Radio Shack PRO-2050 Owner'S Manual Download

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Owner’s Manual

Cat. No. 20-430

PRO-2050

VHF/UHF/Air/800MHz

300-Channel TrunkTracker Home Scanner

Please read before using this equipment.

20-430.fm Page 1 Wednesday, August 4, 1999 1:29 PM

Summary of Contents for PRO-2050

Page 1: ...Owner s Manual Cat No 20 430 PRO 2050 VHF UHF Air 800MHz 300 Channel TrunkTracker Home Scanner Please read before using this equipment ...

Page 2: ...on and instantly switches to an active fre quency so you can hear the call and response for that 2 way radio user and easily follow the conversation The scanner also lets you scan con ventional transmissions and is pre programmed with service search banks for convenience By pressing a single button you can quickly search those frequencies most commonly used by public service and other agencies wit...

Page 3: ...requency bands with 5 kHz steps and scan at up to 50 channels per second to help you quickly find interesting broad casts The normal search speed is 100 steps per second Data Signal Skip lets you set the scanner to skip non modulated or data signals during scanning and searches This lets the scanner avoid non voice signals making a scan or search fast er Manual Access lets you directly access any ...

Page 4: ...C requires that you stop using your scanner This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interfer ence and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation We recommend you record your scan ner s serial number here The number is on the scanner ...

Page 5: ...These include Telephone conversations cellu lar cordless or other private means of telephone signal trans mission Pager transmissions Scrambled or encrypted transmis sions According to the Federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act ECPA as amended you could be fined and possibly imprisoned for intentionally intercepting using or disclosing the contents of such a transmission un less you have th...

Page 6: ...anks 16 Channel Storage Banks 16 Service Banks 16 Understanding Trunking 16 Operation 17 Turning On the Scanner and Setting Squelch 17 Storing Known Frequencies into Channels 17 Searching Service Banks 18 Limit Search 19 Scanning the Stored Channels 20 Manually Selecting a Channel 20 Clearing a Frequency from a Channel 21 Special Features 22 Delay 22 Turning Channel Storage Banks On and Off 22 Loc...

Page 7: ...sts 33 Storing IDs Into Scan Lists While Searching 34 Automatically Storing an ID in a Scan List Location 34 Deleting a Stored ID 34 Scanning the Scan Lists 34 Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked Systems 35 Selecting a Preset Fleet Map 38 Programming a Fleet Map 39 Programming a Hybrid System 40 A General Guide to Scanning 41 Guide to Frequencies 41 National Weather Frequencies 41 Canadian Weather ...

Page 8: ...nals To install the antenna screw it clockwise into the hole on the scanner s top The scanner s sensitivity depends on the antenna s length and various envi ronmental conditions For the best re ception of the transmissions you want to hear adjust the antenna s length Connecting an Outdoor Antenna Instead of the supplied antenna you can connect an outdoor base station or mobile antenna not supplied...

Page 9: ...an antenna follow the mounting instructions supplied with the antenna Then route the an tenna s cable to the scanner and con nect the cable to the ANT jack on the back of the scanner DC 12V ANT Cautions Do not run the cable over sharp edges or moving parts that might damage it Do not run the cable next to power cables or other antenna cables Warning Use extreme caution when you install or remove a...

Page 10: ...lighter power cable insert its barrel plug into the DC 12V jack on the back of the scanner then plug the power cable into your vehicle s cigarette lighter socket Cautions If you use a DC cigarette lighter power cable with the scanner it must supply 12 volts and at least 500 milliamps of DC automotive power Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must cor rectly fit the DC 12V jack on t...

Page 11: ...al 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 Extended high volume listening can lead to per manent hearing loss Set VOLUME to the lowest setting before you begin listening After you begin listening adjust VOL UME to a comfortable level Once you set VOLUME do not increase it Over time...

Page 12: ...t into a programmable memory location called a channel which is grouped with your other channels in a channel storage bank You can then scan the channel storage banks to see if there is activity on the frequencies stored there Each time the scanner finds an active frequency it stays on that channel until the transmission ends A LOOK AT THE FRONT PANEL Your scanner s keys might seem confusing at fi...

