Hi guys I'm new to the scanning hobby, which scanners you recommend that are at a good price like around 100 bucks or so for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Would like to use it for police and fire departments. I heard some of the cities went to the new trunking system and would like to get a scanner that would be compatible with majority of them. I was looking at the RadioShack Pro-668 Handheld iScan Digital Trunking Scanner but it's around 300 bucks.
Which scanner to buy
- Thread starter Rams123
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Welcome your budget is going to be $500.00 and up. You area has several P25 Phase 1 and several DMR.
This puts you in the Uniden BCD436HP , BCD536HP or Whistler WS1080 , WS1088 , WS1095 , WS1098 or the NEW Whistler TRX-1 or TRX-2 that will also get the Kenwood NXDN upgrade for free.
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=100
This puts you in the Uniden BCD436HP , BCD536HP or Whistler WS1080 , WS1088 , WS1095 , WS1098 or the NEW Whistler TRX-1 or TRX-2 that will also get the Kenwood NXDN upgrade for free.
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=100
Rams123 -
Buddrousa is right. For your area, you need P25 phase 1 digital trunktracking and DMR capability. You are not going to find that anywhere near $100, even used. You might be able to find a used Uniden BCD436HP or BCD536HP for around $425 - $450, but you will need to fork out another $50 for the DMR upgrade. I'm not sure about the used price for the Whistlers (I'm a Uniden guy), but I'm guessing they're in the same neighborhood as their similar used Uniden counterparts.
The technology is evolving and the radios are also evolving to support the newest digital modes, but they are still very pricey. IMHO, the prices on radios that support Phase I and II plus other digital, such as EDACS and DMR will NEVER be inexpensive (the price level you stated you want to spend).
You're either going to need to wait a considerable amount of time before they come down in price in the used market (by "considerable", I mean in years), or change your budget now.
There are other options you can cobble together now that will cost less, but still not $100.
For hardware, there are several options. For example, the RSP (Radio Spectrum Processor) from SDRPlay, $150 new, or the AirSpy SDR Receiver (R2), $199 new. Just FYI, in case you think you might be interested in HF receiving in the future, the AirSpy only goes down to 24MHz, so you would also need an upconverter, such as the 1KHz - 60MHz SpyVerter, $49 new, or the DC - 55MHz Upconverter from SV1AFN, $57 + $12 shipping to USA. BTW, I use the SV1AFN with my AirSpy and other radios and it works extremely well. I've bought and assembled several kits from Makis SV1AFN, as well as buying pre-built products from him. Everything he produces is exceptional quality (and it is priced appropriately), i.e. you'll pay a bit more for his upconverter than other, cheaper models, but IMHO it's well worth it. I'm NOT saying that the SpyVerter is not a good product; from everything I've read it works very well. I use the SV1AFN upconverter because I already had it for use with other radios. The SDRPlay goes down to 10KHz natively, so no additional hardware is necessary to get HF coverage. If you do decide to buy an upconverter for any radio, either now or in the future, do your homework before buying. Upconverters vary widely in performance. In general, you get what you pay for when it comes to upconverters.
I listed just the two SDR radios (AirSpy and RSP) because they are inexpensive and perform reasonably well. You can buy a $10 SDR, but as with many other things in life, here you also get what you pay for. The AirSpy and RSP are 12-bit processors. The el-cheapo SDRs are 8-bit. This DOES make a big difference in performance. Google is your friend when it comes to comparing the very inexpensive SDRs ($10) to the mid-low end SDRs ($150-$200) to the mid-high end and high end SDRs ($250+). Another one to consider is the Afedri SDR. It's also a 12-bit SDR, but is in the $250+ range. The big difference between the Afedri and the other radios is that the Afedri has both USB AND Ethernet interfaces. This makes it very easy to network the Afedri from anywhere in the world with no additional hardware or software required. The Afedri has numerous options, such as a dual channel model. Look it up to get more information.
