Radio Shack 20-466 User manual

Brand: Radio Shack

Model: 20-466

Category: Weather stations

Type: User manual

This manual is also suitable for

wner’s Manual

lease read before using this equipment.

PRO-2053

300 Channel Desktop

Trunk-Tracking Scanner

The FCC Wants You to Know

This equipment has been tested and found

to comply with the limits for a scanning re-

ceiver pursuant to Part 15 of the

FCC Rules

These limits are designed to provide reason-

able protection against harmful interference

in a residential installation. This equipment

generates, uses and can radiate radio fre-

quency energy and, if not installed and used

in accordance with the instructions, may

cause harmful interference to radio commu-

nications.

However, there is no guarantee that interfer-

ence will not occur in a particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful inter-

ference to radio or television reception,

which can be determined by turning the

equipment off and on, the user is encour-

aged 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.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on

a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is connected.

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 inter-

ference, and

2. This device must accept any interfer-

ence received, including interference

that may cause undesired operation.

WARNING:

MODIFICATION OF THIS DE-

VICE TO RECEIVE CELLULAR RADIO-

TELEPHONE SERVICE SIGNALS IS

PROHIBITED UNDER FCC RULES AND

FEDERAL LAW.

Note:

Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful

or requires a permit in some areas. Check

the laws in your area.

WARNING:

To reduce the risk of fire or

shock hazard, do not expose this product to rain

or moisture.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.

DO NOT OPEN.

CAUTION:

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF

ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE

COVER OR BACK. NO USER-SERVICE-

ABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING

TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

This symbol is intended to alert

you to the presence of uninsu-

lated dangerous voltage within

the product’s enclosure that might

be of sufficient magnitude to con-

stitute a risk of electric shock. Do

not open the product’s case.

This symbol is intended to inform

you that important operating and

maintenance instructions are

included in the literature accom-

panying this product.

2001 RadioShack Corporation.

RadioShack, RadioShack.com and Adaptaplug are trademarks used by RadioShack Corporation.

Hypersearch and Hyperscan are trademarks used by RadioShack Corporation.

Motorola, Smartnet and Privacy Plus are registered trademarks of Motorola Inc.

EDACS is a registered trademark of GE/Ericsson Inc.

Contents

Features .................................................................................................................................. 6

Scanning Legally .............................................................................................................. 7

Preparation ............................................................................................................................. 8

Power Sources ................................................................................................................. 8

Using AC Power ........................................................................................................ 8

Using Vehicle Battery Power ..................................................................................... 8

Connecting the Antenna ................................................................................................... 9

Connecting an Outdoor Antenna ............................................................................... 9

Connecting an Earphone/Headphones ............................................................................ 9

Listening Safely ......................................................................................................... 9

Traffic Safety ........................................................................................................... 10

Connecting an Extension Speaker ................................................................................. 10

Transferring Data to and from Another Scanner or a PC ............................................... 10

About Your Scanner ............................................................................................................ 10

A Look at the Keypad ..................................................................................................... 10

Quick Start ....................................................................................................................... 11

Understanding Banks ..................................................................................................... 12

Channel Storage Banks .......................................................................................... 12

Search Banks .......................................................................................................... 12

Understanding Your Scanner's Modes ........................................................................... 12

AM Mode ................................................................................................................. 12

FM Mode ................................................................................................................. 12

Motorola Mode ........................................................................................................ 12

EDACS Mode .......................................................................................................... 13

Open and Closed Modes ........................................................................................ 14

Operation .............................................................................................................................. 14

Turning on the Scanner and Setting Squelch ................................................................. 14

Storing Known Frequencies into Channels .................................................................... 15

Storing Trunking Frequencies into Channels ................................................................. 16

Storing Text Tags ............................................................................................................ 16

Assigning a Text Tag to a Channel .......................................................................... 16

Assigning a Text Tag to a Group ID ......................................................................... 17

