Cat. No. 20-520
Owner’s Manual
PRO-90 300-Channel
TrunkTracker Scanner
Please read before using this equipment.
Ten Channel-Storage Banks — let you store 30 chan-
nels in each bank to group channels so you can more
easily identify calls.
Five Scan Lists — let you store up to 50 IDs in each
tracking bank (up to a total of 500).
Two-Second Scan Delay — delays scanning for about
2 seconds before moving to another channel, so you can
hear more replies that are made on the same channel.
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
systems.
Priority Channels — lets you program one channel in
each bank (10 in all) and then have the scanner check it
every 2 seconds so you don't miss transmissions on
those channels.
Five Service-Search Banks — lets you search preset
frequencies in separate police, fire/emergency, aircraft,
marine, and weather banks, to make it easy to locate
specific types of calls.
HyperSearch and HyperScan — lets you set the
scanner to search at up to 300 steps per second and
scan at up to 100 frequencies per second in frequency
bands with 5 kHz steps, to help you quickly find interest-
ing broadcasts. 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 searches. This lets
the scanner avoid non-voice signals, making a search
faster.
Key Lock — lets you lock the scanner's keys to help
prevent accidental changes to the scanner's program-
ming.
Manual Access — lets you directly access any channel.
Liquid-Crystal Display — makes it easy to view and
change programming information.
Display Backlight — makes the scanner easy to read in
low-light situations.
3
Flexible Antenna with BNC Connector — provides ex-
cellent reception and is designed to help prevent anten-
na breakage. Or, you can connect an external antenna.
Memory Backup — keeps the frequencies stored in
memory for an extended time.
Three Power Options — let you power the scanner us-
ing the built-in rechargeable battery pack, external AC
power using the supplied AC adapter/charger, or DC
power using an optional DC cigarette-lighter power ca-
ble.
Key Confirmation Tones — the scanner sounds a tone
when you perform an operation correctly, and an error
tone if you make an error.
Battery Low Alert — warns you when battery power
gets low.
Battery Save — saves battery power when the scanner
does not detect any transmissions for more than 1
minute when a channel is manually selected.
Your scanner can receive these bands:
Frequency Range Step
Transmission
29–29.7 MHz
5 kHz
10-Meter Ham
Band
29.7–50 MHz
50–54 MHz
5 kHz
5 kHz
VHF Lo
6-Meter Ham Band
Aircraft
108–136.9875 MHz 12.5 kHz
137–144 MHz
5 kHz
Military Land
Mobile
144–148 MHz
148–174 MHz
406–420 MHz
5 kHz
2-Meter Ham Band
VHF Hi
5 kHz
12.5 kHz
Federal Govern-
ment
420–450 MHz
450–470 MHz
12.5 kHz
12.5 kHz
70-cm Ham Band
UHF Standard
Band
470–512 MHz
806–956 MHz
12.5 kHz
12.5 kHz
UHF “T” Band
Public Service
“800” Band, except
cellular band
4
We recommend you record your scanner’s serial num-
ber here. The number is on the bottom panel.
Serial Number: ___________________________
FCC NOTICE
Your scanner might cause radio or TV interference even
when it is operating properly. To determine whether your
scanner is causing the interference, turn off your scanner.
If the interference goes away, your scanner is causing it.
Try the following methods to eliminate the interference:
• Move your scanner away from the receiver
• Connect your scanner to an outlet that is on a differ-
ent electrical circuit from the receiver
• Contact your local RadioShack store for help
Note:
Mobile use of this scanner is unlawful or requires
a permit in some areas. Check the laws in your area.
SCANNING LEGALLY
Your scanner covers frequencies used by many different
groups including police and fire departments, ambulance
services, government agencies, private companies, am-
ateur radio services, military operations, pager services,
and wireline (telephone and telegraph) service providers.
It is legal to listen to almost every transmission your scan-
ner can receive. However, there are some transmissions
you should never intentionally listen to. These include:
• Telephone conversations (either cellular, cordless,
or other private means of telephone signal transmis-
sion)
• Pager transmissions
• Any scrambled or encrypted transmissions
According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act
(ECPA), you are subject to fines and possible imprison-
ment for intentionally listening to, using, or divulging the
contents of such a transmission unless you have the
consent of a party to the conversation (unless such ac-
tivity is otherwise illegal). We encourage responsible, le-
gal scanner use.
