Pro-97

[mig192837465]

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.

 

[gmclam]

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.

 

[mig192837465]

what im trying to get at is that u can program it yourself but the program makes it easier right?

 

[n2mdk]

It's fairly simple for conventional frequencies like the NYPD It's just pushing the program/PGM key choosing a channel like 200 hitting PGM again inputting the frequency, you need to use the . key and then enter/ENT. After that each time you hit PGM it will advance it one channel up to program the next frequency.
Using a program like Win97 or PSREdit300 makes things easier and faster, especially with a premium subscription to this site.

 

[gmclam]

what im trying to get at is that u can program it yourself but the program makes it easier right?

Correct. I imagine if you were going to just use it to "browse" or perhaps listen to a few basic channels, it would not take too long to program. The thing that really takes time is entering all the text (alpha) tags. If you plan to label each channel with up to 16 characters of text, plus have 100s of frequencies, then certainly you'll find the WIN97 software worthwhile. Let me rephrase it like this; programming the first time is one thing, but as soon as you want to make a change, the software will make that task sooo much easier. But even with the software, you'll have to enter (or import) the frequencies, talkgroups and text you want programmed; so it is not like it programs itself, even with the software.

 

[mig192837465]

ok thanks for that help, another question though, i see that the pro-97 and bc246t seem to be very similar pricewise, is one better then the other in any way, and considering programming software those pro-97 have a better program or those the uniden.