My First scanner.....

[GeneJ]

I am thinking about buying my first scanner.....I live in the Myrtle Beach area, would like to scan Fire, MB Police,County Police, MYR as well as general aviation and to the Coast Guard... I just became disabled and I have a lot of time on my hands but not a lot of money. It looks to me that Horry and Georgetown are on a trunk system, that is analog.I am looking at the RS Pro-163 and the BC 15X.

Which one should I buy??

 

[AB4BF]

Don't know if anyone has answered this, yet, but IMHO, the Bearcat BC15X would be the better choice of the two.

If possible, you might want to look into purchasing a Radio Shack Pro-197. I have seen them priced as low as $199.99 recently.

 

[GeneJ]

Thank you for your response to my question. I have gone to the Radio Shack web sight and they want over $400 for it where did you find one for $200?

 

[brian]

Welcome to this great hobby!

I think an analog scanner will work fine for probably 90% of what you want to listen to. Be mindful that some talkgroups (channels) used by some agencies in Georgetown Co. are digital. And certainly the trend in the 2-way radio business has many agenies changing to digital systems - some formats that can be monitored by current scanners, and some that can't.

While you don't require a digital scanner for most of what you want to monitor today, just be aware that agencies could switch to digital soon. There isn't any indication that's likely to occur in Horry Co any time soon, but it's possible. A digital scanne would "future-proof" your investment.

That being said, between the two radios you mentioned, the Uniden BCT15X is probably the better choice. And that's coming from a GRE/RS scanner fan. The Dynamic Memory Allocation system and the fact that there is free programming software available for this model are two big benefits. While certainly a good radio, the PRO-163 uses the more limiting bank/channel memory arrangement (which can be inefficient) and you'll have to purchase a programming cable and programming software for it separately.

The GRE PSR-410 might also be a good choice to consider, since it uses GRE's Object Oriented Memory system. But you'll still be on the hook to purchase a programming cable and programming software for it.

Good luck.

 

[GeneJ]

Thanks Brian.
I have never heard of GRE until now . Now you have me thinking maybe I should think about a DIGITAL. I just got off the phone with a friend that is with Midway Fire Department and he is telling me that yes a analog scanner will work for me now however, he informed me that Horry and Georgetown will be changing over to digital in near future.Now with my limited income (disabled) I need to find one that is used or refurbished. Do you know where I can find one? At this point I do not care if it is a GRE, BC, RS or whoever that will let be scan Police, Fire and air traffic.
Thank you for any extra help you can give me.
Gene

 

[hntsgt]

You will have to scour ebay for a good deal. Seems that they are starting at $200... haven't been watching them so I am curious as to how much they are ending at. I was surprised by the lack of items on the RR classifieds.

I have a couple of 996t's & 396t's along with a BCT15X. If I were you, I would certainly go with the 996t (personally, the 996xt has a few new bells & whistles but not worth the extra money). You should be able to pick up the portable version (bcd396t) a little cheaper on ebay. I have files for the Horry/Gtown area if you're interested.

 

[brian]

It's difficult to determine the definition of "soon." Back in 2006, 800MHz rebanding was happening "soon." It just affected us in SC this past fall, nearly 6 years later. And I don't think it's 100% complete process yet. You could very well get 2-3 years or more out of an analog scanner, or you could get 2-3 months. It's difficult to say. Purchasing a digital scanner now and taking a chance on a used radio (ebay, craigslist, RR classifieds), versus spending less on a new analog scanner and planning to upgrade to a digital model later, is a decision you'll have to weigh for yourself. It's a tough call.

Mike is right there in Pawleys Island area and can help you with local configuration files for the Uniden models. There are others of us that aren't in the immediate area that can send you GRE/RadioShack configuration files for the HC/GC area, but again you'd have to spend more (almost $60) to obtain the programming software and cable for the GRE/RadioShack models.

Good luck on your decision. And you're smart to ask before going out and making a purchase without due consideration.

 

[GeneJ]

Thank you for the information. Everyone on here has been great now I have so much Information I have to figure out what to do, and try to save some money.

 

[Soundman]

I used a bc296d when I am in Myrtle Beach in the summer and it works great also it has digital card and you can find them on ebay or if you are looking for a base get the bc796d .Thy work great and the pricers have gone down alot .

 

[GeneJ]

I would like to take the time to Thank Everyone that has taken their time to answer my question. All of you have been very kind. Now I need to sit down and figure out what to do.... It looks like "Analog VS Digital" Do I want to save my money to get a digital or do I buy a analog system now and hope I get a few years of use out of it....What To Do?????
Again, Thanks Everyone!!

 

[brian]

I used a bc296d when I am in Myrtle Beach in the summer and it works great also it has digital card and you can find them on ebay or if you are looking for a base get the bc796d .Thy work great and the pricers have gone down alot .

This is true. It will decode digital talkgroups on the existing Palmetto 800 smartzone system which uses 3600bps control channels.

It will not decode 9600bps control channels used by APCO P25 trunked radio systems like the one that is currently supporting communications in Charleston Co, Beaufort Co and Anderson Co SC. That's the system that will be expanded statewide over an undetermined period of time.

Like the analog scanners, a 296d and 796d will work quite well in the Horry Co. area for now, but they might become useless at some point in the (not-so-distant) future.

 

[GeneJ]

WOW! Thanks to ALL of YOU!!!
I have to come to my decision on what scanner to get for me and it is......BCT15X......Because I want to start scanning now. It was only between the Pro 163, BCT15X and my budget. Witch one would give me the best bang for my buck right now. After reading countless reviews on both the BC is the one for me. YES I know it is not digital and everything is going that way however, I just don't have the $400.00 to shell out for it right now. I am in the long process of trying to get SS disability, have not been able to work as of Aug 2011 (6 back operations) so my money is very limited. I can't drive anymore so I spend my time sitting at home board to death, so I am hoping this will help kill the time.
Again ...... Thanks to everyone...
PS. hnthg...... I see you are in the Grandstand area as I am and you have the BCT15X I hope that if I need help setting up the trunking system I can email you for some advice if I need it.