The First Programmable Scanners in An Ad

[kruser]

Check the sale catalogs on that site. I've seen it in a sale catalog from 1976 I think. I'll look, and provide a link if I can.

Yep. it's in the 1977 Back to School sales flyer at 1977 RadioShack Sale Catalog

 

[kruser]

Found it! Page 4

1977 RadioShack Sale Catalog

That is odd it is not in any of the regular yearly catalogs. I wonder if it was dud and was pulled.

 

[RF23]

Found it! Page 4

1977 RadioShack Sale Catalog

Good Job, thanks!

 

[sparklehorse]

That is odd it is not in any of the regular yearly catalogs. I wonder if it was dud and was pulled.

It may have been pulled but it wasn't a dud. I had a Realistic Comp-100 when they first came out and it was a good scanner. To program it you had to look up your frequency in a reference list that came with the radio. The list would tell you what sequence to set the buttons in when in Program Mode. Like: On-On-Off-On-On-Off-Off-Off-On-Off-On-On-Off-Off-On-Off. Basically a binary sequence that described the frequency. It was a revelation at the time, at least for me. No more expensive crystals to buy! Then a couple years later Radio Shack came out with the Pro-2001 which allowed you to enter your frequency by just typing in the numbers on a keypad, which was a whole new revelation.
.

 

[kruser]

It may have been pulled but it wasn't a dud. I had a Realistic Comp-100 when they first came out and it was a good scanner. To program it you had to look up your frequency in a reference list that came with the radio. The list would tell you what sequence to set the buttons in when in Program Mode. Like: On-On-Off-On-On-Off-Off-Off-On-Off-On-On-Off-Off-On-Off. Basically a binary sequence that described the frequency. It was a revelation at the time, at least for me. No more expensive crystals to buy! Then a couple years later Radio Shack came out with the Pro-2001 which allowed you to enter your frequency by just typing in the numbers on a keypad, which was a whole new revelation.
.

Yep, that's how the old Bearcat 101 was programmed, all binary. I wonder if the sequence was the same. Good possibility it was.
It's funny as I can remember the Comp-100 but never realized they never appeared in the catalogs until this thread. I never did own one.

 

[buddrousa]

1972 Cougar less than $3000 1977 Cougar $5000 scanner $400 now keep crying about high prices 2019 Car like a Cougar over $30000

 

[doctordialtone]

Like: On-On-Off-On-On-Off-Off-Off-On-Off-On-On-Off-Off-On-Off. Basically a binary sequence that described the frequency. It was a revelation at the time,
.

I had a RS Model (Don't remember the model) that was similar. You had to set DIP switches from a book.

It would lose its brains every few days and you had to go through all 16 channels over and over. What a pain!

After a while I could memorize all the DIP switches I needed to program for each channel.

I listened to mostly low band at the time ~1978~1980.

 

[buddrousa]

Then you had the Regency Touch 16 channel. It was like $400 and had a 9 volt battery I think my M400 was the 1st with rechargeable battery

 

[Phoenix805]

Found it! Page 4

1977 RadioShack Sale Catalog

It's amazing how many things in that flyer I actually owned. I remember almost everything in there! I had a first name relationship with the local store manager for many years. I guess I was in there a few too many times.

 

[K5MPH]

Wow its funny the ad says save over 80,000 dollas in crystals......

 

[sparklehorse]

The Bearcat 100. I don’t know if this was the first programmable handheld, but it certainly was one of the first. I bought one of these in 1982 and used it all day at work every day to listen to the USGS research crews working up on Mt. St. Helens. This was two years after the volcano blew, but they were just beginning to map and study the aftermath as it had been deemed unsafe to enter the area prior to that. Repeater was on 168.425 MHz and must have been pretty high up on the mountain because I could receive it well with that little handheld radio from 50 miles away. It made for some fascinating listening and is definitely one of the highlights of my nearly 50 years of scanning.

RigPix Database - Bearcat BC-100 (By Electra Company)
.

 

[kruser]

View attachment 70559
The Bearcat 100. I don’t know if this was the first programmable handheld, but it certainly was one of the first.

Yep, it was labled as the first programmable handheld. I think Electra made them in the beginning and Uniden may have acquired them later on possibly.
I had two of them back in those days. Still have one that works but the other was ruined badly from battery leakage that ate up the aluminum housing.
I always wished the audio stage had a little more power to it though.

 

[sparklehorse]

Yep, it was labled as the first programmable handheld. I think Electra made them in the beginning and Uniden may have acquired them later on possibly.
I had two of them back in those days. Still have one that works but the other was ruined badly from battery leakage that ate up the aluminum housing.
I always wished the audio stage had a little more power to it though.

Yeah, I remember it being a decent little radio though. Reasonably sensitive, scanned pretty fast. I sold it in a garage sale 10 years later and it was still working fine. I did a road trip with my folks to Yellowstone in ‘82—had an Idaho map, a copy of ‘Police Call Vol. 8” and that Bearcat 100 in my lap the whole way. Just punched in the new freqs as we crossed from one county into the next. It was ‘Location Based’ scanning the old fashioned way .
.

 

[mitbr]

View attachment 70559
The Bearcat 100. I don’t know if this was the first programmable handheld, but it certainly was one of the first. I bought one of these in 1982 and used it all day at work every day to listen to the USGS research crews working up on Mt. St. Helens. This was two years after the volcano blew, but they were just beginning to map and study the aftermath as it had been deemed unsafe to enter the area prior to that. Repeater was on 168.425 MHz and must have been pretty high up on the mountain because I could receive it well with that little handheld radio from 50 miles away. It made for some fascinating listening and is definitely one of the highlights of my nearly 50 years of scanning.

RigPix Database - Bearcat BC-100 (By Electra Company)
.

Hey I have one of those in my drawer.I wonder if it still works hmmm.
Tim

 

[mule1075]

View attachment 70559
The Bearcat 100. I don’t know if this was the first programmable handheld, but it certainly was one of the first. I bought one of these in 1982 and used it all day at work every day to listen to the USGS research crews working up on Mt. St. Helens. This was two years after the volcano blew, but they were just beginning to map and study the aftermath as it had been deemed unsafe to enter the area prior to that. Repeater was on 168.425 MHz and must have been pretty high up on the mountain because I could receive it well with that little handheld radio from 50 miles away. It made for some fascinating listening and is definitely one of the highlights of my nearly 50 years of scanning.

RigPix Database - Bearcat BC-100 (By Electra Company)
.

It was indeed the 1st programable handheld. Announced Early 81 for sale in 82 $299 from CEI.

 

[mule1075]

Late 1980 lineup for 1981.

 

[scanner92us]

My first programmable scanner. It was my present for my 18th birthday in March 1983.

 

[N4DJC]

When I bought my 210, I didn't think there would ever be a need for another scanner. Boy was I wrong!

Great scanner!

Me too, it was a good one. I don’t recall the retail price in 1977 but it was a lot of money for me.