Will the radio shack pro 651/652 receive p25 phase 2 signals? I program scanners for people sometimes. Our county has switched over to the phase 2 trunking system and so far the 651/652 is still receiving. Not sure if they have completely switched over yet or not, I was thinking that they have switched and I do know some of the new talk groups are being received. My question is Radio Shack continues to sell them and I don't want to see people buy them only to have them obsolete in few months. Thanks for any help I'm new to the forum so be easy on me.
Pro 651/652 p25 phase 2 question
- Thread starter mgray70
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ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Nope, they won't do Phase 2. The only ones that will do that are listed here...
APCO Project 25 - The RadioReference Wiki
In case your browser doesn't support it, see section 3 of this article
And before you ask, no, there are no firmware fixes for this issue. This is as much a hardware as firmware issue for what is needed to decode P2.
Mike
APCO Project 25 - The RadioReference Wiki
In case your browser doesn't support it, see section 3 of this article
And before you ask, no, there are no firmware fixes for this issue. This is as much a hardware as firmware issue for what is needed to decode P2.
Mike
Thanks, that's what I thought, but our local radio shack is selling them telling everyone that it will work on the new system and so far it is, but I think it's because they haven't completely switched over yet. When they do they are going to be left in the dark again.
ecps92
Member
Altho it maybe a Phase 2 system, they are likely only using Phase 1 TG's which explains why you can Still RX them
Thanks everyone! I just don't want people to waste there money if there going to be obsolete in as few years. I don't know much about the pro-668. I know it is preprogrammed. Can you select which talk groups you want to hear or do you have to listen to the whole system? It's the only one our local radio shack offers that is phase 2. I've also be recommending the uniden bcd996p2.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
That may well be true in Ohio, but here in Maryland, Phase 2 is alive and kicking, on both a developing statewide system, as well as some more regional ones.
Mike
DJ11DLN
Member
The 668 is a good radio, basically a clone of the old PSR-800. You'll want to custom program it, the zip code thing often gets you a lot of stuff you may not want to hear. It isn't hard (not if an idiot like me can figure it out). Can't speak to the 996P2, but lots of folks here have them and seem to like them just fine...I'd think either would serve your needs. Both are going to have their strong/weak points, if you can get in touch with your local Ham/scanner community, you can probably get some face time with both models and make a more informed decision.
The RS employees may not be purposely misrepresenting the 651/652, they may just not know any better...would be par for the course judging by my recent RS visits.:roll:
The RS employees may not be purposely misrepresenting the 651/652, they may just not know any better...would be par for the course judging by my recent RS visits.:roll:
I'm pretty scanner savvy just have never had the 668 in my hands before. It don't have any numerical buttons so I didn't know how difficult it would be to customize it to your local area. I've programmed a few of the bcd996p2 before. They are nice scanners. And your right about the local radio shack, they don't know. They send them to me to program. That's why I want to learn more about the 668 as that is the only one they carry that is phase 2 compatible. There is going to be a few upset people once they finally switch everything over to p2.
DJ11DLN
Member
The iScan software is a little kludgy -- I think that's the proper term -- but once you get used to it, it actually works very well. It does take some getting used to and it sometimes gets a little slow but it has never crashed for me. If you choose a 668, do yourself a favor and get a card reader for the micro SD if you don't already have one. IMHO you should never use the USB cable for anything but firmware/DSP updates. The reader is a lot faster. There are some USB connectivity issues that have been well-covered elsewhere, just do a search. I don't mind the lack of buttons but I got back into scanning with a Pro-18 after a long absence, and it being the first computer-programmable scanner I ever owned, I found it didn't bother me. But it's personal preference, so if you have to have a field-programmable unit with all of the buttons, the 668 isn't going to make you happy.
Search around, you'll find the rest of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the 668. I'd still try to find someone local to you who would let you get up close and personal with one, or a WS-1080 or a PSR-800, since they are just about identical in programming and operation. Then you can decide if it's for you, or if you prefer the 996P2 you're already familiar with. Either way, good luck and let us know what you decided to do.
Search around, you'll find the rest of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the 668. I'd still try to find someone local to you who would let you get up close and personal with one, or a WS-1080 or a PSR-800, since they are just about identical in programming and operation. Then you can decide if it's for you, or if you prefer the 996P2 you're already familiar with. Either way, good luck and let us know what you decided to do.
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