Scanner Master GRE PSR600

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Special Report

The GRE PSR600 Digital Scanner

Features, Operation and Competition

A Scanner Master Ultimate Review

Introduction

GRE has produced scanners for the US market for decades, but they are a new name in the industry here.

How’s that? Well, remember the Radio Shack PRO2004, PRO2005 or PRO2006? How about the PRO96 or

its mobile brother PRO2096? These were all built by GRE and sold by Radio Shack. While some scanners

sold by Radio Shack were built by Uniden, most of the big sellers were GRE built.

At the 2007 Dayton Hamvention GRE snuck in a couple of their rumored new line of scanners for direct

sales in the USA. A privileged few (including the author) got to check them out for a few minutes each. It

was apparent immediately that GRE had produced a winner, or better yet, several winners.

What GRE did was introduce three lines of scanners, each line consisting of a handheld and a base/mobile

version. Radios within each line are electronically identical, even to the extent that they can clone to each

other.

After the GRE line of scanners were unveiled to the public and readied for sale Radio Shack announced a

new line of scanners that mysteriously mirrored the specs of some of the GRE’s. The Radio Shack PRO106

turned out to be a GRE PSR500 with a rearranged front panel. The Radio Shack PRO197 was a clone of the

PSR600 base/mobile. The PSR300 and 400 radios are closely related to Radio Shacks PRO97, 2055, 163

and 164 scanners.

The three lines are:

Basic GRE PSR100 Handheld and PSR200 Desktop

Advanced GRE PSR300 Handheld and PSR400 Base/Mobile,

Radio Shack PRO164 Handhelds and PRO163 Base/Mobiles

Digital GRE PSR500 Handheld and PSR600 Base/Mobile

Radio Shack PRO106 Handheld and PRO197 Base/Mobile

While the Radio Shack and GRE versions of the various scanners are visually and electronically similar in

most respects there is one difference that one must remember, and that is that the firmware updates are not

interchangeable between Radio Shack and GRE versions. Programming files are interchangeable, which

makes sharing files easier.

While the Basic and Advanced lines use conventional programming methods such as defined banks and

channel arrangements, the Digital line uses an entirely different structure called “Object Oriented User

Interface” or more succinctly, “Scannable Objects”. Basically what this means is that you program things

(Objects) into your radio and then select the things you want to scan (Scannable Objects). These Scannable

Objects could be regular frequencies, talkgroups on a trunked system or one of several types of searches.

The Advanced line of scanners are fine for many areas if you do not need to monitor digital

communications but want more memory and features than the Basic line provides. The Basic Line is fine if

you only need to monitor a few conventional channels such as aircraft, railroads or local public safety

channels and don’t need any advanced features of the Advanced or Digital lines.

Both the Advanced and Digital lines provide large channel capacity, support for several methods of

trunking and PL/DPL capability. Both lines support the 800 MHz Rebanding.

(You can read a great deal more about Rebanding elsewhere on the web but, in short, in order to separate

certain NEXTEL/cellular radio channels from public safety channels as a means to limit interference

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Summary

Introduction to GRE Digital Scanners

GRE Scanner History and Market Entry

Overview of GRE's background in scanner manufacturing and its product lines.

GRE PSR600 Scanner Features and Operation

PSR600 Package Contents and Design

Details on included accessories, physical layout, ports, and controls.

Memory Architecture: Scannable Objects

Explanation of the "Scannable Objects" system and memory capacity.

V-Scanners and Programming Concepts

Understanding V-Scanners and the shift from traditional channel banks.

User Interface: Keyboard and Display

Description of the scanner's keyboard layout, navigation, and display screen.

Supported Frequency Bands

Listing of the radio frequency ranges the PSR600 can receive.

Trunking System Support

Overview of trunking protocols handled, including Motorola, APCO25, EDACS, and LTR.

Conventional Scanning and Modulation

How to program and monitor conventional channels and select modulation modes.

Tone Squelch and Digital Codes

Explanation of CTCSS, DCS, and NAC codes for channel screening.

Search and Sweep Functions

Utilizing Limit, Service, and Spectrum Sweeper searches.

Power, Antenna, and Audio

Discusses power requirements, antenna importance, receiver sensitivity, and audio quality.

Advanced Programming and Scanner Features

Basic Programming Techniques

Step-by-step guide for programming conventional channels and objects.

Special Programming Features

Unique functions like Object Lockout, Tune Mode, Weather Alert, and Favorites.

Scan List Configuration

How to create and manage Scan Lists for selective listening.

Firmware Updates and Data Management

Procedures for updating radio firmware and using CC-Dump for P25 data.

Computer Programming Software Options

Overview of software used for programming the scanner via a computer.

Competitive Analysis: GRE vs. Uniden

GRE PSR600 Advantages

Key strengths of the GRE PSR600 compared to the Uniden BCD996XT.

Uniden BCD996 XT Advantages

Key strengths of the Uniden BCD996XT compared to the GRE PSR600.

Recommended Scanner Accessories

ARC500 Programming Software

Importance of ARC500 software for efficient scanner programming and data backup.

Essential Scanner Add-ons

Listing of other beneficial accessories like power adapters and external speakers.

This document describes the GRE PSR600 Digital Scanner, a sophisticated radio receiver designed for monitoring various radio communications.

