Pro 97 vs BC780XLT (Milair)

[mlevin]

I'm wondering how these two compare with each other when it comes to milair scanning. Ideally I would want both a desktop and a handheld milair scanner, but the budget only allows one for the time being. Which one do you experienced milair listeners think would be the better buy?

PS: Do the BC785D and 796D differ that much from the BC780XLT?

 

[CORN]

Call me biased Mo but I am really pleased with my 780XLT. The sensitivity is good and Milair comms come in pretty clear, even the fainter farther away A/C. I also have a Radio Shack PRO-2052 and a lot of the comms, any comms, come in staticky. And yes the modulation is set correctly. I expect reception on my 780 to really improve once I get my outside antenna up. As for the 780 vs the 796/785 the font on the screen is bigger on the digital models. Most everything else is almost identical to the 780. Milair reception is good on those if you are near the action (within a few 100 miles, can hear planes only) but for A/C farther away the 780 outperforms them easily. That's my experience with the aforementioned radios. Good luck.

 

[n4voxgill]

it is to bad that the 780 and 785 can't be reflashed after rebanding, but then the good news is they should fall drastically in price to use just for conventional. That works out good for milair.

 

[mlevin]

I have plenty of other trunk-trackers, so I don't really have a need for reflashing.

Any one have an opnion on the 97 vs the 780?

 

[MacombMonitor]

I was about to say, buy the BC780-XLT now if you can find one, as they are getting harder to find. The PRO-97 you can pick up later with no problem. However, with the rebanding comming up, while it doesn't affect your usage, it will impact others, which could make the BC780-XLT more plentiful, and possibly cheaper, in the near future. So it's a tuff decision! One advantage the PRO-97 has is the Signal Stalker II feature, which might be handy in finding unknown frequencies at air shows, or other close signal situations. The big advantage of the BC780-XLT is the ability to control it with a computer, and have searching, and logging capabilities.

As for actual MilAir performance, I've owned both, and I'd have to say they're about equal.

 

[mlevin]

If the performance is about the same then I might just go with the 780. Now I just got to get a dsicone....lol Thanks for all the help.

 

[eorange]

Everything else being equal, I would still go with the BC780 for mil air scanning because of the scan/search speed.

The BC780 can scan 100 ch/sec, and search 100 steps/sec.
The PRO-97 can scan up to 60 ch/sec, and search up to 75 steps/sec.

I do a lot of mil air scanning with my BC780, and speed is important - many mil air transmissions are very short, and there is a LOT of spectrum to cover when searching.

Also, the alpha tagging of the BC780 is really good. I've accumulated over 6 banks of mil air freqs over time, and the long alpha and bank tags really help.

Good luck!
Erik
KA3FYU

 

[eorange]

Everything else being equal, I would still go with the BC780 for mil air scanning because of the scan/search speed.

The BC780 can scan 100 ch/sec, and search 100 steps/sec.
The PRO-97 can scan up to 60 ch/sec, and search up to 75 steps/sec.

I do a lot of mil air scanning with my BC780, and speed is important - many mil air transmissions are very short, and there is a LOT of spectrum to cover when searching.

Also, the alpha tagging of the BC780 is really good. I've accumulated over 6 banks of mil air freqs over time, and the long alpha and bank tags really help.

Good luck!
Erik
KA3FYU

 

[DPD1]

I'm mostly into mil stuff... I've not compared them directly, but numerous people have said the newer versions above 780 are not as sensitive in the band. And yeah, the scan/search speed is a BIG deal in the band. Otherwise you are going to miss a lot. I actually wish I had bought a couple more and just stashed them in the closet for a rainy day. Who knows... With all this heightened security stuff, some joker in DC might push to get the band eliminated from all newly made models someday. I certainly wouldn't be surprised.

Dave
-DPD Productions - Featuring the NEW MilTenna LP Gain Scanner Antenna-
http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/