5
CONTENTS
Preparation ................................................................ 8
Power Sources ..................................................... 8
Using the Rechargeable Battery Pack .......... 8
Using Standard AC Power ............................ 9
Using Vehicle Battery Power ....................... 10
Connecting the Antenna ..................................... 11
Connecting an Optional Antenna ................ 12
Connecting an Earphone/Headphones .............. 13
Listening Safely .......................................... 13
Traffic Safety ............................................... 13
Connecting an Extension Speaker ..................... 14
Attaching the Belt Clip ........................................ 14
Understanding Your Scanner ................................. 15
A Look at the Keypad ......................................... 15
A Look at the Display ......................................... 17
Understanding Banks ......................................... 19
Channel Storage Banks .............................. 19
Service Banks ............................................. 19
Understanding Trunking ..................................... 19
Operation ................................................................. 20
Turning On the Scanner and Setting Squelch .... 20
Storing Known Frequencies into Channels ........ 21
Limit Search ....................................................... 22
Scanning Service Banks .................................... 23
Scanning the Stored Channels .......................... 25
Manually Selecting a Channel ............................ 25
Deleting a Stored Frequency ............................. 25
Special Features ...................................................... 26
Delay .................................................................. 26
Turning Channel-Storage Banks On and Off ..... 27
Locking Out Channels and Frequencies ............ 27
Locking Out Channels ................................ 27
Locking Out Frequencies ............................ 28
Priority ................................................................ 28
Using the Keylock .............................................. 30
Using the Display Backlight ................................ 30
Changing Search Speeds .................................. 30
Battery Save ...................................................... 31
Skipping Data Signals ........................................ 31
6
Trunk Tracking ......................................................... 32
Types of Trunked Systems ................................. 32
Setting the Scanner to the Trunk Tracking Mode 33
Setting Squelch for the Trunk Tracking Mode .... 34
Programming Trunked Frequencies ................... 34
Scanning a Trunked Bank .................................. 36
Monitoring an Active ID ............................... 37
Locking Out IDs ........................................... 38
Unlocking a Single ID .................................. 38
Unlocking All IDs ......................................... 38
Using Trunk Tracking Scan Delay ............... 39
Monitoring IDs ............................................. 39
Channel Activity Indicators ................................. 40
Scan Lists ........................................................... 41
Manually Storing IDs into Scan Lists ........... 41
Storing IDs Into Scan Lists
While Searching .......................................... 42
Automatically Storing an ID
in a Scan List Location ................................ 42
Deleting a Stored ID .................................... 43
Scanning the Scan Lists ..................................... 43
Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked Systems ... 44
Selecting a Preset Fleet Map ..................... 48
Programming a Fleet Map .......................... 49
Programming a Hybrid System .................. 50
A General Guide to Scanning ................................. 51
Guide to Frequencies ......................................... 51
National Weather Frequencies .................... 51
Canadian Weather Frequencies .................. 51
Birdie Frequencies ...................................... 51
Guide to the Action Bands ................................. 52
Typical Band Usage .................................... 52
Primary Usage ............................................. 52
Band Allocation ................................................. 53
Frequency Conversion ...................................... 57
Troubleshooting ....................................................... 58
Care and Maintenance ............................................. 61
Specifications .......................................................... 62
7
PREPARATION
POWER SOURCES
You can power your scanner from any of three sources:
• Built-in rechargeable battery pack
• Standard AC power using the supplied AC adapter/
charger
• Vehicle battery power using an optional DC ciga-
rette-lighter power cable
Using the Rechargeable Battery Pack
You must charge your scanner’s built-in rechargeable
battery pack before you can use it to power the scanner.
Your scanner has a built-in charging circuit that lets you
charge the rechargeable battery pack while it is in the
scanner.
To charge the battery pack, simply connect the supplied
AC adapter/charger or an optional DC cigarette-lighter
power cable to the scanner’s EXT. PWR jack. See “Using
Standard AC Power” on Page 9 or “Using Vehicle Bat-
tery Power” on Page 10.
It takes about 14–16 hours to recharge a battery pack
that is fully discharged. (You can operate the scanner
while recharging the battery pack, but charging takes
longer).
Notes:
• The scanner automatically stops charging the bat-
tery pack when it is fully charged, even if the sup-
plied AC adapter/charger or a DC cigarette-lighter
power cable is still connected to the scanner.
• A rechargeable battery pack lasts longer and deliv-
ers more power if you occasionally let it fully dis-
charge. To do this, simply use the scanner until the
low battery indicator appears. Then fully charge the
battery pack.
If the battery pack doesn’t power the scanner even after
you charge it, you must replace it. You can order a re-
placement battery pack from your local RadioShack
store.
8
1. Press down on the battery compartment cover and
slide the cover in the direction of the arrow to
remove it.
2. Disconnect the battery pack’s connector from the
scanner’s connector. Then remove the battery pack
from the battery compartment.
3. Attach the new battery pack's connector to the bat-
tery socket inside the battery compartment. Then
put the battery pack into the compartment.
4. Replace the cover.
When the scanner’s battery gets low,
blinks and
the scanner beeps about every 15 seconds.
Important: At the end of a rechargeable battery pack's
useful life, it 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 such as your local RadioShack store,
recycling collection centers, and mailback programs.
Using Standard AC Power
To power the scanner from AC power, use the supplied
AC adapter/charger. Plug the adapter/charger's barrel
plug into the scanner's EXT. PWR jack. Then plug the AC
adapter/charger's power module into a standard AC out-
let.
9
EXT. PWR Jack
Warning: Do not use the AC adapter/charger's polarized
plug with an extension cord, receptacle, or other outlet
unless the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade
exposure.
Caution: Use only the supplied AC adapter/charger. It is
specifically designed for this scanner.
Using Vehicle Battery Power
To power the scanner from your vehicle's cigarette-light-
er socket, you need a DC cigarette-lighter power cable,
such as Cat. No. 270-031.
