[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Montgomery county trs is mixed mode, at this point with about 60% of the > county digital capable. Many municipalities have not upgraded all their > radios yet. I can still use my PRO-92 most of the time. I know I know, I > should have upgraded by last years fest. No $. If my old cameras > sell... One question PRO-96 or BCD396T ? And why ? Thank you. CRAIG > > PS: 138.425mhz used at Willow Grove JRB is now using mixed mode > P25/analogueFM
Hello, I have both the Pro-96 and BCD396T. I suggest you also read the threads on www.radioreference.com. I use the BCD396T more. Most people say the audio quality is better on the 96 and I can hear a difference. The 396 has other features that to me outweigh the slight degrade of audio. The P25 audio has improved on the 396 through firmware upgrades. The 396 is smaller and I am more likely to put it in my coat pocket or cell phone pocket of my computer case. I like the systems/groups/channels scheme on the 396 better than the virtualbanks/banks/channels scheme on the 96. I have a PA Statewide system that is enabled on both a Kulpsville and a Dayton trip. On the 96 I would likely have it in a Kulpsville virtual bank and Dayton Trip virtual bank. Having data in two places means you update it two times or miss updating one! I also like being able to group channels together on the 396 and use the Group alpha tag to provide more information. I like being able to computer control the 396 (if I remember to bring the cable). There are computer programs that can record audio separated out by frequency+tone/channel/talkgroup so you can search while attending the forums. Pro96com is a neat program to decode 9600 baud control channels using the 96. Several years ago I tried to decode a 380 MHz P25 system in Washington DC and and found the 96 is deaf at 380 MHz. My Uniden 796 could hear the control channel but could not trunk track. Somebody else was able to decode the control channel with a 96 using another receiver as a front end. The 396 will trunk track a 380 MHz system. It is now possible to use other programs like Unitrunker to decode 9600 baud control channels. A 396 firmware update changed the default for 380 MHz from AM to FM as 380 MHz is being used for trunked radio systems. Both scanners have the wrong default step size for NBFM systems on 217 and 220 MHz. The step size can be changed on the 396. Mobex has a FM Land Mobile system in Philly using Passport on the 217.5 to 218 MHz band. http://www.radioreference.com/modules.php?name=RR&sid=3185 I like upgrading the 396 myself instead shipping the 96 off to Texas and paying $50+. Pro-96 was the "first to market" 9600 baud P25 system scanner. I feel that Radio Shack needs a follow-on product that addresses some of the issues. 73 Eric _______________________________________________ Swlfest mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], or visit the URL shown above. For more information on the Fest, visit: http://www.swlfest.com http://swlfest.blogspot.com
