Wife wants to get me a digital scanner for christmas

[trimmerj]

I was leaning towards the Uniden BC796D, but is kinda pricey. Is anybody using one of these ?

 

[slalomkayaker1]

Hey get a Pro 96 its much better.

 

[ffjeff1984]

I will like to Recommend a Uniden BC246-T Hand Held...I Just Bought One
Last Month, I Believe That They can Pick Up Reception long ways...
I Was in Garrett County in a Cabin which was 2-3 miles back in The Woods and on High Elevation I Picked Up Baltimore County Police and
The Frederick County Jail...

 

[mlevin]

Jeff that's not a digital scanner.

I also recomend the pro96 over the Uniden model.

BTW, you're a lucky man. The nicest thing I ever got for Hannukah was win96 I actually got a frying pan one year......long story :lol:

 

[ka3jjz]

I was leaning towards the Uniden BC796D, but is kinda pricey. Is anybody using one of these ?

John, there's so many opinions and places to find info that it's not easy to narrow down on just one; there's quite a running sticky on the 2 digitals (uniden vs.Radio Shack/GRE) in the Scanning forum on this board, there's Yahoo groups, forums on Strong Signals....arrrgghh....

A couple of things to keep in mind; they may or may not pertain to what you're interested in;

a. MilAir coverage on the PRO96 (and presumably the newer PRO2096 coming out soon) is problematic at best. You can use Win96 to open up this range, but the sensitivity is very variable; some seem to work OK, others not.

b. Computer control is not possible with the PRO96/2096; if you are going to use the scanner for documenting newer systems or doing research (such as the Harford county system) the nod goes to the Unidens.

Finally, I'm sure you know by now that ARC250 is the software to use if you get the Unidens; and on the Capitol Hill Monitors website, we have several files you can load for this program to get you started. The same for Win96.

73s for now...Mike

 

[doctordave]

Certainly do some research....you've heard a few opinions from some strong supporters of the RS Pro-96 - and it is a good radio. I actually prefer the Uniden 296/796 digital radios and have several of each....and am ordering a few for Christmas gifts. One nice feature is the ability to directly/quickly access talk groups and scroll through the list. You'll get a sense of the pros/cons of each side as you read the comparison threads.....there are some great reviews on the RR home page, as well. You might also check www.strongsignals.com for some other reviews.

Good luck! Either way (Uniden or RS), you'll be well served. I will, no doubt, add a pro-96 to my collection if/when another sale comes along. Of note, RS will come out with a mobile/base version of the Pro-96 in roughly 1/05.

Dave

 

[ka3jjz]

I was leaning towards the Uniden BC796D, but is kinda pricey. Is anybody using one of these ?

John, as you live in my neck of the woods, digital is big here; the BC246T, while a very interesting scanner, isn't digital capable. And before you get caught up in them, neither are the BC898T or the BCT8.

To help you do some research, I've gathered some links for you; hold onto your hat, it's going to be a little bumpy...

http://henney.com/chm/links/scanners.htm#DIGTRNK

http://www.pro-96.info/

http://strongsignals.net/access/clubs/bc296d/index.cgi

http://strongsignals.net/access/clubs/bc796d/index.cgi

http://strongsignals.net/access/clubs/pro-96/index.cgi

http://www.butelsoftware.com/bc785/bc250index.html

http://henney.com/chm/files/ARCbackup/index.htm

http://www.starrsoft.com/software/win96/

http://henney.com/chm/files/p96files/

73s and enjoy the digging (wish I had some extra money for some, myself...) Mike

 

[ffjeff1984]

Jeff that's not a digital scanner.

I also recomend the pro96 over the Uniden model.

BTW, you're a lucky man. The nicest thing I ever got for Hannukah was win96 I actually got a frying pan one year......long story :lol:

It Might Not Be a Digital Scanner, But Its a Nice Scanner... I Can Still Pick
Up Far Away Frequencies...It Goes Up to 1400mhz...But I will like to Say
I Agree with You on The Pro96 I Also own That Particular Model...

 

[ffjeff1984]

I was leaning towards the Uniden BC796D, but is kinda pricey. Is anybody using one of these ?

Im Thinking of Buying
The BC796D Model...My Friend in The FD has The BC796D and Its a Very
Nice Scanner...

 

[Dougie]

If you wanta little better sound (pro-96),easier battery charging(pro-96,If you want stations that are distant picked up easily(uniden). If you want a easier to use scanner(uniden). The thing is "you want a digital scanner", well go try them both out at the stores there sold at and see which one wins you over. The big thing is dont hurry and get one just to get one. There both good in there own ways.

 

[dynamitedjs]

I've had both and prefer the 296 over the 96. The 296 is a more detailed scanner as far as options. It does things the 96 doesnt. If you want a easy to program scanner and not have all the bells & whistles go with the 96. If you want to know whats happening (ie I calls and active id's) and much much more, go with the 296 or 796.

 

[doctordave]

BTW....there is a posting on the Radio Shack Forum, suggesting that the Pro-96 will be $150 off (total $350) Thur through Sun this week....quite a nice price.

Dave

 

[gwgvfdpio]

Very happy with my Pro-96, which I've had since shortly after they came on the market about a year ago. I use it, primarily, for Montgomery County Fire and PD and DC Fire and PD, but I've traveled with it to NYC and to Boston and found that I could hear everything I wanted on 46 mHz, 154 mHz, 450 mHz and 800 mHz.

The one significant disadvantage is that it's difficult to move directly to a specific talk-group. If I've listening to 7A, for example, and I want to switch to 7G I need to put the unit into scan and wait until a transmission on 7G stops the scanning...then press "pause."

73,

Ed, KR3E

 

[kikito]

The one significant disadvantage is that it's difficult to move directly to a specific talk-group. If I've listening to 7A, for example, and I want to switch to 7G I need to put the unit into scan and wait until a transmission on 7G stops the scanning...then press "pause."

73,

Ed, KR3E

You DON'T really need to wait for the talkgroup to become active, there's several ways to go and Hold on a talkgroup that's not active. One is to press FUNC+TRUNK and then hit TRUNK until you get to the sub-bank where the TG is and then use the up-down arrows to get to it and press FUNC+TRUNK again and voila!

 

[ScanManQSL]

Quick Tip

The one significant disadvantage is that it's difficult to move directly to a specific talk-group. If I've listening to 7A, for example, and I want to switch to 7G I need to put the unit into scan and wait until a transmission on 7G stops the scanning...then press "pause."

Quicktip for you :wink:

The radio is paused on 7A you hear the "Beep x5"

:arrow: Press PRG then TRUNK then arrow up to 7G then FUNC + TRUNK

:arrow: you can also press PRG then TRUNK and TRUNK again to change the banks


- Ben -




kikito you beat me by a min

 

[kikito]

Re: Quick Tip

kikito you beat me by a min

If you "HOLD", you lose!!!! :lol: