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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
waste of money
This scanner is a good scanner to monitor fire and ems. Being a first responder, this scanner helps me monitor the other depts in my area so I know what is going on.
from Cairo , Egypt on 7/29/2008
If you are buying it for Air reception i would not recommend it
from Phoenix ,Az on 7/17/2008
I need serious help I bought about 5 months ago and have not been able to use due to cant figure out I bought it second hand and had to buy everything for it so my great deal went down the drain but thats my fault the thing I need help with is programming when I bought it the person before me had some codes but cant figure out what is what I wanted to erase all memory could not figure out how to I even bought the optional USB cable and dont know where to get the software so please if can help e-mail me chris.pasley at yahoo.com
Yea as a ham radio operator you must depend on your radios, Picked this one up on sale for [$] dollars, 15 months later the squelch went bad and now it does not receive anything. Made contact with radio shack but they do not work on scanners that are out of warrenty. Asked for a parts list thinking I may be able to fix it myself, but they did not have a parts list. So yea if your thinking about buying this scanner I would seriously suggest that you get a Uniden. I have one that is 8 years old and I always have it on. [...]
I have owned this radio for over a year and still can't figure it out.Exactly how do I get it to scan? Also Radio Shack's frequency guides are obsolete.
At first i was lost on how to program this. But was able to find a person at a radio shack that showed me how to program it in about five mins, after that it was the easyest scanner to use. I will make a video on how to program it when i get a camcorder and put it on youtube (youtube ID, roegoe or shearch ''pro 97 how to''), since i look for a week on the net trying to figure this scanner out? Good reception i get freqs as far as 50 miles. The batteries go fast so the ac to dc power addapter is a good idea while useing it at home. Get a warrenty for this my is just fine, but i have seen friend scanners just stop working for no reson at all. Overall i would say its the best scanner for the price right now, got mine for [$]
very good easy to use
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
I bought this scanner a few years ago and have used it heavily. I was apprehensive of buying it at first because of the cost but I don't regret it at all. It has great reception and the memory banks are great. It is easy to remove or include memory banks when scanning the presets. I recently got an expensive dual-band HAM but still carry this with me because it is much easier for scanning. Get the PC-Interface cable and download the software. It is much easier to populate your memory channels using that method than entering them directly into the scanner.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
If you're wondering if this scanner is a good buy, it is! I received it for a birthday present and I could not be happier. It's light weight, has a sleek and attractive design, has tons of memory, and plenty of features. If you're wondering whether or not to get it: GET IT! I will add one negative comment about the scanner, but don't let it discourage you. Programming the radio for the first time can be tedious as the controls are not very intuitive. However, once you get past that and get the feel for it, it's not a big deal.If you're looking for a very nice handheld trunking scanner, this is the one! [@]
Good scanner,easy to progam.Could be built stronger
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
The radio is good over all, but the FM reception need to be work on! My PRO-95 pick all FM reception, PRO-97 has great 800 trunking reception but not for FM reception.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Johnson County, KS on 5/23/2008
I use this, and my other Radio Shack scanners to monitor Police/Fire/EMS in my area. This scanner is great for on scene of events. I have had this scanner for around a year, still have had no luck programming the trunking. If you are looking for something with easily programmable trunking, this IS NOT the scanner for you. Also, the volume and squlech controls being ontop of eachother can be difficult to control when you are not familiar with them and their operation.
The programmable text display is great for anyone that is not good at memorizing frequencies and the agency that they correspond with.
Besides the difficulty of trunking programming, this is a great scanner for the beginner.
I was going to get the newer version that's replacing this one in hopes it would be better...exchanged it for another one of these.
This is the best deal I've found. It's reliable and once you figure out how to program it, very easy to use. Computer software (Google for Win97) works great on this one just like my last one.
Bottom line: Still the best!
from Eastern Pennsylvania on 5/3/2008
Great Scanner the trunhing is hard. I was picking up signals from NYC and Cape May New Jersey. I live in North Eastern pennsylvania. Great scanner to Start with if you live near a city.
from Eastern Pennsylvania on 4/18/2008
This scanner is great. it has great coverage and clear audio. the trunking is a little hard but the text display makes up for it.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from New York on 4/15/2008
Light weight but poor reception and difficult to program. I would not recommend this model. Overpriced. Manual lacks sufficient detailed explanations concerning proper setup.
from Niles, Ohio on 4/9/2008
this radio is a beauty. when you buy it you have free life time instore programing as well as a free techsupport number to call if you have questions the first year you own it. i would recomend buying nickel metal hydride batteries as you will get a longer lasting runtime out of it as well as you can charge it in the yellow cradle while using it with an optional wall chaarger. ive had the opportunity to play with quite a few scanners and this one is top notch worth every cent.
