GRE 600 vs GRE 500

[Ramathorne]

Going to order today
Still have not made up my mind which one

Any last minute help would be great....

Pros and cons of each.....
Are they both fairly close in features, range, clarity etc?
I am leaning towards the 500 so I can take it in my truck and vehicle to vehicle etc
Can an exterior antenna also be used with the GRE 500?

Anyone use GRE 100-001 antenna and or GRE super amp on the 500?

And what is the best exterior antenna on the go for coverage on all freq., but especially 800 range? (in NS Canada so need something that will withstand the elements)

 

[rdale]

Well, they are the same radio. One is a handheld, one is not.

 

[ab8sn]

500 vs 600

Going to order today
Still have not made up my mind which one

Any last minute help would be great....

Pros and cons of each.....
Are they both fairly close in features, range, clarity etc?
I am leaning towards the 500 so I can take it in my truck and vehicle to vehicle etc
Can an exterior antenna also be used with the GRE 500?

Anyone use GRE 100-001 antenna and or GRE super amp on the 500?

And what is the best exterior antenna on the go for coverage on all freq., but especially 800 range? (in NS Canada so need something that will withstand the elements)

As the previous user posted, they are the same radio. I have both types and love them both. I do have to agree that a handheld does go out the door more easily and can be switched between vehicles very easily.

A mobile or base antenna can be connected to either unit just have to have the PL 259 to BNC adapter for connecting a base antenna.

I can't comment too much on the antenna's though. I have used the RS Mag mount as well as the Hustler Mag mount and both work very well. Hopefully another user can post a better suggestion about an antenna for you for the best 800mhz performance. Hope this helps.

73s

Chad

 

[N8IAA]

Can an exterior antenna also be used with the GRE 500?
Yes. I suggest an amateur 2m 1/4 wave magmount antenna that has a band width of 136-174MHz. The reason being, it is electrically good at VHF, UHF, and 800MHz.

Anyone use GRE 100-001 antenna
I am guessing that this is the the GRE equal to the RS 800MHz antenna. Yes, for portable and even stealth mode in the vehicle.

GRE super amp on the 500?
Absolutely not. The radio's sensitivity on 800MHz does not require you to boost a signal to it. Likewise on VHF/UHF. You will just allow more noise to be heard interferring with the actual signal.

And what is the best exterior antenna on the go for coverage on all freq., but especially 800 range? (in NS Canada so need something that will withstand the elements)
See my above answer. And get a magmount base that has a BNC connector on it. Going from a PL259 to BNC, will just cause a lot of strain on the radio's connector.

I've been scanning and hamming for a long time now (over twenty-five years) and use ham antennas all the time Larsen makes a good commercial grade 2m 1/4 wave that is on my vechicle. I scan a lot of VHF/UHF and 800MHz frequencies. It works well for my metro area. There will be some that say having the correct length electrically helps, as far as transmit yes, receive, well, do you really need three antennas:wink:
JMTCW,
Larry

 

[Ramathorne]

Thanks for the input guys
I am new to all of this and I just have one question about Larry's response
When I wrote "exterior antenna" at the end I was referring to a "base" antenna for my home
Just wanted to clarify that in case it may change your response
Anywhere online that these items can be purchased??
Perhaps ebay?
Thanks for the input on the GRE Super Amp as well as I almost ordered one

 

[fmon]

I use a Scantenna hooked to 500/197/197/2045 through an electroline distribution box.
Scantenna and RG6 cable with F to BnC from Scantenna from Antennacraft at

 

[N8IAA]

No change in my response. Still the same. I use commercial and ham antennas for my base set-up. Fmon's suggestion is a good one. I do a lot of specialized scanning and require different antennas The PSR-500 is a good choice.
Larry

 

[Ramathorne]

Can some links be provided to the antennas mentioned above?........
Having trouble finding the exact ones....
Would like to order online if anyone can recommend a place

 

[fmon]

I provided a link to Scantenna. Click on Add to Cart button to send you back to Grove page.

 

[scannersnstuff]

i may be a little late to weigh in. here's my take. love my psr-500. yes it overload's slightly.
was not crazy about the huge amount of vhf-hi overload on my psr-600,so i sold it.
i did buy a psr-400 because the spectrumsweeper part can't be beat. i use it in my shack almost exclusevly for spectrumsweeper. i did have to put it on it's own room mounted small r.s. discone.
i use my bcd396xt & psr-500 to overcome the shortfall's of each. yea i guess if i was pressed to say so, the psr-500 decode's digital a little bit better than the uniden. the 600 did have it's share of good feature's though.

 

[Mojaveflyer]

You might look at Cheapham.com under Larsen for a magnetic or hole mount base and an antenna that uses a 'NMO' mount. I use mag mounts on my truck and I'm very happy with the result.

 

[joetnymedic]

You might look at Cheapham.com under Larsen for a magnetic or hole mount base and an antenna that uses a 'NMO' mount. I use mag mounts on my truck and I'm very happy with the result.

There's actually a guy on two way shopper selling some mag mounts cheap

 

[W6KRU]

There's actually a guy on two way shopper selling some mag mounts cheap

For a base antenna?

When I wrote "exterior antenna" at the end I was referring to a "base" antenna for my home