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Shareware Overload Trio 2
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Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO
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dir24
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pro39-43.zip
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PRO39-43.DOC
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1994-04-18
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154 lines
A TALE OF TWO SCANNERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Pro 39 and the Pro 43: A General Comparison
by John Quill Taylor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a general yet practical comparison between two popular Realistic(TM)
Brand portable scanners, the Pro 39 and the Pro 43. This is not an in-depth
technical comparison, as these have been written already. This is a
comparison from my own experience using both scanners. I've had a Pro 39
for seven months, and a Pro 43 was just acquired recently, so my report is
probably biased toward the Pro 39, with which I am more familiar.
Overall Impressions and complaints:
==================================
The Pro 39 & Pro 43 have some major differences and some subtle differences.
The subtle differences can be surprising. For example, the beep
confirmation tone is about one whole note higher in frequency on the Pro 39
than on the Pro 43! Also, each radio has its own "personal" behavior: the
quality (or lack thereof) of its sound, the brightness (darkness?) of the
internal lamp, and the ease with which you can read (or not read) the LCD
display, all vary between one radio and another, even of the same model!
In MANUAL mode, both radios have a STANDBY feature that allows the scanner
to consume less power, Both radios go into STANDBY mode after about 5
seconds. The STANDBY circuit produces and audible thump in an external
speaker. When using an AC adapter (either charging or powering), an audible
hum is heard when using an external speaker.
What's GOOD about BOTH the Pro 39 & the Pro 43:
==============================================
Both of these radios share the same small footprint (more like thumbprint!).
They use the same battery pack (6 AAs), AC and DC adapters (9V), and have a
similar look and feel, including the antenna connector (BNC), earphone
connector (1/8"), and squelch and volume knobs. Both radios can be modified
to restore full 800 MHz coverage, and modifications exist to eliminate the
beep and improve the sound.
What's BAD about BOTH the Pro 39 & the Pro 43:
=============================================
Although a modification exists to defeat the beep confirmation tone, a
switch to enable or disable it would have been nice. The sound of the beep
when using headphones or an external speaker is quite obnoxious, but the
beep is somewhat useful during programming, since the buttons are rather
small.
The belt clip is a piece of trash. Granted, it only costs a dollar to
replace (at Radio Shack); I've spent three dollars more than I care to have
spent on this weakly designed part. Luckily, its failures have not caused
any damage to the radio itself, a very real possibility.
The internal speaker's in both radios suck.
On my Pro 39, I once was removing the batteries while the power was on, and
I lost all the frequencies! I am unsure whether this can happen to the Pro
43, but I recommend turning the power off before taking the battery pack out
and leaving it off until the pack is securely in place.
When in PRIORITY mode, the scanners often "leap" from a frequency with a
solid carrier. Also, during the "sampling" of the priority channel, the
radio often "misses" a pressed button, requiring you to press it again.
These little "bugs" occur also on the Pro 2006.
What's GOOD about the Pro 39:
============================
The Pro 39 has a lower price.
The Pro 39 has a much easier to read LCD, at least on the radios I have
seen. I returned my first Pro 43 because the display was hardly readable.
The Pro 39 uses less than half the current drain as compared to the Pro 43
(according to published specifications). This was my initial reason for
getting a Pro 39 versus a Pro 43. Where does all that power go in the Pro
43? Is it the triple conversion? Is it the triple conversion? Is it the
triple conversion? Who knows?
While the internal speakers are awful in both models, my Pro 39 has a much
better sound. It is, in a quiet room, even "listenable." The Pro 43 speaker
"cracks up" (this may be the fault of the audio amplifier, since both radios
perform well with headphones or an external speaker).
The general "behavior" of the Pro 39 seems a bit more "positive" to me,
although I have owned this radio much longer than my Pro 43. When scanning,
pressing LOCKOUT works immediately on the Pro 39, while it seems to hesitate
a brief moment on my Pro 43.
What's GOOD about the Pro 43:
============================
The Pro 43 has a few extra front panel features that are nice, like an AM/FM
button. The Pro 39 "assumes" AM mode in certain frequency ranges, and this
mode cannot be "overridden" with a button like the Pro 43.
The Pro 43 scans in both directions, from lower to higher channels (default
"wakeup" mode, like the Pro 39) and also from higher to lower channels.
This is a subtle but very handy feature that allows you simple way to
"bounce" back and forth between two closely spaced "hot" frequencies.
The Pro 43 features triple conversion (versus double on the pro 39). I
didn't think this was a big deal, especially if you live in a "little" town
like I do, and I still don't think it's a big deal if all you do is scan the
programmed channels. Where triple conversion pays off is during searches,
but since neither radio has "frequency lockouts" during search mode, both
radios will "hang" on dead carriers, birdies, etc. during searches.
The Pro 43 has a shorter antenna (about 1/2" shorter). It is also narrower
(about 1/8" narrower).
The Pro 43 "remembers" the channels without batteries, although many times I
have left my Pro 39 on all night (after the batteries expired) and the
frequencies were still there. Maybe I am just lucky.
The Pro 43 has better frequency coverage (see the Radio Shack Catalog).
The Verdict:
===========
The Pro 39 is less expensive but it only uses double conversion. The Pro 43
uses triple conversion, and yet it uses more power, has a more difficult to
read LCD, and sounds worse using the internal speaker. While some great
discounts can be had on both of these radios, I strongly recommend holding
and operating both radios side by side before buying, and, if I had to do it
again, I would buy them in person, since it appears that each radio varies
in its LCD display and sound quality.
--
__
John Quill Taylor / /\
Writer at Large / / \
Hewlett-Packard, Storage Systems Division __ /_/ /\ \
Boise, Idaho U.S.A. /_/\ __\ \ \_\ \
e-mail: jqtaylor@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com \ \ \/ /\\ \ \/ /
Telephone: (208) 396-2328 (MST = GMT - 7) \ \ \/ \\ \ /
Snail Mail: Hewlett-Packard \ \ /\ \\ \ \
11413 Chinden Blvd \ \ \ \ \\ \ \
Boise, Idaho 83714 \ \ \_\/ \ \ \
Mailstop 430 \ \ \ \_\/
\_\/