Controls, Display & Turning It On

Summary: The scanner’s keypad and controls, how Function mode works, and what the icons on its display mean.

Turning It On

Press and hold the power key to switch the scanner on. Hold 1 or 2 at the same time to choose Band Plan 1 or 2 – see the Overview article for what that affects. On first use (or after a reset), the scanner starts in Scan Hold with every bank enabled; otherwise it picks up exactly where it left off when it was last switched off.

The Scroll Control

The knob on top of the scanner is used constantly – turning it changes volume, squelch, channels, and menu selections depending on what mode you’re in, and pressing it in selects whatever’s highlighted (the same as pressing Pgm/E on the keypad).

Function Mode

Many keys do a second job when combined with the Func key. Press Func and the scanner shows an F icon for three seconds – press the second key within that window to trigger its alternate function (for example, Func then Hold opens the Close Call menu, while Hold on its own just holds the current channel). If you don’t press anything else in time, it quietly drops back to normal mode.

Reading the Display

The screen shows a lot at once, but the pieces you’ll use most often are:

• Channel or frequency – what you’re currently on, plus its bank/channel number.
• Signal strength bars – how strong the current transmission is.
• P – marks a Priority channel; PRI, PRI+ show which priority mode is active.
• HOLD, TL/O or L/O – whether you’re holding, and whether the current channel or frequency is temporarily or permanently locked out.
• Battery and key-lock icons – low battery warning and whether the keypad is locked.
• A CTCSS/DCS reading, when one is programmed or detected.
• An up or down arrow showing which direction a scan or search is currently running.

You won’t see every icon at once – what’s shown depends entirely on what mode you’re in.