Once you have a SDR, you need software for scanning and digital decoding. Digital Speech Decoder Plus (DSD+) software decodes numerous digital modes, including what you need for your area (Phase I + DMR). Unless you want to tune your SDR manually, you'll also want a package called "Frequency Manager Suite" from Jeff Knapp. This is a FANTASTIC piece of free software that turns an SDR into a scanner. It works with SDR# (AirSpy), SDR-Console (AirSpy, RSP, Afedri) and SDRUno (RSP).
So, in summary, for somewhere between $150 and $200, you can buy a SDR and get the free software needed to turn your SDR into a scanner that decodes various digital modes. NOTE: this combination will NOT do trunk tracking. That's the huge difference between the cobbled together solution and paying $500 for a radio that does it all, including trunk tracking.
In short (I know...too late), find a way to increase your budget and get the best solution now. Yes, you can nickle and dime yourself up to a trunk tracker. However, in the long run, you'll pay more than if you just buy it now.
I hope this helps.
Best regards - David S.
Buddrousa is right. For your area, you need P25 phase 1 digital trunktracking and DMR capability. You are not going to find that anywhere near $100, even used. You might be able to find a used Uniden BCD436HP or BCD536HP for around $425 - $450, but you will need to fork out another $50 for the DMR upgrade. I'm not sure about the used price for the Whistlers (I'm a Uniden guy), but I'm guessing they're in the same neighborhood as their similar used Uniden counterparts.
The technology is evolving and the radios are also evolving to support the newest digital modes, but they are still very pricey. IMHO, the prices on radios that support Phase I and II plus other digital, such as EDACS and DMR will NEVER be inexpensive (the price level you stated you want to spend).
You're either going to need to wait a considerable amount of time before they come down in price in the used market (by "considerable", I mean in years), or change your budget now.
There are other options you can cobble together now that will cost less, but still not $100.
For hardware, there are several options. For example, the RSP (Radio Spectrum Processor) from SDRPlay, $150 new, or the AirSpy SDR Receiver (R2), $199 new. Just FYI, in case you think you might be interested in HF receiving in the future, the AirSpy only goes down to 24MHz, so you would also need an upconverter, such as the 1KHz - 60MHz SpyVerter, $49 new, or the DC - 55MHz Upconverter from SV1AFN, $57 + $12 shipping to USA. BTW, I use the SV1AFN with my AirSpy and other radios and it works extremely well. I've bought and assembled several kits from Makis SV1AFN, as well as buying pre-built products from him. Everything he produces is exceptional quality (and it is priced appropriately), i.e. you'll pay a bit more for his upconverter than other, cheaper models, but IMHO it's well worth it. I'm NOT saying that the SpyVerter is not a good product; from everything I've read it works very well. I use the SV1AFN upconverter because I already had it for use with other radios. The SDRPlay goes down to 10KHz natively, so no additional hardware is necessary to get HF coverage. If you do decide to buy an upconverter for any radio, either now or in the future, do your homework before buying. Upconverters vary widely in performance. In general, you get what you pay for when it comes to upconverters.
I listed just the two SDR radios (AirSpy and RSP) because they are inexpensive and perform reasonably well. You can buy a $10 SDR, but as with many other things in life, here you also get what you pay for. The AirSpy and RSP are 12-bit processors. The el-cheapo SDRs are 8-bit. This DOES make a big difference in performance. Google is your friend when it comes to comparing the very inexpensive SDRs ($10) to the mid-low end SDRs ($150-$200) to the mid-high end and high end SDRs ($250+). Another one to consider is the Afedri SDR. It's also a 12-bit SDR, but is in the $250+ range. The big difference between the Afedri and the other radios is that the Afedri has both USB AND Ethernet interfaces. This makes it very easy to network the Afedri from anywhere in the world with no additional hardware or software required. The Afedri has numerous options, such as a dual channel model. Look it up to get more information.
