First time scanner user - WORTHY QUESTIONS

[Jon_in_Metairie]

hi yall. thanks for having me here at these forums.

I recently purchased a used PRO-97 just wanting to get into scanning. . . . and days later learned about re-banning of frequencies. Oh well. I also am not quite sure whether my area is or will be affected (use Motorola?). I also don't think the people in my area know either from reading the local Louisiana forum, but I will write a post in there later for my local questions.

I have read the new scanner FAQ but still have questions. I'll try not to bombard you with all my beginner questions all at once:

1. My PRO-97 came used from another state and the guy had all kinds of crap programmed. Should I consider deleting all memory from the scanner? and start with my local stuff (even though I dont know what I'm doing?)

2. Would I get better reception by going outside or no difference than being in the house?

3. I am in Metairie about 5-10 miles away from New Orleans. If they are not rebanding or what ever and I am able to program the truking system in, should I be able to listen to their operations? What is the range on these waves? I gather they differ on the frequency used?

4. I have a stock antannae. Should I get a different one even if Im just a beginner?

5. Is it absolutety necessary that I get a PC cable and use that to program? If i got the PC cable, is it feasible to obtain some data file from a local scanner and just use that to program mine so I can use his frequenncy profile?

Ok. I guess thats enough for now. Just so you know, all I have really heard so far is a taxi service (gets boring) and some fire dept dispatching for fire alarm control panel trouble warnings. I imagine I can get some pretty cool radio transmissions with all the post Katrina things going on here.
I also have many questions about the PRO-97 in particular as it isnt so user friendly but I imagine the more I play with it and read the manual the more I will catch on.

Thanks for any help you can give, and please dont use too many complex radio words in responses if any. I am an EE so I know about waves and crap, but not really anything about this scanner stuff.

I really appreciate it and I hope that I can get the scanner bug like most of yall seem to have got. Thanks again.

 

[Bentley]

Jon:

1. I would definitley delete all the frequencies that are in the scanner and start over again. Those frequencies will be useless to you. You can organize your scanner the way you want, according to your area. In my opinoin it will just be too confusing to try and make sense of the old freq's.

2. As far as being inside or outside the house, it should not make any difference if you are monitoring local police and fire etc. When you start trying to monitor towns that are far away from you (20 miles or so, depending on their signal streingth) it MAY improve your reception a little bit if you are outside.

3. Some one else will have to help you with this question LOL

4. I use the Radio Shack 800MHz antennas BUT, it is definitley not necessary to monitor local stuff. The "rubber duckie", or black rubber flexible antenna, that came with your scanner (as long as its not the small stubby antenna - only about 1" high) will be fine for monitoring police / fire / ems...etc.

5. You definitley dont "NEED" the PC cable. I HIGHLY recomend getting one though. I use mine all the time, even to change just a few freq's at a time. The PC cable used with Don Starr's software (www.starrsoft.com) is an amazing feature for your scanner and I advise to take full advantage of it. It makes programing MUCH easier, especially for someone just starting out. Furthermore if you make a small donation to this website and become a "donating member" you can download all the frequencies you want right to your scanner using the software mentioned above.

The pro-97 is an awesome scanner. Good luck with it! Dont hesitate to ask any questions on here, no matter how stupid you think they are, we will all be glad to give you as much information as we possible can.

Did you check out the DATABASE page yet here on Radio Reference? Look up your area by state, county, then town and go from there!

 

[cristisphoto]

JUST DO it!!!

JUst do it!!!
Jump in push buttons, read ,Read and um read,and play with the unit...
Thats how I learned .
Annnd the Pro 97 is Pretty easy once you get used to the features.
Ultimatley though Purchase A Digital scanner
I just bought me a BCD396T this past week..
And I am EXTREMELY happy with her lol
I think that $600. was the wisest $600. I have ever spent..
Uniden is awesome they include software, cable, Ac Adapter, NIMH Batteries...
On GRE models you'd have to buy all that seperate.
And you can install the Firmware yourself ...
with GRE/RadioShack you have too send your unit to their Factory...
OH and Rebanding is under way
The 97 might be ok the 96 should
But the Uniden, new ones welll
they most deifntly are.
ANyhow,
Make sure you download the PDF manual on the 97
I did when I first bought it
Ialso have the PDF manual for my BCD396T
The pdf I find easier on the eyes...
Soooo LOL
Regards
Crista

 

[hotdjdave]

I don't own a RS scanner, so I will try to help and answer your questions accordingly.

1. I would. If you will never use those the frequencies, then you might as well free up the extra memory. Removing them will also allow you to put stuff where you want it, not having to work around the stuff that is already there. I would't worry about losing the frequencies. Almost all frequencies are obtainable, either here at RadioReference.com (RR) or elsewhere on the internet.

