Radio Shack 20-516 User Manual Download

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Read this user’s guide completely

before using your scanner.

www.radioshack.com

20-516

PRO-84 200 channel

racing scanner

with headphones

what’s included

scanner
antenna
user’s guide
quick start guide

• headphones
• belt clip w/two screws
• race frequency list

Summary of Contents for 20-516

Page 1: ...mpletely before using your scanner www radioshack com 20 516 PRO 84 200 channel racing scanner with headphones what s included scanner antenna user s guide quick start guide headphones belt clip w two screws race frequency list ...

Page 2: ...ion speaker 15 attaching the belt clip 16 about your scanner 17 a look at the keypad 18 a look at the display 22 understanding banks 24 service banks 24 channel storage banks 24 Beyond the Basics operating your scanner 25 turning on the scanner and setting squelch 25 storing known frequencies into channels 25 race scanning tips 27 NASCAR is a registered trademark of the National Association for St...

Page 3: ...Skywarn 36 about skywarn 36 WX alert 38 turning on the weather alert feature 38 chain search 39 chain search mode 39 chain search hold mode 40 storing frequencies found during chain search into channel memory 41 program band select mode 42 direct entry search 43 direct entry search hold mode 44 storing direct entry search frequencies into channel memory 44 search skip memory 45 delay 47 turning ch...

Page 4: ...nt does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Consult your local RadioShack store or an experienced radio TV technici...

Page 5: ...ng an optional DC adapter Before installing batteries set the switch in the battery compartment to match the type of batteries you will use Select ALKALINE for non rechargeable battery types and RECHARGEABLE for rechargeable battery types including Ni Cd and Ni MH See also using rechargeable batteries on Page 7 when you use rechargeable batteries X Remove battery cover and set battery switch ...

Page 6: ...The Basics 6 Y Install 2 AA batteries matching the polarity symbols Z Replace the cover ...

Page 7: ... type Always remove old or weak batteries Batteries can leak chemicals that destroy electronic circuits Do not mix old and new batteries different types of batteries standard alkaline or rechargeable or rechargeable batteries of different capacities When flashes and the scanner beeps every 15 seconds replace both batteries Warning Always dispose of old batteries promptly and properly Do not bury o...

Page 8: ...the batteries Warning Do not connect either adapter to the scanner if non rechargeable batteries such as alkaline batteries are installed in the scanner and ALKALINE RECHARGEABLE is set to RECHARGEABLE or if you are unsure of the switch s position Non rechargeable batteries will get hot and can even explode if you try to recharge them Before you use Ni Cd or Ni MH batteries for the first time char...

Page 9: ...on when you incorrectly connect an external power source Make sure that you use the correct batteries and set ALKALINE RECHARGEABLE to the correct position when you connect an external power source If CHArg does not appear the rechargeable batteries might be completely discharged Connect the scanner to an AC or DC adapter and wait about 1 minute Then unplug the adapter from the scanner for a few s...

Page 10: ... to preserving our environment and conserving our natural resources using AC power You can power the scanner using a 6V 300 mA AC adapter and a size B Adaptaplug adapter neither supplied Both are available at your local RadioShack store Cautions You must use a Class 2 power source that supplies 6V DC and delivers at least 300 mA Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must fit the scan...

Page 11: ...r socket using a 6V 300 mA DC adapter and a size B Adaptaplug neither supplied Both are available at your local RadioShack store Cautions You must use a power source that supplies 6V DC and delivers at least 300 mA Its center tip must be set to positive and its plug must fit the scanner s DC 6V jack Using an adapter that does not meet these specifications could dam age the scanner or the adapter A...

Page 12: ...ack Plug the other end of the adapter into your vehicle s cigarette lighter socket If rechargeable batteries are installed and ALKALINE RECHARGEABLE is set to RECHARGEABLE the adapter powers the scanner and recharges the installed batteries at the same time Note If the scanner does not operate properly when you use a DC adapter unplug the adapter from the cigarette lighter socket and clean the soc...

