Opinion needed

[FDNY10-75]

Hello all,

I am going to be purchasing a new scanner soon. I would prefer to go with Uniden because I have had nothing but problems with my radioshack scanners. I am living in a suburban town that 154.---MHz range and I there is a city within 4 miles of me that uses 800Mhz. It's trunked and I would like to use alpha tags. No town or city near me is currently using digital frequencies.

My delema right now is between the Bearcat 250D and the 256T.

I am switching from radioshack scanners and I like their interface. I beleive that the 250D is more similar, but is the 256T better?

I am really lost on this one.

Please help me out,
Thanks in advance,
Eli Gill

 

[Voyager]

Hello all,

I am going to be purchasing a new scanner soon. I would prefer to go with Uniden because I have had nothing but problems with my radioshack scanners. I am living in a suburban town that 154.---MHz range and I there is a city within 4 miles of me that uses 800Mhz. It's trunked and I would like to use alpha tags. No town or city near me is currently using digital frequencies.

My delema right now is between the Bearcat 250D and the 256T.

I am switching from radioshack scanners and I like their interface. I beleive that the 250D is more similar, but is the 256T better?

I am really lost on this one.

Please help me out,
Thanks in advance,
Eli Gill

Might you mean BC246T?

Do you need digital? If not, 246T. If so, 250D. If you need P25 trunking, BC296D. If it doesn't have to be Uniden, PRO-96.

Joe M.

 

[baddandy23]

What were your problems with your RS scanners if you dont mind me asking?

 

[FDNY10-75]

All of my RS Scanners have died or cost me more to repair than they cost in the first place.

I don't need digital, but I would like similar features to the Pro-95. I liked the interface but the receiver was weak. I want alpha tags and trunking. I don't know what P25 trunking is, can anyone explain?

Here's what I know about the city I want to listen to:

TrunkTrackerFleet map: 12,12,12,4,4
Trunker Fleetmap: lllllldD
Type: IIi

They use a BB37 and a CC2F system.

 

[scanfan03]

I haven't had any problems with my RS scanners, I guess you got like a bad batch of scanners or something.

 

[FDNY10-75]

Is the volume louder on the 246T than it is on the 250D? I have heard alot of complaints about low volume on the 250D

 

[INDY72]

APCO P-25 Digital Trunking is a trunking format using a 9600 KBPS baud rate on the CC's, and is truely digitalvoice using only IMBE CAI for voice traffic. (No analog at all)

Thus far only Motorola has any actual P-25 systems marketed under the name ASTRO-25. P-25 can be applied to any of the bands for trunking, and conventional. It is still relatively rare as compared to the older ASTRO formats that use 3600 KBPS baud rate systems, which can use digital, and analog voice formats.

For monitoring an P-25 system, you would need a BC296D, or BC796D for Unidens, or a Radio Shack PRO-96.

If there are any LTR systems in your area, the Unidens are the way to go.

If you have no need for digital at all, then the 246T will work for you.

 

[eyes00only]

What were your problems with your RS scanners if you dont mind me asking?

Lets all remember that Radio Shack scanners can be Uniden OR GRE.

Jerry

 

[FDNY10-75]

They have all been GRE's

>Pro 89 Still works Terrible reception
>Pro 95 Weak Reiciver, Constantly had to fix antenna mount (original mount was poorly soldered)
>Pro 46 Died Unknown
>Pro 50 No power, not repairable
>Pro 2067 Poor Reception, LCD Screen Dim

My uniden Pro-94 got stolen and I never had any problems with that one...

Anyway, It looks like I am getting the 246, Thanks for all the Help!

 

[KME507]

I don't like Rat Shack scanners either. The older conventional non-trunking scanners I have work great, but the trunk trackers, not so great. I bought a 2067, took it home, set it up and the display did not work right. I took it back and exchanged it, set up the new one and would not receive to well along with noise that sounded like interferance, but wasn't. I have other scanners that trunk and were scanning both at the same time. Only the 2067 was making the noise. I took that scanner back and the experts at Rat Shack told me I didn't know what I was doing and didn't want to refund my money. After that, I buy Uniden only and have not had a problem with any scanner yet. But on the topic of which scanner to get, if you know the trunking system is not going digital soon, I would get the 246T. If they are, I would get the 250D, you can always buy the card later and save some money. I am not a fan of handhelds, people I have known to have one never seemed to be loud or receive very well. I only bought mine because I bought a new car and don't want to hardwire a scanner into it. I have a 250D and has worked great for me, and the speaker is pretty loud and clear for a handheld, at least in my opinion.

