Related Manuals for Radio Shack PRO-83
Summary of Contents for Radio Shack PRO-83
- Page 1 20-501 PRO-83 200 Channel compact scanner w/signal stalker search and lighted keypad Read this user’s guide completely before using your scanner...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
..... 16 about your scanner ..... . 17 a look at the keypad . - Page 3 service search ......28 storing frequencies into channels during service search......29 scanning the stored channels.
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Page 4: The Fcc Wants You To Know
..... 54 frequently asked questions ....55 specifications . -
Page 5: Powering Your Scanner
You can power your scanner from any of three sources: • internal batteries (not supplied) • standard AC power (using an optional AC adapter) • vehicle battery power (using an optional DC adapter) Before installing batteries, set the switch in the battery compartment to match the type of batteries you will use. - Page 6 Install 2 AA batteries, matching the polarity symbols (+ -). Replace the cover. The Basics...
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Page 7: Using Rechargeable Batteries
Warning: Always dispose of old batteries promptly and properly. Do not bury or burn them. Using Rechargeable Batteries You can also use two rechargeable batteries to power your scanner. Before you use Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries, you must charge them. The Basics... - Page 8 The scanner has a built-in circuit that lets you recharge Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries while they are in the scanner. To charge the batteries, set ALKALINE/ RECHARGEABLE inside the battery compartment to RECHARGEABLE, install the batteries in the scanner, and connect an external AC or DC adapter to the scanner's DC 6V jack (see “Using AC Power”...
- Page 9 If CHArg does not appear, the rechargeable batteries might be completely discharged. Connect the scanner to an AC or DC adapter and wait about 1 minute. Then, unplug the adapter from the scanner for a few seconds then plug it back in.
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Page 10: Using Ac Power
Using AC Power You can power the scanner using a 6V, 300 mA AC adapter and a size B Adaptaplug™ adapter (neither supplied). Both are available at your local RadioShack store. -
Page 11: Using Vehicle Battery Power
Follow these steps to use the scanner on AC power. Make sure the power is turned off. Insert the Adaptaplug into the AC adapter's cord so it reads TIP +. Then, insert the Adaptaplug into the scanner's DC 6V jack. - Page 12 RECHARGEABLE, the adapter powers the scanner and recharges the installed batteries at the same time. Note: If the scanner does not operate properly when you use a DC adapter, unplug the adapter from the cigarette-lighter socket and clean the socket to remove ashes and debris.
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Page 13: Setting Up Your Scanner
Connecting the Antenna To attach the supplied flexible antenna to the connector on the top of your scanner, align the slots around the antenna's connector with the tabs on the scanner's BNC connector. Then slide the antenna's... -
Page 14: Connecting An Earphone/Headphone
Note: Always use 50-ohm, RG-58, or RG-8, coaxial cable to connect an outdoor antenna. If the antenna is over 50 feet from the scanner, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If your antenna's cable does not have a BNC connector, your local RadioShack store carries a variety of BNC adapters. -
Page 15: Traffic Safety
Traffic Safety Do not use an earphone or headphones with your scanner when operating a motor vehicle in or near traffic. Doing so can create a traffic hazard and could be illegal in some areas. -
Page 16: Attaching The Belt Clip
Attaching the Belt Clip To make your scanner easier to carry when you are on the go, use the supplied belt clip. Use a Phillips screwdriver and the supplied screws to attach the clip to the scanner. The Basics... -
Page 17: About Your Scanner
Familiarize yourself with these terms and the scanner's features, and you can put the scanner to work for you right away. Simply determine the type of communications you want to receive, then set the scanner to scan those communications. -
Page 18: A Look At The Keypad
FUNC then release it. display. Then quickly press the next key in the function key sequence while appears or disappears as you press FUNC. If your scanner's keys seem confusing at first, the following information should help you understand each key's function. HOLD/ HOLD Holds the scan or the frequency search. - Page 19 FUNC Lets you use various functions by pressing this key in combination with other keys. Press and hold for more than 2 seconds to turn the scanner on or off. 1/PRIORITY: 1 Enters a 1. FUNC + PRIORITY Sets and turns the priority function on or off.
