scanner for york county

[Djm803]

since the online feed has been decommissioned,what are my options if I want to buy a scanner to be able to listen to the P25 trunked radio system in York county, SC? The cheaper the better. Also, is it possible to buy a scanner that can be used to listen to both York county and charlotte/Mecklenburg county?

 

[qball]

Yes, the GRE and Uniden both make scanners to monitor both of the systems in question. I hear that the GRE scanners decode a little better than the Uniden. I have a Uniden 396 and 996 and they work okay although not as good as the radios designed to operate on the systems.


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[brian]

Look in the Radio Models wiki for information about digital trunk-tracking scanners.

Categoryigital Scanners - The RadioReference Wiki

You'll want to look at one of the more recent digital models, since York Co operates a Simulcast P25 system. No scanners are perfect at monitoring these systems but newer models are better at it than older models. Some of the older digital models can decode APCO-25 voice but can't track the 9600bps control channel, so make sure to pick a model that fully supports APCO-25 trunktracking.

Keep in mind that while GRE-made scanners can still be found new (mainly in some RadioShack stores), GRE is no longer in business. Repair service is only available via 3rd parties and parts are scarce at best, and more commonly completely unavailable.

Whistler is reported to have purchased the rights to GRE scanners and may begin remanufacturing some of the GRE models in 2014. Time will tell.

None of these newer digital scanner models are "cheap" by my definition. Ebay, Craigslist and the RR Classifieds are good places to look for used models, but you probably won't find many bargains at this time. If you can wait 6 months or so, the availability of the newest Uniden models plus the possible entry of new Whistler models to the market may glut the used market with current models and drive prices down. Now may be a bad time to invest in a digital scanner.

 

[puzzleriddle]

Look in the Radio Models wiki for information about digital trunk-tracking scanners.

Categoryigital Scanners - The RadioReference Wiki

You'll want to look at one of the more recent digital models, since York Co operates a Simulcast P25 system. No scanners are perfect at monitoring these systems but newer models are better at it than older models. Some of the older digital models can decode APCO-25 voice but can't track the 9600bps control channel, so make sure to pick a model that fully supports APCO-25 trunktracking.

Keep in mind that while GRE-made scanners can still be found new (mainly in some RadioShack stores), GRE is no longer in business. Repair service is only available via 3rd parties and parts are scarce at best, and more commonly completely unavailable.

Whistler is reported to have purchased the rights to GRE scanners and may begin remanufacturing some of the GRE models in 2014. Time will tell.

None of these newer digital scanner models are "cheap" by my definition. Ebay, Craigslist and the RR Classifieds are good places to look for used models, but you probably won't find many bargains at this time. If you can wait 6 months or so, the availability of the newest Uniden models plus the possible entry of new Whistler models to the market may glut the used market with current models and drive prices down. Now may be a bad time to invest in a digital scanner.

6 months?? I suggest you get your facts straight??? read the Uniden forums. also whistler is due out1Q 2014

 

[brian]

I suggest it will take 6 months for prices on the used market to come down substantially as buyers of the new scanner models sell their older models.

While Whistler states that their scanner line will be released in 1Q 2014, I'm personally not willing to bet on that. It's a completely new line for them and there has been little detailed information released since the initial announcement. And what's to say that the first radios they release are more entry-level models more in line with their radar detectors instead of top-of-the-line digital scanners.

Obviously, that's all conjecture and prediction - take it for what it's worth. Personally I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on a used scanner when the same radio might sell for $100 less in a fairly short time frame.