Pardon my use of CAPS below. It's easier to accentuate things.
There are (now) THREE cables for the Radio Shack Scanners.
1 - 20-048 BLACK cable and has 9 pin computer connector on one end and a STEREO 1/8 plug on the radio end.
2 - 20-289 GRAYISH in color and has 9 pin computer connector on one end and a MONO 1/8 plug on the radio end.
3 - 20-047 ORANGE plastic device with a USB connector on the computer end and a STEREO Plug on the radio end. It also comes with a DRIVER on CD and a 3" STEREO to MONO adaptor.
Presumably, the ORANGE "All-In-One" cable will be replacing the first two, and the others will be phased out as stocks are depleted.
This is a "cut/paste" from our Scancat-Lite info page
===========================================
JUST BECOMING AVAILABLE
20-047 USB/PROGRAMMING CABLE
REPLACES cable for all Radio Shack scanners
that use the 20-048 OR 20-289 cables
PLEASE NOTE: WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS ALL
CURRENT RADIO SHACK SCANNERS USE A
MONO JACK ON THE RADIO. THIS REQUIRES
THAT YOU USE THE MONO ADAPTOR SUPPLIED
WITH THIS NEW USB-TO=SERIAL ADAPTOR
ALL RADIOS IN ABOVE LISTING THAT USE
#3 CABLE MUST USE THE MONO ADAPTOR
BASICALLY ONLY RADIOS THAT USE THE HEADPHONE
JACK AS A DATA INPUT WILL USE THE DEFAULT
STEREO PLUG THAT IS ON THE UNIT.
===========================================
Almost EVERY scanner that RS is CURRENTLY selling uses the PC/IF Side Jack and that jack is a MONO jack. SO it requires a MONO Plug. YOU MUST USE THE STEREO TO MONO ADAPTOR SUPPLIED IN THE PACKAGE, or you will not be able to program your scanner.
When using software, the basic difference is.... The GREYISH cable does NOT put the Scanner into Clone Mode when plugged in. The ORANGE Cable DOES.
Using the GREY cable with Scancat Lite means:
WHEN you choose to LOAD or READ the radio,
a voltage that becomes present on the cable
causes the radio to go into CLONE mode,
and not before.
Using the ORANGE Cable with Scancat Lite means:
The Scanner goes into clone when the cable is plugged in
and then when you choose to LOAD or READ the radio
You will see LEDs inside the orange case flicker:
GREEN for data FROM the radio
RED for date TO the radio.
NO Flicker usually indicates you have not picked the correct COMM PORT.
We do not have a lot of experience with these yet, but the DRIVER disk must be in the computer's drive when you plug in this device for the first time. There will be the usually little gray box saying "Unknown hardware... etc etc", and when it asks for where the driver is, you point it to the DRIVER FOLDER on the CD. Then it installs the driver and sets up the "Serial Port". (two different installation boxes)
We have comm port selections up to 16 in our current version. Using our "Detect ComPort" button on the menu for selecting the radio, it will tell you what serial ports are on your computer "that are not in use". NORMALLY, the highest one will be the USB-Serial device, but not always. So if that doesn't "connect", go through all the possible choices one at a time and you will find the right one.
CONFUSED YET?????
Jim Springer
The scanner goes into clone mode shortly after you start sending data to it.
Several of the RS scanners are that way.
----- Original Message -----
From: "thegadgetmaker" <thegadgetmaker@yahoo.com>
To: <Scancat@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 05 April, 2006 00:03
Subject: [Scancat] Scancat help for a beginner with a Pro-99
> Howdy, I recently purchased the Scancat Lite software and am trying to
> figure it all out. I sat down tonight with my scanner, the 20-289
> cable and my computer, but I cannot get my scanner to go into "clone"
> mode. I have the cable attached to the serial port and I have tried
> every combination of scanner on, scanner off, reboot with the scanner
> on/off, opening the program with it on/off etc but cant get anything.
> Reading in the manual it sounds like as soon as you plug the cable in
> it should say "cloning mode" but thats not happening.
>
> Any thoughts/suggestions?
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