Once you have a SDR, you need software for scanning and digital decoding. Digital Speech Decoder Plus (DSD+) software decodes numerous digital modes, including what you need for your area (Phase I + DMR). Unless you want to tune your SDR manually, you'll also want a package called "Frequency Manager Suite" from Jeff Knapp. This is a FANTASTIC piece of free software that turns an SDR into a scanner. It works with SDR# (AirSpy), SDR-Console (AirSpy, RSP, Afedri) and SDRUno (RSP).
So, in summary, for somewhere between $150 and $200, you can buy a SDR and get the free software needed to turn your SDR into a scanner that decodes various digital modes. NOTE: this combination will NOT do trunk tracking. That's the huge difference between the cobbled together solution and paying $500 for a radio that does it all, including trunk tracking.
In short (I know...too late), find a way to increase your budget and get the best solution now. Yes, you can nickle and dime yourself up to a trunk tracker. However, in the long run, you'll pay more than if you just buy it now.
I hope this helps.
Best regards - David S.
InlandAZ
Member
It's actually not a bad scanner at all - it has a learning curve for sure, even if you've programmed other GRE types in the past. But, once you get over the bumps it does work well.
You can still pick them up for a reasonable price on eBay.
The PRO668 does not at this time have the DMR update (no one has said yes or no on DMR update) but it will work for the P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2. I own a 668 along with several others. Depending on your skill level with a computer is and what OS you are running to me Uniden is better for the skilled. If you are a power user then you could use the Whistler TRX-1
KB7MIB
Member
The Salt River Indian community uses a P25 Phase II trunked system. Rumor has it that the Regional Wireless Cooperative (RWC) and most likely the TOPAZ RWC trunked systems will be switching to Phase II in the next year or so (end of this year, maybe?). And Maricopa County is planning a new 700 MHz trunked system that will most likely be Phase II.
So make sure that you don't but a scanner that isn't capable of Phase II reception.
Most of the DMR systems are private, rather than public safety.
John
Peoria
So make sure that you don't but a scanner that isn't capable of Phase II reception.
Most of the DMR systems are private, rather than public safety.
John
Peoria
The TRX-1 Handheld or TRX-2 Base/Mobile is a one time price P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2 DMR now with Kenwood NXDN free when released. Uniden 436 or 536 buy the scanner P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2 $50 DMR upgrade plus upgrade fee (when and if NXDN is released)
Rams123
You probably have made a good choice. Most major cities, including Phoenix, have a variety of analog/digital and convention/trunking systems. Phoenix is one of them. I live in Los Angeles, but daughter lived out in Phoenix and I have had many opportunities to try out scanners out there.
Until recently, I would have only suggested the Uniden BCD436HP or BCD536HP, because they performed pretty well on the RWC and TOPAZ trunking systems in Phoenix that are sometimes notorious for P25 simulcast issues. Those scanners now have upgrades for DMR, as others have said, and hopefully, NXDN. These digital modes are increasingly being used in major metropolitan areas.
Now with the Whistler TRX-1 and TRX-2, I think Whistler has come out with a couple of scanners that work very well on a variety of systems. I have YouTube videos of the TRX-2 on P25 and DMR out here in Los Angeles. Both the TRX-1 and 2 have DMR built-in and NXDN coming down the line, supposedly, as a free upgrade.
If would be nice if one can buy a $100 scanner and sample all that scanning has to offer. But unless you're in a relatively remote area, or some area with predominantly, analog channels, it is not going to be much fun. You also need trunking in most cases. If someone is into analog railroad monitoring or commercial/military air, a simple analog scanner would be fine. In fact, some of the older model scanners would be fine.
So when I initially saw your post of a $100 scanner for the Phoenix area, I said I will let someone else break the news, which Buddrousa did in post #2. Since then, you have had a lot of good responses, including InlandAZ and John, KB7MIB, from your area. I just saw your post again in #11 and see you are now thinking about the TRX-1. Based on my experience in LA with these new TRX scanners, I think you will be happy. A learning curve is required with all modern scanners, no just entering frequencies in like it was 15 or more years ago. But I think you will enjoy it.
