I live in Baltimore, MD. I was going to buy a Uniden 396XT, but I was told that GRE has the distortion issue better solved then Uniden. Do you suggest as a newbie to get the PSR-800 for it's ease of programming and use? Any help would be great before I pay hundreds of dollars for a new scanner. I have never used a GRE, only Uniden.
The 800 lacks a keypad and all additions have to be done via the computer software. On the other hand it has the RR database built in on a micro-sd card and you can locate and add most of the main police and fire frequencies in your area in a few minutes. Furthermore, find the PDF manual on line it is ever so much better than the Uniden ones and if you have a read through it you'll be able to be up and running in no time.. Having experienced the uniden 346 (excellent scanner, I'm not putting it down in any way) if you can program the 396 the GRE will be a doddle. Mine was up and scanning within an hour after it got here in the mail. Later I added a bunch of local conventional systems that aren't on the RR database, and that took a few hours.
The black plastic on the front plate of mine is easily scratched but this is only a minor cosmetic issue and doesn't bother me. The faceplate isn't a problem do far, and I haven't scratched it.
You can't use the software to actually control the radio directly so even when connected to your computer you'll have to keep the GRE scanner visible if you are scanning with it plugged into your usb port. I don't find that to be a problem, but opinions may differ.
One thing to be aware of is that the scanner must be OFF when you transfer program changes to it. It then appears as a logical drive if the USB cable is plugged it. Last night I accidentally turned it on while updating and corrupted the SD card, after which the scanner wouldn't boot. Fortunately I just took out the micro SD card and put it in my separate card reader, deleted all the files, and copied them back with the software. Problem solved!
Remember to back up the database the comes on the card to your hard drive or a jump drive or another micro SD card.
Also you should update the firmware and software pretty soon after it arrives.