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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Boston, Ma. on 9/21/2008
This is a good scanner but I cant really hear it in my truck. I have to turn all the way up and it still sounds like it should be able to be turned up more.
from Everett WA on 9/13/2008
I find myself needing the manual to make simple changes. That is because installing frequenciews, for example, trhe steps are not so obvious. To bad these units dont have a help button that has audio which says PGM 1 for setting frequency range in a bank, press ctrl 2 for selecting a specific frequency, etc. --- in other words the help screen gives you programming options in audio and allows you to make a step, then guides you through it. Audio help tchnology is easy to provide these days ---- if not on the unit itself, perhaps on a online help screen [...]get the idea....
If you are a railroad fan don't use this unit.
will not accept 160.800,160.980,160.995 and outher
rail freqs.I have it serviced twice and still no
rail freqs.OK for fire,police and schools.Poor volume. The manual is poor.Just muddle through
the programing process.
from Nashua, NH on 8/28/2008
This is a great unit due to the fact that there is ways to program this with a software to work with the Pro-433
Great value in a handheld, works like expected. Fairly easy to program for novice.
from Galveston, TX on 8/2/2008
Very nice product, though a bit difficult to get started in programing the freqs. I wanted to monitor. Still wish that the catalogue of Freqs. was carried in the store instead of having to purchase online.
from Roslyn washington on 7/15/2008
it's a somewhat a ok scanner,
Volume is bad,tiny speaker,battery compartment is hard to open
from Jeffersonville, IN on 5/3/2008
The lack of digital capabilities is not so much a detractor as the lack of alpha-numeric tags. Trunking ability is satisfactory. Speed is acceptable. The audio level is incredibly low. The unit must be at 70% volume or higher to be heard audibly.
In all, I was not as impressed with this unit as I had hoped to be. I would recommend going with a digital-ready scanner even for the price difference. With so many agencies switching to digital, these are almost outdated if you want to hear emergency response personnel.
I use the product to listen in on Police fire and medical. I am really bumped out b/c it don't pick up the APCO-25 P-25 DIGITAL 800 MEG. In my town they have switched over to P-25. I don't know how many times someone has come up to me and asked if I am on the fire department. The SS works great. I am bumped out that it don't pick up Citezen Band Radio frequncies. dOver all it's a good scanenr
from kentucky on 4/11/2008
i love this scanner it is the first handheld scanner i have owned and it awesome it is really easy to program and works right out of the box I usually use it just to listen to the local police but some times i can pick up stuff from up to 50 miles away bottom line a great scanner for any professional or novice in the world of scanning.
from Big Spring,TX on 4/7/2008
This is a REALLY AWESOME scanner,it really is. Where i live this scanner can pick up police, fire,ham radios,skywarn,NOAA weather radio clearly.Now i can hear what's happening around town.The only con there is, is the batteries it will only last up to 3 hours.You will need rechargable batteries or a A/C adapter for this to last longer or hearing it all day long.but other than that the scanner is PRETTY GOOD.
from Port St Lucie Florida on 3/30/2008
This is the best 1 i ever owned got my 1st 1 back in 1985 and that had little crystles to plug in and hear what you wanted.This 1 took me 20 mins to program what i wanted. Just need a few freqenices and then push a few buttons and your done. I know hear every thing on the 800 meg trucked system in my county. Police , Fire ,Ems ,Public works,I mean everything. I would reccomend this to all my friends
if you never used one or your first timer or used as for ham aid i highly recommed to you. even to polits, a good back up,radio.to inclued transporting lawsupporting personal.
I love my radio. I ues it to keep up with my town. I answer fire calls that involve animals. This radio lets me hear the calls clear and complete.
GREAT FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUCKS FOR THE OC AREA IF I WANTED TO LISTEN TO THE CHAOS IN LA I WOULD JUST GO BACK EVEN WITH AN ATTENNEA UPGRADE IT STILL DONT PICK ANYTHING THAT IT ALREADY DID
This is my first scanner and I love it so far. The manual sucks, but a little tinkering and you'll figure it out. I'm a firefighter/paramedic and I like to know whats going on when I'm not on duty. I HIGHLY recommend getting the 800mhz antenna if your city uses a trunked system (most large cities do). As well as an external speaker, its a little hard to hear on the road.
from Manhattan, KS on 2/18/2008
I've used scanners professionally, and casually, for almost 35 years. This is by far the best handheld I've ever had. Great reception, clarity and sensitivity. A great buy.
Hard to figure out trunking. Spend a litle extra for a better antenna.
great if the city you are looking for hasn't switched to digital APCO-25 standards. analog works great. easy to program with cable and software available on internet. somewhat expensive for the functionality
It stores a lot of frequencies. Has many features for the price. Easy to use and understand. The many offered features of the PRO-528 are easy use and program.
I use it to listen to fire, police and ambulance.
I love this scanner. This is one of the best scanenr's ive yet to own. I was a little upset when I found out that it didn't pick up the 800 MHz DIGITAL frequnceis. But it picks up every thing just fine. I don't really have any cons to say about it. The belt clip lasts long if you don't put any stress on the clip. The antenna works good. The Signal Stalker works well. Well that's abokut it
I like it just sometimes it hard to hear.
programing immposable
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
The batteries don't last but 3 days - get the power cord
from Mount Morris, MI on 12/28/2007
Didn't know it couldn't be programmed for my local police department. Something needs to be listed for this. If all the frequencies can be, something for this should be.
