Just found stuff on a Uniden BCT15X. Under $200 and supports some digital trunking systems and analog. Desktop model, and computer programmable. Anyone know anything about that one?
> On Aug 16, 2014, at 5:10 PM, Lou Kolb <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Here in Williamsport Pa, a fairly small city in a largely rural area, they
> had an analog trunking system back in the 90s. They were so disapointed with
> it that, ten years later, they went back to open analog repeater systems in
> the 150 megahertz range. Plus, we have a couple uHF systems as well. My
> question is what is a good analog scanner for those frequencies that has a
> decent front end. We have a couple cheap ones that are sensitive enough but
> the intermod and mixing is just aweful. Suggestions apreciated. Thanks and
> 73. Lou WA3MIX
> Lou Kolb
> Voice-over Artist:
> Radio/TV Ads, Video narrations
> Messages On-hold:
> www.loukolb.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2014 2:43 PM
> Subject: Re: Comments on trunked systems
>
>
>> A few communities near me and on cape cod actually went back to
>> conventional
>> because of all the problems with the trunking systems.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2014 1:37 PM
>> Subject: Comments on trunked systems
>>
>>
>>> I think that in general, counties and states have been sold a
>>> pipe dream when it comes to the new digital trunked systems.
>>> They are very complex. A few years ago, I heard Richmond CA's
>>> trunked system go down and in a few hours when it became evident
>>> that there were some serious issues, the county sheriff folks
>>> came out with a truck load of handheld radios for the local cops
>>> to use while they were fixing the Edacs trunked system. More
>>> recently, Oakland's problem-ridden trunked system went down when
>>> the POTUS was in town and I think Oakland has recently decided to
>>> scrap their hugely expensive system and join the EBRCS system
>>> used by Alameda and Contra Costa County that has come online over
>>> the past couple years. In all fairness, that EBRCS p25
>>> system seems to work alright but for the kind of garbled sound
>>> you sometimes hear but maybe that's just on kind of cheap
>>> scanners. Actually one of the reasons for trunking namely
>>> sharing frequencies, is a very sound one when you think of say a
>>> conventional frequency used by a fire department that may only be
>>> used a few times each hour, but my opinion still hasn't changed
>>> about the hype and complexity that has gone into the new systems.
>>> I really do hope that many agencies hold on to their old
>>> conventional frequencies for a long time. I could go on about
>>> this but will not. Jim WA6EKS
>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: Butch Bussen <[log in to unmask]
>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>> Date sent: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 07:38:05 -0700
>>>> Subject: Re: Programming a PSR500?
>>>
>>>> THis is I think their third attempt. When I first moved there,
>>> the
>>>> state blew 20 million or so on a vhf system fro motorola and had
>>> to
>>>> scrap that one as they weren't licensed. Of course, the guy who
>>> was in
>>>> charge of that had just retired. hmmmmm. They then spent
>>> another twenty
>>>> mil on something else which didn't work, and now they're messing
>>> with
>>>> this desert sky system. When I left in 2010, one of the main
>>> techs was
>>>> in our ham club and he said it wasn't any good. Audio sounded
>>> like you
>>>> were blowing bubbles througha straw.
>>>> 73
>>>> Butch
>>>> WA0VJR
>>>> Node 3148
>>>> Wallace, ks.
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Fri, 15 Aug 2014, Ron Miller
>>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>> Hi Butch,
>>>>> Yes, LV has gone to Open Sky (called desert sky for their
>>> system) but are
>>>>> extremely dissatisfied with it. They proposed switching to a
>>> P25 system but
>>>>> have not yet done so. I suspect budget constraints are holding
>>> them back.
>>>>> The article I read indicated they invested a lot in the desert
>>> sky system.
>>>
>>>>> Ron Miller
>>>
>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: For blind ham radio operators
>>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>>>>> On Behalf Of Butch Bussen
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2014 11:00 PM
>>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>> Subject: Re: Programming a PSR500?
>>>
>>>>> I have a rat shack pro 433 and a hand held 528, take the same
>>> programming
>>>>> software. This software doesn't talk at all. I did get it
>>> programmed when
>>>>> I lived in Vegas, I subscribed to some data base and finally
>>> figured how to
>>>>> have it download the file to the scanner, but it wasn't very
>>> speech friendly
>>>>> either, and I haven't even unpacked the thing since I moved back
>>> to Kansas.
>>>>> I think h p has gone trunking and some cities have gone to some
>>> sort of
>>>>> digital that can't be received by any scanner. I'm told Vegas
>>> has since
>>>>> gone to blue sky or something like that which can't be monitored
>>> either.
>>>>> 73
>>>>> Butch
>>>>> WA0VJR
>>>>> Node 3148
>>>>> Wallace, ks.
>>>
>>>
>>>>> On Thu, 14 Aug 2014, Jim
>>>>> Gammon wrote:
>>>
>>>>>> Colin, have you been able to manually program a PSR500? You have
>>> much
>>>>>> more knowledge or patience than I do. Jim WA6EKS
>>>
>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>> From: Colin McDonald <[log in to unmask]
>>>>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>>>> Date sent: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 19:13:10 -0600
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: accessible scanners
>>>
>>>>>>> that is a pretty subjective question...
