Specifications

concentrate your search on the bands commonly assigned to police, fire etc. These bands are parts of the Low and High VHF
bands, part of the UHF band and part of the 800 band.
The ZeroMatic option allows you to set the radio to look for the actual frequency used by the transmitter instead of stopping
on the first valid hit it finds. Let’s say there is a strong transmitter on 155.4750 in your area. A strong signal might cause a hit
on 155.470 and the radio would stop there with the hit. ZeroMatic checks to see if the same signal is actually on a nearby or
adjacent frequency and causes the radio to go to the actual frequency.
The PSR310 also displays any received CTCSS or DCS code received during a Search Event.
What’s the deal with the LED?
The PSR310 has an LED on the upper right corner of the radio that is visible from above or in front. In fact it is nearly visible
from the next county. This is actually three LED’s (red, green and blue) that sit behind a single prism, These LED’s
combined can make almost any color light, depending on your settings. At its maximum brightness you can just about use it
to read by.
Combined with an audible alert tone you can create innumerable combinations to advise you of different activities. For
example, you can set the LED to flash red when a CloseCall hit is found and green if your favorite channel comes up. You
can even set it to stay on indefinitely after activation, so if a rarely used channel pops up you will know that it was active,
even if you weren’t around to hear it.
There are so many settings for the Alert System (LED and audible) that as you use the radio you can add different
combinations as you learn the radio. While it seems daunting at first, it can come in handy eventually. Like so many other
advanced features this might never be useful for some but indispensable for others.
You may want to experiment with the various color choices (much easier in software!) as some color choices may be too
bright and cause distractions when driving.
Batteries and Power
Like most handheld scanners these days the PSR310 uses AA cells for primary power. As previously mentioned, there are
two battery holders. The yellow one, intended for rechargeable cells such as Nickel-metal-hydride or Lithium-Ion, allows the
radio to send a charging current to the cells when the radio is plugged into an external power adaptor. The black one,
intended for non-rechargeable cells like Alkaline, does not send the charging current to the cells. In addition there is a menu
item (PGM>GLOB>scroll down 9 items) that allows you to set the radio to Alkaline, NMHi, or NiCad cells. Remember not
to mix battery types!
On the left side of the radio is a “Type C” coaxial power connector so you can plug in an external power source to run the
radio and/or charge the battery (when using the yellow battery holder). The external power should be 9 VDC, with at least
500 mA. The PSR310 comes with an AC power supply and you can also buy additional adaptors from ScannerMaster.
The radio does not come with an automotive power adaptor, you can purchase these at ScannerMaster as well, just remember
that it requires 9 VDC with at least 500 mA. Don’t skimp on the power adaptor. Unregulated power supplies can provide
incorrect voltages and damage your radio.
One question that arises often is whether to use rechargeable or alkaline cells. While this is a personal preference there are
issues to consider. Alkaline cells can be found cheaply at drug stores or other shops if you watch for them. Rechargeable cells
are more expensive at the start but eventually will end up cheaper.
You can run the radio on AC or auto power alone by removing the battery pack. This works well in a mobile environment,
you can have the radio go on and of with the ignition of your mobile power source is controlled by it.
When using the yellow battery holder the batteries will charge whether the radio is on or off, they may take a little while
longer to charge when the radio is on however. When plugged into outside power an icon that looks like an AC plug will
display, there also is an icon to tell you the status of the charging of the batteries.