Ham wants to get into scanning

[N0BDW]

Hi folks,

I'm a ham (tech). Would like to get a scanner, preferably portable but would also like to have it look nice sitting on my desk (maybe I should get two - one for each? but that'd be later). I live in Monroe County, near Rochester NY. I'm interested in listening to State Troopers (Troop E), MCSO, RPD, DEC region 8 (fish & wildlife + conservation officers), fire & EMS. I understand the former are on P25 digital trunked systems, so it'll be more expensive to listen to them. I might also set a bank of memories to the local repeaters (UHF/VHF) but that is less important as I've already got amateur gear.

Trying to not spend a ton of money - possibly something used. Definitely want P25 though, so willing to pay more for that. HP1 prices are definitely out of range though, to give you an idea.

I currently listen to the Livingston County Sheriff (just south of Monroe County) on my amateur rig occasionally - they are still analog.

Also, slightly off topic I realize, but I've been having trouble finding information about what frequency DEC employees other than the conservation officers use. Maybe they use the same frequencies with different PL tones? I'm specifically looking for the wildlife biologists.... my dad used to be one (retired) and he mentioned he would be interested in listening, so if I can get it working for myself I can set him up with a scanner as well. I believe this may be the FCC license I'm looking for... the control point address is the region 8 HQ: ULS License - Public Safety Pool, Conventional License - KJU931 - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Office For Public Protection

I have no particular brand affinity, but my current equipment is all Motorola, Yaesu, and Icom.

Thanks for reading and for any suggestions.
Ben

 

[ka3jjz]

Hey Ben - Welcome to RR. Before I begin, anything in blue - whether here or in our wiki - is a link.

Let's address the scanner question first. If you are wanting to get something for P25, you're correct in that it will cost more, but looking at the used market might bring some results. For example, I see in our classifieds area that someone is selling a BCD396T for about USD300. That's not a bad price.

Anyway, the older scanners will save you some bucks. The PRO-96 and PRO-2096 from RS, the BC296D, BC796D, BCD396T and BCD996T are all Uniden offerings. You can read about them by going to our wiki; just click on the link below, then on the model number you wish to check out...

Categoryigital Scanners - The RadioReference Wiki

As for our Classifieds forum;

Main Index - RadioReference Classifieds

Don't ignore the used lists posted by places like Universal Radio in Ohio, either. I didn't see any of the above scanners in their latest listings, but that means nothing, of course. Something could show up anytime.

Which scanner will work best for you would be a good question for the NY forum; it's always best to get an answer from folks in your general neck of the woods...

New York Radio Discussion Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums

Now as to DEC and Monroe County - In this case, DEC means, I'm sure, the Dept of Environmental Conservation (it has quite another meaning in other contexts...). As a fellow ham, I know well the trap of using abbreviations in an unfamiliar environment...

Anyway, our database and wiki are more likely to be accurate than the FCC db. The FCC has been known to have very old and out of date listings, and I wouldn't put a lot of stock in them unless someone in the NY forum has been checking them out. It's a place to start, but certainly not the only one.

We're currently in the process of moving truckloads of data over from the NF2G website, so you're going to notice things changing (database entries in green or yellow are indicitive of new data). Here are the requisite links;

Department of Environmental Conservation Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Monroe County, New York (NY) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Department of Environmental Conservation Unvalidated Frequencies - The RadioReference Wiki

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Monroe_County_(NY)

NY State Police - the RR Database

I would bookmark these links for future reference. If no one from NY answers here, the folks on the NY forum most certainly will.

73 Mike

 

[N0BDW]

Hey Ben - Welcome to RR. Before I begin, anything in blue - whether here or in our wiki - is a link.

Let's address the scanner question first. If you are wanting to get something for P25, you're correct in that it will cost more, but looking at the used market might bring some results. For example, I see in our classifieds area that someone is selling a BCD396T for about USD300. That's not a bad price.