2. Going outside your car, your house, or whatever structure you are in will always get your better reception. The structure acts as a sheild. However, if you are witin range of the transmission site, it won't make much of a difference. Where it will make a difference is when you are trying to pick up distant transmissions or trying to pick up an HT (handheld, walkie talkie) or low powered radio. Also, the higher your antenna is, the better reception you will get.

3. If the area where you live uses TRS (trunked radio system), you should be able to listen as long as you program the scanner properly. You will need to research this more on your own - this is more of a regional question. The answers are here at RR (more than likely).

4. A monitor (scanner enthusiast) can never have enough antennas. I have a base antenna on the roof of my house, a mobile antenna on my SUV, and more than one "rubber duckie" antenna. There are many discussions here at RR about antennas and what people think is the best one. Start with the Antenna Forum. Some antennas are used for "all around" listening and others are tuned for specific frequencies; these will help you grab a frequency that might be hard to get otherwise. Many have an all around antenna (usually the stock one that come with the scanner) and a 800MHz/900MHz antenna - getting an 800/900 antenna really makes a difference when tuning this band. If you want to listen to VHF-low band, you might want to get antenna for that band as well. Rubber duckie antennas cost anywhere from $10 to $80 (on average). Mobile antennas (for car) cost anywhere from $20 to $100 (on average). Base antennas cost more. I used my TV antenna that I was no longer using because I have cable TV - it works (at least better than the rubber duckie on my scanner).

5. It is not absolutely necessary. You can program the scanner without the cable/computer/software. However, it makes it much, much easier to use the software and program the scanner via the computer using the cable to make the connection. You MUST use the cable to connect the scanner to the computer.

Enjoy the habit...I mean hobby :wink:

 

[twowayradiomouse]

Answers, somthing we all need.......

Hello Jon,
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Scanning.

1. You have a good radio there but remember it is NOT a digital voice receiver.

2. FIRST AND FOREMOST......... read your owners manual than read your owners manual and lastly READ YOUR OWNERS MANUAL. Trust me on this one........

3. DO go to http://www.starrsoft.com/ and download the WIN 97 software.

4. DO purchase the proper cable for your scanner and that software.

5. DO make the small ($15) donation to RR.com so you can use the features, it is well worth it.

NOW:

In reguards to your question #1: YES...empty out all your channels. This is your radio now.

In reguards to your question #2: Radio waves are as fickle as a woman (or at least I have heard a woman is fickel) so some freqs will come in good inside and some not. This is an endless learning process as you will see. You will also learn about "DEAD SPOTS" areas sometimes very small where you cannot receive a signal no matter what.

In reguards to your question #3: REBANDING: Check out this link --- http://www.wpascanner.com/reband/reband.htm
It will help you to understand what is happening and what your radio will need.

In reguards to your question #4: Stick with what you have for now. When you are at ease with your radio and programing you can expermient with different ant's. Also while you are connected to a transmission remove your ant and listen to the quality.
Remember ant's are "cut" to a center freq. and move up and down from there. So depending what band you are tuned into the ant can make a big difference.

In reguards to your question #5: YES do get the cable as I explained above. I have a PRO-96 and with it's clone feature programing is nice. I am not sure about your radio so read your owners manual.

Good luck and again welcome.........

Mic.

 

[Jon_in_Metairie]

Thanks all for your answers. I do plan on getting the cable and paying the money to download the stuff from web to scanner. I guess this is the closest thing to just hitting the button and being able to listen and say "cool" (as crappy as it sounds).
I have a few more quick questions.

I am scared of the modes selector, in particular the 'dc' and 'ct' modes. I dont know how I would be able to know to use these.

What is FRS/GMRS/MURS? I hope all those RS's don't stand for Radio Shack. Thats a joke.

Why do I really need to adjust between 'ATT' and 'att'. I don't get it what am i doing here?

People say good things, but i dont really see what so great about SIGNAL STALKER. It just scans through every freq?

Thanks again.
I plan to try to program the local trunking system soon to see what happens, buit Im not quite sure what system we even use. Thanks

 

[hotdjdave]

FRS = Family Radio Service
GMRS = General Mobile Radio Service
MURS = Multi-Use Radio Service (AKA Itinerant)
MISR = Military Intra-Squad Radio (similar to FRS and GMRS, but for military units)

These are those radios, except for MISR, that you see for sale at your local store (Walmart, Target, Radio Shack, etc.).


Sorry, but yes, RS does stand for Radio Shack. A little consolation, though, RS does not make their own scanners. Either Uniden or GRE makes them. Mostly GRE (for now). GRE and Uniden are one of the two top makers of scanners.


