On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:17:26 GMT, "Paul Keenleyside"
said in alt.radio.scanner:

Digital? Works only with APCO-25 systems

APCO25 isn't the only digital standard.

mostly urban areas, but not all urban areas use APCO-25.

And not all rural areas use analog. There's no correlation between
"urban" and "digital".

If you find that your agency uses ProVoice, you're out of luck.Scanners are
deaf in trying to hear Pro-Voice systems

Not deaf, they just can't track them.

the system is proprietary and no store bought scanner can listen in to it.

No scanner can, store bought or handmade.. Only ProVoice radios can.

Some use Motorola systems which if they are analog can be heard.

Or if they're digital.

If there's no digital system within 10 miles of where you live, save the money and buy
an analog type scanner.

Unless there's a digital system within reception range - which can,
under the right circumstances, be as much as 50 miles - or more with a
good outside antenna.

Trunk Tracking? A must in urban/suburban areas

And rural areas in which trunking systems are used.

Product? Depends. Two choices. Uniden or Radio Shack.

Actually GRE and Uniden. Some of Radio shack's scanners are GRE, some
are Uniden.

Another consideration is to make sure that the scanner you buy will
(probably, since no one can say for certain yet) survive rebanding. It
doesn't make sense to buy a scanner that may be obsolete in a few
months.