PRO-26 Portable 200- Channel Scanner
(200-0506) Preparation Faxback Doc. # 17720
POWER SOURCES
You can power your scanner from any of three sources:
Internal batteries
Standard AC power (using an optional AC adapter)
Vehicle battery power (using an optional DC adapter)
Using Internal Batteries
You can power your scanner with four AA batteries. For the longest life
and best performance, we recommend alkaline batteries (such as Cat. No.
23-552). Or, you can use rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries (Cat. No.
23-125).
Follow these steps to install or replace batteries.
1. Push up the tab on the back of the scanner and lift open the battery
compartment cover.
2. Remove any old batteries from the compartment and cover.
CAUTION: Always dispose of old non-rechargeable batteries promptly and
properly. Do not bury or burn them.
3. Install two batteries in the compartment and two in the cover as
indicated by the polarity symbols (+ and -) marked inside the
compartment and cover.
CAUTION: Use only fresh, AA alkaline, nickel-cadmium, or general
purpose batteries.
4. Replace the cover.
When the batteries are low, your scanner beeps every 15 seconds and flashes
BATT. LO. If this happens, immediately replace or recharge all four
batteries. See "Important Information About the External Power Jacks" and
"Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries," below.
Important Information About the External Power Jacks
The scanner has two external power jacks-POWER and CHARGE. You should
understand the purpose of each jack before you connect any adapter to the
scanner.
The POWER jack lets you connect an external AC or DC adapter to power the
scanner. You can plug an adapter into this jack with either rechargeable
or non-rechargeable batteries installed.
The CHARGE jack lets you connect an external AC or DC adapter to power the
scanner and also charge the internal batteries. Use the CHARGE jack only
when rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries are installed.
Warning: Never connect either adapter to the CHARGE jack with non-
rechargeable batteries installed. If you try to recharge non-rechargeable
batteries, they become very hot and could explode.
Charging Nickel-Cadmium Batteries
The scanner has a built-in charging circuit that lets you recharge nickel
cadmium batteries while they are in the scanner. To charge the batteries,
simply connect an AC adapter (Cat. No. 273-1665) or a DC adapter (Cat. No.
270-1560) to the scanner's CHARGE jack.
Warning: Do not connect either adapter to the scanner's CHARGE jack if you
have installed non-rechargeable batteries (standard, extra-life, or
alkaline). Non-rechargeable batteries become hot and can even explode if
you try to recharge them.
Fully discharged batteries take about 10 to 18 hours to recharge. You can
operate the scanner while recharging nickel-cadmium batteries, but the
charging time is lengthened.
Important: This product can use rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries. At
the end of their useful life, the batteries must be recycled or disposed of
properly. Contact your local, county, or state hazardous waste management
authorities for information on recycling or disposal programs in your area.
Some options that might be available are: municipal curb-side collection,
drop-off boxes at retailers, recycling collection centers, and mail-back
programs.
Using AC Power
To power the scanner from AC power, you need an AC adapter (such as Cat.
No. 273-1665).
Caution: You must use an AC adapter that supplies 9 volts with the center
tip set to negative. It must deliver at least 300 milliamps, and its plug
must properly fit the scanner's POWER jack. The recommended adapter meets
these specifications. Using an adapter that does not meet these
specifications could damage the scanner or the adapter.
Plug the adapter's barrel plug into the scanner's POWER jack. Then plug
the adapter's power module into a standard AC outlet.
When you finish using the AC adapter, disconnect it from the AC outlet
first. Then disconnect it from the scanner.
Using Vehicle Battery Power
To power the scanner from your vehicle's battery power, you need a DC
adapter (such as Cat. No. 270-1560).
CAUTIONS: You must use a DC adapter that supplies 9 volts with the center
tip set to negative. It must deliver at least 300 milliamps,
and its plug must properly fit the scanner's POWER jack. The
recommended adapter meets these specifications. Using an
adapter that does not meet these specifications could damage the
scanner or the adapter.