Assigning a Text Tag to a Bank ............................................................................... 17

Text Input Chart ....................................................................................................... 17

Finding and Storing Active Frequencies ......................................................................... 18

Searching a Preprogrammed Frequency Range ..................................................... 18

Searching Active Frequencies in Your Desired Frequency Range ......................... 22

Manually Tuning a Frequency ................................................................................. 23

Listening to the Weather Band ....................................................................................... 23

Listening to a Weather Channel .............................................................................. 24

Displaying Weather Messages ................................................................................ 24

WX Alert and Beep Tone Confirmation .................................................................... 24

Using Frequency Copy Function .................................................................................... 24

Contents

Copying a Frequency into a Specified Channel ....................................................... 24

Copying a Frequency into a Vacant Channel in a Specified Bank ........................... 25

Copying a Frequency into the Priority Channel ....................................................... 25

Scanning the Channels ................................................................................................... 25

Turning Channel-Storage Banks Off and On ........................................................... 25

Deleting Frequencies from Channels ....................................................................... 26

Special Features ................................................................................................................... 26

Using the Delay Function ................................................................................................ 26

Locking Out Channels or Frequencies ............................................................................ 26

Locking Out Channels ............................................................................................. 26

Reviewing the Lock-Out Channels ........................................................................... 26

Locking Out Frequencies ......................................................................................... 26

Reviewing Locked-Out Frequencies ........................................................................ 27

Clearing a Locked-Out Frequency ........................................................................... 27

Clearing All Locked-Out Frequencies in a Search Bank .......................................... 27

Priority ............................................................................................................................. 27

Changing the Receive Mode ........................................................................................... 28

Using the Attenuator ....................................................................................................... 29

Turning the Key Tone On and Off .................................................................................... 29

Changing the Display Contrast ....................................................................................... 29

Cloning Programmed Data .............................................................................................. 29

Trunking Operation .............................................................................................................. 30

Understanding Trunking .................................................................................................. 31

Setting Squelch for the Trunking Mode ........................................................................... 31

Programming Trunking Frequencies ............................................................................... 31

Programming Motorola Trunking Systems (UHF-Lo) ............................................... 32

Programming Motorola Trunking System (800 MHz) ............................................... 33

Programming Fleet Maps ......................................................................................... 33

Talk Group IDs ......................................................................................................... 35

Storing Talk Group IDs ............................................................................................. 35

Talk Group ID Hold ................................................................................................... 36

Turning Sub-Banks On or Off ................................................................................... 36

Locking Out Talk Group IDs ..................................................................................... 37

Delay Function in ID Indication Mode ...................................................................... 37

Reviewing Locked-Out Talk Group IDs .................................................................... 37

Clearing Talk Group IDs ........................................................................................... 37

Clearing All Talk Group IDs in One Bank ................................................................. 37

Open and Closed Modes ................................................................................................ 38

Changing the Open/Closed Mode ............................................................................ 38

A General Guide to Frequencies ......................................................................................... 38

US Weather Frequencies in MHz ............................................................................ 38

Ham Radio Frequencies .......................................................................................... 39

Birdie Frequencies ................................................................................................... 39

Guide to the Action Bands .............................................................................................. 40

Typical Band Usage ................................................................................................. 40

Primary Usage ......................................................................................................... 41

Band Allocation ............................................................................................................... 42

Contents

Frequency Conversion ................................................................................................... 49

Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................... 50

Resetting/Initializing the Scanner ................................................................................... 50

Resetting the Scanner ............................................................................................. 50

Initializing the Scanner ............................................................................................ 50

Care ................................................................................................................................ 51

Specifications ...................................................................................................................... 52

Features

Your RadioShack Base Scanner is one of a

new generation of scanners designed to

track Motorola



Type I and II (such as

Smartnet



and Privacy Plus



) and hybrid

analog trunking systems, and GE/Ericsson

(EDACS



) type systems, used extensively in

many communication systems.