Anyway, the older scanners will save you some bucks. The PRO-96 and PRO-2096 from RS, the BC296D, BC796D, BCD396T and BCD996T are all Uniden offerings. You can read about them by going to our wiki; just click on the link below, then on the model number you wish to check out...

Categoryigital Scanners - The RadioReference Wiki

As for our Classifieds forum;

Main Index - RadioReference Classifieds

Don't ignore the used lists posted by places like Universal Radio in Ohio, either. I didn't see any of the above scanners in their latest listings, but that means nothing, of course. Something could show up anytime.

Which scanner will work best for you would be a good question for the NY forum; it's always best to get an answer from folks in your general neck of the woods...

New York Radio Discussion Forum - The RadioReference.com Forums

Now as to DEC and Monroe County - In this case, DEC means, I'm sure, the Dept of Environmental Conservation (it has quite another meaning in other contexts...). As a fellow ham, I know well the trap of using abbreviations in an unfamiliar environment...

Anyway, our database and wiki are more likely to be accurate than the FCC db. The FCC has been known to have very old and out of date listings, and I wouldn't put a lot of stock in them unless someone in the NY forum has been checking them out. It's a place to start, but certainly not the only one.

We're currently in the process of moving truckloads of data over from the NF2G website, so you're going to notice things changing (database entries in green or yellow are indicitive of new data). Here are the requisite links;

Department of Environmental Conservation Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Monroe County, New York (NY) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Department of Environmental Conservation Unvalidated Frequencies - The RadioReference Wiki

Monroe County (NY) - The RadioReference Wiki

NY State Police - the RR Database

I would bookmark these links for future reference. If no one from NY answers here, the folks on the NY forum most certainly will.

73 Mike

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the reply and warm welcome. I'm somewhat familiar with the RR DB as I've used it to look up some amateur frequencies before as well as the Livingston County Sheriff (I spend a good deal of time in Livingston though I currently reside in Monroe).

Yes indeed I did mean the Department of Environmental Conservation. Thanks for catching that.

Thanks for the links and I'll definitely shop around the classifieds for the models you mentioned.

 

[K9WG]

Hello Ben. Be careful, before long you will spend as much money on scanners as you do transceivers

73 de K9WG -

 

[CoolCat]

Hello Ben,
Welcome to the end of having extra money in your wallet

 

[N0BDW]

Ha! Extra money. That's a good one.

 

[eaf1956]

OMG a ham who doesn't already have scanners! What is the world coming to?

Ed
KC9LVX

 

[Nightjock]

Hey Ben,

Take a look around this thread http://forums.radioreference.com/ne...-forum/167238-new-radio-system-monroe-co.html for info on the switch to digital for all Monroe County law enforcement. To get RPD and MCSO you need a scanner capable of decoding the digital P25 signals. I'm not sure if the 396T or 996T will do that. The 396XT and 996XT do for sure.

 

[NYRHKY94]

Ben:

Just an FYI if you are able to move quickly on a new scanner. Radio Shack has the digital Pro-106 handheld on sale ("again") right now for $299.00 until 1/18. They also have 50% off of the programming cable as part of the sale. It's a great scanner with excellent digital decode audio right out of the box. I believe the sale is web pricing only......but you can have it delivered free to any local RS near you.

Just a thought.......

Mike
P.S. No affiliation with RS

 

[ranger821]

Welcome Ben. I don't have the 106 mentioned earlier but did a lot of research on it. Worth the price. I went with the Pro 197, desk model, will go base or mobile. I love the 197. The guys are right on the spending. It was either I buy that new dual bander Kenwood or a new scanner. the scanner won THIS time.

 

[N0BDW]

I believe the 396T does to P25:
TrunkTracker IV (Motorola APCO 25 Digital, Motorola, EDACS, LTR) - Lets you monitor all of the major types of communications systems used by public safety, local government, amateur radio operators, and more.

Definitely want P25.

Will check out the 106. It does P25, yes? Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[K2KOH]

Hey, Ben...welcome to the Empire State! I second the motion on the Pro 197 and the Pro 106...if you want to keep the expense down for a P25 scanner. The Pro 106 is on sale for 299 on line at Radio Shack.com You can also go to CouponCabin.com for a coupon worth twenty bucks.

