Common Questions & Troubleshooting

Summary: Answers to the questions that come up most often – the “Nothing to Scan” message, the recommended squelch setting, audio cutting out every few seconds, which batteries to use, and why the stock antenna is worth replacing.

“Nothing to Scan” / “Nothing to Srch”

This means every bank is currently switched off, or, if you’ve only just started, that no channel has a frequency in it yet.

• If you haven’t programmed anything yet, see Programming Channels Manually – at least one channel needs a frequency before there’s anything to scan.
• If you have programmed channels but still see this, press one of the bank number keys (0-9 for channel banks, 1-7 for service search, 0-9 for custom search) to switch a bank back on. At least one bank always has to stay enabled – it’s easy to accidentally switch them all off while flicking through banks to isolate one.

Recommended Squelch Setting

There’s no single correct squelch level – it depends on your location and antenna – but a good starting point is around 2, then adjust from there to suit your own reception. Squelch set too high is a common reason people think a channel is dead when it isn’t: it raises the signal strength needed before the scanner will open up, so weaker stations – or sometimes any station at all – never get through. If you’re not hearing anything on frequencies you know should be active, try turning squelch down a notch or two before assuming there’s a problem elsewhere.

Audio Cutting Out Every Few Seconds

If a transmission you’re listening to keeps briefly dropping out every couple of seconds, look for a C in the display – that confirms Close Call is running in the background, and it’s almost always the cause. In Close Call Pri mode, the scanner checks for a Close Call hit every 2 seconds regardless of what you’re currently listening to, which is what causes the brief interruption.

Two ways to fix it, both in the Close Call RF Capture menu:

• Switch to Close Call DND instead, which only checks between transmissions rather than interrupting one in progress.
• Turn Close Call off entirely if you don’t need it.

Which Batteries to Use

The scanner ships with two AA Ni-MH rechargeables, but plenty of long-term owners switch to their own – IKEA’s LADDA AA cells are a popular, inexpensive choice and work fine once the battery-type switch inside the compartment is set to Ni-MH. Ordinary alkaline batteries work too, but drain noticeably faster under a scanner’s constant listening and scanning load, so rechargeables are generally the better choice if you use the scanner regularly.

Charge Batteries Externally, Not in the Scanner

The scanner can charge Ni-MH batteries itself over USB, but two things trip people up. First, it only charges while switched off – if it’s plugged in and running (say, powered from USB while you listen), it isn’t charging at all, no matter how long it’s connected. Second, its charging timer is a fixed countdown rather than a true charge-complete detector, so if the timer doesn’t match the batteries actually fitted, it can stop well before they’re full. Between the two, this covers most reports of “I left it on charge all night and it’s still not charged” – a separate external Ni-MH charger is more reliable, doesn’t tie up the scanner while it charges, and is the recommended way to charge your batteries rather than using the scanner’s own built-in charger.

The Stock Antenna Is Worth Replacing

The rubber antenna in the box is a compromise across the scanner’s entire frequency range rather than being particularly good at any one part of it. Swapping it for something matched to what you actually listen to makes a real difference:

• A dedicated airband antenna if aircraft is your main interest.
• A 2m/70cm (VHF/UHF amateur) antenna if you’re mostly on ham radio or PMR.

Pick based on your own area of interest rather than a single “best” antenna – but whichever you choose, connecting a proper external antenna will improve reception over the stock one in virtually every case.