Best Scanner for use in Philadelphia

[Septa3371CSX1]

What adjustments were made? I have an old PRO-96 laying around.

Not sure what the adjustments are but I remember when Philly first switched over from 3600 Baud to 9600 Baud in 2013 a manager by the name of Mike at the Radio Shack in Port Richmond posted on here that anyone with a Pro 96 could come to his store and he'd help get it set up to track the 9600 Baud system.

 

[phillydjdan]

Exactly right, Joe. Mike and I did some experimenting with the tuning pots inside the scanner. If you tune the one just right, it allows the scanner to lock on the lower frequencies Philly now uses. This essentially make it deaf on all bands but 800, but it does work. I actually drilled a small hole in the back of mine so i can slip a mini screwdriver in there and tune it back to normal if i want to monitor anything else. It still suffers the LSM distortion issue, but works nonetheless.

 

[marksmith]

What happened to the 536? I have one myself. I hate it. With a passion. Let's hear some more about this 1095. Ive been watching them since the GRE factory shut down and it was shelved. I like my PSR800 except the lack of volume, so Im curious to see how much louder the mobile version is.

It will blow you out of the room.
Although my psr800 is not low in volume either.

They put a nice top-firing speaker in the 1095 so if you just use it like a desktop it works great a fills the room rather than aiming the sound downward to reflect off the floor, ground, desktop.

If you hate the 536 you are going to love the 1095. It's everything the 536 is not. Nice bright display, crisp clear sounding audio, a remote head installation potential, and more.

It really is a sexy little radio.

Mark
WS1095/536/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PRO652

 

[phillydjdan]

Mark,

I ultimately went with the 996P2, which I am very happy with. If I have some extra cash to throw around at some point I might pickup a 1095 though, just for S&G.

 

[marksmith]

Good solid radio (996p2)
Have mine hidden in a rack of 996xt radios so you can't tell which one is hearing the phase 2. Actually, I think the 996p2 decodes phase 1 better than the 996xt.

Mark
WS1095/536/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PRO652

 

[radio3353]

Mark,

I ultimately went with the 996P2, which I am very happy with. If I have some extra cash to throw around at some point I might pickup a 1095 though, just for S&G.

phillydjdan,

I have been following your posts on the new Phase II Bucks County system testing. Have you been listening to the new Bucks County system with your 996P2? What is your impression? The price seems relatively reasonable (seeing it for $400 at ScannerMaster.) Once Bucks switches to Phase II I will need to replace my PRO-106 so I am now looking for candidates. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

[phillydjdan]

I actually have not heard anything on the new Bucks system on the 996P2 yet. There isn't much activity at all lately, so most of what I hear comes from listening to the recordings from my PSR-800, which I've been leaving on 24/7 at work. The 996P2 would not do well for me having to lug it into work each morning, so I have not been using it for that. I CAN tell you that on the Camden County Phase 2 system it sounds great, provided I get a decent signal. From where I live I'm right on the fringe of reception using a rooftop antenna, so some days it's perfect, other days it's in and out. However, I should note that I am using an omni-directional antenna, not a yagi like I use for Philly, so my opinion is it does VERY well considering that fact alone. I've heard the PSR-800, the 536HP and now the 996P2 and personally of the 3 of those I would pick the 996P2. One of these days I'll meet up with TrentBob and give his 1095 a listen and be able to provide an opinion there.

 

[trentbob]

... just for fun I took the 1095 out of the car tonight... I'm going to put it with 3 other GRE radios by my bed (Rat Shack 652's)... I'm going to use it for Philly with one of my ground planes for a few days... it does pretty well with Philly for being in a fringe area... I put the 536 back in the car (from the closet floor)... I've been working on the p25 adjustments again in an effort to get Bucks, Burco and Philly less muffled... it actually works ok on Phillys system, not as clear as my 1095 but I can understand what they are saying... I got a LED light from 5 and Below and mounted it so it points right on the display (which is very dim)... it gets the Mercer system muffled but does well with the conventional channels in Mercer so I can use it for a few days at work... I too will have to make the decision if I get another 1095 or a 996p2... we should get together Dan and make those videos... somewhere in Bensalem near the Philly border where we can compare Phillys system....