You probably have made a good choice. Most major cities, including Phoenix, have a variety of analog/digital and convention/trunking systems. Phoenix is one of them. I live in Los Angeles, but daughter lived out in Phoenix and I have had many opportunities to try out scanners out there.
Until recently, I would have only suggested the Uniden BCD436HP or BCD536HP, because they performed pretty well on the RWC and TOPAZ trunking systems in Phoenix that are sometimes notorious for P25 simulcast issues. Those scanners now have upgrades for DMR, as others have said, and hopefully, NXDN. These digital modes are increasingly being used in major metropolitan areas.
Now with the Whistler TRX-1 and TRX-2, I think Whistler has come out with a couple of scanners that work very well on a variety of systems. I have YouTube videos of the TRX-2 on P25 and DMR out here in Los Angeles. Both the TRX-1 and 2 have DMR built-in and NXDN coming down the line, supposedly, as a free upgrade.
If would be nice if one can buy a $100 scanner and sample all that scanning has to offer. But unless you're in a relatively remote area, or some area with predominantly, analog channels, it is not going to be much fun. You also need trunking in most cases. If someone is into analog railroad monitoring or commercial/military air, a simple analog scanner would be fine. In fact, some of the older model scanners would be fine.
So when I initially saw your post of a $100 scanner for the Phoenix area, I said I will let someone else break the news, which Buddrousa did in post #2. Since then, you have had a lot of good responses, including InlandAZ and John, KB7MIB, from your area. I just saw your post again in #11 and see you are now thinking about the TRX-1. Based on my experience in LA with these new TRX scanners, I think you will be happy. A learning curve is required with all modern scanners, no just entering frequencies in like it was 15 or more years ago. But I think you will enjoy it.
mesocyclone
Member
What systems require DMR?
Reading post #2 the link shows over 10 DMR systems
mesocyclone
Member
Tks - I missed that link.
I use the Uniden BCD325P2. Currently $366.49 on Amazon. Best of luck.
lindsay34654
Member
Ram no matter what radio you choose if you go for the best the way PD's change their systems and what they add on it is still going to cost between $500 and $600 to get what you are asking about. I have scanners that have lasted over 10 years and they are still working Not everyone is up to date with all the changes but they are still working
D
darunimal
Guest
I just found a BCD436HP, like new in box with accessories, in a pawn shop for $250 out the door a few days ago. I mention this to remind everyone that you have to keep your eyes open and you will find deals....it might just take a month or two...be patient.
I got a PSR-600 in box with the power cable and programming cable for $160 about a year and half ago the same way...caught it on Craigslist....keep your eyes peeled!
By the way, the BCD436HP is a true leap forward when dealing with the dreaded simulcast cutouts on the RWC. The PSR-600 had been my best scanner. From my home I could decode only about 30% of the transmissions that it got...I'm in a bad spot. The BCD436HP is probably around 80%. Now that means you still get some garbled transmissions, it's not a cure, but it's a big improvement. Everywhere I go, even while driving, the BCD436HP is better on this system.
Keep in mind, when it comes to certain scanner models vs. simulcast, performance will vary based on system, location, and other things....YMMV....but this one is worth trying out. It made a very large difference for me.
I got a PSR-600 in box with the power cable and programming cable for $160 about a year and half ago the same way...caught it on Craigslist....keep your eyes peeled!
By the way, the BCD436HP is a true leap forward when dealing with the dreaded simulcast cutouts on the RWC. The PSR-600 had been my best scanner. From my home I could decode only about 30% of the transmissions that it got...I'm in a bad spot. The BCD436HP is probably around 80%. Now that means you still get some garbled transmissions, it's not a cure, but it's a big improvement. Everywhere I go, even while driving, the BCD436HP is better on this system.
Keep in mind, when it comes to certain scanner models vs. simulcast, performance will vary based on system, location, and other things....YMMV....but this one is worth trying out. It made a very large difference for me.
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