Trunking communications systems let a

large group of 2-way radio users (or even dif-

ferent groups of 2-way radio users) efficiently

use a set of frequencies. Instead of selecting

a specific frequency for a transmission, the

user simply selects a talk group. The trunk-

ing system automatically transmits the call

on the first available frequency, and also

sends a code that uniquely identifies that

transmission.

Since the trunking system might send a call

and its response on different frequencies, it

is difficult to listen to trunked communica-

tions using a regular scanner. The trunking

scanner monitors the data sent with a 2-way

radio transmission, so you can hear the call

and response for that user and more easily

"follow" the conversation.

The scanner also lets you scan conventional

transmissions, and is preprogrammed 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.

This scanner gives you direct access to over

59,000 frequencies including those used by

police and fire departments, ambulance ser-

vices, government agencies, air, and ama-

teur radio services.

Your scanner includes these features:

Simultaneous Trunking Operation

—

tracks two trunking systems (Motorola and

EDACS) and conventional systems at the

same time.

Automatic Channel Programming

— auto-

matically determines the group trunking fre-

quencies, for Motorola trunking systems

only

, once the control channels are pro-

grammed.

10 Channel-Storage Banks

— let you store

30 channels in each bank (300 channels) to

group channels so calls are easier to identify.

10 ID-Storage Banks

— let you store 1,000

IDs in 10 ID banks that have 5 sub-ID banks.

20 IDs are programmed in each sub-ID bank

and let you easily identify the ID code.

Weather Alert

— automatically sounds the

alarm tone to advise of hazardous weather

conditions when it detects the alert signal on

the local National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) weather channel dur-

ing priority operation.

Digital Weather Alert

— displays the weath-

er event text with four alert levels so you can

see and hear the reason for the alert.

Data Cloning

— lets you transfer the pro-

grammed data to another PRO-2053 or

PRO-93 scanner. You can also upload or

download the programmed data to or from a

PC using an optional PC interface kit.

12-Character, 4-Line, Alphanumeric Dis-

play

— shows you detailed operating infor-

mation clearly.

Triple Conversion Superheterodyne Re-

ceiver

— virtually eliminates any interfer-

ence from intermediate frequency (IF)

images, so you hear only the frequency you

select.

Features

Preprogrammed Frequency Ranges

— let

you search for transmissions within preset

frequency ranges or within ranges you set, to

reduce search time and select interesting fre-

quencies more quickly.

Hyperscan™ and Hypersearch™

— allow

scans at up to 60 channels per second and

searches up to 75 frequencies per second, to

help you quickly find transmissions.

Scan Delay

— delays scanning for about 2

seconds before moving to another channel in

conventional mode, so you can hear more

replies on the same channel.

Priority Channel

— lets you set the scanner

to check one channel every 2 seconds so

you do not miss transmissions.

Attenuate

— lets you program your scanner

to reduce the scanner's sensitivity to strong

local signals, to reduce interference or noise

caused by these signals.

Text Input

— lets you input a text label for

each channel, talk group ID, bank, or other

memory location so you can easily identify

the transmission.

Lock Out Function

— lets you set your

scanner to skip over specified channels or

frequencies when scanning or searching,

and skip over IDs when tracking trunked sys-

tems.

Telescoping Antenna

— provides excellent

reception.

External BNC Antenna Connector

— lets

you connect an external antenna (not sup-

plied) to the scanner.

Memory Backup

— keeps the frequencies

stored in memory for an extended time even

without internal batteries.

Supplied Trunking Guide

— provides a

quick reference to public safety trunking ra-

dio systems in the United States.

Your scanner can receive these frequencies:

• 25–54 MHz

• 108–136.9875 MHz

• 137–174 MHz

• 216.0025–225 MHz

• 406–512 MHz

• 806–823.9875 MHz

• 849–868.9875 MHz

• 894–960 MHz

• 1240–1300 MHz

Use “A General Guide to Frequencies” on

Page 38 to help you target frequency ranges

in your service area so you can search for a

wide variety of transmissions.

