Pro-2006 with Opto456 Interface sells on eBay

This link won't be active for long, but there was a Pro-2006 with Opto456 and Optotrakker interface that just sold on eBay for $316...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160568212295&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

The cost of this setup new was probably $800, but that's still a striking price for ~20 year old technology. A Pro-2006 and Optoscan 456 (but no Optotrakker) sold a few days earlier for $123.

Here's the text of the auction:

Realistic Pro-2006 Scanner w/ Optoscan456 & Optotrakker
Up for auction is my used Realistic Pro-2006 Scanner (Full 800MHz band restored) with Optoelectronics  Optoscan456 (Full Version NOT "Lite") computer control board and Optoelectronics Optotrakker  Decoder (Motorola and LTR Trunking, CTCSS, DCS, and DTMF decoding). This board was  professionally installed and includes the Discriminator Audio modification and Reaction Tune  modification for use with an  Optoelectonics Scout  frequency recorder.  The Pro-2006 is excellent working and cosmetic condition, and the screen is in excellent condition.  The backlighting works, however the LCD has a small dark spot in the liquid crystal layer on the far  left edge of the display that does not block any of the display components (see photos, disregard the  reflections).  Knobs and keypad are like new, no discoloration or wear. The Optotrakker is in excellent  working and cosmetic condition, screen is in like new condition. Package includes the following: Realistic Pro-2006 Scanner with professionally installed Optoscan456 computer control board  (No original box), telescopic antenna OS456 Manual included, Pro-2006 manual on CD (If I can find the original manual, it will be  included) Optocom Optotrakker with original box, manual, AC adapter, (2) 3.5mm data cables, AOR  AR8000 cable NO SOFTWARE IS INCLUDED CONUS bidders and shipping only. Payment must be received within 48 hours of end of auction.   Shipped USPS Priority Insured with delivery confirmation for a flat fee of $15.00. I will reply to all reasonable inquiries. Thanks for looking.

New setup

Instead of working in the garden as I should on this beautiful spring day, I decided to reorganize my radio shack. Here's a picture of the new layout of the scanners:

Pro-2022, BC590XLT, Pro-95

Pro-2006, Pro-2035

CE-232 runs in DOSBOX

Thanks to KC2RGW for this great tip on running older radio control software on newer machines. An Open Source program called DOSBOX runs an emulator under Windows XP and simulates a DOS machine running at 286/386/486 speeds - just what the CE-232 interface wants to see. No more crashes and hiccups because the computer is too fast, and best of all I can use the computer for all the other normal tasks because DOSBOX only uses 10-15% of the CPU. It was up and running within minutes of download.

EDA-UG2402 Drop Amp put into service

I initially used a passive 4-way MCL splitter to feed the Pro-2006, Pro-2022, Pro-2035 and BC590XL scanners, but it's only designed to work up to 400 MHz. Many people on the RadioReference.com scanner forums recommended the EDA-UG2402 drop amp for scanner use, and it's rated up to 1 GHz. So, a quick eBay purchase later I have one in service...

I cannot detect any problems with it; the aircraft band frequencies I've been monitoring this week appear to be as strong on the UG2402 as with the MCL.Very happy with it especially since it only cost $8.

CE-232 Programming

Thanks to another kind soul (and fellow ham), I was able to secure a copy of the developer's toolkit for the HE-232 (precursor to the CE-232) including sample Basic code. Whoo-hoo! Programming can commence!

The demo code that comes with the developers toolkit is written for QBasic, which used to come with every DOS and Windows computer. Alas, Micro$oft stopped shipping it with WinXP. But the folks over at the QB64 project http://www.qbasic.com/ make an updated version that appears to work just as I remember QuickBasic working all those many years ago. QB64 even created a compiled version of the code that will run as a standalone .exe under the WinXP command prompt. Back in the day, you'd have to pay M$ the big $$$ to buy a stand-alone compiler.

I took a quick look at the programming guide, and it's obvious this won't be a simple task to create software for the CE-232. I'll have to spend some time mapping out the program flow to learn exactly how this works. But it looks doable.

Pro-2006 in action

Pro-2006 is at the bottom of the stack of scanners, fed from a RadioShack attic-mounted scanner antenna through the MCL ZSC 4-1B splitter. Also pictured: BC590XLT (top), Pro-2035 (right) and Pro-2022 (middle).

MCL ZSC 4-1B splitter:

:

Pro-2006 box

The box still has the $399 RadioShack price tag...