newbie here - scanner question

[Adeel]

hey guys,

looking to pick up a scanner and don't know anything about them. went into radio shack this morning and they had a basic one for 100 but it didn't have "trunking" or the abilities to change frequencies within a conversation or something. it looked like the next model up for 200 bucks did have that capability. to spot would i need this?

thanks much

[T-Bird76]

I have the Pro 82-200 and it works great. I'm not looking for advanced features but this is the one alot of us have. Easy to use and serves the purpose nicely. I've been happy with it.

[NYARTCCFAN]

Pro-95 for me it has trunking capabilities and good features for 150 or so. PRO-94 is a good radio as well less expensive.

[Gerard]

http://www.uniden.com

[SengaB]

Radio Shack has scaled back their line up of scanners. One of the biggest problems with then is that most are not very loud. But they are very sturdy units.

Currently I use.
Pro-528
(Nice scanner and my latest) different manufacturer for (Radio Shack) good loud speaker good reception) layout and design and a pain. Not very user friendly

Pro-76
(good reception but quiet speaker) (got it in 1997/98 and still going strong!

Pro-94
(solid scanner and durable with good speaker but bad scratcy reception on the aviation band and some distortion through out the scanners range)

Pro-51
Similar to Pro-76

Sportys JD-100 model (Aviation Scanner)
(Superior reception and speaker) but Extreamly poor quality and design) I have replaced 5 of these over 11 years.

I had a Uniden Bearcat for (storm chasing)
Good scanner too.
Senga

[flyboy 28]

I have a Pro 82 as well, and I'm pretty happy with it. Depending on the weather, I can listen to New York Center on 134.6, and I live about 80 miles from JFK. I like it very much.

[Matt Molnar]

Not much of a scanner expert, but I don't think you need trunking unless you're trying to listen to police frequencies, right?

[tipek]

I bought my PRO-75 back in 1997 and still working fine. Friend of mine bought recently that $100 scaner at RadioShack and its pretty good.

Rafal

[SmAlbany]

Not much of a scanner expert, but I don't think you need trunking unless you're trying to listen to police frequencies, right?

Yes, for aircraft trunking is not needed.

If you want to listen in on emergency services in just about any large city you need to have trunking. Even with a trunking scanner, you'll need to spend some time with the user's manual and the internet to get it set up right.

I have had a couple of Radio Shack scanners over the years and they work just fine. Currently, I am using an Icom-R2 (current model is the R5) which I really like because it is small. My preferred listening method is to have the scanner in my pocket and to listen with ear buds. Great for low profile listening while waiting for a flight in the airport.

[Gerard]

> My preferred listening method is to have the scanner in my pocket and to listen with ear buds. Great for low profile listening while waiting for a flight in the airport<

Hehehe that has ALWAYS been my method of operation whether I am spotting or buffing (which I did a lot more in the old days than I do now). Always like to
remain under the radar so to speak.

[Lezam]

PRO-83 for my portable scanner, love it

[Adeel]

Thanks for all your input everyone. Just got back from the Shack and picked up a Pro-82. They only had a couple of models for sale and it was the only one mentioned here. Now just have to figure out how to program it once i get home. :)