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hobby. The first thing you’ll need to do is install batteries in
the scanner. Then you need to connect the included
antenna to the scanner. See “Installing and Replacing
Batteries” on Page 10/11 and “Connecting the Antenna” on
Page 12 if you need any help doing this.
Understanding Scanning
This section provides you with background on how scanning
works. You don’t really need to know all of this to use your
scanner, but some background knowledge will help you get
the most from your AE30H.
What is Scanning?
Unlike standard AM or FM radio stations, most two-way
communications do not transmit continuously. Your AE30H
scans programmed channels until it finds an active
frequency, then stops on that frequency and remains on that
channel as long as the transmission continues. When the
transmission ends, the scanning cycle resumes until the
scanner receives another transmission.
What is Searching?
The AE30H can search for active frequencies. This is
different from scanning because you are searching for
frequencies that have not been programmed into the
scanner. When you select frequency bands to search, the
scanner searches for any active frequency within the lower
and upper limits you specify. When the scanner finds an
active frequency, it stops on that frequency as long as the
transmission lasts. If you think the frequency is interesting,
you can program it into one of the banks. If not, you can
continue to search.
Conventional Scanning
Conventional scanning is a relatively simple concept. Each
group of users in a conventional system is assigned a single
frequency (for simplex systems) or two frequencies (for
repeater systems). Any time one of them transmits, their
transmission always goes out on the same frequency. Up
until the late 1980’s this was the primary way that radio
systems operated.
Even today, there are many 2-way radio users who operate
using a conventional system:
• Aircraft
• Amateur radio
• PMR users
• Broadcast AM/FM/TV stations
• Many business radio users
When you want to store a conventional system, all you need
to know is the frequencies they operate on. When you are
scanning a conventional system, the scanner stops very
briefly on each channel to see if there is activity. If there isn’t,
