[Scan-DC] CC Do Not Disturb Re: PRO-197 Update

Wed Feb 18 21:23:15 EST 2009

Sorry for assuming everyone knew! Close Call is a feature that will lock on 
and tune into a strong "local" signal. It works about several hundred feet 
away from a low-power handheld, perhaps a mile or two from a high-power base 
station, and farther under some circumstances. I have had luck with it 
locking onto and tuning into airplanes passing overhead at 25,000+ ft! It is 
a really nice feature, supported by the Bearcat scanners, and by the 
GRE/RadioShack scanners under a different feature name ("Signal Stalker"). 
Say you visit a mall, or a sporting event, or a museum, where you have no 
idea what the local venue is using. If you turn Close Call on, it usually 
eventually finds the signals.

On the 996 (and 215 I believe) base/mobile model scanners, Uniden went one 
step further, and added a feature called Close Call Do Not Disturb. This 
feature searches for local signals to lock onto, but only when it isn't busy 
listening to something else. This is unlike the 396 and some other models, 
where you can use Close Call while scanning, but when you are actually 
monitoring a signal, Close Call would cause regular drop-outs while it went 
and did its thing for a short period. So when I am driving around in the car 
with the 996, I leave CC DND on, and when the scanner is scanning and 
otherwise silent, it is looking for local signals, but when it is stopped on 
a normal programmed channel, CC does not cause annoying drop-outs. It is 
really cool -- I have captured police mobile repeaters, people passing by 
with FRS radios, local business comms, lots of baby monitors and cordless 
phones, airplanes overhead, you name it.

I like CC DND so much, but unfortunately, none of Uniden's (or 
GRE/RadioShack) models supported it in a handheld model. I am really hoping 
that the 396XT does. There was mention on the 396XT Yahoo site that Uniden 
will issue a firmware upgrade for the older 396 that will add CC DND, so I 
presume this means that by default the newer 396XT will support it 
out-of-the-box, but I haven't yet found somewhere where it says this in 
black-and-white. In the list of features for the 396XT on the RR forum, it 
does not specifically mention CC DND, but it does mention lots of other 
features similar to the 996, like support for GPS, support for the remote 
head, etc.

Anyway, given that the older 396 street price is slightly more than $500, I 
can only imagine the street price for the 396XT will be well over $600, 
maybe approaching $700. Ouch! But with 25,000 channels, dynamic memory, band 
scope, signal strength meter, CC DND (I hope...), and lots of digital 
trunking enhancements, it may be "worth it" (at least that's what I will be 
telling my better half).

Happy listening,
Andy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "W4NNG" <w4nng at soalex.us>
To: <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:57 PM
Subject: [Scan-DC] CC Do Not Disturb Re: PRO-197 Update

> OK Andrew, you've got my interest.  What's 'CC Do Not Disturb'
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Andrew Clegg" <w4jecom at w4je.com>
> To: <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] PRO-197 Update
>
>
> Whoa, just noticed the 396XT. That looks sweet. Among the cool new 
> features,
> I sure hope it supports CC Do Not Disturb. If it does, I will be ordering
> one ASAP. That was the main thing keeping me back from buying a 396. My 
> 996
> in the car has it, and I love it.
>
> Andy
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <ka3jjz at netscape.com>
> To: <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] PRO-197 Update
>
>
>> Before you jump on anything, I'd do a little homework in the RR wiki, and
>> talk to some users. See if the scanner matches your needs. The 2096 (and
>> 96) cannot do I-Calls, nor can it log and record while scanning. It just
>> isn't in the firmware. It doesn't do UHF milair out of the box, and even
>> with mods using Win96, performance can vary very widely.
>>
>> 2 things turn me off on the GRE scanners, frankly - their too-hot front
>> end (which means that overloading issues can be a problem), and I've seen
>> 2 or 3 reports on RR that these scanners are deaf as a stone on milair.
>> Even if you fool around with milair on occasion (I'm nowhere near as
>> serious as those guys in the Maryland thread - even if I could have an
>> outside antenna...) to me that's a real pain.
>>
>> Keep in mind the 396XT should be out in the next month or two.
>>
>> Much to consider  73 Mike
>>
>> links editor,Capitol Hill Monitors
>> Utility Monitoring Central
>> Wiki Administrator, HF Forum moderator, Radioreference.Com
>>
>> --- b_thom at juno.com wrote:
>>
>> From: b_thom at juno.com
>> To: oldsdoug at hotmail.com,Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net
>> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] PRO-197 Update
>> Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:28:50 -0500
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 7 Jan 2009 23:15:55 -0500 <oldsdoug at hotmail.com> writes:
>>>
>>> Very pleased with the RS PRO-197 digiscanner that I got just after
>>> Xmas... ordered it when they had the $200-off sale that ran through
>>> December 24...
>>
>>
>> More than you would have liked, say a PRO-96? I think that's the handheld
>> version of the PRO-2096, on clearance at RS.
>> Just wondering. I am thinking of going digital, at last.
>> ____________________________________________________________
>> Click here to save cash and find low rates on auto loans.
>> http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTLaW0UCosMqJ8A3Ogyhn4zGeStzFBPWqCIC4ICgNISlkZWZILliwQ/
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