PRO-164 need info and help

[Jr_0420]

hello and thank you for taking the time to read this

i'm new at scanners and i have fallen in love with the pro-164. I live in Sacramento Ca...

ok i have found the Sacramento Regional Radio Communications System amazing...

i have trouble with CHP freqs. Is this because of the whip antenna i have?

Whats the best/cheapest antenna to get i use the scanner in my apt 95% of the time?

i have 9 banks on the scanner is it best to program like this?

bank1 preprogrammed
bank2 preprogrammed
bank3 Sac co sheriff
bank4 Sac PD and Elk Grove PD
bank5 Citrus Heights & Folsom PD
bank6

or to just program them into the scanner on 1 bank
please help me anyway you can

JR

 

[DickH]

hello and thank you for taking the time to read this

i'm new at scanners and i have fallen in love with the pro-164. I live in Sacramento Ca...

ok i have found the Sacramento Regional Radio Communications System amazing...

i have trouble with CHP freqs. Is this because of the whip antenna i have?

Whats the best/cheapest antenna to get i use the scanner in my apt 95% of the time?

i have 9 banks on the scanner is it best to program like this?

bank1 preprogrammed
bank2 preprogrammed
bank3 Sac co sheriff
bank4 Sac PD and Elk Grove PD
bank5 Citrus Heights & Folsom PD
bank6

or to just program them into the scanner on 1 bank
please help me anyway you can JR

Your use of banks is about the way I would do it.
If CHP is on 42MHz, just use 5-1/2 feet of wire for an antenna. It will work very well for CHP and you should still get SAC OK.

Put the antenna as near to a window as possible.

 

[N8IAA]

i have trouble with CHP freqs. Is this because of the whip antenna i have?Whats the best/cheapest antenna to get i use the scanner in my apt 95% of the time?JR

JR, welcome to RR! I would only use the preprogrammed channels it came from the factory if they were what I listen too. CHP has changed from 42Mhz to 44Mhz. You may want to check out the California forum for the new frequencies No, the rubber duck that came with the radio will do horrible for low band VHF. The RS magmount might be the best way to go for in the apartment. I neglected to see DickH's post with the 51/2' wire. That will work too. Just put the bare copper wire into the center hole on the radio's bnc connector.
HTH,
Larry

 

[DickH]

...I neglected to see DickH's post with the 51/2' wire. That will work too. Just put the bare copper wire into the center hole on the radio's bnc connector.
HTH,
Larry

Yup, you can't get much cheaper than that.
But make it 5' 3" for 44MHz.

 

[gmclam]

Hello JR and welcome to RadioReference.com. I am in Fair Oaks, and have been scanning for decades. Some comments .....

i'm new at scanners and i have fallen in love with the pro-164. I live in Sacramento Ca...

Among the many scanners I have is the PSR-300, it is the same scanner as the PRO-164. These models are updates from the PRO-97.

i have trouble with CHP freqs. Is this because of the whip antenna i have?

Did you read this beginner's guide for the CHP? For many people, it is a tough agency to monitor. Ideally you want an antenna suited for low band VHF and mounted outside. The rubber antenna that comes with the scanner can only do so much, as it is intended to give you basic reception across the entire receiving range of the scanner.

ok i have found the Sacramento Regional Radio Communications System amazing...

When trying to receive the SRRCS and CHP on the same scanner/antenna, there are several challenges. I opted to run one scanner for the SRRCS and another for everything else, including CHP. I run external antennas, both at home and in my truck. I use different antennas at home, one for the SRRCS and a discone for the other stuff.

Whats the best/cheapest antenna to get i use the scanner in my apt 95% of the time?

Complex question. LOCATION is as important as anything. If your apartment window happens to be on the correct side of the building (for receiving what you want), then you will get off easier than if it is not.

i have 9 banks on the scanner is it best to program like this?

You have 10 banks in the scanner, numbered 0 to 9.

bank1 preprogrammed
bank2 preprogrammed
bank3 Sac co sheriff
bank4 Sac PD and Elk Grove PD
bank5 Citrus Heights & Folsom PD
bank6

It is a VERY BAD IDEA to split different agencies of the SRRCS among different banks. YOU WILL MISS stuff, a lot more than you would think.

I have my scanners set up as follows:
bank 0 = conventional fire
bank 1 = Cal Fire (statewide)
bank 2 = USFS, Parks, ...
bank 3 = CHP (most of the state during this transitional period)
bank 4 = Sacramento CITY TRS site
bank 5 = Sacramento COUNTY TRS site
bank 6 = conventional law enforcement north of highway 50
bank 7 = conventional law enforcement south of highway 50
bank 8 = amateur & marine
bank 9 = aviation

Once you custom program "local" channels into your scanner, there is no need/reason to leave the pre-programmed stuff in there.

A large part of how you organize stuff depends on what you want to monitor. I rarely have all 10 banks on at the same time in the same scanner. I run multiple scanners, each programmed the same, with different stuff enabled on each.

George

 

[Jr_0420]

thanks for all the info and helpful tips...