Cant Decide and Hi All Im New

[KB3SKU]

Ok first off im not sure if this is the right place or not so please forgive.

Hello all im pretty much New/Old to scanners,i haven't gotten a new scanner in many years. Now that im looking its hard to choose cause scanners got alot more advanced lol,

Right now im looking at these scanners and im not sure what to get,i mean what one is the better one. i plan to use it only in the home and i want to listen to Police,Fire and EMS mainly.

I cant afford a scanner that has Digital at the moment. Plus cant go over $300.

These are the scanners i cant decide on:

Uniden Bearcat BCT15X Scanner BCT-15X

and

GRE PSR-400 Scanner Radio Receiver, PSR400

Curious will one of those last me a few years? i mean where i dont have to upgrade right away?

One other thing,i hear some scanners ya can download a RadioReference.com database in them,can ya do it with one of the ones i linked?

please help me decide Thank you in advance for the help.

James/KB3SKU

73

[AlabamaRS]

If you are in NO hurry the RS 197/106 will go on sale with Friends & family coupon at the end of OCT or 1st week of November be able to get the BEST for around $ 299.99 ( reg $499.00) with digital & all the bells & whistles. I have the 197 (base/mobile) will get the 106 handeld then also .also Have a used Pro 96 hand held( digital) I will let go for $250.00

[guitarbrian30]

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania (PA) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference This is where you are correct.

As far as uniden/radio shack and GRE. I have some older models. They all do the same thing. Pick up stuff you want to hear.

Downloading into the scanner using this website. What an amazing idea to say the least. It works I use it.

If you only have $300 bones to shell out. You should look at the classified section on this website or ebay. You may find a DIGITAL scanner that is used and in still running condition. Something to think about. That will keep you from being behind the ball when your city or area updates the system.

[Trekker65]

You are certainly on the right track with the two choices mentioned. Those should meet the needs that you mentioned in your post. Myself, I like the Uniden models due to the larger screen compared to the GRE models. The Uniden model is a feature rich radio and can be expanded with GPS easily. However, do note that the cable that comes with the radio is a serial female plug. If you do not have a serial port on your computer you may have another expense of a usb to serial converter. With the modern complexity of the new radios it is very advisable to be able to program thruough your computer. There are various programs (free and $) that will help you enjoy your new radio without all the manual programming hassels. The Uniden owners manual is on cd which helps you search for specific info but if you like something to hold in hand you have to print out at your expense. Just my 2 cents worth.
Marcus N5TTK

[FLRAILMAN]

For what it's worth I have had both scanners, I've always been a Uniden man for consumer grade scanners since time began, every once in a while I'd grab a Radio Shack scanner if one caught my eye or through the recommendation of a friend in the hobby. I'm an old-timer & the BC-15 was an excellent scanner with specs close to some of my high end scanning recievers, however the instruction manual was unbelievably complex to read & understand, not to mention the revelation that you had go on different websites to activate some advanced features on the scanner & purchase additional items to activate other advanced features which really angered me since I couldn't even deal with trunked systems at the time, I mean just forget GPS, signal stalkers, etc. etc. etc. The PSR-400 was a total disappointment as it was completely deaf on civil aviation 118.0 MHz to 136.975 MHz & adjacent channel rejection was almost totally nonexistant, so much for that. If I was savvy to the sytems these new scanners receive nowadays I would pick the BC-15 so here is my recommendation to you before making any purchase, read the user manuals for both scanners this way you can make an informed decision. The manuals are available for viewing free on their respective websites.
unidenamerica.com
GRE America, Inc. - grecom scanner receiver, lcd modules, spread spectrum radio, wireless bridge, scanner antenna, scanner pre-amps.
You can view free the instruction manuals that AlabamaRS recommended for the RS PRO-106 & the PRO-197 on:
www.radioshack.com
Good luck.
FLRAILMAN

[KB3SKU]

Originally Posted by AlabamaRS

If you are in NO hurry the RS 197/106 will go on sale with Friends & family coupon at the end of OCT or 1st week of November be able to get the BEST for around $ 299.99 ( reg $499.00) with digital & all the bells & whistles. I have the 197 (base/mobile) will get the 106 handeld then also .also Have a used Pro 96 hand held( digital) I will let go for $250.00

Could you provide a link to the one that is $299.99 with coupon? Would like to take a look at it.

I dont know new scanner names so when ya said RS 197 i dont know what you are talking about

[KB3SKU]

Forgot to ask something.

Where do i get the coupon?

[AlabamaRS]

Originally Posted by KB3SKU

Could you provide a link to the one that is $299.99 with coupon? Would like to take a look at it.

I dont know new scanner names so when ya said RS 197 i dont know what you are talking about

it will be on all Radio shack branded products & to get the coupon you will go to the RS site & sign up 2 receive their weekly ads/emails

[KB3SKU]

Originally Posted by AlabamaRS

it will be on all Radio shack branded products & to get the coupon you will go to the RS site & sign up 2 receive their weekly ads/emails

Ok thank you.

On the RS site i sign up where it says "Get Special Email Offers" correct?

