Pro-106 or the BCD396xt?

[mroneeyedboh]

I hope I dont get biased reviews here but I may be able to get a RS pro-106 for a nice price. Im hoping he will come back with around 225-250. He wants 275 now, which still isnt bad.
It doesnt come with anything so I would need to buy accessories.

What Im asking is, between the BCD396xt and the Pro-106 which one should I go for? Sure its apples to apples with a few slight differences. But I guess what Im asking is if I can get the pro-106 for under 250, should I bite?

Is it harder to program? Could I still use RR.com to help me program it, or is that a BCD196xt bonus?

Any and all info on it that would help me sway one way ro another would be appreciated.

Lastly, Im going to be listening to police and fire locally. They are digital now, so that leads me to these.

Thanks!

 

[MPSMP]

My own opinion here..

I own both Radio shack and Uniden scanners other then some difference in features I dont consider one to be better then the other. When I have had my pro 106 running next to the uniden portable radio they both do a great job.. Others may have different results do to location or other circumstances.. If you are able to get the 106 for around the price you stated I would go for it.. I do believe RR does support downloads for both the 106 and the uniden model (not sure though) I do program my radios by hand..

Hope this helps you in the decision process...

 

[Astrak]

You can download information from RR into any of the programs available for the Pro106 and then upload that into the scanner.

 

[W6KRU]

I would suggest asking this in the Maryland forum. I have a 396XT and a PSR-500 (which is the same as a PRO-106). Your county has a Moto II simulcast system like the one I listen to. My PSR-500 is superior to my 396XT at digital decoding and audio quality but people in other areas have the opposite experience. Hence the need to ask people in your area which scanner works the best.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

good idea. Thanks!

 

[joetnymedic]

I owned both but sold the uniden. don't get me wrong the uniden was a great radio, I just prefered the pro 106 and I'm usually a uniden guy

 

[mroneeyedboh]

See Ive seen that alot lately.

Now whats the difference between the GRE and the Pro-106?

 

[tekshogun]

GRE actually builds the Radio Shack branded scanners. They are basically the same except that programming cables in some situations are different than the GRE model. The programming software for available for the GRE's works for the Radio Shacks as well which is nice, such as Arc500 and Win500 and they all interface to the RR database.

I own a Pro-106. I have operated a 396XT. They're both great radios and I will echo that they have ups and downs about them but in general, they're both great and the I will also echo that your area may be a determining factor on which is best.

With that said, for the price of the Pro-106, it is hard to beat.

The Uniden equipment brings with it a lot of neat features that you may or may not use. I think the amount of stuff you can stuff in the 396XT/996XT's is remarkable, over 25000 channels. Pro-106's and GRE PSR-500's can do more "objects" but that is spread over virtual scanners. So there is a draw back to how its memory works compared to a 396. But then again, how much are you honestly going to try to listen to in one area anyway that switching to another virtual scanner would be a problem?

Thoughts thoughts thoughts. Just pick up each one, hold it them individually. Which ever one feels right, buy that one

 

[hiegtx]

See Ive seen that alot lately.

Now whats the difference between the GRE and the Pro-106?

Only real difference between the Pro-106 and the GRE PSR-500 is in the front panel layout. Internally, they are the same scanner; GRE makes the 106 for Radio Shack. The firmware is different, but no advantage of one to the other in terms of sensitivity or anything.

There is one difference, though: GRE includes the pc interface cable & ac adapter with the PSR-500. With Radio Shack, those are extra cost accessories. The 500 is currently $358.00 at ScannerMaster. Right now, Radio Shack has the 106 at it's "normal" price of $399.99. However, it often goes on sale. As recently as the first part of this month, it was on sale for $299.99. At that price, it's about even in final cost with the PSR-500, after you spend about $30 each for an ac adapter & pc cable. The pc cable is required for programming via a computer. It's also needed to install firmware updates, whenever they are released.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

I found a lightly used 500 with the ARC500 program for 350 shipped. does that sound like a good deal?

 

[W6KRU]

I found a lightly used 500 with the ARC500 program for 350 shipped. does that sound like a good deal?

The software is not transferable. The software does not belong to the seller because they only purchased a key for their use. The seller may give you his key but it is no more legitimate for your use than a cracked key you get from a warez site on the internet.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

haha ok cool so thats pretty much useless... I can get a new one for liek 364

or wait scanner master has the GRE

Goes the GRE have gps like the 396xt? Is the 396xt similar to the 500, in terms of options?

 

[vinzep491]

The GRE/RS models dont offer GPS, but they can pick a system's tower with the strogest frequency,.

Like others have said -- each has positives and negatives, you just got to weigh out what is most important to you.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

ok cool. I dont know what i want but all I keep hearing is how clear the GRE is and it can pull more distant freqs better

Also from reading online, I noticed that some people need this board replacement on the GRE.. Is that common?

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Is the size difference between the 396xt and the 500 as drastic as its sounds?

 

[tekshogun]

They are different in size but it isn't THAT dramatic. The 396 line is smaller than the GRE/RS line. The 396 fits in the pocket better than the other and is perhaps lighter in weight as well.

I don't know about board replacements, I haven't had any issues with my Pro-106. If you're concerned about it, make sure you send your warranty card in and consider an extended warranty if you are that concerned about it. These things are small and expensive and can be broken easily. You'll also read battles about BNC (GRE/RS) and SMA (Uniden) connectors. They're both nice and have their benefits and drawbacks, once you choose the radio you want, then worry about the antenna connector characteristics when you look at additional antennas for it.

 

[mroneeyedboh]

yeah the dimensions are

396XT
L- 1.22
W- 2.4
H- 5.35

PSR-500
L- 1.65
W- 2.56
H- 5.71

Not that big of a deal.. Some people were like its huge.. ehh call me a noob but thats not the end of the world now haha

My current concern is the super sensitivity of the 500. I dont know how close I am to towers, and I dont want to make the bad mistake of either getting it and then having nasty feedback ( or whatever its called ) but then getting the 396 and then having it not being sensitive enough.

 

[mandlair]

I had a 396t and in my area the gres blow them away.Mike

 

[mroneeyedboh]

Yeah I think Im leaning towards the GRE

I just wnat to make sure Im not that close to any cell towers, as they suffer from the sensitivity issue.

according to this site

http://www.cellreception.com/towers/towers.php

I have a tower 2.5 miles away... Does that seem acceptable?

But now I see one possibly 1.8 miles away
Now these are driving directions. Im not sure how to find true distance.

 

[mandlair]

Shouldnt be a problem ,I once went on vacation with my 500.And tower was very close I just removed the antenna and had no problems. Mike