Operating instructions

ManualsBrandsRadio Shack ManualsRadio5W 8 Channel 2-Way Business Band Radio

12 Choosing a Ham Radio

Scanning

Radios on the market today can rapidly switch

from frequency to frequency to look for signals. This

is called scanning. It allows the operator to monitor

many different frequencies without having to manu-

ally tune to each one.

There are three types of scanning. Basic scanning

consists of the receiver starting from the scan start

frequency and tuning continuously to the scan stop

frequency. If a signal is detected, scanning is stopped

or paused for the operator to listen in. This is most

useful in the weak-signal or satellite segments of the

VHF and UHF bands and when listening for simplex

FM signals.

Channel scanning is jumping from channel to

channel in sequence. Again, scanning stops or pauses

when a signal is detected. Channel scanning requires

a start channel and a stop channel. Channels may be

designated to be skipped, as well. This type of scan-

ning is the most useful for watching many repeater or

simplex channels.

Groups of channels may be organized in banks.

Bank scanning scans all the channels in a bank before

moving to the next bank. Not all radios organize their

memory channels as banks. Banks are useful for

grouping channels together by function; police, ﬁre,

aircraft, ham, etc.

Programmed scan is the most ﬂexible of all and al-

lows the user to set up lists of channels to be scanned. This is most conveniently done with

a PC instead of the radio keypad. Channels can generally be scanned in any order. The PC

software often allows the operator to set up “proﬁles” of programmed scans (for example,

parade communication or ARES drills in which different sets of channels are in use) so

that the radio can be conﬁgured quickly and efﬁciently.

Scanning is much more convenient to use if you have control over scan delay and scan

resume. Scan delay is the time the radio spends listening to each channel before moving to

the next one. A longer delay catches more activity and lets you listen longer to each chan-

nel, but slows down the overall scanning process. Scan resume tells the radio to how long

to pause or to stop if a signal is detected. Some radios offer voice detection to distinguish

between a voice signal and a steady tone or noise that may result from interference.

Antennas

Antenna choice is the single biggest factor in determining whether you’ll be able to

communicate effectively with any type of radio. Handheld radios come with a stubby, ﬂex-

ible antenna (“rubber duck”) that attaches directly to the radio for convenience. These are

fairly sturdy, but are not very efﬁcient. Consider purchasing a more efﬁcient mobile whip

antenna with the necessary connector or adaptor for your radio. At home you can attach a

mobile antenna to a metal surface or structure. Longer, more efﬁcient antennas to replace

the rubber duck are also available. For repeater and FM voice communication, the antenna

should be oriented vertically (“vertically polarized”) to match the signals from repeaters

and other hams.

Mobile antennas are mounted on the outside of a car. Temporary mounts using magnets

Figure7

Frequency1

Frequency2

CH 1

CH 2

CH 3

CH x

CHAN

Bank 1 Bank 2 Bank 3

Basic

Scan

Channel

Scan

BankScan

Figure7—Radiosonthemarkettodaycanrapidly

switchfromfrequencytofrequencytolookforsig-

nals.Thisiscalledscanning.Thisallowstheoperator

tomonitormanydifferentfrequencieswithouthaving

tomanuallytunetoeachone.Therearethreetypes

ofscanning(seetext).