Well I just got my Pro-97. I love the Signal Stalker II feature. I've been using a Uniden 246T w/ Close Call for a long time now and SS II puts it to shame. I had my rubber antenna on at the front desk at work (lots of equipment -- interference) and it snagged an airplane overhead. I had it last night at a restaurant and it easily snagged a hotel around me. This morning it found at least two close businesses w/ my VHF-Hi 5/8 mobile antenna on the car. It hung on a few pagers and I locked them out w/ no problem. I can't wait to run it downtown and around a few other things I've had trouble finding. As a note to others, the antenna makes a huge difference on SS performance. W/ my high-band antenna, most of my hits are around 150-160 Mhz. I want to get a UHF beam for targeting some businesses eventually.
The receiver is incredibly stronger than my Uniden. I remember before I got rid of my Pro-95 that it's reception of 800 Mhz was better than my 246T. But the difference w/ this radio is unbelievable. I can sit them side by side and the Pro-97 will pick up UHF repeaters loud and clear that the Uniden can't hear. 800 Mhz is also extremely strong.
I've heard that Radio Shack (GRE) radios are better receivers and Uniden has better features and now I am in 100% agreement. I love the functionality and dynamic programming of my 246T but I am extremely impressed w/ the reception on the Pro-97.
There were three major reasons I bought the Pro-97: Signal Stalker II, Military Airband coverage, and the LTR Repeater Finder. The SS II is great. I haven't had a chance to test performance on military airband. And the incredible reception is a great plus to these features. But now for the LTR function.
This Repeater Finder function that shows the repeater in the bottom right corner of the screen (when in Manual mode) is great. I was able to test it out on the local LTR systems around here and within a short time I found an error in the LCN for one of the systems. For close study of LTR systems, it's actually easier to use the Repeater Finder function with a separate LTR-capable scanner (my 246T worked) at the same time. It appears to not only show the repeater number of the current LTR talkgroup but also the repeaters that other active TGs are using. I think it works like this: 0-13-105 is using repeater 13. 0-13-077 tries to use repeater 13 but it's busy, so it gets direction to go to repeater 5. Assume the Pro-97 is in manual mode on a channel w/ the freq for repeater 13 (and type is LTR). The display at the bottom of the screen switches from "LTR: 0-13-105 R13" to "LTR: 0-13-077 R05". This is where the second scanner is helpful because while you are manually on repeater 13 on the Pro-97, the second radio can either be searching for the activity on repeater 5 or scanning it. A little confusing but it seems to work.
So I'm completely satisfied with my Pro-97. I paid $150 + shipping (eBay) and it was worth every penny. If I just want to take a radio w/ me to listen to the cops, I may choose my 246T due to its size and ease of use. But if I'm trying to find a frequency or figure out a trunked system, you can bet I'm going to use my Pro-97. At $150, it's a great deal!
The receiver is incredibly stronger than my Uniden. I remember before I got rid of my Pro-95 that it's reception of 800 Mhz was better than my 246T. But the difference w/ this radio is unbelievable. I can sit them side by side and the Pro-97 will pick up UHF repeaters loud and clear that the Uniden can't hear. 800 Mhz is also extremely strong.
I've heard that Radio Shack (GRE) radios are better receivers and Uniden has better features and now I am in 100% agreement. I love the functionality and dynamic programming of my 246T but I am extremely impressed w/ the reception on the Pro-97.
There were three major reasons I bought the Pro-97: Signal Stalker II, Military Airband coverage, and the LTR Repeater Finder. The SS II is great. I haven't had a chance to test performance on military airband. And the incredible reception is a great plus to these features. But now for the LTR function.
This Repeater Finder function that shows the repeater in the bottom right corner of the screen (when in Manual mode) is great. I was able to test it out on the local LTR systems around here and within a short time I found an error in the LCN for one of the systems. For close study of LTR systems, it's actually easier to use the Repeater Finder function with a separate LTR-capable scanner (my 246T worked) at the same time. It appears to not only show the repeater number of the current LTR talkgroup but also the repeaters that other active TGs are using. I think it works like this: 0-13-105 is using repeater 13. 0-13-077 tries to use repeater 13 but it's busy, so it gets direction to go to repeater 5. Assume the Pro-97 is in manual mode on a channel w/ the freq for repeater 13 (and type is LTR). The display at the bottom of the screen switches from "LTR: 0-13-105 R13" to "LTR: 0-13-077 R05". This is where the second scanner is helpful because while you are manually on repeater 13 on the Pro-97, the second radio can either be searching for the activity on repeater 5 or scanning it. A little confusing but it seems to work.
So I'm completely satisfied with my Pro-97. I paid $150 + shipping (eBay) and it was worth every penny. If I just want to take a radio w/ me to listen to the cops, I may choose my 246T due to its size and ease of use. But if I'm trying to find a frequency or figure out a trunked system, you can bet I'm going to use my Pro-97. At $150, it's a great deal!
