RadioShack PRO-2096 - Manual

9 The Basics EXT SP — connect an external speaker here. ENT — press to confi rm frequency and text entries. your scanner’s rear view ANT — connect the supplied antenna or an external antenna here. DC 13.8V — connect a power source here. SCREW HOLE — use to mount the scanner in a car with some hardwar...

10 The Basics your scanner’s display S c a n M o d e S e a r c h M o d e ( M ) a n u a l M o d e( P ) r o g r a m( S ) c a n B a n k 0 - ( 9 ) C h a n n e l 0 0 - ( 4 9 ) R e c e i v i n g a S i g n a l ( n o s i g n a l ) P r i o r i t y O n / O f f I n d i c a t o r S e a r c h R a n g e N u m b e...

11 The Basics step 1: install your scanner You can mount your digital trunking scanner in your vehicle, install it for mobility, or install it as a base station. mounting your scanner in your dashboard If you are unsure about how to install your scanner in your vehicle, consult your automobile manuf...

12 The Basics 1. Attach the three protective rubber feet to the mounting bracket when you use the scanner on a fl at surface. Do not use them when you mount the bracket with screws. 2. Use the supplied mounting bracket as a template to mark positions for the two mounting screws. 3. At the marked posi...

13 The Basics 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. from a wall outlet 1. Connect the tip of the supplied AC adapter to the DC 13.8V jack at the rear of your scanner. 2. Plug the AC adapter...

14 The Basics Be sure the grounding screw makes 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 th...

15 The Basics step 3: connect your scanner connect the supplied antenna Push the antenna onto your scanner’s antenna connector and rotate until it locks into place. Your scanner’s sensitivity to various frequencies depends on its location and the antenna’s length. For best reception, adjust the ante...

16 The Basics 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, touching the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can cause electrocution and death. Call the power co...

17 The Basics step 4: set up your scanner squelch 1. Rotate VOL clockwise to turn on your scanner. DSP LOADING and Welcome To Digital Trunking appears. In a few seconds, you might hear a hissing sound. 2. Adjust VOL to a comfortable listening level. 3. Rotate SQ (squelch) fully counterclockwise to O...

18 The Basics If you make a mistake entering the frequency, Invalid Freq briefl y appears. When you store a frequency by pressing ENT , your scanner beeps. Press CLEAR to backspace and correct a character, or hold down CLEAR for about two seconds to clear the entire fi eld and start over. Your scanner...

19 The Basics searching and tuning You can search for transmissions using the scanner’s preprogrammed search banks. The search banks include six preprogrammed search ranges, SR0 to SR5. You can change the search range of Bank SR6 manually by setting the lower and higher ends of the search range. You...

20 The Basics basic scanning Press SCAN to begin scanning channels. The scanner scans through all channels in the active channel storage bank. See “About Channel Storage Banks”. • You must store frequencies into channels before you can scan them. The scanner does not scan through empty channels. • T...

21 Beyond the Basics using CTCSS and DCS Your scanner’s advanced, DSP-based CTCSS and DCS, decoder allows you to listen only to a frequency group that is of interest to you. Simply specify the group’s specifi c CTCSS or DCS code for a certain frequency. CTCSS and DCS can also help reduce interfering ...

22 Beyond the Basics 2. In the marine, CB and FRS bands, you can directly select a channel or search through the band. When M appears on the left on the second line, you can directly select a channel (see “Search Bank Charts”). Use the numeric keypad to select a specifi c two-digit channel number (fo...

27 Beyond the Basics searching for active frequencies You can search a specifi c range of frequencies by programming SR6 with lower and upper frequency limits. 1. Press PGM , SRCH . PSR (Program Search) appears in the top line and the cursor blinks L on the second line for the lower limit frequency. ...

28 Beyond the Basics stops on each active frequency for fi ve seconds then automatically resumes searching. • You can copy and save a frequency into a specifi ed bank, channel, or priority channel when the scanner fi nds an active frequency. See “Frequency Copy ” on Page 29 to save the frequency. Frequ...

29 Beyond the Basics frequency copy You can copy a frequency into a specifi ed channel, a vacant channel in a specifi ed bank, or a priority channel. This feature lets you easily store frequencies of interest you encounter while searching or tuning. You cannot copy a frequency from the Marine search b...

31 Beyond the Basics listening to the weather band The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has allocated channels for use by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Regulatory agencies in other countries have also allocated channels for use by their weather reporting authorit...

32 Beyond the Basics with the strongest signal for your location. 2. Press FUNC , PROG to access the FIPS code entry table. 3. Repeatedly press e or d to select the desired FIPS code storage location. 4. Use the numeric keys to enter the desired FIPS code, then press ENT to store the code. Press TEX...

