Looking for analog trunking scanner

[toddwilburn]

Hello all,
I am looking for an analog trunking scanner and I hope I can get some advice.

I am a volunteer fire fighter. The department has switched to an 800 Mhz analog trunking system from VHF. The only pager I have is a digital pager so I cant hear the dispatches any more. Its nice to have the address sent to me but I like to hear the dispatch and who is responding.

Its nice to see that there is more than 1 option in the market now. I have been looking at 3 radios. Uniden 246T, GRE PSR-300 and Radio Shacks line up.

The prices are close to the same so thats not a factor. The biggest thing is I don't have any direct experience with these models. Is there one that stands out? I am looking for portability and durability. I plan to get some programming software but I cant decide on which one.

I have been looking around RR and I hope this forum will put things into perspective.

Thanks,
Todd- N7ZWQ

 

[br0adband]

The Radio Shack scanners are made by <drumroll please> Uniden and GRE so, either way your money goes to Uniden or GRE in the long run.

Personally, I think the 246T is the coolest little scanner made in the past 2 decades, but that's just me. Before that the Pro-43 was and still is my all-time favorite scanner for many reasons. But nowadays, the 246T just kicks butt all across the place in my opinion.

It would make a most excellent analog only trunking scanner.

If you require extended coverage, the now discontinued BR-330T would be the one to choose. But I'm particular to the 246T for several reasons, the primary one being it's rather diminutive size and form factor. Runs a long time on AA batteries, has great sound quality, programmable and controllable by PC - ARC246 is excellent software - and a few others.

A 246T would be a great scanner for you, definitely.

Good luck...

 

[Pyr8]

246 all the way!

I have had a few of them over the years and i keep coming back to them for portability and reliability!!!

 

[Grog]

You could always pickup a cheap used scanner too. I think I sold my pro93 for $60, and it would do as well as any of the non-digital scanners while tracking an analog 800mhz system.


As someone who uses a pro97 and a 246t everyday, I think the pro97 wins all the way.

 

[LEH]

Todd,

If you want to look at side by side photos of the PRO96 (the digital brother of the PRO97) and the BC396T (the more or less digital brother of the 246), take a look here.

The 396 is slightly larger and with squarer lines than the 246, but you can at least get an idea of relative size. Audio wise, the 97 (if it sounds like the 96) is better, but size and convienience the 246 wins. It only requires two AA (the 396 takes three, the 96/97 four and some other older RS scanners take six).

Find a short stubby antenna like the Diamond RH-3, which is good for 800 and UHF, but very weak below that; and you have a very handy (pun intended) hand held.

 

[K4ASJ]

The RS pro-528 is a good analog trunking scanner. I have one and i have been pleased with it so far. Here is a link for more info on the pro 528. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2466254&cp=&sr=1&origkw=Pro-528&kw=pro-528&parentPage=search

 

[n2mdk]

As my signature shows I own both the Pro-97 and the BC246T, both are good radios. There are a couple of things that might help you choose, do you need portability, the Pro-97 is much bigger and heavier (4 AA cells vs 2) than the 246, the PSR-300 is an updated Pro-97.
The other thing is the specter of rebanding, knowing what system and the actual frequencies will help here if they are now above 862 it's likely they will need to be moved (not a real problem) or rebanded (a bigger problem). The 246 and 300 have user upgradeable firmware so there is a chance that when ture rebanding happens the scanner will be able to track Motorola systems that get changed channel numbering and spacing (rebanded).

 

[ryangassxx]

Get the PSR-300,... You WONT be disappointed with it. Not many people own one of those yet because their brand new, so you wont hear many people recommending them.. I'm one of the few people who got one, and they are top notch... It is essentially the Pro-97 with none of the issues of the Pro-97, if that makes any sense.. They added some new features as well including a signal strength meter, the ability to upgrade the firmware, 700Mhz coverage, and some new search bank categories. They also improved the "signal stalker" feature but on the 300 it is now called the "spectrum sweeper".

Get the 300..