First time buyer, don't know a thing about scanning.

[DeSpain05]

I am looking to buy a scanner to monitor local departments and the local SO. I know the town I live in is digital, as an officer has told me. I am looking at the Pro-164 from radioshack. However, before I buy, I just wanted to make sure I could scan with it.

The main two I want to scan are Town of Sahuarita and Pima County SO. They are both under the link below.
Pima County, Arizona (AZ) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Can you tell me if I can scan with the pro-164, and if there is anything I should know before buying it?
I don't know where to begin and it's all a little overwhelming, but I want to learn how to be proficient in scanning!

I apologize if you have seen this topic a million times before hand, but I just want to make sure I get the right scanner.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Spitfire8520]

The biggest issue is that it appears that Pima County SO is on an LTR MultiNet System. This means that no scanner will be able to follow conversations effectively (if at all). You might (not sure) be able to plug in frequencies for the system, but it would be completely random and would follow a lot of unwanted conversations (jail, public works, etc).

The next issue is that the Pro-164 is not a digital scanner and therefore will not let you listen to your town if it is in fact digital. The database does not show their frequency being digital, but it could be due to people not submitting information to be updated in the database. It is also possible that the Officer you spoke to has little idea of what digital is and providing incorrect information. I have included a list of digital scanners below if you wish to get one, be aware that it will be a significant step up in price, especially in the GRE/RadioShack brand as supply has been reduced significantly. You may want to scout out the used market if you wish to get one.

What I would strongly suggest is spend a lot of time on the RadioReference Wiki as it is a great source for learning all about scanning and whether or not what you want to listen to can be monitored.

Current Model:
GRE PSR-500 (Handheld)
GRE PSR-600 (Base/Mobile)
GRE PSR-800 (Handheld)
RadioShack Pro-106 (Handheld)
RadioShack Pro-197 (Base/Mobile)
Uniden BCD396XT (Handheld)
Uniden BCD996XT (Base/Mobile)
Uniden HomePatrol-1 (Base/Mobile)

Discontinued:
RadioShack Pro-18 (Handheld)
Uniden BCD396T (Handheld)
Uniden BCD996T (Base/Mobile)

Older Model:
RadioShack Pro-96 (Handheld)
RadioShack Pro-2096 (Base/Mobile)
Uniden BC296D (Handheld)
Uniden BC796D (Base/Mobile)

 

[JPSan]

PCWIN is coming..I'd WAIT.

With in a year Pima County will be transferring to there new County wide system ( PCWIN).
It will be a Motorola TDMA Phase II system.
There is as of now only one scanner that can handle TDMA Phase II systems at that is the GRE 800 and they are hard to come by at a reasonable price.
Uniden HOPEFULLY should have a new generation of scanners that will be able to do TDMA II and hopefully some other modes. Don't ask WHEN, as any info on pending radio's is handled like a state secret.
So I would save up my cash and wait. The PCWIN system is doing it's build out now and air testing is planned early summer. Tucson and other towns will be on this system too....Wait is what I'd recomend.