Here's the thing I own a Pro97, but I think I broke it because for the life of me I can't get it to work. I noticed RS has the Pro-164 on sale right now, would that get the job done?
There is no reason a PRO-97 won't work for that area. I use one, as well as several other models, and monitor as much of Placer county as I can receive - which includes Roseville TRS, the cities from Roseville to Truckee, USFS, Placer Sheriff, etc.
The PRO-164 is an updated version of the PRO-97. The difference is the CPU used; its firmware can be updated. The display has been updated to have an "S meter". I have the PSR-300, which is the GRE version of the '164. I got my '300 from ScannerMaster (an advertiser here on RR) for $149 which included free shipping and the AC adapter.
Furthermore, how does the 164 compare to the pro-107?
In what sense? Ability to receive? The display? Ease of programming? The way it is used?
I look at the '164/PSR-300 vs the '107 this way; if you are in to the HOBBY of scanning, you probably won't like the '107. If you just want a scanner that you can turn on and start listening to, with very little ability to control it, then you'll like the '107. Some people have considered the '107 to be an 'iScanner', comparing it to an iPod. You select a "playlist", and press SCAN. While it does have the entire RR database loaded in an SD memory card, if you want to make a change or listen to something not in memory .. well, good luck.