I bought this scanner in 2008 to replace the pro96 from Radioshack. I do like the audio boost, and the narrow fm filter and also the programmable LED light. Rating this scanner, it is at the top of the list for performance. Recently, Whistler bought out GRE scanners and sell them for a lot more, but do exactly the same thing.
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The only con I had with the scanner is the keypad. I live where it is very hot, and if left in the trunk.the key pad sticks to the PC board.-Earlier 5-star review posted by KA6CAI on 2013-10-28When I first bought the 500, this was the first time I had a receiver that would pick up the NAC codes!so I setup the radio to receive the NAC so that I could store. It has a squelch fade on the CTCSS however, not on the DCS encoding. With the WIN500 program from starrsoft, you can actually fine tune this. It's the only scanner out there you can do this with. Reception is very good and sensitive! If the audio is too low on transmissions there is also a setting you can use that will boost it up to 250mw.
Selection of software according to 'Gre psr 295 programming software' topic. AppTube Podnova Player Windows library Podnova home. Receivers and Related Equipment Forums GRE Scanners: PSR-295 handheld mini review User. I couldn't find any software on the Internet for the PSR-295 which would mean you could program it from a PC. I have owned my gre psr-500 since it was first released. That has been a long time ago. The audio boost is fantastic for low volume trunking systems. I use the psr programming software. I find this software easy to use. The scanner is great on batteries. I have each frequency with a color of its own,for police,fire etc.
The standard on this radio is set at 180mw. Great feature to have! Let me start by saying i am not a scanner expert or computer xpert. I got his scanner a couple of days ago and it is a hoot. I started to download the manual but after reading a bit i decided to do the computer down load route. After joining RadioRef it only took about 25 min and i had this thing loaded w/all the freqs for my area,so.
The software is intuitive,i didnt read the instructions. The scanner seems to work well on the rubber duck and on the homemade antenna as well as a dedicated roof mounted scanner antenna. More to follow as my experience grows tom. This is my baby.
I bought it when it first came out and I paid top dollar for it. Not in the least.
I would do it all over again. This is an excellent scanner. The only issue I have had with it is that my keypad is wearing out. But thats something that I have had in some of my Uniden scanners as well. This is not only a GRE issue. The manufacturers need to make keypads like the used to do.
My BC780XLT even though over 10 years old. The keypad is just like they are brand new.-Earlier 5-star review posted by VE6DO on 2011-03-03I love this radio. It is something that you wouldn't want to program manually but there is good software (I use psr edit). I use it mainly for the local edacs system. It performs very well.
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I didn't bite on a PSR-500 until I found one for sale by a user on a forum. It was brand new and he sold it to me for $325, Just about what the clone, the Radio Shack Pro-106 went for when it was on sale, with the programming cable. I have to admit, the object oriented programming confused me a little at first, but soon I had it figured out. This is one of the best scanners I have ever owned.
It's not perfect, by any means, but it's as close as it gets right now. I had a Uniden 396 for a while, but I hated the audio quality, especially on digital, so I sold it off soon after I bought it. I recently bought a RS Pro-106 on sale, so I definitely like this radio.Positives:Very good digital audio.Excellent analog/conventional audio.Logical operation, once you get it figured out.Negatives:A little big, compared to the Uniden 396.Cheaply made case, a little delicate. A friend with 'acid hands' has dissolved a lot of the front panel markings in a very short time. The Uniden scanners seem a little more solid at this point in time.Junk 'forked' BNC connector (As all Uniden and GRE radios have.
Would it kill either companies' profits to put in a 'ring' type connector that holds up over heavy use, like Icom/Kenwood/Yaesu, etc use?Smallish display, but looks better than the 396 does.Amber backlighting not my ideal color. I would rather have green.Worthless belt clip. Go back to screw attachment GRE/RS! Then it can be replaced easily with a REAL metal beltclip.
I live in an area with a mix of P25 and analog trunked systems, EDACS and Motorola, so I needed a scanner with lots of versatility. I needed one with lots of room for memories, as I travel around a lot.
The search quickly narrowed to the BCD396t and the PSR500. I chose the PSR500 based on reviews and careful thought regarding features and capabilities not immediately obvious. I think I made the right choice. Once programmed properly the scanner delivers everything I could need.
You DO need programming software because of the complex programming, I use Win500. Great work, Don!Pros: Sensitive enough, very fast scan rate on conventional channels, color LED that can be programmed to show what sort of service you're hearing. Once I was familiar with the object-oriented programming and the V-Scanners, I grew to love it.Cons: Really needs an external speaker for mobile use, but won't drive an un-amplified one from the headphone jack.
Gets crunched by nearby call sites.I gave it a '4' because my unit, like many, many others failed suddenly and required a $140 board replacement. Which GRE claimed is a rare event. I don't care for equipment which will fail from a known defect but that won't be supported by the manufacturer when it does. Man up, GRE, and admit the problem!
I recently purchased a used PSR-500 and, before use, upgraded it to the latest revision firmware (CPU V1.5). My primary use of the scanner is to monitor the digital P25 system in and around Minneapolis, MN. So far the experience has been excellent and I have no complaints about the scanner and would recommend it to others.In comparison, two years ago I purchased a Pro-96 to monitor the same system from the same location and took the unit back to Radio Shack after a week due to poor audio, dropped transmissions, etc. I have had none of these issues with the PSR-500 and certainly plan on keeping the scanner. Two years is a long time in the electronics field and GRE has put the time to good use in the development of the PSR-500.Programming the PSR-500 via the keypad would be very hard and very time consuming, but using the Win500 program coupled with the RadioReference.com website has made programming painless, even fun, as I tweak the scanner to my favorite modes, frequencies, options, etc.The Uniden scanners may be great, but I can say I have no regrets in purchasing the PSR-500.
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Note: For other PC Driven scanners, please see the articlePreparation Windows 10 update from 1511 to 1607. EZScan needs to be uninstalled. EZ Scan folder removed in 'My Documents' (probably better to rename it since this is where all your settings, scanlists and programming are stored). RebootProcedureThis procedure requires administrator privileges and connection to the Internet. Download EZScanDGInstallv1.08 from the greamerica.com web site, save it in a folder (e.g. Named GRECOM) and unzip it in that folder.
EZScanDGInstallv1.08.exe will be created. Instruct Windows to boot into the 'Options' menu. Either click on the 'Power' button, hold down the 'Shift' key while clicking 'Restart or Run: shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 00. After rebooting into the “Options Menu”, click “Troubleshoot” and then “Advanced options”. On the next page, select 'Advanced Options'.
Select the 'Startup Settings' to change the behavior of Windows Startup and then click restart or reboot on the next page. A menu with 9 selections will appear. Select number 7 or F7 to 'Disable Driver Signature enforcement'. Windows 10 will restart.
Install the EZScan software by running the downloaded and unzipped EZScanDGInstallv1.08.exe. Run the installed software and update it from inside to 1.9 Bld 301.
Connect your PSR-800 scanner to the computer. Wait for the default driver installation, which is completed when a file explorer window with the scanner SD card contents pops up. Now correct the scanner driver.
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