Favorite and Least Favorite Scanners?

[blantonl]

The PRO-2006 was the greatest scanner ever made, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

The AOR AR-1000 was a giant POS and I remember how excited I was to get it, and how disappointed I was when I did. I actually returned it. It was counter intuitive. It was saddled with birdies and images and intermod and overload. Truly an abomination.

 

[trentbob]

GRE Pro 2004, 2005 and 2006 were home runs as was the GRE Pro 96 many years later, introduced in 2003 at the same time Uniden introduced the bc-250d. They were both the first digital portables that were primarily used on Motorola type ll Smart Zone Systems. Pro 96 blew the doors off the bearcat.

My all-time favorite was the Electra Bearcat 101 programmable scanner early 1975. I got lucky and got a good one with no issues.. no more crystals and great reception.

As far as the worst scanners I've owned, it's hard to pin it down as you could fill a wheelbarrow with them.

The two top contenders for biggest POS was Electra Bearcat 100 portable, keyboard programmable radio. Battery pack kept falling out of the bottom of the radio so you had a tape it up, liquid crystal display disappeared quickly, no volume at all.. when Uniden took over they kept the same model number and made great improvements on the scanner. The other junker was the Electra Bearcat 350, alphanumerical display.. plenty of birdies, hums and overall bad performance. Not to be confused with the newer Uniden Bearcat 350 C which I would never buy.

 

[mark40]

Favorite: BC760XLT for me was the most exciting mainly for the ability to decode CTCSS for the first time.
Least Favorite: BC50XL handheld was the worst.

 

[K9KLC]

Uniden Bearcat 350 C.....

I unfortunately had one of these in the late 90s I think it was, it did receive "some things" but yes, it would probably qualify as my least favorite non crystal scanner.

 

[trentbob]

Favorite: BC760XLT for me was the most exciting mainly for the ability to decode CTCSS for the first time.
Least Favorite: BC50XL handheld was the worst.

Absolutely agree and that was a Workhorse at my newspaper, once I had PL tones you could really use good rooftop antennas without picking up frequencies from all over the state LOL.

 

[tvengr]

The Regency R 1600 was rebranded as the Uniden BC760XLT after Uniden bought the Regency name and scanner product line. They are the same scanner except for the shape of the 4 buttons under the display. I have both. My Regency R 1600 has a Uniden ID label on the back.

 

[hill]

The Regency R 1600 was rebranded as the Uniden BC760XLT after Uniden bought the Regency name and scanner product line.

The BC760XLT waa also sold as the 950. It was a model made just for one retailer to sell with a gray case.

RigPix Database - Bearcat/Uniden - BC-950XLT

 

[mule1075]

The BC760XLT waa also sold as the 950. It was a model made just for one retailer to sell with a gray case.

RigPix Database - Bearcat/Uniden - BC-950XLT

560xlt as well

 

[mule1075]

The BC760XLT waa also sold as the 950. It was a model made just for one retailer to sell with a gray case.

RigPix Database - Bearcat/Uniden - BC-950XLT

205xlt as well. I believe they were built for Scanner World.

 

[ladn]

My all-time favorite was the Electra Bearcat 101 programmable scanner early 1975.

My favorite as well. I liked the overall performance (and what a change from xtals) and the ability to quickly lock out channels with the flip of a switch.

Didn't like that it was AC only.

 

[trentbob]

My favorite as well. I liked the overall performance (and what a change from xtals) and the ability to quickly lock out channels with the flip of a switch.

Didn't like that it was AC only.

Yep I ended up having a couple of them and I did have one in the car, I mounted the inverter on the floor behind the driver's seat and all I had to do was reach down and toggle the switch.

As you know it had a mot pin antenna connection, I replaced my car antenna with a longer telescopic model and just reached around behind the AM/ FM radio, unplugged the PIN and put it in the scanner.

16 channels of anything you wanted, up to 512 MHz, a lot of VHF low band then, easy when you're driving to drop a tab and lift a tab.. that was the best scanning experiences I can remember, a lot more fun than today.