ATT = Attenuate

Attenuation decreases the intensity of a signal. Sometimes signals are stronger than your scanner can handle or need. Selecting attenuate will lower the amount of signal coming in. This is not to be confused the gain or volume. Overmodulation can be overcome by attenuation.


Signal Stalker / Close Call is invaluable if you don't know the frequency of a radio / transmission. It will find the frequency and transmission in a matter of seconds.

Have fun scanning!

 

[K5MAR]

Dave, MURS is Multi-Use Radio Service. It consists of some of the old "color-dot" business radio frequencies: 151.820, 151.880, 151.940, 154.570, & 154.600 MHz. Strictly a civilian thing. There are some FRS-type radios being produced by ICOM for military use, they are in the 418 MHz Federal band.

And I believe the "RS" he's referring to is the RS in FRS, GMRS and MURS, so in this case RS stands for Radio Service.

Mark S.

 

[Jon_in_Metairie]

For what its worth, I found out I need a digital scanner to hear cops in my part of the world.
I guess I could sell this PRO-97 and get that Uniden one.

The Fire Depts around here are still on a Motorola trunk system which I should get but am having trouble programming it all in. I will write about this later though after a little more trying.

 

[hotdjdave]

MURS vs MISR

Dave, MURS is Multi-Use Radio Service. It consists of some of the old "color-dot" business radio frequencies: 151.820, 151.880, 151.940, 154.570, & 154.600 MHz. Strictly a civilian thing. There are some FRS-type radios being produced by ICOM for military use, they are in the 418 MHz Federal band.

You are correct. I was thinking of MISR (Military Intra-Squad Radio), which is the military equivalent to FRS.

The frequencies for MISR are:

Ch1 396.8750
Ch2 397.1250
Ch3 397.1750
Ch4 397.3750
Ch5 397.4250
Ch6 397.4720
Ch7 397.5500
Ch8 397.9500
CH9 398.0500
Ch10 399.4250
Ch11 399.7250
Ch13 399.9250
Ch14 399.9750

I am not sure of its use (if it is actually used). I have never seen any radios sold with these frequencies and it has been 20 years since I was in the military (they didn't have them back then).


PS. I corrected my post accordingly.

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Jon and all,

Simple questions deserve simple answers so here goes. First I have one of my own, what's a "Metarie" and what does it do? I have a guess but can't post it here. (;->)

1. My PRO-97 came used from another state and the guy had all kinds of crap programmed. Should I consider deleting all memory from the scanner? and start with my local stuff (even though I dont know what I'm doing?)

Yes, you can't make things any worse.

2. Would I get better reception by going outside or no difference than being in the house?

Somewhat, building materials block signals.

3. I am in Metairie about 5-10 miles away from New Orleans. If they are not rebanding or what ever and I am able to program the truking system in, should I be able to listen to their operations?

Too many variables and unknowns to give a proper answer.

"What is the range on these waves?"

Ditto.

"I gather they differ on the frequency used?"

Yes.

4. I have a stock antannae. Should I get a different one even if Im just a beginner?

Nothing beats a good antenna up high and low loss cable. "Height is might."

5. Is it absolutety necessary that I get a PC cable and use that to program?

No.

"If i got the PC cable, is it feasible to obtain some data file from a local scanner and just use that to program mine so I can use his frequenncy profile?"

You don't need a PC cable to clone the memory in another scanner, you need a cloning cable to connect the two scanners. With a PC cable and software you can download memory files from the Internet (like here) or you can write them yourself, then download them to the scanner. It also makes operating the scanner a snap, pushing those buttons on the keyboard is a royal pain. BTW, you can also upload a scanner's memory and save the file in the software so you can clone that way or just save for future reference. For example my ARC250 software can save multiple files and I can load any one into the BC796D. In other words the 1,000 channels expand to as many memory files I have stored.

I hope that gives you some ideas, now it's up to you.

Edited for clarity.

 

[RISC777]

Hi Jon and all,

Simple questions deserve simple answers so here goes. First I have one of my own, what's a "Metarie" and what does it do? I have a guess but can't post it here. (;->)

"If i got the PC cable, is it feasible to obtain some data file from a local scanner and just use that to program mine so I can use his frequenncy profile?"

You don't need a PC cable to clone the memory in another scanner, you need a cloning cable to connect the two scanners. With a PC cable and software you can download memory files from the Internet (like here) or you can write them yourself, then download them to the scanner. It also makes operating the scanner a snap, pushing those buttons on the keyboard is a royal pain. BTW, you can also upload a scanner's memory and save the file in the software so you can clone that way or just save for future reference. For example my ARC250 software can save multiple files and I can load any one into the BC796D. In other words the 1,000 channels expand to as many memory files I have stored.

