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| Reviews Summary for Radio Shack PRO-96 Digital Trunking Scanner |
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Reviews: 23
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Average rating: 4.4/5
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MSRP: $499.00
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Description: This Analog, digital APCO-25 3600/9600 BPS EDACS and Motorola trunking scanner is the most advanced scanner on the market today.
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More info: http://www.radioshack.com
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write your own review of the Radio Shack PRO-96 Digital Trunking Scanner.
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W2DI
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 14, 2007 08:03
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Edge to Pro-96
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've had both the BCD-396 and Pro-96 - just have the Pro-96 now.
Both are really fine radios and top of the line scanners for both digital and analog use.
For the BCD-396, I like the following:
-Size. Smaller than the Pro-96. Just the perfect size
-Blue Display. Just my preference.
-Memory Management, More flexible and open than the Pro. Not thrilled with the Pro V-File arrangement. Works ok but a little cumbersome compared to the 396.
-Scan Speed. Might be a hair faster than the Pro, but hard to tell.
-WFM. You can receive TV and FM commercial stations. Cannot with the Pro.
For the Pro-96 I like the following:
-I used Radio Reference for both but the Pro is, IMO, easier to program from scratch, if you get all the info. As a previous writer said, you can easily program in the control channels and set-up a few other things and scan away. You'll track all the system ID's but not know what they are for. With R/Ref, you get much more info.
-The Pro has a better AGC and handles digital signals better. The 396 will sometimes pop or take time to even out. Got to be careful with phones.
-The Pro does last longer with a set of batteries. The 396 is not bad, but the PRO is better.
-The Pro seems to be a bit more sensitive with the stock antennas. However, for the 800MHz band, the RS 800MHz duck is a noticable improvement.
-Pro seems to have more robust audio.
-Lastly, I was fortunate to get the Pro for 399. That helps.
Both are great. I would agree with others that the 396 has the edge with features, flexibility and looks while the Pro has an edge with performance.
Just observations, no measuring done.
Thanks for reading.
Joe
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SIERRAHOTEL
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 14, 2007 07:11
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Great.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just bought one of these, after several local agencies went over to digital. I had friends with both the Uniden Bearcat 396T and the GRE made Pro-96, and I borrowed both to compare them so I could decide which one I wanted to finally buy.
As far as initial set up to scan, the 96 wins, hands down. All you need to do to scan most Motorola systems, both digital and analog, is to set a bank to Mo trunked mode and program just the control channels and scan away. I had the 3 major trunked systems set up in less than a half hour, using the keypad on the radio. It would have been even faster if I had the cable adaptor I needed. The Bearcat took a long time to set up the same way, the file I used to set it up was incorrect and I had to redo it, basically from scratch. I found the Bearcat's keypad too small and very annoying to use. Bearcat's trunk setup is more flexible, but for most users, it's too complex for it's own good. Once I get the cable to program the 96, I will add the alpha tags for the talkgroups, but I can listen fine without them.
Sensitivity was about the same, the bearcat seemed a little better on the air band but the 96 had better audio, and digital signals that were barely readable on the bearcat weren't great on the 96, but not nearly as bad as they were on the 396T. Both radios had oddly acting volume controls. Both of them went totally silent after I turned them down and I forgot to turn them back up. I think most of the diffference in sensitivity is due to the stock antennas.
Both radios share a lot of the same features, many of them of almost no use to most users, some, like the 396T's Close Call feature, might come in handy at the NHRA or NASCAR races.
I like the blue backlight color on the 396T better than the 96's amber, but I have problems reading it in my old age, but I can read the 96's display without any problems. I wish both manufacturers would add a color change feature to a future model, my 2-meter mobile's backlight can be green or amber. I greatly prefer the green, the amber is annoying.
Both radios use good old, can get anywhere, AA batteries. For RS, this is nothing new, but Uniden finally abandoned the overpriced battery back nonsense after about 20 years. I don't know how many times my old BC-205's battery pack died unexpectedly. I made the decision not to buy any Uniden scanner until the got rid of the battery packs and went to AA batteries. I'm glad to see they finally wised up.
