Author Topic: Pro 94 a good scanner?  (Read 20124 times)

flyMKEmilwaukee414

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« on: April 12, 2005, 07:56:13 PM »
Is A PRO-94 scanner good for a live feed?



Offline JetBlue

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2005, 09:17:09 PM »
I would venture to say yes, as long as it covers 118-136 MHz. It's not so much the scanner as it is the antenna...depending upon how far away from the airport you are, you would need an outdoor antenna to hear the tower.

Offline dave

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2005, 09:18:00 PM »
Do you mean Pro-89?  I tried to find a manual for a Pro-98 at the Radio Shack web site but can't find a Pro-98, even though it sounds familiar.  

Dave

flyMKEmilwaukee414

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re:
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2005, 09:25:57 PM »
I'm sorry no my scanner is a Pro-94. Radio Shack saids its the 2 best of scanners

Offline dave

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2005, 09:28:49 PM »
The Pro-94 will work fine.  But, as JetBlue pointed out, you will likely need an external antenna to get the best reception.  Radio Shack sells an acceptable scanner antenna for about $25.  If you use the antenna that comes with the Pro-94, you will likely pick up man-made noise (from your computer power supply, monitor, possibly other things) that will mask the real signals that you're trying to pick up.

-Dave

flyMKEmilwaukee414

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re
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2005, 09:37:04 PM »
i throw away the ant. it gave me and got a  9 inch long ant. so you can hear more. I live in Greenfield,WI and trying to get LAWRENCE J TIMMERMAN AIRPORT a feed and WAUKESHA COUNTY AIRPORT feed. Next 2 weeks or more. I have a question can i turn off the scanner some times becasue the airports that i would like to feed are small and at night its very queit. I stayed up until 11pm and nothing but 1 or 2 landings. Durning the day its better very better. :idea:  :?:  :shock:

Offline dave

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2005, 09:38:24 PM »
The only other issue you will have using a handheld scanner, or any other scanner with an isolated ground, is audio hum.  You might get lucky, but the audio you send over a feed will likely have 60Hz (60 cycle) hum.

To avoid it you will have to ground the scanner to your computer case by using a clip-lead or some other method.

If you don't do this the audio will sound awful.

Dave

Offline dave

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Re: re
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2005, 09:40:14 PM »
Quote from: flyMKEmilwaukee414
i throw away the ant. it gave me and got a  9 inch long ant. so you can hear more. I live in Greenfield,WI and trying to get LAWRENCE J TIMMERMAN AIRPORT a feed and WAUKESHA COUNTY AIRPORT feed. Next 2 weeks or more. I have a question can i turn off the scanner some times becasue the airports that i would like to feed are small and at night its very queit. I stayed up until 11pm and nothing but 1 or 2 landings. Durning the day its better very better. :idea:  :?:  :shock:


You can cause the feed to come and go as you like.  But if you turn the scanner off you have to quit the feeding program (software) otherwise you will broadcast dead air which is a waste of resources and isn't allowed here.

Dave

flyMKEmilwaukee414

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problem
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2005, 04:14:05 PM »
But i have to run on batterys. i cant use AC becasue it got broken in the scanner. i have re-charge batterys. can i use anything else??? :(  :(  :(  :?:  :?:  :?:

Offline dave

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Re: problem
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2005, 04:17:23 PM »
Quote from: flyMKEmilwaukee414
But i have to run on batterys. i cant use AC becasue it got broken in the scanner. i have re-charge batterys. can i use anything else??? :(  :(  :(  :?:  :?:  :?:


You will just have to keep recharging the batteries.  It will be a pain...you may want to reconsider until you can get a base or mobile scanner that doesn't depend on batteries.

Dave

flyMKEmilwaukee414

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2005, 04:40:39 PM »
yea but when am i going to re-charge then. at what time. becasue im going to have it on all day and night and when it saids. Low batt then i got to re-charge

Offline dave

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2005, 04:43:04 PM »
Quote from: flyMKEmilwaukee414
yea but when am i going to re-charge then. at what time. becasue im going to have it on all day and night and when it saids. Low batt then i got to re-charge


Raymond-

Without a constant power supply to feed the scanner, this just won't be practical.

Dave

flyMKEmilwaukee414

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2005, 05:12:32 PM »
i wish there was i way that i can be a feeder  :(  :(  :(  :cry:  :cry:  :cry:

Offline PHL Approach

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2005, 08:36:50 PM »
If that's the last way you can run a feed. Buy 2,3, 4 sets of rechargable batteries and when one set starts to die, put in the others. Then recharge the ones that are dead. I have to agree with Dave, running a feed on batteries won't cut it. Most of the time, im sure the feeder would be to lazy to change them all the time.

Offline IndyTower

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #14 on: April 14, 2005, 11:18:51 AM »
I run the LAF/IND feed with a Pro-94.  I don't have the original antenna as it was damaged over a year ago...but the one I use now is about the same quality.  I'm 3 miles north of IND and ZID, and I'm able to pick up both fairly well with that antenna.  Granted, it'd be better with an external antenna, but that's just not in my budget right now.  Quality now on the feeds is pretty good, but it's easy to tell by listening that it could be better.  Depending on how far you are from the airports, you may be fine with that scanner and the original antenna.  If you're more than 3 miles, I'd say probably not.  

As for the battery situation, I think I remember changing out rechargables a couple times a day for a week or so last summer when I started up IND until I got an A/C adapter.  It can be a hastle, but I was only workin 20 or so hours a week, and when I wasn't working, I was near the computer/scanner so it wasn't too bad.  That only went on for a week, though.  If I were still doing it today I don't know if I'd have the motivation to keep it all running.

Matt

Offline LORm

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2005, 03:04:27 PM »
I was temporarily providing the PHNL feed with a PRO-95 which I think was one step up from the PRO-94. The only difference I think is that the PRO-95 had more dual trunking channels, 1000. I think they have a PRO-96 with digital trunking that is even better than the PRO-95.

You don't need to depend on a supply of batteries with the PRO-94. You can get a simple A/C adapter plug for the wall. It says 9V on the side but you can make do with something around 6-9V. On my PRO-95 I got away with using an old AC adapter that had the same plug that put out 6V max. It worked. Plus if you wanted to go portable away from the house, a handheld is much more convienent. Get a cheap set of NIMH rechargables if you go portable, it will save you a lot of money.

Radioshack models are pretty good and last I remember they were on sale for a decent price. Plus if you get bored of airband unlike some other scanners such as Sportys you can always have fun with trunked civil and private use UHF channels and all the other radio bands bands. Feed is now on  a Uniden Bearcat base, BC785D.

flyMKEmilwaukee414

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #16 on: April 14, 2005, 05:46:45 PM »
yes ill change the battereys but a outdoor is hard to put up at a apt. bulding

Offline MIAMIATC

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #17 on: April 14, 2005, 07:17:58 PM »
May I suggest going to a walgreens or cvs store and pick up rayovac 15 minute rechargeable batteries and its recharger

Offline BravoLima

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Pro 94 a good scanner?
« Reply #18 on: April 21, 2005, 03:47:35 AM »
What is a good scanner for regular use (not to host a feed).  I mean something that I can use when i go to the airport or even at my home to pick up planes flying by.