GRE PSR-500 any good for me?

[rabrol]

OK, so I know what the PSR-500 is capable of in terms of trunking, digital modes, freq coverage and so on. However I have a hesitation about purchasing one based on my current experiences with a GRE made Radio Shack Pro 97.

My concern centers around the sensitivity & selectivity. Here in Edmonton's urban environment, the PRO97 has performed very well on the rubber duck. However over time there became an issue with the BNC adapter on top. Currently, to maintain a signal, I have to bend the antenna with my thumb when listening, otherwise it is deaf. I have read some comments that the BNC connection on the PSR-500 can also be loose. Does this lead to the same situation I am currently facing with the RS Pro 97?

My second concern is what happens to the Pro 97 when I hook up an external antenna. It goes really deaf on VHF. Seriously. The local WX channel on 162.400MHz for example comes in loud and clear with the rubber duck. Attach the external antenna and the signal is just gone. Exactly the same thing happens on airband. Goodbye tower broadcasts. Now when I plug in my Kenwood THF7E (Ham handheld with wideband receive) and hook it up to the external antenna, every signal just gets stronger like it is meant to!

Having played with scanners for many years I understand that a base station / mobile would be better for use with an external antenna, but I don't have the funds to make 2 scanner purchases! I want the mobility of the portable, but the range afforded by the external antenna so I can listen to the aircraft, tower and approach frequencies at the 2 local airports (yes, I want to hear BOTH sides of the conversation like I can with my little Kenwood).

So...will the PSR-500 suffer the same problems as the GRE made Pro 97, or have improvements been made in this area of scanners?

Would you guys have any other recommendations for me?

Look forward to hearing from you!
Rob

 

[W6KRU]

I am in a semi-urban environment and I hook my PSR-500 up to an external antenna for some fire freqs. that are in the 150-165MHz range and I don't have any problems. It hears vhf freqs. quite well when hooked to the external antenna.

 

[darrylcn]

I'm in Halifax with a PSR-500 and I have no complaints. Honestly my PSR-500 on the RD antenna is as good as or better than my Uniden SC-180 is with an outdoor antenna. It works out well for me because it lets me use the rubber duck with my PSR and keep the external antenna that's on my deck for use with the Uniden. YMMV, but I'm still impressed by the PSRs capabilities. I can hear the provincial jail that's about 4 km away and on the wrong side of the building with my PSR/RD but can't with my SC-180/Deck antenna. It still boggles my mind.

 

[rabrol]

I can hear the provincial jail that's about 4 km away and on the wrong side of the building with my PSR/RD but can't with my SC-180/Deck antenna. It still boggles my mind.

Thanks for the replies guys.
I felt a bit boggled too when the Pro-97 (and the Pro-95 I also have) don't pick up VHF on the external antenna. Interestingly they do pick up the UHF signals with the external...although not as well as they should perhaps. I guess each radio has its "thing". I had never known a radio to get poorer reception with an outdoor raised antenna though. Internmod yes, but weaker reception all across VHF, no!

Hopefully it will perform well on the external antenna. I'm trying to figure it out before I buy as I'll make the purchase in the US at a cost of US$399 (CAD$411) as oppose to the CAD$549 it would cost me here (PSR500 Digital Triple Trunking Handheld Scanner. Similar to Uniden BC-D396 - Durham Radio Sales and Service Canada)! Makes it somewhat harder for returns if there is a problem though.

Anyone here have the RadioShack version (Pro-106)? How does it compare? I hear they are essentially the same radio, but firmware updates for the GRE come out much faster than the RS equivalent.

Any more thoughts on the external antenna thing?

 

[Russell]

Your Pro97 sounds like the lead from the center BNC connector to the circuit board has broken. This is easily replaced. The PSR500 BNC connector inside the radio has a metal case and is less prone to breaking.

 

[fmon]

Anyone here have the RadioShack version (Pro-106)? How does it compare? I hear they are essentially the same radio, but firmware updates for the GRE come out much faster than the RS equivalent.

Any more thoughts on the external antenna thing?

500 and 106 scan and program identically. I like a Scantenna.

 

[sadatoni]

Could it be the external antenna isn't tuned for VHF? That can make a big difference.

 

[rabrol]

Could it be the external antenna isn't tuned for VHF? That can make a big difference.

No, it is a dual band 2m / 70cm HAM antenna. Also the antenna pulls in lots more signals when connected to my HAM radio on the same frequencies, thus proving the issue is the radio and not the antenna itself.

 

[bigcam406]

i bought a psr500 from durham radio 14 months ago,and i use 3 antennas for it,all 3 are duckies.i change them all the time,as i find weather has an effect on reception.i havnt had a problem with any antenna related issues,connector wise.great scanner,highly recommend!

 

[RoninJoliet]

I find using the "ATTEN" on VHF only on my GRE/RS scanners actualy brings in the station when connected to my outside antennas....Its always been a "backwards situation on these products compared to Uniden,.....

