New to Scanning

[steinb]

Hello All,

Purchased Radio Shack 197 last Friday and returned next day!! I tried programming using the radio PC software and keying data straight into the unit all to no avail.

Are there any other scanners that you could recommend that are more user friendly? I was told this unit was a bit tricky and I simply don't have the patience or time to spend countless hours that it would take to get this going.

Thanks so much in advance.


Bob

 

[russellmaher]

Hi steinb, and welcome aboard. Glad to have new members.

To answer your question....the most user friendly scanner out there (IMO) is the Uniden Home Patrol.

Take it out of the box, put in your zip code, and commence scanning. It's simple.

Good luck!

Russell

 

[fxdscon]

Hello All,

Purchased Radio Shack 197 last Friday and returned next day!! I tried programming using the radio PC software and keying data straight into the unit all to no avail.

Are there any other scanners that you could recommend that are more user friendly? I was told this unit was a bit tricky and I simply don't have the patience or time to spend countless hours that it would take to get this going.

Thanks so much in advance.


Bob

These are 2 location based scanners that you may find easier to use:


Demo


GRE America, Inc. - grecom scanner receiver, lcd modules, spread spectrum radio, wireless bridge, scanner antenna, scanner pre-amps.

 

[steinb]

thanks for you quick response Much appreciated

This is great site with good people

 

[Ed_Seedhouse]

Purchased Radio Shack 197 last Friday and returned next day!! I tried programming using the radio PC software and keying data straight into the unit all to no avail.

Are there any other scanners that you could recommend that are more user friendly? I was told this unit was a bit tricky and I simply don't have the patience or time to spend countless hours that it would take to get this going.

Well, there are certainly some easy to program scanners out there, notably the GRE 800 and the Uniden Home Patrol. But, alas, this comes at a price. The 800 will set you back between 400 and 500 bucks depending where you buy from and what part of the world you live in. The Uniden HP will be about another hundred dollars on top of that.

If you are lucky enough to live in an area without trunking systems then you can get some decent cheap scanners where you just basically insert frequencies, but alas that is becoming fairly rare especially in populated areas. With trunking scanner programming becomes rather complicated I'm afraid, unless you can do it from your computer as with some of the lower cost Uniden scanners.

 

[russellmaher]

I don't think steinb is scared by the price of this type of scanner; remember he just bought and returned a RS 197, which is selling in the $425.00 range. So, for a few dollars more he can step up to the HP-1 which is running at $500.00 or even less depending on where he buys it. He could get a used one for even less money, so he just has to do some shopping around and compare prices.

Russell

 

[Ensnared]

Easier Scanner

Hello All,

Purchased Radio Shack 197 last Friday and returned next day!! I tried programming using the radio PC software and keying data straight into the unit all to no avail.

Are there any other scanners that you could recommend that are more user friendly? I was told this unit was a bit tricky and I simply don't have the patience or time to spend countless hours that it would take to get this going.

Thanks so much in advance.

PS: I just learned that the PSR 800 can be programmed by the operator when the DB is inaccurate. Wow.

Bob

Yes, the Pro-197 is a very powerful radio that requires some patience in programming and/or using. If you ever change your mind, please remember, these radios can be cloned to one another.

Here is what bothers me about ready-to-scan radios, "one must rely on others to provide the information in the Radio Reference database." I will have to compliment some individuals who diligently keep the database up to date; however, there are variations across the country.

This was recently reflected in a radio system here in Texas. Most of the scanner users knew that the agency in question was fully encrypted. But, the information wasn't current.

This would be the main reason I'm reluctant to get a scanner that uses zip codes for finding radio systems. But, there are many advantages to having a simple-to-operate radio, particularly while traveling.

Good luck in finding a radio that works for you and welcome to Radio Reference.