PSR-500 vs. PRO-96 results

[Slyster]

OK... so I am very envious.. since a PSR-500 isn't in the cards at this time.. but if it turns out to be an awesome scanner.. I'll be selling my 2 months old PRO-96 very fast. ... and there probably should be thread dedicated JUST to this apple to apples comparison! Please post what you guys with both are finding out. Thanks.. lots of awaiting this stuff.

 

[kikito]

... and there probably should be thread dedicated JUST to this apple to apples comparison! Please post what you guys with both are finding out. Thanks.. lots of awaiting this stuff.

I agree with finding out how they compare to each other but I disagree about being "apples to apples" comparison.

The PSR-500 has SO MUCH more to offer for about the same price as when the Pro-96 came out that I just can't see any direct comparisons being done aside from reception and trunking/decoding capabilities.

 

[NYG]

OK... so I am very envious.. since a PSR-500 isn't in the cards at this time.. but if it turns out to be an awesome scanner.. I'll be selling my 2 months old PRO-96 very fast. ... and there probably should be thread dedicated JUST to this apple to apples comparison! Please post what you guys with both are finding out. Thanks.. lots of awaiting this stuff.

I had a PRO-96 that I bought from a closing RS store for $250.00 last year. I just sold it a few weeks ago on Ebay making a nice profit.

That money went towards the PSR-500.

 

[Slyster]

OK.. well the apples to apples comment was helpful in itself! I did not know that.. other than the ability to set different LED colors for different banks (which is cool!)

 

[bcd396towner]

the mager let down of GRE is FM radio I read somewhere that GRE PSR 500 doesn't get WFM that's the only thing it's missing out on.

The draw back on the PRO-96 is of course Military Aircraft UHF.

I was thinking about GRE for awhile and then I read the feature's of the PSR500 and that made me mad that it doesn't get FM radio.

It's good to do some reasearch on each scanner uniden radioshack and AOR GRE before u buy.

I like uniden over radio shack GRE and AOR Im sticking with uniden is it true that AOR's scanner's are not digital?

and I can't wait for uniden's next portable maybe even better than GRE! Maybe four year's from now the 396 will last a long time

 

[NYG]

the mager let down of GRE is FM radio I read somewhere that GRE PSR 500 doesn't get WFM that's the only thing it's missing out on.

The draw back on the PRO-96 is of course Military Aircraft UHF.

I was thinking about GRE for awhile and then I read the feature's of the PSR500 and that made me mad that it doesn't get FM radio.

It's good to do some reasearch on each scanner uniden radioshack and AOR GRE before u buy.

I like uniden over radio shack GRE and AOR Im sticking with uniden is it true that AOR's scanner's are not digital?

and I can't wait for uniden's next portable maybe even better than GRE! Maybe four year's from now the 396 will last a long time

To each their own I guess. I find uniden scanners deaf compared to GRE (or just about any scanner/wide band radio i've owned) and GRE's audio superior. I could care less about broadcast FM radio in a trunking scanner.

Now to get the topic back on track I would think (hope) the PSR-500 would do just a good a job if not better than the PRO-96 in receiving and sound quality . I no longer own a 96 so hopefully someone will do a side by side.

 

[Slyster]

I find uniden scanners deaf compared to GRE

Keep to the topic! These are both GRE units! Thanks. Anyone yet have some REAL comparisons between the two units?

 

[nexus]

To each their own I guess. I find uniden scanners deaf compared to GRE (or just about any scanner/wide band radio i've owned) and GRE's audio superior. I could care less about broadcast FM radio in a trunking scanner.

Now to get the topic back on track I would think (hope) the PSR-500 would do just a good a job if not better than the PRO-96 in receiving and sound quality . I no longer own a 96 so hopefully someone will do a side by side.

NYG, I will back your comment up on that. I have a PRO-95 I bought on closeout real cheap a couple of years back just to have one. I got a BC-785D and BC-350 in the car, and I have the 396T and the 246T handhelds. None of the Uniden scanners will pick up the highway patrol near me too well. But I've found that my PRO-95 with just the stock rubberduck will pick them up 50% better.

I also keep hearing that the AGC is way better on the GRE/PRO scanners. I may get me a PRO-500 after they've been out a month or two.

 

[wwhitby]

I'm getting my PSR-500 today (provided UPS cooperates.) I'll compare it to my PRO-96 over the weekend and let everyone know.

Warren

 

[fmon]

Some comparisons are already listed in the Post Release forum but like Warren, mine should be in soon and can share comparison's so this will be a really decent thread. Lynn in York County has already informed us the 500 scans the Virginia STARS VHF P25 system much better then the 96 which makes me . He's struggling with a couple of digital 3600 CC UHF military systems however.

Warren, I scanned the Annex UHF system 4 years ago successfully with the 96. We used the RV park overnight on the way to Pensacola.

 

[DaveNF2G]

The draw back on the PRO-96 is of course Military Aircraft UHF.

