New scanner required, suggestions?

[kelwynsa8]

Hi,

I've moved states and am looking for a new scanner to be able to pickup local transmissions.

Requirements:

• P25 - digital
• Ability to store 95 control channels (towers)
• Dynamic tower roaming (like GRE)
• Store 200-300 talkgroups
• Handheld or able to be mounted in a vehicle
• Radio ID's displayed

Budget of around $500-600USD.

I am from NSW Australia - if that matters.

I have previously owned a GRE PSR-310, quite a nice scanner but found limitations with storing control channels. Also previously owned a Motorola XTS3000, this was quite good with zones and that.

Anyone know much on Motorola XTS5000's? Can it scan some stuff? Programming these easy?

Cheers

 

[sfd119]

Curious, what state are you in now?

As for the XTS5000s, they work out great as radios...not so much as scanners. You can make it a scanner but with a true digital statewide system, you will either need to be on the system with your radio (unlikely) or use a scanner.

 

[kelwynsa8]

Curious, what state are you in now?

Hi,
I am from NSW Australia - if that matters.

NSW

As for the XTS5000s, they work out great as radios...not so much as scanners. You can make it a scanner but with a true digital statewide system, you will either need to be on the system with your radio (unlikely) or use a scanner.

Hmm, okay. Well, I'll give them a miss I think, given that they are quite expensive and are not really designed for the job.

Suggestions on scanners? Looking at the Radioshack Pro 197 and PSR-500. Does anyone know if there are going to be any more coming out soon that I should wait for?
I'm not a fan of the PSR-800 setup, for me it feels like a scanner that would be used by people who are new to scanning and don't want to manually program a scanner.

As for the 32 CC limitation, this is what I'm thinking.

Break it into zones, like so:

• NSWGRN - Sydney Outer (scan list 1) - 29 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - Sydney Surrounds (scan list 2) - 20 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - Sydney Inner (scan list 3) - 31 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - Central West (scan list 4) - 32 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - ACT (scan list 5) - 16 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - South East (scan list 6) - 31 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - North West (scan list 7) - 32 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - Hunter (scan list 8) - 19 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)
• NSWGRN - Illawarra (scan list 9) - 16 frequencies (cc's/backup cc's)

Then attach talkgroups that are relevant to the above zones, statewide talkgroups would just get duplicated onto all zones.

This shouldn't have any adverse effects right? I've never programmed a radio this way... I've always had 1 "zone" and that would be the entire statewide network.

Cheers.