- Page 20 3/SVC: 3 Enters a 3. FUNC + SVC Lets you search the five service search banks. 4/ALT: 4 Enters a 4. FUNC + ALT Turns the WX alert function on or off. 5/DLY: 5 Enters a 5. FUNC + DLY Turns the delay function on or off. 6/B.SLCT: 6 Enters a 6.
- Page 21 9 Enters a 9. . /CLR/ . /CLR Enters a decimal point or clears an incorrect entry. FUNC + in memory (Ch#200) from any mode. 0/L/O: 0 Enters a 0. FUNC + L/O Lets you lock out a selected channel or skip a specified frequency.
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Page 22: A Look At The Display
A Look at the Display The display has indicators that show the scanner's current operating status. The display information helps you understand how your scanner operates. BANK - appears with numbers (1-10). P - appears when you select a priority channel. - Page 23 ALT - appears during a WX alert or while the signal stalker function is on. - appears when the scanner is set to a signal stalker mode. The Basics...
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Page 24: Understanding Banks
Understanding Banks Service Banks The scanner is preprogrammed with all the frequencies allocated to the weather, ham, marine, aircraft, and police (fire/emergency) services. Channel Storage Banks To make it easier to identify and select the channels you want to listen to, the 200 channels are divided into 10 channel-storage banks. -
Page 25: Beyond The Basics
Turning On The Scanner and Setting Squelch Your scanner is preprogrammed at the factory with 150 of the most frequently used frequencies in Channels 1 to 150. You can scan these frequencies as soon as you turn on the scanner. - Page 26 Press E to store the frequency into the channel. Notes: •If you entered an invalid frequency in Step Error appears and the scanner beeps three times. Enter a valid frequency. •The scanner automatically rounds the entered number to the nearest valid frequency. For example, if you enter 151.473 (MHz), your...
- Page 27 E to accept. To program the next channel in sequence, press FUNC + PGM or E and repeat Steps To program the scanner with your local Skywarn frequency, repeat Steps nel 200 with that frequency. For more informa- tion, see “Skywarn” on Page 36.
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Page 28: Searching For And Temporarily Storing Active Frequencies
To select a different service bank, repeatedly press FUNC + SVC. Service mode appears on the display. When the scanner stops on a transmission, quickly press HOLD to stop searching and listen to the transmission. HOLD appears. In this mode, you can... -
Page 29: Storing Frequencies Into Channels During Service Search
0-9 keys to select the bank. To continue searching, press FUNC + SVC. If you entered a frequency that has already been entered elsewhere, the scanner sounds an error tone and displays the channel that was duplicated. If you entered the frequency by mistake, press . /CLR then enter the correct frequency. -
Page 30: Scanning The Stored Channels
(See “Locking Out Channels” on Page 48 and “Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off” on Page 48). When the scanner finds a transmission, it stops on it. When the transmission ends, the scanner resumes scanning. -
Page 31: Signal Stalker
Signal Stalker is working, or turn off Signal Stalker and use the scanner normally. You can set the scanner so it alerts you when Signal Stalker finds a frequency. You can also set the frequency band where you want the scanner to look for transmissions. -
Page 32: Setting The Signal Stalker Options
Signal Stalker might not find the transmission you are searching for, or it might find a transmission other than the one you are searching for. You can screen unwanted transmissions by pressing FUNC + L/O to lock them out. See “Locking Out Frequencies” on Page 49 for more information. - Page 33 E to select it. Otherwise, press . /CLR if you do not want to select it. The scanner displays the following options. Lo On or Lo OFF Air On or Air OFF Hi On or Hi OFF...
- Page 34 ALt bP-Lt: The scanner flashes the display backlight and beeps when a signal stalker signal is detected. ALt OFF: The scanner does not provide any alert when a signal stalker signal is detected. Repeatedly press want appears, then press E to select it.
