I live in central Texas and I am trying to decide on which digital scanner to buy, Radio Shack PRO-197 or the Uniden BCD996XT , and from what I have read there are some real programming issues. Radio Shack said they would program it for my area. If I wanted to program the radio myself how would I go about it?
Thanks in advance for any help
Bob
Welcome, Bob
Captain Clint has already covered much of what I was going to suggest.
I would not say that there are programming "issues" as such with either scanner. However, if you have never used either a
dynamic memory scanner (the Uniden system, for the BCD996XT), or object oriented (the method GRE uses to organize the programming memory in their scanners, including the Pro-197, which they manufacture for Radio Shack), then, yes, there will be a bit of a learning curve. However, there's lots of help available here to assist you past that. And once you begin to use either, it will start to fall in place for you.
While your local Radio Shack may be able to give you an initial program "load", just to get started with a Pro-197, after that, they pretty much leave you on your own. Similarly, if you order a scanner online, and request it be programmed, from one of the many dealers that offer that option, that's also a one shot deal. A few of the dealers will do that at no charge. Most charge a fee. In any event, that programming may, or may not be current (reflecting recent changes), and may not include everything you would be interested in, or could hear from your location.
If you click on the database, for Texas, on any given day one or more counties is shaded to show some sort of update. Whether that directly affects you, that day or not, sooner or later there will be one that will. The best way to program your new scanner, whichever you buy, is with software. It's much quicker to enter frequencies and text tags via a keyboard, then upload to the scanner, than it is do it on the scanner itself. You can also see all of the entries on the screen, at the same time, making it easier to spot and correct any typos.
The GRE
PSR-600 is the same scanner, just a different name on the front, as the Radio Shack Pro-197 (which GRE makes for them). The 600 comes with the programming cable, Radio Shack charges extra, but gives you a printed manual. (GRE provides theirs on a cd-rom, or available for download.)
For programming the PSR-600 or Pro-197, there are three software packages available: WIN500, PSREdit500, and ARC500. See this
page for more information. All of these will do imports if you are a premium subscriber. All have a thirty day trial period before you have to buy or quit using the program.
For programming the BCD996XT, besides FreeScan, as Clint mentioned, there is also ARC-XT and ProScan. FreeScan is free. The other two are not, but do have a trial period. All will do imports for premium subscribers.
As far as initial programming, I know there are several users of the BCD396XT in your general area (that's the handheld companion to the base/mobile BCD996XT). May be a 996XT user or two as well. Also, FreeScan (and probably the other software programs (I use FreeScan on my 396XT)) can also import from earlier Uniden *.usd system files, like from the previous BCD396T/BCD996T models.
I also suspect there is at least one or more users of one of the GRE-made scanners in or near Waco (I'm basing these estimates based on posts in the Texas forum in the past). The programming files for the Radio Shack Pro-106 & Pro-197, or GRE PSR-500 & PSR-600 would all work in compatible software.
Once you decide upon which scanner you intend to purchase, ask in the Texas
forum for somebody in your area, with the same type of scanner (GRE or Uniden), willing to share a file to get you started. Whatever software they use or send the file format in, download that software so that you can load it on your new scanner.
Once you have a working file, on your scanner, open that file in the software, and see how that particular city, county, or system looks, on the screen in the program, versus on the database page here. That will help you cut that learning curve down much more quickly.