Digital Scanners

[Tim-Elyria]

I am getting interested in a digital scanner and would like some opinions on a few different models

PSR-500
Pro-106
bcd 396xt

i understand that the psr and the 106 are identicle for the most part but on a comparison chart i did notice a couple differences , then there is the 396xt that has some features that neither the PSR or the 106 have.

if anyone has any opinions or personal pro's and con's to theses 3 i would like to hear them .

Thanks

[AlabamaRS]

Pro 106 and 197 will be on sale for $299.00 at the end of OcTober or 1st week in November, I will get that 1, I already have the Pro 197 base model & again the PSR 500/600 & Pro 106/197 are ( with F & F coupon ) read the many thread sin The radio shack forums for more info) all the same radio made by GRE

[dannyhusk]

I have both the PSR-500 & PRO-106
I think they both are great for our P-25 system
I'm still learning the tech. aspect of digital scanning but I have done and am still doing a lot of research
on this. The 500 & 106 are very nice scanners and once mine were up and running, have had no problems with them. My neighbor has Uniden digital and side by side mine perform better, at least in my area.
Although he can take his to work with him and it performs much better than it does in his house.
I to came to R.R. for info on digital scanners and the great people here put me in the right direction and am very satisfated with the results. Do lots of reading & research as well, find other members in your area for info and system type. Good luck in your quest for the perfect scanner !
I like the brand so much when the R.S. F&F discount comes out again I'm getting a PRO-197 as well.

[dracer777]

Wirelessly posted (MOT-QA30/00.72 UP.Browser/7.2.7.5.610 (GUI) MMP/2.0)

In my opinion, the pro-106 is a better radio for large multi-site system tracking. The 396xt is good if you want absolute control. But the roam feature on the 106 is better in my opinion. Basically it switches towers for you, whereas the 396xt you need a GPS device to switch towers automatically. Otherwise, if you dont mind manually holding on a certain site, I recommend the 396xt, but if you can get the pro-106 for cheap; do!

[gmclam]

I vote for GRE over Uniden and I vote for PSR-500 over PRO-106. The radio was designed & built by GRE. The firmware upgrades come from GRE, although then through RS for the '106. The last upgrade for the '106 was out around March while it took until September to be out for the RS (same firmware version).

When you get the GRE model you'll get more accessories than what comes with the RS model. RS wants to sell you the accessories separately. They are otherwise identical and will give you identical results (as much as if you have 2 PRO-106s or 2 PSR-500s next to each other).

[sjmars0x]

Definitely the PSR-500... I have used both the PSR-500 and the 396XT and the 500 still scans faster and is easier to use overall.

[mciupa]

The combination of BCD396XT's size and Freescan software ease of use (to get you up and running) is pretty awesome.

[jclarkr6]

While I have never used a GRE PSR-500 or a RadioShack Pro-106, I do own a BCD396XT and I love it! The quick keys make it easy to turn sites and talkgroups on or off as I travel. I think that the BCD396XT does a great job of decoding the Illinois Starcom21 system, which is P25. I have found that the Dynamic Memory Allocation (DMA) feature on the 396XT allows me to conserve memory when programming in multiple sites under the same system. In my opinion, the 396XT has excellent sensitivity and it still usually manages not to get overloaded by cell towers or other sources of interference. Again, I have not tried the other two scanners, but I would never even consider trading my BCD396XT for any other scanner currently on the market.

[rvictor]

Originally Posted by jclarkr6

While I have never used a GRE PSR-500 or a RadioShack Pro-106, I do own a BCD396XT and I love it! The quick keys make it easy to turn sites and talkgroups on or off as I travel. I think that the BCD396XT does a great job of decoding the Illinois Starcom21 system, which is P25. I have found that the Dynamic Memory Allocation (DMA) feature on the 396XT allows me to conserve memory when programming in multiple sites under the same system. In my opinion, the 396XT has excellent sensitivity and it still usually manages not to get overloaded by cell towers or other sources of interference. Again, I have not tried the other two scanners, but I would never even consider trading my BCD396XT for any other scanner currently on the market.

I agree completely.

Dick

[Jay911]

It really depends on your usage.

I have both a 396XT and a PSR500. If you are following multi-site systems, the PSR500 wins because it actually measures the signal strength of the sites and uses the best one, whereas the 396 just uses any signal it can get, and relies on you to have a GPS to turn off the sites you don't want to hear.

Both of them handle the actual P25 digital modulation equally well these days. The 396 allows you to force channels/talkgroups to Analog Only or Digital Only which eliminates problems that previous Uniden radios had with so-called "motorboating". Uniden defines various systems in their radio and groups within each system, whereas the PSR500 essentially has just groups - no system definitions. And most damning of all is if you are going to be monitoring VHF (140-170MHz) channels. Side-by-side with the stock antennas, I found my PSR500 to be pretty much deaf compared to the 396. The 396 would pick up signals miles ahead of the PSR500.

I like them both equally for their own strengths. I use both of them equally often. The PSR500 runs mainly as my data radio for Unitrunker, and the 396 is the one I carry around as a voice radio all the time, due to its compact size and some other features like close call, the ability to separate out systems, etc.

[MPSCS]

Originally Posted by dracer777

Wirelessly posted (MOT-QA30/00.72 UP.Browser/7.2.7.5.610 (GUI) MMP/2.0)

whereas the 396xt you need a GPS device to switch towers automatically. Otherwise, if you dont mind manually holding on a certain site

That's not correct.