SCANNING LEGALLY

Scanning is a fun and interesting hobby. You

can hear police and fire departments, ambu-

lance services, government agencies, pri-

vate companies, amateur radio services,

aircraft, and military operations. It is legal to

listen to almost every transmission your

scanner can receive. However, there are

some electronic and wire communications

that are illegal to intentionally intercept.

These include:

• telephone conversations (cellular, cord-

less, or other private means of tele-

phone signal transmission)

• pager transmissions

• scrambled or encrypted transmissions

According to the Federal Electronic Commu-

nications Privacy Act (ECPA), as amended,

you could be fined and possibly imprisoned

for intentionally listening to, using, or disclos-

Preparation

ing the contents of such a transmission un-

less you have the consent of a party to the

communication (unless such activity is other-

wise illegal). These laws change from time to

time and there might be state or local laws

that also affect legal scanner usage.

Preparation

POWER SOURCES

Using AC Power

You can power the scanner using the sup-

plied 12V, 500 mA AC adapter.

Cautions:

You must use a Class 2 power

source that supplies 12V DC

and delivers at least 500 mA.

Its center tip must be set to positive and

its plug must fit the scanner's

DC 12V

jack. The supplied adapter meets these

specifications. Using an adapter that

does not meet these specifications

could damage the scanner or the

adapter.

• Always connect the AC adapter to the

scanner before you connect it to AC

power. When you finish, disconnect the

adapter from AC power before you dis-

connect it from the scanner.

Follow these steps to power the scanner

from a standard AC outlet.

1. Insert the AC adapter’s barrel plug into

the

DC 12V

jack on the back of the scan-

ner.

2. Plug the adapter’s two-prong plug into a

standard AC outlet.

Using Vehicle Battery Power

You can power the scanner from a vehicle’s

12V power source (such as a cigarette-light-

er socket) using an optional 12 volt power

cord, and a size D Adaptaplug™ adapter

(available at your local RadioShack store).

Cautions:

You must use a power cord

that supplies 12V DC and

delivers at least 500 mA. Its

center tip must be set to positive and its

plug must fit the scanner's

DC 12V

jack.

Using an cord that does not meet these

specifications could damage the scan-

ner or the cord.

• Always connect the adapter to the scan-

ner before you connect it to the power

source. When you finish, disconnect the

DC adapter from the power source

before you disconnect it from the scan-

ner.

Follow these steps to connect a 12V power

source.

1. Confirm the adapter’s center tip is set to

positive.

2. Insert the adapter’s barrel plug into the

DC 12V

jack on the back of the scanner.

3. Plug the adapter’s DC plug into the 12V

DC power source, such as a vehicle’s

cigarette-lighter socket.

Note:

If the scanner does not operate prop-

erly when you connect a DC adapter, unplug

the DC adapter from the power source and

clean the socket, or check the adapter’s in-

ternal fuse.

Preparation

CONNECTING THE ANTENNA

You must install an antenna before you can

operate the scanner.

To attach the supplied antenna to the anten-

na jack on the top of your scanner, thread

the antenna clockwise into the hole on the

top of the scanner.

The scanner's sensitivity depends on its lo-

cation and the antenna's length. For the best

reception of the transmissions you want to

hear, adjust the antenna's length according

to the chart below.

Frequency Antenna Length

25–54 MHz Extend fully

108–174 MHz Extend 4 segments

216–225 MHz Extend 3 segments

406–1300 MHz Collapse fully

Connecting an Outdoor Antenna

Instead of the supplied antenna, you can

connect an outdoor base-station or mobile

antenna (neither supplied) to your scanner.

Your local RadioShack store sells a variety

of antennas.

When deciding on an outdoor antenna and

its location, consider these points:

• The antenna should be located as high

as possible.

