Related Manuals for Radio Shack PRO-63
Summary of Contents for Radio Shack PRO-63
- Page 1 20-561.fm Page 1 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM 20-561 Cat. No. OWNER’S MANUAL PRO-63 100-Channel Portable Event Scanner Please read before using this equipment.
- Page 2 INTRODUCTION Your new Radio Shack PRO-63 100-Channel Portable Event Scanner lets you in on all the action — in the pits at the big race, on the sidelines at a pro football game, or on the streets of your home town. This scanner gives you direct access to over 24,000...
- Page 3 Button — lets you lock the scanner’s keys to help prevent accidentally changing the scanner’s programming. Priority Channel — you can set the scanner to check one chan- nel every 2 seconds so you do not miss important calls. Auto Lock — lets you lock the scanner’s programmed channels to keep you from accidentally erasing frequencies stored in the channels.
- Page 4 20-561.fm Page 4 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM Your PRO-63 scanner can receive all of these frequencies. • 29-54 MHz (10-Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Lo, 6-Meter Amateur Radio) • 108-136.975 MHz (Aircraft/Air Shows) • 137-174 MHz (Aircraft/Air Shows, Auto Racing, Government,...
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Page 5: Fcc Notice
Connecting your scanner to an outlet that is on a different electrical circuit from the receiver. • Contacting your local Radio Shack store for help. If you cannot eliminate the interference, the FCC requires that you stop using your scanner. -
Page 6: Scanning Legally
(unless such activity is otherwise illegal). Radio Shack encourages responsible, legal scanner use. -
Page 7: Table Of Contents
BANDS AND BANKS ... 18 Search Bands...18 Channel-Storage Banks ...19 BASIC OPERATION ...20 Turning On the Scanner and Setting Squelch ...20 Searching For and Storing Active Frequencies ... 21 Limit Search ...22 Manually Storing Frequencies... 23 Scanning the Stored Channels... 25 Scanning All Channels ...25... - Page 8 20-561.fm Page 8 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM OPTIONS ... 33 Connecting Optional Power Sources ... 33 Using AC Power... 33 Using Vehicle Battery Power ... 34 Connecting a Mobile or Base-Station Antenna ... 35 Connecting an Earphone/Headphones ... 37 Listening Safely ...
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Page 9: Preparation
“Connecting a Mobile or Base-Station An- tenna” on Page 35. INSTALLING BATTERIES You can power your scanner with six AA batteries. For the longest operation and best performance, we recommend alkaline batter- ies, such as Cat. No. 23-552. Or, you can use rechargeable nick- el-cadmium batteries (Cat. - Page 10 O F F M A X MI N M A X 2. While pressing and holding down the battery compartment cover on the bottom of the scanner, slide the cover in the direction of the arrow to remove it. 3. Remove the battery holder from the battery compartment.
- Page 11 Do not force it. 7. Replace the battery compartment cover. BATT flashes on the display and the scanner beeps, immedi- ately replace all six non-rechargeable batteries, or recharge all six rechargeable batteries. See “Important Information About the PWR and CHG Jacks” and “Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries”...
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Page 12: Important Information About The Pwr And Chg Jacks
Important Information About the PWR and CHG Jacks There are two external jacks on the left side of the scanner — . It is important that you understand the purpose of each jack before you connect any adapter to the scanner. -
Page 13: Resetting The Scanner
Then fully charge the batteries. RESETTING THE SCANNER If the scanner’s display locks up or does not work properly after you connect a power source, you might need to reset the scanner. Caution: This procedure clears all the information you pro- grammed into the scanner. -
Page 14: Using The Belt Clip
3. After 2 seconds, release BAND/• USING THE BELT CLIP You can use the belt clip attached to the back of the scanner for hands-free carrying when you are on the go. Simply slide the belt clip over your belt or waistband. -
Page 15: Understanding Your Scanner
20-561.fm Page 15 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER A LOOK AT THE KEYPAD A quick look at the scanner’s keys will help you understand the scanner’s functions. Number Keys — each key has a single digit on it and a range of numbers printed above it. -
Page 16: A Look At The Display
SKIP — selects channels to skip during scanning. ATT — turns attenuation on to reduce the scanner’s sensitivity, or turns it off to increase it. — locks/unlocks the keypad (except LIGHT) to prevent acci- dental entries. - Page 17 — appears with a number (00-99) to show which of the 100 channels the scanner is tuned to. — appears when the scanner is tuned to the priority channel. 888.8888 — digits in the middle of the display show which fre- quency the scanner is tuned to.
