20-511.fm Page 1 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM Cat. No. 20-511 OWNER’S MANUAL PRO-66 50-Channel Direct Entry Programmable Scanner Please read before using this equipment.
0-511.fm Page 2 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM FEATURES Your new RadioShack PRO-66 50-Channel Direct Entry Programmable Scanner lets you in on all the action! This scanner gives you direct access to more than 28,000 frequencies that include the police department, fire department, ambulance, amateur radio, and transportation services. You can select up to 50 channels for your scanner to scan and you can change your selection at any time.
20-511.fm Page 3 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM Memory Backup — keeps the channel frequencies stored in memory for up to 1 hour during a power loss. Low Battery Alarm — lets you know when the batteries get low. Three Power Sources — let you power the scanner from internal batteries, a standard AC outlet (using an optional AC adapter), or a vehicle’s battery (using an optional DC power cord).
20-511.fm Page 4 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM This owner’s manual also includes the section “Guide to the Action Bands” on Page 30, which lets you target services in your area by giving you frequency ranges to search. You can then store any of these frequencies into memory for easy scanning. For your records, we recommend you record your scanner’s serial number in the space provided. The serial number is on the scanner’s back panel.
20-511.fm Page 5 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM SCANNING LEGALLY Your scanner covers frequencies used by many different groups including police and fire departments, ambulance services, government agencies, private companies, amateur radio services, military operations, pager services, and wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers. It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scanner can receive. However, there are some transmissions you should never intentionally listen to.
20-511.fm Page 6 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM CONTENTS Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Power Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Using Internal Batteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Important Information about the External Power Jacks . . . . . . . . 9 Using Standard AC Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-511.fm Page 7 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Resetting the Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-511.fm Page 8 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM PREPARATION POWER SOURCES 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 power cord) USING INTERNAL BATTERIES You can power your scanner with four AA batteries. For the longest operation and best performance, we recommend alkaline batteries (such as Cat. No. 23-552).
20-511.fm Page 9 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM 4. Install two batteries in the compartment and two in the cover as indicated by the polarity symbols (+ and –) marked inside. Cautions: • Never mix rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, or rechargeable batteries of different capacities. • Use only fresh batteries of the required size and type. Always remove old or weak batteries. Batteries can leak chemicals that destroy electronic circuits. 5. Replace the cover.
20-511.fm Page 10 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM The POWER jack powers the scanner and disconnects the internal batteries. You can use this jack to connect an external power source (AC adapter or DC power cord) regardless of the type of batteries you install. The CHARGE jack supplies power to operate the scanner and also charges the internal batteries. Use the CHARGE jack only when you install rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. Warning: Never use the CHARGE jack with non-rechargeable batteries.
20-511.fm Page 11 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM 1. Connect the adapter’s blue-tipped barrel plug to the adapter’s cord and set the barrel plug’s tip to positive. 2. Insert the adapter’s blue-tipped barrel plug into your scanner’s POWER jack. Note: If you installed rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries in the scanner, remove the plastic cap from the CHARGE jack and put the cap in the POWER jack. Connect the AC adapter to the CHARGE jack.
20-511.fm Page 12 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM USING VEHICLE BATTERY POWER You can power the scanner from your vehicle’s cigarette lighter socket with an optional DC cigarette lighter power cord (such as Cat. No. 2701533). Cautions: • The recommended DC power cord supplies 12 volts and delivers at least 200 milliamps. Its center tip is set to positive and its plug properly fits the scanner’s POWER and CHARGE jacks.
20-511.fm Page 13 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM • If the scanner does not operate properly when you use a DC power cord, unplug the power cord from the cigarette lighter socket and clean the socket to remove ashes and debris. If it still does not operate properly, check the fuse in the power cord. CHARGING NICKEL-CADMIUM BATTERIES The scanner has a built-in circuit that lets you recharge nickel-cadmium batteries while they are in the scanner.
20-511.fm Page 14 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM CONNECTING THE ANTENNA Follow these steps to attach the supplied flexible antenna to the connector on the top of your scanner. 1. Align the slots around the antenna’s connector with the tabs on the jack. 2. Press the antenna down over the jack and rotate the antenna’s base clockwise until it locks into place. Connecting an Optional Antenna The antenna connector on your scanner makes it easy to use the scanner with a variety of antennas.
20-511.fm Page 15 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/ HEADPHONES For private listening, you can plug an earphone or mono headphones (such as RadioShack Cat. No. 33-175 or 20-210) into the jack on top of your scanner. This automatically disconnects the internal speaker. Listening Safely To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you use an earphone or headphones. • Do not listen at extremely high volume levels.