Your vehicle must have a 12-volt DC, negative-ground electrical
system.
To protect your vehicle's electrical system, be sure the adapter
is connected to the cigarette-lighter socket only when it is
also connected to the scanner.
Follow these steps to use vehicle battery power.
1. Connect the adapter's orange barrel plug to the adapter's cable with
the tip set to -(negative).
2. Set the adapter to supply 9 volts.
3. Insert the barrel plug into the scanner's POWER jack.
4. Plug the other end of the adapter into your vehicle's cigarette
lighter socket.
NOTE: If the scanner does not operate properly when you use a DC adapter,
unplug the adapter from the lighter socket and clean the socket to
remove ashes and other debris. Also, check the vehicle's and DC
adapter's fuses.
RESETTING THE SCANNER
If the scanner's display locks up or does not work properly after you
connect a power source, you might have to reset the scanner.
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 by turning VOLUME fully counterclockwise.
2. While you press and hold down the 2 and 9 keys, turn on the scanner
by turning VOLUME clockwise.
CONNECTING THE ANTENNA
Follow these steps to attach the supplied flexible antenna to the connector
on top of your scanner.
1. Slip the slots in the antenna connector over the tabs on the jack.
2. Press down 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 with a variety
of antennas, such as an external mobile antenna or outdoor base antenna.
Your local Radio Shack store sells a veriety of antennas.
Use coaxial cable to connect an outdoor antenna. Always use 50-ohm coaxial
cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8/M. For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-
loss dielectric coaxial cable. You might also need a BNC connector (Cat.
No. 278-103 or 278-185) to connect an optional antenna.
WARNING: When installing or removing an outdoor antenna, follow all
cautions and warnings included with the antenna.
CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/HEADPHONES
For private listening, plug an earphone (Cat. No. 33-175) or mono headset
(Cat. No. 20-210) into the jack on top of your scanner. This automatically
disconnects the internal speaker.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these quidelines when you use an earphone
or headphones:
Do not listen at extremely high volume levels. Extended high-volume
listening can lead to permanent hearing loss.
Set the volume to the lowest setting before you begin listening. After
you begin listening, adjust the volume to a comfortable level.
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 wear headphones or an earphone while you drive a vehicle or ride a
bicycle. This can create a traffic hazard and is illegal in some areas.
Even though some headphones and earphones are designed to let you hear some
outside sounds when you listen at normal levels, they still present a
traffic hazard.
CONNECTING AN EXTENSION SPEAKER
In a noisy area, an extension speaker (such as Cat. No. 21-549), positioned
in the right place, might provide more comfortable listening. Plug the
speaker cable's 1/8-inch mini-plug into the scanner's jack.
NOTE: Connecting an extension speaker disconnects the scanner's built-in
speaker.
USING THE BELT CLIP
You can use the supplied belt clip for hands-free carrying when you are on
the go. Use the two supplied screws to attach the belt clip to the
scanner. Then slide the belt clip over your belt or waistband.
A LOOK AT THE KEYBOARD
A quick glance at this section should help you understand each key's
function(s).
SCAN - scans through the programmed channels.
MANUAL - stops scanning and lets you directly enter a channel
number.
H/S/PRIORITY - sets and turns on and off priority for a particular channel;
turns on and off hyper scan mode.
S/S/L/OUT - lets you lock out a selected channel.
KEYLOCK - locks/unlocks the keypad to prevent accidental entries; turn
on the display light for 15 seconds.
PROG - programs frequencies into channels.
MON - accesses the 10 monitor memories. See "Moving a Frequency
from a Monitor Memory to a Channel", Faxback Doc.
#____________.
CLEAR - clears an incorrect entry.
./DELAY - inputs a decimal point when you set a frequency; programs a
2- or 4-second delay for a selected channel.
