Is proscan really worth it over OEM programming software?

[KQ4VKM]

Greetings all, I am new(ish) to the world of radio scanners and got a Uniden SDS100 for Christmas recently. I have been attempting to program it with the Sentinel software from Uniden, with a good deal of success. I am able to program in essentially everything I want but I have found that Sentinel is rather annoying and unintuitive to learn/use. I've heard many people both here and elsewhere talk about "proscan" and how good it is for programming scanners of many various makes and models. I've tried to do my own research but I figured I'd ask here: is proscan really worth the money? What improvements would you say it has over the software offered by manufacturers like Uniden? Thanks for any help!

 

[jtwalker]

Yep, worth it to me and I’m a cheap-skate. Change detection for favorites lists. Supports multiple scanner models. Remote control. And on and on.

 

[buddrousa]

Yes It does soo much more.
You Still need Sentinel for Firmware updates.

 

[W9WSS]

Yes. EXACTLY as the previous responses provided.

 

[KQ4VKM]

Yes It does soo much more.
You Still need Sentinel for Firmware updates.

Noted, I'll try out the demo version (I was unaware they even offered that until tonight). I'll be keeping Sentinel for the firmware updates, though.

 

[fxdscon]

Noted, I'll try out the demo version (I was unaware they even offered that until tonight). I'll be keeping Sentinel for the firmware updates, though.

There is a list of ProScan features here:

ProScan

Computer Aided Scanning Software for the Uniden BCT15 BCT15X BC250D BC296D BR330T BC346XT BC346XTC BCD325P2 BCD396T BCD396XT BCD436HP BCD536HP BC780XLT BC785D BC796D BCD996T BCD996XT BCD996P2 RadioFeed Streaming Audio.

www.proscan.org

 

[Omega-TI]

... I figured I'd ask here: is proscan really worth the money?

​

 

[CKnobb]

Yes

/thread

 

[mark40]

Proscan has made a big difference for me as well. Go for it.

 

[n0xvz]

Plus...the @ProScan developer is an active member of the forums.

 

[K4EET]

Hi @KQ4VKM,

In ham radio, you will hear that the RT Systems radio programming software is sooooooo much better than the OEM programming software. Likewise, ProScan and the developer (@ProScan) are simply top-notch in the scanner world. Even with the free 30-day trial of fully functioning ProScan software, don’t expect to become an expert overnight. There is sooooooo much packed in to that application you will be amazed! From the ease of programming the scanner in a logical fashion with many functions not found in the OEM version to controlling the scanner’s operation, ProScan is really feature packed for your monitoring needs. You cannot go wrong with the purchase of ProScan and its lifetime of updates at no additional charge. You will be glad that you bought it. The support for ProScan is also truly phenomenal from both the ProScan users here at Radio Reference as well as @ProScan himself. Finally, to get a good taste of how powerful ProScan really is, don’t be afraid to look through the well-written manual found under the “Support” menu item in the application. Enjoy the trial and let us know if you have any questions. 73, Dave K4EET

 

[KQ4VKM]

Hi @KQ4VKM,

In ham radio, you will hear that the RT Systems radio programming software is sooooooo much better than the OEM programming software. Likewise, ProScan and the developer (@ProScan) are simply top-notch in the scanner world. Even with the free 30-day trial of fully functioning ProScan software, don’t expect to become an expert overnight. There is sooooooo much packed in to that application you will be amazed! From the ease of programming the scanner in a logical fashion with many functions not found in the OEM version to controlling the scanner’s operation, ProScan is really feature packed for your monitoring needs. You cannot go wrong with the purchase of ProScan and its lifetime of updates at no additional charge. You will be glad that you bought it. The support for ProScan is also truly phenomenal from both the ProScan users here at Radio Reference as well as @ProScan himself. Finally, to get a good taste of how powerful ProScan really is, don’t be afraid to look through the well-written manual found under the “Support” menu item in the application. Enjoy the trial and let us know if you have any questions. 73, Dave K4EET

Will certainly do. I have indeed always heard RTSystems is much better than OEM programming software amongst the ham sphere (and I’ve found that to be the case, I use their software frequently to program extra repeaters into my Yaesu radios haha) and it’s very promising to hear that comparison being made in regard to proscan. I’ve been playing around with proscan a bit since my last message here and I am incredibly impressed! It’s a very feature rich and intuitive software so far!

 

[pb_lonny]

Yes it is much better.

 

[vince48]

YES, YES, YES!!!!

 

[KK4JUG]

It's a given: ProScan for the scanners and RT Systems for the ham radios.

Between the two, they probably saves hours and they give amazing results!

 

[K9KLC]

It's a given: ProScan for the scanners and RT Systems for the ham radios.

Between the two, they probably saves hours and they give amazing results!

Guess I'm gonna have to look into it. I'm a firm believer in RT's stuff. Only have used Sentinel for the unidens I have.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I've been a proud non-endorsed Proscan ambassador since 2012. There's no better app for Unidens out there

 

[wtp]

ProScan runs as a 30 day fully functional trial / demo until activated with a personalized key.

ProScan

Computer Aided Scanning Software for the Uniden BC125AT BC250D BC296D BC346XT BC346XTC BC780XLT BC785D BC796D BCD160DN BCD260DN BCD325P2 BCD396T BCD396XT BCD436HP BCD536HP BCD996P2 BCD996T BCD996XT BCT15 BCT15X BR330T SDS100 SDS100E SDS200 SDS200E UBC125XLT UBC126AT UBCD3600XLT UBCD436PT...

proscan.org

free, the right price !

 

[Kiniutech]

Yes and yes, great value for money and good support

 

[mr10pt]

I hear everyone say programming w/ProScan is easier. Since 2018, I've only used Sentinel. I do have ProScan running my 200 off my desktop. I also have ProScan on my laptop which I use Sentinel for programming. I'm not a computer guy so it takes a bit to get the feel for it. I cannot find instructions for programming. Can someone post a basic "what to do" list in bullet point form. From there I can play around and hopefully get it working. Looks like 1st step is import Sentinel DB? Thanks in advance.