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Page 35: Using Signal Stalker
Signal Stalker Options” on Page 32. Note: To continue scanning normally while Signal Stalker is working, simply press SCAN. When the scanner finds a frequency, it sounds the alert you specified in “Setting the Signal Stalker Options” on Page 32, and Found flashes. Press any key to confirm the displayed frequency. -
Page 36: Skywarn
If no frequency is programmed in the last channel, No Prg appears and the scanner sounds an error tone. About Skywarn Skywarn is an organized group of trained weather observers. - Page 37 NOAA weather broadcast and local TV or radio station can announce them. Enter the local Skywarn frequency for your area into Channel 200 on your scanner, then listen to Skywarn first when severe weather threatens. Listen to NOAA: for weather alerts and warnings,...
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Page 38: Wx Alert
Turn on the WX alert function by pressing FUNC + ALT in the WX search or WX search hold mode. ALT appears. When the scanner receives a WX alert signal while the WX alert function is on, it goes into WX alert hold mode and generates a WX alert tone, and ALT flashes. -
Page 39: Chain Search Mode
The preset frequency ranges are: Bank No. Frequency (MHz) 25.0000-27.9950 28.0000-29.6950 29.7000-49.9950 50.0000-54.0000 137.0000-143.9950 144.0000-147.9950 406.0000-419.99375 420.0000-449.99375 450.0000-469.99375 806.0000-956.0000 Chain Search Mode Press FUNC + SRCH to start chain search mode. SRCH, the enabled search bank number, and (indicating the search direction) appear. The search bank number being searched flashes. -
Page 40: Chain Search Hold Mode
At least one search bank must be enabled. (The scanner sounds an error tone if you try to disable all the search banks). The search bank and the frequency where chain search starts depends on how the scanner was set before you selected chain search mode. -
Page 41: Storing Frequencies Found During Chain Search Into Channel Memory
E. You can also press 0-9 to select the bank. If you try to save a frequency that is already stored, the scanner sounds an error tone and displays the channel that was duplicated. If you entered the frequency by mistake, press . /CLR. To enter the frequency anyway, press E to accept. -
Page 42: Direct Entry Search
Press E to select the upper limit frequency. Direct Entry Search You can use direct entry search to search up or down from the currently displayed frequency. If the scanner is scanning or searching, press HOLD. Beyond the Basics to increase the search bank to decrease it. -
Page 43: Direct Entry Search Hold Mode
Step If you enter a frequency that is out of range, the scanner sounds an error tone and Error appears. Press FUNC + downward or FUNC + direction upward. Frequencies appear during the search. -
Page 44: Storing Frequencies Found During Direct Entry Search Into Channel Memory
Then press E. You can also use the 0-9 keys to select the bank. If you enter a frequency that has already been entered elsewhere, the scanner sounds an error tone and displays the channel that was duplicated. If you entered the frequency by mistake, press... -
Page 45: Search Skip Memory
To skip a frequency, press FUNC + L/O when the scanner stops on the frequency during a search or a search hold. The scanner stores the frequency in memory and automatically resumes the search if it is not in hold. - Page 46 Follow these steps to clear a single frequency from skip memory so the scanner stops on it during a search. Press HOLD to stop the search. Press FUNC + frequency. L/O appears. Press FUNC + L/O. L/O disappears. To clear all the skip frequencies at once while searching or search hold, press FUNC then press and hold L/O until the scanner beeps.
