"New" BC895XLT computer controlled scanner

I recently acquired a vintage Bearcat BC895XLT scanner from an internet seller (not ebay). I've always had my eye on this scanner because of the nice VFO/memory dial knob, good air band specs, and the ability to have computer control. I purchased this model for a good price and set out to connect it to a computer.

The problem with enabling computer control on this scanner is the non-standard serial port on the back of the radio. It is hidden behind a piece of black, self-adhesive plastic on the right side of the read panel. It uses a 5-pin header style connector that, it turns out, is identical to those used on computer motherboards and CD-ROM's.

A quick internet search and some rummaging through my computer parts box turned up the correct 5-pin connector from an old motherboard, a 9-pin female serial port and housing, and some 5-conductor telephone wire.

There are a few control programs that support the BC895XLT; it turns out that Scan Control Pro ($30) (which I already used to control my Bearcat BCT15X and RadioShack Pro-2052 scanners) also will nicely handle the BC895XLT. I connected this home-made serial cable to the computer through a Keyspan USA-19HS USB-to-serial adapter. You need to set the scanner for remote access by pushing the RMT front-panel button for 3 seconds and, once that was enabled, the program found the scanner right away and was up and running.

Optoelectronics OS-535 board sells on ebay

Apparently there is still a lot of interest in OptoElectronics boards that control the RadioShack line of scanners; an OS-535 board for the Pro-2035/2042 scanner recently sold on ebay for $122...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Optoelectronics-OS-535-board-and-software-for-Radio-Shack-PRO-2035-Scanner-OS535/202931533606?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

This particular board was removed from a Pro-2035 that died. The Pro-2035 series of scanners currently go for around $50-75 each so this combination still maintains some value.

800 MHz digital trunking antenna

While my attic-mounted 1980's-vintage Radio Shack scanner antenna works well for VHF/UHF it doesn't bring in reliable signals for the local 800 MHz multi-site digital trunked system on my RadioShack Pro-197 digital scanner. I believe there are five different transmitting sites, so I needed a directional antenna to null out the simulcast distortion and improve the radio's decoding. I picked up this GSM yagi antenna for a few dollars on Amazon. It's meant to be used to boost cell phone signals but works great on trunked radio frequencies; it has 11 dB of gain and works in the 800-900 MHz range...

Here's a link to a similar item on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/XHTECH-824-960MHz-Outdoor-Antenna-Booster/dp/B014CU9JYQ/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=900+mhz+gsm+antenna&qid=1585081448&sr=8-9

or search for "900 MHz GSM yagi" on ebay or Amazon - you should be able to find something similar for about $20.

It has an N-type connector so I got an N to BNC adapter and feed the signal to the Pro-197 with an RG6 GE UltraPro quad shield coax. I mounted the antenna to the underside of a bookshelf with a single screw so it could pivot in an arc, allowing me to aim it exactly at the closest transmitter. On most days my Pro-197 reports 99% decode quality.

If you suffer from simulcast distortion (as evidenced by poor audio) on your digital system there are lots of resources on the net with recommendations for reducing the problem; here are a few:

http://www.scannermasterblog.com/the-digital-blues-or-why-does-my-local-digital-system-sound-like/

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Simulcast_digital_distortion

My new lineup

Since retiring, I have some more time to play with radios and specifically scanners. A lot has changed in the past 5 years in our area, as the previous analog public safety trunked radio systems have combined into a county-wide digital P25 Phase I multisite system. This meant getting new digital scanners and working through the programming/setup challenges. I think I finally have everything sorted out:

• I've dedicated a Pro-197 to monitoring the main digital trunking site

• A Pro-651 is programmed for the local University site

These sites are linked but generally carry different talkgroups. 

• I also have a Pro-668 (upgraded by Whistler) that I use to monitor the local DMR Motorola Connect Plus (TRBO) system that carries taxi and towing services. 

• I use other analog scanners (including the Pro-2006) to monitor the local ham repeaters (I'm an amateur extra class), conventional public service, NOAA weather and air band traffic 

EDA-UG2802 Drop Amp put into service

Since I have more scanners now, I needed a way to distribute the signal from my attic scanner antenna to them all. I looked at some of the "professional" distribution amps like the Stridsberg MCA208M  but thought that was too pricey. Going back to Radioreference.com I saw that people still recommend the EDA-UG2X02 drop amps as an inexpensive alternative, so I picked up an 8-port model EDA-UG2802 and power supply on ebay for a few dollars. I think it works well on VHF low/high and UHF signals.

Still interest in these computer-controlled scanners

It's been nearly 5 years since my last post on this blog; since I've retired I have more time to spend playing with scanners so I've unpacked my radios and set them up again. I'm anxious to get the Pro-2006 running again and see what I can still do with it.

A Pro-2006 with the OS-456 board recently sold in 2018 for $157... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-Pro-2006-w-full-os456-Control-Board-by-Optoelectronics/182988806921?hash=item2a9afb9b09:g:A1EAAOSwYxBaRoGO

 A Pro-2035 with OS-535 board recently sold for $197... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-Pro-2035-With-OptoElectronics-OS-535-Computer-Control-Board/182873663506?hash=item2a941ea812:g:EmIAAOSwyi9Z-8h1

 A Pro-2006 with an HB-232 interface sold for just $76... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-PRO-2006-Scanner-with-HB-232-Interface/173069030113?hash=item284bb7d2e1:g:UZUAAOSwnw9aSom5

Bare Pro-2006 scanners go anywhere from $70-100, so the premium for the Optoscan board seems to be about $50-75. Looks like there is still interest in computer controlling these scanners.

Pro-2006 with OptoScan456

A Pro-2006 with OptoScan456 interface with a copy of Probe 7 software went for $149 on eBay today:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-PRO-2006-Scanner-with-OptoScan456-Computer-Control-Probe-Software-/160984889149?ssPageName=ADME%3AB%3AWNA%3AUS%3A1123&nma=true&si=%252BNTBuhIuJeFhm0uNsV7AV6V9vZA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Realistic PRO-2006 programmable scanning receiver with OptoScan456 circuit board is in excellent and clean cosmetic condition.  The Opto-electronic board allows the scanner to be connected to a computer via RS-232.  Comes with its original scanners owner's manual, telescopic antenna, and box. Also included is the OptoScan456 owner's manual and installation guide.  Its LCD display is clear, and the electroluminescent backlight is still bright.  Model number 20-145a S/N 066514.

The PRO-2006 features 400 programmable scanning channels, with user-selectable scanning speeds of 26 channels per second or 13 channels per second. It provides direct access to over 196,000 frequencies, with nearly continuous coverage from 25 MHz to 1300 MHz in AM, narrow-band FM, and wide-band FM modes.

Also included is a professional opto scanning software called Probe version 7.  Probe comes with original install disk and manual.   See the following URL for details on the probe software:

http://www.datafileinc.com/

Probe really enhances the capabilities of the scanner.  The software expands the scanner’s capacity to 4000 groups, with each group containing 99 banks with 1000 frequencies per bank.  Also it adds special scanning modes and computer logging.

Scanner has been tested and appears to be working correctly, but is being sold as is.