Page 13: ...nner s BNC connector Then slide the antenna s connector down over the scanner s connector and rotate the antenna connector s outer ring clockwise until it locks into place connecting an optional antenna The scanner s BNC connector makes it easy to connect a variety of optional antennas including an external mobile antenna or outdoor base station antenna Your local RadioShack store sells a wide sel...

Page 14: ...hone headphone In a noisy area you can use the supplied mono headphones When you use the headphones set the scanner s VOLUME to the center position then adjust the volume controls of the headphones For private listening you can plug a 1 8 inch 3 5 mm mini plug earphone not supplied into the headphone jack on top of your scanner Connecting the headphones or the earphone automatically disconnects th...

Page 15: ...icle in or near traffic Doing so can create a traffic hazard and could be illegal in some areas If you use an earphone or headphones with your scanner be very careful Do not listen to a continuous broadcast Even though some earphones headphones let you hear some outside sounds when listening at normal volume levels they still can present a traffic hazard connecting an extension speaker In a noisy ...

Page 16: ...never connect the audio output line to a power supply and ground This might damage the scanner 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 ...

Page 17: ... function or refer to a frequency reference Besides searching within a selected frequency range you can also search your scanner s service banks Service banks are preset groups of frequencies categorized by the type of services that use those frequencies For example many amateur radio frequencies are located in the HAM service bank When you search and find a desired frequency you can store it into...

Page 18: ...UNC then release it appears on the display Then quickly press the next key in the function key sequence while appears appears or disappears as you press FUNC If your scanner s keys seem confusing at first the following information should help you understand each key s function HOLD HOLD Holds the scan or the frequency search Press and hold HOLD to increment channels continuously FUNC Switches betw...

Page 19: ... on or off FUNC KEYLOCK Locks and unlocks the keypad FUNC Lets you use various functions by pressing this key in combination with other keys Press and hold for more than 2 seconds to turn the scanner on or off 1 PRIORITY 1 Enters a 1 FUNC PRIORITY Sets and turns the priority function on or off 2 2 Enters a 2 FUNC Selects the scan or search direction ...

Page 20: ...earch banks 4 ALT 4 Enters a 4 FUNC ALT Turns the WX alert function on or off 5 DLY 5 Enters a 5 FUNC DLY Turns the delay function on or off 6 B SLCT 6 Enters a 6 FUNC B SLCT Goes to program band select mode 7 Enters a 7 8 8 Enters an 8 FUNC Selects the scan or search direction ...

Page 21: ...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 frequencies into channels FUNC PGM Programs frequencies into channels ...

Page 22: ...on 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 channels SRCH appears during search mode PRI appears when the priority feature is turned on HOLD appears during scan hold mode and search hold mode DLY appears when you select a delay ...

Page 23: ...pears while you store a frequency into a channel or appears during search mode appears only when the function mode is on WX POL FIRE AIR MRN or HAM appears along with an indicator that shows the current service bank during a service search ALT appears during a WX alert or while the signal stalker function is on appears when the scanner is set to a signal stalker mode PGM F ...

Page 24: ...nto 10 channel storage banks Each bank has 20 channels Use each channel storage bank to group frequencies such as those for the police department fire department ambulance services or aircraft For example the police department might use four frequencies in your town while the fire department uses an additional four You could program the four police frequencies starting with Channel 1 the first cha...

Page 25: ...erclockwise Y Press and hold for about 2 seconds to turn the scanner on then turn VOLUME clockwise until you hear a hissing sound Z Turn SQUELCH clockwise until the hissing stops Press SCAN See scanning the stored channels on Page 30 storing known frequencies into channels You can locate and store specific frequencies into channels for later use To assist you in locating a desired frequency from t...

Page 26: ...re you want to store a frequency then press FUNC PGM The channel number appears Y Use the number keys and CLR to enter the frequency including the decimal point you want to store Z Press E to store the frequency into the channel Notes If you entered an invalid frequency in Step Y Error appears and the scanner beeps three times Enter a valid frequency The scanner automatically rounds the entered nu...