 

[phillydjdan]

If we're going to do this, we should test the 3 major Motorola flavors we have in our area, which is type II (Bucks or Burlington), Phase 1 (Philly) and Phase 2 (Camden). It's clear that some of these models are having issues with the Bucks and Burlington systems, so that should be tested for audio quality. Philly suffers the LSM issues, so testing the LSM performance is important. And finally, audio quality on Phase 2 appears to be an issue for some, so comparing that would be helpful also. We should have no problem picking up all 3 from Bridesburg or maybe down by the port area off Richmond St.

 

[Septa3371CSX1]

If we're going to do this, we should test the 3 major Motorola flavors we have in our area, which is type II (Bucks or Burlington), Phase 1 (Philly) and Phase 2 (Camden). It's clear that some of these models are having issues with the Bucks and Burlington systems, so that should be tested for audio quality. Philly suffers the LSM issues, so testing the LSM performance is important. And finally, audio quality on Phase 2 appears to be an issue for some, so comparing that would be helpful also. We should have no problem picking up all 3 from Bridesburg or maybe down by the port area off Richmond St.

I'd be interested in doing comparisons myself. My Pro 668 hasn't been the greatest with picking up these systems while my new Pro 651 (replacing my Pro 106) has been very good.

 

[phillydjdan]

Well, I'm free most Friday nights after 5 and just about all weekend. Let's see if the 3 of us can't make this happen. An all-inclusive digital scanner showdown! lol I have the following available for this: Pro-96, BCD-396XT, PSR-800, BCD-996P2, and I might be able to get my Pro-197 from one of my remote feed locations if need be. My 536HP is tied up, but I can assume TrentBob would have his available.

 

[radio3353]

I actually have not heard anything on the new Bucks system on the 996P2 yet. There isn't much activity at all lately, so most of what I hear comes from listening to the recordings from my PSR-800, which I've been leaving on 24/7 at work. The 996P2 would not do well for me having to lug it into work each morning, so I have not been using it for that. I CAN tell you that on the Camden County Phase 2 system it sounds great, provided I get a decent signal. From where I live I'm right on the fringe of reception using a rooftop antenna, so some days it's perfect, other days it's in and out. However, I should note that I am using an omni-directional antenna, not a yagi like I use for Philly, so my opinion is it does VERY well considering that fact alone. I've heard the PSR-800, the 536HP and now the 996P2 and personally of the 3 of those I would pick the 996P2. One of these days I'll meet up with TrentBob and give his 1095 a listen and be able to provide an opinion there.

Great info, djdan. Thanks. Signal strength for Bucks will not be a problem for me. I am not too far from the bunker and antenna in Ivyland. I think my choice when Bucks goes Phase II will be between the 1095 and the 996P2. Price is close enough between the two so performance will be the deciding factor. I look forward to the results of your and TrentBob's smack down! Thanks to both of you and SEPTA3371 for your contributions.

 

[W8VI]

I agree and just had to comment - this is one of the best and most interesting Posts I've read in a long time. Phillydjdan and trentbob both have an excellent understanding of the newest digital scanners and the challenges of P25 Simulcast and Phase 2 systems.

I live near Cincy and were loaded with Simulcast and no Phase 2 but some say were close. I'm also searching for another scanner and at the top of my list are the WS1095 and the BCD996P2 so hope you get a chance to compare them in the same room or vehicle. I currently have the 436 and 536 HP.

Thanks Guys for the interesting and valuable comments.

 

[trentbob]

...thanks guys... I've been doing this for over 40 years... for me the ability to hear 8 channels at once in a crystal controlled scanner instead of only one on my Rat Shack pro-1 slide rule dial tunable receiver was a thrill in the late 60's... so Dan... for Bucks and Burco I will bring a 652, 96, 436, 536, 396xt,1095 and 800... for philly we can compare x36's, 800, 1095 and your 996xtp2... as far as p2 in Camco I am going to have to program all that on my data cards so I will try to free the time to do that... I'll do that in the 1095 and 536... is RR all up to date with that p2 system?... also... I don't think I'm going to get Bucks too well as far south as Bridesburg... how far north do you think we'll get Camco?... p2 needs a strong signal... what do you think of Torresdale train station?... I have found that to be a fringe area for Philly... I've had reception problems in that area on Philly... we can figure it out... first I have to program Camco on the data cards...