 

[Dubbin]

Funny, I have never had a problem with any of the GRE radios I have owned, and I have owned many. If the GRE radios were as bad as some of you make them sound then they would be out of business. My guess is that you are either really hard on the radios or just do not understand how to operate them.

I took that scanner back and the experts at Rat Shack told me I didn't know what I was doing

I have a REAL hard time believing that.

I have never once had a problem with my 2067 or my 95(kicked the crap out of my BC245). Im even thinking about going out and picking up another pro95 since I sold it when I got my pro96. The only complaint I have about the Uniden's are there stupid battery packs, but thats looking more like it will be a thing of the past. I may wait on getting a 246 until the PRO97 comes out.

 

[CZ]

Only real problem I have with the Uniden BC-785D is programming Trunking. The manual, and I think there've been comments from others on the subject, isn't written that well on how to program in Trunking. Had it about year & a half.

 

[KME507]

Well I have been in the scanning world for about 11 years now and think I know a little something about how scanners work and am pretty sure I know more about them then what the guy at Rat Shack was trying to tell me. I am not trying to bad mouth those scanners, but I think a certain batch in my area were defective or something, and yes I did understand how to program it. I have programmed a few pro-95's for friends, and I don't even own one. The display on a pro-2067 does not start fluttering because a person programmed it wrong, just as well as scanning side by side with another scanner does not sound so distorted and the other receives perfectly fine. That tells me there is something wrong with the radio. I also had one of the very first trunk trackers RS came out with, don't remember what the model # was, but receive on it was horrible and ended up giving it away. I have a few Rat Shack scanners that are older and are non-trunking. They work great, never had a problem with them, but I still won't buy another trunk tracker from Radio Shack. From a newbie standpoint, a person who has never programmed one of those scanners before, could easily see them becoming confused.

 

[STiMULi]

GRE = GREAT RADIO EQUIPMENT

I have owned all of the above and My Pro-2006s and my Pro-43s have taken a licking and well you know...

I have 2 BCT8s one mobile one base and the mobile holds up well.

the Pro-2067 had too much intermod for me and was not a very good double conversion reciever. It was a pain to program. It went back for that reason. Although I do not own one yet I hear that the Pro-96/2096 (since it is almost the same thing) are much easier to program.

It really depends on what you want.

But as to the question at hand. Get Digital! You will need it one day and it may be sooner than you think.

I would have added the GRE radio on your poll as well, unless it won't work in your area.

 

[eyes00only]

They have all been GRE's

>Pro 89 Still works Terrible reception
>Pro 95 Weak Reiciver, Constantly had to fix antenna mount (original mount was poorly soldered)
>Pro 46 Died Unknown
>Pro 50 No power, not repairable
>Pro 2067 Poor Reception, LCD Screen Dim

My uniden Pro-94 got stolen and I never had any problems with that one...

Anyway, It looks like I am getting the 246, Thanks for all the Help!

PRO32 UNIDEN / PRO94 UNIDEN / PRO83 UNIDEN

Jerry :roll: :wink:

 

[FDNY10-75]

I also know quite a bit about scanning. I have been scanning 9 years now. Only reason I asked is because I hadn't had many dealings with Bearcats.

If the GRE radios were as bad as some of you make them sound then they would be out of business.

They will be soon! They aren't getting any more of my money (or time :evil: )

 

[STiMULi]

If the GRE radios were as bad as some of you make them sound then they would be out of business.

They will be soon! They aren't getting any more of my money (or time :evil: )

You must be a one man world economy!

 

[FDNY10-75]

I hope so... :roll:

I am not the only one that thinks they are crap. You are not the only one that likes them, however, RadioShack is going to eventually (2006) Stop selling scanners. They slowly stoped selling Trancivers and are slowly getting rid of the CB's. I had a long conversation with one of the gentelmen that was a former exeuctive at RadioShack.

Oh well... :lol:

 

[jimbo70]

:lol: I have been very pleased with my 250d with the card in Guilford County,NC. Now I find out they have put all FD/PD/EMS on the Internet for free.It figures I buy and soon its free..

Jimbo70 :!: