Newbie needs advice for GTA

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rockblock

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Dude. Its so worth it to go digital. I'd suggest you make an effort to buy any of the digital capable scanners. If you commute you'll want the OPP cause they police the highways.
Yes I commute from Durham to North York and I plan to make my commute less boring

[SIZE=1
If you buy a analog only scanner buy an older one a used one maybe. You will see then that you will want the digital capabilities.[/QUOTE]

That's the dilemma I'm in right now...if I buy an analog and won't be happy, I'll have to buy a digital, so I might as well save some more and go for the gold...I realize that 'll eventually have to make the switch .... I just thought maybe I can pull it off for a year or so with analog, while I get used to the scanner and then do the switch, when prices will have also dropped...

Tough decision...yesterday I was 60/40 in favor of Analog, today I'm 70/30 for Digital...well, it looks like I'm heading in the right direction... :)
 
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VE3RADIO

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Yes I commute from Durham to North York and I plan to make my commute less boring



That's the dilemma I'm in right now...if I buy an analog and won't be happy, I'll have to buy a digital, so I might as well save some more and go for the gold...I realize that 'll eventually have to make the switch .... I just thought maybe I can pull it off for a year or so with analog, while I get used to the scanner and then do the switch, when prices will have also dropped...

Tough decision...yesterday I was 60/40 in favor of Analog, today I'm 70/30 for Digital...well, it looks like I'm heading in the right direction... :)


Don't count on Digital dropping too much they seem to hold value well. If you have an option I would consider a Uniden over GRE for Toronto as the cell intermod is worse on GRE.. overall both are great scanners just Uniden is better for Urban areas.
 

EJB

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And be prepared to spend some coin on a antenna. The antennas that come with the scanners are ok for 800 meg systems but in a car while you commute listening to Fleetnet is a chore. Durham radio has some good ones. The KSMA1 is ok for all bands. I use it at home and I use a 1/4 wave Larsen for my car for Fleetnet. Chrome69 on here put it in perspective, saying if u invest in a valuable scanner don't skimp on your antenna.
 

rockblock

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And be prepared to spend some coin on a antenna. The antennas that come with the scanners are ok for 800 meg systems but in a car while you commute listening to Fleetnet is a chore. Durham radio has some good ones. The KSMA1 is ok for all bands. I use it at home and I use a 1/4 wave Larsen for my car for Fleetnet. Chrome69 on here put it in perspective, saying if u invest in a valuable scanner don't skimp on your antenna.

What about an 8" Diamond RH-519 antenna?
 

rockblock

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OK, the verdict is out...I've decided to go DIGITAL and have narrowed it down to the following 2: PSR-800 or BCD396XT.

Thx to all for your feedback and suggestions !!

PS: Is the 396XT the smallest digital scanner on the market today?
 

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Both seem to be great scanners. I am a Uniden man myself but had I not bought the Home Patrol 1 I would have considered both of these radios. The 396 is a bit hard at first to program but as long as you can fill out spreadsheets you will figure it out. The PSR scanner seems great also. You can prepare things to listen to without much effort. Let us know what you decide and if you ppurchasing from the US you might have to pay the GST or brokerage fees if you use a courier.
 

rockblock

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Yes I will - Torontokris seems to have what I need and has also been very friendly and patient with me (Thx Tororntokris !)... it's just a matter of me deciding which way to go (and whether I can see myself hiking with the PSR800 clipped to my belt - yes, I want a scanner that I can easily use in all 3 situations: car, home & belt) - I've been back & forth between the 2, but I'm leaning towards the PSR800 due to programing simplicity... if only the PSR800 came in the 396XT size...will let you know soon.

P.S. Speaking of using the scanner clipped to the belt - are there any small, compact antennas that I can use while the scanner is holstered (1.5-2", similar to the Ham Dual Band Antennas)?...I don't want to have an 8" flex hitting me with every step I take...thx
 
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EJB

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I once bought a tiny stub barely 2 inches and it wasn't too bad. I have a Larsen rubber ducky that is ok. I don't know the model number but the best antenna I ever had was a Diamond77SRA (I think that's the model #) but it is long.
 

VE3JSO

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P.S. Speaking of using the scanner clipped to the belt - are there any small, compact antennas that I can use while the scanner is holstered (1.5-2", similar to the Ham Dual Band Antennas)?...I don't want to have an 8" flex hitting me with every step I take...thx

yes there is you can get it at durham radio that i know of here is the link for you rockblock

SMA501 Mini 144/446MHz Ducky w/SMA Canada
or this one it is little longer but a better antennas for the 800 MHz public saftey
http://www.durhamradio.com/kd14freq800-800mhz-antenna-bnc-connector-ontario-canada.html
 
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torontokris

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Not to make things more confusing but in that case maybe the 396XT is good.

