Scanner Selection Help

[thekidran]

Hi everyone i am kind of new to the scanner World I had and old trunking radio shack scanner that was stolen a few years ago.. I want to buy a handheld scanner that will pick up everything in Burlington County and possibly NJ If anyone has any suggestions please help me out Thanks everyone...

Don

 

[RocketNJ]

Uniden 396.

It will do digital TrunkTracking.

 

[Bentley]

I like the pro-96 from radio shack. Just personal preference.

 

[elk2370bruce]

I've used the PRO 96 for several years and found it quite good. There are som who complain that the Uniden has a shorter battery use, but I can't confirm it. Be sure to go with the NIMS batteries and charger for the 96 (if that's your choice). I'm still using the same NIMH's when I first got the rig.

 

[thekidran]

396 vs pro 96

Just wondering is the programming of these scanners easy with the computer software? and is there anything that the 396 can do vs the pro 96 or vise versa i just want to buy one because they are expensive And if possible were is the cheapest place to buy one of these.

 

[Bentley]

Well, if brand spankin' new is not a requirement, then there are plenty of scanners (both radio shack and uniden as well as other brands) in the classified section of this website, most of these guys (and gals) on here are real enthusiests so you can be rest assured that their 'used' scanners are in very good to excellent condition. I personally would feel much more comfortable buying a used scanner on here VS. ebay or another auction site. If new is what you are looking for then the pro-96 would be available at any radio shack store (obviously) . I've never purchased a uniden scanner so I dont know where to tell you to purchase them.

As far as software for the pro-96, a program called win96 is available at starrsoft.com its a great tool to program your scanner and most everyone on here uses it for their 96's / 2096's. It is very user friendly and easy to use. There are also programs available for uniden scanners, but again, I have never owned one so I cannot tell you anything about uniden software.

 

[ka3jjz]

One thing that's a very important difference between the PRO-96/2096 and the Uniden (and GRE too) offerings - these scanners cannot be computer controlled, nor can they log and record. The firmware on the 96/2096 doesn't allow for it. The Unidens (and it looks like the GRE digitals as well) can. The only ops - beyond using the special PRO96Com software on APCO-25 systems - that are allowed are uploads and downloads. 73s Mike

 

[Bentley]

Do you mean record using computer software? I record my 2096 on xcorder with no issues.

 

[thekidran]

Cell band

Just one more question with either of these 2 the pro96 or the 396 will i be able to hear the cellular bands with a hack or Program?

 

[robbinsj2]

Just one more question with either of these 2 the pro96 or the 396 will i be able to hear the cellular bands with a hack or Program?

No. No modern scanners made for the US consumer market will receive the analog cell band. You could find an old scanner or one designed and made for a foreign market, neither of which would make it any more legal here in the US. But the analog cell infrastructure is being phased out; it may not see as much use as you would hope anyway. Digital phones use formats not supported by scanners, digital or analog.

Do you mean record using computer software? I record my 2096 on xcorder with no issues.

Control, not record. Using VOX software you could record off any scanner which has an audio-out jack. Computer controllable scanners are exactly what they sound like -- scanners which can be real-time controlled by a personal computer. This opens up many options, including (depending upon the software package) advanced logging, remote listening and control, advanced recording (audio clips tagged with the channel they came from), almost unlimited channel memory and bank configurations, etc.

Jim

 

[Bentley]

Ahhh okay, I thought you just meant simple recording. But your'e right, it def. would be nice to have the advanced logging / recording feature.

 

[policefreak]

Just my two cents, I have a Uniden 396 and I think it does a good job on the Burlington County system. I can monitor the system from outside the county just fine. I don't know about the Pro 96 or the PSR 500 but on the 396 I notice that all the trunked systems scan kind of slow.

 

[thekidran]

Ok I think im going to go with the uniden any ideas on where i can get the best price? or discount