Help programming pro97

Hi everyone , I hope someone might be able to help . I have a RadioShack pro97 scanner and I'm wondering how to program the Bethlehem public safety trunking system into it .


Thanks !

We need more information to help you. Most importantly, the county and state which you are trying to program.

igno1tus said:

Hi everyone , I hope someone might be able to help . I have a RadioShack pro97 scanner and I'm wondering how to program the Bethlehem public safety trunking system into it .


Thanks !

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If you are looking to program Bethlehem, PA you may be out of luck. It appears they are on a P25 Phase I system which is digital. I don't think the Pro 97 receives digital signals. The state is on an Open Sky system which no scanner can decode. It also appears that the state uses P25 Phase I as well and like Bethlehem you may not be able to hear this. The good news is that it appears that Northampton County uses conventional frequencies which you should be able to hear.

If you are looking for another Bethlehem (as there are a number of cities with this name in the US) then disregard the above information.

Thank you to both of you for your reply , your right Shadcall it is Bethlehem Pa . So no scanner can pick up digital signals ? Or just my pro97 can't ?

igno1tus said:

Hi everyone , I hope someone might be able to help . I have a RadioShack pro97 scanner and I'm wondering how to program the Bethlehem public safety trunking system into it .


Thanks !

Click to expand...

Have you seen this reference page? Program those six frequencies into a bank. Set the bank to Motorolla trunking mode, set each frequency to receive the motorolla code... & push scan.

digital radios do...

the pro 97 is analog only.
i would recommend the uniden 396XT.
you could always find something to listen to with the 97, that is what i do with mine.

Is there a less expensive unit , say around $80-150 that will receive the area I'm looking for ?

BCRich2204 said:

Have you seen this reference page? Program those six frequencies into a bank. Set the bank to Motorolla trunking mode, set each frequency to receive the motorolla code... & push scan.

Click to expand...

That's not going to work in this case, as the system the OP wants to monitor is a digital system, and the Pro-97 is analog only.

igno1tus said:

Is there a less expensive unit , say around $80-150 that will receive the area I'm looking for ?

Click to expand...

If you want something in that low of a price range, you'll have to keep a lookout for a previously owned digital scanner either on eBay, occasionally in the classifieds here, perhaps a local pawn shop or maybe a garage/yard sale where the seller prices one to move.

There have been some Pro-668's on eBay in the low $200 range. There are some Pro-651's in your price range on eBay (subject to change, of course).

When looking for a used scanner, be patient, Also, be sure that condition is clearly described, and that the unit is working.

hiegtx said:

That's not going to work in this case, as the system the OP wants to monitor is a digital system, and the Pro-97 is analog only.

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As you can probably tell from my post, I'm new to this & to the forum. What about that system says it's digital? Is it this " APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive"

BCRich2204 said:

As you can probably tell from my post, I'm new to this & to the forum. What about that system says it's digital? Is it this " APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive"

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The boldface text is what is listed as the 'system voice'. APCO-25 indicates that these transmissions are using digital mode. Common Air Interface Exclusive means that the first mode APCO 25 (which is as noted, digital, is the only one in use. For a system such as this one, in my area, Grand Prairie, you'll see that the 'system voice' is: Analog and APCO-25 Common Air Interface . Simply put, some of the transmissions are analog, and receivable by a scanner such as the Pro-97, but it also has digital talkgroups, which the 97 cannot handle. The letter in the mode column tells you what is used on that specific talkgroup ID. If you mouse over the 'Mode' column heading, you'll see that A is used for analog, and D for digital.

The other key is the System Type: Project 25 Phase I. Project 25 means it is a digital system, and Phase I is the version of digital. Many of the new systems are the next generation, Phase II.

If you take a look at the Pro-97's Wiki page, look at the section labeled as RR System Compatibility. That will tell you what System Type and System voices the scanner can handle. For the Pro-97, Project 25 Phase I is not listed as a compatible System Type, and APCO-25 Common Air Interface Exclusive is not listed for System Voice.

Thanks everyone for all your input , I was trying to figure out something my scanner couldn't do lol !