Product is very easy to use and program. I have had mine for about 2 years now and am very satisfied. advice...get a power adapter for it because it drains the batteries somewhat quickly,this way you can listen all day and all night!
Needs Volume control to be a separate knob from squelsh knob. Can't get it to work well
from Madison on 4/5/2008
I wish I hadn't gotten this one. Yes it is kinda easy to use, but I've had to go in and have it reprogrammed twice and now it just lost all my inputs. Also you have to buy your own power adapter and then to program it the way you want it will cost you more for a cable and an another program. [...]
[0 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
Get one if you have drama in your city it work!
from Dallas, TX on 3/29/2008
Great Radio, No problems with firmware. If you READ the user manual, this is a Breeze to Hand Program. By far this is one of Radio Shacks's BEST radios. A MUST HAVE for the Scanner Enthusiest!
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
traviling and entertainment it should be able to use anywhere in usa. control knobs.
from San Jacinto, Ca. on 3/11/2008
Awsome scanner IF you have logic and patience! Best programmed with WIN 97 software avail on line. Can be tedious, not a scanner for the NOVICE! Companion Pro-2055 is exactly the same and software will prgm it as well.
from Houston, TX on 2/29/2008
This was a very nice radio up until it quit working.
from GADSDEN,ALABAMA on 2/27/2008
USE TO KEEP UP WITH LOCAL SITUATIONS THAT COME UP WEATHER POLICE FIRE GENERAL LISTENING. LOCAL CITIES SERVICES ARE HALARIOUS LIKE THE CITY RUN BUS AND ELDERLY PICKUP BUS LINE. HAVENT HAD PROBLEM AT ALL READ MANUAL AND HAVENT HAD ANY PROBLEMS SCANNING OR ADDING NEW CHANNELS WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE.
With a little bit of knowledge and the right rechargable batteries this thing can't be beat. With my business I constantly have this thing on and never gets to far away. Programming can be rough, but after a few minutes a monkey could figure it out. I would definitely buy another or recommend this to someone.
I have owned this radio for a couple years now. It has been dropped and abused more often than I'd care to mention and STILL operates great. If this radio were to ever break, I would not hesitate to purchase the PRO-97 again.
My only suggestion to others is to purchase software to program this unit from a computer. Doing so manually to program to NASCAR frequencies for race day, air frequencies for fly ins, etc. and then back to normal frequencies can be a pain in the a## when done on the radios keypads.
from Missouri on 2/25/2008
This is my second scanner and I like it. My first one was an entry level Uniden Bearcat. I like the ability to program it with the PC. I bought the USB cable and Win97 and all worked perfectly. I haven't tackled the trunking yet. I'm not a big fan of the volume/squelch on the same knob. I have a lot more reading, but felt it was a good decision to buy it. I also like that it has the ability to use rechargeable batteries.
from Upstate, SC on 2/21/2008
Overall its a great scanner and its easy to program and use. The instruction manual is a little difficult to understand for a beginner. I bought this scanner to use with the fire department and it has held up pretty well. One thing I don't like about it is the volume and squelch knobs. They should have been separate like the PRO-82. It works great on VHF, UHF, and 800mhz, but doesn't have the greatest reception on the air bands. I would like to have seen it constructed better instead of the cheap plastic that was used, but it has held up pretty well considering how many times I have dropped it.
from Tunkhannock,PA on 2/18/2008
I've only had it for 3 days now and I am still trying to figure it out but its awsome. I have the pro-89 and that picked up most of the stuff but my pro-97 works great.
from Green Bay, WI. on 2/17/2008
I had been playing with the lockouts and I have on idea what I did but I messed it up. I took it to Radio Shack and they plugged it in and reprogramed it and I was on my way. I love it.
I use this product just so that I can listen to whats going on around the neighborhood. I went through quite a process, trying to find the right scanner and all, but when i found out about this one,I thought i hit the jackpot! The PRO-96 works good too, but some are defective.
from East Weymouth, MA. on 2/10/2008
Bought on Black Friday and began programming it, without using the manual. If you've been programming other scanners, this is a very intuitive scanner to program, basically. Program the frequency, what is the mode? That's easy, press the mode. What's the PL or DPL? It finds it for you. I don't know why people find this very difficult, just put some frequencies in and let the radio do all the rest really. Later on, you can tag the frequencies and talk groups and there's nothing difficult about it. The manual is a bit stodgy, but it is pretty good. It doesn't read the way some people would like, but you can understand it if you read it the way it was written.
from Evans, WV on 2/7/2008
I love this scanner, have had mine a little over a year have had no problems. It has wonderful range, I live in rural (hill ridden) WV and it picks up transmissions up to 75 miles away. I have a place in coastal NC and can pick up Myrtle Beach, SC which is about 150 miles from me.This scanner is GREAT!
