Anyone have a Pro 43?

[mollyanna]

I looked thru all 11 pages of this forum and I don't see a topic for the Pro 43 hand held. Years ago (8 or 9) I listened to my scanner religiously, back then I had a handheld bearcat sportcat 200 channel turbo something, not sure what model it was but it was top of the line at the time.

I recently bought a Pro 43 used for like $140, the guy I bought it from said it had been modified to pick up more stuff. I asked "what stuff?" he said "the popular stuff" .... ok so whatever. I got the scanner, finally found my local police etc channels and got those programmed in and I do pick up some stuff but not nearly as much as what I used to get on the bearcat. After browsing this forum I feel like I got an old school out of date scanner and I'm kind of disappointed because I paid so much. Back when I knew the difference in the types of scanners but now I don't. I would really like to get back into it now that I have more free time, but I feel that the technology has left me behind.

Anyone with a Pro43 have any info on what I can and cannot expect to hear? Will this pick up trunking systems? See I thought as long as it would pick up the 800-900 mhz band it would pick up trunked systems, because aren't those on that frequencies? And what's this modification stuff? I am seriously lost.

 

[KT4HX]

First off, while the Pro-43 is a very well respected "older" scanner, it might not be the right one to get the most out of monitoring activities in your particular location (wherever that might be?). To put it simplistically, if you live in a location that utilizes only conventional radio systems (non-trunking, non-digital), then it will work fine. However, this scanner will not track trunked radio systems. Having the ability to receive the frequencies that a trunked system is one thing, being able to "track" a trunked system is a very different thing. You would need one of the newer "trunk tracking" scanners from Uniden or Radio Shack. And which one will depend on whether your local trunked system is analog or digital, and which scheme it uses - Motorola, EDACS, LTR.

What the seller meant by the "good ones" is that it has been modified to open up the blocked cell phone band so you can monitor analog cell phones. However, most (but not all) cell phones have gone to a digital mode, which will not be receivable by the Pro-43. Personally, I could care less about cell phones. Most of it is not worth my time listening to, even if I could. Plus that gets into a legality issue regarding privacy.

If you haven't already, you should visit the Database link at the top of the page and find your state, county to see what kind of system(s) you have in your local area. That will tell you what you need to be looking at in terms of scanning capability. Also, if you need some basic info about trunking and scanning in general, look at the Wiki link at the top of the page. There is a lot of good info there. After a bit of self-education on the basics, then you can start filling in the gaps of what you need to know by asking questions on here. There are lots and lots of very knowledgeable people on this site that love to help newbies or returnees. Good luck and welcome back to the hobby. I think you have already seen that the radio scene has changed a lot, and while it appears overwhelming at first, it can be really fun to learn about whats new and whats coming down the pike.

 

[mollyanna]

Thank you. I am definitely interested in getting back into it, and I want a scanner that will pick up everything lol. I had done a little (very little) research on what was good and I kept reading the pro 2006 was the best of the best, but I prefer the handheld models so I can go room to room easily if I want to. Of course I had no idea how much things had changed. I mean, I should have know, but I just didn't think about the analog/digital thing.

Do people still consider radio shack the best? Back when I bought my first scanner I paid like $250 for it new, maybe even a little more than that, I can't remember, and it was a uniden bearcat. I knew someone who had a radio shack brand and I preferred mine greatly to hers, so I was very surprised when I started "googling" that the RS brand was supposedly the best. I think I'll ask those in the know, and who better than you guys, before I make another scanner purchase. Having this one just makes me miss it that much more!

 

[LarrySC]

I still have a 43. It's a good military aircraft/regular aircraft scanner. The cell phone band is now digital and very little analog calls are heard. Get more details on your area. 800 may require the digital mode. That equals more $. The 43 is good for everything except trunking. I have both Uniden 796d and PRO-96 & 2096. The PRO series are user friendly. The Uniden is not. Good Luck

 

[kny2xb]

I just started using my PRO-43 again. I've programmed in the civilian and military aero freqs for my area (Tampa Bay, FL). The only activity I've caught so far has been on 311.0 / MacDill AFB and 345.0 / USCG. I don't know if I'm too far away, no activity, or just lousy timing. When the Space Shuttle was in service I've monitored a few seconds of air-to-ground at liftoff with a telescopic whip. I think it's a great unit.

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

 

[K5MAR]

To expand on a previous suggestion, as well as checking the db for your location, also check your state's forum. The people living in your area will have the best grasp of what works well. I'd also suggest that you add some kind of location info to your profile, as that's the first thing many of us look at when we see a question like yours. It doesn't have to be specific, something like "Metro Atlanta" or "South Central Kansas" will do fine.

The Pro-43 is a great little scanner, I have one and wouldn't sell it. But it's not what I'd recommend for a newly-returned hobbyist. The new scanners have alpha tags, computer programming, trunking, digital audio, etc. that makes things so much easier.

As to which is better - GRE/RS or Uniden, that's like asking about Ford vs GM. First, you need to determine what your needs are, then you can weigh the various features and recommendations of other users.

Good luck and welcome back to radio monitoring!

Mark S.