sheriff1964
Newbie
I just purchased a GRE 500 and I don't have the first clue on how to program it, or what software I may need. Any help would greatly be appreciated. (Lima,Oh area)
Gre 500 Programming
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Programming PSR 500
Welcome to Radio Reference.
There are some preliminary steps you need to take in order to program your PSR 500.
The first thing you need to do is program the radio & USB interface.
After this has been done, you need to possibly update the Firmware associated with the radio. You can consult the GRE home page on this. You need to do exactly what the site says in the exact order.
Since I own a PSR 500, I prefer using Win500 programming software. I've tried ACR 500 by Butel, but I dislike that system. Win500 lets you see many things in one visual field as opposed to the relatively small display on the scanner. Once you're able to download Win500, you should be ready to program.
What I don't recommend is paying someone to program the radio for you. However, if someone wants to share a Win500 file with you, then that would save you some trouble.
But, with some patience, you should learn how to program your radio. For starters, you can consult this guide: Easier to Read Pro-106/197/PSR500/600 Digital Scanner Manual
Also, here is a working example of what you will be looking at in Win500.
WIN500 - UtahRadio
When I looked at your county, I saw where you are going to have to program the Ohio MARCS which is a statewide system.
Auglaize County is listed under the Ohio MARCS.
If you like, you can scroll down until you see your county listed. From what I'm seeing, OHP is using this system as well.
Ohio MARCS - Multi-Agency Radio Communications Trunking System, Statewide, Multi-State - Scanner Frequencies
Since this is a pretty large system, this will require you to decide where your listening area intersects with the Ohio MARCS system.
Please, note. When programming a large statewide system like this, you will need to identify which tower sites are in your area: I would certainly read the Wiki associated with this system. But, here are the locations for tower sites. If you are going to listen to your immediate area & not travel about, then it might be easier. However, if you are going to be traveling throughout Ohio, you might want to make several V folders to load while traveling. Remember, you cannot exceed a total of 32 operating frequencies (blue and red numbers) into a download. This is the beauty of using a PSR 500. If you had to program all of the operating frequencies in your system, the radio's working memory would quickly be overloaded.
From what I'm seeing in the data base, you have only one tower site in your county. If I were you, I would program each of the counties surrounding your county as well. Remember, when you are programming a large system, it is best to load only control channels (the ones listed at the top of the page in blue and red). The control channel only function should already be checked in Win500.
Site Map: Ohio MARCS - Multi-Agency Radio Communications Trunking System, Statewide, Multi-State
As a last resort, if you get Win500 fully functional, then I would be happy to program the radio for you and send a file. But, I would prefer knowing what you are interested in hearing (EMS, fire, OHP, adult corrections, and/or Federal).
Welcome to Radio Reference.
There are some preliminary steps you need to take in order to program your PSR 500.
The first thing you need to do is program the radio & USB interface.
After this has been done, you need to possibly update the Firmware associated with the radio. You can consult the GRE home page on this. You need to do exactly what the site says in the exact order.
Since I own a PSR 500, I prefer using Win500 programming software. I've tried ACR 500 by Butel, but I dislike that system. Win500 lets you see many things in one visual field as opposed to the relatively small display on the scanner. Once you're able to download Win500, you should be ready to program.
What I don't recommend is paying someone to program the radio for you. However, if someone wants to share a Win500 file with you, then that would save you some trouble.
But, with some patience, you should learn how to program your radio. For starters, you can consult this guide: Easier to Read Pro-106/197/PSR500/600 Digital Scanner Manual
Also, here is a working example of what you will be looking at in Win500.
WIN500 - UtahRadio
When I looked at your county, I saw where you are going to have to program the Ohio MARCS which is a statewide system.
Auglaize County is listed under the Ohio MARCS.
If you like, you can scroll down until you see your county listed. From what I'm seeing, OHP is using this system as well.
Ohio MARCS - Multi-Agency Radio Communications Trunking System, Statewide, Multi-State - Scanner Frequencies
Since this is a pretty large system, this will require you to decide where your listening area intersects with the Ohio MARCS system.
Please, note. When programming a large statewide system like this, you will need to identify which tower sites are in your area: I would certainly read the Wiki associated with this system. But, here are the locations for tower sites. If you are going to listen to your immediate area & not travel about, then it might be easier. However, if you are going to be traveling throughout Ohio, you might want to make several V folders to load while traveling. Remember, you cannot exceed a total of 32 operating frequencies (blue and red numbers) into a download. This is the beauty of using a PSR 500. If you had to program all of the operating frequencies in your system, the radio's working memory would quickly be overloaded.