Just an "addition" on the cloning aspect. Some will clone antenna to antenna. I'm not sure if yours will do this or not, and I'm thinking for such as that the two scanners would have to be the same model, just mentioning it though. (For example, mine has the choices of Wired Clone or On-Air Clone.)

 

[SIGINT]

Jon, I'm in New Orleans--NOPD uses M/A Com LPE-200's, 900 MHz EDACS system, and if I'm not mistaken that means they're using ProVoice, so unless you're reeeeeeallly good with a soldering iron or you've got a grand to blow on a real-deal M/A Com EDACS radio (you CAN buy them on ebay, it does happen...been a bunch of p7100's on there recently, come to think of it), that's a big negative--sorry, no NOPD for you.

Here we go, this guy's been putting a new one up every week for the past month or two, although there isn't one up now so I don't know if he ran out or what:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MACOM-Ma-Com-P7...goryZ296QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[FIRE321FIGHTER1985]

Jon in metairie/pro-97

`Hi Jon,

I have a pro-97 and lived in metairie/harahan for 30 years. call me on my cell phone and i will call you back after 7:00 PM and help you with your scanner. 318-791-6500


Mark

 

[FIRE321FIGHTER1985]

OOPS, forgot to post number

`318-791-6500 (mark)

 

[loumaag]

Jon, I'm in New Orleans--NOPD uses M/A Com LPE-200's, 900 MHz EDACS system, and if I'm not mistaken that means they're using ProVoice, so unless you're reeeeeeallly good with a soldering iron or you've got a grand to blow on a real-deal M/A Com EDACS radio (you CAN buy them on ebay, it does happen...been a bunch of p7100's on there recently, come to think of it), that's a big negative--sorry, no NOPD for you.

Here we go, this guy's been putting a new one up every week for the past month or two, although there isn't one up now so I don't know if he ran out or what:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MACOM-Ma-Com-P7...goryZ296QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Not quite... NO Public Safety is using a 800 MHz EDACS system both Analog and ProVoice. NOPD is all ProVoice, NOFD is some of both and at last report the EMS was all analog.

The radio you supplied a link for (sold now) was for VHF operation, not 800 MHz.

Jon,
When you get with Mark, he will probably explain that although JPSO is on the digital system, the State Police and other agencies are on the State 800 Analog system. There is still plenty to listen to in Metairie that your Pro-97 will work with.

 

[SIGINT]

The radio you supplied a link for (sold now) was for VHF operation, not 800 MHz

Oh I know, I was just pointing out that you do see EDACS radios, and even P25 radios although much rarer, come up every now and then, I wasn't implying that he could use that SPECIFIC radio (with tx/rx range 136-174) on 900 mhz...

 

[Astrak]

Not quite... NO Public Safety is using a 800 MHz EDACS system both Analog and ProVoice. NOPD is all ProVoice, NOFD is some of both and at last report the EMS was all analog.

The radio you supplied a link for (sold now) was for VHF operation, not 800 MHz.

Jon,
When you get with Mark, he will probably explain that although JPSO is on the digital system, the State Police and other agencies are on the State 800 Analog system. There is still plenty to listen to in Metairie that your Pro-97 will work with.

Im lost here, are you saying that no public safety in the country uses pro voice and analog. Or are you saying NO public safety is using pro voice and analog, because Lincoln Nebraska police department uses a mix of provoice and analog transmissions. Sorry Im confused.

 

[loumaag]

Im lost here, are you saying that no public safety in the country uses pro voice and analog. Or are you saying NO public safety is using pro voice and analog, because Lincoln Nebraska police department uses a mix of provoice and analog transmissions. Sorry Im confused.

Since you are not from the area, I understand your confusion. In the context of my message NO = New Orleans (I was not shouting). The person I was responding to would know that.

I wasn't implying that he could use that SPECIFIC radio (with tx/rx range 136-174) on 900 mhz...

You still missed the main point. I know of no government run system in the NOLA area using 900 MHz. As a side note, other than Harrah's, I know of no one using a 900 MHz trunking system in the area.

 

[nexus]

Since you are not from the area, I understand your confusion. In the context of my message NO = New Orleans (I was not shouting). The person I was responding to would know that.

You still missed the main point. I know of no government run system in the NOLA area using 900 MHz. As a side note, other than Harrah's, I know of no one using a 900 MHz trunking system in the area.

Lou, there is an SMR in Metairie on 900 mHz.
http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=TRSDB&sid=3352