds between a query and a reply. You can program a 5- second delay so the scanner holds on an ID for 5 seconds to wait for a reply. -
Page 30: Monitoring Ids
Monitoring IDs You can use your scanner’s display to monitor the frequencies in a trunked system for activity. You cannot hear conversations in this mode, but this is Each frequency you store in a trunking an excellent way to determine which bank has a corresponding activity indi- talk groups are the most active. -
Page 31: Scan Lists
SCAN LISTS Scan List Number When you program trunked frequen- cies into a bank (see “Programming Trunked Frequencies” on Page 26), your scanner sets up 5 scan lists into which you can store your favorite IDs. Each list can contain up to 10 IDs, so you can store a total of 50 IDs for each 3. -
Page 32: Storing Ids Into Scan Lists While Searching
Storing IDs into Scan Lists Deleting a Stored ID While Searching 1. Press MANUAL Follow these steps to select a scan list 2. Repeatedly press s or t to select location and store an ID during a the scan list location (shown at the search. -
Page 33: Scanning Type I And Hybrid Trunked Systems
SYSTEMS block. When you have chosen a size code for all 8 blocks, you will have du- Your PRO-2050 is set to scan Type II plicated the fleet map for the system user IDs by default. When you scan you are tracking. If you have chosen... - Page 34 Note: www.trunkscanner.com plans to make preset fleet maps available as they become known. If you do not already know the size codes used, you will have to guess them. But since you do not have to fig- ure out all the blocks at once, this is not as hard as it seems.
- Page 35 Block Size Block Size Code Code — E1P9 E1P10 Block Size Block Size Code Code — E1P5 E1P6 Block Size Block Size Block Size Block Size Code Code Code Code — — E1P11 E1P12 Block Size Block Size Code Code —...
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Page 36: Selecting A Preset Fleet Map
Block Size Block Size Code Code 3. Press DATA 4. Repeatedly press s or t to select (Type I and hybrid), then press again. DATA Note: To select Type II, press — when appears. E1P15 E1P16 5. Repeatedly press s or t to select Block Size Block... -
Page 37: Programming Ahybrid System
5. Repeatedly press s or t until would not see another prompt be- appears. cause it uses all available blocks. PROGRAMMING A HYBRID SYSTEM A hybrid system is simply a Type I 6. Press DATA system with some of its blocks desig- nated as Type II blocks. -
Page 38: A General Guide To Scanning
A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING GUIDE TO Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly “line-of- FREQUENCIES sight.” That means you usually cannot hear stations that are beyond the hori- National Weather zon. Frequencies 162.400 162.475 162.525 162.425 162.500 162.550 162.450... -
Page 39: Guide To The Action Bands
GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS Typical Band Usage VHF Band Low Range 29.00–50.00 MHz 6-Meter Amateur 50.00–54.00 MHz Aircraft 108.00–136.00 MHz U.S. Government 137.00–144.00 MHz 2-Meter Amateur 144.00–148.00 MHz High Range 148.00–174.00 MHz UHF Band U.S. Government 406.00–420.00 MHz 70-cm Amateur 420.00–450.00 MHz Low Range 450.00–470.00 MHz... -
Page 40: Primary Usage
Primary Usage VHF Band As a general rule, most of the radio ac- tivity is concentrated on the following frequencies: Activities Frequencies Government, Police, and Fire 153.785–155.980 MHz Emergency Services 158.730–159.460 MHz Railroad 160.000–161.900 MHz UHF Band Activities Frequencies Land-Mobile “Paired” Frequencies 450.000–470.000 MHz Base Stations 451.025–454.950 MHz... - Page 41 FIRE ............Fire Department HAM .
- Page 42 35.020–35.980 ......... . .BUS, PUB, IND, TELM 36.000–36.230 .
- Page 43 157.530–157.725 ..........IND, TAXI 157.740 .
- Page 44 FM-TV Audio Broadcast, UHF Wide Band (470–512 MHz) (Channels 14 through 69 in 6 MHz steps) 475.750 ............Channel 14 481.750 .
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Page 45: Frequency Conversion
FREQUENCY CONVERSION The tuning location of a station can be expressed in frequency (kHz or MHz) or in wavelength (meters). The following information can help you make the necessary conversions. 1 MHz (million) = 1,000 kHz (thousand) To convert MHz to kHz, multiply the number of megahertz by 1,000: 9.62 (MHz) ¥... -
Page 46: Troubleshooting
TROUBLESHOOTING If your scanner is not working as it should, these suggestions might help you elimi- nate the problem. If the scanner still does not operate properly, take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance. PROBLEM POSSIBLE CAUSE REMEDY Scanner is on but will not is not correctly Adjust... - Page 47 PROBLEM POSSIBLE CAUSE REMEDY Scanner will not track a The data frequency is Find the data frequency trunked system. missing. (see “Programming PROBLEM POSSIBLE CAUSE REMEDY (continued) Trunked Frequencies” on Page 26). The system you are try- Set the scanner to ing to track is a Type I receive Type I trunked system, and the scanner...
- Page 48 PROBLEM POSSIBLE CAUSE REMEDY Missing replies to con- The selected fleet map is Try another preset fleet versations. incorrect. map or program your (continued) own fleet map (see “Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked Systems” on Page 33). Not all of the trunk’s fre- Enter all of the trunk’s quencies have been frequencies.
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Page 49: Resetting The Scanner
RESETTING THE SCANNER You might need to reset the scanner if any of the following occur: • The scanner’s display locks up. • The scanner does not work properly after you connect power. • The scanner is dropped or subjected to a physical or electrical shock. Caution: This procedure clears all the information you have programmed into the scanner. -
Page 50: Care And Maintenance
CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack PRO-2050 VHF/UHF/Air/800MHz 300-Channel TrunkTracker Home Scanner is an example of superior design and craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you care for your scanner so you can enjoy it for years. Keep the scanner dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. Liquids can contain minerals that can corrode the electronic circuits. -
Page 51: Specifications
SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage: 10 Meter Amateur Radio ......29.000–29.6950 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) VHF Lo ............29.7000–49.9950 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 6 Meter Amateur Radio ......50.0000–54.0000 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) Aircraft ..........108.0000–136.9750 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) Government ........... - Page 52 Audio Power 1.1 W Maximum Power Requirements: AC Adapter 12 Volts DC DC Adapter 12 Volts DC (such as Cat. No. 270-1533) × 8 × 7 Dimensions 2 Inches (HWD) (70 × 205 × 195 mm) Weight 26.5 oz. (750 g) Specifications are typical;...
- Page 56 Limited One-Year Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under nor- mal use for one (1) year from the date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized Ra- dioShack franchisees and dealers. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RadioShack MAKES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FIT- NESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THE WRITTEN LIMITED WARRANTIES CONTAINED HEREIN.