PRO-92 500-Channel Portable Trunking Scanner
(200-0522) Scanner Information Faxback Doc. # 58068
About Your Scanner
Once you understand a few simple terms used in this manual and familiarize
yourself with your scanner's features, you can put the scanner to work for
you. You simply determine the type of communications you want to receive,
then set the scanner to scan them.
A frequency is the receiving signal location (expressed in kHz or MHz).
To find active frequencies, you can use the search function.
You can also search the SEARCH banks, which are preprogrammed frequencies
in the scanner's memory (see "Searching a Preprogrammed Frequency Range"
in Faxback Doc. # 58069 for the frequency list). You can change the
SEARCH frequency ranges.
When you find a frequency, you can store it into a programmable memory
location called a channel, which is grouped with your other channels in a
channel-storage bank. You can then scan the channel-storage banks to see
if there is activity on the frequencies stored there. Each time the
scanner finds an active frequency, it stays on that channel until the
transmission ends. See "Trucking Operation" in Faxback Doc. # 58071 for
terms related to trunking systems.
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.
FUNC (function) - lets you use various functions by pressing this
key along with other keys.
SCAN - scans through the programmed channels.
MANUAL - stops scanning and lets you directly enter a
channel number.
TRUNK - stores the trunking ID code or holds the
trunking ID while scanning.
WX - scans through the 7 preprogrammed weather
channels.
PRI (priority) - sets and turns the priority function on or off.
TEXT - lets you input text.
STEP - changes the frequency step or displays step
frequency during search, selects PL or DPL
codes when programming.
MODE - changes the receive mode (AM, FM, PL, DL, LT,
MO, ED, See "Changing the Receive Mode" in
Faxback Doc. # 58070).
(key symbol)/LIT (Light) - turns on/off the display's backlight or locks/
unlocks the keypad to prevent accidental
entries.
TUNE - lets you input a frequency and allows you to
fine tune a frequency along with /\ or \/.
ATT (attenuate) - turns attenuation on to reduce the scanner's
sensitivity, or turns it off to increase it.
/\ or \/ - selects the search direction during search or
tuning to a frequency.
SEARCH - lets you search the ten search banks.
L/OUT (lock out) - lets you lock out a selected channel, lets you
skip a specified frequency during search, or
lets you lock out a selected ID code.
PGM - programs frequencies into channels.
ENTER - lets you complete the entry of frequencies and
text.
1/DELAY - enters a 1, or programs a 2-second delay for
the selected channel/search bank, or inputs
characters 0 through 9.
2/ABC - enters a 2, or inputs characters A, B, or C.
3/DEF - enters a 3, or inputs characters D, E, or F.
4/GHI - enters a 4, or inputs characters G, H, or I.
5/JKL - enters a 5, or inputs characters J, K, or L.
6/MNO - enters a 6, or inputs characters M, N, or O.
7/PQRS - enters a 7, or inputs characters P, Q, R, or S.
8/TUV - enters a 8, or inputs characters T, U, or V.
9/WXYZ - enters a 9, or inputs characters W, X, Y, or Z.
0 - enters a zero, or inputs characters., -, # _,
@, +, *, &, /, `, $, %, !, ^, ?, >, `, and ^.
. - enters a decimal point (necessary when
programming frequencies) space or hyphen (in
Motorola Type I code setting).
CL - clears an incorrect entry.
A Look At The Display
(See Faxback Doc. # 58075.)
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 (0-9) of 50 (00 to 49) channels
each. Use each channel-storage bank to group frequencies, such as those
used by the police department, fire department, ambulance services, or
aircraft (see "Guide to the Action Bands" in Faxback Doc. # 17653). For
example, the police department might use four frequencies, one for each
side of town. You could program the police frequencies starting with 000
(the 1st channel in bank 1). The 1st digit identifies the bank (0-9). The
2nd and 3rd digits identify the channel within the bank (00-49).
Search Banks
This scanner is able to search 10 search banks. You can also replace a
bank with one of the 60 pre-programmed service bands. (For the default
setting, see "Searching a Preprogrammed Frequency Range" in Faxback Doc. #
58069).
