200018 User’s Guide Draft RadioShack 2000018/PRO-18 User’s Guide iSCAN Digital Trunking Scanner Thank you for purchasing your iScan Digital Trunking Scanner from RadioShack. Please read this user’s guide before installing, setting up, and using your new scanner. Table of Contents will add Introduction Welcome to iSCAN Digital, an exciting new way to enjoy the hobby of scanning two-way digital and analog radio communications, including police, fire, EMS, amateur, government, and other channels.
00018 User’s Guide Draft Features Easy to Understand User Interface - A simplified keypad and display with familiar Play (Scan), Pause, Skip and Navigation controls make it easy for you to use your PRO-18. The Complete RadioReference USA Database On MicroSD Card - The entire USA database from www.radioreference.
200018 User’s Guide Draft scanning. Built-in Service Searches - Predefined service search ranges make it easy to find activity in your area. Audible alarms - Programmable audible alarms can be configured to sound when certain objects are active. Signal Strength Meter – Shows relative strength of received signals. Slim, compact case design and large speaker - Designed for durability, one-handed operation and ease of use.
200018 User’s Guide Draft unless you have the consent of a party to the communication (unless such activity is otherwise illegal). This scanner has been designed to prevent illegal reception of protected transmissions. This is done to comply with the legal requirement that scanners be manufactured so as to not be easily modifiable to pick up those transmissions. Do not open your scanner's case to make any modifications that could allow it to pick up transmissions that are illegal to monitor.
200018 User’s Guide Draft The Library data is intended for your personal use only in conjunction with programming and using your PRO-18. As such RadioReference.com LLC grants the customer a non-exclusive single license to only be used with the PRO-18 radio and its associated PC software. The Library shall not be copied or transferred to any 3rd party in any electronic or physical form or posted on any website.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Counties/Cities is a trunked radio system with its associated talkgroups and sites. You know you’ve browsed to a trunked system when you see the word “Talkgroups” on the top line of the display. See “key Terminology” on page XX for more scanning definitions. Understanding Keys and Features BNC Antenna Connector / VOL-UP . Increase volume . Scroll up through objects and menus SKIP . Press while monitoring or paused on an object to skip the object .
200018 User’s Guide Draft . In menus: select, enable, or disable options Lift cover USB connector . Resume scanning . Scroll up through playlists . Navigate forward to next menu or Library listing SKYWARN / (Weather) . Access NOAA weather radio broadcasts . Access SAME weather alert receiver mode .
200018 User’s Guide Draft County Police Channel: psD Police North Channel Status Indicators Note: To see more information in the Individual Object DIsplay, disable the “Simple Display” option in the Settings Menu. (See “Changing PRO-18’s Settings” on page XX.) Display Icons In the Individual Object Display, the row of icons at the top of the display provides the following status information about the scanner. S PRO-18’s squelch circuit (or “gate”) is open.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Setup Attaching the antenna Align the slots on the antenna’s BNC connector with the posts on the scanner’s BNC connector and slide the antenna in place, then rotate the antenna’s BNC connector 1/4 turn clockwise until it snaps in place. Connecting an Optional External Antenna To connect an external antenna, follow the installation instructions supplied with the antenna. Use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8X, to connect an outdoor antenna. .
200018 User’s Guide Draft Recycle Rechargeable Batteries Placing rechargeable batteries in the trash can be harmful to the environment. Instead, recycle old rechargeable batteries at your local RadioShack store free of charge. RadioShack participates in the RBRX© battery recycling program, and is committed to preserving the environment and conserving natural resources. Call 1-800-THE-SHACK (1-800-843-7422) for more information. Battery Warning: Always remove old or weak batteries.
200018 User’s Guide Draft The PRO18 features a built-in battery charging circuit that will charge Ni-Cad and Ni-MH batteries. The charger provides a slow rate charge that will fully charge a set of typical Ni-MH AA batteries in approximately 16 hours. The charger is active when the radio is connected to an external USB power source and the radio is powered off. When connected to an external USB power source and powered on, the radio operates using the external power source but does not charge the batteries.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Basic Operation Turn on Scanner and Set Squelch 1. Press and hold POWER. 2. Turn SQUELCH to the midpoint (12 o’clock) position. add Photo Squelch . The higher the squelch is set, the stronger the signal required to break the squelch. . To hear weaker signals, turn SQUELCH counterclockwise to increase sensitivity Power Low Battery Warning Your scanner will provide an audible low battery warning every 30 seconds when the batteries are nearly depleted.
