GRE 500 or wait for the 396XT?

USScanner · #1 (**permalink**) 11-25-2008, 11:46 PM

Looking at buying a 500 instead of waiting for the new 396 to come out. Have a few ?'s

Using priority scan is it possibly to only have trunking priority on with conv off? Is a user forced to have a priority in each system or can you have 10 system with only 1 system tg having priority? Trunking priority works by sampling the tg's active on the system & only switches if the priority is active? - without breaks in audio like tradional conv priority? Priority works on 3600 & 9600?

The 500 does not allow the user to select a tg or conv object with analog or digital like the BC996?

It sounds like the new 396 will have many of the same features of the 500, with a few small additions. Is the wait worth it? Thx!!

GTO_04 · #2 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USScanner

Looking at buying a 500 instead of waiting for the new 396 to come out. Have a few ?'s

Using priority scan is it possibly to only have trunking priority on with conv off? Is a user forced to have a priority in each system or can you have 10 system with only 1 system tg having priority? Trunking priority works by sampling the tg's active on the system & only switches if the priority is active? - without breaks in audio like tradional conv priority? Priority works on 3600 & 9600?

The 500 does not allow the user to select a tg or conv object with analog or digital like the BC996?

It sounds like the new 396 will have many of the same features of the 500, with a few small additions. Is the wait worth it? Thx!!

The 500 is good enough at digital decoding that you do not need the ability to designate TGs as digital only.
I'm sure that the 396XT will be a very good scanner, but you will have to deal with the bugs that early adopters will face, as with any other product.

I say to go for the 500. To get audio as good as the 500 will be a tall order for the 396XT given the small case size.

GTO_04

XTS3000 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 12:33 AM

I'd say there would be less bugs when the 396XT is released, as it's using the same platform as the 396T. Most of the bugs in the 396T have been ironed out, so I will be first in line to grab the new 396XT when it's released.

If the 396XT was built from the ground up (like the 396T was), I'd wait a while to see if there were any bugs, but seeing as it's a "polished" 396T, what is there to be concerned about?

usswood · #4 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 04:55 AM

I just got my 500, I wouldn't wait...having 2 much fun with this thing...I luv it!!!

keithb · #5 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 08:54 AM

I've had my 500 since September. Couldn't be more satified with a scanner. No problems at all. It has a VERY sensitive receiver and does an excellent job of decoding the P25 systems. I have been a loyal Bearcat/Uniden scanner user for years (my first was a Bearcat III with a VHF-lo and VHF-hi cards) But I decided to go with the PSR 500 this time based largely on the reviews here on RR by other users. I think it was a good choice. I use WIN500 for programming which aslo has some nice features and is simple to use.

KE4ZNR · #6 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XTS3000

I'd say there would be less bugs when the 396XT is released, as it's using the same platform as the 396T. Most of the bugs in the 396T have been ironed out, so I will be first in line to grab the new 396XT when it's released.

If the 396XT was built from the ground up (like the 396T was), I'd wait a while to see if there were any bugs, but seeing as it's a "polished" 396T, what is there to be concerned about?

There is the reasoned answer folks...Uniden has beta testers that beta test radios for them so that most of the bugs are ironed out before release...the 396xt is no different and I think you will find that it is a stable (and great) radio upon release...of course you posted this in the GRE forum so do expect to get biased opinions...I own GRE rigs they do a good job however I know that the 396xt will be a great rig and one that many will add to their collection...
Happy Monitoring!
Marshall KE4ZNR

mtindor · #7 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 11:27 AM

I still think the main factor one needs to consider with a GRE is sensitivity.

The GRE is extremely sensitive - This is great for pulling in the weak signals.

HOWEVER - If you live in an area where you have a lot of high power and/or close proximity VHF transmitters (such as FM radio stations, TV stations, paging transmitters on 152/158 mhz) _and_ you plan on listening to a lot of VHF, you may become disappointed when your PSR-500 suffers from strong signal overload and intermod.

Just a caveat to be aware of. Even after having my PSR for approximately 10 months, I wouldn't give it up - But, VHF listening for me is totally useless... even low-band VHF is pretty trashy. If you want to monitor those bands you should think before you buy.

Mike

W2SJW · #8 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 06:12 PM

I'll agree with the above statement whole-heartedly. I was down in MD for two days working with a co-worker. I stayed in a hotel near BWI, and managed to get the girl to give me the 4th. floor (I'm thinking multiple-county system reception at that point

).

When I got settled into my room, I was quickly dismayed to see a large amount of intermod close to the hotel, basically wiping out reception on 800 MHz. It wouldn't lock on to any of the P25 systems in the area south of Baltimore, and when I was able to get it to receive anything on BaltCo or Anne Arundel's systems, what I heard over the speaker sounded like the pulsing tick of a GSM cell phone signal (only 10x stronger).