Compared to my old Pro-93, battery life isn't as good, but I got about 16-17 hours on a set of AA's. I got about 13-14 hours on the 396. It uses just 3 AA batteries compared to the 96's 4, and I think that's part of the reason the 96 has louder audio.
I am very happy with this scanner, as I have been with my previous Pro-93. Radio Shack has another winner here. There's nothing really wrong with the 396T, but it's too complicated to use, IMO. Ease of use, louder audio, and better digital audio make it the clear winner, for me anyway.
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KZ5I
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 4, 2007 01:54
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Good Scanner
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I will agree with an earlier review that the radio is difficult to program and I will also STRONGLY AGREE with another earlier review about a good support network being available for the Pro-96.
Once I got some very good programs and very good advice from the support network, I was on my way. The Pro-96 is very versatile and does a lot of things extremely well.
Overall I am very happy with this scanner.
' 73 Emmett KZ5I
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KA3UIX
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Rating: 3/5
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Jan 24, 2007 07:24
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Complicated
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I've had the scanner for several months and in general think it is of Good Quality especially from Radio Shack. At $500, the unit is OVERPRICED, but Radio Shack obviously know that they and Uniden have little competition otherwise and the unit is in demand. The unit does go on sale on a rare occasion and if you apply for a Radio Shack credit card, you'll get another 10% off.
The unit is complicated to operate and program. Unless you are or wish to be a PC Geek, IT Engineer or Computer Programmer, it may be a frustrating experience and expensive wasteful investment. The features and technology get in the way of using and operating the radio. Why would I need a PC to operate a radio just to monitor public service?
And, while the audio and speaker is sharp for it's size, oftentimes part of the transmission is dropped and words and syllables are lost, which can have you miss out on key details and information.
It's OK but way, way expensive and overpriced.
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WN3R
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 24, 2007 06:44
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One neat little radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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To add to the comments below, the people who own these radios are willing to share info and programming. Without this community it would have taken me weeks to get this unit completely setup. Thanks to the others who went before me. Get Win96 and the USB programming cable for trouble free upgrading and programming. You can find a new PRO-96 on eBay for $400 or less. RS price is $500.
Metal case and great audio. This is not your typical radio shack quality.
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N0ZOA
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 14, 2006 12:17
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probably last scanner i wiil purchase
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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sort of a misleading summary, but i have had several radio shack scanners and this one tops them all. It is a little pricey at $499 but if you wait until around the holidays like upcoming Xmas they will probably be marked down $100 like i got mine for $399 instead of $499. What is amazing about this radio is that its value has not gone down at all because they started out as $499 when they first hit the narket and thats what they still are for the most part. I think they keep them expensive to keep them out of your average criminal types that listen to cops for other things other than just becuase radio is their hobby, and at the price you pretty much have to be into radio hobby seriously. I can also honestly say that i compare this radios quality right up there with my Yeasu FT-530 that i have had and never has let me down since i got my ticket in 93. DO NOT HESTITATE to buy this radio if you have the extra cash.
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i forgot to post that if you have a com port on your computer they have a 1.3 firmware update on this radio i just did it today. not sure if they allow links on this forum but here it is http://makeashorterlink.com/?N10052A9D this is a shorter link so it dont take up alot of space and it will direct you to the radio shack site update of this radio
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WT3844
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 16, 2006 16:09
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GREAT HANDHELD
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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WELL IVE HAD THEM ALL A BC250D ABC296D AND 2 BC396TS.I HAVE SOLD ALL OF THEM AND BOUGHT A PRO 96.SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE.IVE ALWAYS BEEN A UNIDEN MAN BUT THE 96 BEATS ANY UNIDEN HANDHELD IVE OWNED NO THRESHOLD ADJUSTMENTS VERY SENSITIVE.I HAVE A BCD996T RIGHT NOW FOR A BASE UNIT.I DONT KNOW ABOUT A 2096 IF IT IS AS GOOD OR NOT.BUT YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH THE PRO96.
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KG6EJT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 19, 2005 14:18
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Fantastic Radio!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Really a great radio. I've owned a bunch of radios in over thirty years in the hobby, and I've got to say that the Pro-96 is one of the best, if not THE best I've owned.
