Radio Shack Pro 2039 Help

[TallStranger]

i just got this scanner off ebay. well it is not picking nothen up in the 800-900 mhz it scan thur the freq just fine. i can pick up airport and the weather and few tv and radio. that is it. i look on line found radio shack manaul. not much help. i reset scanner. only thang i notice is show a L in front of the freq . i dont know if it should be in another letter. like vhf. i pushed all keys trying change L . nothen happen. scanner seems to work ok. but iam not sure why it not picking nothen up on 800mhz. please let me know if you know what iam doing wrong. thanks. Johnny.

 

[KC5EIB]

With out checking the manual, the L might indicate the frequency is "Locked Out" or blocked while scanning. Manualy step to that channel then press the "L/OUT" key one time. The "L" should go away. then press "Scan" Note: Make sure the keypad is not locked before doing this.

 

[TallStranger]

Reply 2039

its not lock out. i think the L is low frequency . i cant seem get it to go into High frequency

 

[Sinister]

its not lock out. i think the L is low frequency . i cant seem get it to go into High frequency

From the 2096 manual:

To lock out a channel manually, select the channel then press L/OUT so L appears in the scanner’s display.
Locking out a channel with an active trunking control channel will disable monitoring of that trunking system.
To remove the lockout from a channel, manually select the channel and press L/OUT so L disappears.
To review all locked out channels, press MAN. Then, repeatedly press FUNC, L/OUT. The scanner advances to the
next locked out channel each time you press FUNC, L/OUT.

 

[TallStranger]

not lock out. i reset scanner scan by pushing the limit key then arrow to scan . i need know if it should be in hi band to scan the 800 mhz ? only 2 band i can get it into is -- L -- band and --- d -- band. not sure what the D band is . in --- L --- band it want go to 900 mhz only 800 mhz and in D band it go thur all the freq. not picking up no police no fire . only thing iam getting is airport and radio stations. and tv. that is it. i use to own this same scanner couple years ago. it pick up everything . even cell. any ideal what is wrong ? thanks

 

[Sinister]

You need to tell us what state,county,town/city you are trying to scan. Also I would suggest programing with software it is alot easier than doing it by hand.

 

[TallStranger]

i live in montana. Helena. yellow stone county. thanks. Johnny

 

[Sinister]

Yellow stone county that I can see has no digital and no trunking just FM
here is the link to database http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=1649.
You can not scan cell phone frequencies if thats what your attempting too do.

 

[TallStranger]

my bad. i just moved from yellowstone county. in lewis and clark county now. no i dont listen to cell calls. but i went in to radio shack today. they said they all went digital. here. this scanner was a waste of $100.00 guess i put it back on ebay. they looked at it. said it was ok. just want work here. and when i use to have this same scanner few months ago in yellowstone it would pick up cell. but i just had fire and police added into it.

 

[Sinister]

You should make a post in the Montana forum and ask as it looks to be some particulars regards to the Montana Statewide Interoperable Public Safety Radio system.

From the database:

The Lewis and Clark APCO-25 trunked system is beginning to show signs of life. As of today, 6-30-2005, the Lewis and Clark Sheriff's Office, possibly the Helena Police, and City and County Fire Departments have been heard. However, everything is still not well. Dispatchers have been routinely directing units back to the old conventional repeater systems. A mix of ASTRO encrypted as well as simple digital signals have been heard routinely, although seemingly the encrypted stations do not know or care that they are encrypted as several calls have been encryted on one side and "APCO Digital, Clear) on the other side. Dispatchers seem to always be in the "clear". Several initial Talk Groups have been identified, but I will wait till they are truly "on the air" before submitting. Also, the table below has been modified again, pretty much back to the original. The Site Controllers have been reprogrammed with different "Base, Space, and Offset" data but the new info is now available. Good luck!

Read more here.

Forum link is here

 

[jrscpu2004]

Radio Shack Pro-2039

Hello, I found one at a local thrift store for $5. I have mine hooked up to a Sony 2 element VHF antenna on a outside 10th pole. It works great. The other user complained it had a lot of problem with an outside antenna which I can't agree to. Also as to speed, it cranks thru the 200 channels quite quickly. I will say if you leave it unplugged for long lengths of time, it will dump the frequencies you put into it, so record your frequencies as a back-up. I have older Bearcat 250 & 300's and it works fine and the extended frequency range is nice. All in all, it's a good receiver but like he said, there are always better ones out there.