Hi I am new to the website and scanners as well. I have a couple questions I bought a pro-90 300 channel 800 mghz scanner and it seems the antenna is working because I put the frequencies in and no transmission or is this model need and upgrade to get tarrant county agencies. Please advise thanks
New to scanners and hope i didnt make a bad buy
- Thread starter Mdw1972
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Hit_Factor
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You should get a scanner that can decode P25 Phase II. Tarrant is still on phase I, but if they upgrade, like others in your area, you'll want the capability.
The Pro-90 can't. Pro-90 - The RadioReference Wiki
The Pro-90 can't. Pro-90 - The RadioReference Wiki
Tarrant County, Texas (TX) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference
Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Tarrant County, Texas (TX)
www.radioreference.com
North Texas Interoperable Radio Network (NTIRN) Trunking System, Various, Texas
North Texas Interoperable Radio Network (NTIRN) Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
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That's a tough spot to be in for sure. You will want to return that scanner and pony up for something that does Phase 1 digital in the very least, but if you want to be set for the future, you'll want a Phase 2 capable scanner. Furthermore, the type of radio environment you are wanting to listen to in Tarrant County means you'll be dealing with P25 Simulcast layers that you are trying to listen to. Without a scanner or quasi-scanner/pager such as the SDS-100 or the Unication G5, the audio could very well be distorted due to trying to decode several nearby sites at once that are arriving at split second different times. If you are in a good spot and with a little luck, a cheaper scanner found here can work as well. Just remember, several police agencies in the area are utilizing almost full encryption already so have fun but don't get too disappointed, especially if you are hoping to hear FWPD.
Hit_Factor
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No.
If it's less than $400 it probably doesn't decode p25, even as a used scanner.
Look at this list Uniden Scanners - The RadioReference Wiki
baker50021
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I'll throw this one in as well P25RX Digital Police Receiver With Bluetooth Audio Support just have to catch them in stock. They sell out super fast.
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Have you tried what's in the database for your county?
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Poster, I'm sure the money you paid for your 20 year old scanner wasn't much but if you can return it... do so, avoid the antiques, unfortunately you're going to need to step up with the money, we really can't do it on the cheap these days. 
A few of the Tarrant County cities have conventional analog frequencies listed, but most of them use the FWRRS trunked system, which your Pro-90 cannot receive. Check the Tarrant County database page:
Tarrant County, Texas (TX) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference
Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Tarrant County, Texas (TX)
www.radioreference.com
For Parker County, almost everything is on Weatherford's digital trunked system, but there are a handful of conventional frequencies used by volunteer fire departments (some are used for tone-out only).
For Dallas County, Dallas (city) PD & FD still use analog Uhf channels for most operations. Dallas County Sheriff's office is also conventional (for now) on Vhf-high frequencies. Both the city & county will be moving to a new digital trunked, which is currently under construction.
Probably your best listening choice for now (unless & until you get a digital scanner) is to listen to audio feeds on Broadcastify, either on a phone app or using your PC or a tablet connected to the internet.
Hit_Factor
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That was the first link I gave you (post #2).
Hit Factor is right.
As we've both noted, there is very little activity on analog conventional channels for Tarrant County. That also applies to Parker, Denton, & Johnson counties (to your west, north, and south, respectively). If you are in the eastern part of Tarrant, you likely could pick up Dallas PD & FD, as well as Dallas County Sheriff. For Wise County, to your northwest, many of the cities still use conventional systems (not trunked), but the majority of them are using digital transmissions, so your Pro-90 will not be able to handle those.
wtp
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MDW1972,
there is a post about having more radios.
it might give you some ideas.
nothing is a waste if you use it.
forums.radioreference.com
there is a post about having more radios.
it might give you some ideas.
nothing is a waste if you use it.
Why multiple radios?
So I’m not that wet behind the ears when it comes to scanning, but have not been in the hobby for some time. So there is a lot of things I need to catch up on. Why do some have multiple scanners going at once? Are you trying to monitor specific things on each scanner? Are some of the scanners...
The HP-1 would get the unencrypted talkgroups on FWRRS, which would include FWFD, most of the smaller Tarrant County cities & suburbs, as well as Tarrant County itself. Currently, most of the Tarrant County cities are using P25 Phase I, which is noted by the D in the mode column by the talkgroups. However. the HP-1 would not work for Arlington. Arlington is using P25 Phase II, which the HP-1 cannot handle. Also, Arlington PD is fully encrypted, and I believe some of the FD as well. Some time back, it was reported that Arlington was going to encrypt their Fire channels (their PD channels were encrypted when they moved to FWRRS and started using Phase II). I normally cannot hear Arlington from home, but whenever I am in range for them, I never hear their FD. No scanner will be able to monitor anything that is encrypted.
As jon has already noted, the HP-1 is not a good choice for simulcast. While the HP-2 can receive P25 Phase II, it also is not a good choice for simulcast. Read more about Simulcast in the Wiki: Simulcast digital distortion - The RadioReference Wiki
Simulcast issues are extremely location specific. Depending on your exact location in relation to the transmit towers, you might be able to listen with no problems, or everything may be garbled so badly you cannot understand what was being said. If you can give a better idea of your general location (like a highway or major thoroughfare intersection, or a neighborhood), one of the Tarrant County members might could tell you whether or not they have problems in your vicinity. On FWRRS, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving, and the Ellis County cities are using P25 Phase II (that's designated by a T in the mode column). Everyone else on the system, for now, is still Phase I (Mode D). But at some point, I suspect that more, if not all, of the users will end up migrating to Phase II, so a Phase II capable scanner is what you should look for. Other than Uniden's SDS series scanners, the Unication pagers and the Blue Tail receiver also handle simulcast, though neither of those is a true scanner, and you don't have the options for monitoring multiple system types that are available with a scanner.
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