PRO-90 300-Channel Trunk Tracker Scanner
(200-0520A) Understanding Scanners Faxback Doc. # 60721
General Info
Once you understand a few simple terms we use in this manual and
familiarize yourself with your scanner's features, you can put the scanner
to work for you. You simply find the communications you want to receive,
then set the scanner to scan them.
A frequency is the tuning location of a station (expressed in kHz or MHz).
To find active frequencies, you can use the search function.
You can also search the service-search banks, which are preset groups of
frequencies categorized by type of service.
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.
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.
SCAN - scans through the stored channels.
MANUAL - stops scanning and lets you directly enter a channel
number or frequency.
TRUNK - switches between conventional and trunk tracking
modes.
SVC (service) - selects a service bank; turns on and off the
disconnect tone detect function.
SPEED/PRI - turns on and off the Hypersearch mode; sets and turns
(speed/priority) on and off the priority feature.
LOCK/ - locks the Keypad to prevent accidental program
(backlight symbol) changes. Also turns on the display light for 15
seconds.
Number Keys - each key has a single-digit label and a range of
numbers. The single-digits are used to enter a
channel, frequency, or ID number. The range of
numbers (31-60, for example) indicates the channels
that make up a memory bank.
ATT/(.) - turns on or off the attenuator function; enters a
Decimal point or clears an incorrect entry.
E (enter) - enters frequencies into channels.
\/ /LIMIT - set the search direction and holds the frequency
search; sets the frequency range.
DLY (delay) - programs a 2-second delay for the selected channel, a
limit search, or each service scan. Also programs a
5-second delay in the trunk tracking mode.
SRCH - searches a specified frequency range to find
frequencies; searches for another active ID in the
trunk tracking mode.
L/O (lock out) - lets you lock out selected channels or frequencies;
lets you lock out a selected ID in the trunk tracking
mode.
/\ /HOLD - sets the search direction and holds the frequency
search; holds on the current ID in the trunk tracking
mode.
DATA - turns on or off the data signal skip feature or
checks the current trunking bank in the trunk
tracking mode.
A Look At The Display
The display has indicators that show the scanner's current operating
status. A good look at the display will help you understand how your
scanner operates.
BANK - appears with numbers (1-10). Numbers with a bar under
them show which channel-storage banks are turned on
for scanning.
TRUNK - appears when the scanner is in the trunk tracking
mode.
-(channel activity - each represents a received trunking frequency or a
indicators) data frequency in the trunk tracking mode (see
"Channel Activity Indicators" in Faxback Doc. #
60724).
P - appears when a priority channel is selected.
(BATT symbol) - blinks when the scanner's battery is low.
DATA - appears when the data skip function is active;
appears when the disconnect tone detect function is
off in the trunk tracking mode.
POLICE - appears when you search the police service bank.
FIRE/EMG - appears when you search the fire/emergency service
bank.
AIR - appears when you search the air service bank.
MRN - appears when you search the marine service bank.
WX - appears when you search the weather service bank.
SCAN - appears when you scan channels.
SRCH - lights steadily during a limit search and ID search,
and blinks while HyperSearch is active and when you
monitor IDs (see "Monitoring IDs" in Faxback Doc. #
60724).
PRI - appears when the priority feature is turned on.
HOLD - appears when you manually select a channel or when
the scanner is in the hold mode during a search or
service bank scan or during a limit search.
DLY - appears when you program a delay.
L/O - appears when you manually select a channel or
frequency you locked out.
(Key symbol) - appears when you lock the keypad.
Error - appears when you make a entry error.
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 of 30 channels each. Use each
channel-storage bank to group frequencies, such as the police department,
fire department, ambulance services, or aircraft (see "Guide to the Action
Bands" in Faxback Doc. # 60725). For example, the police department might
use four frequencies, one for each side of town. You could program the
police frequencies starting with Channel 1 (the first channel in bank 1)
and program the fire department frequencies starting with Channel 31 (the
first channel in bank 2).
Service Banks
The scanner is preprogrammed with the frequencies allocated by police,
fire/emergency, aircraft, marine and weather services. This is handy for
quickly finding active frequencies instead of searching through an entire
band (see "Scanning Service Banks" in Faxback Doc. # 60722).
Understanding Trunking
In the past, groups that broadcast frequently, such as police departments,
were restricted to transmitting on just a few frequencies. This resulted
in heavy traffic and often required 2-way radio users to wait for a
specific frequency to clear before transmitting.
Trunked systems allows more groups of 2-way radio users to use fewer
frequencies. Instead of selecting a specific frequency to transmit on, a
trunked system chooses one of several frequencies when the 2-way radio
user presses PTT (push to talk). The system automatically transmits the
call on that frequency, and sends a code that identifies that 2-way radio
user's transmission on a data channel.
This scanner lets you select the data channel frequency that you want it
to monitor, so you can hear both the call and response transmissions for
that 2-way radio user and therefore follow the conversation. (You cannot
listen to the data channel itself).
(GLW EB 8/7/00)
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