Page 27: ... entered elsewhere the scanner sounds an error tone and displays the channel that was duplicated If you entered the frequency by mistake press CLR then enter the correct frequency To enter the frequency anyway press E to accept To program the next channel in sequence press FUNC PGM or E and repeat Steps Y and Z To program the scanner with your local Skywarn frequency repeat Steps X Z to program Ch...

Page 28: ... 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 turn delay on or off press FUNC DLY service search You can search for weather ham marine aircraft or police fire emergency transmissions without knowing the specific frequencies used in your area The scanner ...

Page 29: ...te Because there are many different frequencies allocated to fire and police departments it can take several minutes to search all the service frequencies storing frequencies into channels during service search You can store frequencies you found during service search or service search hold mode into channels X Press FUNC PGM during service search or service search hold mode The frequency and the ...

Page 30: ...tored 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 The scanner stops when it finds a transmission When the transmission ends the scanner resumes scanning Notes If you have not stored frequencies into any channels the scanner does not...

Page 31: ... 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 SCAN to resume automatic scanning signal stalker Your scanner s Signal Stalker feature lets you set the scanner to detect and display the frequency of nearby strong radio transmissions Signal Stalker can work in the background while you ...

Page 32: ... transmissions by pressing FUNC L O to lock them out See locking out frequencies on Page 49 for more information Signal Stalker cannot detect satellite dishes or any transmitter with a frequency above or below the frequency ranges listed under setting the signal stalker options on Page 33 Signal Stalker works better with some types of transmissions than others It might not correctly display freque...

Page 33: ...ion you want then press E If you selected S S bnd one of the following band names appears bnd Lo VHF Low Band 25 0000 54 0000 MHz bnd Air AIR Band 108 0000 136 9875 MHz bnd Hi VHF High Band 137 0000 174 0000 MHz bnd UHF UHF Band 406 0000 512 0000 MHz bnd 800 800MHz Band 806 0000 956 0000 MHz If you selected S S Alt skip to Step Z Repeatedly press or until the band you want to search appears then p...

Page 34: ... One of the following alert options appears ALt bEEP The scanner beeps when a Signal Stalker signal is detected ALt Light The scanner flashes the display backlight when a Signal Stalker signal is detected ALt bP Lt The scanner flashes the display backlight and beeps when a Signal Stalker signal is detected ALt OFF The scanner does not provide any alert when a Signal Stalker signal is detected Repe...

Page 35: ...ified in setting the signal stalker options on Page 33 Note To continue scanning normally while Signal Stalker is working simply press SCAN When the scanner finds a frequency it sounds the alert you specified in setting the signal stalker options on Page 33 and Found flashes Press any key to confirm the displayed frequency During Signal Stalker operation the delay time is 10 seconds After 10 secon...

Page 36: ...n hold mode and starts receiving transmissions in the last channel If no frequency is programmed in the last channel No Prg appears and the scanner sounds an error tone about Skywarn Skywarn is an organized group of trained weather observers A Skywarn group exists in virtually every US county with a significant population During inclement weather reports made by Skywarn observers include informati...

Page 37: ...r inclement weather conditions in your immediate area even before your local NOAA weather broadcast and local TV or radio station can announce them Enter the local Skywarn frequency for your area into Channel 200 on your scanner then listen to Skywarn first when severe weather threatens Listen to NOAA for weather alerts and warnings watch box notices and weather forecasts Listen to Skywarn to hear...

Page 38: ... 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 pressing FUNC ALT in the WX search or WX search hold mode ALT appears If the scanner receives a WX alert signal while the WX alert fun...

Page 39: ...de and program band select mode 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 0000 956 0000 12 5 chain search mode Press FUNC SRCH to start chain search mode SRCH the enabled...

Page 40: ...k and the frequency where chain search starts depends on how the scanner was set before you selected chain search mode chain search hold mode To start chain search hold mode press HOLD in chain search mode The scanner stops searching and HOLD appears In this mode pressing FUNC changes the search direction downward and pressing FUNC changes the search direction upward or appears according to the cu...