 

[KT4HX]

Have you tried turning on the attenuator in both your Pro-95 and Pro-97? One thing that can happen, particularly with handheld units connected to external antennas, is that the scanner's front-end circuitry gets overloaded by too much signal being received. This can de-sensitize the scanner, making it seem deaf. I have had more issues with this in the VHF range than in others. Therefore, you might try the attenuator to see if that is what is happening in this case.

 

[darrylcn]

I should have mentioned that my Atten is all off too. Works for the duck antenna. I actually made a bunch of scanlists that had an Att and a non Att version for use with the external antenna with atten on and for the rd with it off. I deleted all the attenuated scanlists when I foun I wasn't using the external antenna at all with the scanner.

 

[rabrol]

Have you tried turning on the attenuator in both your Pro-95 and Pro-97? One thing that can happen, particularly with handheld units connected to external antennas, is that the scanner's front-end circuitry gets overloaded by too much signal being received. This can de-sensitize the scanner, making it seem deaf. I have had more issues with this in the VHF range than in others. Therefore, you might try the attenuator to see if that is what is happening in this case.

Yes, the attenuator was one of the first options I tried. Although it did allow some of the vhf signals to be audible again, the signal was too weak to hear both sides of the conversation (ATC). Hence I ended up just using the HAM handheld instead :-(

 

[bama9999]

It sounds like what is probably happening is that when you connect the outside antenna to your 97, it's not receiving anything due to the connector being disconnected inside the radio, as mentioned by another poster above. What makes me think this is where you said you had to push on the duckie antenna to get it to make contact, and since it doesn't receive without pushing on it with the duckie, I'm guessing you're not pushing on the external antenna's connector.

I've never owned a 97, but have fixed similar issues on various radios before. It's generally not a huge deal to fix if you're fairly handy with a soldering iron, although as I mentioned, I couldn't say for sure about a Pro 97.

I have a Pro106 and it's a fantastic radio, receiving great on the stock duckie antenna, a Radio Shack 800mhz duckie or my Radio Shack outdoor discone antenna.

 

[ScanWI]

Pro-97

the Pro-97 was replaced with that pro-164 which is much improved and takes care of several of those issues. I have seen the same thing with my 97

 

[rabrol]

It sounds like what is probably happening is that when you connect the outside antenna to your 97, it's not receiving anything due to the connector being disconnected inside the radio, as mentioned by another poster above. What makes me think this is where you said you had to push on the duckie antenna to get it to make contact, and since it doesn't receive without pushing on it with the duckie, I'm guessing you're not pushing on the external antenna's connector.

I've never owned a 97, but have fixed similar issues on various radios before. It's generally not a huge deal to fix if you're fairly handy with a soldering iron, although as I mentioned, I couldn't say for sure about a Pro 97.

I have a Pro106 and it's a fantastic radio, receiving great on the stock duckie antenna, a Radio Shack 800mhz duckie or my Radio Shack outdoor discone antenna.

Thanks for the suggestions, and I am pleased to hear that the Pro 106 works well on an external antenna.

Yes, it seems there is an issue with the BNC jack to be sure, but by applying pressure in the correct way the radio suddenly clicks into life. However with the external antenna, when I push the connector, UHF signals improve as they should, but VHF gets deaf whether the attenuator is on or off.

Anyway it looks like I'll try to pick up a PSR500 or a Pro 106. I know they are almost identical...but is one better than the other?

 

[SkipSanders]

Most likely, there is a nearby FM Broadcast station 'desensing' your receiver.

Try putting an FM Broadcast trap filter in the line.

This is a very common problem with external scanner antennas in urban areas.

 

[smason]

I have the 600 and the 106. I have an FM trap on my 600 at home, as I live near a few radio stations.
Haven't had the 106 out and about much, in downtown Calgary it did get swamped by pagers, but so do all of my radios ('cept my Kenwood 7950, it's got a really tight front end)
Usuing att usually helps.

 

[gmclam]

Sounds like a very strong VHF signal in your area

My second concern is what happens to the Pro 97 when I hook up an external antenna. It goes really deaf on VHF. Seriously. The local WX channel on 162.400MHz for example comes in loud and clear with the rubber duck. Attach the external antenna and the signal is just gone. Exactly the same thing happens on airband.

It sounds to me like you have a very strong VHF signal in your area. When you connect your external antenna, that signal reduces all other signals into the scanner in that band.

Regardless of scanner model/brand, I use a filter to remove FM broadcast (88 to 108 MHz) from my external antenna. After doing so, I still have a very strong paging signal in my area. It is 10dB hotter than the hottest "scanner" signal I want to receive. I was able to measure this on an RF signal strength meter. I easily notice the paging signal on a PRO-95 or PRO-97 but do not as easily notice it on a PSR-300 (PRO-164) or equivalent.

For me, getting rid of the paging signal (with a filter) while not negatively affecting frequencies I want, is a challenge. Using the ATT function of the scanners certainly eliminates the problem, but so does using a less effective antenna. The newer scanners, such as PSR-300 or PSR-500 definitely are better able to handle this condition.