I now have the PSR 500 and am thinking about getting the PSR 800, but I would like to get comments from those who have had both as to how these two scanners compare. Thanks in advance for your help.
PSR 500 compared to PSR 800?
- Thread starter jimg
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The PSR-500 feature set is hard to beat, but the audio recording and logging to MicroSD on the PSR-800 are great. You'll need to manage your battery life closely on the 800 in comparison to the 500, witch can be done from the included software and carefully selecting the right rechargeable batteries (more than one set is advised and an external charger). Also, there is no method to control the PSR-800 from an external program such as as with the excellent third party software available for the 500, only the included EZ Scan software will allow manipulation of the memory contents, audio recordings, and Scalists on the 800.
To have the best of both worlds, audio recording and feature set, you would need both radios. RF reception and P25 decoding are about the same in both radios from my experience, with exception to signal overload causing some decoding problems on the 500. Also the 800 is currently the only Trunked Scanner capable of decoding the X2 variation of TDMA. And X2-TDMA is the only variation supported at the moment.
To have the best of both worlds, audio recording and feature set, you would need both radios. RF reception and P25 decoding are about the same in both radios from my experience, with exception to signal overload causing some decoding problems on the 500. Also the 800 is currently the only Trunked Scanner capable of decoding the X2 variation of TDMA. And X2-TDMA is the only variation supported at the moment.
fourthhorseman
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ill say looking at the numbers the SIZE is appealing for the 800..more pocket sized..lak of a full keypad is a bummer,but unlimited memory is sexy since now radio ids can be tagged...they can take alot of space!..also showing the RID on a conventional p25 ch is cool..
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JoeyC
Senior Member
My 500 is my primary portable as it is simple and intuitive to use.
The 800 gets turned on if and when I want to record an incident (rarely) - that is, if the incident isn't over by the time the 800 starts to scan. Start up time is LONGGG. But it is the only radio (at this time) that will decode PG county MD police, and that is primarily why I bought it. Otherwise, its a PITA to use.
The 800 gets turned on if and when I want to record an incident (rarely) - that is, if the incident isn't over by the time the 800 starts to scan. Start up time is LONGGG. But it is the only radio (at this time) that will decode PG county MD police, and that is primarily why I bought it. Otherwise, its a PITA to use.
I compared a friend's 500 side by side with my 800 on field day. The 500 was a bit bigger but also lighter, and uses metal where the 800 uses plastic. My 800 fits in a shirt pocket better and I don't personally miss the keypads, but this will be down to personal taste.. I thought the 500 was a nice scanner. Side by side with an equivalent after market antenna on each they picked up our local safety system about equally well, however the signal from this system is very strong where we were located. There was no noticeable delay between signals and they worked nicely as a "mono pair" with a fairly distinct central audio image appearing between then when held a foot or so apart, indicating the speakers were in similar phase, though this is really of no importance at all. Sound quality seemed similar. This was quite a quick comparison though, and more differences might have appeared with a longer test.
Two other thing that I have read about, which concern me, are the reports of the printing wearing off and the screen being easily scratched. Do you know if these issues have been resolved?
SouthsideDave
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Depends on what you're scanning.
The PSR 500 is my favorite of the 2, but it doesn't allow for silencing of encrypted noise like the 800.
The 800 can seem overloaded if you ask it to scan more than 4 or 5 systems at a time.
The 800 can chew through a set of of eneloop 2100 mah Nimh batteries in under 4 hours
The PSR 500 is my favorite of the 2, but it doesn't allow for silencing of encrypted noise like the 800.
The 800 can seem overloaded if you ask it to scan more than 4 or 5 systems at a time.
The 800 can chew through a set of of eneloop 2100 mah Nimh batteries in under 4 hours
I don't know conclusively, but it is being honored as a warrantied item. A request by some folks has gotten them a replacement case front. As for the screen, I would suggest a PDA clear stick-on tape for any high dollar scanner.
That's a good point also. However, I would still like a user configurable alert tone for encryption on the 800. The busy signal is too close to telephone type operation for my liking, and the silence isn't the best option either. I would also point out the I use the 800 with the encryption noise "on" most of the time, so I can try to catch a clear distinction of both sides of the conversation where one side is not using encryption. the busy signal is not a great option for that scenario.
Also, as Ed pointed out, the keypad is the most missed item on the 800.
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Joey is right. Here is another big problem on the 800 vs. the 500. Depending on what you have stored for scanlists, the wait time is slow. If you want to quickly turn on your scanner to hear what the sirens are for, then don't count on the 800 for that. In my experience your going to miss the initial comms from the emergency run unless the 800 is already on, vs. the quick startup time on the 500.
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I have the 500, 800 and a Pro-106. I would agree with all the above comments. Especially the issue of quick access to something. Many times when I'm not listening and hear or observe something I can grab the 500 and have it on and activate the scanlist I want very quickly. That won't happen with the 800.
As a general comment I would say the 800 is good for novice users. But for someone who knows their equipment well and how to get directly to what you want, the 800 will grow sour. It still has great features such as nearly endless scanlists as mentioned. So I use it most when listening to secondary stuff. But I end up reaching for the 500 almost every time I get my "grab the scanner" alert in my head.
As a general comment I would say the 800 is good for novice users. But for someone who knows their equipment well and how to get directly to what you want, the 800 will grow sour. It still has great features such as nearly endless scanlists as mentioned. So I use it most when listening to secondary stuff. But I end up reaching for the 500 almost every time I get my "grab the scanner" alert in my head.
On the 500,600, 106, and 197
Enter the encrypted talkgroup as a object in a list, then tag it and lock it out, then you won't hear it!
73,
n9zas
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