Probably the most confusing manual I ever saw. Impossible to comprehend. Scanner works fine after I used the the trial and error programming method over several days.
I have owned this scanner for 2 days. This scanner is the best one so far. I like it very much. I haven't understood how to use trunked yet but I will. I haven't had any problem with the batteries yet. I use rechargables!!!!! The sound is good. The size is good. I amsolutly like it. I use the product for personal usage. Well I use it to aviod traffic accidents and jams. I love to keep up with the police, fire/medical. I don't have any cons to report about the scanner. That's about it.
its very nice!
i use them alot for police it works super!
from Moore, OK on 11/28/2007
Nice scanner with great reception at all times. The only down side is that the instruction manual is completely awful. I mean the "destruction manual" is REALLY poorly written. I used an online service and programmed it with ease. Now I pick up next to everything! Very impressive little gadget.
from Joliet, IL on 11/16/2007
Mostly I use this scanner to monitor trunked police frequencies. Great reception. Instruction manual is poorly written.
Scanner works good only problem is getting radioshack to program the scanner. was told by scancat-lite that all radioshacks can program the scanner. I just moved from Florida and cannot find a radio shack that can program the scanner. we went to one and the guy said that they can but the manager is on vacation so we seen how it was programed before in florida before so we began programming the scanner and in the middle the guy turned off all of the lights and said "were closed" this was at like 7:30. Not very nice or helpful. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO SOMEONE ONLY IF THEY CAN BUY IT SOMEWHERE ELSE THEN RADIO SHACK.
I think that it is good
Hi! I had problems with the SAME weather alert activating for all counties and marine warnings in the listening area, instead of the one county code programmed. I requested repairs [...]After one month under repair the, the problem was not fixed! This happened again! They test then changed the pc board in the unit after two long repair orders. Still not fixed. Then the store exchanged it for a new unit. Again this model has a programming defect on the SAME weather alert feature that is worth $50+ feature alone and is convenient when bundled with the scanner. Can someone help?
This weekend (Sept. 16, 07) I tried to use this scanner in the Altoona, PA area to listen to Norfolk Southern and when I tried to put in the frequency (160.8000) it showed an "error" message. Also the instructions only said to try reentering the frequency, which I did many times. I would not recommend this if you plan on using it for listening to the railroad.
This scanner is good for listening to the cops, fire, ambulance, ham, etc. all of which came in crystal clear.
****DO NOT BUY THIS TO LISTEN TO TRAINS******
Very good scanner overall. Scan time is quick. BUT, 1. A little confusing on Trunking. 2. A little light on volume especially with background noise, i.e. mobil use, road noise.
from chatham,va on 8/20/2007
it is a good dependable scanner once you learn how to program it
from Spanaway, Washington on 7/23/2007
I recently switched to a Pro-528 and was amazed at the ease of operation. The scanner is pre-programmed with some commonly used frequencies, but some may not work in your area. You can easily gather frequencies online to include trunking frequencies. You are able to clone this radio and as a plus, it has S.A.M.E. wx alerts that can be programmed for your county in case of dangerous weather. I do recommend a high gain rubber duck antenna or an external antenna that operates well into the 900+ MHz range. I highly recommend this radio over the PRO-97.
Overall, this product is worth the $$$$. It took me a couple of hours to learn how to program but after everything is programmed and you learn how to use it; you will love it.
A terrific scanner for the money. Picks up signals clearly. Have mounted a remote scanner antenna on my roof and it picks up far away signals crystal clear. A++++
over all, this is the best scanner i ever bought.Although most agenices, in my area are going digital.It has good reception in, my area have picked up agenices as far away as 70 miles.
I HAD IT OVER A FEW MONTHS NOW THE PRO-582 I LOVE IT THE SOUND IS CLEAR !AND VERY EASY TO USE! I LOVE IT
overall a good product, however not a good one for my city.
Recieves Better Than The 97 or The 2055 For That Matter
I am very satisfied with my Pro 528. Easy to program and use. Haven't tried programming trunk frequencies, yet. Overall-a real good scanner at a great price.
Much easier to program the trunked frequencies than the PRO-97, but the reception is not quite as clear as the PRO-97. The PRO-528 separates the volume and squelch which makes it much more user friendly.
Great little scanner. I can pick up anything in the city, fire, pd, ems, cabbies, transit, sanitation. A little difficult to get used to programming, but great fun and excellent reception. Good battery life.
Pretty hard to program. Overall good reception, spotty at times, but a pretty good scanner (have the store program it for you)
I purchased this scanner for christmas because i like to listen to the police but i cant seem to listen to the philadelphia police frequencies and i have them programmed in it, overall this scanner is a pretty good purchase for me.
I am only 17 and i got it for Christmas and i am going to be a cop and my mom got it for so i can listen to the calls on it and it is the best ever and it is better than a rating 5 it is like a 20 being the best ever in the world and you can hear the calls very good and clear and you can hear police,fire weather,etc... and i think everyone should one if you like to listen to calls or you are a VFD or a police officer who wants to hear the calls when you are home and you need something to do
from Florida on 11/9/2006
No text tags, a step backwards from the Pro-97.
from Bakersfield CA on 10/28/2006
This new scanner is a replacement of the previously made Pro-94. It has the same features as the'94 however they have added LTR trunking, backlit buttons and signal stalker. It is pre-programmed with the most listen to frequencies for most areas. One plus about this scanner is that you can program the backlight to come on when a signal is recieved. Great if you are traveling at night.