PRO 96 Mod

[Radioguy789]

Hello. I am just wondering if anyone on here knows if you can do a mod on this scanner to make it pick up frequencies in the 770 MHz area. If it can be done or not. Let me know. Thanks.

 

[mancow]

I seem to recall some sort of frequency extension option in the old Win96 program but not sure how well it worked.

 

[Radioguy789]

Ok because I was able to enter in frequencies in the 770 MHz area and they entered in but will it receive or if there is a mod that is the only way it will receive transmissions on those frequencies.

 

[mancow]

That's what I recall, it will allow the entry but the hardware can't do it. The tuning stuff is potted on the board and you will likely destroy it trying to mess with it. Not worth it.

 

[Radioguy789]

Ok so the hardware won’t receive anything on those frequencies even though I was able to enter them in. Ok so since that stuff is on the board and even if you know how to do mods, this type is difficult and hard to do and there is a good chance you could damage something and mess up the scanner permanently.

 

[mancow]

Exactly.

 

[ka3jjz]

Several folks tried this software mod, as I recall, when it was discovered. I don't recall anyone bricking their scanner, but it's a worthless mod in any case, since as it has been pointed out, the hardware won't support out of band reception...Mike

 

[chill1971]

I used to have a pro96 and the software mod (checking a box) works. It will receive just fine, but will not trunk a 700 Mhz control channel.

 

[ka3jjz]

Therein lies another problem. No trunking (of course there was no 700 Mhz trunking available at that time anyway). But there's even cases where folks used that mod to enable milair, and while it did, at least in some, the radio was deaf as a rock. Not worth it, in my book...Mike

 

[kruser]

I used to have a pro96 and the software mod (checking a box) works. It will receive just fine, but will not trunk a 700 MHz control channel.

This is the correct answer!

Even using the limited amount of custom table space in the 96 and 2096, they can't be tricked to track a 700 MHz P25 system.
I suppose you could monitor a 700 MHz system conventionally but there may have still been some of the lower 700 MHz frequencies that these radios will not accept. That's what I recall anyway.
It's been quite a while since messing with one of these!

 

[wtp]

checking 2 manuals online the radio does not have any 700 coverage.
i will keep looking.

http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mtscan1203.pdf

not there either.

 

[kruser]

checking 2 manuals online the radio does not have any 700 coverage.
i will keep looking.

Officially, no, it does not cover anything below 806 but using software such as Don Starr's WIN96, you can unlock the radio and enter frequencies above and below of its official ranges. I've never tested to see exactly how far away it will actually tune an unofficial frequency in any band but it did do fine in the upper 700's. I'd guess like most out of band tuning, the PLL probably unlocks at certain points or the sensitivity drops off so bad that you would never receive anything even though you can enter out of range freqs.
I'd suspect mine had reduced sensitivity when plugging in the 700 MHz frequencies I was after but all the signals I'd tested with back in those days were strong so I did not notice. It just did not know what to do with trunking data.
I also always wondered if all Pro 96 and 2096 models were not created equal and the out of band tuning trick would not work with all revisions.
Mine did. I just opened my last program file for my old 96 in Win 96 and I did have a 700 MHz system programmed into the thing but set for conventional scanning only.

I'd probably not tell someone to buy one for this purpose as they may not all work out of band if hardware changes were made over their lifetime.
Mine were probably some of the first released under the PRO-96 model.

edit: As far as a hardware MOD goes, I've never heard of anything for these models other than the software trick that allows entry of out of range frequencies. Don Starr's website used to mention the out of range tuning on the WIN96 program page I think.
See here: Win96 - Data Management Software for the PRO-96 Digital Trunking Scanner
And here, see the Revision Notes for version 1.25: PRO-96 Software - Win96 - Data Management Software for the RadioShack PRO-96 and PRO-2096 Digital Trunking Scanners

 

[Radioguy789]

Ok so there is no mod out there to do that. And yes it’s just conventional channels in the 770 MHz range no trunking. Will put them in and just see if I happen to hear anything or not. If I don’t then will know even though you can enter them in you can’t hear anything on those frequencies in that range.

 

[tvengr]

You can enter 700 MHz frequencies, but they will not trunk track.

 

[ka3jjz]

And the sensitivity could easily be the pits - even though there's traffic, you might not hear anything. It's very much a crap shoot. Mike