PRO2004.12

     The PRO-2004 squelch control has a bit  too  much  hys-
     teresis,  a  trait  inherited from its ancestors.  It's
     like having too much play in a car's steering wheel, or
     backlash  in a gear set.  This hysteresis forces one to
     keep the squelch at a tighter setting,  missing  weaker
     signals when scanning or searching.  The Bearcat 800XLT
     has this trait also,  but  the  fix  is  simple.   I've
     successfully  eliminated  this  problem  completely  by
     replacing  a  single resistor on the 800XLT, as well as
     the PRO-2002, PRO-2003, and PRO-24 scanners.


                     Mechanical Construction

     The PRO-2004 is heavy.   It  is  enclosed  in  a  metal
     cabinet,  but  has  a  plastic  front panel.  If one is
     going to pay $400, one deserves to own some metal.  The
     entirely  plastic  cabinet of the older PRO2003 allowed
     wideband noise to radiate out of the scanner  and  into
     nearby shortwave receivers.

     There is a single BNC antenna connector on the rear  of
     the  PRO-2004, and a single telescoping antenna is sup-
     plied.  This  differs  from  the  800XLT  which  has  2
     "Motorola  type"  antenna  connectors, one reserved for
     the 800 MHz band.

     Internal construction is excellent.   Most  stages  are
     completely  enclosed  in  their own individual shielded
     boxes.  Interstage shielding is  very  important  in  a
     wide   band  receiver,  to  prevent  it  from  "hearing
     itself", an  undesirable  phenomena  which  results  in
     "birdies".2 The shielding is much better  in  the  PRO-
     2004 than in the 800XLT, which uses no shielding around
     the 800 MHz converter stage, and probably accounts  for
     some of the birdies in the Bearcat.

     Frequencies and other indicators  are  displayed  on  a
     backlit  LCD  (liquid  crystal  display) panel, and the
     level of backlighting can be  dimmed  by  a  pushbutton
     switch.

     The flat membrane  keyboard  has  a  nice  feel.   Only
     slight  pressure  is  required  for  actuation, and key
     depressions are confirmed by a mild "beep" audio tone.

     The PRO-2004 might be too large to fit under the  dash-
     board  of compact cars.  Although it can be operated on
     12 VDC,  neither  a  mobile  power  cord  nor  mounting
     bracket  are  provided.  These items were included with
     earlier Radio Shack models.  The AC power cord  is  not
     detachable,  and would have to be bundled up to keep it
     out of the way in a mobile installation.