Really frustrated pro-2096 owner

[HarleymanMike]

First off, I live in Omaha, NE. Second off, I am an absolute newbie to this digital stuff.
I purchased a used 2096 for $100.00 and thought I got a good deal. It seemed to work just fine for county public safety and various other channels. The problem; I also wanted to receive the Omaha Police and Fire frequencies, as well. I called RS, they referred me to a gentleman that would "update" my unit. He hooked it to his laptop and did his thing (I'm an idiot, so I can't tell you exactly what he did). To make a long story short, the scanner stops on the frequencies, but the speech is un-understandably choppy, what little there is. He said it should be hopping with activity. Anyways, he seems to think that maybe the decoder is bad. I took it to RS, and even after telling them I was willing to pay for the repairs and put a deposit down, they refused to send it in for inspection and/or repair. They said it had to be under warranty to do this. So finally, here is my question; Is there anybody in my area that can check this out and fix it, or did I just waste my money? Any help would be appreciated greatly.

[KC5EIB]

Originally Posted by HarleymanMike

They said it had to be under warranty to do this. So finally, here is my question; Is there anybody in my area that can check this out and fix it, or did I just waste my money? Any help would be appreciated greatly.

All company owned Radio Shack's should accept items for repair, even out of warranty. There will be a $20 charge to have the service center look at the radio.

[mayidunk]

I just had my 2096 serviced by RadioShack. Take it back, and ask for the manager. If the manager can't help you, call the district manager, lodge a complaint, and then try a different RadioShack store in your area.

[HarleymanMike]

Okay, thanks for the info. I have been to RS twice and both "kids" told me the same thing. I will go back and find out if it is a company store, and if so, will speak with either the manager or the district manager and see if I can get any results. Will keep y'all posted. Again, thanks!

[N8IAA]

Great deal on the 96. Unfortunately, it sounds like the reason most people have the 106 now. The 96 does not decode the P-25 digital signal as good as it should. Also, if you've never listened to a digital trunked system before, it sounds way different than the old analog trunked systems. Sorry I can't give a really in depth account of why the 96 doesn't decode as good as the 106.
HTH,
Larry

[HarleymanMike]

Well, the gentleman that looked at it here did say the decoder may be out. Can a new decoder be installed? Maybe a better decoder? Thnx, Mike

[Thayne]

Before you send it in I would try to find someone that is familiar with what you are listening to that sounds so bad.
Those 2096's are very good, and you did not get ripped off at $100. What specifically are you trying to monitor? That radio can work very well on all but the newest P25 stuff, especially if you are not using it mobile and can tailor the programming for exactly where you are & what you want.

[RoninJoliet]

I have a RS2096 with origial firmware, it decodes the 800 P25 digital towers here on the IL-StarcomDigital 700/800 system...Maybe you should tell him to go back to the original CPU-DSP....

[HarleymanMike]

I specifically want to monitor the Omaha, NE police and fire bands. Now I don't know diddly about p-25 or anything else for that matter. I don't even know if Omaha uses p-25 or not. I am completely in the dark on this scanner stuff.

[HarleymanMike]

Is there anybody in the Omaha area that could possibly help me?

[avsfan33]

All Douglas county public safety is on a P25 trunking system. It is a simulcast system, uses same frequency on multiple tower sites. Due to the nature of the system and how it was built the audio can be very choppy in certain location within the county on a scanner.
Look at the frequencies in the scanner make sure they match the Douglas county simulcast site that is in the database.
I don't know how the 2096 is programmed, never used or owned one.
You could take it to Randy's cb shop in Irvington. He knows someone who can look it over make sure the programming is correct and possibly do some adjustments.

[mikeoz]

This radio does not work well on the Omaha simulcast system. I personally owned two pro96 radios (same radio but handheld) and have sold them because of this reason. In the last firmware release was DSP 1.4 which helps.

[W9NES]

HarleymanMike, I own (3) Radio Shack pro-2096's that I use in my Communications Center.Sounds like to update was not done the right way.Radio Shack no longer programs scanners including the Pro-2096.Please send me a pm and I can send you a telephone number along with a name of a supervisor at Radio Shack in Repair in Dallas/Ft.Worth and she will take very great care of you. I have had a Pro-2096 Repaired by RS and at my request the software was updated while it was being repaired.If you have any further questions please feel free to send me a pm and I will answer your questions.Hope this helps.

[HarleymanMike]

Avsfan33...thanx for the info, I forgot about Randy's cb shop. I will get in touch with them about this.
W9NES (Tim)...Thanx for the help. Will pm you after I talk with Randy's, if I have a problem.
To everybody else... Thank You, thank you, thank you!! Y'all have been very informative and helpful. It is good to know there are people out there that are willing to help somebody, not for the dollar but for the love of their hobby and/or profession. My hat is off to all who has given me their time to try to get this figured out. Salute!
Mike

[W0JJK]

What type antenna are you using? A outside directional antenna pointed towards one of the seven sites helps to deal with the simulcast issues.

[HarleymanMike]

W0JJK - Just the plug in back telescoping antenna. Also tried the 800 mhz rubber type too. I do know I need an outdoor one though and will be shopping if I can get things worked out.

[mule1075]

Originally Posted by W9NES

HarleymanMike, I own (3) Radio Shack pro-2096's that I use in my Communications Center.Sounds like to update was not done the right way.Radio Shack no longer programs scanners including the Pro-2096.Please send me a pm and I can send you a telephone number along with a name of a supervisor at Radio Shack in Repair in Dallas/Ft.Worth and she will take very great care of you. I have had a Pro-2096 Repaired by RS and at my request the software was updated while it was being repaired.If you have any further questions please feel free to send me a pm and I will answer your questions.Hope this helps.

Radio Shack no longer programs scanners including the Pro-2096.Maybe not in your area but they do still program everything from the 96/2096 and up at my local shack or i should say they try to get it done.Now back on topic.

[miked2000]

Did you give Randy a try? Did you get things fixed?