200018 User’s Guide Draft section of this manual for more information. Browse Library Accesses the Library, where you can browse and pick objects to import into Playlists. Update from Library Applies current Library data from the MicroSD Card to all of the programmed objects. Restore Skipped Restores all skipped objects so they will be scanned again in Scan mode. Settings Access the Settings Menu. Set Clock Sets the date and time. Use the to set the correct date and time.
200018 User’s Guide Draft necessary, press MENU until the Main Menu appears. 2. Use and/or to scroll to the Browse Library menu item, then press to advance to the next step, Select State. 3. Use and/or to scroll to your desired state, then press to advance to the next step. 4. Use and/or to scroll to your desired state/province, then press to advance to the next step. At this point there will typically be three options to choose from, Agencies, Counties/Cities and Systems.
200018 User’s Guide Draft entities under the Agencies group. Government and public safety entities will likely be found under Categories, or, if the county or city operates a trunked radio system, under the Systems grouping. The PRO-18 makes it easy for you to explore all of these groups. Just use and to “drill in” and “drill out” of the Library’s menu system. Picking Objects from the Library 1.
200018 User’s Guide Draft This last step in the process is very important, as it determines how the objects you’ve picked from the Library will grouped into the PRO-18’s 101 Playlists. Playlists are your way of organizing your picked objects, so you should give some thought as to how you want to your PRO-18 organized. You may want to start with a small and simple group of picked objects and import them all to a single Playlist.
200018 User’s Guide Draft talkgroup is a part of a trunked radio system - a modern and complicated radio network that is managed by sophisticated special purpose computers. Trunking technology allows many different groups of radio users to share a relatively small number of radio channels. You’ll know you’ve browsed to a talkgroup when you see the word “Talkgroups” on the top line of the display while you are browsing the library.
200018 User’s Guide Draft restrict operation of the radio on this system to only those sites you choose, which will give the PRO-18 less work to do and ultimately speed up its operation. To refine your selection: . Press at the System name . To view and pick sites, scroll to Sites and press . You can pick every site and let the PRO-18 do the work for you, finding the best site to use, or, you can speed things up by selecting the sites that are close to your location. .
200018 User’s Guide Draft the PRO-18 on a single object while it is scanning. Monitoring While Browsing You can monitor objects while browsing objects and Playlists. Follow the steps for Browsing Playlists and Objects above and navigate to an object that you wish to monitor. Press ▶/II/SEL to monitor the selected object. Press ▶/II/SEL again to scan all objects in enabled Playlists. Playing (Scanning) To scan all active objects in enabled Playlists, press MENU to display the Main Menu.
0018 User’s Guide Draft To edit objects using PRO-18: Press MENU when PRO-18 stops on an object while scanning -or1. Press MENU until the Main Menu is displayed. 2. Scroll to Browse Objects and Press . 3. Press or to scroll through the playlists. 4. Press or to scroll to the object you want to edit. 5. Press MENU to activate the Object Edit Menu. 6. Press or to scroll to the option you wish to change. 7. Press to toggle values or proceed to the next step.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Skipped status is indicated in the object display’s “psD” indicator. “s” indicates that Skip is not enabled for the object, and “S” indicates that Skip is enabled for the object. Priority When checked, Priority is enabled for the selected object. When enabled, Priority causes the scanner to check for activity more frequently on objects with Priority enabled. Priority Mode must be enabled from the Main Menu to use the Priority feature. Use ▶/II/SEL or to toggle Priority status.
200018 User’s Guide Draft 3: ◎ 4: ◎ 5: ◎ 6: ◎ 7: ◎ 8: ◉ 9: ◉ A: ◉ B: ◉ C: ◉ D: ◉ E: ◉ F: ◉ ◉ =ON, ◎=OFF ◎ ◉ ◉ ◉ ◉ ◎ ◎ ◎ ◎ ◉ ◉ ◉ ◉ ◉ ◎ ◎ ◉ ◉ ◎ ◎ ◉ ◉ ◎ ◎ ◉ ◉ ◉ ◎ ◉ ◎ ◉ ◎ ◉ ◎ ◉ ◎ ◉ ◎ ◉ The flash pattern is set for each block by specifying the number or letter associated with the desired flash pattern. Using this technique it is possible to define simple or complex flash patterns that you can use to identify an active object at a glance from across the room.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Delete Object Selecting Delete Object removes the object from the PRO-18’s working memory configuration. The Library data is never altered in any way, so if necessary, the object can be imported to the PRO-18’s Playlists again. To delete the current object, use and to scroll to Delete Object, then press to proceed with the deletion. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm Delete Object.
200018 User’s Guide Draft G Atten On Activates the Global Attenuation. Search Dg AGC When checked, applies Digital AGC to digital transmissions received while searching. G AGC Mode When checked, sets Global AGC Mode on. With Global AGC on, digital AGC is controlled by the G AGC On setting below, instead of the per-object AGC setting. With G AGC Mode off, Digital AGC is controlled by the per object settings.