Don Starr's Win96 fixed that a long time ago. I monitor milair on my PRO-96 all the time.

To me, the major drawback for the PRO-96 is lack of LTR trunking.

 

[kikito]

To me, the major drawback for the PRO-96 is lack of LTR trunking.

And now, not only we have LTR but the new feature: LTR Home Repeater Automove that let's you put the system frequencies in any order and the radio figures out the rest for you and tracks it properly. I think that's absolutely great!

 

[n4jri]

Digital demodulation is and area where the PRO96 was a champ, and teh PSR500 is blowing it away. Petersburg, VA has an 800 APCO25 system with multiple simulcast sites. The PRO96 can barely recognize it. The PSR-500 picks up the TG's AND demodulates the audio much better. I've asked a new owner to see who they compare on what may be a similar system in the Williamsburg, VA area.

It's "Spectrum Sweeper" seems to be more senstive--and more resistant to interference--than the PRO-97.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[AZScanner]

Digital demodulation is and area where the PRO96 was a champ, and teh PSR500 is blowing it away. Petersburg, VA has an 800 APCO25 system with multiple simulcast sites. The PRO96 can barely recognize it. The PSR-500 picks up the TG's AND demodulates the audio much better. I've asked a new owner to see who they compare on what may be a similar system in the Williamsburg, VA area.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

Allen,

Thanks for sharing that info, THIS is exactly what folks are gonna want to know. All the neat new bells and whistles in the world can't make up for a scanner that can't properly decode P25.

As you can "see" for yourself by clicking the link in my sig to monitor my live feed, my BC796's ability to decode the Phoenix PRWN leaves alot to be desired and while some of that problem lies in the design of the system itself, I have heard for myself the difference between my scanner and the actual PD radios in use when some PD officers came to my apartment complex in response to a strongarm robbery that I witnessed. Both my BC796 and BC250D's decode of the P25 audio is hit and miss (I can't compare with my PRO-96 right now - it needs a repair ) but their radios didn't drop so much as a single syllable.

Now, I've said in the past that I wasn't going to be buying the PSR because I figured it was just another overpriced and fundamentally flawed digital radio being sold with a bunch of fluff features to entice users to overlook the fact that it decoded P25 like crap. But now that it's out and in use, I'm starting to hear that it's not the same old reheated meatloaf served on a fancier plate, and that's very encouraging.

Is anyone in AZ going to be getting one? I'd love to hear a user report on the nightmarish PRWN P25 system we have to endure. If the PSR can actually decode the system much better than the radios I have now, I will definitely reevaluate my decision not to buy.

-AZ

 

[hoser147]

Good thread Slyster. Its a little early as everyone is playn and learnin the 500 but I think in the next couple of weeks alot of members will be able to lay the cards on the table. NYG and nexus I would strongly agree with you on the GRE vs Uniden on the clarity and the capture rate seems to be better also. Before I got my 95 I was a diehard Uniden man. Im interested in the digital GRE just want and waiting for the imput to roll in. If its anything like before I hope to have one after the Holidays....................Good Scannin Hoser

 

[wwhitby]

So far, these are my impressions.

- They keys on the PSR-500 seem to take more effort to press.

- I don't care for the way the clear key works on the PSR-500. If you want to clear out a character (for example, you want to have a space), you have to go forward a character from the one you want to clear, and then press clear. That will move the cursor back and clear out the character.
I wish the clear key worked exactly like the PRO-96.

- The audio boost is a definate winner.

- I prefer the larger characters on the PRO-96's display. I have started to develop a touch of far sightedness this year, and the slightly smaller characters are a little more difficult for me to see.

- I definately need software to program this thing. I'm not going to do too much programming until the software comes out.

- I'm having a problem where the conventional frequency objects don't end up in the desired scan list, even when I select and enable a new scan list. It tends to get frustrating. I hope software will fix this issue.

- The LED is pretty neat. Plus, I like the feature that the display will light up when you have activity on the desired object.

More later.

Warren

 

[mancow]

Just use the . key to delete a character and make a blank space. It's easier and faster.

 

[proquist96]

sound differences

How is the sound of the 500 compared to th 96, specifically the tone and volume. Someone also mentioned the smaller characters, is the LCD the same overall size (as the 96) and the characters had to be smaller to fit 16 across? thanks,john

 

[mancow]

Volume seems to be about the same but it's just bit more tinny. I was hoping for a more balanced bass sound like the 96 but not too much like the 996 often is. But, with the features and the overall RF performance so far it's not an issue to me.

So far it seems like they took some time with the receiver on this one and that's great.

If it had the receiver of the 2055 I would have considered a return. That thing has some strange squelch gate crap going on that causes it to flutter and sputter and crap.

The 500 seems to be a mix of all the good points so far.

Don't get me wrong, the audio is not at all tinny but it does seem to have more treble than the 96. It's not annoying at all like some units.

 

[DaveIN]

Did you try it out with headphones yet?