Cautions:
• The DC cigarette-lighter power cable must be capa-
ble of delivering 12 volts, its center tip must be set to
positive, and its barrel plug must correctly fit the
scanner's EXT. PWR jack. The recommended power
cable meets these specifications. Using a power
cable that does not meet these specifications could
damage the scanner or the power cable.
• To protect your vehicle's electrical system, always
plug the power cable into the scanner before you
plug it into your vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket.
Always unplug the power cable from the vehicle's
cigarette-lighter socket before you unplug it from the
scanner.
• Insert the DC cigarette-lighter power cable's barrel
plug into the EXT. PWR jack, then plug the power
cable's other end into your vehicle's cigarette-lighter
socket.
.
10
When you finish using the DC cigarette-lighter power ca-
ble, disconnect it from the cigarette-lighter socket, then
disconnect it from your scanner.
Note: If the scanner does not operate properly when you
connect a DC cigarette-lighter power cable, unplug the
power cable from the cigarette-lighter socket and clean
the socket to remove ashes and other debris.
CONNECTING THE ANTENNA
Follow these steps to attach the supplied flexible anten-
na to the connector on the top of your scanner.
1. Align the slots around the antenna’s connector with
the tabs on the scanner’s BNC connector.
2. Slide the antenna’s connector down over the scan-
ner’s connector and rotate the antenna connector’s
outer ring clockwise until it locks into place.
11
Connecting an Optional Antenna
The scanner’s antenna jack makes it easy to use the
scanner with a variety of antennas. Instead of the sup-
plied antenna, you can attach a different one, such as an
external mobile antenna or outdoor base station anten-
na. Your local RadioShack store sells a variety of anten-
nas.
Always use 50-ohm coaxial cable, such as RG-58 or
RG-8, to connect an outdoor antenna. For lengths over
50 feet, use RG-8 low-loss dielectric coaxial cable. If
your antenna’s cable does not have a BNC connector,
use a BNC adapter available at your local RadioShack
store.
Follow the installation instructions supplied with the an-
tenna, route the antenna cable to the scanner, then con-
nect it to the antenna jack.
Warning: Use extreme caution when installing or re-
moving an outdoor antenna. If the antenna starts to fall,
let it go! It could contact overhead power lines. If the an-
tenna touches a power line, contact with the antenna,
mast, cable or guy wires can cause electrocution and
death! Call the power company to remove the antenna.
Do not attempt to do so yourself.
Cautions:
• Do not run the cable over sharp edges or moving
parts.
• Do not run the cable next to power cables or other
antenna cables.
• Do not run the cable through a vehicle’s engine
compartment or other areas that produce extreme
heat.
• Follow all cautions and warnings included with the
antenna.
12
CONNECTING AN EARPHONE/
HEADPHONES
For private listening, you can plug an earphone or head-
1
phones with a /8-inch mini-plug (such as Cat. No. 33-
175 or 20-210) into the
jack on top of your scanner.
This automatically disconnects the internal speaker.
Listening Safely
To protect your hearing, follow these guidelines when you
use an earphone or headphones.
• Do not listen at extremely high volume levels.
Extended high-volume listening can lead to perma-
nent 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 vol-
ume level that does not cause discomfort might still
damage your hearing.
Traffic Safety
Do not use an earphone/headphones with your scanner
when operating a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle in or
near traffic. Doing so can create a traffic hazard and
could be illegal in some areas.
If you use an earphone/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.
13
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 your scanner’s
jack.
ATTACHING THE BELT CLIP
You can attach the supplied belt clip to make your scan-
ner easier to carry when you are on the go. Use a Phil-
lips screwdriver and the two supplied screws to attach
the belt clip to the scanner. Then slide the belt clip over
your belt or waistband.
Belt Clip
14
UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER
Once you understand a few simple terms we use in this
manual and familiarize yourself with your scanner’s
features, you can put the scanner to work for you. You
simply find the communications you want to receive,
then set the scanner to scan them.
frequency
A
is the tuning location of a station (ex-
pressed in kHz or MHz). To find active frequencies, you
search
can use the
function.
You can also search the service-search banks, which
are preset groups of frequencies categorized by type of
service.
When you find a frequency, you can store it into a program-
channel
, which is grouped
mable memory location called a
channel-storage bank
with your other channels in a
. You
the channel-storage banks to see if there is
scan
can then
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
Your scanner’s keys might seem confusing at first, but
this information should help you understand each key’s
function.
15
SCAN — scans through the stored channels.
MANUAL — stops scanning and lets you directly enter a
channel number or frequency.
TRUNK — switches between conventional and trunk
tracking modes.
SVC (service) — selects a service bank.
SPEED/PRI (speed/priority) — turns on and off the Hyper-
search mode; sets and turns on and off the priority fea-
ture.
LOCK/
— locks the keypad to prevent accidental pro-
gram changes. Also turns on the display light for 15 sec-
onds.
Number Keys — each key has a single-digit label and a
range of numbers. The single digits are used to enter a
channel, frequency, or ID number. The range of num-
bers (31–60, for example) indicates the channels that
make up a memory bank.
— enters a decimal point or clears an incorrect entry.
•
E (enter) — enters frequencies into channels.
t/LIMIT — sets the search direction and holds the frequen-
cy search; sets the frequency range.
