What is the least expensive base scanner that can receive TRBO??
Mother in law wants one.
Mother in law wants one.
Least Expensive DMR Scanner
- Thread starter LubeckTech
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marksmith
Member
Your Mother in Law specified she wants a DMR capable base scanner?
Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
Yep!
She has worked for many years for the Transportation Dept of Wood Co WV schools which uses Motorola TRBO radios in their unencrypted digital mode and would like to listen when she retires soon. The local fire dept is unencrypted P25 and police & sheriff main dispatch is analog. State Police and other agencies are WV SIRN trunk which is not going Phase II for a very long time. If it were not for needing DMR I would go woth one of the low end Whisler P25 scanners which can be had for under $200. But DMR complicates things. The most field expedient thing for her to do would be to listen on a PC with Broadcastify but she thinks PCs and smart phones are evil. Her flip phone is OK as long as we don't try to text her. She is a founding member of the Luddite Society!!
marksmith
Member
The above would be the lowest cost from Whistler.
From Uniden it would probably be a 996 p2. The other option in a base is the 536, but we are in the $500 range now. Both are phase 1 or 2 radios as are the Whistlers mentioned, of which the 1095 or 1098 are base radios.
I don't mess with DMR, so can't really give any recommendations there. Nothing worthwhile for me to listen to. The only thing is, the Uniden radios will run you more for a DMR upgrade beyond radio price. The Whistlers mentioned above would probably come with DMR.
Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
From Uniden it would probably be a 996 p2. The other option in a base is the 536, but we are in the $500 range now. Both are phase 1 or 2 radios as are the Whistlers mentioned, of which the 1095 or 1098 are base radios.
I don't mess with DMR, so can't really give any recommendations there. Nothing worthwhile for me to listen to. The only thing is, the Uniden radios will run you more for a DMR upgrade beyond radio price. The Whistlers mentioned above would probably come with DMR.
Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
reconrider8
Member
i was going to say if it was just dmr then a handheld md380 or sort would be cheapest but if she needs p25 etc then yea a scanner would be better
The 436 is a handheld, but it works perfectly fine as a base, and is about $100 cheaper than the 536. It's not the "least expensive" option, but it's not the most expensive, either.
Ubbe
Member
As mentioned, I would go with a MD380 for the school TGs. That way she always monitor them, and then a scanner for the P25 and the rest of systems.
The MD380 is around $100 and can be programmed to scan just the school TGs and another channel position to listen to all TGs in the system, or whatever is wanted. It's very flexible and easy to use if channel 1 is school and channel 2 is everything else. You can even scan DMR together with analog if that is prefered.
/Ubbe
The MD380 is around $100 and can be programmed to scan just the school TGs and another channel position to listen to all TGs in the system, or whatever is wanted. It's very flexible and easy to use if channel 1 is school and channel 2 is everything else. You can even scan DMR together with analog if that is prefered.
/Ubbe
If the TRBO system that your mother-in-law want' to monitor is trunked, the MD380 woun't fit the bill too well as it isn't trunking capable. Although I suppose if the channel line up were small you you program all of them in to a scan list and hope for the best.
That is a VERY important point. If it's capacity plus or connect plus, a regular Ham DMR radio won't do. You can't even use a $$ Motorola Radio for Connect Plus. For Cap+ or Con+ she really should consider 2 SDR dongles and DSD+ Fastlane, especially for "base" scanning. Or alternatively, she will need a serious scanner like several others mentioned.
It's your Mother in Law, man up and get her a TRX, pre program it for her and slap a ribbon on it.
Or tell her scanners are really just little hand held computers and she won't want one lol.
The problem with using broadcastify is that someone in that area has to be supplying a feed for the systems and channels she wants to listen to. And if someone is, if they decide to pull it it simply won't be there anymore.
Or tell her scanners are really just little hand held computers and she won't want one lol.
The problem with using broadcastify is that someone in that area has to be supplying a feed for the systems and channels she wants to listen to. And if someone is, if they decide to pull it it simply won't be there anymore.
Ubbe
Member
Doesn't need to. There are only two DMR frequencies in that school system that she wants to listen to.
My MD380 monitors my DMR trunked system just fine, when the BCD536HP drops the calls and just scans by them. I recommend a MD380 to all that needs to really monitor a DMR system/TG without any hickups. It is also supersensitive on analog channels, after adjusting the squelch in the service menu.
/Ubbe
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