People say this scanner is hard to program. The instruction book is not really well written in this regard. I used a computer and software called win97 to program it, and it was s snap... Even the trunking systems and all the talk groups, AND the alpha tags!!! The software is free for 30 days, and is [@]compatable. Import the stuff you want to hear, and load it with one mouse click! Do not pass up this scanner!!!
from benbrook texas on 2/3/2008
this radio keeps me abreast with whats going on in my neighborhood
it has bailed me out well worth itt
from Corpus Christi, TX on 1/9/2008
I had bought the Pro-97 about a year and a half ago at Radio Shack. It was highly recommended through a friend from Illinois. I've listened to the local Police Dept. frequency online since I was in high school. Well, that was my only option, was using my computer and I didn't have the portability. I bought the scanner and "played" with it for a couple of days and then set it aside. I recently pulled it out and wiped off the dust. I have never used a scanner besides using the regular scanning features, Signal Stalker, when I first bought the unit. I read the user's manual provided and yes it is extremely confusing, but I was able to figure it out in about an hour. Entering the frequencies was fairly simple; Setting the talk groups was even easier than the user's manual made it sound. I do not have any type of scanning, "engineering", or "space shuttle flight" background, much less a "PhD". I see where the frustration can come from though on previous posts. Within minutes, I was scanning the frequencies that I had programmed and was saving the talk group ID's. I was listening to the Public Safety frequencies that I had input shortly after that. That is not to say that I won't have problems with it in the future but for now it is great. Plus, I have the portability now. I guess it was just beginner's luck for me at the ease of programming this unit. I would highly recommend this unit.
At first difficult to program, but once you understand it it's simple. Good reception. Recommend buying rechargeable batteries, batteries die pretty quickly. Still don't understand the advantage of the trunking system difficult to program that. preprogrammed frequencies are a big plus.
I bought my pro 97 2 years ago and like everything there are pros and cons. Pros are good signal and u can hear from over 25 miles way. cons- easily breaks and damages and repair can cost [$] dollars which i did once. Now my screen has died (just by itself) and i am loking for a uniden scanner now. I recomended this to three people and they bought it, but now get a uniden BC-246T or the base eqquivalent. I have had good experiences with scanning helping police officers and neighbors and firends and even myself.
from Saint Louis, MO on 1/2/2008
Scanner was onsale after thanksgiving for [$]and the last scanner I purchased was the better part of [$] this is a nice,flexable,useful,durable,and well rounded scanner w/many features comes preprogramed w/200 channels and is easy to program new frequencies into its memory. If you are a beginner radioer or an experianced one this scanner is excellent!!
The alphanumeric display is well worth the money. A bit difficult to get used to the programming but it works well with Win97 (shareware), and cable (sold at R.S.). Don't buy a less expensive unit...go with this one!
I feel that I can listen to everything. Ability to name channels and banks is nice. A railroad search bank would be easy to add, there are a lot of rail fans out there.
from Ft. Lauderdale FL on 12/31/2007
I guess you need a PHD to ues this. I was able to program my frequencies, but when I tried to scan the selected bank, I would receive nothing. As soon as I put it on manual, I'd get all sorts of traffic. NO PRODUCT SUPPORT (except the manual, which is not much help). I Initialized the scanner, but it erased the entire memory not just what I programmed (which it said that's all it would erase). I guess there's a trick to this thing, I would hope Radio Shack would let us novices in on it. : (
What can I say if I had only one word it would be AWESOME . . . for the money it is the one to have
from Pasadena,tx on 12/29/2007
I got the scanner for christmas and I have been trying (for the past 5 days) to figure out how to program frequencies into this thing and I cant seem to do it. I had a friend (who has had scanners for a very long time) try and figure it out and he couldnt. The owners manuel is very hard to understand.
I finally found a good use for this thing, a paper weight. I recieved this as a Christmas gift. I have spent 4 days trying to figure it out and get it programmed. The manual reads like you are going to fly the space shuttle. This is the biggest waste of money. Save the money and just log onto the internet if you want to listen to police and fire. I wish I could take this gift back.
from Ellwood City, Pa on 12/28/2007
i use this scanner to recieve my fire departments dispatches and everything is great about it EXCEPT THE RECEPTION IS HORRIBLE
I HAD TO GET A TENICAL FRIEND TO HELP PROGRAM BECAUSE THE INSTRUCTION BOOK IS SO BAD! WISH I
HAD A LESS EXPENSIVE ONE THAT WAS MORE USER FRIENDLY.
from FREMONT,CA on 12/27/2007
Its a "Must have" Item
Received as Christmas gift. I'm no dummy, but have spent the better part of 2 days trying to understand the manual and program the scanner.
