Newbie Q

[newbieWAstate]

Hello, im total new to the scanner community and this scanner forum, so I apologize in advance if my questions seem off based.

I was looking into buying the 96 but afraid that this technology will become outdated and I will be stuck with an expensive toy. Is there new trunk systems that are expected to come to the market and outdate the current technology? For example, will or could APCO 25 come out with new version called APCO 26? I want a system where I can listen to police but I want to make sure the police will not come out with a new freq or technology that will replace this 500 dollar scanner. Does it look like all Police stations are now going to start encrypt so it’s worthless to purchase a scanner? Anyone have any insight about Washington State and their plans? Thank you,

 

[rpowley]

newbieWAstate - Welcome to scanning. The Pro 96 is a great choice. As with most technology, it will eventually become obsolete - I wouldn't expect to see that happen any time soon. There are currently systems that the Pro 96 or other scanners won't receive, but for the most part you should be fine in WA. Who knows what will happen down the road, but currently encryption is normally not a big deal. Not to cast more doubt, but you may want to read up on rebanding ( http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Rebanding ) The bottom line is : If I was in the market and lived in WA state (again) I would have no qualms about picking up a Pro - 96

 

[hoser147]

I totally agree with R Prowley I too have a 96 and a 95 and both have been great scanners, go to the database and look up the specific things you want to monitor and you will find that going with digital you will be able to pickup several different bands. If you look at the recent threads you will find that some of the Radio Shack stores have it for 399 I believe. Welcome To RR the best place on the net for radio info..............hoser147

 

[newbieWAstate]

hey thanks for the wonderful hospitality,
Who uses some of the current systems that pro 96 wont receive?
How come The Pro 96 is so much more expensive then some of uniden digital scanners that are around 250 dollars? Is it expensive for the company to make the pro 96? Do you think the price will come down soon? Do you think the firedepartment and paramedics will also use encryption?
Also I was looking at a sample PDF file under this site donations catagory and it said some of SAN DEGIO freq are encrypted. Does this mean encryption is slowely taking effect in cities?

 

[wvufan]

If you want a Pro-96 you might want to check Ebay. I won one recently for $280 and it works great.