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Home Patrol -- Is it worth it?
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Kidd Joe
Feb 9, 2011, 11:33:23 AM2/9/11
to
I’m just fishing for some honest opinions here before I drop $500 on a
new scanner. I recently sold an unblocked AOL MKIII I bought in 2004,
because it became basically useless for the purpose of full coverage
scanning. I never lost my fascination for the hobby, so I’m
considering a Home Patrol (or a Pro-106) to at least enjoy the trunk
tracking capability it didn‘t have.
new scanner. I recently sold an unblocked AOL MKIII I bought in 2004,
because it became basically useless for the purpose of full coverage
scanning. I never lost my fascination for the hobby, so I’m
considering a Home Patrol (or a Pro-106) to at least enjoy the trunk
tracking capability it didn‘t have.
The problem for me is that with all this encrypting going on, is it
really worth the money? I mean how much longer can I take advantage of
casual eavesdropping before I end up with an expensive paper weight I
can‘t use for anything else? That’s why I’d appreciate your take on
it.
Thank You.
Barry OGrady
Feb 10, 2011, 12:27:27 AM2/10/11
to
On Wed, 9 Feb 2011 08:33:23 -0800 (PST), Kidd Joe <tuls...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
wrote:
There will always be unencripted transmissions on AM and FM.
>
>Thank You.
Kidd Joe
Feb 10, 2011, 12:57:56 PM2/10/11
to
I know that's true Barry, and that's why I've decided not to buy
another scanner.
another scanner.
After all, the best activity is encrypted anyway, and I can think of
better things to do with $500.
Thanks to those who replied ... and to those who never got the chance..
Barry OGrady
Feb 10, 2011, 8:11:58 PM2/10/11
to
In Australia at the present there are still some police using analog,
and there are still many less interesting services such as buses and
some taxis using analog.
Also aircraft and CB radio.
R S H
Sep 13, 2012, 3:45:10 PM9/13/12
to
This is a year and a half later, and the price of my PSR-800 from GRE was about $380, as opposed to the $500 or so for the Home Patrol,
which basically does the same things.
Is it worth it:? With weekly updates from RadioReference, and easy updating of the firmware and software, when compared to the PRO-95 I had
before the PSR-800, in my view the answer is yes.
Toronto was relatively easy to program, even if, because it is in Canada, one cannot just enter a zip code and let it pull in everything
that might be relevant. In Houston one enters a zip code such as 77030 and it runs with that and installs, from scan list 150 upwards,
everything it thinks relevant for Houston and nearby parts of Texas. No such ability for Canada and Canadian cities, but it still has all
the RadioReference lists for all of Canada
The sound is definitely better than the PRO-95, also built by GRE. The use of a microSD card and the built in tap, etc. all make it worth it
in my view.
Will it handle non-standard encryption? No, but if you can find software that will do the job, a feed from the stereo earphone plug to the
computer's microphone in plug permits you to run the intercept to the computer.
Anyway, I have a few minor issues but in the main I rather like the PSR-800, its ability to record transmissions as received, and its
relative ease of use and control.
FWIW
RsH
which basically does the same things.
Is it worth it:? With weekly updates from RadioReference, and easy updating of the firmware and software, when compared to the PRO-95 I had
before the PSR-800, in my view the answer is yes.
Toronto was relatively easy to program, even if, because it is in Canada, one cannot just enter a zip code and let it pull in everything
that might be relevant. In Houston one enters a zip code such as 77030 and it runs with that and installs, from scan list 150 upwards,
everything it thinks relevant for Houston and nearby parts of Texas. No such ability for Canada and Canadian cities, but it still has all
the RadioReference lists for all of Canada
The sound is definitely better than the PRO-95, also built by GRE. The use of a microSD card and the built in tap, etc. all make it worth it
in my view.
Will it handle non-standard encryption? No, but if you can find software that will do the job, a feed from the stereo earphone plug to the
computer's microphone in plug permits you to run the intercept to the computer.
