I live in Grapevine, Texas and want to monitor mostly the local Grapevine PD channels.I presently do not have a digital scanner. The PD is part of the Northeast Tarrant County trunked APCO 25 system
Since I do not need thousands of channels and features, is there a lower priced scanner that can monitor APCO 25 digital with out costing $400 to $500?
The low end cost range, on a
new scanner, capable of monitoring the Northeast Tarrant layer of the
FWRRS (that's the system that includes Grapevine) is going to be in the $400 range. Occasionally, I've seen new units a little under that, in the $375 range, and once in a while, even in the $350's. However, if you're willing to consider a used, but good condition, unit, you can bring the cost down further.
Units that would work:
GRE manufactured scanners:
GRE PSR-500 (Handheld)
GRE PSR-600 (Base/Mobile)
GRE PSR-800 (Handheld)
RadioShack PRO-106 (Handheld)
RadioShack PRO-197 (Base/Mobile)
RadioShack PRO-18 (Handheld)
The above were manufactured by GRE, which has ceased production and disbanded. While a few new units may still be found, they are scarce. For the PSR-800, its price has escalated above the original market pricing. This is largely because the PSR-800 was the only current scanner that could handle X2-TDMA/Phase II talkgroups (before Uniden released the 436HP & 536HP). Besides checking dealers for any remaining ‘new’ stock (this would be the random Radio Shack store, in most cases, with a Pro-106 or Pro-197 stuck in the back room), don’t overlook the used market, either in the classifieds here, on eBay, other online sites, or occasionally local pawn shops or yard sales. For any GRE manufactured scanner purchased used, make sure it's complete (all parts included, including battery holders), and in good working order. With GRE now no longer in the picture, parts and service support are problematic.
Note that Whistler Group has acquired the intellectual property of the old GRE product line, and plans to release units using those designs later in 2014. However, there has been no commitment that they will provide parts and service support for the former GRE units.
Current Uniden Models
Uniden BCD396XT (Handheld)
Uniden BCD996XT (Base/Mobile)
Uniden HomePatrol-1 (Base/Mobile)
Uniden also released these two new scanners in the first quarter of 2014. They have some of the features of the Home Patrol, including the ease of programming via the stored RadioReference database, as well as functions carried over from the XT series scanners. They also are capable of P25 Phase II decoding.
Uniden BCD436HP (Handheld)
Uniden BCD536HP (Base/Mobile)
Slightly Older Models (Discontinued, but can be found in used, but good, condition. These cannot utilize the NAC codes for P25 conventional frequencies):
Uniden BCD396T (Handheld)
Uniden BCD996T (Base/Mobile)
[FONT="]The same comment about checking eBay, the classifieds here on Radio Reference, as well as local pawn shops [/FONT][FONT="]or yard sales apply to the Uniden scanners as well.[/FONT]
Whistler manufactured scanners:
WS1040 (Radio Shack version PRO-651)
This handheld scanner is equivalent to the PSR-500 & Pro-106.
WS1065 (Radio Shack version PRO-652)
This base/mobile scanner is equivalent to the PSR-600 and PRO-197.
Note: Whistler includes the pc interface cable (and the ac adapter for the handheld scanners) with the unit. These are extra cost options with Radio Shack.
[FONT="]WS1080 This handheld scanner is equivalent to the PSR-800.
The Ham Station currently has the
WS1040 or
WS1065 for [/FONT]$379.95. Amazon has the
Home Patrol below $400 at this time.