33 Beyond the Basics about two seconds while SAME Standby is active. The display indicates the type of message, and the scanner sounds the alarm associated with that type of message. The alarm sound changes automatically every three seconds. Press any key except DIM to end the alarm demonstration mo...

34 Beyond the Basics You can still manually select and monitor locked-out channels. Locking out a channel with an active trunking control channel will disable monitoring of that trunking system. To remove the lockout from a channel, manually select the channel and press L/OUT so L disappears. To rev...

35 Beyond the Basics fi ve locked out frequency appear as L/O 10 of 25 ). If the search bank has no locked-out frequencies, Empty. Lockout list appears in the scanner’s display. Press SRCH to cancel reviewing locked-out frequencies. clearing locked-out search frequencies To clear a locked-out frequen...

36 Beyond the Basics To change the receive mode, repeatedly press MODE . The receive mode changes as follows: AM confi gures an AM channel. FM/DIGITAL confi gures an FM/Digital channel. CT confi gures a CTCSS channel. DC confi gures a DCS channel. MO confi gures a MO channel for analog or digital Motorol...

38 Beyond the Basics 3. Press 1 to turn on the key tone while the message is still on the display. Press 2 to turn it off. using the dimmer Repeatedly press DIM to adjust the brightness of the display backlight to Dark, Light Off, or Light. changing the display contrast 1. Press MAN . 2. Press FUNC ...

39 Beyond the Basics virtual scanner The PRO-2096 V-Scanner (Virtual Scanner) feature allows you to edit, store, recall and use up to eleven full sets of scanner memory profi les. With V-Scanner, it is possible to create separate scanner memory profi les for different areas you visit or for different ...

44 Beyond the Basics V-ScannerOperationCompletePress ENTER 16. This display appears if a failure is encountered while performing a V-Scanner operation. Press ENT to try again. V-ScannerOperationFailurePress ENTER 17. If you wish to create a new confi guration based on your current one, save the curre...

45 Beyond the Basics choice when saving or loading V-Scanner data. During this period the scanner is transferring V-Scanner data to or from working memory. using digital AGC You may fi nd that the audio level varies greatly among different users on digital systems that you monitor. Many analog conven...

46 Beyond the Basics CLONE MODE Incorrect Model appears if the scanner receives data from a scanner other than a PRO-2096 and PRO-96. This scanner can send/receive the data to or from a PRO-96 scanner. Only the Light (PRO-96) and Dimmer (PRO-2096) settings are not transferred, they are set to defaul...

47 Beyond the Basics radio. This operation cannot be undone. full cloning Do not disturb the source radio, destination radio or cable until the transfer is complete. Interrupting the transfer may result in corrupted data. Transferring all data will take approximately four minutes. 1. Identify the so...

50 Beyond the Basics trunking operation setting squelch for trunk scanning For optimal receiver performance when scanning both trunked and conventional systems, we recommend that you set the squelch close to threshold. Navigate to a programmed channel in manual mode. While the channel is idle, turn ...

51 Beyond the Basics 2. Press FUNC 1 to toggle the sub-bank on or off. The on/off state of the sub-bank will appear in the scanner’s display. To turn the ID sub-bank on or off during the scan mode: 1. The channel storage bank must be set to Closed Mode to change the state of a sub-bank while scannin...

52 Beyond the Basics appears under the bank’s number while scanning. When you set a channel storage bank to Closed Mode, - appears under the channel storage bank’s number while scanning. Traffi c on locked out talkgroup IDs is ignored when the scanner is operating in Open and Closed Modes. In Open Mo...

53 Beyond the Basics activate ID lockout while scanning When scanning a trunked radio system in Open Mode, you can lock out a trunked ID by pressing L/OUT while the scanner is stopped on a voice call. If the ID has not been previously entered into the ID list for that bank, it will be added and lock...

54 Beyond the Basics talkgroup before resuming scan operation. Customizing the trunked ID delay may be useful if you are missing a lot of reply traffi c on a particular system. We recommend starting with the default value of 2.0 seconds. 1. While in the desired ID list, press FUNC , and then ./DELAY ...

55 Beyond the Basics clearing all talkgroup IDs in one bank You can clear all talkgroup IDs within a bank. This lets you quickly delete all talkgroup IDs from a bank if you want to use the bank to store different data (such as a new set of talkgroup IDs). 1. Press PROG . 2. Press TRUNK to enter a ta...

56 Beyond the Basics programming trunked systems If you are just getting started with trunked system monitoring or have any questions about how your PRO-2096 scanner operates when tracking trunked radio systems. For best results, program only one trunking system in each channel storage bank of your ...

