parnass@ihu1h.UUCP (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) (06/20/85)
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At last count, there were about 30 scanners here of
various brands, but not all on at the same time!
Having serviced Regency, Bearcat, Plectron, Sonar,
Radio Shack, Craig, SBE, Motorola, and Heathkit monitor
receivers to name a few, I still have 2 Tennelecs
waiting for attention which they will probably never
receive.
Scanner features often differ not only by model but by
manufacturer. For instance, Radio Shack and most Bear-
cat programmables allow enable/disable of the delay
function on a per-channel basis. Regency only permits
the delay to be enabled/disabled globally, that is, for
all the channels at one time.
Both Bearcat and Regency, as well as Radio Shack offer
some good models. I avoid the Bearcat 100, and scan-
ners made by JIL, Fox, Tennelec, and Robyn. Radio
Shack scanners contain a reasonable number of features,
but scan a bit slowly and have a higher level of syn-
thesizer noise. Most have too much hysteresis in the
operation of the squelch control, but this can be fixed
completely by replacing one resistor. Good, detailed
shop manuals are available for Radio Shack units for $5
- $8.
In the name of cost cutting, some newer models have
done away with the concept of a "channel bank", i.e.
the ability to select/deselect a group of channels at a
time. The bank concept was a good one. It may be
inconvenient to operate a 30 channel scanner without
banks (e.g. Regency MX3000, HX1000) if you operate the
way many scanner hobbyists do.
Bearcat was just purchased by Uniden, maker of radios
and cordless telephones.
Heath's new scanner is really a Bearcat 20/20 in semi-
kit form, and should appeal to those who want to moni-
tor the commercial aircraft band.
My favorite base/mobile scanners include the Bearcat
300, the Regency M400 (just discontinued), and the
Regency K500 (predates the M400), all of which include
a "service search" feature.
For portable use, I prefer the Regency HX1000 over the
6 Radio Shack PRO30s I've been through, although it's
the Kenwood TR2600A scanning 140-160 MHz walkie-talkie
that goes wherever I do.
Bearcat
BC300: 50 channel top of the line scanner. Service
Search feature contains 11 ROM banks of preprogammed
channels. Good sensitivity. Built in clock. I leave
it on 24 hours a day. This is a favorite.
BC20/20: 40 channels. Service Search only for Marine
and Aircraft. Good scanner, but tinny audio.
BC250: 50 channel discontinued model. Lacks aircraft
band and 144-146 MHz. Search and Store feature
extremely useful for finding federal frequencies. High
frequency of repair. Digital circuitry very sensitive
to glitches caused by static and AC line spikes. Avoid
1978 or earlier vintage units.
BC260: Super heavy metal cabinetry and lighted con-
trols, aimed at mobile use for firemen, police, etc.
Few frills, only 16 channels, no aircraft, but generous
coverage of federal bands omitted in older Bearcat
scanners. Multiplexor circuitry for vacuum fluorescent
display produces audible whine.
BC100: First programmable portable. Be prepared for
at least repair in the 1st year. Early units, with
threaded antenna connector, have high frequency of
repair. No priority channel or aircraft band. Some
people swear by the BC100, others swear at them.
Regency
K500: Nice wood-like cabinet. Discontinued 40 channel
model with every feature Regency could dream of in one
scanner, except aircraft band. Idle tone bypass
feature for mobile phone stations works about 50% of
the time. Weather alert feature. Service Search in
several banks. Search and Store facility not implemen-
ted as well as BC250, but better than none. Built in
clock when radio off or in manual mode. Sensitivity
could be better but can be programmed out of band.
M400: 30 channel replacement for K500, but now discon-
tinued. Service Search, but no aircraft. Easily pro-
grammable out of band. Built in clock when radio off
or in manual mode. Backlighted keyboard good for night
viewing and mobile use but generates RFI into nearby SW
receivers. A favorite.
MX3000: Current, 30 channel replacement for M400, but
basic features only. Nice lighted keyboard. Easily
programmable out of band, but no aircraft. All 30
channels are in a single bank, and lack of direct chan-
nel access make this model more difficult to operate.
Good first scanner, and the most scanner for the money
($180 typical discount price).
M100: Discontinued 10 channel unit. Same as MX3000
except different color and fewer channels. Nice
lighted keyboard.
HX1000: Good, fairly rugged, 30 channel handheld syn-
thesized unit. Generous out of band coverage but no AM
aircraft coverage. Built by Azden. Very sensitive on
UHF, but annoying audio hiss leaks through speaker when
squelched. Belt clip chintzy, but can be directly
replaced with better clip from Kenwood TR2600A. Like
the MX3000, all 30 channels are in a single bank, and
lack of direct channel access make this model more dif-
ficult to operate. Low discount price makes this best
choice for programmable portable.
HX650/H604: 6 channel crystal portable. Likely made
by Sanyo. Same as Fannon and Bearcat Thin Scan units,
(except that Bearcat has 10.8 MHz IF frequency, and is
harder to get crystals for), but scans faster. Small
size and common crystals (available at Radio Shack),
make this 1st choice for bare bones portable scanner.
Radio Shack
PRO2003: Radio Shack's top of line. 50 channels + 10
FM commercial broadcast band channels. Includes air-
craft. Good frequency coverage but very difficult to
read keyboard makes scanner hard to operate. All keys
close together and same color. Good audio, but slow
scan rate and high price.
PRO30: 16 channel programmable portable with aircraft
band. Good frequency coverage. Low audio output.
All-plastic case vs. metal frame in HX1000. Good belt
clip. High price, no discounts or sales yet.
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Bob Parnass, Bell Telephone Laboratories - ihnp4!ihu1h!parnass - (312)979-5414