Cook County Question...

wv_mountaineer · #1 (**permalink**) 08-14-2009, 04:18 PM

I come to Cook County just about everyother day during the week. While I am there I listen to the scanner to kill time. My question is this, I want to know which digital scanner seems to work the best out there? I know that most if not all local police seem to use analog however the State Police & Franklin Park are digital. I just want to get the most out of my money spent. I hear a lot of good about the Radio Shack Pro 106 and the GRE PSR - 500, but then I also hear a lot of good about the Uniden BCD 396XT also. So I just thought I would ask the good people from the area which one seems to work the best for you.

Scott
Farrell, Pa.

N9JIG · #2 (**permalink**) 08-14-2009, 11:13 PM

In the area there are a couple digital systems, most notably the State's StarCom21 system. Since this uses a simulcast system it can be rough on scanners, but most reports I have read (and from my personal experience) the 396XT and 996XT seem to work best on it. The GRE's (PSR500, PSR600 and corresponding RadioShack units) work OK, but the BCD396T and BCD996T have issues with the simulcast sites.

The Cook County Sheriff also has a digital system but it is encrypted. The other large user of digital is Northwest Central Dispatch, they use a digital system that works fine on all digital scanners.

sixtytwo · #3 (**permalink**) 08-15-2009, 12:22 AM

Where in Cook county do you visit?

wv_mountaineer · #4 (**permalink**) 08-15-2009, 07:25 AM

I drive a truck back and forth from Youngstown, Oh. and deliver steel and pipe from Portage, In. to Elgin, Il. and all points in between. Anywhere between 80 - 94 and 294. I can be down in Harvey and up to Libertyville. So I cover the whole area basically speaking.

RADIOGUY2002 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-15-2009, 12:30 PM

Franklin Park are digital, Franklin Park is not Digital by no means. Their on 471.2375 (main band and id with 8000's). See the database or CARMA profiles, for Lake, Cook, etc counties you travel threw. Hell, you might even see my proc upined car on the roads you trave.

msacof · #6 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N9JIG

In the area there are a couple digital systems, most notably the State's StarCom21 system. Since this uses a simulcast system it can be rough on scanners, but most reports I have read (and from my personal experience) the 396XT and 996XT seem to work best on it. The GRE's (PSR500, PSR600 and corresponding RadioShack units) work OK, but the BCD396T and BCD996T have issues with the simulcast sites.

I have both of the 396XT as well as the Pro-106 (thanks to a forum member on this site that had a thread about the 106/197 being on sale and then me finding the ONLY new one with the 1.7 firmware in it which of course was in downtown Chicago with the highest sales taxes and wonderful parking!) But my question would be from your OWN experience is that: Do you like the 396XT better because you can load the entire ISP Starcom21 system onto the radios memory and therefore 'track' the system better OR does your sound better digitally? I like the sounds slightly better on the PRO-106 but the tracking of the 396XT for Starcom. Thanks in advance.

N9JIG · #7 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 10:00 PM

Personally I prefer the Uniden programming and operations method pretty much since I had the 396 and 996 before I got a PSR600 and PSR500, I just found the GRE's confusing, but your mileage may vary.

I also prefer the Uniden feature set, especially the GPS feature for StarCom21. Since I travel a lot around the state this has proven to be invaluable. I also love the Fire Tone Out feature so much that I bought a half dozen BC15's (effectively the same as a 996 without digital) just to use as fire monitors.

As far as using them around Chicago, the original 996T and 396T have issues with the simulcat digital modulation used on StarCom21. The GRE's handle the issue better, and now the Uniden XT's handle the simulcast as good as or better than the GRE.

msacof · #8 (**permalink**) 09-09-2009, 12:01 AM

Agree on the ease of programming with the Uniden over the RS model and the GPS/Fire Tone out can be a real good thing for those who use it. My limited experience so far shows that teh tracking of the ISP Starcom is better on the Uniden but the sounds and sensitivity are better on the PRO-106.

I spent all evening tonight testing each radio out over ISP/Chicago PD-FD/railroad/aircraft/misc county trunked and found that the RS picks up a slightly weaker signal and scans each system only once (the Uniden scans each twice) so I pick up more traffic on the RS but the Uniden is more likely to hold onto a trucked system better (less dropouts but more garbled). I DO like the smaller size of the Uniden and battery life seems slightly better/longer as well.

I just need somebody to teach/show me how to load the ENTIRE ISP StarCom system into the RS model so I can travel downstate with it and see how it does there.

Thanks for your response as well as the updated CARMA profiles which I used tonight to program my Uniden with all the control channels. Also the history of IL roads is very interesting as I am a big fan of old US-66.

scraech · #9 (**permalink**) 09-09-2009, 12:03 AM

I have a Uniden and from the factory the city of chicago is pre programed for the city just some updates are required to hear all districts. I have had problems in the past with Starcom21 untill I went to a tower and parked just under it and set the digital because I live out in the weeds. Living in McHenry County I can still pick up all the toll roads on the Elgin Dist. 120 site when I set the scan to search but when I travel to work in Lake county I have all of the site 108 programed.