PSR 600 or BCD996XT

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oilgod2001

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Hello,
I am looking for some input. I have owned a PSR500 for a few years now but am going to purchase a new base. I really enjoy the PSR 500 so a PSR 600 would be the logical choice. I was just wondering if there was anyone in Saskatchewan using a Bearcat BCD996xt? Anyone using both, and if so how do the two compare? I am especially interested in the quality of sound and decode of the P25 System. Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 

colby4601

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There is one user who has the BCD996XT in Saskatchewan on the board that I'm aware of, and a few have the 600.
 

SCPD

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Hello,
I am looking for some input. I have owned a PSR500 for a few years now but am going to purchase a new base. I really enjoy the PSR 500 so a PSR 600 would be the logical choice. I was just wondering if there was anyone in Saskatchewan using a Bearcat BCD996xt? Anyone using both, and if so how do the two compare? I am especially interested in the quality of sound and decode of the P25 System. Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'm not in Saskatchewan but have PSR 600 / PSR500 and BC-396XT / BC996XT Since Uniden released its latest XT firmware supporting Talkgroups ID's It's Uniden all the way.

Still the GRE has a slight edge over the Uniden decoding P25. The simplicity of operation of an Uniden can't be beat.
No I didn't break my ankle jumping off the Uniden bandwagon when GRE released the PSR 500/600. We should thank GRE for creating competition and putting presure on Uniden to pick it up one notch.
 

VE3RADIO

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Audio is defiantly a little clearer on the GRE, but not by much. The physical looks, operation and ease of use are far superior with the Uniden,
 

GTO_04

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IMHO, the biggest issue with the PSR-600 is the touchy volume control. It is very difficult to adjust at lower volume levels. A small movement of the volumbe control causes a BIG jump in volume. That being said the audio is great once the volume is set and the RF sensitivity is very good.

GTO_04
 

mobile1

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Go with the Uniden

Ok. I would go with the BCD996XT because you can load all 100 system channels and all the talk groups in a single system and set it for multi-site trunking and you are good to go anywhere in the province. The GRE600 has a hard limit of just 32 channels per system so you have to program in 4 systems to get all 100 channels in it and then program in all the talk groups 4 times, then set it for multi-site Roam and you are good to go. But this is far too much work to have to do. Price? The GRE is $150 less than the Uniden in Canada. Audio? Just listen to Colby's P25 system Live Audio, It's a Uniden. Then you could just ask member denebru he has a new BCD996XT.
 

harryshute

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You have all sold me on the Uniden XT's. After seeing the 396XT today I have ordered one. I have tried both new handheld and base GRE's and returned both

Harry
 

SCPD

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Ok. I would go with the BCD996XT because you can load all 100 system channels and all the talk groups in a single system and set it for multi-site trunking and you are good to go anywhere in the province. The GRE600 has a hard limit of just 32 channels per system so you have to program in 4 systems to get all 100 channels in it and then program in all the talk groups 4 times, then set it for multi-site Roam and you are good to go. But this is far too much work to have to do. Price? The GRE is $150 less than the Uniden in Canada. Audio? Just listen to Colby's P25 system Live Audio, It's a Uniden. Then you could just ask member denebru he has a new BCD996XT.
Yes, love the Multi-Site feature of the 396XT/996XT Don't have many Multi-Site systems around Edmonton but in Calgary and some other US cities I have recently visited, wow, I can't image how I managed without it :)
 
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SuperTex

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PSR 600 or 996xt

I have both the PSR-600 and the 996xt. I love them both but they do different jobs well.
I use the 600 for conventional single channel P25 and it is amazing. The audio is way better to my ears anyways... I don't like the GRE priority feature it is awful. I usually pause it on the freq I listen to most.
I use the 996xt for trunked P25 (Fleetnet). It is much better with the trunked system than the 996t. (I have two of those as well.) It will lock up on the system when the 996t won't. The ability to choose TG Priority is very cool too.
So depending on what you want to listen to you really can't go wrong with either.
 

HDMechanic

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I also suggest the 996XT as well. I found that with the PSR600 didn't like an external antena hooked up to it. Found the PSR would only pickup the local 800 system but no UHF or VHF. I got mad and sold it. Also learned that you can't hook external antena to the PSR500 as they go up in smoke from HF overload.
 

harryshute

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I also found the PSR 500 and 600 a bit deaf on VHF. Both Uniden's I have could hear a distant VHF signal all the time yet the GRE's could not. I returned both and stayed with Uniden.
Harry
 

davidmc36

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I also found the PSR 500 and 600 a bit deaf on VHF. Both Uniden's I have could hear a distant VHF signal all the time yet the GRE's could not. I returned both and stayed with Uniden.
Harry
I find the same "deafness" on VHF with the 600 compared with the 396XT but don't care since the PRO 2037 beats them both. I chose the 600 for base since the GPS is useless feature for stationary, so why pay for it. I was amazed how close the 396 performs on APCO25 compared to the 600, after having a 996T. As far as handheld, I can't see a better choice than the 396. So compact, and seems to be solidly built.
 
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