New guy, please help

[mosenden]

My area is switching to the armer system i believe. I want to buy a new scanner but they seem to be getting more complicated i dont know exactly what to look for. Any advice?

 

[W8RMH]

I would ask this in your state forum. See what models others are using to monitor this system and how well each radio performs. These trunked systems can vary in their ability to be monitored.

 

[eagleswings01]

Hi Mosenden,

I'm a new guy myself, so unfortunately I don't know the answer to your question. However, I just wanted to welcome you and say that everyone I have met here in the forums have been fantastic and loads of help in getting me started.

Good luck!
Mike

 

[captclint]

My area is switching to the armer system i believe. I want to buy a new scanner but they seem to be getting more complicated i dont know exactly what to look for. Any advice?

Welcome to RR. In order to give you specific advise, we would normally need to know your state, county, and any nearby cities of interest. Mankato shows up in both KS and MN, so you should edit your profile to include the state & county to assist you with future questions you might have. However, your mention of Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) tells me it is Blue Earth County Minnesota
You will need a digital scanner for that system. There are a few choices. The HP-1 is fairly simple to use(no programming needed) and the GRE PSR 800 and Pro-18 are similar. You are looking at $500+ for any digital. I haven't read much about whether the Overload issues with GRE/Radio Shack are similar to older models, or if the HP-1 is better. This is important if you live in the city or large metro area with lots ot radio towers and cell sites.

There are other digitals that require some effort to understand and program, but software takes away most of the really painful programming. I tend to favor Uniden if you live in the city or large metro area with lots of radio towers, so you are looking at BCD396XT and BCD996XT . You will have to decide between and portable or base/mobile rig. Here are some links to more info and models.
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Category:Digital_Scanners

By all means, go to the Minnesota Forum and see what radios they recommend for ARMER and any overload issues with specific models.