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Page 18: Bands And Banks
20-561.fm Page 18 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM BANDS AND BANKS SEARCH BANDS Your scanner can tune over 24,000 different frequencies. Each of these frequencies is contained within a group of frequencies called a band. The scanner uses permanent memory locations called search bands (0-9) to group these bands. -
Page 19: Channel-Storage Banks
CHANNEL-STORAGE BANKS You can store up to 100 frequencies into memory locations within the scanner called channels. You can store one frequency in each of the 100 channels. To make it easier to identify and select the frequencies you want to listen to, the scanner’s channels are divided into 10 channel-... -
Page 20: Basic Operation
20-561.fm Page 20 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM BASIC OPERATION TURNING ON THE SCANNER AND SETTING SQUELCH Note: Make sure the scanner’s antenna is connected before you turn it on. 1. Turn fully counterclockwise. SQUELCH MIN/MAX VO LUME SQUELCH O F F M A X MI N M A X 2. -
Page 21: Searching For And Storing Active Frequencies
Limit search within a range of preprogrammed frequencies • Manual storage Good references for active frequencies are Radio Shack’s “Be- yond Police Call,” “Police Call Radio Guide Including Fire and Emergency Services,” “Aeronautical Frequency Directory,” and “Radio!” magazine. We update these references often, so be sure to get a current copy. -
Page 22: Limit Search
, the number for the previously selected search BAND/• band is displayed, then the scanner displays the next avail- able channel number (or 00 if you have not stored frequen- cies into any channels). If this happens, simply press the search band’s number key again to select the band you... -
Page 23: Manually Storing Frequencies
20-561.fm Page 23 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM When the scanner stops on an active frequency, press store it in the flashing channel or press and hold a second to continue the search. Notes: • To search the frequency band upward or downward step by step (5, 12.5, or 25 kHz), quickly press and release... - Page 24 4. Press to store the frequency. ENTER Notes: • If you entered an invalid frequency in Step 3, the scanner Error beeps three times and about 4 seconds. Simply repeat Steps 3 and 4. • Your scanner automatically rounds the entered frequency down to the closest valid frequency.
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Page 25: Scanning The Stored Channels
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 10 channels in that bank. While scanning, press the number key of the bank you want to turn on or off. -
Page 26: Scanning A Channel-Storage Bank
This is useful if you want to hear a broadcast on a channel and do not want to miss any details (even though there might be periods of silence) or if you want to monitor a locked-out channel (see “Skipping Channels” on Page 28). . The scanner M.BANK M.BANK... -
Page 27: Listening To The Weather Band
3. Press MANUAL 4. To select another channel within the bank, repeatedly press to select higher channels or Or, if your scanner is scanning and stops at the desired channel, press once before the scanner continues to scan. MANUAL LISTENING TO THE WEATHER BAND... -
Page 28: Advanced Operation
Many agencies use a two-way radio system that might have a pause of several seconds between a query and a reply. Your scanner’s delay feature lets it wait for 2 seconds after each trans- mission on a channel or frequency while scanning or searching. -
Page 29: Priority
Channel 00 (the first channel in Bank 0) is preset as the priority channel. When the priority feature is turned on, the scanner checks Chan- nel 00 every 2 seconds, and stays on the channel if there is activ- ity. -
Page 30: Using Channel Lock
20-561.fm Page 30 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM USING CHANNEL LOCK When you enter a frequency into a channel, the scanner automat- ically locks the channel to prevent it from being overwritten by an- other frequency. appears to the left of the channel number. -
Page 31: Using The Attenuator
To reduce interference or noise caused by strong signals, you can reduce the scanner’s sensitivity to these signals. Press appears on the display to reduce the scanner’s sensitivity. Note: If you turn on this feature, the scanner might not receive weak signals. To turn off the attenuator, press the display. -
Page 32: Using The Keylock
20-561.fm Page 32 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM 3. After a second, release USING THE KEYLOCK Once you program your scanner, you can protect it from acciden- tal program changes by turning on the keylock feature. When the keypad is locked, the only controls that operate are... -
Page 33: Options
20-561.fm Page 33 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM OPTIONS CONNECTING OPTIONAL POWER SOURCES Using AC Power To operate the scanner from AC power, you need an AC adapter such as Radio Shack Cat. No. 273-1665. Cautions: • To prevent electric shock, the plug’s blades are polarized and fit only one way. -
Page 34: Using Vehicle Battery Power
Simply remove the rubber cap from the CHG jack, connect the AC adapter’s barrel plug to the jack, then plug the adapter’s power module into a standard AC outlet. This powers the scanner and re- charges the batteries at the same time. See “Charging Nickel- Cadmium Batteries”... -
Page 35: Connecting A Mobile Or Base-Station Antenna
STATION ANTENNA Instead of the supplied flexible antenna, you can connect a mobile or base-station antenna (not supplied) to your scanner. Your local Radio Shack store sells a wide variety of antennas. Choose the one that best meets your needs. - Page 36 PL- 259-to-BNC antenna plug adapter, such as Cat. No. 278-120. Your local Radio Shack store carries a wide variety of coaxial an- tenna cable and connectors. Follow the mounting instructions supplied with the antenna. Then route the antenna cable to the scanner, and connect it to the jack on the top of the scanner.
