Comparision Pro-162 vs. Pro-164

[DrDenny1]

What are the pros and cons. My local RS has them both on sale for $219.00 I read up on them but can find no significant differances, besides the speaker location and the 164 has a signal bar.

My Pro-94 is getting wacky. I am starting not to pick up certian freqs no matter what channels I program them to. Where mine used to and another scanner will pick up those same freqs and the scanners are right next to each other.

TIA

 

[N1SQB]

Go for the 162!

There are some differences between the 2 of them. It really comes down to your choice. I own the 162. I love it for several reasons. First, the feel of it. You pick up a 162 and you get a solid feeling when it is in your hands. The 164 reminds me of the pro 97 which has a light something missing inside feeling. It feels like plastic. Second, is the screen on the 162. I hate subfunctions. Though inevitable these days,I like to have as few as possible. The 162's screen lets you see and label everything. You see the status on the first top line(scan,manual,channel number ect.) The second line lets you see the alpha tag(s) for the channel. The 3rd line shows the frequency and the mode(fm,am ect.) The 4rth line lets you label your bank. The 5th line shows the pl/dpl tones. The last line lets you see things like delay,lock out ect. I dont know of any other scanner that shows so much information on its screen for this low price. The reception is great all the way around. The sound is robust. the alpha tags are plenty.(16 per line max)The letters are very nice and big. The light is good on the screen as well as on the keys. The 162 is made by Uniden for Radioshack and the 164 is made by GRE. I could go on but this should give you an idea.

Manny

 

[DrDenny1]

Thanks, That about sums it up. Any other takers?

 

[jeff1f1racer]

Just wish that the Aircraft band on the Pro-162 was in 25kHz steps.

Glad that it has Close Call DND.

Fatal flaw, though, is the lack of I-call capability.

Jeffrey

 

[austinscan1]

pro 162

Since you have a Pro 94, you may like it's grandson, the 162 better because the programming and other functions will be more like you're used to. They're both made by Uniden.

 

[SquierStrat]

according to the info on the RS website, the pro 162 has 20 banks while the 164 only has 10

 

[kevin390]

I have owned both. The pro-164 went back the next day. The pro-162 is the best Radio Shack ( I know Uniden made ) non-digitial Hand-Held scanner I have ever owned. Fifty channels per bank, great sound nice size LCD. Like I said in a earlier post, My pro-97's were my main hand-held scanners now they both sit on the self and I take my pro-162 everywhere with me......Ray

 

[policefreak]

A Little about the Pro-164

I just got a Radioshack Pro-164 on sale a couple weeks ago. Its not too bad. It pulls in stuff (weak control channels) that my Uniden BCD396T cant pick up (How do you like them apples)! But DO NOT GET THIS MODEL if you will be trying to pick up any 500 MHz Motorola TRS's. It won't scan them. Really sucks. But other than that the audio is good, it's not too hard to figure out, though not recommended for your first time scanner. The manual is hideously vague and confusing if your not used to a different type of scanner. It's a quick one though, and scans conventionals about the same as the BCD396T (A supposedly superior model), scans MOT trunked systems FASTER than the 396!! Does a good job on EDACS (I hardly hear any beeping going on !) even on weak channels. Depending on what you'll want to scan, I think it just might be worth the $$. But thats just my 2 cents. No pun intended.

 

[k9jdk]

Pro-162

I've had a Pro-162 for a couple of months now and I have to agree with what others have said about this scanner.

I give it a thumbs up.

 

[roadawg]

Backlight on PRO 162

The backlight on the PRO 162 can be programed to come on when receiving a transmission, the PRO 164 backlight is not programable according to the manual. I took my Pro 164 back and got the last PRO 162 in the store today, they are currently on sale for $179.99 until 10-4-08 . I'm looking forward to getting this PRO 162 programed and up and running. No programing cables left and the RS website says they are out of stock.

 

[oregontreehugger]

Just picked up a Pro-162 today since they are still on sale for $179.99 at Radio Shack. I have only used it for a couple of hours today, but so far so good.