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Page 47: Delay
• If the scanner is scanning and stops on an active channel where you want to store a delay, quickly press FUNC + DLY before it continues scanning again. DLY appears. -
Page 48: Turning Channel-Storage Banks On And Off
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off You can turn each channel-storage bank on and off. When you turn off a bank, the scanner does not scan any of the 20 channels in that bank. While scanning, press the number key that corresponds to the bank you want to turn on or off. -
Page 49: Locking Out Frequencies
L/O disappears. To unlock all channels in the banks that are turned on, press HOLD to stop scanning, then press FUNC and press and hold L/O until the scanner beeps twice. Locking Out Frequencies While searching and using Signal Stalker, you can reduce the number of “hits”... -
Page 50: Priority
You can program one stored channel in each bank as a priority channel (10 for the banks). If the priority feature is turned on, as the scanner scans the bank, it checks that bank's priority channel for activity every 2 seconds. -
Page 51: Using Keylock
To turn off the priority feature, press FUNC + PRIORITY. PRI disappears. Using Keylock Use the scanner's keylock to protect it from accidental program changes. When the scanner's keys are locked, the only controls that operate are SCAN, FUNC, HOLD, , KEYLOCK, and To turn on keylock, press FUNC + KEYLOCK. -
Page 52: Wired Programming
No. 20-289, available at your local RadioShack store) and software (available at your local RadioShack or www.radioshack.com). Note: If the scanner receives no data from the PC for more than 20 seconds, T-Err appears and wired programming stops. Make sure your scanner is turned off. -
Page 53: Using The Display/Key Backlight
To set up the program, click on Tools, select Configuration, and select PRO-83 (if necessary). Turn on the scanner. The scanner automatically goes into the wired programming mode. PGM and WirEd appear. Then send the data from the Data frame numbers being received appear. -
Page 54: Resetting The Scanner
Caution: This procedure clears all the information you have stored in the scanner. Before you reset the scanner, try turning it off and on to see if it begins working properly. Reset the scanner only when you are sure it is not working properly. -
Page 55: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My scanner isn’t working at all. How do I turn it on? A: The scanner might not be receiving power. Make sure the batteries are installed correctly and are good (if you installed alkaline batteries) or fully charged (if you installed rechargeable batteries). - Page 56 Q: The scanner’s display is dim and hard to see. The scanner also beeps once every 15 to 30 seconds. What’s wrong? A: The scanner might not be receiving enough power or the batteries might not be correctly installed. Make sure the batteries are installed...
- Page 57 Also make sure the AC adapter’s or DC adapter’s barrel plug is fully inserted into the scanner’s 6V 300 mA jack. See “Using AC Power” on Page 10 for more information. If the batteries are OK, the antenna might not be connected or is connected incorrectly.
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Page 58: Specifications
Specifications Frequency Coverage: 25.0000-27.9950 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 28.0000-29.9950 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 30.0000-49.9950 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 50.0000-54.0000 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 108.0000-136.9875 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) 137.0000-143.9950 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 144.0000-147.9950 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 148.0000-174.0000 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 406.0000-419.99375 MHz (in 6.25 kHz steps) 420.0000-449.99375 MHz (in 6.25 kHz steps) -
Page 59: Glossary
ALKALINE/RECHARGEABLE Switch - Lets you select the type of batteries you want to use in the scanner (alkaline or rechargeable) ... 5 Channel - a programmable memory location. Channels are grouped into channel-storage banks. Your scanner has 10 channel-storage banks and each bank has 20 channels. -
Page 60: Index
index ALKALINE/RECHARGEABLE Switch ... 5 Antenna Connecting ... 13 Using an Optional Antenna ... 13 Attaching a belt clip ... 16 Backlight ... 53 Batteries Charging ... 5 Installing ... 5 Belt Clip Attaching ... 16 Chain Search ... 38 Mode ... - Page 61 Powering the scanner Using Batteries ... 5 Using AC Power ... 10 Using Vehicle Battery Power ... 11 Program Band Select Mode ... 41 Resetting the Scanner ... 54 Scanning ... 30 Search Skip Memory ... 45 Beyond the Basics...
- Page 62 Signal Stalker ... 31 Locking Out Frequencies ... 49 Setting Options ... 32 Using ... 35 Skywarn ... 36 Specifications ... 58 Turning on the scanner/setting squelch ... 25 Weather Alert ... 38 Wired Programming ... 52 Beyond the Basics...
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Page 63: Warranty
warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for 90 (ninety) days from the date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers. For complete warranty details and exclu- sions, check with your local RadioShack store. - Page 64 Lightweight, and loaded with the frequencies you want! This compact scanner fits in your palm and has an orange backlit display and keypad for easy use at night. Store up to 200 frequencies into memory. Scanner enthusiasts will appreciate the Signal Stalker feature that instantly “locks on”...