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Page 37: Connecting An Earphone/Headphones
For private listening, you can plug an optional earphone or mon- aural headphones (such as Cat. No. 33-175 or Cat. No. 20-210, not supplied) into the jack on top of your scanner. This auto- matically disconnects the internal speaker. Your local Radio Shack store has a wide selection of earphones. -
Page 38: Traffic Safety
In a noisy area, an extension speaker (such as Cat. No. 21-549) or an amplified speaker (such as Cat. No. 21-541), positioned in the right place, might provide more comfortable listening. Plug the speaker cable’s -inch mini-plug into your scanner’s jack. -
Page 39: A General Guide To Scanning
20-561.fm Page 39 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly “line-of-sight.” This means you cannot usually hear stations that are beyond the horizon. UNITED STATES BROADCAST BAND In the United States, there are several broadcast bands. -
Page 40: Uhf Band (300.00 Mhz-3.0 Ghz)
20-561.fm Page 40 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM Search Broadcast Type Band 2-Meter Amateur Auto Racing, Motion Pic- ture/Video Industry, Pro Sports Teams, Radio/TV Remote Broadcast Pick- up, Stadiums/Venues UHF Band (300.00 MHz 3.0 GHz) — Search Broadcast Type Band Military Aircraft/Air Shows... -
Page 41: Primary Usage
20-561.fm Page 41 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM PRIMARY USAGE As a general rule, most radio activity is concentrated on the follow- ing frequencies: VHF Band Search Broadcast Type Band Government, Police, and Fire Emergency Services Railroad UHF Band Search Broadcast Type Band... -
Page 42: Specified Intervals
Note: Your scanner automatically rounds the entered frequency down to the closest valid frequency. For example, if you try to en- ter a frequency of 151.473, your scanner accepts it as 151.470. BAND ALLOCATION To help decide which frequency ranges to scan, use the following listing of the typical services that use the frequencies your scanner receives. - Page 43 20-561.fm Page 43 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM MARI... Maritime Limited Coast MED...Emergency/Medical Services MIL...U.S. Military MOV ... Motion Picture/Video Industry NET ...Notification Nets (Public Safety) NEWS...Relay Press (Newspaper reporters) POL ...Police Department PUB ...Public Services (Public Safety, PSB ... Public Safety RTV...Radio/TV Remote Broadcast Pickup SPORT ...Pro Sports Teams STAD ...
- Page 44 20-561.fm Page 44 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM 37.020-37.980 ........PUB 38.000-39.000 .
- Page 45 20-561.fm Page 45 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM 154.540-154.570 ....AUTO, SPORT, STAD 154.600....... . . SPORT, STAD 154.655-156.240 .
- Page 46 20-561.fm Page 46 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM Ultra High Frequency (UHF) — (300 MHz–3 GHz) Military Aircraft Band — (319.1–406 MHz) 380.000-383.900 ..... . . AIR, Coast Guard 384.000-406.000 .
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Page 47: Ham Radio Frequencies
(meters) 10 meters 6 meters 2 meters 70 centimeters NATIONAL WEATHER FREQUENCIES All of the following frequencies except 162.440 are programmed into your scanner’s weather band. 161.650 MHz 162.425 MHz 161.775 MHz 162.440 MHz 162.400 MHz 162.450 MHz Note: You can still manually tune to 162.440 (see “Searching For and Storing Active Frequencies”... -
Page 48: Birdie Frequencies
That is a birdie. Make a note of that frequency, then con- tinue. Make a list of all the birdies in your scanner for future refer- ence. -
Page 49: Frequency Conversion
20-561.fm Page 49 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM 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 by 1,000. -
Page 50: Troubleshooting
TROUBLESHOOTING If your scanner is not working as it should, these suggestions might help you eliminate the problem. If the scanner still does not operate normally, take it to your local Radio Shack store for assis- tance. Problem Scanner is on but will not scan. - Page 51 20-561.fm Page 51 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM Problem Scanner receives stations poorly or not at all. Scanner’s keys or display work poorly or not at all. Scanner locks on frequencies that have an unclear transmis- sion. Suggestion • Check the antenna (indoor or outdoor).
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Page 52: Care And Maintenance
Modifying or tampering with the scanner’s internal components can cause a malfunction and might invalidate its warranty and void your FCC authorization to operate it. If your scanner is not operat- ing as it should, take it to your local Radio Shack store for assis- tance. -
Page 53: Specifications
20-561.fm Page 53 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage VHF Lo ....29.7–50 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) Amateur Radio . - Page 54 20-561.fm Page 54 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM Intermediate Frequencies (IF): 1st ........10.7 MHz 2nd .
- Page 55 20-561.fm Page 55 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 3:48 PM NOTES U.S. PATENT NOS. 3,794,925 3,801,914 3,961,261 3,962,644 4,027,251 4,092,594 4,123,715 4,245,348...
- Page 56 Radio Shack franchisees and dealers. Within this period, we will repair it without charge for parts and labor. Simply bring your Radio Shack sales slip as proof of purchase date to any Radio Shack store. Warranty does not cover transportation costs. Nor does it cover a product subjected to misuse or accidental damage.