To verify you do mean this radio correct?;

PRO-197 39,000-Channel Digital Desktop Scanner

sorry just want to make sure.

[KB3SKU]

meh forgot to ask something again.

isnt that RS radio the same as the GRE PSR-600 but with the Radio Shack name instead of GRE?

if so cool.

[gmclam]

Originally Posted by KB3SKU

I cant afford a scanner that has Digital at the moment. Plus cant go over $300.

To get the best results, you're going to need to spend money on more than just the scanner. I'd expect that you'll need the scanner, download cable, software to program it and an outside antenna. It is all do-able for $300 with brand new stuff.

These are the scanners i cant decide on:
GRE PSR-400 Scanner Radio Receiver, PSR400

I have the PSR-300 which is the hand-held version of the PSR-400. This is the scanner I'd get. As far as the scanner goes, it is the same design as the Radio Shack PRO-197, but there are key differences.

Both the PRO-197 & PSR-400 are made by GRE. But you get support from Radio Shack or GRE respectively. GRE has been much quicker releasing firmware updates. Also I got more accessories from GRE than I would have gotten if I purchased from Radio Shack. The Shack wants to sell you the download cable/etc. I bought mine from ScannerMaster (they advertise on this site) when they were holding a sale ($149).

Curious will one of those last me a few years? i mean where i dont have to upgrade right away?

The scanner will outlive the technology. I am listening to scanners made back in the 1970s. An agency you want to hear will go digital, or switch to a system the scanner can not handle. Even if you go digital today, there is no guarantee that that scanner will be able to follow something you want to hear years from now.

One other thing,i hear some scanners ya can download a RadioReference.com database in them,can ya do it with one of the ones i linked?

The key is the software you use to program the scanner and getting yourself a premium subscription here. The subscription is only $30 a year - a great deal. I use WIN97 (www.starrsoft.com) to program my scanners and highly recommend it (I forget if that was $25 or $30) and it comes with a 30 day free trial.

[KB3SKU]

Originally Posted by gmclam

To get the best results, you're going to need to spend money on more than just the scanner. I'd expect that you'll need the scanner, download cable, software to program it and an outside antenna. It is all do-able for $300 with brand new stuff.

I have the PSR-300 which is the hand-held version of the PSR-400. This is the scanner I'd get. As far as the scanner goes, it is the same design as the Radio Shack PRO-197, but there are key differences.

Both the PRO-197 & PSR-400 are made by GRE. But you get support from Radio Shack or GRE respectively. GRE has been much quicker releasing firmware updates. Also I got more accessories from GRE than I would have gotten if I purchased from Radio Shack. The Shack wants to sell you the download cable/etc. I bought mine from ScannerMaster (they advertise on this site) when they were holding a sale ($149).

The scanner will outlive the technology. I am listening to scanners made back in the 1970s. An agency you want to hear will go digital, or switch to a system the scanner can not handle. Even if you go digital today, there is no guarantee that that scanner will be able to follow something you want to hear years from now.

The key is the software you use to program the scanner and getting yourself a premium subscription here. The subscription is only $30 a year - a great deal. I use WIN97 (www.starrsoft.com) to program my scanners and highly recommend it (I forget if that was $25 or $30) and it comes with a 30 day free trial.

Oh ok thank you for that info.

I think ill get the RS PRO-197 with coupon,just hope i signed up in the right spot,dont want to miss the coupon.

[AlabamaRS]

Originally Posted by KB3SKU

meh forgot to ask something again.

isnt that RS radio the same as the GRE PSR-600 but with the Radio Shack name instead of GRE?

if so cool.

yes ,you are correct

[AlabamaRS]

Originally Posted by KB3SKU

Oh ok thank you for that info.

I think ill get the RS PRO-197 with coupon,just hope i signed up in the right spot,dont want to miss the coupon.

No worries on missing it, just get to the store as fast as possible ( when you 1st get the notice)& they will probably have coupons there or print you one out

[KB3SKU]

Originally Posted by AlabamaRS

No worries on missing it, just get to the store as fast as possible ( when you 1st get the notice)& they will probably have coupons there or print you one out

Sorry to bug again but is it possible to use the coupon for online purchase? or is it in person only?

Hmm just realized something you said end of OCT. first week of Nov. Hmm i might go and get the PSR -400 next month instead,i can always upgrade down the road.

Lol for some reason i thought we were in Oct. hahah,i feel dumb now lol.

[KB3SKU]

AWESOME,my friend said he is going to help me get the GRE PSR-600

im so happy!!

i will be getting it from ScannerMaster.com

[AlabamaRS]

Originally Posted by KB3SKU

Sorry to bug again but is it possible to use the coupon for online purchase? or is it in person only?

Hmm just realized something you said end of OCT. first week of Nov. Hmm i might go and get the PSR -400 next month instead,i can always upgrade down the road.

Lol for some reason i thought we were in Oct. hahah,i feel dumb now lol.

it's in store/person only

[KB3SKU]

Originally Posted by AlabamaRS

it's in store/person only

Ok thank you.

in my last post though my friend is going to help me get the one from Scanner Master. i cant wait!!

[AlabamaRS]

good luck with it
Paul