Really like the PSR 800 and is perhaps the best scanner I have ever owned (and we are going back to crystals sets). I do not know why some owners have so much trouble with them (although I do believe that some turkey units are produced but you need to contact GRE if you know there is an issue. They will take care of you). That said the weak point I believe is the USB port in the radio and you need to be careful not to jerk out the wire when you disconnect from your laptop or adapter and like any electronic product, try not to drop it and let it fall off the table however I have found that the unit is pretty durable. As far as the PRO 18 goes, I assume that it will work in Loudoun but I do not know if anyone has found that out yet. If someone has, please let me know. C5corvette is correct about reception but we have posted lots about various antennas to try and use. Basically no problem east of the mountain. Western Loudoun can be hit and miss but the important thing is that the unit will decode Loudoun Public Safety and if you have to play around with various antennas, that is half the fun of scanning-LOL