Radio Shack PRO-2040 Questions

[busdriverstew]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here and just getting into scanning. I recently purchased a PRO-2040 scanner from ebay a few weeks ago, and can't seem to get it working for me.

The original screw in style antenna had been broken off, and a piece was still screwed into the board. I have removed that, and a buddy of mine gave me a few CB antennas that will screw into the aux antenna jack on the back. The two antennas that he gave me don't seem to be picking up anything. The first antenna is about 10 inches high with a coil in the center, and the other antenna is about 2ft long with a black conductor in the middle. Both of these are sitting in my window at a ground level apartment with no signal strength. All i get is static.

I have a Bearcat BC244clt here as well and it has never had problems picking up channels. What gives? It can't even pick up the low channels that the bearcat can.

The reason I got the 2040 was to get the higher channels, because the bearcat will only go to 512mhz.

Any tips?

PS. Just on a side note. The aux antenna terminal on the back had been messed with a bit and a chip is out of the white insulator (The metal terminals are still intact). my buddy had given me the adapter connector to link it into a CB antenna plug and it fits in there fine. I also took the scanner apart and examined the lead from the antenna jack into the board and it's fine.

Thanks!

 

[digitalanalog]

First off, CB antenna's are not designed to work very well if at all on scanners (for many reasons).

Second the rear of the 2040 has a BNC connector, so when you say "screw into the aux antenna jack on the back" i assume you mean that the cb antenna you were given have bnc ends (which is rare but possible), again CB antennas are not the way to go.

You best bet, is a back of set BNC adjustable height antenna or even a BNC suction cup window mount antenna, but the best choice would be any outside antenna if your permitted to use one in an apartment setting.

The original screw in antenna will also work if your listening to a very close department as you stated the other scanner picks it up fine, then the 2040 should as well.

any of these antennas Suction cup window mount - back of set BNC adjustable height - screw in type are all very cheap on e-bay, if you have a local radio shop visit them first and save on shipping.

CB antenna's for the most part, Do Not work for picking up scanner freq's unless your monitoring for some reason in the 27-29MHz range

The white insulator you speak of is more then likly just a spacer between the BNC connector and the case of the scanner and acts as a spacer more then an insulator to take up the difference in the size of the whole and the outside diameter of the actual BNC connector.

If you can take a picture of the back of the scanner and post it here, it might help.

I have a pro-2040 and love it, it has a excellent audio, hard to beat these older analog scanners when it comes to sound.

Back of set antenna (don't pay any attention if it say's uniden or radio shack, a BNC antenna is a BNC antenna and will work on any scanner with a BNC connector)
BNC R/A Right Angle Police Fire SCANNER Telescopic ANTENNA Uniden Bearcat GRE | eBay

Window mount suction cup antenna(again, don't pay any attention to what they say it's for, a BNC connector is a BNC connector)
Uniden AT002 Window Mount Scanner

You could also use a Mobile scanner antenna, just place it on something metal like a file cabinet.

There are many antenna's available, but CB antenna's are NOT what you need.

Good luck...

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here and just getting into scanning. I recently purchased a PRO-2040 scanner from ebay a few weeks ago, and can't seem to get it working for me.

The original screw in style antenna had been broken off, and a piece was still screwed into the board. I have removed that, and a buddy of mine gave me a few CB antennas that will screw into the aux antenna jack on the back. The two antennas that he gave me don't seem to be picking up anything. The first antenna is about 10 inches high with a coil in the center, and the other antenna is about 2ft long with a black conductor in the middle. Both of these are sitting in my window at a ground level apartment with no signal strength. All i get is static.

I have a Bearcat BC244clt here as well and it has never had problems picking up channels. What gives? It can't even pick up the low channels that the bearcat can.

The reason I got the 2040 was to get the higher channels, because the bearcat will only go to 512mhz.

Any tips?

PS. Just on a side note. The aux antenna terminal on the back had been messed with a bit and a chip is out of the white insulator (The metal terminals are still intact). my buddy had given me the adapter connector to link it into a CB antenna plug and it fits in there fine. I also took the scanner apart and examined the lead from the antenna jack into the board and it's fine.

Thanks!

 

[busdriverstew]

Thank you very much for your information! I've been getting so frustrated trying to get this to work. Today I was able to pick up a local weather station with the CB antenna, but it was very fuzzy, and not clear at all.

I've ordered that same BNC connector from ebay that you had the link for. I do have the BNC connector on the back of my 2040. My friend had given me a coupler that adaped to the BNC and let a screw in male CB connector plug into the other end. As you stated above though, I wouldn't pick up anything other than very low frequencies.

That BNC antenna should make the world of difference.

Thanks again!