Minimums

[jnjplus6]

Around 2000, I had an awesome scanner that I had programed to pick up everything in my area, Galveston County/Santa Fe & Brazoria County/Alvin. After my truck was stolen in 2003, with my scanner in it, I never replaced it.
I'm finding that now I've retired from EMS, that I miss listening to the scanner like I used to and I'm wanting to get another. Since my area has yet to go digital, can I go with something like my old radio shack scanner from 2000? Or have things changed in other ways with the systems that I need to be concerned about? While I'd love to fork out a few hundred to get a digital handheld, money is just too tight to do so right now. Basically, what can I buy and still enjoy everything I used to have on my old scanner without spending a ton of cash?
I wish the online scanner of Galveston Co expanded a little further to include Santa Fe, is there anyway I can ask them to add it?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions and thoughts!
Jen

 

[loumaag]

Jen,

Well welcome to RR! Whereas you are correct that Galveston Co. has not made the transition to digital yet, is only a matter of time. In this case, a relatively short time. I have no timetable, but the trunking radio system that used to be Galveston is part of the TXWarn Moto system (that used to be called the Harris Co system). In any case they are rolling out the TXWarn P25 system and sooner or later everyone will move to it. The transition seems to be happening sooner in the north and east of the area than to the south and west (with some notable exceptions); however, it is happening. For the current time, an analog trunking scanner will fill the bill provided it is rebanding capable. In addition, if you decide to invest in a digital capable scanner, make sure that what you buy is a newer version with the capability to operate in the 700 MHz spectrum.

If you have any specific questions, go ahead and ask away.

 

[jnjplus6]

Thanks! Now if I remember right, I had the Radio Shack Pro-51, lol 10 years ago, it was over $100, and I thought it was pretty good. Never had any issues with it. Do you think that one will work okay until the system changes over? I'm enjoying listening the Galveston Co things on the internet, but it seems to be all Galveston Island stuff, nothing from the mainland.
Since most of the older types like the Pro-51 are an absolute steal on Ebay, is there a step up from the Pro-51 that would be better?
I'm so excited that nothing locally has changed yet, it will give me some time to save some money for the digital, and I want the best of the best once they change over locally. ;-)

 

[loumaag]

Well, I am pretty sure it wasn't a Pro-51, as that is a conventional only scanner. Could you be thinking of a Pro-90 or Pro-91? Both were early RS trunking scanners.

I own a Pro-90 and it still works on the TXWarn Moto system; however, since they are getting license modifications for changing to the rebanded frequencies, I fear that shortly it won't be useful around here as a trunking scanner. There is still quite a lot of conventional stuff around, even it will be changing (by law) by January 2013 to super narrow band. Mostly, such a change is going to probably mean some sort of digital signal. Not really necessary, but that seems to be trend. I know that you indicated you were interested in the local EMS stuff, but in case you have a hankering for the state police (DPS), they are all P25 conventional now.

 

[motorola_otaku]

Okay, here is the non-technical tl;dr version of what Lou is trying to say:

1.) What was the Galveston County 800 system back in 1999-2001 is now part of the Harris County Regional Radio System, aka TxWARN.

2.) There are actually two radio systems operated by Harris County: the old analog system linked above and a new P25 digital system that is still in the process of being built out. There are only a handful of talkgroups on this system in Galveston County right now which probably won't be of interest to you, but the entire county is expected to transition to it from the analog system within the next 1-2 years.

3.) The entire analog system is about to undergo a frequency reconfiguration process known as "rebanding" which will render many older trunktracker scanners useless. This will occur much sooner than the transition to the digital system; all available sources point to it occurring before the end of 2011 or in early 2012. Here is a list of scanners that support rebanding and a more technical description of rebanding and what it entails if you're interested.

 

[mush0man]

One more thought. If you are buying from ebay, check out something like the Pro-95. If you have never programmed a scanner with a computer interface now would be a good time to learn. When its time to program a digital scanner you will have a better understanding of the process.

 

[loumaag]

Okay, here is the non-technical tl;dr version of what Lou is trying to say:...

I'd love to know what that highlighted bit up there was; also, can you follow my around and translate. :lol:

One more thought. If you are buying from ebay, check out something like the Pro-95. If you have never programmed a scanner with a computer interface now would be a good time to learn. When its time to program a digital scanner you will have a better understanding of the process.

The Pro-95 would be a fine if someone was giving it away, but since we are about to re-band around here, it would be next to useless in almost no time.

 

[texasemt13]

tl;dr = too long;didn't read

 

[mush0man]

I'd love to know what that highlighted bit up there was; also, can you follow my around and translate. :lol:
The Pro-95 would be a fine if someone was giving it away, but since we are about to re-band around here, it would be next to useless in almost no time.

Happened sooner than I thought it would.

 

[loumaag]

Happened sooner than I thought it would.

:lol:
Well it is almost December and that was the target. I suspect that it will all be done by the end of the week.

 

[N5AMS]

yea Merry Christmas now the hp-1 lou can i enter the bandplan and just the control channels or do in need to enter all the frequencies?

 

[hiegtx]

yea Merry Christmas now the hp-1 lou can i enter the bandplan and just the control channels or do in need to enter all the frequencies?

You can enter the bandplan & control channel frequencies (or just edit them to the new values). I had one "flip" between database updates, so I just updated it in Sentinel, then downloaded to the HP-1.

 

[motorola_otaku]

The channel plan/table is the same for every Motorola Type II system, so I don't know why the scanner manufacturers didn't, in all their infinite wisdom, just embed it in the firmware and make it a menu item. Rebanded System: On/Off. Easy pleasey. Obviously it just confuses people to have to enter the channel tables manually.

 

[loumaag]

The channel plan/table is the same for every Motorola Type II system, so I don't know why the scanner manufacturers didn't, in all their infinite wisdom, just embed it in the firmware and make it a menu item. Rebanded System: On/Off. Easy pleasey. Obviously it just confuses people to have to enter the channel tables manually.

A point I ponder myself. At least some of the software vendors took pity on the users and just added a checkbox to choose the rebanded lineup.