Page 13: ...31 60 for example indicates the channels that make up a memory bank Enters a decimal point CLEAR Clears an entry E enter Enters frequencies into channels or enters IDs into a scan list LIMIT t Sets the frequency range sets the search direction and holds a frequency search DELAY Programs a 2 second delay for the selected channel a limit search or each service scan Also programs a 5 second delay in ...

Page 14: ...A good look at the display will help you understand how your scanner operates LIST Appears with a number 1 5 to indicate the list num ber BANK Appears with numbers 1 10 to indicate the scan bank PUB Appears when you search the public safety service bank POLICE Appears when you search the police service bank FIRE EMG Appears when you search the fire emergency service bank AIR Appears when you searc...

Page 15: ...d on HOLD Appears when the scanner is in the hold mode during a search DELAY Appears when you program a delay DATA Appears when the data skip function is active L O lockout Appears when you manually select a channel frequen cy or ID you locked out tSEARCHs Lights steadily during a limit search service search and ID search and blinks while HyperSearch is active and when you monitor IDs The arrow in...

Page 16: ...frequencies instead of searching through an entire band see Searching Service Banks on Page 18 UNDERSTANDING TRUNKING In the past groups that broadcast fre quently such as police departments were restricted to transmitting on just a few frequencies This resulted in heavy traffic and often required 2 way radio users to wait for a specific fre quency to clear before transmitting Trunked systems allo...

Page 17: ... is adjusted so you always hear a hissing sound the scanner does not scan properly STORING KNOWN FREQUENCIES INTO CHANNELS Good references for active frequen cies are the RadioShack Police Call Guide including Fire and Emergency Services Official Aeronautical Fre quency Directory and Maritime Fre quency Directory We update these directories every year so be sure to get a current copy Note To store...

Page 18: ...nnel see Delay on Page 21 The scanner also stores this setting in the chan nel 4 If you want to program the next channel in sequence press MAN UAL and repeat Steps 2 and 3 SEARCHING SERVICE BANKS You can search for public service po lice fire emergency aircraft and weather transmissions even if you do not know the specific frequencies that are used in your area And you can store any of the frequen...

Page 19: ...hen press MANUAL 3 Press SVC then SEARCH to select a service bank and begin searching 4 When the scanner stops on a transmission press HOLD The frequency appears 5 Press E to store the frequency into the channel LIMIT SEARCH If you do not know a frequency to store you can search for transmis sions within a range of frequencies you select called the limit search range Then you can store any inter e...

Page 20: ...encies are automatically locked out during scanning To scan in the trunk tracking mode see Scanning a Trunked Bank on Page 27 MANUALLY SELECTING A CHANNEL You can continuously monitor a single channel without scanning This is use ful if you hear an emergency broad cast 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 specifi...

Page 21: ...DELAY appears and the scanner automatically adds a 2 second delay to every transmis sion it stops on in that band or limit range To turn off the 2 second delay press DELAY while the scanner is monitoring the channel or searching service banks or limit ranges DELAY disap pears TURNING CHANNEL STORAGE BANKS ON AND OFF You can turn each channel storage bank on and off When you turn off a bank the sca...

Page 22: ...are turned on press MANUAL to stop scanning then hold down L O until the scanner beeps twice Locking Out Frequencies To lock out a frequency during a limit search or service bank search press L O when the scanner stops on the frequency The scanner locks out the frequency then continues searching To lock out a frequency manually se lect the frequency and press L O until L O appears Notes The scanne...

Page 23: ...a signals such as modem transmissions during a scan or search Note Since data signals are not gen erally found in the air band this fea ture does not work in the air service bank To turn on the data skip feature be sure the priority feature is turned off see Priority on Page 24 then press DATA DATA appears To turn off the feature press DATA again DATA dis appears TRUNK TRACKING Your scanner is des...