200018 User’s Guide Draft LiteTime Controls the amount of time the backlight stays on. LiteLevel Controls the brightness of the backlight Welcome Text 1-5 Sets the text displayed on five lines of the display when the PRO-18 is first turned on. Blink Time 1-2 For alternating display elements, controls the amount of time each item is displayed. Show Radio ID When enabled, displays the individual Radio ID if it is available for trunk radio systems that use the Radio ID feature.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Low Batt Time Sets the interval for the audible low battery warning. Charge Time Sets the charge time for the built-in radio charger. TG Disp Sets the display format for talkgroup IDs. M36 Stat(us) Bits When enabled, the radio will track Motorola 3600 baud trunking talkgroup calls using status bits. When disabled, status bits are ignored. EncMode Selects how the radio treats encrypted voice calls. “Noise” plays the random undecoded encryption noise.
200018 User’s Guide Draft when the radio is powered on and connected to the computer. You can also connect the MicroSD Card to an external reader, which may provide faster data transfer rates when compared to accessing the card while it is in the radio. Inserting and removing the MicroSD Card To remove the MicroSD Card from the PRO-18, turn the radio off using the POWER button on the front of the radio.
200018 User’s Guide Draft For reference, here is the directory structure for the PRO-18’s MicroSD Card. You may wish to make a copy of the CDAT folder on your computer as a backup. Modifying these directories or their contents outside of the PRO-18 or the PRO-18 computer application is not recommended, and may cause the PRO-18 to malfunction.
200018 User’s Guide Draft The PRO-18’s Weather Monitor mode provides instant access to NOAA weather broadcasts in your area. To activate Weather Monitor mode, press WX key. Use and to select the strongest NOAA transmitter for your area. Weather Priority Weather Priority mode samples the specified weather frequency periodically while scanning to see if the All Hazards 1050 Hz Warning Alert Tone (WAT) is present.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Operation Operation Operation -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WX Mode No Priority No Priority No Priority Operation Operation Operation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------While Browsing No Priority No Priority No Priority Objects Operation Operation Operation (-Browser- is displayed) SAME Standby Mode Dedicated SAME standby mode monitors t
200018 User’s Guide Draft (provided that they are transmitted by the local NOAA transmitter), you can enter 048000 in the FIPS field. For now, just follow the on-screen instructions to enter the entire FIPS code for Dallas County (048113) and return to the Weather menu. Scroll down to the SAME 1 Enable parameter. Use ▶/II/SEL to toggle the Enabled status for the SAME 1 location. Repeat the above process to enter additional SAME information for other areas if desired.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Enters service search selection menu Limit Search Starts Limit search Lockouts Enters L/out Freqs menu and you can clear frequency lockout. Signal Stalker II Your PRO-18 features Signal Stalker II, which can rapidly sweep through a range of frequencies and find transmissions from nearby sources. To use Signal Stalker II, press MENU to access the Main Menu, then use to scroll down to the Search option. Press to proceed to the Search menu.
200018 User’s Guide Draft frequencies when searching. Use ▶/II/SEL or to toggle Zeromatic enabled/disabled status. Delay Enables or disables delay when using the Signal Stalker II feature. When delay is enabled, the PRO-18 waits for two seconds after a transmission to receive reply traffic before resuming search. Use ▶/II/SEL or to toggle delay enabled/disabled status.
200018 User’s Guide Draft ▶/II/SEL to proceed and select the type of Service Search you wish to perform. To block reception of undesired signals found while using Service Search, press SKIP. To change the Service Search options, press MENU while Service Search is active. The following Service Search options are available: Public Safety - Searches commonly used public safety frequencies. Groups are as follows: 33.4-46.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Store Channel Stores a found frequency as an object in the first playlist Cancel Changes Exits the Service Search Menu without saving any changes Save Changes Saves your changes and exits the Service Search Menu Attenuator When checked, attenuation is enabled when using Service Search. Attenuation limits the effective range of Service Search and may help reduce interference from strong local transmitters. Use ▶/II/SEL to toggle Attenuator status.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Main Menu Navigates to the PRO-18’s Main Menu Search Menu Navigates to the Search Menu Store Channel Stores a found frequency as an object in the first playlist Cancel Changes Exits the Limit Search Menu without saving any changes Save Changes Saves your changes and exits the Limit Search Menu Attenuator When checked, attenuation is enabled when using Limit Search.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Storing found CTCSS or DCS codes Your PRO-18 is able to quickly identify the CTCSS or DCS subaudible squelch code used on many conventional radio channels in cases where the squelch code is not included in the RadioReference database, or is not known by you. When importing objects from the Library, CTCSS and DCS code information from the RadioReference database is automatically imported with the conventional channel information.