 

[trentbob]

...P.S....

... hey Dan... I also forgot the fact that on Burco I ONLY use the Bordentown and Westampton sites (so as not to take all that time to scan the others or get caught roaming on to a site too far away)... where we will be will be the Mt Laural site and as I never go that south I don't want to put that site in my radios... I have all the sites on my 106 and 652's because of the roam vs stationary feature not found on the other radios... whew!... I think Bucks p1, Philly with it's 2 goofy sites and Camco p2 will work for the smackdown video...

 

[Septa3371CSX1]

... hey Dan... I also forgot the fact that on Burco I ONLY use the Bordentown and Westampton sites (so as not to take all that time to scan the others or get caught roaming on to a site too far away)... where we will be will be the Mt Laural site and as I never go that south I don't want to put that site in my radios... I have all the sites on my 106 and 652's because of the roam vs stationary feature not found on the other radios... whew!... I think Bucks p1, Philly with it's 2 goofy sites and Camco p2 will work for the smackdown video...

I have all the Burlco sites programmed in my radios so I can definitely help in that regard. I have them set as stationary and scan all CC's.

 

[radio3353]

...thanks guys... I've been doing this for over 40 years... for me the ability to hear 8 channels at once in a crystal controlled scanner instead of only one on my Rat Shack pro-1 slide rule dial tunable receiver was a thrill in the late 60's...

trentbob,

Your history is similar to mine. When I started I had a transistor radio size receiver with a thumb dial on the side for tuning VHF high band. I loved listening to Philly FD on it. I graduated to a slide rule tunable from Lafayette. When I was in the local FD I had a Regency 8-channel crystal controlled rig in the car (could listen to only one channel at a time, not a scanner.) I would buy crystals at Trevose Electronics (long gone unfortunately.) Over the years Bearcat and Cobra 16-channel programmable scanners found their way to me. Now I have a BC-780XLT and PRO-106. Looking forward to a 996P2 or a WS1095 for Bucks Phase 2.

 

[trentbob]

... ah yes... the first programmable scanner I had was the wonderful Bearcat (Electra out of Indiana) BC-101... you programed it with a code book using tabs... 16 channels... no PL tones... wasn't DC so to have it in the car I had to have a big power converter on the back seat floor to plug in the ac cord... good stuff... and of course I ordered/bought it at... you guessed it... Lafayette... I had one of the first ones off the line in 1974... in those days without the internet all you had to learn and get your news from were the monthly mags and CRB Research... I can't tell you how cool that was not to have to buy crystals anymore at Trevose or Bob Berger's "ham" burger store in Jenkintown... I kinda long for the days when Philly was using conventional uhf 453 MHz ... good system, they should have kept it... they had 5 in 1/4 wave whips and no red lights on the roof of their little red Ramblers... sigh...

 

[phillydjdan]

So, I'm thinking maybe Saturday would be best for our scanner showdown. Gives us plenty of time to play around and try different things, maybe a couple of different locations. Bob and Joe, what are your thoughts?

 

[trentbob]

... I would like to do Saturday also but I have to see if I can move an appointment to Sunday first... I won't know till 11am on Friday... I think we do need 2 locations... we have to do all we can to make this an accurate, fair and even handed evaluation... the end all of assessments ... I have 4, maybe 5 (if I can find it) RS 800 antennas with right angle BNC adapters so as to make an even playing field (they work great on the T band too)... I have 2 cigarette lighter plugs and a USB port in the front seat of my Fusion... I've seen your video skills first hand Dan and I think all 3 of us have the proven experience and reputation to make an accurate evaluation that will serve our community well... this is a busy time for me (always) but I look forward to meeting with you guys and doing this video sooner than later... let's aim for Saturday as it's going o be nice out...