DLY (delay) — programs a 2-second delay for the selected
channel, a limit search, or each service scan. Also pro-
grams a 5–second delay in the trunk tracking mode.
SRCH — searches a specified frequency range to find fre-
quencies; searches for another active ID in the trunk
tracking mode.
L/O (lock out) — lets you lock out selected channels or fre-
quencies; lets you lock out a selected ID in the trunk
tracking mode.
s/HOLD — sets the search direction and holds the fre-
quency search; holds on the current ID in the trunk track-
ing mode.
DATA — turns on or off the data signal skip feature or
checks the current trunking bank in the trunk tracking
mode.
16
A LOOK AT THE DISPLAY
The display has indicators that show the scanner’s cur-
rent operating status. A good look at the display will help
you understand how your scanner operates.
BANK— appears with numbers (1–10). Numbers with a
bar under them show which channel-storage banks are
turned on for scanning.
TRUNK — appears when the scanner is in the trunk
tracking mode.
(channel activity indicators) — each represents a re-
ceived trunking frequency or a data frequency in the
trunk tracking mode (see “Channel Activity Indicators” on
Page 40).
P— appears when a priority channel is selected.
— blinks when the scanner’s battery is low.
DATA— appears when the data skip function is active.
POLICE— appears when you search the police service
bank.
FIRE/EMG— appears when you search the fire/emer-
gency service bank.
AIR— appears when you search the air service bank.
MRN — appears when you search the marine service
bank.
WX — appears when you search the weather service
bank.
SCAN— appears when you scan channels.
17
SRCH — lights steadily during a limit search and ID
search, and blinks while HyperSearch is active and
when you monitor IDs (see “Monitoring IDs” on
Page 39).
PRI— appears when the priority feature is turned on.
HOLD— appears when you manually select a channel
or when the scanner is in the hold mode during a search
or service bank scan or during a limit search.
DLY— appears when you program a delay.
L/O— appears when you manually select a channel or
frequency you locked out.
— appears when you lock the keypad.
Error— appears when you make an entry error.
18
UNDERSTANDING BANKS
Channel Storage Banks
To make it easier to identify and select the channels you
want to listen to, channels are divided into 10 banks of
30 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” on Page 52). For example, the po-
lice 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 frequencies starting with
Channel 31 (the first channel in bank 2).
Service Banks
The scanner is preprogrammed with the frequencies al-
located by police, fire/emergency, aircraft, marine, and
weather services. This is handy for quickly finding active
frequencies instead of searching through an entire band
(see “Scanning Service Banks” on Page 23).
UNDERSTANDING TRUNKING
In the past, groups that broadcast frequently, such as po-
lice 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 frequen-
cy to clear before transmitting.
Trunked systems allow more groups of 2-way radio users
to use fewer frequencies. Instead of selecting a specific
frequency to transmit on, a trunked system chooses one
of several frequencies when the 2-way radio user presses
PTT (push to talk). The system automatically transmits
the call on that frequency, and also sends a code that
identifies that 2-way radio user’s transmission on a data
channel.
This scanner lets you select the data channel frequency
that you want it to monitor, so you can hear both the call
and response transmissions for that 2-way radio user
and therefore follow the conversation. (You cannot listen
to the data channel itself).
19
OPERATION
TURNING ON THE SCANNER
AND SETTING SQUELCH
Note:
Make sure the scanner's antenna is connected
before you turn it on.
1. Turn SQUELCH fully clockwise.
2. Turn VOLUME/OFF clockwise until it clicks and you
hear a hissing sound.
3. Press MANUAL and turn SQUELCH counterclockwise,
then leave it set to a point just after the hissing
sound stops.
20
Notes:
• If you have not stored frequencies into any chan-
nels, the scanner does not scan.
• If the scanner picks up unwanted, partial, or very
weak transmissions, turn SQUELCH counterclockwise
to decrease the scanner's sensitivity to these sig-
nals. If you want to listen to a weak or distant sta-
tion, turn SQUELCH clockwise.
• If SQUELCH is adjusted so you always hear a hissing
sound, the scanner does not scan properly.
STORING KNOWN FREQUENCIES
INTO CHANNELS
Good references for active frequencies are the Ra-
dioShack “Police Call Guide including Fire and Emer-
gency Services,” “Official Aeronautical Frequency
Directory,” and “Maritime Frequency Directory.” We up-
date these directories every year, so be sure to get a
current copy.
Note: To store trunking system frequencies, see “Pro-
gramming Trunked Frequencies” on Page 34.
Follow these steps to store frequencies into channels.
1. Press MANUAL, enter the channel number where you
want to store a frequency, then press MANUAL again.
The channel number appears.
2. Use the number keys and to enter the frequency
•
(including the decimal point) you want to store.
21
3. Press E to store the frequency into the channel.
Notes:
•
If you made a mistake in Step 2, Errorappears
and the scanner beeps when you press E. Simply
start again from Step 2.
•
Your scanner automatically rounds the entered
frequency to the nearest valid frequency. For
example, if you enter a frequency of 151.473,
your scanner accepts it as 151.475.
•
Press DELAY if you want the scanner to pause 2
seconds on this channel after a transmission
ends before it proceeds to the next channel (see
“Delay” on Page 26). The scanner also stores
this setting in the channel.