Page 24: ... in each bank you want to program as a priority channel To turn on the priority feature press PRIORITY during scanning PRI ap pears As you scan the bank the scanner checks the bank s priority channel every 2 seconds in each bank that is turned on starting from the low est to the highest numbered priority channel To turn off the priority feature press PRIORITY PRI disappears Notes The priority feat...

Page 25: ...ities and city administration The police might decide to further divide its fleet into subfleets such as dispatch tactical operations detectives north south east and west side patrols and super visors All the available police radios would then be assigned to one of the police subfleets letting the police cen tralize their communications and con trol the type of users on a single system Determining...

Page 26: ...o provide better perfor mance in your area PROGRAMMING TRUNKED FREQUENCIES Before you program your scanner to track a trunked system consider the following Valid trunked system frequencies range from 851 0000 868 9875 in 12 5 kHz steps You can use any of your scanner s banks as either a trunk tracking bank or conventional scanning bank but you cannot mix the two The scanner only scans one trunked ...

Page 27: ...UNKED BANK You can scan one trunked bank at a time Once you have stored frequen cies for a trunked system in one or more of the 10 available banks and you are scanning non trunked fre quencies follow these steps to begin trunk scanning 1 Press TRUNK The indicators for all banks flash 2 Use the number keys to enter the number for the trunked bank you want to scan then press SEARCH to begin searchin...

Page 28: ...ress HOLD HOLD appears and the scanner stays on the current ID 2 If you want to listen to a different ID use the number keys to enter the ID you want to hold LIST 1 appears 3 Press HOLD again HOLD flashes and the scanner monitors that ID 4 When you want to stop the hold and resume searching for a data channel so you can continue trunk tracking press SEARCH Note You can also follow these steps to h...

Page 29: ...scan lists or press SEARCH to contin ue the scanner s previous function For more information about scan lists see Scan Lists on Page 31 Using Trunk Tracking Scan Delay Many trunked systems have a period of 2 or more seconds between a query and a reply You can program a 5 second delay so the scanner holds on an ID for 5 seconds to wait for a reply The scanner continues to monitor the frequency for ...

Page 30: ...see how many frequencies are being used and generally monitor how much communication traffic is oc curring Each frequency you store in a trunking bank has a corresponding activity indi cator The indicator that remains on steadily even when there are no current transmissions represents the frequency being used as the data channel The indicator that flashes when an ID appears represents the fre quen...

Page 31: ...n lists manually dur ing a search or automatically Manually Storing IDs into Scan Lists 1 Select the trunking bank you want see Scanning a Trunked Bank on Page 27 2 After the scanner begins trunk tracking press MANUAL A scan list number appears at the top of the display and a bar shows the channel activity 3 Repeatedly press s or t to select the scan list location shown at the top of the display y...

Page 32: ...isplay a scan list location and store an ID in that location during a search press PRIORITY to display the current scan list location then press E when your scanner stops on an ID you want to store To store an ID in the first available scan list location during a search press E at any time Deleting a Stored ID 1 Press MANUAL 2 Repeatedly press s or t to select the scan list location shown at the t...

Page 33: ...ystem See Types of Trunking Systems on Page 25 You might also notice that you are missing responses when you hold on an active ID Unlike Type II systems Type I and hybrid systems require a fleet map that sets specific fleet sub fleet parameters It is easy to select a fleet map to scan what is not always easy is selecting or programming a map that is being used in your particu lar area When a Type ...

Page 34: ... 1 S11 2 16 256 1 S12 1 16 1024 2 S13 1 16 2048 4 S14 1 16 4096 8 Note www trunkscanner com plans to make preset fleet maps available as they become known If you do not already know the size codes used you will have to guess them But since you do not have to fig ure out all the blocks at once this is not as hard as it seems Select a size code for a block then press SEARCH Now listen to the communi...