Function Description:

The GRE PSR600 is a digital scanner capable of monitoring a wide range of radio frequencies and protocols, including conventional analog channels (AM, FM, NFM), and digital P25 modes. It supports several trunking systems such as Motorola (3600 baud), APCO25 (9600 baud), EDACS Wide and Narrow, and LTR. A key feature is its "Object Oriented User Interface" (OOUI), where users program "Scannable Objects" (frequencies, talkgroups, searches) and then organize them into "Scan Lists" for monitoring. This allows for flexible and customizable scanning. The scanner also functions as a Weather Radio Receiver with SAME alert capabilities.

Important Technical Specifications:

Scannable Objects: Up to 1800 Scannable Objects can be scanned at a time.
V-Scanners: Stores 20 additional sets of scanner memories, effectively providing 21 "scanners" in one, useful for travelers or different monitoring needs. With 1800 objects per V-Scanner, this totals over 37,000 potential memories.
Frequency Ranges: Receives from 25-54 MHz, 108-174 MHz, 216-512 MHz, 764-960 MHz, and 1240-1300 MHz. Cellular frequencies are blocked.
Modulation Modes: Supports AM, FM, NFM, and P25. It can decode PL (CTCSS), DPL (DCS), and NAC (Network Access Codes) on P25 digital channels.
Audio Output: Provides approximately 1.8 watts of audio into its built-in speaker. It also has an earphone jack and an external speaker jack.
Display: Dot-matrix LCD display with 4 text lines plus a top line for symbols. Each character is up to 7 dots high and 5 wide, with 16 characters per line. The keyboard and display are backlit with 3 brightness levels (Hi, Lo, Off).
Power: Requires 13.8 VDC with at least 600 mA. Comes with an AC adapter and a DC power cable (tinned ends).
Connectivity: Features a BNC antenna connector, USB programming cable port (PC/IF jack on front panel), external speaker jack, and headphone jack.
Trunking Support: Motorola (Type I, Type II, Type IIi, MultiSite Roam, SmartZone, P25), EDACS (Wide, Narrow), LTR (with LTR Home Repeater AutoMove).
Rebanding Support: Capable of monitoring rebanded 800 MHz systems.
CC-Dump: Supports Control Channel data output for external decoding programs like Pro96Com, allowing detailed system monitoring.

Usage Features:

Keyboard: 34 buttons organized into 4 groups: 5-Way Pad for navigation, 3 Soft Keys (F1, F2, F3) for menu selection, Operation Keys (Scan, Manual, Priority, Tune, FAV, PSE), and Numeric Keypad for data entry.
Programming: Primarily uses an OOUI. Users create "Objects" (conventional channels, trunked talkgroups, limit searches, spectrum sweeps, service searches) and assign them to "Scan Lists" (up to 20 regular Scan Lists plus special ones). Objects can be members of multiple Scan Lists.
Manual Programming: Possible via the keyboard, though computer programming is recommended for complex setups. The manual includes a code chart for text entry.
Text Tags: Allows users to add descriptive text labels to channels, talkgroups, and systems. Quick Text feature stores 10 commonly used tags.
Lockout Features:
- Object Lockout: Permanently locks out a channel from all Scan Lists.
- Temporary Lockout: Removes a lockout when the radio is turned off (configurable as permanent or temporary in Global menu).
- Search & Talkgroup Lockouts: Allows locking out frequencies or talkgroups during search or trunked system scanning.
Tune Mode: Enables quick tuning to a specific frequency, with options to search up/down and store hits as Scannable Objects. Displays trunked system information (System ID, Site number) in Tune Mode.
Weather Alert: Functions as a NOAA Weather Radio Receiver. Users can enter SAME codes for county-specific alerts or use the older 1050 Hz alert tone activation.
Favorite Feature: Tags an Object as a "Favorite," creating a special scan list for instant access regardless of other scan lists.
Cloning: Allows direct cloning of programming between PSR500, PSR600, PRO106, or PRO197 radios using a standard 3-conductor "Mini" cable.
Searching: Includes Limit Searches (between upper/lower limits), Service Searches (preset categories like Public Safety, Aircraft, Marine, Ham Radio, CB, FRS/GMRS/MURS/DOT), and Spectrum Sweeper (nearfield frequency detection, All-Band or Public Safety modes). ZeroMatic option helps find actual transmitter frequencies.
Alert System: Multi-colored LED (red, green, blue) on the front panel combined with audible alerts to indicate different activities (e.g., CloseCall hit, favorite channel activity).
Expert Menu: Provides advanced settings like "SuperTrack" for digital signal processing adjustment, "AudioBoost" (6dB gain) for weaker audio, and "Hit Count" to track channel activity.
MultiSite Trunking: GRE's method for networked trunked systems, requiring programming of active control channels. The radio automatically rescans for stronger signals when decode quality drops.

Maintenance Features:

Firmware Updates: Allows users to download and update the radio's main firmware and DSP firmware from the GRE website using the USB programming cable. Updates are free.
Manuals: Comes with a comprehensive Owner's Manual on CD-ROM. Updated versions are available for free download in PDF format from GRE's website.
Programming Software: Compatible with various third-party programming applications (e.g., Butel's ARC500) for easier programming and virtual control.
Troubleshooting: The manual and online resources (RadioReference.com, YahooGroups forums, MarksScanners pages) provide extensive support for learning and troubleshooting.
Serial Number: Located on the rear of the radio, important for identification in case of theft.