The following list shows the 60 pre-programmed service bands
Low Freq. Hi Freq. Step
(MHz) (MHz) (MHz) Description
118.0000 136.9750 25 Air Band
108.0000 118.0000 25 Air Nav
460.6375 460.8625 25 Airlines
460.8750 460.9750 25 Alarms
944.0000 952.0000 12.5 Broadcast Links
42.9600 43.6800 20 Business
151.9850 153.7250 5 Business
450.9250 452.1875 25 Business
453.9875 454.9875 25 Business
460.9750 462.5500 25 Business
463.1750 465.0000 25 Business
851.0000 866.0000 12.5 Business
935.0000 944.0000 12.5 Business
33.0400 33.9800 20 Fire
29.7000 33.0400 5 Fixed/Mobile
33.9800 42.0200 20 Fixed/Mobile
46.6000 50.0000 20 Fixed/Mobile
928.0000 929.0000 12.5 Fixed
932.0000 935.0000 12.5 Fixed
952.0000 960.0000 12.5 Fixed
462.5500 462.7500 12.5 GMRS/FRS
467.5500 467.7500 12.5 GMRS/FRS
137.0000 144.0000 5 Government
148.0000 150.7750 25 Government
153.7250 156.2500 5 Government
158.6700 159.4650 5 Government
162.0000 173.2250 5 Government
173.4000 174.0000 5 Government
400.0000 420.0000 25 Government
453.0000 453.9875 25 Government
29.0000 29.7000 5 Ham 10 m
50.0000 54.0000 5 Ham 6 m
144.0000 148.0000 20 Ham 2 m
420.0000 450.0000 25 Ham 70 cm
902.0000 928.0000 12.5 Ham/ISM 33 cm
150.9650 151.9850 5 Highways
462.9250 463.1750 25 Medical
156.2500 157.4250 25 Marine Band
161.7600 161.9150 25 Marine Band
380.0000 400.0000 50 Military
806.0000 823.9875 12.5 Mobile Units
894.0000 902.0000 12.5 Mobile Units
161.5650 161.7600 5 News Media
173.2250 173.4000 5 News/Film
450.0000 450.9250 12.5 News Media
452.9625 452.9875 25 Newspapers
462.7500 462.9250 25 Paging
929.0000 932.0000 12.5 Paging
42.0200 42.9600 20 Police
44.6000 46.6000 20 Police/Fire
460.0000 460.6375 25 Police/Fire
866.0000 868.9875 12.5 Police/Fire
160.2150 161.5650 15 Railroads
455.0000 460.0000 25 Reptr Inputs
465.0000 470.0000 25 Reptr Inputs
157.4250 158.6700 5 Taxi/Tow
159.4650 160.2150 5 Taxi
452.1875 452.9625 25 Taxi/Buses
470.0000 512.0000 12.5 T-Band
150.7750 150.9650 5 Tow Trucks
Note: The steps shown above are default values. You can select any
desired step setting.
Understanding our Pro-92's Modes
You can program each channel with any of seven receive modes. Each mode
affects how your scanner operates when scanning and receiving
transmissions, and also affects what transmissions you receive when you
set the scanner to the Closed mode (see "Open and Closed Modes" in Faxback
Doc. # 58070).
PL, DPL and trunking systems all use some form of coded squelch. Coded
squelch techniques involve the transmission of a special "code" signal
along with the audio of a radio transmission. A receiver with coded
squelch only activates when the received signal has the correct "code."
This lets many users share a single frequency, and decreases interference
caused by distant transmitters on the same channel.
In all major metropolitan areas of the United States, every available
radio channel is assigned to more than one user. Public safety radio
systems on the same frequency are usually set up at a distance of forty
miles apart, or more. This means that you may hear transmissions from a
distant system when your local system is not transmitting. By entering
the PL for a local system, and operating the bank in closed mode, the
scanner will not stop on transmissions from the distant system.
With few exceptions, such as the VHF Aircraft and Marine bands, almost
every other VHF or UHF radio system uses some form of coded squelch. By
far, PL is the most popular mode among non-trunked systems. For most
scanning use, try setting PL mode for all non-trunked channels. If you
operate the bank in open mode, the scanner will display the appropriate
code.
AM Mode
This sets the scanner to receive transmissions using amplitude modulation
(AM). AM is used for aircraft, military, some amateur radio, and some
government transmissions. When the scanner receives a transmission on a
channel set to the AM mode, it always stops on the transmission.
FM Mode
This sets the scanner to receive transmissions using frequency modulation
(FM). FM is used for most public safety transmissions, as well as
broadcast, business, and amateur radio transmissions. When the scanner
receives a transmission on a channel set to the FM mode, it always stops
on the transmission.
Coded Squelch Modes (PL, DPL, and Trunking)
PL Mode
This sets the scanner to decode subaudible tones that are transmitted with
many FM transmissions. Radio system users use these tones to allow
multiple users to share a single frequency and to prevent interference
from other systems operating nearby on the same frequency. When you
select the PL mode for a channel, you can also set a specific PL tone for
that channel.
When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the PL mode,
it first decodes the PL tone included with the transmission. In the Open
mode, the scanner stops on the transmission and displays the PL tone on
the bottom line of the display (or displays None if no tone is included).
In the Closed mode, the scanner only stops on the transmission if the PL
tone matches the tone that you specified for the channel.
PL tones range in frequency from 67 Hz to 254.1 Hz. You select a PL tone
by pressing STEP while programming a channel.
DPL Mode
This sets the scanner to decode digital PL tones used with some FM
transmissions. Similar to PL, DPL is a digital "signature" encoded on a
subaudible carrier. In addition, to preventing interference from other
nearby radio systems, DPL can also identify a specific user or group of
users on a radio system. When you select the DPL mode for a channel, you
can also set a specific DPL code for that channel.
