PRO 160 & 163: Quick Reviews

[KC2GVX]

Yesterday I purchased both at the amazing low prices RS was having. Now, I have to sell a few older ones to make room and money for the new guys. Anywho, I did a simple comparison this morning after almost throwing the 163 out the window because of that RS firmware update that gave me no help. Finally, I searched the archives here and found out how to change it to a zip file, and all is well.

First off, here they are side by side so you can see the display and buttons lit up. The PRO 2055 is mounted underneath, so disregard that one.



Here is the view looking down, as you can see the 160 runs deeper.


Jackpot approves of the new purchases, and he is checking out the antenna reception. He enjoys how the antennas serve as something for him to itch himself.



Here is a closeup of the 160 working.


Here is a closeup of the 163 working.


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Now for the meat and potatoes. I compared sensitivity and they were close. I got better reception on VHF High & 500 MHz band with the 160. The 163 was clearer in the 460 Mhz range, and 800/900 Mhz. To compare, I was able to get the JCP&L system here in Toms River better on the 163, and found more control channels in the 800 band. The 160 pulled in more weather stations clearer, and the Burlington County system CC on 500.7 Mhz. Both radios are satisfactory with the stock antennas I used to test them. For the price, you cannot beat either radio.

***PRO 163 summary:***
--Positives:
Signal Meter
Easy, Simple RS/GRE bank & channel system
Sensitivity
Louder than 160
--Negatives:
100 channels in 10 banks seems wasteful
Firmware had to be updated before I could trunk anything in the 500 Mhz range
Must select CTCSS or DCS to decode in search or tune mode
Same boring design as the PRO 2055, 2054, 2096
Does not display bank name when a CTCSS or DCS tone is programmed or bank is used for trunking

***PRO 160 summary:***
--Positives:
Extra display line allows you to see the frequency (Talk group ID), channel, bank name, and tone (if programmed) for each channel or trunked system
Larger display
When searching or using tune the radio automatically decodes the tone, regardless of CTCSS or DCS
Text tags are programmed in the same manner you send a text message on a cellular phone, not the GRE method
20 banks of 50 channels
Separate volume and squelch knobs
Signal stalker can run as the scanner scans
--Negatives:
Extra buttons to press to select banks. You have to press function + up to turn on/off banks
Dim display, much dimmer than the PRO 433 and 163.
Slightly, and I mean slightly more difficult to program than the 163 (I had to read the manual)


**Like I said, I am happy with both for the money. I did not test the signal stalker features on either since I am familiar with both operations. Around here all they stalk is the control channel and frequencies for the county TRS (tower) across the street, and TRPD digital channels.