Another newbe here..sigh...

[Pullmyfinger]

Hello all, I owned a handheld scanner back in the early 80's, a four channel with push-in crystals...I see things have changed a little....anyway, I did use the search feature many times but still cannot decide on which handheld would be best for me.

I live in San Diego County and would like to listen to CHP, Sheriff, fire, aircraft, forest rangers, most any law enforcement that is not encrypted....yet. The Wife and I travel some, mostly western States so I would like to use it during our travels.

I'm willing to spend up to 400.00 to get a decent radio. Can anyone give me a list of maybe 4-5 radios in that price range? Thanks for all your help in advance!

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Looking at the Uniden HomePatrol-1.....on sale for 449 at Radio Shack.

 

[Sportster77]

GRE Psr800 @ $419.00 is similar to the Home Patrol but instead of enter a zip code ( which can be hard to find when traveling ) you pick out the State and then County and then it lets you decide which agencies or systems to scan.

 

[Rt169Radio]

These are the current scanner models from RS, GRE, and Uniden.

Police Scanner Radios

 

[scanchs]

GRE Psr800 @ $419.00 is similar to the Home Patrol but instead of enter a zip code ( which can be hard to find when traveling ) you pick out the State and then County and then it lets you decide which agencies or systems to scan.

...or you can attach a GPS to the HomePatrol-1 and it will determine where you are automatically. Then you don't have to enter anything as you travel from place to place. All you have to do is listen.

ScanCHS

 

[candywrapper]

Welcome:
Hey,pullmyfinger .Definately get the Home Patrol. I have 2 of these. I use 1 in my Ridgeline and the 2nd 1 in my semi-truck, i run 3 states and this is the way to go .the hp has a auto-locate button on it .this seems to work pretty well when traveling. I just aquired the gps antenna,needs 2 seperate cables .Im going to put this on my big rig. As for price. Thier kinda pricy,but well worth the money. I absolutly love mine..I think Radio Shack still might have it on sale $449.00. other wise ebay is a good place to buy one cheaper. i bought my 2nd one for $350 used on ebay..Amazon also has them. These definatly work better than a regular scanner..Thier really portable units,easy to bring in the house to mobile

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Thanks for all the great info guys. I like the idea of selecting the city you are currently traveling in and selecting it verses trying to find a zip code. Are there any scanners with built in GPS? That would be the bomb....

 

[ratboy]

I had both the PSR-800 and the HP-1 and I liked the HP a lot better. My only issue was it would go deaf often enough to finally make me give up on after Uniden said there was nothing wrong with it. It came back as deaf as it was when it left. The 800 was just a train wreck of problems, not to mention it was as deaf as the HP-1 was ALL the time I had it. GRE claimed it worked fine too. Funny, my PSR-500 and Pro 197, and 106 all work great.

 

[hiegtx]

Thanks for all the great info guys. I like the idea of selecting the city you are currently traveling in and selecting it verses trying to find a zip code. Are there any scanners with built in GPS? That would be the bomb....

There are no current scanners with a built in GPS, though that feature crops up regularly when somebody starts a "wish list" of features they'd like to see in the "next scanner".

For the Home-Patrol-1, you can set your location either by entering a zip code, or by entering the name of the city you are in via the keyboard. Alternatively, you can also use "Auto Locate", provided you're in an area with trunked radio systems. The scanner will 'sniff the air', and try to determine where you are based on which systems it can "hear". This would not work in areas with no trunked systems, though. It correctly estimates me as being in Dallas, based on the multiple identified systems in range of my location.

For traveling down the road, though, by far the best solution is the GPS. A simple puck type unit, with the correct cables, will enable the scanner to turn systems on & off as they come into, then pass out of, reception range. You select the types of things you want to hear- Police or Fire dispatch, EMS,,there are a number of categories, based on the function tag you see in the database.

For the PSR-800, you set your system types and location, then use that information to build your scanlists of what you'll be monitoring. As I don't own the 800, I've never set one up, but either scanner is still going to have the nationwide database loaded on a memory card, so you have all the frequency information. My HP-1 works very well, whether at home, or on a trip. I have used mine with a GPS, and that works very smoothly. While the PSR-800 cannot utilize a GPS, you could always simply set up your trip segments in individual scanlists, in advance, then activate the appropriate one for each area.

 

[benbenrf]

Or .... go online to ebay and type in radio scanner - you could get new at a slight discount, but chances are it'll be used - either way so long as you do your homework you can get a ton more for the 400 bucks you spend.

Unlike the 80's there is a lot of transmission nowadays that is digital (as opposed to analog modulated), like the P25 & Tetra stuff - so make sure whatever you choose can handle digital type modulations (as well as the analog transmissions that are still so common) if that is what interests you.

 

[walruspwaterhead]

I Would personally recommend the GRE-800 and I thought I read it did have a built in gps but I could have mis read. the home patrol as you can see is not a great portable scanner as in put it on your belt and go for a walk kinda thing. i recommend looking on amazon as if you find them on there they will have tonnes of customer reviews and become your own Inspector Gadget and do your homework.

 

[walruspwaterhead]

this is why i suggest the gre-800... btw i was wrong about gps included.

Frequency Coverage

25-54, 108-136.99166, 137-174, 216.0025-512, 764-781.996875, 791-796-996875, 806-960 (excluding cellular bands), 1240-1300 MHz

REAL GOOD FREQ RANGE

COVERS ALL OF: AM, FM, NFM, P25, MOT, EDACS, LtR, CTCSS, DCS

The radio is about the exact size of a deck of playing cards although an inch taller. It's very convenient size is perfect for scanning on-the-go. It will conveniently fit in your pocket which its direct competitor, the Uniden HomePatrol, is far bulkier.

The PSR-800 is pre-programmed with the RadioReference national database for the U.S. and Canada. To program the radio you press a Menu key, select Browse Library and you then follow a hierarchical tree structure for selecting state, county, municipality and agency ( NO GPS NEEDED OR ZIP CODE)

Recording Function permits recording of Transmission

Upgradeable CPU and DSP firmware and library - Keep EZ Scan Digital current with enhancements and updates as they become available with free upgrades through EZ Scan Digital software utility program.

The ONLY scanner that handles X2-TDMA systems in PG County MD, Loudoun Co. VA and soon other areas

User upgradeable CPU firmware

Audible alarms - Programmable alarms can be configured to sound when certain frequencies are active.

DOWNLOAD USER MANUAL HERE (http://www.greamerica.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=downloadfile&downloaditemid=1028)

HOPE THIS HELPS A LITTLE

STEVE