• The antenna and antenna cable should

be as far as possible from sources of

electrical noises (appliances, other

radios, and so on).

• The antenna should be vertical for the

best performance.

To connect an optional base-station or mo-

bile antenna, first remove the supplied anten-

na from the scanner. Always use 50 ohm

coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or RG-8, to

connect the base-station or mobile antenna.

For lengths over 50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss

dielectric coaxial cable. If the antenna's ca-

ble does not have a BNC connector, you will

also need a BNC adapter (also available at

your local RadioShack store). Your local Ra-

dioShack store carries a wide variety of co-

axial antenna cable and connectors.

Once you choose an antenna, follow the

mounting instructions supplied with the an-

tenna. Then route the antenna's cable to the

scanner and connect the cable to the

ANT

connector.

Warning:

Use extreme caution when install-

ing or removing an outdoor antenna. If the

antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could contact

overhead power lines. If the antenna touches

a power line, contact with the antenna, mast,

cable or guy wires can cause electrocution

and death! Call the power company to re-

move the antenna. Do not attempt to do so

yourself.

Caution:

Do not run the cable over sharp

edges or moving parts that might damage it.

CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/

HEADPHONES

For private listening, you can plug an

-inch

(3.5 mm) mini-plug earphone or headphones

(not supplied), available at your local Ra-

dioShack store, into the jack on the front

of your scanner. This automatically discon-

nects the internal speaker.

Listening Safely

To protect your hearing, follow these guide-

lines when you use an earphone or head-

phones.

• Do not listen at extremely high volume

levels. Extended high-volume listening

can lead to permanent hearing loss.

About Your Scanner

• 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 an earphone or headphones

while you drive a vehicle or ride a bicycle.

This can create a traffic hazard and can be il-

legal in some areas. Even though some ear-

phones and headphones let you hear some

outside sounds when you listen at normal

levels, they still can present a traffic hazard.

CONNECTING AN

EXTENSION SPEAKER

In a noisy area, an extension speaker (not

supplied), available at your local RadioShack

store, might provide more comfortable listen-

ing. Plug the speaker cable's

-inch (3.5

mm) mini-plug into your scanner's

EXT SPKR

jack.

TRANSFERRING DATA TO

AND FROM ANOTHER

SCANNER OR A PC

You can transfer the programmed data to

and from another PRO-2053 or PRO-93 us-

ing a connecting cable which has

-inch

phone plugs on both ends (not supplied).

Connect the cable between each scanner's

PC/IF

jacks. See “Cloning Programmed Data”

on Page 29. You can also upload or down-

load the programmed data to or from a PC

using an optional PC interface kit available

through your local RadioShack store.

About Your Scanner

Once you understand a few simple terms

used in this manual and familiarize yourself

with your scanner's features, you can put the

scanner to work for you. You simply deter-

mine the type of communications you want to

receive, then set the scanner to scan them.

A frequency is the receiving signal location

(expressed in kHz or MHz). To find active

frequencies, you can use the tune function.

You can also use the SEARCH banks, which

are preprogrammed frequencies in the scan-

ner's memory (see “Searching a Prepro-

grammed Frequency Range” on Page 18 for

the frequency list). You can even change the

frequency range on one of the SEARCH

banks (SR5) to limit the search.

When you find a frequency, you can store it

into a programmable memory location called

a channel, which is grouped with other chan-

nels 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 KEYPAD

Here is a brief overview of your scanner's

keys and their functions.

SCAN

— scans through the programmed

channels.

About Your Scanner

FUNC

(function) — lets you use various func-

tions by pressing this key in combination with

other keys.

MAN

— stops scanning and lets you directly

enter a channel number.

— scans through the seven prepro-

grammed weather channels.

TRUNK

— stores the trunking ID code or

holds the trunking ID while scanning.

PRI

(Priority) — sets and turns the priority

function on or off.

TEXT

— lets you input text.