4. If you want to program the next channel in
sequence, press MANUAL and repeat Steps 2 and 3.
LIMIT SEARCH
If you do not know a frequency to store, you can search
for transmissions within a range of frequencies you se-
lect, called the limit search range. Then you can store
any interesting frequencies you find into channels.
1. Press MANUAL, enter the channel number where you
want to store a frequency, then press MANUAL again.
The channel number appears.
2. Use the number keys and to enter the frequency
•
that is the lower limit of the range you want to
search.
3. Press LIMIT.
22
4. Use the number keys and to enter the frequency
•
that is the upper limit of the range you want to
search.
5. Press LIMIT, then press SRCH. The scanner begins to
search from the lower limit to the upper limit.
6. When the scanner stops on a transmission, quickly
press either:
•
E to store the displayed frequency into the chan-
nel. The scanner stores the frequency and con-
tinues searching.
•
s or t to stop searching so you can listen to the
transmission. HOLDappears.
To release hold and continue searching, press
SRCH.
Notes:
• To step through the frequencies while HOLD
appears, press s or t.
• If you tune to a search skip frequency, L/O
appears. See “Locking Out Channels and Frequen-
cies” on Page 27.
• To skip data signals (such as modem signals), press
DATA. See “Skipping Data Signals” on Page 31.
SCANNING SERVICE BANKS
You can scan for police, fire/emergency, aircraft, marine,
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 frequencies you find into channels.
23
Your scanner has the following preprogrammed service
banks.
• POLICE — contains 1,079 police frequencies.
• FIRE/EMG — contains 280 fire and emergency ser-
vice frequencies.
• AIR — contains 2,319 aircraft and air service fre-
quencies.
• MRN contains 65 marine frequencies.
• WX — contains 7 weather frequencies.
To select a service bank, press SVC. A service bank’s
name (POLICE, FIRE/EMG, AIR, MRN, or WX) and
one of the preset police frequencies appear. After a 2-
second delay, scanning begins. To select another ser-
vice bank, repeatedly press SVC until the scanner dis-
plays the name of the bank you want to use.
Notes:
• In the marine band, the active frequency and its
marine channel number alternately appear.
• To skip data signals (such as modem signals), press
DATA. See “Skipping Data Signals” on Page 31.
• Because frequencies are not always assigned to the
same services everywhere, you might hear transmis-
sions from one service in another service group.
If necessary, press SCAN to start scanning immediately
or to continue scanning if you want to skip a frequency.
During service-scan, you can press HOLD to pause the
scanning. HOLD appears. Press s or t to move up or
down one step, or press SCAN to resume scanning.
Follow these steps to store frequencies into channels.
1. Press MANUAL. HOLDappears.
2. Use the number keys to enter the channel number
(1–300) where you want to store the frequency, then
press MANUAL.
3. Press SVC to select a service bank and begin scanning.
4. When the scanner stops on a transmission, press
HOLD. The frequency appears.
5. Press E to store the frequency into the channel.
24
SCANNING THE STORED CHANNELS
To begin scanning channels, press SCAN. The scanner
scans through all non-locked channels in the activated
banks. When the scanner finds a transmission, it stops
on it. When the transmission ends, the scanner resumes
scanning.
Note:
To scan in the trunk tracking mode, see “Scanning
a Trunked Bank” on Page 36.
MANUALLY SELECTING A CHANNEL
You can continuously monitor a single channel without
scanning. This is useful 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 specific channel.
Follow these steps to manually select a channel.
1. Press MANUAL.
2. Enter the channel number.
3. Press MANUAL again.
Or, if your scanner is scanning and stops at the desired
channel, press MANUAL one time. (Pressing MANUAL ad-
ditional times causes your scanner to step through the
channels.)
To resume scanning, press SCAN.
DELETING A STORED FREQUENCY
1. Press MANUAL.
2. Use the number keys to enter the channel number
containing the frequency you want to delete. Then
press MANUAL again.
3. Press 0, then press E. The frequency is deleted.
Note:
Channels with no frequencies are automatically
locked out during scanning.
25
SPECIAL FEATURES
DELAY
Many agencies use a two-way radio system that might
have a period of 2 or more seconds between a query
and a reply. To keep from missing a reply, you can pro-
gram a 2-second delay into any channel or frequency.
The scanner continues to monitor the frequency for 2
seconds after the transmission stops before resuming
scanning or searching.
To program a 2-second delay:
• If the scanner is scanning channel-storage banks
and stops on an active channel where you want to
store a delay, quickly press DLY before it continues
scanning again. DLYappears.
• If the desired channel is not
selected, manually select the
channel, then press DLY. DLY
appears.
•
If the scanner is scanning service banks, press DLY
while the scanner is scanning. DLY appears and
the scanner automatically adds a 2-second delay
to every transmission it stops on in that band.
To turn off the 2-second delay, press DLY while the scan-
ner is monitoring the channel or scanning the service
banks. DLYdisappears from the display.
26
TURNING CHANNEL-STORAGE
BANKS ON AND OFF
You can turn each channel-storage bank on and off.
When you turn off a bank, the scanner does not scan
any of the 30 channels in that bank.
