PRO-97 no display

[scan_madison]

Hello all,

Picked up this scanner at thrift store for $5. Thought I got a great deal. Turns out the LCD display doesn't work. I was able to punch the frequency (TUNE) and hear the audio. Orange light works fine; just no LCD display.

I was wondering if I could buy a data cable and program it using a software. Just want to know if this process can be performed without LCD being working. I could sell it on eBay AS-IS but what fun is that?

First post here so please bear with me. Thanks in advance.

-Bill

 

[kcoleman]

Contrast Control

Bill,

Try the following steps from the PRO-97 manual;

CHANGING THE DISPLAY CONTRAST

1. Press MAN
2. Press FUNC then 9. Use Up/Down keys to set contrast, ENTER key saves; appears
3. Press "up arrow" or "down arrow" to select contrast.
4. Press ENT to set the display contrast.

Good Luck,

Keith​

​

 

[scan_madison]

Thanks for the tip Keith.
Unfortunately the display did not come up even after going through all 7 steps. Would have been nice if that solved the problem. I am currently using it to just listen to one channel. I suppose it is no longer called scanner, rather just a tuner.

-Bill

 

[kcoleman]

Bill,

As a last resort, you might take a look at this:

Radio Shack Pro-97 Display Replacment - InterceptRadio.com Wiki

It seems that I remember the 97 had some display issues for some people and some were able to restore the display by removing the ribbon connector and cleaning the contacts. This was several years ago when the 97 was a new model.

The link provided will show you how to get to the display, if your up to taking the unit apart.

Good Luck,
Keith

 

[scan_madison]

Keith, thanks for your trouble finding the instruction. I am afraid I will have to leave that route to someone who has more skill operating the scanner. I decided to put the scanner on eBay and hopefully I can get some $$. Thanks again.

 

[tomfassett]

The display went out in my PRO97 right after I bought it (about 10 years ago). It was the ribbon connector just like keith said. I fixed it and have had no problems since, although I wouldn't recommend taking the scanner apart to anyone without experience in this kind of thing (I am a certified electronics technician and modern electronics scares even me).
You could program it using a computer and cable but you would end up shelling out about $50 to get set up for it.
If you are only looking to monitor a few services, you could program it without the display by following the instructions. It is not overly complicated. You could also set the search limits to monitor the most common emergency frequency range. Forget about trying to program truck frequencies though.
For a working PRO97, you got a good deal at $5.00 but it is really only valuable to someone like me who keeps a number of old scanners around just to monitor obscure or infrequent traffic that I am trying to pin down (like having a simultaneous "priority" channel running while the main scanner is going).
Good luck on ebay, and hopefully you will get someone who is either willing to take it apart or use it as an auxiliary unit like I do.

Tom F

 

[scan_madison]

Hi Tom,
I am comfortable with opening/cleaning some electronic items but not others. Plus the scanner has no audio now. That's why I put it on auction. I am sure it is a simple fix and someone will be happy to open it up and fix it. Thanks for your insight.
-Bill