From what I'm seeing in the data base, you have only one tower site in your county. If I were you, I would program each of the counties surrounding your county as well. Remember, when you are programming a large system, it is best to load only control channels (the ones listed at the top of the page in blue and red). The control channel only function should already be checked in Win500.
Site Map: Ohio MARCS - Multi-Agency Radio Communications Trunking System, Statewide, Multi-State
As a last resort, if you get Win500 fully functional, then I would be happy to program the radio for you and send a file. But, I would prefer knowing what you are interested in hearing (EMS, fire, OHP, adult corrections, and/or Federal).
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GRE 500
Using software and a RR premium subscription is the best and easiest way to go. There are actually three choices for software, ARC500. PSREdit, and Win500. I have used all three, and still prefer the ARC500. Each is available on a 30 day trial, so download them and see what you think. Each has its own learning curve, and what works for you is not what always works for others.
Using software and a RR premium subscription is the best and easiest way to go. There are actually three choices for software, ARC500. PSREdit, and Win500. I have used all three, and still prefer the ARC500. Each is available on a 30 day trial, so download them and see what you think. Each has its own learning curve, and what works for you is not what always works for others.
Also if you prefer to save the added expense of software and download cable, you can program it by keypad which is easy once you get the hang of it!
Manual programming is my preferred method.
73,
n9zas
Manual programming is my preferred method.
73,
n9zas
bigcam406
Member
i programmed mine by hand as well,once you get the hang of it,its pretty straight forward.
This guy made a nice little video showing how to do it by hand. The programming method is exactly the same for the PSR 500 so check it out.
How to program a Radio Shack Pro-197 Digital Trunking Scann - YouTube
How to program a Radio Shack Pro-197 Digital Trunking Scann - YouTube
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GRE Programming
I also just got a GRE PSR-500; I got it a little less than a month ago. My old scanner was a RS PRO-76, so this new one was/is my introduction to digital scanning, trunked scanning, access tones/codes, and all that modern stuff.
First, please do read the Easier to Read PRO-106/97/PSR500/600 Digital Scanner Manual for which Ensnared provided a link above. It is a huge help.
Also, since the GRE PSR-500 does not come with a printed manual, you might be happy to know that the Easier to Read Manual is available as a printed book. One place where you can get a copy ($29.95) is at Universal Radio in Reynoldsburg, OH: Scanner Manual for GRE PSR500, Realistic Pro-106 and Realistic Pro-197.
Universal Radio is a good company, but I should warn you that they are currently out-of-stock on the books. I ordered one in December, and it was on backorder until Dec. 31st. I called this past Monday, the 14th, and they still don't have the books. (The ARC500 software on CD is also out-of-stock and on backorder.)
Second, regular analog frequencies are programmed into this scanner the same way as they are in old scanners, like the PRO-76. Just key in the frequency number, assign it to a "Scan List" (the new name for a Bank), and hit "Enter." Unlike the old PRO-76, however, you can give the frequency a name like "City Police" or "Sheriff" so you don't have to remember who uses which frequency.
Third, if you don't know anything about programming trunked channels, I recommend downloading a trial version of ARC500, PSREdit, or Win500 so you can see which one you like best, and getting a 1-year premium subscription to RadioReference.com so you can download trunk system frequencies and talk groups. (I found the ARC500 was the easiest for me to understand, and it gave me a good mental image of how data is arranged in the scanner.)
You can, of course, program the scanner by hand as others have said, but for a complete newbie (like me), being able to see on a computer how the frequencies, talk groups, and control channels are arranged and related to one another can be a big help.
The only trunking system with which I have any real experience is the APCO Project 25 (or simply "P25") trunked system. West Virginia is using this system for its Statewide Interoperable Radio Network, so all of the police, fire, EMS, and other services are going over to it, although they still are using their traditional frequencies as well in many places.
Not everything you see marked as "P25" in the RadioReference.com database is a P25 trunked frequency.
If you see something marked as Mode "P25" and it has a frequency number with it, such as "154.0100," you enter it into the scanner like a traditional frequency, but for the mode setting you select "P25" instead of "AM" or "FM" or "NFM" (narrow-band FM). AM, FM, and NFM are traditional analog frequencies, and P25 is a digital frequency. All four of these are called "Conventional Objects." (You can also select "Auto" as the mode, and the scanner will figure out what kind of signal it is receiving.)
