Please help me pick out a scanner

[Iditarod2318]

Hi everyone. i'm new to the hobby i read around and did all the research i can do. i'm trying to decide on a scanner for police and fire. Most of the police and fire in my county are regular frequencies. state troopers are on a analog and APCO-25 Common Air Interface acoording to the database here. can anyone tell me if i need a real digital scanner? what's better uniden or radio shack?

any help is appreciated. thanks.

 

[mciupa]

Since you mention APCO-25 and you are in N J ( aren't there a number
of digital or soon-to-be digital systems near you ?) , I would recommend
the Pro- 96 handheld or Pro-2096 mobile, either can be purchased at
Radio Shack.

 

[ThornyO5]

Re:

I agree, I'm impressed with the 96, but once you get used to it, any other scanner is just, well, a scanner. I'm hoping to get the 2096 soon!

 

[eyes00only]

As always, the BIG ? is how much money do you have? This question will come up on a daily basis, for as long you live. I REALLY want a digital scanner, but $500 is a lot! Then there's the chance that your area will go "provoice", and your $500 scanner is now a paperweight. I just re-read this, and it sounds really negative, but true. Luckily, I enjoy monitoring lots of other stuff other than the police. I wont try to make a list, but there is a heck of a lot to monitor out there!

Jerry / now 8 1/2 sheets to the wind

 

[Rmdig79]

PRO-96 is worth every $$, even if you do not have a digital system in your area. If you travel at all, you will regret not having the option handy.

 

[FIRE321FIGHTER1985]

The pro-96 is really 11 scanners in one. It is called V-scanner. If you do a lot of traveling you can set it up for different areas and/or routes. You can also set it up for different listening pleasures. The pro-96 can be set up in just about any configuration you can think of. I have a 96, but i haven't fooled with the V-scanner yet. The V-scanner is like a computer file. You can open and close a file. Someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i think that you can only open one file at a time.


Jesus First,
Mark

 

[FIRE321FIGHTER1985]

One other thing, In reality you are buying 11 scanners at $45.00-$55.00 a piece. Although not 11 physical scanners.


Mark

 

[Iditarod2318]

i'm sorry it took me a while to post back i was out of town for a while. yeah i was looking at the pro 96 and some other scanners. what i can afford right now is about 300 dollars....can you recomend something good for thet price range? i'm sorry about all the confusion it just hard to know what you need when you don't know a whole lot about something.

 

[Dubbin]

i'm sorry it took me a while to post back i was out of town for a while. yeah i was looking at the pro 96 and some other scanners. what i can afford right now is about 300 dollars....can you recomend something good for thet price range? i'm sorry about all the confusion it just hard to know what you need when you don't know a whole lot about something.

I would just save up a little more and get the PRO-96 since thats what you want. You also may want to check out the forsale forum and ebay for a PRO-96.

 

[MK]

Either that or buy the PRO-96 on credit using a low interest card. Anyone can afford a $10 per month payment. You will waste more money upgrading to the PRO-96 (or later model) in the future compared to what you will pay in interest if you buy now. And you always have the option to pay the full balance or part of it at any time.

 

[safetyobc]

The Pro96 is going for about $350 on average on ebay. Also, there is a guy in the Equipment For Sale forum on this site that is selling his 96 for $325 including PC cable, rechargeable batteries and AC adapter.

 

[koleary]

Go with the Pro96, you will not be disappointed.

 

[Dubbin]

Also, there is a guy in the Equipment For Sale forum on this site that is selling his 96 for $325 including PC cable, rechargeable batteries and AC adapter.

Hes taking bids on it now :roll:

 

[pocho]

As others have stated, the cheapest place to get the Pro-96 is Ebay. I saw one that sold for about $350 new in box a few days ago.

 

[Iditarod2318]

you guys rock. thats all i have to say. i bookmarked some of the scanners on the ebay link and im looking in the for sale forum as we speak. cant wait for the moment the delivery guy drops it off and i power it up . thank you.