>>>>>>> It really depends on how familiar you are with programming
>>> logic,
>>>>>> and how
>>>>>>> trunked systems are programmed, or if you use radio reference
>>> and
>>>>>> that sort
>>>>>>> of thing.
>>>>>>> These days, using radio reference to program your scanner makes
>>>>>> them nearly
>>>>>>> plug and play devices...but for those of us who have used
>>>>>> scanners for many
>>>>>>> years had to deal with manual programming on radios that didn't
>>>>>> offer any
>>>>>>> sort of real accessible feedback...but were also all
>>> programmable
>>>>>> via the
>>>>>>> keypad...so as long as you can work out a key chart for a
>>>>>> particular
>>>>>>> scanner, most of them are usable, though not to the point where
>>>>>> you can
>>>>>>> always be sure of a particular state, IE, which banks or groups
>>>>>> are turned
>>>>>>> on or off at any given point etc, or what the display shows and
>>>>>> so on.
>>>>>>> Anyway, out of the box, with a little learning, you should be
>>>>>> fine.
>>>>>>> The manuals are online and the best way to learn any new piece
>>> of
>>>>>> gear is
>>>>>>> through trial and error...you really can't screw anything up
>>>>>> beyond what a
>>>>>>> reset can fix.
>>>>>>> I usually learn the programming by entering a system in a few
>>>>>> times and
>>>>>>> resetting so I can get the hang of it before entering a whole
>>>>>> bunch of
>>>>>>> systems and frequencies in, just to find out after that I did
>>>>>> something
>>>>>>> wrong.
>>>>>>> Plugging into radio reference will program the scanner for you
>>>>>> and set
>>>>>>> everything up in a nice easy to use manner...but I believe there
>>>>>> is a
>>>>>>> fee...but it works well if you travel or go between counties or
>>>>>> cities where
>>>>>>> there are allot of systems.
>>>>>>> Upgrade to the psr800 and you get an SD card that you can load
>>>>>> all your
>>>>>>> systems on to, and record scanner audio as well.
>>>
>>>>>>> 73
>>>>>>> Colin, V A6BKX
>>>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>> From: "Matthew Chao" <[log in to unmask]
>>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2014 6:20 PM
>>>>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: accessible scanners
>>>
>>>>>>>> How easy is it to program out of the box?--Matt, N1IBB.
>>>
>>>>>>>> At 05:23 PM 8/14/2014, you wrote:
>>>>>>>>> I highly recommend the PSR-500...on tests with very high end
>>> test
>>>>>>>>> equipment the GRE PSR-500 has measurably better receiver
>>>>>>>>> sensativity.
>>>>>>>>> The audio is excellent as well and very easy to hear even in
>>>>>> noisy
>>>>>>>>> environments.
>>>
>>>>>>>>> 73
>>>>>>>>> Colin, V A6BKX
>>>>>>>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>>>> From: "Matthew Chao" <[log in to unmask]
>>>>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2014 2:43 PM
>>>>>>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]
>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: accessible scanners
>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Which one would you guys recommend: the bcd396, or this
>>>>>> one?--Matt,
>>>>>>>>>> N1IBB.
>>>
>>>>>>>>>> At 02:33 PM 8/14/2014, you wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Russ, It's a handheld scanner. Jim WA6EKS
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>>>>>>> From: Russ Kiehne <[log in to unmask]
>>>>>>>>>>>> To: [log in to unmask] Date sent: Thu, 14 Aug 2014
>>>>>>>>>>>> 08:37:24 -0700
>>>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: accessible scanners
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Is the psr500 a base or handheld scanner?
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 8/14/2014 8:27 AM, Ron Miller wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi ,
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Yes it does decode P25.
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Also, Jim, I am most definitely not saying that we should
>>>>>>>>>>> discourage Whistle=
>>>>>>>>>>>>> r from designing accessibility features into their scanner
>>>>>>>>>>> receivers. Quite t=
>>>>>>>>>>>>> he contrary, I am all for it. In fact, I had begun a dialog
>>>>>>>>>>> with the folks a=
>>>>>>>>>>>>> t GRE America on this very subject.
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> The intent of my post was simply to respond to a previous
>>>>>>>>>>> message about Whis=
>>>>>>>>>>>>> tler's current scanner line and to say that I'm successfully
>>>>>>>>>>> using the PSR-5=
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 00 along with PSREdit and the Whistler version of this scanner
>>>>>>>>>>> should be equ=
>>>>>>>>>>>>> ally usable.
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> BTW, Russ, if we can work out a time, I would be glad to chat
>>>>>>>>>>> with you about=
>>>>>>>>>>>>> how I use PSREdit.
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> 73,
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ron Miller
>>>>>>>>>>>>> N6MSA
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ron Miller
>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Aug 14, 2014, at 10:11 AM, Russ Kiehne <[log in to unmask]
>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> =20
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Does the psr500 do p25?
>>
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