Scanners
Brian Krull
I have a couple questions...
First off, I have a PRO-2006 scanner, what are the best mods for this
unit? It already has 800mhz enabled, and a gee-wiz mod(which dosen't
work properly, by the way) Any other good things I can do to it? Also,
what's a good all around antenna to use?
Second, I have several Regency MX3000 40 channel scanners. Any mods out
there for these units? What are they worth? I would be willing to sell
several, if anyone is interested...
Paul Grohe
On Sun, 28 Dec 1997 23:12:19 -0600,
in the newsgroup rec.radio.scanner,
Brian Krull <bk6...@navix.net>
from Aliant Communications thoughtfully posted:
They go for $20-$40 at the flea markets around here.
I have not seen any "mods" for them.
Here is a little MX-3000 "FAQ" I put together.
Regency MX-3000 FAQ
-------------------
It is *not* 800MHz or cell modifiable at all. Period! End of
sentence! There is no circuitry to support it (even though it is
"dumb" enough to accept a 800MHz keypad entry).
It can receive outside the "normal" VHF-LO, HI & UHF bands, but
with severely reduced sensitivity (mine will scan as low as
390MHz, but whether it will receive anything is another matter).
See below.
Programming:
------------
It follows the "Regency" programming style (mostly).
First of all, on this particular model, you cannot access a
channel directly (ie: <Manual> <1> <2>), you have to press
<manual> repeatedly to step to the desired channel (there's only
30 of them!).
Entry:
-----
To Enter a frequency:
<manual> <X> <X> <X> <.> <X> <X> <X> <enter> <X> <X>
To enter 162.55MHz in ch 5, press
<manual> 1 6 2 . 5 5 <enter> 0 5
Channels below 10 must be preceded with a "0"
Lockout:
-------
To lock/unlock-out a channel, IT MUST BE IN SCAN MODE! Enter in
the channel number to lock out (it toggles).
To lock/unlock channel 20 press:
<scan> 2 0
To lock/unlock channel 1 press:
<scan> 0 1
Search:
-------
To search a range of frequencies, enter:
<manual> <search prog>
1 6 2 . 4 <enter> <lower> (the "1" key)
1 6 2 . 6 <enter> <upper> (the "2" key)
<search scan>
Press <search scan> to continue scanning if a undesired signal is
received.
Note: The scan limits are very loose. It's sensitivity is only
rated for the normal operating bands (Low, High & UHF). You can
program it to scan/receive down to 1MHz, or as high as 819.99MHz,
but it generally craps out below 28MHz and above 530MHz (this is
*not* an 800 MHz scanner). If the PLL cannot achieve lock, it
displays "error". Reception drops off near the edges. Just
because it "locks" does not mean it can receive!
The useful range on mine seems to be:
28MHz-53MHz
136MHz-185MHz
400MHz-530MHz
Misc. info:
-----------
If you goof-up while entering a frequency, press <manual> to back
out.
Pressing <delay> (the "." button) toggles between hold and delay
modes.
Pressing <speed> during a scan slows the scan speed.
The keypad only lights up in the "night" mode.
Beep Mod:
----------
By now, you have probably noticed that this unit has an
obnoxiously loud beep. It just requires a resistor to be added to
quiet it down.
Place a resistor (500 to 2K ohm), or a 10K pot, across R177. R177
is a 22K resistor (red-red-orange-gold) located at the front of
the PCB, under the keyboard flex cable, next to Q114. Solder the
new resistor to the pads on the underside of the board. You do
not have to remove the original resistor. The lower the value
resistor, the lower the "beep" volume. I am using a 220 ohm for a
very quiet "peep".
Detector output:
----------------
The detector output is pin 10 of the 18-pin "600-565-1" chip, or
the orange "D" jumper wire next to it. (BTW: It's really a
Motorola MC3359). The node is fairly sensitive to loading.
IF frequencies:
---------------
1st: 10.7MHz High side
2nd: 455KHz (10.245MHz 2nd LO)
Power Requirements:
-------------------
AC Adapter: 12VAC 0.8A wall-wart - 2.1mm Coaxial jack.
DC Input: 10-15VDC - 0.25" male spade ("fast-on")
Typical Currents @ 12VDC (scanning / open sqlch-full vol)
Day mode: 300mA/500mA
Night Mode 375mA/575mA
Display Off 280mA/480mA
Comments:
---------
It is a decent little radio: good selectivity and it has a
"helluva" set of lungs (a 4" speaker and a 2W LM380 amp). BUT, it
does cause interference to other radios (especially SW), as well
as to itself, and the squelch needs a little more hysteresis (I
have not investigated that yet).
An external antenna is highly recommended. A "back-of-the-set"
antenna will pick up it's own radiated noise. Most of the noise
is processor generated and is radiated by the keypad.
----
END
Cheers,
Paul Grohe
---------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Grohe National Semiconductor Corp.
Sr. Electronics Technician 2900 Semiconductor Drive
Standard Products Apps Group Mail Stop C2693
gr...@galaxy.nsc.com Santa Clara, CA. 95052-8090 USA
(408) 721-7389 Tel (408) 721-2513 Fax
----------------------------------------------------------------
Charlie Warfield, Jr.
Brian Krull wrote:
>
> I have a couple questions...
>
> First off, I have a PRO-2006 scanner, what are the best mods for this
> unit? It already has 800mhz enabled, and a gee-wiz mod(which dosen't
> work properly, by the way) Any other good things I can do to it? Also,
> what's a good all around antenna to use?
>
> Second, I have several Regency MX3000 40 channel scanners. Any mods out
> there for these units? What are they worth? I would be willing to sell
> several, if anyone is interested...
For your 2006, get the "Scanner Modification Handbook, Vol. 2" by, who
else, Bill Cheek (CRB Research, 1991). I don't know if it's still in
print or not, but if it isn't, I'm sure someone on this newsgroup will
sell you one, or you can scour the swapmeets.
There is a "Volume 1" in the series, but most of the mods in that book
are for the PRO2004/2005, and not all of them can be applied to the
2006. Neither book offers anything for Regency MX3000.
Peace,
Charlie