I actually have a couple of questions, but they should be easy to answer I think.
First, is there any reason to believe that the physical size of the device would impact the performance? Like say the difference between a Whistler WS1065 or Uniden BCD996P2 vrs the smaller Home Patrol 1 and 2's. Would the larger form factor of these larger units possibly mean they might have better power supplies and/or a stronger receiver section? Or does the size of the unit simply have no impact on the performance.
I am sort of debating between the WS1065 and a Home Patrol 2. The Home Patrol seems much easier to use, but it is also quite a bit more expensive. I have found the ws1065's for around 260.00 or so dollars and the Home Patrols are closer to 450.00. I understand I would have to program the cheaper one, or buy some software to help me do it. However for a 200 dollar savings I might be willing to put a little elbow grease into getting it up and running. Especially if for some reason it would have better performance.
I guess maybe a little background might help at this point. I live in Adrian Michigan. I live right outside of town. Realistically everything I would want to monitor is within 5 to 10 miles away from. A 20 mile radius puts me far enough away that they towns or areas I am really not concerned with. Except maybe County or State police. From what I can tell I don't even need apco 25 phase II. The only thing that seems to use apco 25 is the state police and possibly some fire or hospitals might switch to it next year, but those are both phase 1 not 2.
Which brings me to my other question. Is there a way to find out what agencies in your area use what system? Are they digital, analog, trunked or what? I can pull up a list of the frequencies for each agency, but how would I know if it was digital or a trunked system? The only thing I have found that comes close is scannermaster's little thing that tells you what scanners to buy based on your zip code. And of course it is telling me to buy top of the line digital equipment. However what if the only thing in my area that requires it is the State Highway Patrol, and everything else is on a simple digital or analog system. I could save a ton of money by simply choosing to not listen to that one agency. Actually knowing what I need to listen to the areas I want to listen to would be nice. Otherwise I just have to buy the most advanced technology to make sure I am covered, even if I don't actually need it. Is there a way to look up an agency and tell what technology I need by looking at the frequency or some other code they list?
Scanners used to be pretty simple, find the frequency you need and buy the crystals for it, or program it manually when the tech got better. Now it is really confusing. Should I just drop the 450 on Home Patrol 2, type in my zip code and be done with it lol. Or is there a way to be more selective and smarter about the choices and save a few bucks ( or a few hundred in some cases).
Any help would be very welcome. I have been wanting a scanner for quite some time, but every time I go to choose one I just get confused and put it off. If someone wants a list of what I actually want to monitor in my area I can list them, but I really don't want someone else to do all my homework for me if there is a way for me to figure it out on my own.
First, is there any reason to believe that the physical size of the device would impact the performance? Like say the difference between a Whistler WS1065 or Uniden BCD996P2 vrs the smaller Home Patrol 1 and 2's. Would the larger form factor of these larger units possibly mean they might have better power supplies and/or a stronger receiver section? Or does the size of the unit simply have no impact on the performance.
I am sort of debating between the WS1065 and a Home Patrol 2. The Home Patrol seems much easier to use, but it is also quite a bit more expensive. I have found the ws1065's for around 260.00 or so dollars and the Home Patrols are closer to 450.00. I understand I would have to program the cheaper one, or buy some software to help me do it. However for a 200 dollar savings I might be willing to put a little elbow grease into getting it up and running. Especially if for some reason it would have better performance.
I guess maybe a little background might help at this point. I live in Adrian Michigan. I live right outside of town. Realistically everything I would want to monitor is within 5 to 10 miles away from. A 20 mile radius puts me far enough away that they towns or areas I am really not concerned with. Except maybe County or State police. From what I can tell I don't even need apco 25 phase II. The only thing that seems to use apco 25 is the state police and possibly some fire or hospitals might switch to it next year, but those are both phase 1 not 2.
Which brings me to my other question. Is there a way to find out what agencies in your area use what system? Are they digital, analog, trunked or what? I can pull up a list of the frequencies for each agency, but how would I know if it was digital or a trunked system? The only thing I have found that comes close is scannermaster's little thing that tells you what scanners to buy based on your zip code. And of course it is telling me to buy top of the line digital equipment. However what if the only thing in my area that requires it is the State Highway Patrol, and everything else is on a simple digital or analog system. I could save a ton of money by simply choosing to not listen to that one agency. Actually knowing what I need to listen to the areas I want to listen to would be nice. Otherwise I just have to buy the most advanced technology to make sure I am covered, even if I don't actually need it. Is there a way to look up an agency and tell what technology I need by looking at the frequency or some other code they list?
Scanners used to be pretty simple, find the frequency you need and buy the crystals for it, or program it manually when the tech got better. Now it is really confusing. Should I just drop the 450 on Home Patrol 2, type in my zip code and be done with it lol. Or is there a way to be more selective and smarter about the choices and save a few bucks ( or a few hundred in some cases).
Any help would be very welcome. I have been wanting a scanner for quite some time, but every time I go to choose one I just get confused and put it off. If someone wants a list of what I actually want to monitor in my area I can list them, but I really don't want someone else to do all my homework for me if there is a way for me to figure it out on my own.