I am undecided on which of these to purchase. Any feedback is appreciated.
Pro 106 or Uniden bcd396xt
- Thread starter lafonda
- Start date
- Status
troymail
Silent Key
w2txb
Member
When I bought my PRO-106, I decided to program it with the PC - easy, quick, and versatile. The radio's performance is exceptional.
The down side is I am not finding the time to use it very often, so it sits there, lonely and unused.
The down side is I am not finding the time to use it very often, so it sits there, lonely and unused.
pro-106
I suggest the pro-106. Also if you know someone who owns a pro-106 in your area, you can simply clone it with some stereo plugs. The instrucion manual tells you how, and it takes about 10 seconds, so you don't have to program it. The pro-106 is a quality scanner. I'm a "old timer" and had come to relate Radio Shack with cheap quality. But all of that has changed now. The Pro-106 is a good scanner, very good/
I suggest the pro-106. Also if you know someone who owns a pro-106 in your area, you can simply clone it with some stereo plugs. The instrucion manual tells you how, and it takes about 10 seconds, so you don't have to program it. The pro-106 is a quality scanner. I'm a "old timer" and had come to relate Radio Shack with cheap quality. But all of that has changed now. The Pro-106 is a good scanner, very good/
Pro-106
Pro-106, totally!
Pro-106, totally!
Last edited:
I have owned both. I currently have a Pro 197 (mobile version of the 106) and a BC396XT. Durability wise, the 396XT hands down. That said, I found the 106 easier to get around with. However take care as N1SQB can advise you, the PRO-106 antenna connector can be damaged and once that happens your radio will go deaf and radio shack will charge you almost as much for a new one. I had mine refurbed and then sold it. I'm happy with my current stuff. I will give the 106 this also, you don't have to go into the radio to adjust the voice quality after the radio decodes it
Boatanchor
Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2011
- Messages
- 991
Simple..
An obsolete, unsupported house brick sized radio that will pull your pants down and get in the way when clipped to your belt, you will struggle to get service or spare parts for and also gets horribly overloaded on VHF air and LMR
or
a current model, well supported and compact radio that is still in production, performs well on all band with few interference issues and can be serviced by the manufacturer and possibly others.
If you intend to use the radio as a handheld and cart it around in your pocket or on your belt, there really is only one IMHO.
I have the PSR-500 (almost the same as the 106) and the 396xt and the PSR500/106 rarely leaves the house. The 396xt on the other hand accompanies me on almost every trip due to it's size & performance.
An obsolete, unsupported house brick sized radio that will pull your pants down and get in the way when clipped to your belt, you will struggle to get service or spare parts for and also gets horribly overloaded on VHF air and LMR
or
a current model, well supported and compact radio that is still in production, performs well on all band with few interference issues and can be serviced by the manufacturer and possibly others.
If you intend to use the radio as a handheld and cart it around in your pocket or on your belt, there really is only one IMHO.
I have the PSR-500 (almost the same as the 106) and the 396xt and the PSR500/106 rarely leaves the house. The 396xt on the other hand accompanies me on almost every trip due to it's size & performance.
Last edited:
I have had every digital scanner made and I like them both but it depends on the system you monitor and what you want in a scanner. The Pro-106 doesn't come with any accessories, but the BCD396XT comes with everything you need. It comes with the rechargeable batteries, a programming cable, belt clip, SMA to BNC antenna adapter and a power cord. With the Pro-106 you have to buy all the accessories separate so it can depend on the price you are looking at for each. If you can get the Pro-106 cheap enough this might not be a big deal. Not sure what your location is but in some cases with 800MHz simulcast systems the newest firmware for the 396XT does a better job and for other not as good. For me I sold my Pro-106 and picked up a PSR-800 and a BCD396XT. I use my PSR-800 at home for a local 800MHz non simulcast system. When I'm at work I use my BCD396XT because of the simulcast system I monitor. If I had to pick just one scanner I would get the BCD396XT because it works great on non-simulcast and does a pretty good job on simulcast in my area.
Mike
For superior P25 decoding, faster scanning and better sensitivity the Pro-106 is ideal. The only real advantage the 396XT has is its smaller size, GPS support and free programming software.
- Status