There was some conventional P25 on 453 MHz that I heard, and I am proud to admit that even with all that RFI, I did not hear a single situation of motorboating...

rheroff · #9 (**permalink**) 11-26-2008, 09:30 PM

It is my understanding that gre 500 and the pro106, the latest from Radio Shack have EXACTLY the same guts inside, the only difference is the outside. Is this a true statement? Please let me know.
Ron

snjct2000 · #10 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 09:39 AM

That is a true statement about guts.

torontokris · #11 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 02:02 PM

If you want great digital decode, up to 1800 objects at a time, true multi site go with the 500

if you want a small form factor (almost half the size of the 500), different backlight colours, up to 6000 channels at one time, GPS compatible go with the 396XT

pdfdems286 · #12 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 02:09 PM

if you can afford it,go with both the 500 and 396xt.destined to become 2 of the greatest handhelds.

W2SJW · #13 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 03:13 PM

I'm willing to give up unit-ID's to get back the sub-group breakdown per system that the 396 series has (you can come up with some awesome alpha-tags that way).

I will not be an early-adopter with the XT. I'm going to wait at least a month or two to see how well the unit's new 'full auto' P25 decoding plays out. I've also got to do a little more research on how the multi-site is going to work...

torontokris · #14 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 04:05 PM

always good advice not to be an early adapter as prices are normally the highest when it first comes out (although the pro-106 and RS sale sorta killed that theory)

The multi site will be like the 996 does now...

Eng74 · #15 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torontokris

always good advice not to be an early adapter as prices are normally the highest when it first comes out (although the pro-106 and RS sale sorta killed that theory)

The multi site will be like the 996 does now...

The 106 is just a new cover on the GRE PSR-500 which had been out for a year already so they had everything taken care of.

W2SJW · #16 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torontokris

always good advice not to be an early adapter as prices are normally the highest when it first comes out (although the pro-106 and RS sale sorta killed that theory)

The multi site will be like the 996 does now...

Lemmie guess - it only operates like the 500/600's multi-site 'stationary' mode, right?

I have the Burlington County, NJ system set up with all active sites programmed in one giant TSYS object. I have the unit set for mutli-site roam & all active known talkgroups in a single scan list. I used the modified hi/lo settings mentioned elsewhere here on the board, and the damn thing works like a charm!

It usually seems to lock on to the zone I'm in when driving. If it locks on to a border site first, there is so much cross-site multicasting on that system, it really doesn't matter...

I'm currently thinking about doing the same with the NJSP systems. The only problem with that is I live in the shadow of the Cherryville site, and get Troops B & C equally from that tower.

eyes00only · #17 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 07:15 PM

I've only been in the hobby for about 30 years, but I would agree with the majority of the answers here and recommend the PSR500.

JK

KE4ZNR · #18 (**permalink**) 11-27-2008, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torontokris

If you want great digital decode, up to 1800 objects at a time, true multi site go with the 500

if you want a small form factor (almost half the size of the 500), different backlight colours, up to 6000 channels at one time, GPS compatible go with the 396XT

Correction: The 396xt has memory space for up to 25,000 total channels and it does have true multi site trunking.
Marshall KE4ZNR

kikito · #19 (**permalink**) 11-28-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KE4ZNR

Correction: The 396xt has memory space for up to 25,000 total channels and it does have true multi site trunking.
Marshall KE4ZNR

From what's been discussed and confirmed by Paul O. in the Yahoo list, the 396XT will NOT have "true" Multi-Site trunking. It has the same capability as the 996T in that you can have multiple CCs assign to the same list of TGs without having to duplicate a whole bunch of systems, which is great.

However, for me the better definition of Multi-Site is the way the latest GREs do it, even when you pause on a TG, the scanner will keep trunktracking all the programmed CCs looking for that TG.

W2SJW · #20 (**permalink**) 11-28-2008, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kikito

However, for me the better definition of Multi-Site is the way the latest GREs do it, even when you pause on a TG, the scanner will keep trunktracking all the programmed CCs looking for that TG.

Now that is sweet - I just went ahead and did what I mentioned in one of the previous posts, I put all 3 NJSP troops into a single multi-site TSYS. Here at the computer desk, the unit was happiest with the signal level from Troop C, and was pulling most of the traffic from there (even the Troop B TGID's that are simulcast).

The big test was to manually set it to a TGID that's almost never simulacast on 'C' (2-COMM dispatch up north). The scanner found traffic on the Troop B control channels for that TGRP object & switched right to it!

I'm going to be saving quite a bit of space in my first V-folder doing it this way...