To set up a P25 trunked system, however, you need to set up a trunk system (TSYS) first.
To do this, you must enter at least one frequency known as a "control" frequency for the tower that is closest to your location (marked in red numbers in the RR database). You should also enter the tower's "alternate control" frequency (marked in blue numbers) so the scanner has an option in case the first frequency isn't working for some reason.
You do not need to enter any of the frequency numbers listed in the database in black numbers.
Once you have a TSYS set up with at least one frequency in it, you can put in one or more talk group numbers (TGIDs), and then associate them with the TSYS you just set up. When the TGIDs are in and associated with a TSYS, you are ready to start scanning.
Please note that you are limited in the number of frequencies you can enter as a single TSYS in the scanner. The limit is 32 frequencies for a P25 system (other systems, such as LTR systems, have different limits). If you are entering both control frequencies and alternate control frequencies, that means you can put 16 towers' worth of frequencies into one TSYS. If you have more than 16 towers (32 frequencies), you need to create another TSYS.
Also, you can associate each talk group with only one TSYS. This is a bit of a pain for people like me who live in an area where the system you want to monitor is huge - state-wide - and you want to travel with your scanner.
I worked my way around this limitation by using the RR database to locate all of the towers with the widest range located along West Virginia's major roads, and programming them as a "Roads" TSYS. Then I associated State Police, DOH, and other related talk groups with that TSYS. Then I found the towers for specific geographic locations, put those in as separate TSYSs, and associated the relevant talk groups with those.
I hope this information helps you. Learning how the trunking systems work and how to get them programmed properly is a bit difficult, but once you see how all of the pieces fit together, it gets much easier. Whatever you do, don't get frustrated and give up. Keep posting your questions, and the people here will be kind enough to try to help.
I also just got a GRE PSR-500; I got it a little less than a month ago. My old scanner was a RS PRO-76, so this new one was/is my introduction to digital scanning, trunked scanning, access tones/codes, and all that modern stuff.
First, please do read the Easier to Read PRO-106/97/PSR500/600 Digital Scanner Manual for which Ensnared provided a link above. It is a huge help.
Also, since the GRE PSR-500 does not come with a printed manual, you might be happy to know that the Easier to Read Manual is available as a printed book. One place where you can get a copy ($29.95) is at Universal Radio in Reynoldsburg, OH: Scanner Manual for GRE PSR500, Realistic Pro-106 and Realistic Pro-197.
Universal Radio is a good company, but I should warn you that they are currently out-of-stock on the books. I ordered one in December, and it was on backorder until Dec. 31st. I called this past Monday, the 14th, and they still don't have the books. (The ARC500 software on CD is also out-of-stock and on backorder.)
Second, regular analog frequencies are programmed into this scanner the same way as they are in old scanners, like the PRO-76. Just key in the frequency number, assign it to a "Scan List" (the new name for a Bank), and hit "Enter." Unlike the old PRO-76, however, you can give the frequency a name like "City Police" or "Sheriff" so you don't have to remember who uses which frequency.
Third, if you don't know anything about programming trunked channels, I recommend downloading a trial version of ARC500, PSREdit, or Win500 so you can see which one you like best, and getting a 1-year premium subscription to RadioReference.com so you can download trunk system frequencies and talk groups. (I found the ARC500 was the easiest for me to understand, and it gave me a good mental image of how data is arranged in the scanner.)
You can, of course, program the scanner by hand as others have said, but for a complete newbie (like me), being able to see on a computer how the frequencies, talk groups, and control channels are arranged and related to one another can be a big help.
The only trunking system with which I have any real experience is the APCO Project 25 (or simply "P25") trunked system. West Virginia is using this system for its Statewide Interoperable Radio Network, so all of the police, fire, EMS, and other services are going over to it, although they still are using their traditional frequencies as well in many places.
Not everything you see marked as "P25" in the RadioReference.com database is a P25 trunked frequency.
If you see something marked as Mode "P25" and it has a frequency number with it, such as "154.0100," you enter it into the scanner like a traditional frequency, but for the mode setting you select "P25" instead of "AM" or "FM" or "NFM" (narrow-band FM). AM, FM, and NFM are traditional analog frequencies, and P25 is a digital frequency. All four of these are called "Conventional Objects." (You can also select "Auto" as the mode, and the scanner will figure out what kind of signal it is receiving.)
