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Radio Shack PRO- Test Modes
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Radio Shack PRO-51 Test Modes
) Howard Bornstein June 2, 1994.
(Revised 10/10/94)
(Revised 11/4/94)
[This document may be freely distributed for all non- commercial purposes as long as it is distributunchanged and complete.]
There is an interesting test mode in the PRO-51 that, combined with the direct search feature of theanner, lets you pick up out-of-band frequencies. You will have full access to the 66-88 Mhz rangesa ell as the cellular base range of 869-896 Mhz.
Actually, there are several test modes in the PRO-51 (most of these comments should be true for any den-made Radio Shack scanner, such as the PRO-46). I'll describe them first and then how to take avnage of one of them to get the restricted frequencies.
There are three data test modes. These modes completely destroy any frequencies you had programmed i your scanner, so it's best to use these techniques before you program your scanner. If you have aray programmed it, you'll have to decide if these new capabilities are worth reprogramming.
TEST MODE 0. Clear the scanner.
A well-known method of clearing the scanner to all zeros is to hold down the 2 key, the 9 key, and t on the scanner. All frequencies will be lost.
TEST MODE 1. Fill channels 1-25 with test frequencies.
Press the 2 key, the 9 key, the L/Out key, and turn on the scanner.
This fills channels 1-25 with these frequencies:
1 30.050
2 40.840
3 49.900
4 138.150
5 162.400
6 173.225
7 406.875
8 453.250
9 511.9125
10 108.500
11 118.800
12 127.175
13 135.500
14 66.450*
15 76.825*
16 87.425*
17 157.800
18 482.3625
19 29.000
20 54.000
21 806.000
22 857.200
23 888.96*
24 911.500
25 954.9125
* indicates not within the PRO-51's normal coverage. More on how to use these in a minute.
TEST MODE 2. Fill channels 1-17 with test frequencies.
Press 2, 9, Manual
Fills channels 1-17 with these frequencies:
30.00, 40.00, 50.00, 140.00, 155.00, 170.00, 410.00, 460.00, 510.00, 54.00, 109.00, 118.00, 127.00, .00, 810.00, 860.00, 950.00.
There is also a display diagnostic mode.
TEST MODE 3. Display Test.
Press 2, 9, BAND or 2, 9, MONI.
This put the display in test mode. Every annunciator and every digit element is turned on in a scan m the left side of the display to the right. To keep this test mode continuous, release the button eore the first scan finishes. This mode does not affect stored memory. Press any key to exit thisdiply mode.
HOW TO USE THE TEST MODE FREQUECIES
Now, if you've decided to try test mode 1, you will find several out-of-band frequencies stored in y memory channels. Channels 14-16 hold frequencies in the blocked-out 66-88 Mhz range, and channel 3hlds a frequency in the blocked-out cellular base range. Once you have these frequencies stored i ameory channel, the PRO-51's direct search feature will let you search though these ranges. In th celulr band, the scanner searches in the correct 30 Khz steps.
You don't have to keep these frequencies in the channels they were stored by the test mode. You can e them to any channel in the scanner. HereUs how.
First move the frequency to a monitor channel:
While on a channel with one of these frequencies, open squelch completely. Press direct search buttoeither up or down. The direct search button puts the scanner into search mode and the open squelchhls the frequency. Then press the Monitor button. The frequency is now in the monitor channel indiatd n the display.
Now you can move it to any regular memory channel in the scanner:
Enter the channel number Press PROG Press MONI Press the number of the monitor channel if the properannel is not displayed Press E(nter)
The frequency is now permanently stored in the memory channel. You can do a direct search from this ory channel at any time.
The 66-88 Mhz range mainly covers TV audio. However, there is a strange phenomenon concerning TV audand the PRO-51. Channels 4, 5, and 6 fall within the 66-88 Mhz range (71.75 Mhz, 81.75 Mhz, and 877 hz respectively), yet the PRO-51 will not pick up the audio frequency while searching in this rage Hwever, TV channel 2 audio is at 59.75 Mhz. When you add the intermediate frequency of 21.6 Mhz yo ge an image of the TV channel 2 audio appearing at 81.35 Mhz. This does come in, although rasp, sice te PRO-51 is receiving in narrow FM mode while TV audio requires wide-band FM mode for propr recption
These test modes also work on the Uniden-made PRO-46 and PRO-23 Radio Shack scanners.
-------------------Update Notice ----------------------------
Apparently, as a result of this document, and publication of this information elsewhere, the FCC demed that Radio Shack pull all existing PRO-51s, PRO-23s, and PRO-46s off their shelves and were foridn to continue to sell them. This is particularly puzzling, since all three of these scanners canreeie cellular via images without any special modes or procedures.
As of the end of October 1994, PRO-51s have started reappearing in Radio Shack stores. These units w apparently shipped to Uniden to have the cellular frequency that appears in test mode 1 (channel 3 emoved. If you follow the procedure for test mode 1 on the new PRO-51s, youUll instead get the feqenies from test mode 2, which will not allow you out-of-band reception.
However, Uniden apparently didnUt spend much time with this modification because it is still possiblo put the RnewS PRO-51s into test mode 1. Here is the procedure:
First initialize test mode 3 (the display test). While the display is being updated, hold down the 2, and L/Out keys. Keep holding them until the display finishes filling up. It will stop with all o h test frequencies for test mode 1 loaded in memory!
Howard Bornstein
CompuServe 76174,637
Internet: 76174.637@compuserve.com
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