Page 41: ...d mode The lowest blank channel and bank appear Y To select another channel press FUNC or To enter the frequency press FUNC disappears You can also press 0 9 to select the bank Z Press E to store the frequency into the blank channel If you try to save a frequency that is already stored the scanner sounds an error tone and displays the channel that was duplicated If you entered the frequency by mis...

Page 42: ...k 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 about 1 second to quickly move through the search bank numbers After choosing the search bank follow these steps to set the lower limit and upper limit frequency X Enter the lower limit frequency by using the 0 9 and CLR keys Y Pres...

Page 43: ...scanner searches starting from the frequency you entered in Step Y If you enter a frequency that is out of range the scanner sounds an error tone and Error appears Press FUNC to change the search direction downward or FUNC to change the search direction upward Frequencies appear during the search Notes You can set the delay function on or off during the search or while the search stops You can ski...

Page 44: ...tep Hold down or for about 1 second to quickly decrease or increase the frequency To resume direct search press FUNC SEARCH or HOLD or appears on the display showing the search direction storing direct entry search frequencies into channel memory Follow these steps to store frequencies received during direct entry search active search and hold X Press FUNC PGM in direct entry search mode or direct...

Page 45: ...ncy 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 channels Notes You cannot skip frequencies during WX service search Search skip frequencies are shared by service search direct entry search chain search and s...

Page 46: ...a search X Press HOLD to stop the search Y Press FUNC or FUNC to select the frequency L O appears Z Press FUNC L O L O disappears To clear all the skip frequencies at once while searching or search hold press FUNC then press and hold L O until the scanner beeps Notes If you selected all frequencies to be skipped within the search range the scanner beeps 3 times and does not search If you select mo...

Page 47: ... is on DLY appears If it is off follow one of these steps to program a delay depending on how the scanner is operating If the scanner is scanning and stops on an active channel where you want to store a delay quickly press FUNC DLY before it continues scanning again DLY appears If the desired channel is not selected manually select the channel then press FUNC DLY DLY appears If the scanner is sear...

Page 48: ... The scanner scans all the channels within the displayed banks that are not locked out see Locking Out Channels The bank number flashes when the scanner scans a channel that belongs to the bank Notes You can manually select any channel within a bank even if that bank is turned off You cannot turn off all banks One bank must always be active locking out channels You can increase the scanning speed ...

Page 49: ...l then press FUNC L O L O disappears To unlock all channels in the banks that are turned on press HOLD to stop scanning then press FUNC and press and hold L O until the scanner beeps twice locking out frequencies While searching and using Signal Stalker you can reduce the number of hits from frequencies you do not want to find by locking out frequencies that have a continuous transmission such as ...

Page 50: ...tomatically designates each bank s first channel as its priority channel Follow these steps to select a different channel in a bank as the priority channel X Manually select the channel you want to select as the priority channel Y Press FUNC PGM then press FUNC PRIORITY P appears to the left of the selected channel number Z Repeat Steps X and Y for the channel in each bank you want to program as a...

Page 51: ... 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 on keylock press FUNC KEYLOCK appears To turn off keylock press FUNC KEYLOCK disappears Note Using keylock does not prevent the scanner from scanning channels ...

Page 52: ... local RadioShack or www radioshack com Do not use an interface cable other than the specified Note If the scanner receives no data from the PC for more than 20 seconds T Err appears and wired programming stops X Make sure your scanner is turned off Y Connect the interface cable to your computer then connect the other end of the cable to PC IF on the side of the scanner Z Install the software to y...

Page 53: ...eiving data End d Err and its frame number appear If the scanner received a communication error while receiving data C Err indicates the packet number where the error occurred If the scanner received a checksum error while receiving data S Err indicates the packet number where the error occurred If the scanner received a length field error while receiving data L Err indicates the packet number whe...