PAUSE

— stops search.

MODE

— changes the receive mode (AM,

FM, MOT, ED).

TUNE

— lets you input a frequency and al-

lows you to fine tune a frequency along with

ATT

(Attenuate) — turns attenuation on to re-

duce the scanner's sensitivity and block ex-

tremely strong signals, or turns it off to

increase sensitivity.

— selects the scan or search direc-

tion.

— lets you search the six search

banks.

L/OUT

(Lock Out) — lets you lock out a se-

lected channel, skip a specified frequency

during search, or lock out a selected ID code.

PROG

— programs frequencies into chan-

nels.

ENTER

— completes the entry of frequencies

and text.

— enters a 1, or inputs characters 0

through 9 in text mode.

ABC

— enters a 2, or inputs characters A,

B, or C.

DEF

— enters a 3, or inputs characters D,

E, or F.

GHI

— enters a 4, or inputs characters G,

H, or I.

JKL

— enters a 5, or inputs characters J, K,

or L.

MNO

— enters a 6, or inputs characters M,

N, or O.

PQRS

— enters a 7, or inputs characters P,

Q, R, or S.

TUV

— enters an 8, or inputs characters T,

U, or V.

WXYZ

— enters a 9, or inputs characters

W, X, Y, or Z.

— enters a zero, or inputs characters ., -, #,

_, @, +, *, &, /, ', $, %, !, ^, (, ), ?, ->, ` or <-.

DELAY

— enters a decimal point (necessary

when programming frequencies), space, or

programs delay time for the selected chan-

nel/search bank, or hyphen (in trunking ID

setting).

CLEAR

— clears an incorrect entry.

QUICK START

To help familiarize yourself with the scan-

ner’s functions, keypad, and available fre-

quencies, you can utilize one of these three

features before you begin programming the

scanner.

Preprogrammed Search Banks

— let you

listen to frequencies and decide which ones

you want to store when you are ready to pro-

gram the scanner. See “Searching a Prepro-

grammed Frequency Range” on Page 18.

About Your Scanner

Manual Tuning

— allows you to manually

scan through the entire range of available

frequencies without programming. (See

“Specifications” on Page 52 for a list of the

available frequency ranges.)

Weather Radio

— allows you to listen to

NOAA weather broadcasts without program-

ming. See “Listening to the Weather Band”

on Page 23.

UNDERSTANDING BANKS

Channel Storage Banks

A bank is a storage area for a group of chan-

nels. Channels are storage areas for fre-

quencies. Whereas a channel can only

contain one frequency, a bank can hold nu-

merous channels.

To make it easier to identify and select the

channels you want to listen to, your scanner

divides the channels into 10 banks (

òò

éé

) of

30 (

òò

òòòò

òò

ðé

ðéðé

ðé

) channels each, a total of 300

channels. You can use each channel-stor-

age bank to group frequencies, such as

those used by Motorola trunking, EDACS

trunking, Marine, CB, Police, Fire, Aircraft

and Ham (see “Typical Band Usage” on

Page 40).

For example, a police department might use

four frequencies, one for each side of town.

You could program the police frequencies

starting with

òòò

òòòòòò

òòò

(the first channel in bank 0)

and program the fire department frequencies

starting with

ñòò

ñòòñòò

ñòò

(the first channel in bank 1).

The first digit identifies the bank (

òò

éé

). The

second and third digits identify the channel

within the bank (

òò

òòòò

òò

ðé

ðéðé

ðé

Search Banks

Your scanner has five preprogrammed

search banks and one limit search bank. You

can set the lower and higher frequency limit

in the limit search bank. (For the default set-

ting, see “Searching a Preprogrammed Fre-

quency Range” on Page 18).

UNDERSTANDING YOUR

SCANNER'S MODES

You can program each channel with any of

four receive modes (AM, FM, MOT, and ED).