While scanning, press the number key that corresponds
to the bank you want to turn on or off. If the bar under the
bank number is on, the bank is turned on and the scan-
ner scans all channels within that bank that are not
locked out. If the bar is off, the scanner does not scan
any of the channels within that 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 is always
active.
LOCKING OUT CHANNELS AND
FREQUENCIES
You can scan existing channels or search frequencies
faster by locking out channels or frequencies that have a
continuous transmission, such as a weather channel.
Note:
If you just want to skip over a lengthy transmission
(such as a modem signal), see “Skipping Data Signals”
on Page 31.
Locking Out Channels
To lock out a channel while
scanning, press L/O when the
scanner stops on the chan-
nel. To lock out a channel
manually, manually select
the channel and hold down
L/O until L/Oappears.
L/O
27
Note: You can still manually select locked-out channels.
To remove the lockout from a channel, manually select
the channel and hold down L/O until L/O disappears
from the display.
To unlock all channels in the banks that 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 scan, press L/O when the scanner stops on the fre-
quency. The scanner locks out the frequency, then con-
tinues searching. To lock out a frequency manually,
manually select the frequency and hold down L/O until
L/Oappears.
Notes:
• The scanner does not display locked-out frequen-
cies during a search.
• You can lock out as many as 20 frequencies during
a search. If you try to lock out more than 20 frequen-
cies, the first locked-out frequency is automatically
unlocked.
Follow these steps to remove the lockout from a fre-
quency.
1. During a search, select the frequency you want to
remove the lockout from.
2. Press L/O. L/Odisappears from the display.
To remove the lockout from all frequencies, while
searching, hold down L/O until the scanner beeps twice
(about 2 seconds).
PRIORITY
The priority feature lets you scan through channels and
still not miss important or interesting calls on specific
channels. You can program one stored channel in each
bank as a priority channel (for up to a total of 10 stored
channels). As the scanner scans the bank, if the priority
feature is turned on, the scanner checks the priority
channels for activity every 2 seconds.
28
The scanner automatically designates each bank's first
channel as its priority channel. Follow these steps to se-
lect a different channel as the priority channel for a bank.
1. Press MANUAL.
2. Enter the channel number you want to select as the
priority channel, then press MANUAL again.
3. Hold down PRI until the scanner beeps twice. P
appears to the left of the channel number.
4. Repeat Steps 2–3 for the channel in each bank you
want to program as a priority channel.
To turn on the priority feature, press PRI during scanning.
PRIappears. Every 2 seconds the scanner checks the
priority channel in each bank that is turned on, starting
from the lowest to the highest-numbered priority chan-
nel.
To turn off the priority feature, press PRI. PRI disap-
pears.
Notes:
• The priority feature must be turned off to use the
data skip feature (see “Skipping Data Signals” on
Page 31).
• You can lock out priority channels. If you lock out all
priority channels, P ch Loc Out appears when
you turn on the priority feature.
29
USING THE KEYLOCK
Once you program your scanner, you can protect it from
accidental program changes by turning on the keylock
feature. When locked, the only controls that operate are
SCAN, MANUAL, LOCK/
, VOLUME/OFF, and SQUELCH.
Note:
The keylock does not prevent the scanner from
scanning channels.
To turn on the keylock, hold down LOCK/
appears. To turn it off, hold down LOCK/
disappears.
until
until
USING THE DISPLAY BACKLIGHT
You can turn on the display backlight for easy viewing at
night. Press LOCK/
to turn on the display backlight
for 15 seconds. To turn off the backlight before 15 sec-
onds elapse, press the button again.
CHANGING SEARCH SPEEDS
The PRO-90 has two search speeds for a limit search.
Normal Search
HyperSearch
100 steps/second
300 steps/second
30
To switch between normal and HyperSearch speeds,
during a limit search, press SPEED/PRI. SRCHflashes dur-
ing hypersearch.
Note: You can use HyperSearch only in the 5 kHz step
bands (29–54 MHz and 137–174 MHz).
BATTERY SAVE
To save battery power when a channel is manually se-
lected, the scanner’s battery save function automatically
sets the scanner to a standby mode if the scanner does
not receive any signals for more than 1 minute. During
the standby mode, the scanner repeatedly turns off the
internal power for 1 second then turns on the internal
1
power for about /3 of a second to check for a transmis-
sion.
Note: The scanner’s battery save function does not work
if the priority function is on, even if a channel is manually
selected.
SKIPPING DATA SIGNALS
You can set the scanner so it skips nonmodulated or
data signals (such as modem transmissions) during a
search.
Note: Since data signals are not generally found in the
air band, this feature does not work in the air band.
To turn on the data skip feature, be sure the priority fea-
ture is turned off (see “Priority” on Page 28), then press
DATA. DATAappears. To turn off the feature, press DATA
again. DATAdisappears.
31
TRUNK TRACKING
Your scanner is designed to track transmissions on Mo-
torola Type I, Type II, and hybrid analog trunking sys-
tems, which are extensively used in 800 MHz
communications. Remember these important points
when tracking transmissions:
• Your scanner monitors Type II systems by default.
However, you can change this if the system in your
area is different (see “Types of Trunking Systems”
below and “Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked
Systems” on Page 44 for more information).
