Thanks guys, obviously my VX-5R is not going to cut it. I'll look at getting a digital scanner.
If you're only looking to monitor a certain few ARMER talk groups in your area then a Unication G4 or G5 is the way to go. If you want to "scan" multiple systems, and even non-digital frequencies such as the air band, etc.... then go with an actual "scanner".
They claim the SDS series of digital scanners work "good" with digital simulcast, but the Unication digital voice pagers are about "99.9% perfect" on simulcast. I would say 100% perfect but nothing works at 100%. The problem with the Unication Voice pager is.... they are not scanners, they are voice pagers with SOME scanning capabilities. They work great if you only want to scan ONE system at a time. And, last time I checked (probably a year ago) the Unication was actually a tad bit cheaper than an SDS scanner.
Those are really the only two options that will get you decent to excellent results with ARMER digital simulcast.
And one more thought.... WHEN the entire state eventually goes encrypted on the ARMER system, the Unication will have very good resale value. (as long as you keep in good working order) When I was shopping for a used Unication, any time one would pop up used on the various sites, it was sold immediately. I'm not sure if that is the case with an SDS scanner. Maybe? I haven't really payed much attention to the used scanner market. However, when the state does go fully encrypted, you could keep the SDS and use it for other things such as Air band, ham radio, emergency weather, FM radio, non digital public safety, etc.
Decisions, decisions....