200018 User’s Guide Draft To start install, click the “Install Software” button. The following components will be installed: . The PRO-18 PC Application and help files . The current version of the frequency database Library Welcome Screen: Click “Next” to begin the installation process of the InstallAware Wizard for PRO-18 PC Application. Click “Cancel” to abort the install. License Agreement: This is the license agreement with RadioReference.com LLC for the use of the Library files.
200018 User’s Guide Draft Your PRO-18 can automatically update the objects that you have programmed with the most current Library data, to ensure that any changes made to the RadioReference database by its users are carried over to your scanner’s programming. Examples of these types of changes may include the following: . Updates made to the RadioReference database to provide more descriptive names for the talkgroups on a trunked radio system .
200018 User’s Guide Draft setting with best reception. Strong signal overload from nearby transmitter. Check performance with and without attenuator activated, use setting with best reception. Loose or defective antenna. Inspect antenna and connectors and correct any problems found. Incorrect modulation mode selected. Ensure that proper modulation mode is selected for the type of system being monitored. If necessary, use the PRO-18 PC Application to change modulation mode.
200018 User’s Guide Draft 02-01 Unknown TSYS type in data Use PC Application to delete any corrupted TSYS objects or create a new configuration 03-00 No MicroSD Card inserted Ensure that a properly formatted MicroSD card is fully inserted and locked in the MicroSD slot. 03-01 General error initializing file system Reinsert the MicroSD card to ensure it is fully inserted in locked in the MicroSD slot. If necessary, reformat the MicroSD card using the PC Application “Prepare SD Card for use” option.
200018 User’s Guide Draft computer and scanning. Disconnect the radio from the computer, wait a few seconds, then reconnect. 03-08 Unknown MicroSD card read/write error Reinsert the MicroSD card to ensure it is fully inserted in locked in the MicroSD slot. If necessary, reformat the MicroSD card using the PC Application “Prepare SD Card for use” option. Replace the MicroSD card if the problem persists.
200018 User’s Guide Draft sure that no other nearby radio or TV sets are turned on near the scanner. Search every frequency range from its lowest frequency to the highest. Occasionally, the searching will stop as if it has found a signal, often without any sound. This is a birdie. Make a list of all the birdies in your scanner for future reference. Care Your scanner is not waterproof. Keep the scanner dry and away from water. Do not wash the scanner with a wet cloth or pour fluid into the scanner.
200018 User’s Guide Draft 156.2750 − 157.4500 MHz 25 kHz 157.4700 − 161.5725 MHz 7.5 kHz 161.6000 − 161.9750 MHz 5 kHz 162.0000 − 174.0000 MHz 12.5 kHz FM 216.0025 − 219.9975 MHz 5 kHz 220.0000 − 224.9950 MHz 5 kHz 225.0000 − 379.999375 MHz 6.25 kHz 380.0000 − 419.987500 MHz 12.5 kHz 420.0000 − 450.000000 MHz 5 kHz 450.00625 − 469.99375 MHz 6.25 kHz 470.00000 − 512.00000 MHz 6.25 kHz 764.00000 − 781.996875 MHz 3.125 kHz 791.00000 − 796.996875 MHz 3.125 kHz 806.00000 − 823.987500 MHz 12.5 kHz 849.
200018 User’s Guide Draft VHF Aircraft 0.3 μV VHF High 137-174 MHz 0.3 μV VHF High 216-300 MHz 0.4 μV UHF Low 300 - 406MHz 0.8 μV UHF/UHF-T 406 - 512 MHz 0.4 μV UHF High 764 - 960 MHz 0.5 μV 1240 - 1300 MHz 0.5 μV Squelch sensitivity (Band center) Threshold: AM/FM 0.5 μV Tight: (S+N)/N: AM 20 dB, FM 25 dB Spurious rejection VHF High at 154.1 MHz: 40 dB (Except Primary image) Signal to noise ratio (100 μV input signal) 35-40 dB typical Scanning rate without Trunking 138 – 147.
200018 User’s Guide Draft ADD Warranty Motorola, Smartnet, Smartzone, Omnilink, ASTRO and Privacy Plus are registered trademarks of Motorola Inc. EDACS and ProVoice are registered trademarks of Harris Inc. LTR is a registered trademark of E.F. Johnson, Inc. The IMBE™ and AMBE™ voice compression software included in this product is protected by intellectual property rights including patent rights, copyrights and trade secrets of Digital Voice Systems, Inc.