Page 35: ...7 S4 7 E1P7 E1P8 Block Size Code Block Size Code 0 S10 0 S1 1 S10 1 S1 2 S11 2 S2 3 S4 3 S2 4 S4 4 S3 5 S4 5 S3 6 S4 6 S4 7 S4 7 S4 E1P9 E1P10 Block Size Code Block Size Code 0 S4 0 S0 1 S4 1 S0 2 S0 2 S0 3 S0 3 S0 Block Size Code Block Size Code 4 S0 4 S0 5 S0 5 S0 6 S0 6 S4 7 S0 7 S4 E1P11 E1P12 Block Size Code Block Size Code 0 S4 0 S0 1 S0 1 S0 2 S0 2 S0 3 S0 3 S0 4 S0 4 S0 5 S0 5 S0 6 S0 6 S0...

Page 36: ... you chose Note When the scanner searches for transmissions you see Type I fleet and subfleet IDs such as 100 12 100 9 000 12 or 400 8 How do you know if the preset map you selected is correct Listen to see if you are following complete conver sations If not try another preset map Programming a Fleet Map 1 Hold down TRUNK until the scan ner beeps twice BANK TRUNK and the bank number flash 2 Select...

Page 37: ... 4 or 6 S13 can only be assigned to Blocks 0 and 4 S14 can only be assigned to Block 0 Since these size codes require multi ple blocks you will be prompted for the next available block when pro gramming a fleet map For example if you assign Block 0 as an S12 the scanner prompts you for b2 the next block available instead of b1 And if you assign Block 0 as an S14 you would not see another prompt be...

Page 38: ...u hear only noise on that fre quency If the interference is not severe you might be able to turn SQUELCH clockwise to cut out the birdie This scanner s birdie frequen cies in MHz are To find the birdies in your individual scanner begin by disconnecting the antenna and moving it away from the scanner Make sure that no other near by radio or TV sets are turned on near the scanner Use the search func...

Page 39: ... Audio Broadcast Wide Band 470 00 512 00 MHz Public Service 806 00 823 93 MHz Conventional Systems 851 00 856 00 MHz Conventional Trunked Systems 856 00 861 00 MHz Trunked Systems 861 00 866 00 MHz Public Safety 866 00 868 93 MHz High Range 896 11 902 00 MHz 33 Centimeter Amateur 902 00 928 00 MHz Private Trunked 935 00 940 00 MHz General Trunked 940 00 941 00 MHz Fixed Services 941 00 944 00 MHz ...

Page 40: ...to area For a more complete listing re fer to the Police Call Radio Guide in cluding Fire and Emergency Services available at your local Ra dioShack store AbbreviationsServices BIFCBoise ID Interagency Fire Cache BUSBusiness CAPCivil Air Patrol CBCitizens Band CCACommon Carrier CSBConventional Systems CTSBConventional Trunked Systems Activities Frequencies Government Police and Fire 153 785 155 98...

Page 41: ...al Government Forestry Conservation PSB Public Safety PTR Private Trunked ROAD Road Highway Maintenance RTV Radio TV Remote Broadcast Pickup TAXI Taxi Services TELB Mobile Telephone Aircraft Radio Common Carrier Landline Companies TELC Cordless Phones TELM Telephone Maintenance TOW Tow Trucks TRAN Transportation Services Trucks Tow Trucks Buses Railroad Other TSB Trunked Systems TVn FM TV Audio Br...

Page 42: ...36 MHz 108 000 121 490 AIR 121 500 AIR Emergency 121 510 136 000 AIR U S Government Band 137 144 MHz 137 000 144 000 GOVT MIL 2 Meter Amateur Band 144 148 MHz 144 000 148 000 HAM VHF High Band 148 174 MHz 148 050 150 345 CAP MAR MIL 150 775 150 790 MED 150 815 150 980 TOW Oil Spill Cleanup 150 995 151 475 ROAD POL 151 490 151 955 IND BUS 151 985 TELM 152 0075 MED 152 030 152 240 TELB 152 270 152 4...

Page 43: ... Wireless Mikes 170 350 170 400 GOVT MIL 170 425 170 450 BIFC 170 475 PUB 170 4875 173 175 GOVT PUB Wireless Mikes 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 406 MHz 3 GHz U S Government Band 406 420 MHz 406 125 419 975 GOVT USXX 70 Centimeter Amateur Band 420 450 MHz 420 000 450 000 HAM Low Band 450 470 MHz 450 050 45...