As I can program the uniden XT's with ALL toronto york peel durham in separate banks... then you just push a button to turn on something.... so 41 division you hit .41 and it turns on. 12 division hit .12. OPP aurora hit 3 OPP Toronto hit 4 Opp whitby hit 5 etc etc for port credit burlington caledon etc etc etc

Pickering Ajax whitby oshawa fire all in separate banks so you can select which you want to hear.
Durham ems and the list goes on and on.

I know you have seen all the radios but here is a link to a picture i posted in a similar thread for someone considering the options and wanted to see the size of the radios side by side (psr-800 vs 396xt vs hp-1 home patrol)

http://forums.radioreference.com/1606810-post9.html
 
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rockblock

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yes there is you can get it at durham radio that i know of here is the link for you rockblock

SMA501 Mini 144/446MHz Ducky w/SMA Canada
or this one it is little longer but a better antennas for the 800 MHz public saftey
KD14FREQ800 800MHz Antenna with BNC Connector Canada

Thx...seems a bit expensive to me for a tiny antenna...what about these:

Stubby Antenna for Race Scanner - RadioShack.com
Race-tenna Portable BNC Antenna

I've also heard some people just use a bare BNC adapter for 800MHz and close events
 
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rockblock

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Not to make things more confusing but in that case maybe the 396XT is good.

As I can program the uniden XT's with ALL toronto york peel durham in separate banks... then you just push a button to turn on something.... so 41 division you hit .41 and it turns on. 12 division hit .12. OPP aurora hit 3 OPP Toronto hit 4 Opp whitby hit 5 etc etc for port credit burlington caledon etc etc etc

Pickering Ajax whitby oshawa fire all in separate banks so you can select which you want to hear.
Durham ems and the list goes on and on.

I know you have seen all the radios but here is a link to a picture i posted in a similar thread for someone considering the options and wanted to see the size of the radios side by side (psr-800 vs 396xt vs hp-1 home patrol)

http://forums.radioreference.com/1606810-post9.html

Thx for the pics !
 

VE3RADIO

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Yes I will - Torontokris seems to have what I need and has also been very friendly and patient with me (Thx Tororntokris !)... it's just a matter of me deciding which way to go (and whether I can see myself hiking with the PSR800 clipped to my belt - yes, I want a scanner that I can easily use in all 3 situations: car, home & belt) - I've been back & forth between the 2, but I'm leaning towards the PSR800 due to programing simplicity... if only the PSR800 came in the 396XT size...will let you know soon.

P.S. Speaking of using the scanner clipped to the belt - are there any small, compact antennas that I can use while the scanner is holstered (1.5-2", similar to the Ham Dual Band Antennas)?...I don't want to have an 8" flex hitting me with every step I take...thx


I have a very small wideband antenna I will let you know the model when I get home! Works really well! The 396XT is probably my favorite scanner for all around use, if your going to sit at home and play or travel to places unknown the GRE800 is top notch, if you want a nice bedside scanner go to the Home Patrol.

Where in Durham are you? I can meet up with you for a coffee sometime and show you a bunch of scanners and tell you some good spots in Durham to park the car and listen.
 

VE3JSO

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rockblock

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RESOLUTION :

I decided to go with the PSR800; Torontokris set me up last night and I've played around with it and programmed both via software & manually - both are easier than I thought...scanner is pretty cool and I could also notice a difference in audio quality between analog & digital (as expected)...even though it cost me double to go digital vs analog, I'm glad I made that decision

Many thanks again to all of you for your time, feedback & advise !!...guess I'll heading over to the GRE section from now on :)
 

EJB

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rockblock said:
RESOLUTION :

I decided to go with the PSR800; Torontokris set me up last night and I've played around with it and programmed both via software & manually - both are easier than I thought...scanner is pretty cool and I could also notice a difference in audio quality between analog & digital (as expected)...even though it cost me double to go digital vs analog, I'm glad I made that decision

Many thanks again to all of you for your time, feedback & advise !!...guess I'll heading over to the GRE section from now on :)

Congradulations. Enjoy your new toy!
 

rockblock

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Well, I was smart enough to buy the wife a new kitchen table in the morning, so I should be good to go for about................1 week :)
 
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