However, you can not program MOT (Motor-

ola), or ED (EDACS) mode in VHF. Each re-

ceive mode affects how your scanner

operates when scanning and receiving trans-

missions, and also affects what transmis-

sions you receive when you set the scanner

to the closed mode. See “Changing the Re-

ceive Mode” on Page 28.

AM Mode

The AM mode sets the scanner to receive

transmissions using amplitude modulation

(AM), primarily used for CB, aircraft, military,

some amateur radio, and some government

transmissions. (Refer to “Specifications” on

Page 52 for a list of the frequencies cov-

ered.) When the scanner receives a trans-

mission on a channel set to the AM mode, it

always stops on the transmission.

FM Mode

The FM mode sets the scanner to receive

transmissions using frequency modulation

(FM), used for most public safety transmis-

sions, as well as broadcast, business, and

amateur radio transmissions. When the

scanner receives a transmission on a chan-

nel set to the FM mode, it always stops on

the transmission.

Motorola Mode

You can set your scanner so it decodes the

talk group IDs used with Motorola trunking

systems. This setting is called the Motorola

mode.

About Your Scanner

Motorola systems are trunking systems used

primarily by business and public safety

groups to efficiently allocate a small number

of frequencies (as few as five) to many

groups of users (as many as several thou-

sand). To do this, each group of users in the

system is assigned to a specific talk group.

For example, the east side patrol officers

might all be assigned to talk group 2160.

One channel in the system is continuously

transmitting data that identifies which talk

groups are active on which channel. In addi-

tion, this talk group information is also trans-

mitted as subaudible data on each active

channel.

When the scanner receives a transmission

on a channel set to the Motorola mode, it first

decodes the talk group ID data included with

the transmission. In the open mode, the

scanner stops on the transmission and dis-

plays the talk group ID on the bottom line of

the display. In the closed mode, the scanner

only stops on the transmission if the talk

group ID matches a talk group ID that you

have stored in the bank's talk group ID list

and have not locked out.

Motorola trunking systems come in three cat-

egories: Type I, Type II, and Type I/II Hybrid.

Each category displays and uses talk group

IDs in slightly different ways.

Motorola Type I IDs are in the form FFF-SS,

where:

FFF=Fleet ID

SS=Subfleet ID

Type I systems are usually organized with

different user groups assigned to different

fleets. For example, a valid fleet-subfleet ID

identifying all detectives within a police de-

partment might be

òòòVñð

òòòVñðòòòVñð

òòòVñð

, where 000 identi-

fies all police users and 12 identifies the

Detective division.

To properly map the raw Type I data to the

correct fleet-subfleet format, you must pro-

gram the correct fleet map into the scanner.

Fleet map information is widely available on

the Internet for most Type I systems in use.

Type II system talk groups are identified by a

5-digit number. Valid talk group IDs are divis-

ible by 16. If you try to enter an invalid talk

group ID, the scanner rounds the ID down to

the next valid ID.

Type I/II hybrid systems use both fleet-sub-

fleet and 5-digit formats for talk group IDs.

Note:

If the scanner decodes control channel

data while receiving transmissions from a

Motorola trunking system,

á*0.(

á*0.(á*0.(

á*0.(

appears on

the bottom line of the display.

EDACS Mode

You can set your scanner so it decodes the

talk group IDs used with EDACS (GE/Erics-

son) trunking systems. This setting is called

the EDACS mode.

EDACS systems are trunking systems used

primarily by business or private communica-

tions service providers, as well as by some

public safety organizations. EDACS sys-

tems transmit active talk group information

only on a dedicated control channel.

EDACS frequencies are organized in a spe-

cific order. Each frequency is assigned a

Logical Channel Number (LCN). For the

scanner to correctly switch to an active fre-

quency, you must program the frequencies in

LCN order, starting with

)<DFIPý òñ

)<DFIPý òñ)<DFIPý òñ

)<DFIPý òñ

. EDACS

talk group IDs are entered as a 4-digit deci-

mal number from 0001 to 2047 or AFS

(Agency Fleet Subfleet) number from 00-001

to 15-157.