20-511.fm Page 16 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM CONNECTING AN EXTENSION SPEAKER In a noisy area, an extension speaker (such as RadioShack Cat. No. 21549) or an amplified speaker (such as RadioShack Cat. No. 21-541), positioned in the right place, might provide more comfortable listening. Plug the speaker cable’s 1/8-inch mini-plug into your scanner’s jack. ATTACHING THE BELT CLIP You can attach the supplied belt clip to make your scanner easier to use when you are on the go.
20-511.fm Page 17 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER A LOOK AT THE KEYPAD Your scanner’s keys might seem confusing at first, but this information should help you understand each key’s function. SCAN — scans through the stored channels. MANUAL — stops scanning and lets you directly enter a channel num- ber or frequency. DELAY — programs a 2-second delay for the selected channel. L-OUT/S/S — lets you lock out a selected channel.
20-511.fm Page 18 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY The display has several indicators that show the scanner’s current operating mode. A quick look at the display will help you understand how to operate your scanner. SRCH — appears during a band search (b also appears) or a direct search (d also appears). SCAN — appears when you scan channels. MAN — appears when you manually select a channel. MON — appears when you listen to a monitor memory.
20-511.fm Page 19 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM b — appears during a band search. d — appears during a direct search. H — appears during a band search hold. h — appears during a direct search hold.
-511.fm Page 20 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM OPERATION TURNING ON THE SCANNER AND SETTING SQUELCH 1. Turn SQUELCH fully clockwise. OFF PRO-66 2. Turn VOLUME/OFF clockwise until it clicks. If you already programmed channels, the scanner automatically scans those channels. OFF PRO-66 3. Press MANUAL to stop the scanning. The display shows the current channel. 4. Turn VOLUME/OFF clockwise to set the scanner’s volume about half way.
20-511.fm Page 21 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM 5. Slowly turn SQUELCH counterclockwise until you hear a hissing sound. 6. Adjust VOLUME/OFF to a comfortable listening level. 7. Slowly turn SQUELCH clockwise until the hissing sound stops. Note: If you want to listen to a weak or distant station, turn SQUELCH counterclockwise to increase receiver sensitivity. If reception is poor, turn SQUELCH clockwise to decrease receiver sensitivity.
20-511.fm Page 22 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM Notes: • If you make a mistake in Step 2, Error appears on the display and the scanner beeps three times. Simply start again from Step 2. • Your scanner automatically rounds the entered frequency to the nearest valid frequency. For example, if you try to enter a frequency of 151.473, your scanner accepts it as 151.475. 4. Repeat Steps 1 - 3 to program more channels.
20-511.fm Page 23 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM 3. To change the search direction, press t to search downward or s to search upward. b, SRCH, and t or s appear on the display. 4. When the scanner stops on an active frequency, you can do one of the following: • To store the displayed frequency into the monitor memory, press MON/0. MON appears on the display. • To continue the search, press t or s. • To hold the frequency, press HOLD/BAND. H appears on the display.
20-511.fm Page 24 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM • To continue the search, press t or s. • To hold the frequency, press HOLD/BAND. h appears on the display. To continue the search, press and hold t or s for about 1 second. Notes: • If you want to step through the frequencies while h is displayed, press t or s. • If you tune to a search skip frequency, L appears on the display (see “Search Skip Memory” on Page 24). • If you press HOLD/BAND, the scanner restarts as a band search.
20-511.fm Page 25 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM LISTENING TO THE MONITOR MEMORY The scanner has one monitor memory. You can use this memory to temporarily store a frequency while you decide whether to store it into a channel. This is handy for quickly storing an active frequency when you search through an entire band. Once you have temporarily stored a frequency into the scanner’s monitor memory, you can listen to it by pressing MANUAL then MON/0.
20-511.fm Page 26 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM 4. Press MON/0. The entered frequency appears, and the channel number starts flashing. 5. Press WX/E. The scanner stores the frequency into the selected channel, and the channel number stops flashing. SCANNING THE STORED CHANNELS To scan the stored channels, press SCAN. Your scanner then scans through all non-locked channels (see “Locking Out Channels” on Page 27).
20-511.fm Page 27 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM To turn off the 2-second delay on any active channel, press DELAY again while the channel number is displayed. D disappears from the display. Locking Out Channels You can increase the effective scanning speed by locking out individual channels that have a continuous transmission, such as a weather channel. To lock out a channel, manually select the channel and press LOUT/S/S so L appears on the display.