There is a bit of a learning curve with the Pro-96, though not too bad. I would strongly suggest checking out Don Starr's Win96 to program the radio via computer. It makes it very easy.
LAPD APCO-25 comes in great as do all the analog systems, conventional and trunked. CTCSS works great too and the alpha tag display is a nice feature.
If you have APCO-25 systems in your area, this may be the radio for you.
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N2MWE
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 17, 2004 11:33
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Good Deal
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Having owned a BC250D for over a year now, I decided it was time to get a radio to decode Bergen County's soon to be up 9600 UHF trunking system. Playing with this scanner makes me wish I had waited to get this one in the first place. No playing with sound quality settings; this radio locks in with the digital AGC, and provides clear digital audio. Volume out of the speaker is excellent for noisy environments; it's almost as loud as a regular public safety radio. Another nice feature...two battery cases, one for rechargable AA and the other for regular alkaline or lithium AA batteries. I run this scanner off 4 Radio Shack AA NiMH 2000 ma batteries, and they last me for the better part of the day, almost ten or eleven hours.
A note for other Pro 96 owners...there is a reported bug in the radio that does not allow it to read 4xxxx talk groups...Radio Shack is taking the radios back under warranty for a CPU Version 1.3 fix.
I give this radio a 4 because it lacks LTR and EDACS SCAT trunking. Maybe the new mobile scanner RS is coming out with will have LTR.
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KA2AYR
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 28, 2003 17:00
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2 Month Followup Review
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Now that I've had this for two months, here is some additional information about the unit I have (S/N: C0110xx).
Measured sensitivity (12 dB SINAD analog FM):
29.600 = -117.8 dBm (0.28uV)
33.860 = -117.8 dBm (0.28uV)
46.420 = -118.4 dBm (0.26uV)
52.525 = -117.5 dBm (0.29uV)
146.5200 = -117.5 dBm (0.29uV)
154.4450 = -117.5 dBm (0.29uV)
154.4525 = -116.3 dBm (0.34uV) @ 2.0 kHz dev
162.5500 = -116.9 dBm (0.31uV)
222.0000 = -114.8 dBm (0.40uV)
446.0000 = -115.3 dBm (0.38uV)
453.4000 = -116.1 dBm (0.35uV)
470.8375 = -116.7 dBm (0.32uV)
501.7625 = -115.4 dBm (0.37uV)
851.0125 = -115.7 dBm (0.36uV)
860.2625 = -116.3 dBm (0.34uV)
868.5125 = -116.0 dBm (0.35uV)
908.0000 = -113.8 dBm (0.45uV)
935.0000 = -112.9 dBm (0.50uV)
(AM sensitivity in aviation not measured)
My experience is not similar to Andrew's; my unit's volume control lower-end tapers down from somewhat loud to completely muted very quickly. It is difficult adjusting a comfortable level in a quiet environment as it becomes a very critical adjustment. I find myself constantly inadvertently muting the receiver by adjusting the volume and only notice after an unusual period of inactivity. The process is most annoying and wastes batteries as the unit remains on and continues to scan. I'd rather have a pre-determined level as a minimum rather than total muting (that's better done by the "off" position) and more range from the lower end of the volume control. Painting the groove in the volume knob is a good visual indicator to avoid this. Using user-preference e-pots and a digital volume control in future versions would be nice. When the warranty is up I'll probably place a resistor in series with the ground end of the volume pot to create a minimum level or change the pot out with a similar-sized one of a different taper.
I've placed some clear packing tape over the display window to avoid scratches and damage. It's easier peeling off damaged tape than replacing the clear plastic and I don't notice any impairment from having it there.
I am also able to induce noise similar to the iDEN problem previously described from transmitting within 3 feet with a 5 Watt UHF portable (1/4 wave antenna).
There is also some "talk-off" in CTCSS decode most noticed when fire alert paging sends tones below 400 Hz. On the Pro-96, CTCSS seems to drop out and the scan resumes as if the base unkeyed, but this is not really the case as confirmed by a modulation scope and portable radio with a known working CTCSS decode.
All in all, I'm not disappointed with the overall performance of the Pro-96 and consider it to be a one of the better things "the Shack" has ever sold.
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