When there is activity on an EDACS system,

that information is sent out on the control

channel. The scanner decodes the ID for the

active talk group. In the open mode, the

Operation

scanner then goes to the transmission and

displays the talk group ID on the bottom line

of the display. In the closed mode, the scan-

ner only goes to transmissions with IDs that

match talk group IDs you stored in the bank's

talk group ID list which are not locked out.

Because EDACS scanning requires clear re-

ception of the control channel at all times,

EDACS systems tend to have a smaller us-

able area. An external antenna can greatly

improve EDACS scanning in a fringe area. If

you are having trouble scanning an EDACS

system, try manually selecting the data chan-

nel. If you are getting good reception, the

scanner will indicate talk group

á0(Vòñ

á0(Vòñá0(Vòñ

á0(Vòñ

. Try

changing your location or using an outdoor

antenna to improve reception.

Open and Closed Modes

You can set your scanner to change the way

it receives signals. These settings, called

open mode and closed mode, affect how the

scanner receives signals from communica-

tions systems that use some type of closed

squelch (such as Motorola and EDACS sys-

tems).

You can set each of the scanner's channel

storage banks to open or closed mode.

In open mode, the scanner scans signals

transmitted in all systems. In closed mode,

the scanner scans signals transmitted only

under the following conditions:

• When the signals are in the FM mode.

• When the signals are in the MOT, or ED

mode and the signal's ID code matches

the programmed ID code.

You can also select the user or talk groups

you want the scanner to receive in closed

mode.

When you set a channel storage bank to

open mode,

öö

appears under the bank's

number while scanning. When you set a

channel storage bank to closed mode,

ap-

pears under the channel storage bank's

number while scanning.

+,!*

+,!*+,!*

+,!*

á(+/!

á(+/! á(+/!

á(+/!

ap-

pears while the scanner is in manual mode

or while the scanner is receiving a signal dur-

ing scanning. See “Changing the Open/

Closed Mode” on Page 38 for more informa-

tion about setting the open and closed

modes.

Operation

TURNING ON THE SCANNER

AND SETTING SQUELCH

1. Turn

SQUELCH

fully counterclockwise

until the indicator points to

MIN

before

you turn on the scanner.

2. To turn on the scanner, turn

VOLUME

clockwise.

3<C:FD<ý 0Fý L8Cý 0ILEB@E>

3<C:FD<ý 0Fý L8Cý 0ILEB@E>3<C:FD<ý 0Fý L8Cý 0ILEB@E>

3<C:FD<ý 0Fý L8Cý 0ILEB@E>

appears. After about 3 seconds, you

hear a hissing sound.

3. Turn

SQUELCH

clockwise until the hiss-

ing sound stops.

4. To turn off the scanner, turn

VOLUME

counterclockwise to

OFF

Notes:

• The scanner does not scan if there are

no frequencies stored in channels. If the

scanner does not scan and you have

already stored frequencies in channels,

turn

SQUELCH

further clockwise.

• If the scanner picks up unwanted, par-

tial, or very weak transmissions, turn

SQUELCH

clockwise to decrease the

Operation

scanner's sensitivity to these signals. If

you want to listen to a weak or distant

station, turn

SQUELCH

counterclock-

wise.

•If

SQUELCH

is adjusted so you always

hear a hissing sound, the scanner will

not scan properly.

• To ensure the scanner operates properly

while in the trunking mode, we suggest

you set

SQUELCH

using the steps listed

above.

STORING KNOWN

FREQUENCIES INTO

CHANNELS

Good references for active frequencies are

RadioShack's Police Call, Aeronautical Fre-

quency Directory

, and

Maritime Frequency

Radio Shack 20-466 User manual

Brand: Radio Shack

Model: 20-466

Category: Weather stations

Type: User manual

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