20-511.fm Page 28 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM LISTENING TO THE WEATHER BAND The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has allocated 11 channels for use by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We have preprogrammed your scanner with the seven frequencies most commonly used by NOAA (see “National Weather Frequencies” on Page 29). To hear your local forecast and regional weather information, simply press WX/E.
20-511.fm Page 29 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly “line-ofsight.” That means you usually cannot hear stations that are beyond the horizon. GUIDE TO FREQUENCIES National Weather Frequencies 161.650* 162.440* 162.525 161.775* 162.450 162.550 162.400 162.475 163.275* 162.425 162.500 * Not preprogrammed in this scanner. Birdie Frequencies Every scanner has birdie frequencies.
20-511.fm Page 30 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS Typical Band Usage VHF Band (30.00–300.0 MHz) Low Range 6-Meter Amateur U.S. Government 2-Meter Amateur High Range 29.00–50.00 MHz 50.00–54.00 MHz 137.00–144.00 MHz 144.00–148.00 MHz 148.00–174.00 MHz UHF Band (300.00 MHz–3.0 GHz) U.S.
20-511.fm Page 31 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM UHF Band Activities Land-Mobile “Paired” Frequencies Base Stations Mobile Units Repeater Units Control Stations Frequencies 450.000–470.000 MHz 451.025–454.950 MHz 456.025–459.950 MHz 460.025–464.975 MHz 465.025–469.975 MHz Note: Remote control stations and mobile units operate at 5 MHz higher than their associated base stations and relay repeater units. Specified Intervals Frequencies in different bands are accessible only at specific intervals.
20-511.fm Page 32 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM MARI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maritime Limited Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Coast Guard, Marine Telephone, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shipboard Radio, Private Stations) MARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Military Affiliate Radio System MED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-511.fm Page 33 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM 6-Meter Amateur Band— (50–54 MHz) 50.00–54.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM U.S. Government Band (137–144 MHz) 137.000–144.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT, MIL 2-Meter Amateur Band (144–148 MHz) 144.000–148.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-511.fm Page 34 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM 173.225–173.5375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MOV, NEWS, UTIL, MIL 173.5625–173.5875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MIL Medical/Crash Crews 173.60–173.9875 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOVT ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY (UHF) (300 MHz–3 GHz) U. S. Government Band (406–420 MHz) 406.125–419.975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-511.fm Page 35 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM AVOIDING IMAGE FREQUENCIES You might discover one of your regular stations on another frequency that is not listed. It might be what is known as an image frequency. For example, you might find a service that regularly uses a frequency of 453.075 also on 474.775. To see if it is an image, do a little math. Note the new frequency. Double the intermediate frequency of 10.85 MHz (21.700) and subtract it from the new frequency. 474.
20-511.fm Page 36 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM TROUBLESHOOTING If you have problems, here are some suggestions that might help. If none of these suggestions help, take your scanner to your local RadioShack store for assistance. PROBLEM Keys do not work or display changes at random. Scanner is on but will not scan. POSSIBLE CAUSE Undetermined error. REMEDY Reset the scanner (see “Resetting the Scanner” on Page 37). • The SQUELCH control is not correctly adjusted. • Adjust SQUELCH clockwise.
20-511.fm Page 37 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM PROBLEM Poor or no reception. POSSIBLE CAUSE REMEDY • Batteries are weak or dead. • Check the batteries, or make sure the scanner is plugged into a working AC or DC outlet. • Environment is not suitable for reception by the scanner. • Relocate the scanner and try again. • Improperly connected antenna. • Be sure the antenna is properly connected. Error appears on the display. Programming error. Reprogram the frequency correctly.
20-511.fm Page 38 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack PRO-66 50-Channel Direct Entry Programmable Scanner is an example of superior design and craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you care for your scanner so you can enjoy it for years. Keep the scanner dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. Liquids can contain minerals that can corrode the electronic circuits. Use only fresh batteries of the recommended size and type.
20-511.fm Page 39 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage: 29–54 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 137–174 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 406–512 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) 806.0000–823.9375 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) 851.0000–868.9375 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) 896.1125–956.0000 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) Channels of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Channels Sensitivity: (FM: 20 dB S/N at 3 kHz deviation): 29–54 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20-511.fm Page 40 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 2:13 PM RadioShack Limited Warranty This product is warranted against defects for 1 year from date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers. Within this period, we will repair it without charge for parts and labor. Simply bring your RadioShack sales slip as proof of purchase date to any RadioShack store. Warranty does not cover transportation costs.
