Radio Shack has the pro 2052 on sale.

Living in a non-digital county this radio looks like an inexpensive
way of getting into computer "controlled" scanning.


Is the available software any good.
Is the radio worth it?
Are the frequency files in a std format (CSV or TXT)
Is their an S-meter or Band Scope?
Which software is best for the radio?

I would love to hear any comments on any aspect of this radio.

I would spend a little more, and get the Uniden Bearcat BC898-T:
http://www.buyreliant.com/scanner/bc898t.htm

I think you can get them on eBay for under $200.00.

Bill Crocker



"B L R" wrote in message
m...
Radio Shack has the pro 2052 on sale.

Living in a non-digital county this radio looks like an inexpensive
way of getting into computer "controlled" scanning.


Is the available software any good.
Is the radio worth it?
Are the frequency files in a std format (CSV or TXT)
Is their an S-meter or Band Scope?
Which software is best for the radio?

I would love to hear any comments on any aspect of this radio.

Quite frankly, I was not familiar with the BC898T.

It also appears to be a relatively inexpensive way of getting into computer
controlled (w/trunking) radio.

What software do you use?
What are the strengths of this radio (or weaknesses of the 2052) that
influenced you to choose this radio?
Is the computer connection cable unique.

Does the software you use provide:

S-meter?
Band Scope?
Can you edit the frequency file in notepad, excel or other software?.

Thanks
Bruce

"Bill Crocker" wrote in message
...
I would spend a little more, and get the Uniden Bearcat BC898-T:
http://www.buyreliant.com/scanner/bc898t.htm

I think you can get them on eBay for under $200.00.

Bill Crocker



"B L R" wrote in message
m...
Radio Shack has the pro 2052 on sale.

Living in a non-digital county this radio looks like an inexpensive
way of getting into computer "controlled" scanning.


Is the available software any good.
Is the radio worth it?
Are the frequency files in a std format (CSV or TXT)
Is their an S-meter or Band Scope?
Which software is best for the radio?

I would love to hear any comments on any aspect of this radio.

Uniden has free software you can download from their web site. They also
have a more extensive version, that you can buy. Butel also has excellent
software for this radio now!

I like it's size, layout, and controls. Audio is loud, and clear. It
receives Mil-Air! It supports CTCSS/DCS decoding! 1000 Talk Groups.
Modulation override, AM/FM/NFM.

The computer connection is an industry standard, DB9 RS232 Serial Port.
Standard, off the shelf serial cables work fine, and are very inexpensive.

Here is the link for Butel Softwa http://www.butel.nl/ You can check
out the features there...as well as screen shots.

If anyone mentions the system lock-up problem, that the BC898-T had, it has
been corrected with new firmware from Uniden. It should already be
installed in current shipments, but if not, it's available from Uniden's web
site, as a free download, and it very easy to install.

Bill Crocker




"B L R" wrote in message
om...
Quite frankly, I was not familiar with the BC898T.

It also appears to be a relatively inexpensive way of getting into
computer
controlled (w/trunking) radio.

What software do you use?
What are the strengths of this radio (or weaknesses of the 2052) that
influenced you to choose this radio?
Is the computer connection cable unique.

Does the software you use provide:

S-meter?
Band Scope?
Can you edit the frequency file in notepad, excel or other software?.

Thanks
Bruce

"Bill Crocker" wrote in message
...
I would spend a little more, and get the Uniden Bearcat BC898-T:
http://www.buyreliant.com/scanner/bc898t.htm

I think you can get them on eBay for under $200.00.

Bill Crocker



"B L R" wrote in message
m...
Radio Shack has the pro 2052 on sale.

Living in a non-digital county this radio looks like an inexpensive
way of getting into computer "controlled" scanning.


Is the available software any good.
Is the radio worth it?
Are the frequency files in a std format (CSV or TXT)
Is their an S-meter or Band Scope?
Which software is best for the radio?

I would love to hear any comments on any aspect of this radio.

Bill

Thanks, for the information.


Bruce

Here is a little update, comparing the two:

I know the PRO-2052 does not have a mode switch (AM/FM/NFM). I was very
certain that it did not cover military air either...but a brief review on
Strong Signals, indicates that is does. I'm not able to confirm that,
reading the specs.

Here is a link to Radio Shacks manual, for the PRO-2052. It does show "UHF"
aircraft, 225~400MHz, but it doesn't indicate if it's AM, or FM.

http://www.radioshack.com/images/Pro.../OME20-432.pdf

Here is the link to the "First Impressions" review on Strong Signals;

http://strongsignals.net/access/revi...m=0 19#CHANGE

I also forgot to mention, the BC898-T, also allows you to override default
frequency steps, and change them! It also has a nice, large, tuning knob! It
has the ability to scan trunked, and conventional at the same time.

The Radio Shack PRO-2052 feels cheap...all plastic, weighs only 1.7 lbs.

The Uniden BC898-T feels like quality...all metal, except for front panel,
weighs in at a hefty 4 lbs!

Bill Crocker





"B L R" wrote in message
om...

Bill

Thanks, for the information.


Bruce