Can this newbie program the GRE 300 or 500

[Barryr]

New to scanners. Should I pay the seller of the GRE scanner to program the unit or will the purchased software guide this newbie through the process without any pain. I'm a bit torn on whether to purchase the PSR 300 analog or the PSR 500 digital. I live in Grand Rapids. Thanks

 

[gmclam]

Welcome to RadioReference.com !!!

Great choice on scanners. Regardless of whether or not you get the scanner (pre)programmed, you WILL want to learn how to do it yourself. There's no way someone can determine exactly what YOU do and do not want to monitor.

If you get the PSR-300, get WIN97 and the USB cable to program it. It is not too tough to learn, depending mostly on the exact agencies you want to monitor.

The PSR-500, a digital scanner, uses something called object-oriented-programming. It does have a steep learning curve. The software I'd use to program it in WIN500. If it does not come with the USB cable, you'll need one.

With either of these scanners, I suspect you'll find someone else in your area that has one and will be willing to share files with you. From there you can edit to suit your personal taste.

 

[mikey60]

New to scanners. Should I pay the seller of the GRE scanner to program the unit or will the purchased software guide this newbie through the process without any pain. I'm a bit torn on whether to purchase the PSR 300 analog or the PSR 500 digital. I live in Grand Rapids. Thanks

While Kent county is currently analog, there has been speculation that they will be switching to digital at some point in the future. When this will happen exactly nobody seems to know.

In Michigan, many counties have joined the MPSCS (Michigan Public Safety Communications System), which is a digital trunked system that covers the entire state. The PSR-300 will not be able to receive and decode the transmissions on this system.

If you can swing it I would recommend the PSR-500 as it would give you a much better selection of things to listen to in Michigan.

As far as programming is concerned, there are a few programs out there to program these radios. My suggestion is to try them out (they all have a free trial period) and see which works best for you.

The PSR-500 includes the programming cable in the box. The available software for the scanner may be found at Object Oriented Scanner Software - The RadioReference Wiki

Mike