To set up a P25 trunked system, however, you need to set up a trunk system (TSYS) first.
To do this, you must enter at least one frequency known as a "control" frequency for the tower that is closest to your location (marked in red numbers in the RR database). You should also enter the tower's "alternate control" frequency (marked in blue numbers) so the scanner has an option in case the first frequency isn't working for some reason.
You do not need to enter any of the frequency numbers listed in the database in black numbers.
Once you have a TSYS set up with at least one frequency in it, you can put in one or more talk group numbers (TGIDs), and then associate them with the TSYS you just set up. When the TGIDs are in and associated with a TSYS, you are ready to start scanning.
Please note that you are limited in the number of frequencies you can enter as a single TSYS in the scanner. The limit is 32 frequencies for a P25 system (other systems, such as LTR systems, have different limits). If you are entering both control frequencies and alternate control frequencies, that means you can put 16 towers' worth of frequencies into one TSYS. If you have more than 16 towers (32 frequencies), you need to create another TSYS.
Also, you can associate each talk group with only one TSYS. This is a bit of a pain for people like me who live in an area where the system you want to monitor is huge - state-wide - and you want to travel with your scanner.
I worked my way around this limitation by using the RR database to locate all of the towers with the widest range located along West Virginia's major roads, and programming them as a "Roads" TSYS. Then I associated State Police, DOH, and other related talk groups with that TSYS. Then I found the towers for specific geographic locations, put those in as separate TSYSs, and associated the relevant talk groups with those.
I hope this information helps you. Learning how the trunking systems work and how to get them programmed properly is a bit difficult, but once you see how all of the pieces fit together, it gets much easier. Whatever you do, don't get frustrated and give up. Keep posting your questions, and the people here will be kind enough to try to help.
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KI5FKE
Member
I use the ARC500 for my Pro-106; but, there are different software out there, so it's a personal preference.
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KI5FKE
Member
One thing I like is that instead of importing the control frequencies multiple times to set up multiple banks, you just import the frequencies ONCE and all talkgroups you wish to monitor. Then you can assign talkgroups to scan lists.
KI5FKE
Member
That video is an excellent video! It helped me program my Pro-106.
Universal Radio items in stock again
Update to my post above:
Universal Radio shipped my Easier to Read Manual for the GRE PSR-500/PRO-106 and ARC500 software CD on Friday, 18 January, and they arrived at my house today, so those items are back in stock.
Also, the Easier to Read Manual is very nice. It has been professionally printed with a card stock cover and a glued spine, a few full-color photos of the keypad and screens, color-coded text (red, blue, green, and purple as well as black), and numbered pages (76 pages of text, 80 pages including footnotes and the index). The size is 8.5" tall, 5.5" wide, and 0.25" thick.
It looks like the book contains everything that is on the website, with no additional information or illustrations, but some of the wording is different from what is written on the website. I probably will change some of the book's wording to match what is written on the website because I think the website is easier to understand in a few places.
The ARC500 software CD comes in a slim-line jewel case. The only thing on the insert inside the CD case is a set of instructions that tell you to put the CD in your disk drive, and the software will install automatically. It also has the registration codes, of course.
So, there is my update for anyone who wants to order these items from Universal Radio, and a quick review of them.
Update to my post above:
Universal Radio shipped my Easier to Read Manual for the GRE PSR-500/PRO-106 and ARC500 software CD on Friday, 18 January, and they arrived at my house today, so those items are back in stock.
Also, the Easier to Read Manual is very nice. It has been professionally printed with a card stock cover and a glued spine, a few full-color photos of the keypad and screens, color-coded text (red, blue, green, and purple as well as black), and numbered pages (76 pages of text, 80 pages including footnotes and the index). The size is 8.5" tall, 5.5" wide, and 0.25" thick.
It looks like the book contains everything that is on the website, with no additional information or illustrations, but some of the wording is different from what is written on the website. I probably will change some of the book's wording to match what is written on the website because I think the website is easier to understand in a few places.
The ARC500 software CD comes in a slim-line jewel case. The only thing on the insert inside the CD case is a set of instructions that tell you to put the CD in your disk drive, and the software will install automatically. It also has the registration codes, of course.
So, there is my update for anyone who wants to order these items from Universal Radio, and a quick review of them.
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