It's only led to frustration. This is the most user-unfriendly manual I have ever used. For a novice like me, the manual is useless! For others who have written rave reviews on this product, you obviously are experienced. Don't tell me otherwise.
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 12/15/2007
Ive had this radio for a few years now and have convinced 4 other people to purchase them.( now I have to program them everytime they want a change but it's quite easy with Win97) I have owned scanners costing up to $1000 and none can come close to this one, just don't drop it too often .
from woodworth,La on 12/11/2007
It is a good scanner.I have not had any problems with it.I love it.I can pick up the police in my town,and around other places.Not bad for the money.easy to program
from Central Oregon on 12/10/2007
I have been listening to Scanners since the late 70's. I have sold them in the 80's in Southern California. Now scanning in Central Oregon. Listened to them all the way to today. I have listened to trunking systems with non-trunking scanners, then purchased the Pro-92, Pro-94. And now got a Pro-97, and of course the only way to program these, is with a computer program. Trying to follow the instruction manual for a novice user is just about impossible. I had to read it over and over to figure it out. But once programmed, the Pro-97 is a GREAT Scanner, a big upgrade to it's older brother, the Pro-92, trunking decoding has no cut out like the Pro-92 has. I recommend this unit to anyone...
i use this to listen to local law enforcment & cb's it has great reception & easy to use w/ the computer (organize freq. databases) software & cable is extra $ I bought the cable at radio-shack & used a software program on the internet (starrsoft)(free trial-period) there is nothing (-) about the scanner, as far as i can see. at first, i was slightly overwhelmed because i'm new to trunking (my old scanner is BC700A ) , and organizing the banks is somewhat confusing, but i think i'm getting the hang of it. the software makes it Alot easier to program & given the fact this radio holds 1000 channels, computer saves ALOT of time. Excellent Buy !!!
Reality Check: I just discovered this b/c the PRO-97 is my first radio. Hitting the Scan or going into Stalker II mode does not do exactly what you think it's going to do (for any radio). You're not going to follow a complete conversation unless it's some boring stuff like CB. If you want to get your money's worth out of any Trunking capable radio, like this one, you're gonna have to do your homework, and unless you know someone that understands the system, you're going to need an Engineering Degree -cause that's how I got mine programmed! For any of these Radio's you're going to need a PC, the PC interface cable, some web sites, an easier to read manual, and lot's of PATIENCE! To program the Trunking. Good Luck. [...]
from HKY,NC on 11/22/2007
[...] I have had one fora couple of years. I love it and HIGHLY recomend it to anyone. [...]
from Evansville, IN on 11/17/2007
Great scanner for the most part. I've had my Pro-97 for more than a year. Could not have programmed it without the computer and software. But with the software it is a snap to program and reprogram.Volume/Squelch controls are absolutely terrible the way they are configured and the volume control is extremely touchy without being sensitive.
I have used this scanner every day for over a year and have experienced no problems. I have dropped it a few times with no apparent damage. Mostly monitor EDACS trunking frequencies, air and FM public safety with great results.
I recommend this scanner, just be aware that the software makes programming so much easier than trying to manually program the scanner.
I bought a used Pro 97 for my daughter six months ago. Hers has had a couple of minor problems, but still a good scaner. If course I'm not sure how it was treated before I got it, but it did seem to have rougher treatment than mine.
from orlando, fl. and your back yard. on 11/16/2007
got this rig on sale last week. bought the USB pc-cable too. downloaded WIN97 for it. installed the drivers on my main pc (I have 4 that I use) did not work! pc would shut down when I chose the port....But loaded drivers on 3 other pc without a hitch. even my laptop works grate. Yon realy need WIN97 software, why wast your time tring to learn the truncking, just download the freq's and scan away.I travel a lot and knowing what's going on around makes me feel beter. NOTE- I went through two scaners before I got one that worked. seems the first two were returns. the new one fired right up. very happy with this scaner, Rondog.
I use it for weather warmings don't use it all the time. turned it on today. Don't work. the light comes on.THATS it no scanning just the light.LUCKY been 11 months.Lets see how good the warranty is.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from DES MOINES, IOWA on 11/4/2007