Radio Recommendations

[ltginrage]

I'm interested in purchasing a used professional radio to monitor P25/Analog radios systems all bands but HF. By professional I mean a radio such as something reputable. It would be a big plus if it is easy to get ahold of programming software or get someone relatively local to program the radio. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

 

[rk911]

first...which p25 system(s) do you want to monitor? if they're encrypted you're out of luck no matter which radio you buy.

 

[ltginrage]

I have no desire to listen to anything encrypted, also nothing is encrypted around me. if it matters I would be using it on simulcast sites every now and them. I would like the ease of programming it with software it because of the amount of systems I would be switching in and out of the radio depending on where I would be going that week.

 

[mmckenna]

I would like the ease of programming it because of the amount of systems I would be switching in and out of the radio depending on where I would be going that week.

Ease of programming isn't one of the things radios in this class are known for. If you want easy, get a scanner and download the files for each area you'l be in.

A multiband P25 capable commercial radio is going to be expensive, as in a couple of thousand dollars.

 

[rk911]

I have no desire to listen to anything encrypted, also nothing is encrypted around me. if it matters I would be using it on simulcast sites every now and them. I would like the ease of programming it because of the amount of systems I would be switching in and out of the radio depending on where I would be going that week.

that's good cuz you can't listen to anything encrypted...period. are you certain none of the systems are encrypyed? personally i'd recommend a acanner capable of decoding P25/Phase 2 signals. a Phase 1 radio will be less expensive but will become an instant brick if/when the monitored system(s) transition to Phase 2.

Phase 2 radios include the Uniden 436, 536, SDS100, and SDS200 or one of the Unication pagers.

 

[marksmith]

As indicated above, I you want ease of programming and ability to load/unload programming via computer, you don't want a professional radio, which are generally very tedious when it comes to programming, or their software. They are also very expensive compared to a good scanner.

If you are going to monitor simulcast systems, the only scanner on the market made for this purpose is the Uniden SDS100 (portable) or Uniden SDS200 radios. The software does what you describe.

Will run $650-700.

 

[PACNWDude]

Like others have said, a scanner really is the best bet for this type of use. Multi-band and P25 monitoring in a radio is going to mean a Motorola APX8000, Harris XG-100P, or something similar, at $2500 or more on the used market, to $6-8k new. These then require software and dedicated programming cables, which can add a few hundred or more to the overall cost. They are also usually not front panel programmable in most software versions. A scanner would be a much better option, and software defined may even work well for you.