I quickly compared the audio from the 162 (Uniden) to the 164 (GRE) in the store. I preferred the 162's audio. Hopefully I made the right choice.

Scan & search speed is fast, text tags are easy to add without the software, programming isn't too complicated.

Compared to my Pro-2054 (basic GRE desktop) and my Icom R-5, I would say the Pro-162 is somewhere in the middle. I understand what some folks say about the GRE models being easily overloaded in RF-heavy areas, having experienced that with my Pro-2054. The Pro-162 seems to have good sensitivity and good selectivity. My area is plagued with repeaters and RF overload.

Edit: After using the 162 today for a few more hours I had the chance to do a little more detailed comparison on VHF-high. I put a (155 MHz) commercial HT antenna on the R-5, 2054, and 162; then used them side by side. I would say now the 162 is closer to the R-5 as far as pulling in the weak signals. (Although none of the radios seem to like computers or internet routers nearby.) I did get a few images here and there while searching through the VHF band. On the VHF airband it seemed plenty sensitive.

Pros: Build quality is very nice, the scanner feels solid and well constructed. Headphone output is limited like most, so you'd probably need an amplified speaker if you wanted to use the 162 while mobile. You can turn the audio up to about 70% before getting any sort of distortion. There is adjustable contrast for the LCD display and the backlight is very nice with just the right brightness, a yellow color like the Uniden BR330T. Instant CTCSS/DCS decoding is right on and very quick. Squelch tail is great.

Cons: The 162 doesn't have adjustable step sizes (no 7.5kHz on VHF for the new channel spacing) and you can't choose the mode of AM/FM. There is no NFM option. Step size for VHF air should be 25 kHz instead of 12.5 kHz. If you're trying to enter a frequency like 154.7275 the unit will round to 154.730. The backlight does not have an option to stay on or come on when any key is pressed. There is no attenuator at all. What would be nice is if Uniden would release a firmware update that addressed these minor items.

 

[roadawg]

Antenna recommendations for PRO 162

I've seen several comments about getting a different antenna for the PRO 162, but no recommendations. No one is Digital in this area and closest Trunked system is in Reno, NV 70 miles away. So what might be the recommended replacement antenna for the stock unit that came with it? Thanks, in advance. RD

 

[DrDenny1]

I've seen several comments about getting a different antenna for the PRO 162, but no recommendations. No one is Digital in this area and closest Trunked system is in Reno, NV 70 miles away. So what might be the recommended replacement antenna for the stock unit that came with it? Thanks, in advance. RD

Today the guy at Ham Radio Outlet said the Rat Shack 800Mhz antenna works suprisingly good for UHF/VHF. It is thick on the bottom and thin on top and has "800Mhz" in red wrighting at the bottom of the antenna. I went and looked at one tonight, and will get it tomorrow and try it out. $19.95

 

[roadawg]

DrDenny1,
Thanks for the info, I'll look for your feedback when you try out the RS antenna.
RD

 

[oregontreehugger]

I've seen several comments about getting a different antenna for the PRO 162, but no recommendations. No one is Digital in this area and closest Trunked system is in Reno, NV 70 miles away. So what might be the recommended replacement antenna for the stock unit that came with it? Thanks, in advance. RD

Depends on what you want to listen to. If you primarily have VHF (150+ MHz) public safety in your area, your best bet would be a commercial handheld antenna or even a 2M ham antenna that's about 6" tall. Another great option is the Diamond RH77CA but it is a little large.

The Radio Shack 800MHz antenna will work on VHF, but you'll get better results with an antenna that's closer to the primary band you want to monitor.

 

[oregontreehugger]

Battery life is not bad at all. Using Kirkland alkalines I've gotten somewhere in the neighborhood of ~15-16 hours with constant scanning, some backlight usage, and battery saver mode set to "on".

 

[oregontreehugger]

Just tested the Pro-162 battery life with Sanyo Eneloop NiMH rechargeable cells. Battery saver set to "on", some usage of the backlight (no auto light on receiving), key beep set to "off", and pretty much constantly being in scan mode. The results: around 18.5 hours of usage. Not bad!