Radio Shack: "you have questions, we have what?"
Agencies have the option to have a digital or analog radio system. I am not aware of any mandate to go to digital, that is similar to TV. There is a requirement to go to narrow band, which requires channel spacing of 12.5 kilohertz by 2013. The federal government is already narrow band, as they had a January 2005 mandate to do so. Federal radios have to be capable of digital, but not all agencies are using digital.
If you don't know how frequencies are spaced in "wide band" versus narrow band, here is an example. Wide band is spaced every 25 kilohertz so here a some typical wide band frequencies, 155.025, 155.050, 155.075, and 155.100. Now when we go narrow band the frequencies would be 155.025, 155.0375, 155.050, 155.0625, 155.075, 155.0875, and 155.100. By requiring narrower channel spacing the number of channels per one megahertz in the radio spectrum is doubled, from 40 with the 25 kilohertz spacing to 80 with the 12.5 kilohertz spacing. This was done due to the demand for more channels and thus frequency assignments. For the 470-512 MHz band this was already the spacing required, and for the 700-940 MHz band this was the spacing assignment given when the band was opened for assignment.
Why is this important? Because the PRO-96 is only capable of narrow band operation in the previously allocated bands where the original channel spacing was narrow band and on 151 MHz. Previous Radio Shack scanners don't have this capability. Why they made the radio capable of narrow band on 151 MHz and not in the federal bands is something I've wondered ever since I purchased the PRO-96 being that the feds were the first to have a narrow band mandate. The new GRE scanners (PSR-500 and PSR-600) not only have narrow band capability for all bands, but they have the feature of being able to boost the audio on each channel and this is selectable by channel. Narrow band signals have less audio than wide band signals, so if you have the volume set for the wide band channels you may not be able to hear the narrow band signals. If you have the radio audio turned up in order to hear the narrow band frequencies, it will blast you out of your house when a wide band frequency is received. As the 2013 date draws closer you will have increased mixing of narrow and wide band signals until 2013 is reached, at which time all of public safety will be narrow band and one volume setting will be fine for all.
This is a reason to purchase the most expensive and up to date model right now. If you buy a cheaper model, you will have to put up with the different audio levels, and won't be able to program in the narrow band frequencies. That leaves you short for the federal frequencies right now and will begin to leave you short more and more until 2013 is reached and you won't be able to program the narrow band frequencies in the public safety bands. If you buy a cheaper radio now, you will just have to buy another one in 2013. If the cheaper radio costs 50% of the more expensive models, you will save 50% now. But when you have to replace the cheaper model in less than 4 years, you will end up paying 150% (100% for the more expensive model plus 50% for the obsolete cheaper model), or about $750. The total cost for buying the more expensive model right now is less than buying the cheaper model.
Many people say that the $500 cost of a new up to date scanner keeps many people out of the hobby. That might be true, but I don't think this is a new development. I bought my first scanner in 1970 at a cost of $110 and it only had 8 channels, each of which required a crystal that cost $5, bringing the total price to $150. The radio was only capable of the VHF-Hi band (150-174 MHz) I bought a Radio Shack handheld in 1982 and it was capable of receiving VHF-Low (30-50 MHz), VHF-Hi, and UHF (450-512 MHz), with a 16 channel capacity. In terms of todays dollars, I would guess that we are talking about $500, so things really haven't changed. You have always had to "pay if you want to play."
