Anybody still using a PRO-43?

[FrankJ]

Some say it's the best Milair receiver ever made. Is it true?

 

[LarrySC]

Yes it is very good. I still have mine after all these years. Have a 96 and 97 for portables and many other base mobile. When used with a 19" 2m telescopic whip it's hard to beat. Note that if you find one check the face. If shows lots of ware the keypad may not work. Thank goodness mine is still clean and crisp keypad action. Good Luck.

 

[b7spectra]

I've still got mine, but since I use my Pro-96, the 43 is now more of a back up scanner. Excellent on the UHF Milair frequencies, but it's only drawback for me is the lack of alpha/numeric display.

 

[consys]

After 10 or so years of swapping two or more battery packs a day, the circuit board cracked at the battery connections. Now it sits pugged in and on 24/7 at my desk, usually on the local fire channel or other back up duty.

One rugged, good radio! I have never been as happy with the PRO-92 that replaced it.
Need a sale on the 396T...

 

[n4jri]

I have a pair of 43's that I haven't used in years. Mostly due to inability to program/reprogram via computer. I now use a PRO97 and a PRO2055 for Mil Air. Haven't compared their performance with the 43, but sure was a fantastic thing in its day.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[CORN]

I made a mistake and sold my original Pro-43 but the scanner gods smiled on me when i started searching for one. So i have a Pro-43 and a Pro-97. Standing side by side both using the new Maldol AH-500 antenna the 43 has better sensitivity and can suck in signals farther whereas the 97 picks up a little closer. I think the 43 is a great scanner for any aviation band. Basic and simple. One big drawback on the 43 is the speaker isn't much to be said. Earphones are a must for outside operation. The 97 has one heck of a speaker.

 

[RagnarD]

Hi FrankJ,

I have a PRO-43 and it is hard to beat fo milair. I think so much of that radio that it would be one of the last rigs I would part with if were so inclined.

In the last year I replaced the keypad on mine and according to the order taker at 1-800-the-shack I got the last PRO-43 keypad they had in inventory.

Great radio, one of the best ever made IMO.

73
de
chris
kq4z

 

[kny2xb]

I just started using my PRO-43 again. I love it. I have USCG / marine VHF, USCG UHF, plus civilian and milair (ACC & NORAD) aero programmed into it. I've only gotten USCG on 345.0, and MacDill AFB on 311.0 so far, but I may just be listening at the wrong times. When the Space Shuttle was in service, I received some air-to-ground from the orbiter during liftoff on my PRO-43 using a RS telescopic whip. And I live on the west coast of Florida. I won't part with it. My next investment will be a Diamond RH77CA antenna.

Greg
Palm Harbor, FL
PRO-43
PRO-2004
PRO-91
PRO-2050
DX-400

 

[DaveNF2G]

I still have mine. I had kept it for so long because of the lack of scanners that covered the milair bands. Now that I have three other models, plus a ham HT, that cover the band, I'm still keeping the PRO-43.

 

[pathalogical]

Are there other RS handhelds that cover the 25-1300 MHz range ? My searching also revealed the 43 to be a good milair receiver. There may not be much milair activity around here, except the airshow on Labour Day, but having a full range scanner may not be a bad idea.

 

[RagnarD]

Hi FrankJ,

Didn't realize I had already posted in this thread. Just goes to show how excited I am about a PRO-43

73
de
chris
kq4z

 

[timmer]

The pro-26 is a pretty good one, also. I still use it for airshows. The only thing my 97 has on the pro-26 is sig. stalker.

 

[FrankJ]

I've been thinking of getting a PRO-97 again. I sold mine about a week ago. RS just dropped the price down to $149.99 again. I did notice the reception not as good as the PRO-43, but it has a lot of cool features and a real neat display!

 

[MacombMonitor]

I've been thinking of getting a PRO-97 again. I sold mine about a week ago. RS just dropped the price down to $149.99 again. I did notice the reception not as good as the PRO-43, but it has a lot of cool features and a real neat display!

I think the PRO-97 is every bit as good as the PRO-43 for MilAir. Add to that the ability to program it with a computer, and the addition of alpha-tags, bigger/brighter display, better/louder sound! Go for it! But use a better antenna.

Bill

 

[FrankJ]

Bill,

So you've compared the PRO-97 and PRO-43 on the airbands as well?

Frank

 

[MacombMonitor]

Bill,

So you've compared the PRO-97 and PRO-43 on the airbands as well?

Frank

Not recently. I had a PRO-43 several years ago, and a PRO-97 a few months ago.

 

[funtimeguy]

The Pro-60 is good for MilAir too, that's what I use mine for and am very happy with it.

 

[FrankJ]

I will tell you how good my PRO-43 is. I've heard some traffic on the MilSat 260 Mhz FM band just using a 220 Mhz ham band rubber duck! My BC780XLT and Icom R10 weren't able to pick this up. I've heard several Spanish and Eastern European conversations in this band. No military traffic. Any idea what this could be?

BTW, I recommend trying a 220 Mhz ham band rubber duck for the 225-400 Milair band. I wasn't able to pull in the above conversations with my Diamond RH77CA.

 

[Randall]

Some say it's the best Milair receiver ever made. Is it true?

if it was the best i think the military would use it.

 

[FrankJ]

Well, if they heard what I heard then maybe they would!


Frank
PRO-43, BC780XLT, Sony 2010, GE Superadio II