Hi everyone. I currently have a PRO-163 and I just found out from my son that the Lamar County VFD here in Mississippi that come November they will be going all 700MHz and getting away from the conventional freqs. My son is on the VFD so I have to take this to heart. I'm thinking of getting a 2096 but according to RR it want handle it. Will recent firmware updates take care of this. I like my 163 so it just makes sense to me to go to the 2096/96. I'm very new to scanning and to this site so any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Ronnie
I think that instead of the PRO-2096/96 series of scanners you would be *a lot* `better off' looking at either the PRO-197 or PRO-106 RS models (PSR-500/600 GRE models) because the 2096/96 scanners do not do 700MHz. RS seems to pretty much be having sales on the 106/197s a tad bit more these days because they are `pushing' the PRO-18 iScan more.
Now... While the RS-106/197 and the GRE-500/600 are pretty much basically the same, with only just a few `quirks' differentiating them the PRO-18 and the GRE-800 are basically 2 different machines that only share their `source' but *not* the features like the 106/197 - 500/600 scanners. (Now *personally*, remember that this *is* *my* opinion, the PSR-800 is *definitely* the better of the two *because* of the `features' that RS decided to not include in the PRO-18. [I *used* to buy all my scanners from RS *until* they *really started* not including everything that GRE included in what used to be basically the same machine. I *used to* have multiple 2096s and 2055s in my `shack'. Now days I am down to only a couple 2096/96s and 2055/97s that pretty much serve as either `backups' for doing verifications of `activity' or handling listening to `secondary' systems I might occasionally have either a `need' or `urge' to listen to and do not really want/need to use my GREs. The 2096s also sometimes get used to run PRO96COM when I am tracking a system that isn't always on a 700MHz site though the way things are starting to look we may be getting more 700MHz sites than 800MHz sites because the DTRS I primarily listen to seems to have pretty much `emptied the bucket' or are `stepping on their own toes', so to speak, of 800MHz freqs and are now putting up 700MHz sites to handle the extra traffic they keep adding. I suspect that, probably sooner than later, I'll be having to `superannuate' my 500/600/800s when P25 phase 2 becomes a `reality' and the `salesdroids' and the `gummit' `push' the switch over. {WAN GRIN!}])
Now... Depending upon how you are going to be programming your scanner *and* whether you are going to just have a `base' or `portable/handheld' scanner things can get `interesting'. If it going just be used as a `base' scanner then you can choose between either the RS PRO-197 or the GRE-600 and pretty much the only deciding factor that you'll probably have will be which one can you get a better price on. Both scanners can be fairly easily `manually' programmed and there are a couple really good software packages available, PSREDIT500 & WIN500. (In alphabetic order as *I* use both and have found, at least for me, one may do something one way that *I* `like' better whilst the other may do something else the way I like better.)
If you are thinking about a `portable/handheld' scanner things get a tad bit more `interesting'. The PRO-106 and the GRE-500, since they are the `portable/handheld' versions of the PRO-197 and GRE-600 can also be programmed `manually' *and* also via the aforementioned software packages. But, with the PRO-18 and the GRE-800 things start to get different. These 2 scanners use a `proprietary' software package and because of the differences what one can do with one cannot be done with the other, as far as I know because I do not have a PRO-18 to play with. (I expect that *someone* with PRO-18 experience will step in and fill in the blanks about it. Which I hope is sooner than later as you *do* need to have that knowledge to help you decide.)
Now while all the aforementioned scanners *can*, with their appropriate software packages, download programming information off of RadioReference and install the information into the scanner the PRO-18 and PSR-800 scanners are the only ones that can hold pretty much the whole RRDatabase and allow you to either use the software to access it or manually access it via the scanner's own firmware. (And this ability comes with the purchase of either scanner rather than you having to signup & pay for a `premium subscription' to RR. [Though *I* think that subscribing to RR *is* quite worthwhile because there are other `bennies' besides just downloading that comes along with a subscription!]) Of course, in your situation *you* *may* be the first one to `discover/find/whatever' the necessary freqs for this `new' system and you'll be able to help others that come along by submitting them to the database because of your new scanner. {GRIN!}
OK... I've probably blathered on too much but, I am just trying to give you an idea of what there is to choose from. If you feel you need any clarification you can PM me and I'll see if I can help.