 

[wqmg930]

If I had to pick a least favorite would be BC 895 cause of the size
favorite would be BC 780

 

[gmclam]

Trunking analog: PSR-310
Trunking P25: PSR-500 (until Simulcast came along)

Worst scanner: TRX-1 (or -2). Horrible things.

 

[tvengr]

If I had to pick a least favorite would be BC 895 cause of the size

The 895 had a beautiful receiver. I used one for many years on analog trunked systems.

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

For favorite scanner, it's a tie between the BCT15X and the SDS100. Least favorite I've ever owned would have been a Uniden BCT-8. As much as I tried to like that thing, I just couldn't.

 

[pb_lonny]

Best - Icom R20
Worst - Uniden UBC220XLT

 

[Don57]

My favorite of all time is the BC9000XLT. I live about 30 miles east of Manhattan NY on the south shore of Long Island. I never used anything other antenna besides the stock antenna and i was able to listen to the NYPD , FDNY etc from all the boroughs (except Staten Island which I never programmed in) with booming sound and to the east I could hear all the way out from the Hamptons. I could even pick up the south east area of Connecticut. It was easy and fun to program , amazing booming , crystal clear audio. I sold it on eBay to help pay for the HP 1 when it came out. I regret selling it but back then I wanted the HP 1 asap.

 

[avery_k]

For trunking, I would say my PSR500. I bought it when we lived in Colorado and it was great on the P25 Phase 1 system they used at the time. Great on trunking, but not so great out here where everything is VHF hi analog. It's almost too sensitive. My new favorite is the BC125AT that I put my stream on. Great sensitivity and selectivity.

My least favorite? I don't remember, I sold the ones I wasn't using when we moved!

 

[es93546]

The worst is easy, the BC-350. It was the first alpha-numeric scanner. The trouble is that is overheated. I sent mine back a couple of times for the same problem. Finally, Bearcat offered free BC-300's to resolve the problems. The BC-300 was not alpha-numeric and eventually the digital display deteriorated and became invisible. That is a common problem for a lot of scanners, especially the older ones. The LCD screens don't have nearly the same rate of similar failure.

Another disappointment was the PRO-2052. It claimed to be the first computer programmable scanner, but the "software" didn't have a memory and you could only use a computer as sort of a control panel. I had to wait and buy a PRO-92 to get a computer programmable scanner. I loved it. The PRO-96 was my first digital scanner. I was visiting family in L.A. quite frequently at the time so being able to scan the LAPD was important to me. However, the local trunked systems that started out as Type 1's went to Phase 2's so the digital feature didn't help anymore. Mammoth/June Mountains went DMR Phase 2 and Southern California Edison went Phase 2 trunked about 4-5 years ago so it necessitated a 325P2 as both are important for me. Electric utility listening is essential as we often get system outages during snowstorms and less often during high fire dangers caused by major windstorms during the rest of the year, most often in the fall.

The best, for older scanners, the 760's. They could be modified to include to use PL tones and another to significantly increase the scanner speed. My GRE scanners are all good, in fact excellent. The PRO-92's, the PRO 96, the PSR500's and 600's are all excellent scanners. The software from Starrsoft is excellent. The developer of it had something to do with the firmware of the PSR's and PRO-96's so it could not be beat. I live in a rural area and don't have a lot of the newer Phase 2 systems so they are my daily workhorses.

My newer scanner is the BC-325P2 which is an OK scanner, but having only two AA batteries is a significant disappointment. I've heard the SDS100's and SDS200's are not sensitive on the VHF High band, which is the majority of the frequency use in my rural area so I'm not interested in them at all. I'll stick with my PSR's.

 

[W8WCA]

PRO 43 and PRO 2006
I like my SDS200 a lot also for what it is.

My SDS100 works great - but is the Ugliest Scanner I ever owned and I do not like the keypad at all.
(That said I will be keeping it) That is just my take on it not a reflection on the scanner - it is great!