• Your scanner cannot track transmissions on non-
Motorola trunking systems.
• Your scanner cannot track an 800 MHz trunked sys-
tem and scan frequencies in conventional mode at
the same time.
• The frequencies for many of the 800 MHz public
safety systems are listed in the separate “National
Public Safety Trunked System Frequency Guide”
included with your PRO-90.
TYPES OF TRUNKING SYSTEMS
Your trunk tracking scanner can monitor two basic types
of systems — Type I and Type II. Instead of selecting a
specific frequency to transmit on, a trunked system
chooses one of several frequencies in a 2-way radio us-
er’s talk group when that user presses PTT (push to talk).
Thus, trunking systems allocate a few frequencies
among many different users, but the way Type I and
Type II systems do this is slightly different. One important
distinction between these systems is the amount of data
transmitted by each radio when its push-to-talk button
(PTT) is pressed. In a Type I system, the radio’s ID and
its current affiliation (the trunk system it belongs to) are
both transmitted. In a Type II system, only the radio’s ID
is transmitted.
Why the difference? In Type I systems, each radio in the
trunk group individually transmits its own affiliation, while
the trunk system maintains a database that determines
each radio's affiliation(s) in Type II systems.
Another difference between the systems is that Type I
systems are arranged in a fleet-subfleet hierarchy. For
example, it is possible for a city using a Type I system to
designate 4 fleets, each with 8 subfleets.
32
The fleets might be the police department, the fire de-
partment, utilities, 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 supervisors. All the avail-
able police radios would then be assigned to one of the
police subfleets, letting the police centralize their com-
munications and control the type of users on a single
system. Determining the exact fleet-subfleet hierarchy
for a particular area is referred to as fleet map program-
ming.
The disadvantage of a Type I system is that the brief
burst of data sent when a user transmits must contain
the radio’s ID and its fleet and subfleet. This is three
times the amount of data a Type II system radio sends.
Since the data capacity of Type I systems is limited and
the amount of data increases with each user, Type I sys-
tems usually accommodate fewer users than Type II
systems. Nevertheless, Type I systems are still in use.
There are also hybrid systems which are a combination
of both Type I and Type II. Your scanner defaults to
monitor Type II systems, but you can change to Type I or
a hybrid of Type I and Type II systems by selecting a
preprogrammed fleet map or creating a custom fleet
map for your area (see “Scanning Type I and Hybrid
Trunked Systems” on Page 44).
You do not need to determine the fleet-subfleet hierar-
chy for Type II systems unless you are tracking hybrid
systems that contain both Type I and Type II systems.
SETTING THE SCANNER TO THE
TRUNK TRACKING MODE
Repeatedly press TRUNK to switch between the scan-
ner’s conventional and trunk tracking modes.
33
SETTING SQUELCH FOR THE
TRUNK TRACKING MODE
Your scanner’s squelch setting is automatically adjusted
in the trunking mode, which means it is not necessary to
manually adjust squelch while tracking trunked transmis-
sions. However, the squelch setting can affect how fast
your scanner acquires the data channel, and, in some in-
stances, can prevent your scanner from acquiring the
data channel at all.
We recommend you set SQUELCH to this position before
selecting a trunked bank.
Note:
You can change this setting, if necessary, to pro-
vide better performance in your area.
PROGRAMMING TRUNKED
FREQUENCIES
Before you program your scanner to track a trunked sys-
tem, consider the following:
• Valid trunked system frequencies range from
851.0125–868.9875 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 system at a
time. Although you can store frequencies for more
than one trunked system in one of your scanner’s
banks, the scanner only scans the frequencies
associated with the first data channel it finds.
Before scanning a trunked system’s transmissions, you
must store the trunked system’s frequencies in one of
the banks in your scanner by following these steps.
34
1. Hold down TRUNK until the scanner beeps twice.
BANK, TRUNK, and the bank numbers flash.
2. Select the bank you want to store the trunked sys-
tem’s frequencies in by pressing a number key. The
scanner automatically selects the first channel in the
bank when you select the bank.
3. Use the number keys to enter the trunked system’s
frequencies, then press E.
Note: If you entered an invalid frequency in Step 3,
the scanner beeps, the channel number flashes and
Error appears. If this happens, press to clear
•
the frequency, then repeat Step 3.
4. Press either MANUAL or s to select the next channel
in the bank.
35
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until all frequencies have
been entered.
6. Press SRCH to begin searching
for the trunk’s data channel (the
channel that controls the trunk).
SRCH flashes as the scanner
searches for the data channel.
While the scanner looks through
the frequencies, you see them
on the display. When the scan-
ner finds the data channel, it
begins trunk tracking.
SCANNING A TRUNKED BANK
You can scan one trunked bank at a time. Once you
have stored frequencies for a trunked system in one or
more of the 10 available banks and you are scanning
non-trunked frequencies, 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 SRCH.
The scanner searches for a data channel. When the
scanner finds it, it begins trunk tracking.
If you entered all of the trunk’s frequencies, you
should be able to follow conversations between
broadcasters even when they change frequen-
cies. IDs, which represent different service
groups, appear.
ID
36
Note: To review the bank currently in use, press
DATA while in the trunk tracking mode. The bar for
the selected bank flashes at the top of the display
for about 5 seconds.
