BC 996XT vs. PSR-600

Which one would you choose BC 996XT or PSR-600??

  • 996XT

    Votes: 32 74.4%
  • PSR-600

    Votes: 11 25.6%

  • Total voters
    43
  • Poll closed .
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WX4EMT

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I had the privledge of setting a 600 right next to a 996 to make my choice.

The system I work in is APCO P-25 so that was the feature I based my entire decision on.
The audio and APCO decoding on the 600 was just a bit better than the 996, Now that I am
a lot more mobile through multiple systems the GPS and Fire Tone decoding are becomming
more attractive.

If you are needing digital trunk decoding and not much more, the price and VOCODER capabilities
of the 600 make it the winner.

If you are mobile through multiple systems and need 2 tone decoder AND money is not the issue
the 996 should be your choice.
 

garys

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If you are going to use it in a vehicle, the 996XT is the better choice. I use a PSR600 at work and a 996XT in my own truck.

Here are the big advantages of XT.

Display is much bigger and easier (for me) to read. I think that GRE made a mistake using the same size display for both the PSR 500 and 600.

The controls, volume, squelch, and VFO knobs, all have positive detents and will hold were you put them. The PSR600 doesn't have that and I find that the volume control especially moves way too easily. Also, the XT has an audio taper volume control while the PSR has a linear taper. On the PSR, the volume goes from whisper to ear drum rupturing with very little movement of the volume control.

The PSR seems to be more susceptible to 800 interference, but that might be because we have two 800 Mhz data radio in our vehicles. Still, the BC15s that we had before didn't seem to have that problem.

There are a lot of nice features on the PSR that I wish the XT had, but there are some nice features on the XT that I wish the PSR had.

I actually like both radios and would like to pick up a PSR600 just to have around the house to play with. I have ARC500 so I can program it myself.
 

trkntrlrman

RS-PRO 34, RS-PRO 60, BCD396XT, BCD996XT, SDS200
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If you'r going with the BCD996xt, you should probably go with the BCD396xt as a hand held, that way you only need the one softwear, and your setup will work in both units...
 

Eng74

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You have Golden Gate as your location so I am guessing you are in the SF Bay Area so I would go with a 996XT. I have both the 600 and the 996XT in my truck and when I am in SF I run the 600 without an antenna since it overloads on signal even with the att on.
 

DaveIN

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BCD996XT for local P25 and Fire Tone Out. PSR600 for DX trunking and trunked analysis.
If I could only have one, the 996 then. If you use high gain external antennas on the 600, I suggest an external FM broadcast band trap in the coax feed. It makes a world of difference.

Another strong contender would be the HP-1 with Extreme Upgrade.
 
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McP

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For me, as a novice scanner enthusiast, it came to personal preference. I have both the Pro 197 and the 996XT. I chose the 996XT as my primary go to for ease of use and navigating to where I want to be on it quickly. Meaning, what "I" feel comfortable with at my experience level. I still enjoy the Pro 197, but like I said. For me, it's personal preference.
 

mciupa

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As a recent convert to Unidenism (had a RS Pro-2096 before), I will say that a BCD996XT and Freescan is an awesome combo.

I also have a HomePatrol with the Extreme upgrade. And, if you ask me which one of those I like better, it's like making me choose which of my children I like more.
 

scanningisfun

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As a recent convert to Unidenism (had a RS Pro-2096 before), I will say that a BCD996XT and Freescan is an awesome combo.

I also have a HomePatrol with the Extreme upgrade. And, if you ask me which one of those I like better, it's like making me choose which of my children I like more.

Don't you like ur children the same?
 

davedaver1

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That is exactly what I thought right when I read this. I was seeing if other people said that. You know it is going to be the 996Xt. (It is better anyways)

I did look at the GRE offerings before I got my 396XT (the 996 was a no-brainer for reasons mentioned elsewhere - same programming) but the thing that most set me off from them and towards Uniden (which I am admittedly a fan of anyway) was that to me the displays of the GRE radios are cryptic. I felt like I was always trying to figure out what it was telling me. The Uniden display is a friendly format without stuff I don't need to see in normal scan mode. The System/Group/Channel display is perfect for what I want. Being able to choose different displays of the secondary information is cool too. I really wanted to like GRE, having had many good GRE-made radios (Pro-2006, what a great radio that was!) but Uniden is currently my favorite.
 
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