Is this just a paper weight now?

[w_mark_wells]

Hello Scanner community! I have a Radio Shack Pro-163 Triple trunking scanner that at one time provided me with many hours of listening enjoyment, but with the rebanding of frequencies and the migration to other broadcasting platforms, is this little box worth keeping?

 

[iMONITOR]

It's still good for numerous analog scanning.

Aircraft
Marine
FRS/GMRS/MURS/older business bands
HAM/Amateur Radio
Weather
Some Railroad

I probably forgot a few.

 

[doctordialtone]

is this little box worth keeping?

It depends what you want to listen to.

It seems to me it's got lots of life left in it.

* The scanner contains these preprogrammed search ranges, stored in the search bank (SR0-SR7)
* Bank Band
* SR0 Marine
* SR1 CB
* SR2 FRS/GMRS/MURS
* SR3 Public Safety
* SR4 Aircraft (Civil and Mil-Air segments can be selected)
* SR5 Amateur Bands
* SR6 Railroad

Pro-163 - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[w_mark_wells]

It's still good for numerous analog scanning.

Aircraft
Marine
FRS/GMRS/MURS/older business bands
HAM/Amateur Radio
Weather
Some Railroad

I probably forgot a few.

It depends what you want to listen to.

It seems to me it's got lots of life left in it.

* The scanner contains these preprogrammed search ranges, stored in the search bank (SR0-SR7)
* Bank Band
* SR0 Marine
* SR1 CB
* SR2 FRS/GMRS/MURS
* SR3 Public Safety
* SR4 Aircraft (Civil and Mil-Air segments can be selected)
* SR5 Amateur Bands
* SR6 Railroad

Pro-163 - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Thanks for your reply, I've tried scanning the SR banks but i don't pick anything up on them. I am mostly interested in Police/Fire, I live about 20 miles east of Atlanta and i believe everything close is on the digital 800 trunk'd system. I pulled up the article you posted and will dig in to it. Thanks again!

 

[ka3jjz]

If you are just scanning with the antenna that comes with the scanner, you're likely missing out on a lot. Putting something outside, away from obstructions, and with the right coax will increase your range quite dramatically...Mike

 

[w_mark_wells]

If you are just scanning with the antenna that comes with the scanner, you're likely missing out on a lot. Putting something outside, away from obstructions, and with the right coax will increase your range quite dramatically...Mike

Mike, Thanks for your response! What type of antenna would you suggest? I am in a sub division and have a lot of trees around me, I have an old Dish Networks satellite antenna mounted on my roof i never removed, what to you think of me mounting a monopole and using the coaxial cable to connect back down to my scanner?

 

[N8IAA]

Mike, Thanks for your response! What type of antenna would you suggest? I am in a sub division and have a lot of trees around me, I have an old Dish Networks satellite antenna mounted on my roof i never removed, what to you think of me mounting a monopole and using the coaxial cable to connect back down to my scanner?

You're out of luck with the 163. Everything around you is P-25 digital, Phase I and Phase II.

You'll need to upgrade to at least a scanner that does Phase I. You'll be able to monitor your county, DeKalb, GSP and DNR. Everyone else around you is Phase II, or encrypted. Over the last few years scanning has changed tremendously.

Whistler scanners do well on what you want to scan. Don't be bullied into spending too many dollars for a scanner you don't need. You will be told to get a Phase II scanner. Don't. Most systems that go that route in GA go silent.

Contact me via PM for better info.

 

[ka3jjz]

While the scanner is certainly part of the equation, the antenna (and coax) forms the other part. Being in a subdivision, does that mean no outside antennas? That and the trees are going to wreck havoc with what you try to hear....Mike

 

[marlin39a]

I just bought one here in the classified section. My County is still all analog. I put it out in my carport. It’s still a great scanner for my use.

 

[Cheeseburgers]

I agree with the Doc, I have a Pro-164 and I still use it for conventional and MOT w/ Analog voice, and EDACS. I also am holding onto a Pro-92 for the same reasons.