PSR 800 vs 396XT for mobile user

[cgresq192]

Ok.

I know the pluses and minuses of these scanners and the features.

My question is this

I scan mostly my home town and where I work. Use two different banks.

Systems are conventional and P25. I like to scan only certain talkgroups on the p25 system

Right now this is working as I would like on the 396xt. (Quick Key 1 is home, Quick Key 2 is work)

However, I'm thinking it might be nice to be out in a random town if I'm driving around and start listening in.

This would require either progamming everything into the 396XT? and doing a lot of quick keys??

Or would I be better suited to get a PSR800 to have this ability? Can the PSR800 be tailored to only scan talkgroups I specify like I've done with the 396xt?

Like I said I mostly scan 2 systems, but I would like the ability to be able to monitor a system on the fly.

Thanks

 

[cgresq192]

Let me make this question easier to understand.

Can I program an entire state in the 396xt and only "Unlock" the ones I want to listen to based on location, obviously without the GPS. From the scanner itself

 

[hiegtx]

Let me make this question easier to understand.

Can I program an entire state in the 396xt and only "Unlock" the ones I want to listen to based on location, obviously without the GPS. From the scanner itself

You could program most, if not all, of what you want, then set it up with different "start-up" keys for each area or region. You have ten that you can use. I do this for an occasional trip I take out several counties west (about 100 miles) to visit friends. One start up key loads those systems that I expect to be able to hear from Dallas through to the western side of Tarrant Count. The next key loads those that will be in range between Parker County (next one west of Tarrant/Fort Worth) and where I'm going. A third key loads only those in the immediate area where I'll be most of the day.There are a few duplications between 1 & 2, and between 2 & 3. A system can be easily be duplicated in FreeScan, or other software, & assigned a different start-up key.

To select a start-up system configuration, you simply power down the scanner (if it was already on), then, while holding down the number (0 through 9) of the start-up systems configuration you want to load, press the power button till the scanner starts. You'll see a brief message that it's loading 'start up ...". For systems that I always want to have active, such as Texas DPS (the state troopers), no start-up key is assigned. It always loads, regardless of the start-up key selected. The scanner remembers which was the last config used, so you do not have to repeat the number/power up key press process until you wish to make a change.

Note that Start up key is different thn the quick key or number tag.

You could accomplish much the same thing with different "favorites" lists in the Uniden Home Patrol (one for each region). As I don't own the PSR-800, not sure about how it would be set up, but I'm reasonably sure it could be accomplished in that scanner as well.