PRo 96 digital scanner.

[alpinestars_2002795]

Thanks guys for the info. Looks like im going to have to stick to the radioshack though cause the bearcat is a wee bit tooo pricy i know, i know you get what you pay for. But its all i can afford. It will be my first ever apco 25 digital i have ever owned. All i have ever needed before was analog. I am now picking up my county's central dispatch on the analog again just like the old days! But the staties here run digital for sure. I want to be able to hear them. Never have been able to. They all run apco25's so the pro 96 should work just fine. Atleast i hope



AlPiNe~

[Spinner55]

:shock:

Hello,

I know the ISP (IL) is going to a 700/800 mhz digital trunking system. Leaving the old 42 mhz low band system. Some counties have signed on and moved entire police and fire comms. They are trying to move our county also.

So get a scanner that covers the new 700 mhz band.

Take care,

Spinner

[alpinestars_2002795]

Thanks spin..can't afford it i sure wish they would add a firmware update to the pro 96 and allow it to scan that bandwidth kinda upsets me after how much i just paid for a pro 96 that i still can't hear them



AlPiNe~

[Spinner55]

:?

Hello Alpine and the group,

Yes, a bit $$ for me also. I hope to someday get one of the new scanners, love the way some of them with a gps it adds channels.

Maybe if I get around of selling some of my radars and even the vg-2 I could afford them.

Take care,

Spin

[Spinner55]

:?


Some one please delete this double post. sorry work computer is very slow and i might have clicked on it twice.


Hello Alpine and the group,

Yes, a bit $$ for me also. I hope to someday get one of the new scanners, love the way some of them with a gps it adds channels.

Maybe if I get around of selling some of my radars and even the vg-2 I could afford them.

Take care,

Spin

[10-8]

if your just looking for the GPS capability and your not doing digital , the BCT-15 is what you want to look into. I've owned one for awhile before getting the 996t. It can be used to unlock sites or group frequencies by GPS, they have to be programed in and a center point plotted for each "bank", goes for both the bct-15 and the 996t. And they both can be mounted in the dash! I love that feature.

It has all the features of the 996t minus the digital stuff and the ability to change display screens from amber to green. It has the bear tracker alert which the 996T does not. and it's only around 175$ -220$ depending on where you get it from.

Have a good one

10-8

[Spinner55]

:?

Hello,

I would need digital, since even the Chicago Fire Department is moving toward leaving their 154.130 and 153.770 channels for the new 700 mhz digital trunking system. So if I wish to hear them and the Illinois State police and some counties that have already moved, need digital. Plus have the gps ability to add and lock out channels when driving around the state would be nice.

I am wondering how good 700/800 will be in coverage, as I have used 800 trunking systems before and while nice, coverage is same as a cell phone. Poor if you don't have tons of towers in the area. I would rather go to a vhf digital trunking system, better coverage etc. My problem is coverage inside a building while firefighting. Specially if you get into a area and cannot get back to a repeater. If the 'group' is jumping from channel to channel. How does someone do a simplex call for help out to the white hats or engines.

Here is a url to my last fire, first day after being promoted to Lt at station #3, about done with the shift we get this fire.
http://www.journalstandard.com/artic...1.txt%5Burl%5D

Had a back draft with glass flying over my head, building to the right the upper 3rd floor wall collapsed after I just barely got out. Was on the 3rd floor and smoke cleared, saw the wall was 'missing' about 1 ft high area about 30 ft wide. Called for everyone to leave and at the bottom of the steps it came crashing in. Later inspection showed the wall was missing about 6+ feet high and that entire 30+ ft area was gone. Close call again, had 6 downtown fires, 4 have tried to fall on me. :roll:

I am the FD's communications person, I prefer to stay VHF, better coverage, less towers to maintain and less cost. Let the big cities play with 700/800 digital. Use country departments hope to stay VHF.

Take care

Spinner

[10-8]

Oh yea you definetly want digital then

Wow what a situation, don't ya love those end of shift calls?

I agree on the VHF issue for rual areas, there are VHF apco 25 set-ups and uhf 450's and they work very well.

I wish ours would atleast get busy hold system, or go trunking. For instance here last night there were 2 personal injury accidents within 10 mins of each other and and both required a separate lifeflight launch. It was pretty bad communications wise. I mean so many people walking on each other, many calls had to be repeated only draw back of a conventional system with out a busy hold system in place. but this was in the county area so mostly volunteers that respond out.

have a good one
10-8

[Spinner55]

:?

Hello,

In that case, two 'working' channels is a help. Plus if we call in departments, we can go to NIFERN then to the red/white/blue setup. I setup using red=fire, white=command , blue=water (if tanking water) for big fires it seems to work ok.

Since by 2008, everyone will have to go to 12.5 narrow band, it will open lots of freqs and by 2012 the 6.25 digital channels will make it even better.
I would rather stay on VHF but by then, I should be retired. Just as long as I can listen.


Take care

Spinner