mig192837465 said:
Ok, i think i've made up my mind on getting a Pro-97 from radio shack in order to monitor the NYPD band but i wanted to know i programming the scanner is e-z and if i need to program it for the NYPD frequency.
The manual that comes with the PRO-97 is horrible. Go to the Wiki section here at RR and search for PRO-97. The things you'll find include an easier to read manual (PDF form), a list of software for the scanner and other general information.
By the time I purchased my first PRO-97, I already had several earlier PRO-9x scanners, so my learning was "incremental". I figured out what I wanted to program on "paper" (using a plain text editor) before putting anything into the PRO-97. Once I started pounding on keys it took me a full week to hand program the nearly 1000 frequencies and 200 talkgroups all with text tags. My point is that I feel the programming is "easy", but cumbersome to say the least.
Anyone who seriously owns and uses a PRO-97 gets a copy of WIN97 (
www.starrsoft.com) to program it. It is well worth the $25 registration fee. You can use it for 30 days for free though. You'll also need a cable to connect the PRO-97 to your computer. There are 2 versions; one for COM ports and one for USB ports. The COM port version is cheaper but harder to find. You can usually find one at your local Radio Shack.
Lastly, if someone doesn't chime in here one way or the other, you might check in the New York forum to make sure the PRO-97 is able to receive what you want.
Good luck.