PRO-2044 Programmable 80-Channel Home Scanner
(200-0416)                 Scanning Guide             Faxback Doc. # 38288

Reception of the frequencies covered by your scanner is mainly "line-of-sight".  That means you usually cannot hear stations that are beyond the
horizon.

Ham Radio Frequencies

Ham radio operators often broadcast emergency information when other means
of communication break down.

The following chart shows the voice frequencies that you can monitor:

WAVELENGTH (Meters)    VOICE (MHz)

   10-meter           29.000-29.700
    6-meter           50.100-54.000
    2-meter          144.100-148.000
   70-cm             420.000-450.000

National Weather Frequencies

161.650*     161.775*      162.400     162.425
162.440*     162.450       162.475     162.500
162.525      162.550       163.275*

*Not programmed in this scanner.

Birdie Frequencies

Every scanner has birdie frequencies.  Birdies are signals created inside
the scanner's receiver.  These operating frequencies might interfere with
broadcasts on the same frequencies. If you program one of these frequencies,
you hear only noise on that frequency.  If the interference is not severe,
you might be able to turn SQUELCH clockwise to cut out the birdie.

The birdie frequencies to watch for with this scanner are:

114.4000 MHz   448.9875 MHz       128.7250 MHz      449.0000 MHz
135.2000 MHz   449.0125 MHz       135.7750 MHz      450.5500 MHz
409.3125 MHz   453.5625 MHz       410.3125 MHz      455.5750 MHz
418.3625 MHz   458.5875 MHz       425.4000 MHz      462.6125 MHz
426.4125 MHz   466.6375 MHz       431.4375 MHz      474.6875 MHz
433.4500 MHz   475.6875 MHz       438.4750 MHz      480.1875 MHz
442.5000 MHz   480.2000 MHz       448.9750 MHz

To find the birdies in your individual scanner, begin by disconnecting the
antenna and moving it away form the scanner. Make sure that no other nearby
radio or TV sets are turned on near the scanner. Use the search function and
search every frequency range from its lowest frequency to the highest.

Occasionally, the searching will stop as if it had found a signal, often
without any sound. That is a birdie. Make a list of all the birdies in your
scanner for future reference.

United States Broadcast Band

In the United States, there are several broadcast bands.  The standard AM
and FM bands are probably the most well known.  There are also four tele-
vision audio broadcast bands - the lower three transmit on the VHF band and
the fourth transmits on the UHF band.  You can use your scanner to monitor
the 470-512 MHz portion of the UHF band.

Guide to the Action Bands

Typical Band Usage

VHF Band (29.00-174.0 MHz)

Low Range          29.00-50.00 MHz
6-Meter Amateur    50.00-54.00 MHz
Aircraft          108.00-136.00 MHz
U.S.Government    137.00-144.00 MHz
2-Meter Band      144.00-148.00 MHz
High Range        148.00-174.00 MHz

UHF Band (300.00 MHz-512 MHz)

U.S.Government                         406.00-420.00 MHz
70-Meter Band                          420.00-450.00 MHz
Low Range                              450.00-470.00 MHz
FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band       470.00-512.00 MHz

Primary Usage

As a general rule, most of the radio activity is concentrated on the following frequencies:

VHF Band

Activities                             Frequencies

Government, Police, and Fire           153.785-155.980 MHz
Emergency Services                     158.730-159.460 MHz
Railroad                               160.000-161.900 MHz

UHF Band

Activities                             Frequencies

Land-Mobile "Paired" Frequencies       450.000-470.000 MHz
Base Stations                          451.025-454.950 MHz
Mobile Units                           456.025-459.950 MHz
Repeater Units                         460.025-464.975 MHz
Control Stations                       465.025-469.975 MHz

NOTE:  Remote control stations and mobile units operate at 5 MHz higher than their associated base stations and relay repeater units.


(EB 3/10/97)

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