LIMIT - turns on the limit search mode. See"Searching For and
Temporarily Storing Active Frequencies" , Faxback Doc.
# 17718
UP and DOWN - selects the scan and search direction.
ARROWS
Number keys - each key has a single digit with a range of numbers printed
above it. The single digits refer to the number of a channel
or frequency entered. The range of numbers (21-40, for
example) indicates the channels that make up a memory bank.
See "Understanding Channel Storage Banks", below.
SHIFT - selects MODE, STEP, DATA, RVW, and ATT when used with the
corresponding number keys.
For example, to use a function printed above keys 1-5 (MODE, STEP, DATA,
RVW, and ATT), press SHIFT and then press the desired key.
MODE - selects the auto or selectable modulation mode function.
STEP - lets you select the frequency step during a direct or limit search.
DATA - turns on or off the data signal skip feature.
RVW - lets you reveiw locked-out channels or search skip memory.
ATT - turns on or off the attenuator for each channel to help reduce
interference from strong, nearby transmitters.
E/WX - enters the frequency when you program channels, and starts scanning
the weather frequencies when you are not programming channels.
AUTO - lets you automatically program frequencies into selected banks.
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
your scanner operates.
MON - appears during a search or when you listen to a monitor
memory. The number to the right of this indicator shows the
current monitor memory number. See "Listening to Monitor
Memories", Faxback Doc.# __________.
BANK - shows which channel-storage banks are turned on. See
"Channel-Storage Banks", below.
SFT - appears when you press SHIFT.
AUTO - appears when the scanner is in the auto store or auto sort
modes.
DATA - appears when you turn on the data skip function.
NFM/WFM/AM - shows the current modulation mode; flashes when you override
the default mode.
5, 12.5, 25 - shows which frequency step the scanner is set to during a
limit or direct search.
K/L - appears when you lock the keypad.
BATT. LO - flashes when the battery is low.
CH - digits that precede this indicator show which of the 200
channels the scanner is tuned to.
P - appears when you listen to the priority channel.
MHz - digits that precede this indicator show which frequency the
scanner is tuned to.
SCAN - appears when you scan channels.
MAN - appears when you manually select a channel.
ATT - appears when you use the attenuator function to adjust the
scanner's sensitivity.
PGM - appears while you program frequencies into the scanner's
channels.
PRI - appears when you set the scanner to scan the selected
priority channel every 2 seconds.
L/O - appears when you manually select a locked channel.
DLY - appears when you program a channel for a 2- or 4-second delay
or when you listen to a channel that has been programmed with
the delay feature.
WX - appears when the scanner is in the weather band mode.
UP and DOWN - indicates the scan and search direction.
ARROWS
SEARCH - appears during a limit search (-L- also appears), a direct
frequency search (-d- also appears), a hold direct search (
-h- also appears), and a hold limit search (-H- also
appears).
UNDERSTANDING CHANNEL-STORAGE BANKS
You can store up to 210 frequencies into your scanner's memory. You store
each frequency into either a permanent memory, called a channel, or a
temporary memory, called a monitor. This scanner has 200 channel memories
and 10 monitor memories.
Channel-Storage Banks
To make it easier to identify and select the channels you want to listen
to, channels are divided into 10 channel-storage banks of 20 channels each.
Use each channel-storage bank to group frequencies, such as the police
department fire department, ambulance services, or aircraft (see "Guide to
the Action Bands", Faxback Doc. # 17653.
For example, the police department might use four frequencies, one for each
side of town. You could program the police frequencies starting with
Channel 1 (the first channel in Bank 1) and program the fire department
starting with Channel 21 (the first channel in Bank 2).
Monitor Memories
The scanner also has 10 monitor memories. You can use these memories to
temporarily store frequencies while you decide whether to save them into
channels. This is handy for quickly storing an active frequency when you
search through an entire band. See "Searching For and Temporarily Storing
Active Frequencies", Faxback Doc. # 17718.
(JC/-11/02/95)