Scanner Hall of Shame

[N9JIG]

We all know the scanners we love, how about the scanners we despised?

My personal demon scanner was the old RadioShack PRO2026. This was a private label of the Uniden BC760XLT with all the cool Uniden stuff removed and the goofy RadioShack stuff put in.

IIRC (my mind tries to block bad memories like this one...) they removed the standard coax power plug and replaced it with a permanently attached DC power cord, with an additional wire for memory retention, made you use a program button, and had no PL deck. The 760 seemed to be more selective (well, at least a LITTLE selective...) and you had a rudimentary PL deck (by today's standards anyway).

My next hall of shame scanner was the Regency MX5000 and MX7000 and the portable versions (HX2000 I think?). While the most sensitive radios I have ever owned, the had a scan rate that was best measured with a calendar. When I bought them right after they were announced the pictures made them look to be in the same case style as the other Regency mobile scanners of the day, and they would fit right in with my radio stack. When they came however they were a third smaller and used a silly compression bracket that was impossible to mount nicely. They also used a unique power connector I haven't seen before (or since for that matter).

 

[jack103]

Pro 2026 the only scanner I threw away.

 

[KC1UA]

Mine would have to be, as I recall, the Regency MX4200. It received fantastic...if you enjoyed listening to intermod. It didn't remain too long in my then sparse radio room.

 

[brandon]

Pro92. Why? Did not work with splinter systems.

 

[wmbio]

The worst I have ever owned was a Tennelec Memoryscan MCP-1...just a poor quality radio overall. Here is a pix,...RadioPics Database - Other Radio Scanners - Tennelec Memoryscan MCP-1

In the day...mid 1970's it was a cool looking radio!

The RadioShack PRO2026, went to a two wire power cord as the internal memory no longer needed the 3rd wire...The radio was made by Uniden and was great for monitoring the 800 mhz cell band before 1994. I junked mine long ago.

Enjoy
Wmbio

 

[commscanaus]

The AOR AR1000XLT was a big and expensive mistake that I made back in the early 90's.

Horrible receiver made even more horrible by the programming method.
You had to carry the manual everywhere with it.
It would receive images and noise all throughout it's frequency range.

I saved for months to get one and regretted it sorely.
It ended up getting sold a year or so later for half what I paid and I felt sorry for the buyer!

Commscanaus.

 

[kennyblues]

Bearcat/Uniden UBC-100XL, Made in the early eighties, maybe one of the first Bearcat handheld programmable. It had bad battery contacts that lost power all the time, when that happened it lost it's memory also. I wound up feeding it to a rock crusher.

 

[k9rzz]

Well, I'll take your Pro-2026s then. I liked that scanner. For conventional frequencies is was quick, simple, and had good ears. Perhaps there were different versions since mine had the typical detachable power cord. Worked for me! Radio Shack PRO-2026 Product Reviews

 

[n2pqq]

the radio shack pro 2067.

did anyone ever figure out how to program
this radio ?

 

[mancow]

Icom R-1

It receives everything but what you want to hear and is as intuitive as a woman with PMS.

 

[ratboy]

To me, there are quite a few turds I remember, since I've had about 40-50 handhelds and over 20 base/mobiles over the years.

Handhelds:
Regency HX-2000- crunchy squelch, odd antenna connector (I got a bolt that fit in it at a local hardware store!), and slow scan speed made it one I didn't keep for long.
AOR AR-1000. Amazingly hard to program, CPU lockups all the time.
AOR AR-900. No lockup problem, but still hard to program, really annoying audio. Amazingly sensitive on 800MHZ. Would outperform all my other radios with NO antenna! With one, it was almost magical.
Any Uniden/Bearcat handheld with those awful battery packs. Decent radios, bad idea and execution. After the hassles I had with the packs, I decided that all new handhelds must have a AA battery option.

Base/Mobiles:
Uniden BC-8500XLT-Worst scanner ever. So bad I took it back, thinking it was defective. Nope, they're all like that. Intermod like I've never seen before or since. The local buses were heard all over the 450-470 MHZ range! Very noisy too, if a signal wasn't full quieting, it was very hissy. Almost zero "capture" on FM signals. When the band was open, it was a mess.
BC-9000XLT- Much better than the 8500, but ran very hot, still had noise and no capture effect. Still too much intermod. I had it for 10 years, only because it scanned so fast. My 2004, 2006, and BC760 were my primary radios the whole time I had it.
Regency Z60. A joke sold as a scanner. Bad everything. Only bought it because it was really cheap. Sold it soon after I got it.

 

[smason]

The AOR AR1000XLT was a big and expensive mistake that I made back in the early 90's.

Horrible receiver made even more horrible by the programming method.
.

I can't say it was bad RF-wise, I never noticed images or intermod, but programming it?
Wow, really REALLY bad design.
Worst money I ever spent on radio gear.
There was a guy who sold a 3rd party guide to it, Howard something maybe?
I'm sure he made a lot from that.

I still have mine, haven't powered it on in probaby 12 years.

 

[K9WG]

Radio shack COMP-100

RigPix Database - RadioShack/Realistic - Comp-100

 

[gewecke]

I gave a watery grave to my old uniden 50xl many years ago! :evil:


73,
n9zas

 

[cicispop]

AOR AR-1000 - Expensive doorstop

Still have this dawg but gave up using it years ago. Difficult to program, charging/AC circuit kept failing...resoldered it multiple times. Just bought a Pro-106 which is awesome!

 

[R1VINCE]

Uniden BC2500XLT

Horrid amount of intermod and images.
Crap audio. Even with an external speaker.
Proprietary battery.
too long, too loud squelch tail, even with squelch maxed.
front end overloaded easily when attached to an external antenna

Back then, there was very little internet. I didnt even have a computer then. I only saw this radio in a Service Merchandise store catalog and read of its features and "had to have it".
Paid full price then for it at a now defunct local CB store. One of my friends was so envious of it that he saved up for 2 months and bought one himself. Only thing was by the time he had his money ready, the BC3000XLT had replaced the 2500.When he brought it home to "play", the shortcomings in my radio were painfully brought to my/our attention.
Says he "boy im glad I didnt get that one!"

 

[Eng74]

Uniden BearcatmBC147XLT 16 channel. The worst scanner I have ever owned. I still have it. It would lose its memory when you would turn it off, but it was only sometimes.

 

[smason]

Radio shack COMP-100

RigPix Database - RadioShack/Realistic - Comp-100

I never owned one, but worked at RS when they came out. Weren't they the first programmable scanner?
Sure, hard to program, but better than ordering and waiting for delivery of xtals no?

 

[WA6KFI]

Regency MX5000

Great scanner use it here in Los Angeles for monitoring Aircraft and CHP its great! No problems...

 

[N9JIG]

the radio shack pro 2067.

did anyone ever figure out how to program
this radio ?

I will second this one!

I was waiting for my BC780's to arrive and there was a delay. RS announced a sale on the 2067, which was pretty much their answer to the 780. I got one, tried it for a few days and returned it.

Hard to program.
Tiny display (impossible to read while mobile!)
No sensitivity, worse selectivity, the only thing it received well was the local paging transmitter and it got that on a whole host of frequencies!