Service manual

General Troubleshooting
Check that you are following the correct steps per the manual.
Check the frequency to be sure you are entering it correctly.
Check the scanner's frequency coverage to be sure that the scanner can receive that frequency.
Check the scanner's reception ability by programming a known continuous voice broadcast such as NOAA on 162.4Mhz – 162.55Mhz.
You can do this by going to the Weather service band (if available on your scanner) or by programming a limit search from 160Mhz – 170Mhz.
Reset the scanner as a last resort; this erases all memory contents and resets the radio back to factory settings. The reset for most RadioShack
scanners is given below; however, for some models there is no reset and the only way to reset the scanner is to remove power.
1. Turn the scanner off.
2. Push the 2 and 9 buttons and hold them down.
3. Turn the scanner on while holding down the buttons.
4. Release the 2 and 9 after the display shows CLEAR.
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A Guide To The Action Bands
With the right frequencies programmed into your scanner, you can monitor exciting events. With a little investigation, you can find active
frequencies in your community. We can give you some general pointers, and you can take it from there. Please use caution and common sense
when you hear an emergency call. Never go to the scene of an emergency. It could be very dangerous. Find out if there is a local club that
monitors your community's frequencies. Perhaps a local electronics repair shop that works on equipment similar to your scanner can give you
frequencies used by local radio services. A volunteer police department or fire department can also be a good source for this information.
As a general rule on VHF, most activity is concentrated between 153.785 and 155.98 MHz and then again from 158.73 to 159.46 MHz. Here you
find local government, police, fire and most such emergency services. If you are near a railroad yard or major railroad tracks, look around 160.0
to 161.9 MHz for signals.
In some larger cities, there has been a move to the UHF bands for emergency service. Here, most of the activity is between 453.025 and 453.95
MHz and between 456.025 and 467.925 MHz.
In the UHF band, frequencies between 456.025 and 459.95 MHz and between 465.025 and 469.975 MHz are used by mobile units and control
stations associated with base and repeater units that operate 5 MHz lower (that is, 451.025 to 454.950 and 460.025 to 464.975 MHz). This
means that if you find an active frequency inside one of these spreads, you can look 5 MHz lower (or higher) to find the base station/repeater for
that service.
Typical Band Usage
The following is a brief listing of the typical services that use bands that a scanner can receive. This listing helps you decide which ranges you
would like to scan. These frequencies are subject to change, and might vary from area to area. For a more complete listing refer to the Police Call
Radio Guide available at your
local RadioShack store.
Abbreviations
MARS
Military Affiliate Radio
System
Ham
Amateur Radio
Auto Emer.
Automobile
Emergency
BC.R
Broadcast Remote
Bur.Recl.
Bureau of
Reclamation
CAP
Civil Air Patrol
Agr. And For.
Department of
Agriculture & Forestry.
F.D.
Fire Department
For.Prod.
Forest Products
Fors.Cons.
Forestry Conservation
Govt.
Government
Hwy.
Highway
Maintenance
Land Tr.
Land Transportation
L.Govt.
Local Government
Mfg.
Manufacturers
MIL
Military
Mob.Tel.
Mobile Telephone
Mot.P.
Motion Picture
Buses.Trucks
Motor Carrier
Nat.Park
National Parks
Pet.
Petroleum
P.D.
Police
Power
Power Utilities
Page
Radio Paging
R.R.
Railroad
Press
Relay Press
St.P.D.
State Police
Sp.Emer.
Special Emergency
Sp.Ind.
Special Industry
Taxi
Taxicab Radio