Need Help!! Question on ICOM PCR-1500/2500

[jdinokc]

I am a novice scanner nut. All I have is a Uniden BC785D.

I just received a new product catalog from Grove.

I am very interested in the computer controled PCR-1500 or 2500.

My question is???

I realize any receiver is only as good as the signals it receives. Will this program help me receive tons more that I receive on my BC785D? In not, why spent the $500. ? I don't really need a cool colored monitor with allot options I don't understand, if it doesn't bring in allot of new interesting things that I am currently missing out of.

I currently just have a temperary scanner antenna on a telescopic pole. I live in east Midwest City, and can pick up Atoka OK, which is 120 miles from my home. If I erect my 50' tower that I have, I could probably hear more. !!!

Soooooo, what the deal with the ICON PCR programs??? Being a novice, is it worth the investment, or should I just stick with my BC785D.

Any comments appreciated:

JD

 

[KD5WLX]

JD,

First off, they aren't just programs - there's a real radio receiver there - it just doesn't have a display and is PC controlled.

Second, while it can scan, it isn't really a scanner as such. If you look at (for example) almost all amateur radio transceivers have scanning capability, at least of their programmed memories in their bands, but few are as versatile as a dedicated scanner, and most don't scan as fast, either. As a ham, I use several amateur transceivers every day, but rarely "scan" on any of them, while I almost always have a scanner on as well.

Third, this is a truly "wide band" receiver - what hams call "DC to Daylight" (one end of the spectrum to the other), and is also "all-mode". Most scanners are FM only or AM and FM. A few support both narrow (new standard) and wide (the old analog FM modulation width). A few also support the "other" definition of narrow and wide - narrow being 16kHz communications FM and wide being "broadcast" FM - like FM radio from 88-108MHz and the audio that piggy-backs a TV signal. The PCR-1500 supports all of these, but also supports SSB and CW. An AM radio (even many "shortwave" receivers) can't receive SSB because there is no carrier to tune. And CW is a problem because while it's AM (any AM receiver can hear it) literally 100's of individual CW conversations could "fit" through the typical 9kHz AM filter (CW signals can be decoded with filters as little as 100Hz wide in practice - in theory you can go even narrower if you could build a "perfect" filter, all the way to 1Hz).

If you go for a PCR-1500 or similar, put up a really LONG antenna - like 200' if you can swing it, then tune to 14.190MHz (yes, 14, not 140) in the late afternoon and listen to individuals in Europe talking to others in the US. Try 14.150 (bone up on your spanish) and there's lots of south american stations. These are all amateur radio ops talking around the world. You can also use the PCR-1500 (in AM mode) to tune things like Voice of America and the BBC World News Service - these are broadcasts originating in Europe but easily readable here in the US.

As far as using it as a straight scanner? Yes, it works, in conventional FM mode. It will work about as good as your 785 on VHF, UHF and 800MHz. However, it won't trunk-track, or decode APCO P25 digital, or magically decrypt encrypted transmissions. I haven't checked into it (as I said, I have a trunk-tracking scanner) but I've heard there are plug ins that will follow trunked systems, but that makes it "as good as", not "better than" your 785, but that's not its strength. Its strength is being able to store UNLIMITED memories (only your free hard disk space and the ability to truly tune from LF (kHz range below broadcast AM) through MF (to 3kHz) and HF (3kHz through 30kHz) and beyond. Think of it as more like a computer controlled Icom R7500 HF/Shortwave receiver with some scanner capabilities. It will do things a straight scanner could never do (MF and LF reception, SSB and CW) but while it "scans", it won't be as good as a true dedicated scanner.

 

[jdinokc]

Jay, tks for the info. I wil have to give a long thought before I purchase.

JD