57 Beyond the Basics For APCO-25 trunking systems using the 9600 bps control channel, program the system using the steps outlined above for Motorola systems. Your scanner will automatically detect the proper control channel type. Some systems rotate the control channel on a daily basis. For best res...

58 Beyond the Basics 4. Press PROG to return to the channel storage bank. 5. Select a channel to begin programming trunking system frequencies. Use direct channel entry or the e or d keys. 6. Enter the trunking frequency and press ENT . If necessary, press MODE to change the receiving mode to ED. 7....

59 Beyond the Basics using PC application software. Motorola 800MHz splinter systems Certain 800 MHz Motorola trunked radio systems operate using splinter channels that are in between the channels in the normal 800 MHz band plan. These systems are known as “splinter systems”. Your scanner features a...

61 Beyond the Basics programming priority channels With the priority feature, you can scan through programmed channels and still not miss an important or interesting transmission on the priority channel. When priority is turned on, the scanner checks the priority channel every two seconds, and stays...

62 Beyond the Basics 4. If desired, set the priority channel mode. You can set a priority channel for CTCSS or DCS operation with a programmed code. programming a weather channel as the priority channel 1. Press WX . 2. Press WX repeatedly until the desired weather channel you want to store as the p...

63 Beyond the Basics programming CTCSS/DCS channels Your scanner features an advanced, DSP based CTCSS and DCS decoder. CTCSS and DCS allow you to program frequencies into your scanner that are used by more than one group in your area and listen only to the group that is of interest to you by specif...

64 Beyond the Basics change, and follow the steps above. 6. When stopped on an active conventional channel while scanning, you can press MODE to cycle through the valid modes for that channel. This resets any stored CT or DC code to the search code, allowing you to easily check for other CT or DC co...

65 Beyond the Basics 26 73 152 243 306 411 465 627 754 31 74 155 244 311 412 466 631 32 114 156 245 315 413 503 632 36 115 162 246 325 423 506 654 43 116 165 251 331 431 516 662 47 122 172 252 332 432 523 664 storing talkgroup IDs Each talkgroup on a trunked radio system is identifi ed by a talkgroup...

66 Beyond the Basics Use the following keystrokes to navigate through the ID lists:• Press PROG , TRUNK to enter the ID list for the current channel storage bank. • Press and release e or d to scroll through one at a time. • Press and hold e or d to rapidly scroll through ID memories. • Press TRUNK ...

67 Beyond the Basics text tags assigning a text tag to a channel 1. Navigate to the channel you want to label using direct channel entry, e , d or FUNC e or d . 2. Press PROG . M in the display changes to P to indicate program mode. 3. Press TEXT . A cursor appears. 4. Enter the text using the numbe...

69 Beyond the Basics text input chart Press Character Press Character 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 2 A B C 2 FUNC a b c 3 D E F 3 FUNC d e f 4 G H I 4 FUNC g h i 5 J K L 5 FUNC j k l 6 M N O 6 FUNC m n o 7 P Q R S 7 FUNC p q r s 8 T U V 8 FUNC t u v 9 W X Y Z 9 FUNC w x y z 0 . - # _ @ + * & / , 0 FUNC...

70 Beyond the Basics improvements. With updateable DSP fi rmware, you can ensure that your scanner is using the most recent DSP version available. You can update the fi rmware for the DSP module by downloading a fi le from the Internet and transferring it to the scanner. To update your scanner’s DSP fi ...

71 Beyond the Basics Scanner will not scan when SCAN is pressed: • Ensure that the scanner has more than one channel programmed and enabled for scanning. • Adjust SQ properly. • If the scanner is stopped on a frequency, tighten squelch, apply attenuator, or lock out the “ birdie” frequency. • The sc...

72 Beyond the Basics 2. Insert a pointed object into the reset hole on the back of the scanner. Then, gently press and release the reset button. Pressing reset does not clear the scanner’s working memory or the V-Scanner folders. initializing your scanner Initializing your scanner clears all informa...

73 Beyond the Basics care Keep the scanner dry; if it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. Use and store the scanner only in normal temperature environments. Handle the scanner carefully; do not drop it. Keep the scanner away from dust and dirt, and wipe it with a damp cloth occasionally to keep it lo...

74 Beyond the Basics specifi cations Frequency Coverage Frequency Range (MHz) ................ Programming/Search Step Value 25–54 ............................................................................................5 kHz 108–136.9875 ..............................................................

77 Beyond the Basics The FCC wants you to know This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a scanning receiver, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules . These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. Thi...

78 Beyond the Basics glossary Channels – programmable memory locations for frequencies you want to monitor. Each time the scanner fi nds an active frequency, it stops and monitors radio traffi c on that channel until the transmission ends. It then resumes scanning. Channel-Storage Bank – storage area ...