When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the DPL mode,
it first decodes the DPL code included with the transmission. In the Open
mode, the scanner stops on the transmission and displays the DPL code on
the bottom line of the display (or displays None if no code is included).
In the closed mode, the scanner only stops on the transmission if the DPL
code matches the code that you specified for the channel.
DPL codes range from D017 to D754 (only 100 codes are actually used within
this range). You select a DPL code by pressing STEP while programming a
channel.
DPL is not as popular as PL, because the effective range of DPL-encoded
signals is less than PL.
LTR (E. F. Johnson) Mode
This sets the scanner to decode the talk group ID's used with an LTR
system. This is a trunking system used primarily by business or private
communications service providers, such as taxi cabs, delivery trucks, and
repair services. LTR systems encode all trunking information as digital
subaudible data that accompanies each transmission. Users on an LTR
system are assigned to specific talk groups, which are identified by the
radio as a six-digit number. The number is in the form:
AHHUUU
Where: A = Area code (0 or 1)
H = Home repeater (01 through 20)
U = User ID (000 through 254)
When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the LTR mode,
it first decodes the LTR data include with the transmission. In the Open
mode, the scanner stops on the transmission and displays the talk group ID
on the bottom line of the display. In the Closed mode, the scanner only
stops on the transmission if the LTR data matches a talk group ID that you
have stored in the bank's talk group ID list and have not locked out.
LTR systems are frequently programmed so that each radio has a unique ID
code.
Motorola Mode
This sets the scanner to decode the talk group ID's used with Motorola
trunking systems. These systems are used by business and public safety
groups to efficiently allocate a small number of frequencies (as few as 5)
to many groups of users (as many as several thousand). To do this, each
group of users in the system is assigned to a specific talk group. For
example, the east side patrol officers might all be assigned to talk group
2160. One channel in the system is continuously transmitting data that
identifies which talk groups are active on which channel.
In addition, this talk group information is also transmitted as subaudible
data on each active channel.
When the scanner receives a transmission on a channel set to the Motorola
mode, it first decodes the talk group ID data included with the
transmission. In the Open mode, the scanner stops on the transmission and
displays the talk group ID on the bottom line of the display. In the
Closed mode, the scanner only stops on the transmission if the talk group
ID matches a talk group ID that you have stored in the bank's talk group
ID list and have not locked out.
Motorola trunking systems come in three flavors: Type I, Type II, and Type
I/II Hybrids. Each type displays and uses talk group ID's in slightly
different ways.
Motorola Type I ID's are in the form FFF-SS, where: FFF = Fleet ID
SS = Subfleet ID
Type I systems are usually organized with different user groups assigned
to different fleets. For example, all police users might be grouped under
the fleet 000. Then, within each fleet, subfleet ID's are assigned to
subgroups of the main user group.
For example, Police - East Patrol might be assigned to group 12, making
the full Fleet, Subfleet ID be 000-12. To properly map the raw type I
data to the correct fleet subfleet format, you must program the correct
fleet map into the scanner. Fleet map information is widely available on
the internet for most Type I systems in use.
Type II systems talk groups are identified by a 5-digit number. Valid
talk group IDs are divisible by 16. If you try to enter an invalid talk
group ID, the scanner rounds the ID down to the next valid ID.
Type I/II hybrid systems use both fleet-subfleet and 5-digit formats for
talk group ID's.
Note: Since the subaudible data is included with every transmission, you
can generally receive Motorola systems from further away than when
using systems that only decode the data channel (like the EDACS
mode). However, as the signal quality worsens, or if the signal is
subject to interference, the scanner might not be able to reliably
decode the talk group ID. In this case, you might occasionally
notice that the talk group ID changes during a transmission.
EDACS Mode
This sets the scanner to decode the talk group ID's used with an EDACS
(GE/Ericsson) system. This is a trunking system used primarily by
business or private communications service providers, as well as by some
public safety organizations. EDACS systems transmit active talk group
information only on a dedicated control channel.
EDACS frequencies are organized in a specific order. Each frequency is
assigned a Logical Channel Number (LCN). For the PRO-92 to correctly
switch to an active frequency, you must program the frequencies in LCN
order, starting with Memory 01. EDACS talk group ID's are entered as a
4-digit decimal number from 0000 to 4096.
When there is activity on an EDACS system, that information is sent out on
the control channel. The scanner decodes the ID for the active talk
group. In the Open mode, the scanner then goes to the transmission and
displays the talk group ID on the bottom line of the display. In the
closed mode, the scanner only goes to transmissions that have ID's that
match a talk group ID that you have stored in the bank's talk group ID
list and have not locked out.
Because EDACS scanning requires you to have clear reception of the control
channel at all times, EDACS systems tend to have a smaller usable area.
An external antenna can greatly improve EDACS scanning in a fringe area.
If you are having trouble scanning an EDACS system, try manually selecting
the data channel. If you are getting good reception, the scanner will
indicate talk group CTR-01. Try changing your location or using an outdoor
antenna to improve reception.
(BR EB - 12/21/99)
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