Page 54: ...f Y While holding down 2 9 and HOLD turn on the scanner After about 3 seconds the scanner initializes and CLEAr appears Your scanner has 150 most frequently used frequencies not the preloaded race frequencies in special permanent memory You can load the frequencies in Channels 1 to 150 Caution This procedure overwrites all channel memories Use this procedure only when you are sure you do not mind ...

Page 55: ... into the scanner s 6V 300 mA jack See using AC power on Page 10 for more information If the scanner is receiving power make sure it is turned on See turning on the scanner and setting squelch on Page 25 for more information Q My scanner is on but won t scan How do I get it to scan A Make sure the squelch is adjusted correctly See turning on the scanner and setting squelch on Page 25 for more info...

Page 56: ...thing happens when I press the scanner s keys How do I get the keys to work A The scanner s keylock might be turned on To turn off keylock press FUNC and KEYLOCK until disappears See using keylock on Page 51 for more information Q flashes on the display What is it A The batteries might be weak Make sure the batteries are good if you installed alkaline batteries or fully charged if you installed re...

Page 57: ... not receiving weather channels How do I set it so I can receive weather channels A The scanner might be set to weather alert mode If this happens it cannot receive weather channels until it receives a weather alert To hear a weather channel at any time make sure weather alert is turned off See WX Alert on Page 38 for more information Q Error appears on the display What does it mean A If you were ...

Page 58: ...449 99375 MHz in 6 25 kHz steps 450 0000 469 99375 MHz in 6 25 kHz steps 470 0000 512 0000 MHz in 6 25 kHz steps 806 0000 823 9875 MHz in 12 5 kHz steps 849 0125 868 9875 MHz in 12 5 kHz steps 894 0125 956 0000 MHz in 12 5 kHz steps Operating Temperature Normal 4 to 140 F 20 to 60 C Signal Stalker 14 to 122 F 10 to 50 C IF Frequencies 1st 25 174 MHz 380 6050 380 7000 MHz 1st 406 512 MHz 380 6125 3...

Page 59: ...s 20 channels 17 Channel Storage Banks Groups of channels used for frequency storage 24 Service Banks preset groups of frequencies categorized by the type of services that use those frequencies 17 24 Signal Stalker lets you set the scanner so it detects then displays the frequency of a nearby strong radio transmission 31 Skywarn lets you jump directly to the last channel in memory Channel 200 from...

Page 60: ...ional Antenna 13 Attaching a belt clip 16 Backlight 53 Batteries Charging 7 Installing 5 Belt Clip Attaching 16 Chain Search 39 Mode 39 Hold Mode 40 Storing Frequencies 41 Channel Storage Banks 24 48 Connecting an antenna 13 Connecting an earphone 14 Connecting an extension speaker 15 Delay 47 ...

Page 61: ... Asked Questions 55 FUNC Key 18 Keylock 51 Locking Out Channels 48 Locking Out Frequencies 49 Manually Selecting Channels 31 Priority 50 Powering the scanner Using Batteries 5 Using AC Power 10 Using Vehicle Battery Power 11 Program Band Select Mode 42 Resetting the Scanner 54 Scanning 30 Search Skip Memory 45 ...

Page 62: ...toring frequencies 25 During Service Search 29 Direct Entry Search Mode 44 Chain Search Mode 41 Signal Stalker 31 Locking Out Frequencies 49 Setting Options 33 Using 35 Skywarn 36 Specifications 58 Turning on the scanner setting squelch 25 Weather Alert 38 Wired Programming 52 ...

Page 63: ...workmanship under normal use for 1 one year from the date of purchase from RadioShack company owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers For complete warranty details and exclusions check with your local RadioShack store RadioShack Customer Relations 300 RadioShack Circle Fort Worth TX 76102 04 04 ...

Page 64: ...on and you can hear in the field reports from storm spotters in your area hear storm reports before they re broadcast requires 1 time programming PC interface available for downloading Extended coverage 806 956MHz except cellular Includes antenna Frequency coverage 25 54 108 174 406 512 806 956MHz except cellular Covers CB radio 10m Ham VHF low band 2 way 6m Ham commercial aircraft 137 144MHz mili...

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