Anyway, I have a few minor issues but in the main I rather like the PSR-800, its ability to record transmissions as received, and its
relative ease of use and control.
FWIW
RsH
Message has been deleted
R S H
Sep 21, 2012, 12:24:05 AM9/21/12
to
On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:17:13 -0700, The Other Guy <Knews...@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:45:10 -0400, R S H <rsh...@rogers.com> wrote:
>
>>This is a year and a half later, and the price of my PSR-800 from GRE was about $380, as opposed to the $500 or so for the Home Patrol,
>>which basically does the same things.
>>
>>Is it worth it:?
>
>You need to add $100 to the Home Patrol to get the 'extra' features.
>
>But it REALLY isn't THAT hard to program a scanner, even a trunking
>scanner.
>
>And by doing it yourself, you get what YOU WANT, and not just some
>huge mishmash of stuff JUST because it's something you CAN hear in
>your area.
>
>I programmed a Home Patrol for a handicapped person, who was VERY set
>in what he wanted.
>
>I used the zip code process, and ended up spending 5 times as long as
>usual DELETING things he didn't want and would never listen to, as I
>would have doing it the normal way from scratch.
>
>If he had a 396 or 996, it would have taken my 5 minutes or less to
>adjust my programming and flash his radio.
In Canada one cannot use the zip code method, which on the PSR-800 fills in scanlists starting at 150 so still leaves the first 149 empty.
[Tried the for Houson's 77030, so found out]... So it is relatively easy to go through the lists and change the scanlist number to an empty
lower one, such as 1 or 2 or whatever you have not used for those specific things you want to keep, then delete all of the rest via a CTRL-A
and then a delete, should you want to go that route. In Canada you are forced to be more selective to begin with, since you need to pick
Canada, Province, County and then go down from there, in the main.
So I agree that the ZIP code process is a bit of overkill as it seems to pull in all of Texas if you use a Houston zip code, but it is still
easy to strip it down in the PSR-800 IF you want to do that. I suspect it is simpler to just go to Houston and pick what you want from the
available choices. That is what I did for my part of Canada.
RsH
>On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:45:10 -0400, R S H <rsh...@rogers.com> wrote:
>
>>This is a year and a half later, and the price of my PSR-800 from GRE was about $380, as opposed to the $500 or so for the Home Patrol,
>>which basically does the same things.
>>
>>Is it worth it:?
>
>
>But it REALLY isn't THAT hard to program a scanner, even a trunking
>scanner.
>
>And by doing it yourself, you get what YOU WANT, and not just some
>huge mishmash of stuff JUST because it's something you CAN hear in
>your area.
>
>I programmed a Home Patrol for a handicapped person, who was VERY set
>in what he wanted.
>
>I used the zip code process, and ended up spending 5 times as long as
>usual DELETING things he didn't want and would never listen to, as I
>would have doing it the normal way from scratch.
>
>If he had a 396 or 996, it would have taken my 5 minutes or less to
>adjust my programming and flash his radio.
In Canada one cannot use the zip code method, which on the PSR-800 fills in scanlists starting at 150 so still leaves the first 149 empty.
[Tried the for Houson's 77030, so found out]... So it is relatively easy to go through the lists and change the scanlist number to an empty
lower one, such as 1 or 2 or whatever you have not used for those specific things you want to keep, then delete all of the rest via a CTRL-A
and then a delete, should you want to go that route. In Canada you are forced to be more selective to begin with, since you need to pick
Canada, Province, County and then go down from there, in the main.
So I agree that the ZIP code process is a bit of overkill as it seems to pull in all of Texas if you use a Houston zip code, but it is still
easy to strip it down in the PSR-800 IF you want to do that. I suspect it is simpler to just go to Houston and pick what you want from the
available choices. That is what I did for my part of Canada.
RsH
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