RadioShack PRO-83 - Manual

5 The Basics 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...

7 The Basics Warning: Set ALKALINE/RECHARGEABLE to RECHARGEABLE for use only with nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) or nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeable batteries. Never attempt to recharge non-rechargeable batteries. Non-rechargeable batteries can get hot or explode if you try to recharge them. Cautio...

The Basics 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 a...

The Basics 10 and recycle these batteries at the end of their useful life, when taken out of service in the United States or Canada. The RBRC program provides a convenient alternative to placing used rechargeable batteries into the trash or the municipal waste stream, which may be illegal in your ar...

11 The Basics 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. Plug the AC adapter into a standard AC outlet. Using Vehicle Battery Powe...

13 The Basics 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 connector down over the scanner's co...

The Basics 14 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...

15 The Basics • 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. Traffic Safety Do not use an earphone or headphones with your scanner when operating a motor vehicle in or ne...

The Basics 16 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. 20-501.fm Page 16 Friday, July 9, 2004 3:23 PM

17 The Basics About Your Scanner We use a few simple terms in this manual to explain the features of the 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,...

The Basics 18 A Look At the Keypad Your scanner's keys have various functions labeled on the key tops and below the keys. To select the function labeled on a key, simply press the key. To select the function labeled below a key, first press FUNC then release it. appears on the display. Then quickly ...

21 The Basics 9 Enters a 9. ./CLR / : ./CLR Enters a decimal point or clears an incorrect entry. FUNC + Jumps directly to the last channel 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. E/PGM : E Enters frequenci...

The Basics 22 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. SCN - appears when you scan cha...

The Basics 24 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 chan...

25 Beyond the Basics operating your scanner 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. Note: Make sure the scanner's ...

Beyond the Basics 26 Excellent references for active frequencies are the RadioShack Police Call Guide including Fire and Emergency Services , and Official Aeronautical Frequency Directory . We update these directories every year, so be sure to get a current copy. Follow these steps to store frequenc...

Beyond the Basics 28 Searching For and Temporarily Storing Active Frequencies If you do not have a reference to frequencies in your area, use a search (except weather service search) to find a transmission. Note: When the scanner starts searching, it automatically turns on the delay function. To tur...

Beyond the Basics 30 Scanning the Stored Channels To begin scanning channels, press SCAN . The scanner scans through all non-locked channels in the activated banks. (See “Locking Out Channels” on Page 48 and “Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off ” on Page 48). When the scanner finds a transmissi...

31 Beyond the Basics To manually select a channel, press HOLD , enter the channel number then press HOLD again. Or, during scanning, if the radio stops at a channel you want to listen to, press HOLD once. (Repeatedly pressing HOLD at this time causes the scanner to step through the channels.) Press ...

Beyond the Basics 32 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 inform...

35 Beyond the Basics Using Signal Stalker To turn on Signal Stalker, turn SQUELCH fully clockwise, then press FUNC + once except in WX search, band select, or program mode. appears. Every 2 seconds, the scanner searches for frequencies in the range you specified in “Setting the Signal Stalker Option...

Beyond the Basics 36 Skywarn The Skywarn function lets you jump directly to the last channel in memory (Channel 200) from any mode by pressing FUNC + . The scanner goes into scan hold mode and starts receiving transmissions in the last channel. If no frequency is programmed in the last channel, No P...

Beyond the Basics 38 broadcast by NOAA and as much as 5 or 10 minutes sooner than you will hear them on local TV or radio! Those few minutes can be worth a lot when it comes to deciding if your family needs to take cover. WX Alert Turning On the Weather Alert Feature Turn on the WX alert function by...

39 Beyond the Basics The preset frequency ranges are: Bank No. Frequency (MHz) Step (kHz) 1 25.0000-27.9950 5 2 28.0000-29.6950 5 3 29.7000-49.9950 5 4 50.0000-54.0000 5 5 137.0000-143.9950 5 6 144.0000-147.9950 5 7 406.0000-419.99375 6.25 8 420.0000-449.99375 6.25 9 450.0000-469.99375 6.25 10 806.0...

Beyond the Basics 40 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. Chain Search Hold Mode T...

41 Beyond the Basics Storing Frequencies Found During Chain Search into Channel Memory You can store frequencies you find in chain search mode or chain search hold mode. Press FUNC + PGM in chain search mode or chain search hold mode. The lowest blank channel and bank appear. Press E to store the fr...

Beyond the Basics 42 When you select the search bank, the lower limit and upper limit frequency assigned in the search bank alternate on the display. To select another search bank, press FUNC + B.SLCT or FUNC to increase the search bank number or FUNC + to decrease it. Hold down FUNC + or FUNC + for...

43 Beyond the Basics Enter the frequency you want to start from by using the number keys. (Press ./CLR to enter a decimal point). Press FUNC + or . The scanner searches, starting from the frequency you entered in Step . If you enter a frequency that is out of range, the scanner sounds an error tone ...

45 Beyond the Basics ./CLR . To enter the frequency anyway, press E to accept. The scanner moves to program mode after you stored the frequency. Search Skip Memory You can skip up to 50 specified frequencies during a search. This lets you avoid unwanted frequencies or those already stored in a chann...

47 Beyond the Basics Delay Sometimes a user might pause before replying to a transmission. To avoid missing a reply on a specific channel, you can program a 2-second delay into any channel or frequency. The scanner continues to monitor the channel frequency for an additional 2 seconds after the tran...

Beyond the Basics 48 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. Numb...

49 Beyond the Basics Notes: • The scanner does not skip locked-out channels when you use Signal Stalker. You must lock out frequencies instead. See “Locking Out Frequencies.” • You can still manually select locked-out channels. To remove the lockout from a channel, manually select the channel, then ...

Beyond the Basics 50 Priority The priority feature lets you scan through the channels and still not miss important or interesting calls on specific channels. 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...

51 Beyond the Basics 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 ...

Beyond the Basics 52 Wired Programming You can transfer programming data to your scanner using your PC and an optional interface cable (Cat. 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...

53 Beyond the Basics 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 PC. Data frame numbers being received appear. Whe...

Beyond the Basics 54 Resetting the Scanner If the scanner’s display locks up or stops operating properly, you might need to reset 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 begin...

55 Beyond the Basics 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 b...

Beyond the Basics 58 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 ...

59 Beyond the Basics 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 scan...

Beyond the Basics 60 index Accessories ........................................................... 64 ALKALINE/RECHARGEABLE Switch ..................... 5 Antenna Connecting ........................................................ 13Using an Optional Antenna .............................. 13 Attachi...

63 Beyond the Basics 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 warrant...

Beyond the Basics 64 accessories External Antenna - Connect to your scanner’s external antenna jack for great reception of signals on many frequencies. RG-8/RG-58 50-Ohm Coaxial Cable - Use to connect your scanner to an external antenna. 12-V-to-6V, 300 mA DC adapter - Use to connect your scanner to...