Page 44: ...land mobile service Conventional Systems Band Locally Assigned 851 0125 855 9875 CSB Conventional Trunked Systems Band Locally Assigned 856 0125 860 9875 CTSB Trunked Systems Band Locally Assigned 861 0125 865 9875 TSB Public Safety Band Locally Assigned 866 0125 868 9875 PSB 33 Centimeter Amateur Band 902 928 MHz 902 0000 928 0000 HAM Private Trunked 935 0125 939 9875 PTR General Trunked 940 0125...

Page 45: ...ion can help you make the necessary conversions 1 MHz million 1 000 kHz thousand To convert MHz to kHz multiply the number of megahertz by 1 000 9 62 MHz 1000 9620 kHz To convert from kHz to MHz divide the number of kilohertz by 1 000 2780 kHz 1000 2 780 MHz To convert MHz to meters divide 300 by the number of megahertz 300 7 1 MHz 42 25 meters ...

Page 46: ...ted Be sure the adapter s barrel plug is fully inserted into the DC 12V jack The scanner must be reset Reset the scanner see Resetting the Scanner on Page 49 Poor or no reception An antenna is not con nected or connected incorrectly Make sure an antenna is connected to the scan ner Error appears Programming error Reprogram the fre quency correctly includ ing the decimal point In the scan mode the ...

Page 47: ...s on Page 31 The IDs you have stored are not active Scan another transmis sion Scanner will not acquire a data channel SQUELCH is not cor rectly adjusted for trunk tracking Adjust squelch for trunk tracking See Setting Squelch for the Trunk Tracking Mode on Page 26 The frequency used for the data channel is miss ing Add the frequency used for the data channel to the frequency list see Programming ...

Page 48: ... Page 33 Not all of the trunk s fre quencies have been entered Enter all of the trunk s frequencies Channel activity indica tors are lighting but no sound is heard The transmission might be a private or tele phone interconnect call The scanner does not scan these types of transmissions Scan for another trans mission The ID is locked out Unlock the ID see Unlocking a Single ID on Page 29 or Unlock ...

Page 49: ...physical or electrical shock Caution This procedure clears all the information you have programmed into the scanner Use this procedure only when you are sure your scanner is not working properly 1 Turn off the scanner 2 While you press and hold down 2 and 9 turn on the scanner Note It takes about 10 seconds until the reset is completed CLEAr appears dur ing resetting Caution Do not turn off the sc...

Page 50: ... work improperly Use and store the scanner only in normal temperature environments Temperature extremes can shorten the life of electronic devices and distort or melt plastic parts Keep the scanner away from dust and dirt which can cause premature wear of parts Wipe the scanner with a damp cloth occasionally to keep it looking new Do not use harsh chemicals cleaning solvents or strong detergents t...

Page 51: ...ce 806 0000 823 9375 MHz in 12 5 kHz steps Public Service Trunking Repeater 851 0000 868 9875 MHz in 12 5 kHz steps Public Service 896 1125 956 0000 MHz in 12 5 kHz steps Channels of Operation Any 300 channels in any band combinations 30 channels 10 banks 50 search skip memories and 20 service search skip memories Sensitivity S N N 20 dB 29 54 MHz 0 5 µV 108 136 975 MHz 1 5 µV 137 174 MHz 0 5 µV 4...

Page 52: ...r 12 Volts DC DC Adapter 12 Volts DC such as Cat No 270 1533 Dimensions 23 4 81 16 711 16 Inches HWD 70 205 195 mm Weight 26 5 oz 750 g Specifications are typical individual units might vary Specifications are subject to change and improvement without notice ...

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Page 56: ...ent of a product defect during the warranty period take the product and the RadioShack sales receipt as proof of purchase date to any RadioShack store RadioShack will at its option unless otherwise provided by law a correct the defect by product repair without charge for parts and labor b replace the product with one of the same or similar design or c refund the purchase price All replaced parts a...

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