IWN encryption, rebanding - new scanner purchase

[nedediah]

Hello... new forum member here. I'll be buying a scanner in a few days and I've narrowed my choices down to:

Pro-96 or BCD396T - or
Pro-97 or BC246T


The biggest question I have is: how accessible are the Justice/DHS IWN P25 networks? Some reports show technician activity but other things I've read indicate that these will be completely encrypted in the near future.

My other concern is rebanding. It appears that Uniden offers better firmware support in general and this site shows that a Pro-97 offers no rebanding whatsoever. Should I be that concerned about this?

At this point I'm leaning towards the BC246T. The price makes it the most appealing - $200 range vs $500 range. It seems up to the task of monitoring newer trunked systems but lacks P25 which might not be very useful in any case. It also does LTR trunking which seems to be useful based on frequencies in my area (Cowlitz, WA). Years ago I had quite a bit of fun with a Pro-34 but pretty much consider myself a noobie and will be starting from scratch.

Any input would be mucho appreciated. Thanks!

 

[SAR923]

It's going to be a long time before IWIN becomes an active system in your area. They are concentrating on the southern border and I would guess you're looking at least 10 years before you see any significant use being not right on the Canadian border. The IWIN traffic I heard while in Arizona was a combination of clear and encrypted, with most interdiction operations being encrypted and admin traffic in the clear.

The only interesting (to me) LTR system in your area is the state DOT, which uses LTR Multinet. This cannot be trunk tracked by any scanner on the market today although it's often possible to listen in conventional mode as long as the system isn't too busy. You won't have any talk group information but you can usually figure out what's going on by locations, street names, etc.

There is one Mot Type II system in your county that is subject to rebanding. From the latest I've read, Washington should be rebanded sometime in late 2008 or early 2009. This date has slipped several times so I wouldn't be surprised to see it change again.

While RS hasn't announced any support for rebanding with the Pro-97, that doesn't mean they won't provide any as rebanding becomes more common. As far as I know, although the 246T can be firmware upgraded, I haven't read a definitive statement by Uniden that will provide the firmware for the 246T nor how much it will cost.

If your budget will stand it, getting one of the digital models is the way to go since more and more agencies will inevitably switch to digital. OTOH, most of your area is conventional and the switch to trunking, let alone digital trunking, may be very slow. If you really want to listen to the trackable business-use LTR systems, that leaves the Pro-96 out but I find most of those LTR system boring.

If you don't want to go digital now, either the Pro-97 or the 246T are good choices. The 246T does not cover the military air band and the 97 does. Other than that, the main difference is how the 246T handles "channels" compared to the 97. The 246T using dynamic memory allocation and the 97 uses traditional channels and banks. Some people hate or love both types of handling memory but the concept of dynamic memory will take some getting used to. Both scanners will need you to pay about $30 for good programming software. You can program conventional frequencies easily by hand but programming any trunked system is much easier using software.

I'd go for the 246T if I could get it for less than $200. Otherwise, you can get the 97 for $150 at any RS now and frequently for less on e-bay. I consider either of these radios as potential secondary radios once you go digital for conventional and air frequencies. Since the 97 covers military air, that would be my choice. If military isn't important to you, the 246T is probably your best choice.

 

[nedediah]

Jim, thanks a lot for the reply.

My research continues to steer me toward the 246T. Considering my intentions and experience level it looks like the best choice. If I'm not satisfied with it I can always make the jump to digital later as it appears that the resale value of scanners (as compared to most electronics) seems to hold up well.

The Pro-97 also looks intriguing at $150. I checked radioshack.com and the price shows at $199 but that might change at the store or perhaps I could wait for sale. I ran a search at fatwallet.com and it was recently on sale for $150 but that deal appears to have passed. They also had a 30% friends and family discount offered which brought it down to $106. What a deal! Then again, I'd have to befriend someone at Radio Shack *shiver*. LOL, just kidding.

As far as features go, MIL isn't a priority for me. The dynamic memory of the 246T seems more useful overall and seems straight forward enough after scanning through the "easier to read" online manual. A real plus is the relatively small size of the Uniden. And finally there is the certainty of upgrading for rebanding.

So at this point either the 97 and 246 are on my horizon. Hopefully I'll have a chance to fondle the 97 at my local radio shack tomorrow. If the price is low enough I might just jump but the 246 looks like the unit for me.

Thanks again for your thoughtful response- it's been very helpful.

 

[nexus]

If you get the 246 make sure you carry plenty of batteries with you. I bought a 246t last year and have only used it a dozen or so times because the damn thing sucks batteries dry. I'm currently using 2500mah NiMH batteries made by Energizer in my 246 and I usually get about 3 hours of use on a full charge before the low battery warning cuts on.

I've also tried non-rechargeable batteries and get the same effect. Roughly I get about 2 1/2 to 3 hours of usage per set of batteries on my 246t. The unit takes 2 AA batteries. I went back to mostly using my Radio Shack PRO95 which holds 4 AA's and it'll last like 12 hours on a single charge.