Advice on purchasing an older Uniden BC 785D

[WaveKilla]

I am looking for a scanner to listen to AND broadcast (on broadcastify) the local police (Myrtle Beach, trunking system). I have found online, a BC 785D with digital card. and after doing some research i am getting mixed reviews about if its going to work for this application. If anyone has any updated advice about this, I would certainly appreciate it.

 

[hiegtx]

I am looking for a scanner to listen to AND broadcast (on broadcastify) the local police (Myrtle Beach, trunking system). I have found online, a BC 785D with digital card. and after doing some research i am getting mixed reviews about if its going to work for this application. If anyone has any updated advice about this, I would certainly appreciate it.

The Horry County system, used by Myrtle Beach, is a P25 Phase I system. Unfortunately, the BC785D, even with the digital card, cannot track that system type. Your statewide system, Palmetto 800, is also a P25 Phase I, so that rules out the 785D for it as well.

There are conventional frequencies that you could listen to with that scanner, but not the trunked systems that your public safety agencies use. I have a BC250D, with the digital card (the handheld sibling of the 785) that is gathering dust on a back shelf for the same reasons. It cannot cope with the multiple digital trunked systems in my metro area (Dallas/Fort Worth).

 

[trentbob]

I'm going to say don't get it for several reasons. That was Uniden's first digital scanner, the portable was the bc250d that came out in 2003, I own them both. It actually had a digital card that you could remove and just use it analog as you know. The models that quickly followed had the card build in and they were able to be rebanded, the radio you're looking at was not capable. I'm not sure it's going to be capable on the p25 phase 1 System you're looking at but it works on some. I believe the 785d just has 6.5 spacing and you need 12.5... This is all vague and I'm sure somebody will chime in with all the details.

I'm just guessing off the top of my head but why would you want to get such an old radio anyway when you can get a compatible Radio used, that's newer and fairly cheap.

 

[trentbob]

You beat me to it Steve. LOL

 

[WaveKilla]

The Horry County system, used by Myrtle Beach, is a P25 Phase I system. Unfortunately, the BC785D, even with the digital card, cannot track that system type. Your statewide system, Palmetto 800, is also a P25 Phase I, so that rules out the 785D for it as well.

There are conventional frequencies that you could listen to with that scanner, but not the trunked systems that your public safety agencies use. I have a BC250D, with the digital card (the handheld sibling of the 785) that is gathering dust on a back shelf for the same reasons. It cannot cope with the multiple digital trunked systems in my metro area (Dallas/Fort Worth).

Tha

The Horry County system, used by Myrtle Beach, is a P25 Phase I system. Unfortunately, the BC785D, even with the digital card, cannot track that system type. Your statewide system, Palmetto 800, is also a P25 Phase I, so that rules out the 785D for it as well.

There are conventional frequencies that you could listen to with that scanner, but not the trunked systems that your public safety agencies use. I have a BC250D, with the digital card (the handheld sibling of the 785) that is gathering dust on a back shelf for the same reasons. It cannot cope with the multiple digital trunked systems in my metro area (Dallas/Fort Worth).

i REALLY appreciate the information - I am very new to this "technical" side of scanners. Thanks for the help.

 

[tvengr]

Horry County uses a 13 site simulcast system. The only scanners designed to receive simulcast systems are the Uniden SDS100 handheld and SDS200 base/mobile. Other scanners may or may not work at your location depending where you are in relation to the towers.

 

[WaveKilla]

I'm going to say don't get it for several reasons. That was Uniden's first digital scanner, the portable was the bc250 that came out in 2003, I own them both. It actually had a digital card that you could remove and just use it analog as you know. The models that quickly followed had the card build in and they were able to be rebanded, the radio you're looking at was not capable. I'm not sure it's going to be capable on the p25 phase 1 System you're looking at but it works on some. I believe the 785d just has 6.5 spacing and you need 12.5... This is all vague and I'm sure somebody will chime in with all the details.

I'm just guessing off the top of my head but why would you want to get such an old radio anyway when you can get a compatible Radio used, that's newer and fairly cheap.

I appreicate your reply, and the information.

tbh, I thought I had a nice find, that would be a higher quality scanner than some of the new ones - but I really didnt understand the upgrades that some of the newer systems have, and outdatedness of what i was looking at. Thanks for your help. greatly appreciated.

 

[ka3aaa]

my 785d works just fine with phase 1 p25 systems

 

[KevinC]

my 785d works just fine with phase 1 p25 systems

Conventional yes, trunked not so much (not unless you are talking about scanning trunked channels conventionally).

 

[buddrousa]

The 785 makes a good Analog and Airband scanner but that is about it.

 

[trentbob]

No problem WaveKilla... Yes that was a high-quality marvelous radio when it came out in 2003 at the same time that GRE made the pro 96 which was also a marvelous radio.

As a newspaper man my area had converted to digital type ll smartzone systems around the year 2000 but there were no scanners that could pick them up until 2003.

Believe it or not, the mayor of my city ordered the police department to give us 2 non transmit Motorola radios as they insisted we have access to police calls for transparency. Also neighboring counties who went digital programmed our Motorola's that we bought for non transmit also. The idea of not being able to hear the police was just unacceptable... the police didn't want us to think they had anything to hide ...blahahaha. good luck.

 

[Paco-Jerte]

I have a tapped BC785D purchased with no card and works great for P25 Phase one, DMR, NXDN, Dstar, Etc.
Yeas its old but still used by me almost daily.

Uniden BC785D Scanner with Discriminator Tap for DMR NXDN P25 "Has no BCi-25D inside" - YouTube

 

[hill]

my 785d works just fine with phase 1 p25 systems

This scanner can't do P25 Phase 1 no matter what you say, since these systems weren't even around during this scanner's development. The only thing it can track is Motorola Smart Zone or Smart Net, which use 3600 baud control channels. These systems can be analog or digital for the transmissions.

P25 Phase 1 uses a 9600 baud control channel and this scanner doesn't have the ability to track these systems. Also these system use only P25 and no analog.

Later upgrades to this series could track more systems types like the BC796.

 

[freqseeker]

He's using it with a discriminator tap to feed DSD+ fastlane on a computer to do the decoding. The 785D isn't decoding the signal, but it is receiving the signal for the computer to decode. So it is still useful, just not standalone.

 

[KevinC]

He's using it with a discriminator tap to feed DSD+ fastlane on a computer to do the decoding. The 785D isn't decoding the signal, but it is receiving the signal for the computer to decode. So it is still useful, just not standalone.

I must have missed where he stated that. Can you provide a link to that post please?

 

[freqseeker]

I was posting about post number 12 by Paco-Jerte. I now see hill was quoting a different post. My bad, it's been a long day.

 

[buddrousa]

But still the 785d is not a stand alone TRUNK TRACKER for a new P25 system.

 

[KevinC]

But still the 785d is not a stand alone TRUNK TRACKER for a new P25 system.

Exactly.

 

[freqseeker]

Exactly.

I wrote that. In no way did I imply that.

So it is still useful, just not standalone