3. To return to non-trunked scanning, press TRUNK
again.
Hint: While scanning, you will not know exactly who the
ID's are assigned to until you listen awhile or until you lo-
cate ID lists in frequency guides or on internet sites such
can usually figure out if what you are listening to is a po-
lice, fire, or emergency medical 2-way radio user. Other
IDs might take some time, but determining who each ID
represents is half the fun of trunk tracking!
Monitoring an Active ID
When the scanner stops on a transmission, you can hold
the scanner on that transmission.
1. Press HOLD. HOLD appears, the scanner stays on
the current ID, and the channel number changes.
2. If you want to listen to a different ID, use the number
keys to enter the ID you want to hold.
3. Press HOLD again. HOLD flashes and the scanner
monitors that ID.
4. When you want to stop the hold and resume search-
ing for a data channel so you can continue trunk
tracking, press SRCH.
Note: You can also follow these steps to hold on an ID
while scanning a scan list. See “Scan Lists” on Page 41.
37
Locking Out IDs
As with conventional scanning, it is possible to lock out
unwanted traffic. This is particularly important in trunked
systems because signals you cannot listen to (such as
water meters, door alarms, traffic signals, and encrypted
signals) are assigned IDs just like other users. You can
have up to 100 IDs locked out at one time.
Note: If you lock out an ID while searching, it is also
locked out of the scan list(s). See “Scan Lists” on
Page 41.
To lock out an ID, press L/O when the ID appears.
The ID is locked out, and the next active ID appears.
Unlocking a Single ID
1. Hold down L/O until you hear two short beeps.
2. Repeatedly press t or s to select the ID you want to
unlock.
3. Press L/O.
The ID is unlocked and the next locked ID or –
– –––(if there are no other locked IDs) appears.
4. Press SRCH to continue the scanner’s previous func-
tion.
Unlocking All IDs
Hold down L/O until you hear two short beeps. Then
press E to unlock all the IDs at once.-The scanner beeps
twice.
Note: When you unlock all the IDs, the scan list mode
appears. Press SCAN to scan the IDs stored in your scan
lists or press SRCH to continue the scanner’s previous
function. For more information about scan lists, see
“Scan Lists” on Page 41.
38
Using Trunk Tracking Scan Delay
Many trunked systems have a period of 2 or more sec-
onds between a query and a reply. You can program a
5-second delay to hold on an ID for 5 seconds to wait for
a reply. The scanner continues to monitor the frequency
for 5 seconds after the transmission stops before resum-
ing scanning.
Press DLY to turn trunk tracking scan delay on or off.
DLYappears when trunk tracking scan delay is set.
Note: If you consistently miss responses even with trunk
tracking scan delay set, you might need to change the
default system type or the fleet map you are using. See
“Scanning Type I and Hybrid Trunked Systems” on
Page 44.
Monitoring IDs
You can use your scanner’s display to monitor the fre-
quencies in a trunked system for activity. You cannot
hear conversations in this mode, but this is an excellent
way to determine which talk groups are the most active.
To set the scanner to monitor IDs, hold down SRCH until
the scanner beeps twice. SRCH flashes, and all active
talk group IDs appear in succession. To stop monitoring
IDs, press SRCH again.
Note: When you monitor IDs, locked-out IDs also ap-
pear.
39
CHANNEL ACTIVITY INDICATORS
Your scanner has 20 channel activity indicators (bars)
which show the activity taking place on a trunked sys-
tem. You can see how many frequencies are being used
and generally monitor how much communication traffic
is occurring.
Each frequency you store in a trunking bank has a corre-
sponding activity indicator. However, since there are
only 20 indicators, but you can store up to 30 frequen-
cies, some indicators might indicate more than one fre-
quency if the trunked system you are scanning has more
than 20 channels.
• 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 rep-
resents the frequency being used by the radio you
are currently hearing.
• If an indicator turns on but you do not hear a conver-
sation, the channel is probably being used for a tele-
phone interconnect call or a private call, or the
indicator might be a locked-out ID. Your scanner
does not monitor these types of calls.
• If the scanner is holding on an ID which is not
active, the other activity indicators turn on and off as
other groups use the system.
40
SCAN LISTS
When you program trunked frequencies into a bank (see
“Programming Trunked Frequencies” on Page 34), your
scanner sets up 5 scan lists into which you can store
your favorite IDs. Each list can contain up to 10 IDs, so
you can store a total of 50 IDs for each trunk tracking
bank (500 IDs if you use all banks as trunking banks!).
Scan lists help you organize trunking system users into
categories. For example, you might use List 1 for police
IDs, List 2 for fire department IDs, List 3 for emergency
medical service IDs, and so on. Once IDs are stored in
lists, you can scan them like you scan conventional
channels. You can program IDs into scan lists manually,
during a search, or automatically.
Manually Storing IDs into Scan Lists
1. Select the trunking bank you want (see “Scanning a
Trunked Bank” on Page 36).
2. After the scanner begins trunk tracking, press MAN-
UAL. A bar appears at the top of the display, showing
the current scan list.
3. Repeatedly press s or t to select the scan list loca-
tion (shown at the top of the display) you want to
program.
41
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