2nd cable needed or not???
Also could be read GRE forces you to buy one with each radio while RS makes it optional. Just how many programming cables do you really need since the cable isn't specific to the radio, but works across the GRE (and their RS counterpart) line?
It really depends how you intend to use the scanner(s) though. For instance, if you only use the cable to program your PSR-600/Pro-197 then one cable is all you may actually need. However, if you want to
control and/or
stream your scanners then you will in fact need a cable for each scanner you are using. I frequently use the remote control feature in Win500 as well as occasionally stream traffic to my Android phone, so I require a cable for each and every scanner (I own two).
At the time I was looking to purchase my scanner Radio Shack was selling the Pro-197 for $500 plus the cost of the cable, which at the time was $35 plus tax for both items at my local shack store. This brought the grand total including tax (for me) to a whopping $569.55 as opposed to only $445 (shipping included) for a PSR-600 via a reputable Ebay seller I've done business with many times before. Personally I didn't really care which one I ended up buying since they are truly identical except for the firmware downloads and some of the screen printing and rear label, but given the PSR-600 offered the programming cable in the box this made the 600 the far less expensive choice for me. Heck, even if the 600 didn't include the cable it was
still far cheaper to go with the GRE and just buy the cable separately. It wasn't until after I purchased the first PSR-600 and began using it that I realized how critically important it was for each scanner to have their own cable. From my experience I have found the PSR-600 typically sells for less money than the Pro-197, at least for brand new units, barring special deals, close-outs, etc. And since the 600 automatically
includes the cable it was a no-brainer for me.
Having said that, it's clear some people will not use their scanner in this manner, therefore they won't need more than one cable. However, if you do utilize these features then you
will in fact require a cable for each and every scanner you operate. But if you buy a used Pro-197 it could feasibly be cheaper to buy and then purchase a separate cable, if needed. But this is something for people to think about nonetheless depending on how they use their scanners.