73 de N2MWE

 

[ka3jjz]

Hey Ben,

Take a look around this thread http://forums.radioreference.com/ne...-forum/167238-new-radio-system-monroe-co.html for info on the switch to digital for all Monroe County law enforcement. To get RPD and MCSO you need a scanner capable of decoding the digital P25 signals. I'm not sure if the 396T or 996T will do that. The 396XT and 996XT do for sure.

Yes the 396T and 996T does P25, but the RS sale price is very attractive. Just keep in mind that the USB cable to connect the PC and scanner is NOT included with the RS scanners and you must buy that separately. However that's the easy part - the SKU numbers are listed here;

Connecting scanners via USB - The RadioReference Wiki

best regards...Mike

 

[N8IAA]

Welcome, Ben. I too would like to vote for the 106/197. With their better P-25 audio, and Scanlist setup, they make excellent beginner digital scanners. With www.starrsoft.com Win500, or www.psredit.com PSREdit500, for programming software, you can't lose
HTH,
Larry

 

[N0BDW]

Thanks folks. I found an RS Pro-106 on eBay for ~$260 which I've gone ahead and purchased. Will pick up the programming cable locally when the scanner comes in as RS' website says it is available at a couple of their stores nearby.

 

[ka3jjz]

Seeing as that's the case, Ben, here's an article that you should keep handy...

GRE/RS Object Oriented Scanners FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki

There is an Easier to Read manual linked here, and be sure to look at the software article linked at the bottom. There are user's guides for both ARC500 and Win500 which should be helpful; they are linked in that article.

Keep in mind you will need a subscription (cheap) to pull data from our database, but if you go to the NY forum and tell folks which package you have, likely as not you can get a file to get you started. Be sure to be specific about this; not all formats for all packages are compatible with one another.

best regards..Mike

 

[N0BDW]

Seeing as that's the case, Ben, here's an article that you should keep handy...

GRE/RS Object Oriented Scanners FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki

There is an Easier to Read manual linked here, and be sure to look at the software article linked at the bottom. There are user's guides for both ARC500 and Win500 which should be helpful; they are linked in that article.

Keep in mind you will need a subscription (cheap) to pull data from our database, but if you go to the NY forum and tell folks which package you have, likely as not you can get a file to get you started. Be sure to be specific about this; not all formats for all packages are compatible with one another.

best regards..Mike

I've got no problem supporting RR. I've been thinking about signing up for a membership just as a "because" but now that I'll have a real reason I'll definitely be hopping on board.

Appreciate the advice.

Ben

 

[N8PDF]

Ben:

I'm a ham as well and picked up a Pro-197 on sale at radioshack. It is the same as the gre psr-600 and well worth it. I had an old Pro-93 scanner I had since I got my license and the new scanners are so much better. Being a ham should give you a bit of an edge in learning to program them but I would not program them with out a computer. It is just so much easier to user the pc and type out things instead of using the keypad. Good luck with your choice.

73, KC8VNR

Denis

 

[N0BDW]

Ben:

I'm a ham as well and picked up a Pro-197 on sale at radioshack. It is the same as the gre psr-600 and well worth it. I had an old Pro-93 scanner I had since I got my license and the new scanners are so much better. Being a ham should give you a bit of an edge in learning to program them but I would not program them with out a computer. It is just so much easier to user the pc and type out things instead of using the keypad. Good luck with your choice.

73, KC8VNR

Denis

Thanks Denis. I went with the Pro-106 and am satisfied with it so far. I definitely had to use the programming software, I didn't even attempt without it. I've programmed amateur gear by hand no problem, and even the Motorola FPP stuff, but the object oriented approach these scanners have was too much to look into right now when I can just fire up the software and click import from RR.

 

[kc2rgw]

The VX7R makes a nice scanner too btw, just setup groups for it. Doesn't do digital of course.